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Biomedical subjects

C B Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to C B Thompson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Interaction of CTLA-4 with the clathrin-associated protein AP50 results in ligand-independent endocytosis that limits cell surface expression.

CTLA-4 is a lymphocyte cell surface receptor expressed by activated T cells that functions to down-regulate T cell responses induced by TCR and CD28 stimulation. Since CTLA-4 competes with CD28 for binding to the common ligands B7-1 and B7-2, the level of CTLA-4 surface expression is likely to play an important role in its ability to inhibit CD28-dependent T cell activation. The factors that regulate these levels are poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed that following T cell activation, the majority of CTLA-4 is localized intracellularly rather than on the cell surface, and surface CTLA-4 is rapidly reinternalized. In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the rapid clearance of CTLA-4 from the cell surface. The data demonstrate that cell surface CTLA-4 is endocytosed into clathrin-coated vesicles even in the absence of ligand. The targeting of CTLA-4 to clathrin-coated vesicles is mediated by the clathrin-associated adaptor complex AP-2. The cytoplasmic domain of CTLA-4 was found to specifically bind to AP50, the medium chain subunit of AP-2 in both yeast two-hybrid and coimmunoprecipitation assays. The interaction requires the peptide sequence 199-GVYVKM-204 in the cytoplasmic tail of CTLA-4. Mutation of the CTLA-4 amino acid residue Y201 abrogates the interaction with AP50, resulting in the accumulation of CTLA-4 at the cell surface. Together these data suggest that the interaction of CTLA-4 with AP50 plays an important role in regulating the cell surface expression of CTLA-4.

Abatacept↗
PubMed1997

CD28 engagement and proinflammatory cytokines contribute to T cell expansion and long-term survival in vivo.

To mount a productive response to Ag, CD4+ T cells in mice must divide, differentiate, and survive at least until the Ag has been eliminated. It has been suggested that to accomplish this, T cells must receive two signals, one through their TCRs and a second through CD28. The second signal through CD28 has been thought to fulfill two roles, to stimulate T cell proliferation and to promote T cell survival. In this paper we confirm that CD28 engagement can contribute to vigorous T cell expansion in mice injected with superantigens. However, CD28 engagement does not protect T cells produced during a superantigen-specific proliferative response from undergoing subsequent deletion. Even if CD28 is bound, 4 days after superantigen exposure, the majority of T cells produced in response to superantigen exposure are eliminated in vivo. In contrast, this loss of superantigen-stimulated T cells can be prevented by the inflammatory stimuli created by injection of bacterial LPS. This protection does not require engagement of CD28 by its ligands, B7-1 and B7-2. These data suggest that productive T cell responses in mice involve a number of signals, including those initiated through TCR and CD28, which are primarily involved in the activation and expansion of T cells, and others delivered by proinflammatory cytokines that protect an activated T cell from subsequent deletion.

Abatacept↗
PubMed1997

Bcl-x(L) can inhibit apoptosis in cells that have undergone Fas-induced protease activation.

Programmed cell death or apoptosis provides an irreversible mechanism for the elimination of excess or damaged cells. Several recent studies have implicated the activation of the interleukin 1beta-converting enzyme/Ced-3 (ICE/Ced-3) family of proteases as the "point of no return" in apoptotic cell death, while others have suggested that loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi(m)) is the ultimate determinant of cell death. The temporal relationship of these two events during apoptosis and the role of Bcl-2 proteins in inhibiting these steps has not been defined. To examine these issues, control and Bcl-x(L)-transfected Jurkat T cells were treated with Fas antibodies in the presence and absence of the ICE protease inhibitor zVAD-FMK. ICE/Ced-3 protease activity was monitored by following the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and delta psi(m) was followed by rhodamine 123 fluorescence. Although Bcl-x(L) expression did not block Fas-induced protease activation, it substantially inhibited the subsequent loss of delta psi(m) and cell death in Fas-treated cells. In contrast, zVAD-FMK blocked PARP cleavage as well as loss of delta psi(m) and cell death. Together these data demonstrate that Bcl-x(L) can maintain cell viability by preventing the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential that occurs as a consequence of ICE/Ced-3 protease activation.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1997

Identification of a novel regulatory domain in Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-2.

