The role of clonal selection and somatic mutation in autoimmunity

Polyclonal activation has been proposed as the reason that autoantibodies are produced during autoimmune disease. This model denies a role for specific antigen selection of B cells and predicts instead a multiclonal population of unmutated or randomly mutated autoantibodies. We have found that the genetic features and clonal composition of spontaneously derived immunoglobulin G (IgG) antiself-IgG (rheumatoid factor (RF] autoantibodies derived from the autoimmune MRL/lpr mouse strain are inconsistent with both the predictions of this model and the actual outcome of experimental polyclonal activation. Instead we have found that MRL/lpr RFs are oligoclonal or even monoclonal in origin. They harbour numerous somatic mutations which are distributed in a way that suggests immunoglobulin-receptor-dependent selection of these mutations. In this sense, the MRL/lpr RFs resemble antibodies elicited by exogenous antigens after secondary immunization. The parallels suggest that, like secondary immune responses, antigen stimulation is important in the generation of MRL/lpr RFs.     

The amphibian lens: a three month organ culture

Zusammenfassung Mit zwei verschiedenen Medien ist es erstmals gelungen, Augenlinsen vonRana catesbeiana mehr als 6 Wochen zu kultivieren. Die Wanderung und Teilung der Epithelzellen wird beschrieben.

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This work was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant No. EY 00281-06 from the National Eye Institute.     

Modulation of the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC1 by the interacting protein GTRAP3-18

Excitatory amino-acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is a high-affinity Na+-dependent L-glutamate/D,L-aspartate cell-membrane transport protein. It is expressed in brain as well as several non-nervous tissues. In brain, EAAC1 is the primary neuronal glutamate transporter. It has a polarized distribution in cells and mainly functions perisynaptically to transport glutamate from the extracellular environment. In the kidney it is involved in renal acidic amino-acid re-absorption and amino-acid metabolism. Here we describe the identification and characterization of an EAAC1-associated protein, GTRAP3-18. Like EAAC1, GTRAP3-18 is expressed in numerous tissues. It localizes to the cell membrane and cytoplasm, and specifically interacts with carboxy-terminal intracellular domain of EAAC1. Increasing the expression of GTRAP3-18 in cells reduces EAAC1-mediated glutamate transport by lowering substrate affinity. The expression of GTRAP3-18 can be upregulated by retinoic acid, which results in a specific reduction of EAAC1-mediated glutamate transport. These studies show that glutamate transport proteins can be regulated potently and that GTRAP can modulate the transport functions ascribed to EAAC1. GTRAP3-18 may be important in regulating the metabolic function of EAAC1.     

Oligodendroglia metabolically support axons and contribute to neurodegeneration

Oligodendroglia support axon survival and function through mechanisms independent of myelination, and their dysfunction leads to axon degeneration in several diseases. The cause of this degeneration has not been determined, but lack of energy metabolites such as glucose or lactate has been proposed. Lactate is transported exclusively by monocarboxylate transporters, and changes to these transporters alter lactate production and use. Here we show that the most abundant lactate transporter in the central nervous system, monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1, also known as SLC16A1), is highly enriched within oligodendroglia and that disruption of this transporter produces axon damage and neuron loss in animal and cell culture models. In addition, this same transporter is reduced in patients with, and in mouse models of, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, suggesting a role for oligodendroglial MCT1 in pathogenesis. The role of oligodendroglia in axon function and neuron survival has been elusive; this study defines a new fundamental mechanism by which oligodendroglia support neurons and axons.     

Modulation of the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAT4 by two interacting proteins

Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system and is removed from the synaptic cleft by sodium-dependent glutamate transporters. To date, five distinct glutamate transporters have been cloned from animal and human tissue: GLAST (EAAT1), GLT-1 (EAAT2), EAAC1 (EAAT3), EAAT4, and EAAT5 (refs 1-5). GLAST and GLT-1 are localized primarily in astrocytes, whereas EAAC1 (refs 8, 9), EAAT4 (refs 9-11) and EAAT5 (ref 5) are neuronal. Studies of EAAT4 and EAAC1 indicate an extrasynaptic localization on perisynaptic membranes that are near release sites. This localization facilitates rapid glutamate binding, and may have a role in shaping the amplitude of postsynaptic responses in densely packed cerebellar terminals. We have used a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify interacting proteins that may be involved in regulating EAAT4--the glutamate transporter expressed predominately in the cerebellum--or in targeting and/or anchoring or clustering the transporter to the target site. Here we report the identification and characterization of two proteins, GTRAP41 and GTRAP48 (for glutamate transporter EAAT4 associated protein) that specifically interact with the intracellular carboxy-terminal domain of EAAT4 and modulate its glutamate transport activity.