Successive action of DnaK, DnaJ and GroEL along the pathway of chaperone-mediated protein folding.

The main stress proteins of Escherichia coli function in an ordered protein-folding reaction. DnaK (heat-shock protein 70) recognizes the folding polypeptide as an extended chain and cooperates with DnaJ in stabilizing an intermediate conformational state lacking ordered tertiary structure. Dependent on GrpE and ATP hydrolysis, the protein is then transferred to GroEL (heat-shock protein 60) which acts catalytically in the production of the native state. This sequential mechanism of chaperone action may represent an important pathway for the folding of newly synthesized polypeptides.     

Human aminopeptidase N is a receptor for human coronavirus 229E.

Human coronaviruses (HCV) in two serogroups represented by HCV-229E and HCV-OC43 are an important cause of upper respiratory tract infections. Here we report that human aminopeptidase N, a cell-surface metalloprotease on intestinal, lung and kidney epithelial cells, is a receptor for human coronavirus strain HCV-229E, but not for HCV-OC43. A monoclonal antibody, RBS, blocked HCV-229E virus infection of human lung fibroblasts, immunoprecipitated aminopeptidase N and inhibited its enzymatic activity. HCV-229E-resistant murine fibroblasts became susceptible after transfection with complementary DNA encoding human aminopeptidase N. By contrast, infection of human cells with HCV-OC43 was not inhibited by antibody RBS and expression of aminopeptidase N did not enhance HCV-OC43 replication in mouse cells. A mutant aminopeptidase lacking the catalytic site of the enzyme did not bind HCV-229E or RBS and did not render murine cells susceptible to HCV-229E infection, suggesting that the virus-binding site may lie at or near the active site of the human aminopeptidase molecule.     

Retinoic acid alters hindbrain Hox code and induces transformation of rhombomeres 2/3 into a 4/5 identity.

It has been suggested that Hox genes play an important part in the patterning of limbs, vertebrae and craniofacial structures by providing an ordered molecular system of positional values, termed the Hox code. Little is known about the nature of the signals that govern the establishment and regulation of Hox genes, but retinoic acid can affect the expression of these genes in cell lines and in embryonic tissues. On the basis of experimental and clinical evidence, the hindbrain and branchial region of the head are particularly sensitive to the effects of retinoic acid but the phenotypes are complex and hard to interpret, and how and if they relate to Hox expression has not been clear. Here we follow the changes induced by retinoic acid to hindbrain segmentation and the branchial arches using transgenic mice which contain lacZ reporter genes that reveal the endogenous segment-restricted expression of the Hox-B1 (Hox-2.9), Hox-B2(Hox-2.8) and Krox-20 genes. Our results show that these genes rapidly respond to exposure to retinoic acid at preheadfold stages and undergo a progressive series of changes in segmental expression that are associated with specific phenotypes in hindbrain of first branchial arch. Together the molecular and anatomical alterations indicate that retinoic acid has induced changes in the hindbrain Hox code which result in the homeotic transformation of rhombomeres (r) 2/3 to an r4/5 identity. A main feature of this rhombomeric phenotype is that the trigeminal motor nerve is transformed to a facial identity. Furthermore, in support of this change in rhombomeric identity, neural crest cells derived from r2/3 also express posterior Hox markers suggesting that the retinoic acid-induced transformation extends to multiple components of the first branchial arch.     

Elongation factor-1 alpha gene determines susceptibility to transformation.

Elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1 alpha), an essential component of the eukaryotic translational apparatus, is a GTP-binding protein that catalyses the binding of aminoacyl-transfer RNAs to the ribosome. Expression of the EF-1 alpha gene decreases towards the end of the lifespans of mouse and human fibroblasts, but forced expression of EF-1 alpha prolongs the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. Eukaryotic initiation factor-4E, another component of the translational machinery, is mitogenic or oncogenic when constitutively expressed in some mammalian cells. Thus, components of the protein synthesis apparatus seem to be involved in the control of cell proliferation. Using expression cloning, we have isolated a complementary DNA clone from a BALB/c 3T3 mouse fibroblast variant, A31-I-13 (ref. 10), which specifies a factor determining the susceptibility of BALB/c3T3 to chemically and physically induced transformation. Here we report that the factor is EF-1 alpha and that its constitutive expression causes BALB/c 3T3 A31-I-1 (ref. 10), C3H10T1/2 (ref. 11) and Syrian hamster SHOK fibroblasts to become highly susceptible to transformation induced by 3-methylcholanthrene and ultraviolet light. EF-1 alpha messenger RNA is also constitutively expressed in a quiescent culture of the highly susceptible variant A31-I-13. We conclude that the removal of regulation of the expression of these components of the translational machinery may predispose cells to become more susceptible to malignant transformation.     

Close linkage of glucokinase locus on chromosome 7p to early-onset non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a major health problem, affecting 5% of the world population. Genetic factors are important in NIDDM, but the mechanisms leading to glucose intolerance are unknown. Genetic linkage has been investigated in multigeneration families to localize, and ultimately identify, the gene(s) predisposing to NIDDM. Here we report linkage between the glucokinase locus on chromosome 7p and diabetes in 16 French families with maturity-onset diabetes of the young, a form of NIDDM characterized by monogenic autosomal dominant transmission and early age of onset. Statistical evidence of genetic heterogeneity was significant, with an estimated 45-95% of the 16 families showing linkage to glucokinase. Because glucokinase is a key enzyme of blood glucose homeostasis, these results are evidence that a gene involved in glucose metabolism could be implicated in the pathogenesis of NIDDM.     

Susceptibility of beta 2-microglobulin-deficient mice to Trypanosoma cruzi infection.

The beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) protein associates with the products of the class I major histocompatibility (MHC) loci; this combination functions in the thymic development of and antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells. Mice in which the beta 2m gene has been disrupted by homologous recombination fail to express class I MHC gene products, and therefore lack CD8+ T cells and measurable cytotoxic T-cell responses. However, beta 2m- mice appear to have normal development of both CD4+ alpha/beta T-cell receptor (TCR+) and gamma/delta TCR+ T cells and are not overtly more susceptible than beta 2m+ mice to potential environmental agents of infection or to experimental viral infection. Here we show that beta 2m- mice suffer high parasitaemias and early death when infected with the obligate cytoplasmic protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Despite this increased susceptibility, the beta 2m- mice are more responsive than their beta 2m+ littermates in terms of lymphokine production, making higher levels of both interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma in response to mitogen stimulation. In addition, the beta 2m- mice show essentially no inflammatory response in parasite-infected tissues. These results confirm previous experiments on mice depleted of CD8+ cells using antibody treatment in demonstrating the importance of CD8+ T cells in immune protection in T. cruzi infection. They also implicate CD8+ T cells and/or class I MHC molecules in regulation of lymphokine production and recruitment of inflammatory cells.     

Tumour necrosis factor alpha restores granulomas and induces parasite egg-laying in schistosome-infected SCID mice.

Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is a parasitic disease caused by several species of schistosome worms (blood flukes). The key pathogenic event in this disease is the formation of granulomas around schistosome eggs trapped in portal venules of the liver. Granulomas are a distinctive form of chronic inflammation characterized by localized aggregation of activated macrophages around an inciting stimulus. Each granuloma evolves to form a fibrous scar; in schistosomiasis, the result is widespread hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension. To identify the specific immune signal molecules necessary for granuloma formation, we studied schistosome infections in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice, which have normal macrophages but lack functional B or T lymphocytes. Here we report that the immunoregulatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor alpha is necessary and sufficient to reconstitute granuloma formation in schistosome-infected SCID mice. Moreover, we find that the parasitic worms require tumour necrosis factor alpha for egg-laying and for excretion of eggs from the host. The implication of this latter result is that the parasite has adapted so successfully to its host that it uses a host-derived immunoregulatory protein as a signal for replication and transmission.