Bcl-X(L), a member of the Bcl-2 family, can inhibit many forms of programed cell death. The three-dimensional structure of Bcl-X(L) identified a 60 amino acid loop lacking defined structure. Although amino acid sequence within this region is not conserved among Bcl-2 family members, structural modeling suggested that Bcl-2 also contains a large unstructured region. Compared with the full-length protein, loop deletion mutants of Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-2 displayed an enhanced ability to inhibit apoptosis. Despite enhanced function, the deletion mutants did not have significant alterations in the ability to bind pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax. The loop deletion mutant of Bcl-2 also displayed a qualitative difference in its ability to inhibit apoptosis. Full-length Bcl-2 was unable to prevent anti-IgM-induced cell death of the immature B cell line WEHI-231. In contrast, the Bcl-2 deletion mutant protected WEHI-231 cells from death. Substantial differences were observed in the ability of WEHI-231 cells to phosphorylate the deletion mutant of Bcl-2 compared with full-length Bcl-2. Bcl-2 phosphorylation was found to be dependent on the presence of an intact loop domain. These results suggest that the loop domain in Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-2 can suppress the anti-apoptotic function of these genes and may be a target for regulatory post-translational modifications.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Structure of Bcl-xL-Bak peptide complex: recognition between regulators of apoptosis.

Heterodimerization between members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins is a key event in the regulation of programmed cell death. The molecular basis for heterodimer formation was investigated by determination of the solution structure of a complex between the survival protein Bcl-xL and the death-promoting region of the Bcl-2-related protein Bak. The structure and binding affinities of mutant Bak peptides indicate that the Bak peptide adopts an amphipathic alpha helix that interacts with Bcl-xL through hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Mutations in full-length Bak that disrupt either type of interaction inhibit the ability of Bak to heterodimerize with Bcl-xL.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Bcl-x(L) forms an ion channel in synthetic lipid membranes.

Bcl-2-related proteins are critical regulators of cell survival that are localized to the outer mitochondrial, outer nuclear and endoplasmic reticulum membranes. Despite their physiological importance, the biochemical function of Bcl-2-related proteins has remained elusive. The three-dimensional structure of Bcl-xL, an inhibitor of apoptosis, was recently shown to be similar to the structures of the pore-forming domains of bacterial toxins. A key feature of these pore-forming domains is the ability to form ion channels in biological membranes. Here we demonstrate that Bcl-xL shares this functional feature. Like the bacterial toxins, Bcl-xL can insert into either synthetic lipid vesicles or planar lipid bilayers and form an ion-conducting channel. This channel is pH-sensitive and becomes cation-selective at physiological pH. The ion-conducting channel(s) formed by Bcl-xL display multiple conductance states that have identical ion selectivity. Together, these data suggest that Bcl-xL may maintain cell survival by regulating the permeability of the intracellular membranes to which it is distributed.

Cations↗
PubMed1997

Impaired induction of the apoptosis-protective protein Bcl-xL in activated PBMC from asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals.

Progression to AIDS in asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals is characterized by a gradual but progressive loss of CD4+ T cells. While the mechanisms underlying this decline are currently unknown, recent evidence suggests that these cells are abnormally sensitive to apoptosis in response to activation signals. Recent work has implicated downregulation of Bcl-2 with the increased spontaneous apoptosis in lymphocytes from HIV-infected patients. We have evaluated the roles of the apoptosis-protective proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-x in stimulated PBMC from asymptomatic HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals. We found that Bcl-2 was constitutively expressed in PBMC from both HIV-infected and uninfected samples. However, Bcl-x induction was delayed and responses were decreased in stimulated HIV-infected samples. Additionally, single-cell intracellular staining of Bcl-x revealed a significant inverse correlation between PWM-induced Bcl-x expression and apoptosis (r = -0.695, P = 0.05). This was confirmed at the single-cell level in direct experiments when stimulated cells were sorted based on Bcl-x induction and then measured for apoptosis. Furthermore, low Bcl-x expression was not due to reduced lymphocyte activation following PWM stimulation. Our data indicate that the induction of Bcl-x is markedly impaired in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients and that stimuli which induce inadequate expression of Bcl-x are associated with increased levels of apoptosis in these cells.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1997

Elevated expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-x by intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes: resistance to apoptosis by glucocorticoids and irradiation.

Administration of glucocorticoids or exposure to ionizing radiation in vivo results in a rapid cell death of thymocytes. We report that murine small intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) are resistant to both steroid- and radiation-induced deletion. This is due to resistance to apoptosis, as evidenced by the absence of detectable apoptotic IEL nuclei in situ after in vivo glucocorticoid treatment. IEL express normal levels of glucocorticoid receptors and these receptors bind [3H]dexamethasone to equivalent levels as other lymphocyte populations. Thus, their survival is due to post-receptor signaling mechanisms. Many IEL express high levels of Bcl-2 and that of these Bcl-2high IEL are largely TCR gamma delta +. Those IEL that do express high levels of Bcl-2 are CD8 alpha + beta - CD4-. In addition, IEL express Bcl-x, another protein shown to be involved in the protection of cells from apoptotic signals. IEL represent the first lymphocyte population in vivo shown to have high levels of expression of both molecules, that otherwise occur only in activated lymphocytes in vitro. These data suggest that the Bcl-2+Bcl-x+ IEL are activated cells and not an effete population of cells necessarily destined to die. Also, the high levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-x in this in vivo activated population supports the in vitro correlate of protection from activation-induced cell death.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Induction of nuclear factor kappaB by the CD30 receptor is mediated by TRAF1 and TRAF2.

CD30 is a lymphoid cell-specific surface receptor which was originally identified as an antigen expressed on Hodgkin's lymphoma cells. Activation of CD30 induces the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcription factor. In this study, we define the domains in CD30 which are required for NF-kappaB activation. Two separate elements of the cytoplasmic domain which were capable of inducing NF-kappaB independently of one another were identified. The first domain (domain 1) mapped to a approximately 120-amino-acid sequence in the membrane-proximal region of the CD30 cytoplasmic tail, between residues 410 and 531. A second, more carboxy-terminal region (domain 2) was identified between residues 553 and 595. Domain 2 contains two 5- to 10-amino-acid elements which can mediate the binding of CD30 to members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF) family of signal transducing proteins. Coexpression of CD30 with TRAF1 or TRAF2 but not TRAF3 augmented NF-kappaB activation through domain 2 but not domain 1. NF-kappaB induction through domain 2 was inhibited by coexpression of either full-length TRAF3 or dominant negative forms of TRAF1 or TRAF2. In contrast, NF-kappaB induction by domain 1 was not affected by alterations in TRAF protein levels. Together, these data support a model in which CD30 can induce NF-kappaB by both TRAF-dependent and -independent mechanisms. TRAF-dependent induction of NF-kappaB appears to be regulated by the relative levels of individual TRAF proteins in the cell.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Apoptosis and disease: regulation and clinical relevance of programmed cell death.

Regulation of the homeostatic balance between cell proliferation and cell death is essential for development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Physiologic, or programmed, cell death is dependent on a genetically encoded and evolutionarily conserved pathway that induces a form of cellular suicide known as apoptosis. In the past decade, it has become clear that the regulatory mechanisms controlling programmed cell death are as fundamental, and as complex, as those regulating cell proliferation. Perturbation of the signaling cascades regulating apoptosis, whether by extracellular triggers, acquired or germline genetic mutations, or viral mimicry of signaling molecules, can result in a wide variety of human diseases. Analysis of these regulatory pathways has led to a better understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of many human diseases, notably cancers, infectious diseases including AIDS, autoimmune diseases, and neurodegenerative/neurodevelopmental diseases. Our understanding of the regulation of programmed cell death in health and disease is far from complete, and the challenge of converting that understanding into new therapeutic modalities has only begun to be approached.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Avian B cell development.

Development of B cells in chickens proceeds via a series of discrete developmental stages that includes the maturation of committed B cell progenitors in the specialized microenvironment of the bursa of Fabricius. The bursa has been shown to be required for the amplification of the B cell pool and selects for cells with productive immunoglobulin rearrangement events. Other events regulating chicken B cell development such as lymphocyte trafficking and apoptosis are just beginning to be elucidated. Within the bursa, the variable regions of immunoglobulin genes of B cell progenitors are diversified by a process of intrachromosomal gene conversion, where blocks of sequence information are transferred from pseudo-V regions to the recombined variable regions of the immunoglobulin genes. Recently gene conversion has been determined to play a role in the diversification of the immune repertoire in other species. In this review we focus on the current understanding and recent advances of B cell development in the chicken.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Use of Iliad to improve diagnostic performance of nurse practitioner students.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have dual goals as primary care providers, combining the traditional goals of nursing with extended goals as diagnosticians. Diagnostic reasoning, therefore, is a critical component of NP education. Iliad, a computerized diagnostic reasoning expert system, has been used effectively to teach diagnostic skills to medical students. A pilot study was undertaken to determine the effects of Iliad training on NP students' diagnostic skill performance and to identify technical and instructional issues of implementation. The study found that the use of Iliad improved NP students' diagnostic reasoning, and that the training effects were modified by prior nursing experience. Successful use of Iliad required planning, faculty commitment, and technical support.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1997

Bcl-x expression influences keratinocyte cell survival but not terminal differentiation.

The epidermis is characterized by the continual turnover of its basic cellular unit, the keratinocyte. To determine whether genes known to regulate apoptosis could affect keratinocyte biology, transgenic mice overexpressing bcl-xL or bcl-xS under the control of the human keratin 14 promoter were generated. The maturation process and cellularity of the stratified epidermis were not compromised in the transgenic mice. Transgene function was demonstrated by enhanced cell survival of bcl-xL transgenic versus wild-type primary keratinocyte cultures treated with etoposide. To test the response of these mice to genotoxic damage, wild-type and transgenic mice were irradiated with UV light. The bcl-xL transgenic mice showed a dramatically increased resistance to irradiation, whereas the bcl-xS transgenic mice showed an increased sensitivity to irradiation. In contrast, neither transgene influenced the rate of would repair. Interestingly, endogenous Bcl-x was rapidly induced in keratinocytes adjacent to the would. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that although the terminal differentiation program is not altered by Bcl-x, acute stress responses within the skin can be influenced by regulators of apoptosis such as Bcl-x.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Skeletal muscle Na,K-ATPase alpha and beta subunit protein levels respond to hypokalemic challenge with isoform and muscle type specificity.

During potassium deprivation, skeletal muscle loses K+ to buffer the fall in extracellular K+. Decreased active K+ uptake via the sodium pump, Na,K-ATPase, contributes to the adjustment. Skeletal muscle expresses alpha1, alpha2, beta1, and beta2 isoforms of the Na, K-ATPase alphabeta heterodimer. This study was directed at testing the hypothesis that K+ loss from muscle during K+ deprivation is a function of decreased expression of specific isoforms expressed in a muscle type-specific pattern. Isoform abundance was measured in soleus, red and white gastrocnemius, extensor digitorum longus, and diaphragm by immunoblot. alpha2 expression was uniform across control muscles, whereas alpha1 and beta1 were twice as high in oxidative (soleus and diaphragm) as in fast glycolytic (white gastrocnemius) muscles, and beta2 expression was reciprocal: highest in white gastrocnemius and barely detectable in soleus and diaphragm. Following 10 days of potassium deprivation plasma K+ fell from 4.0 to 2.3 mM, and there were distinct responses in glycolytic versus oxidative muscles. In glycolytic white gastrocnemius alpha2 and beta2 fell 94 and 70%, respectively; in mixed red gastrocnemius and extensor digitorum longus both fell 60%, and beta1 fell 25%. In oxidative soleus and diaphragm alpha2 fell 55 and 30%, respectively, with only minor changes in beta1. Although decreases in alpha2 and beta2 expression are much greater in glycolytic than oxidative muscles during K+ deprivation, both types of muscle lose tissue K+ to the same extent, a 20% decrease, suggesting that multiple mechanisms are in place to regulate the release of skeletal muscle cell K+.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Molecular cloning and characterization of CFT1, a developmentally regulated avian alpha(1,3)-fucosyltransferase gene.

Although coordinate expression of carbohydrate epitopes during development is well described, mechanisms which regulate this expression remain largely unknown. In this study we demonstrate that developing chicken B cells express the LewisX terminal oligosaccharide structure in a stage-specific manner. To examine regulation of this expression, we have cloned and expressed the chicken alpha(1,3)-fucosyltransferase gene involved in LewisX biosynthesis, naming it chicken fucosyltransferase 1 (CFT1). CFT1 is characterized by a single long open reading frame of 356 amino acids encoding a type II transmembrane glycoprotein. The domain structure and predicted amino acid sequence are highly conserved between CFT1 and mammalian FucTIV genes (52.8% and 46.3% identity to mouse and human respectively). In vitro CFT1 fucosyltransferase activity utilizes LacNAc > 3'sialyl-LacNAc acceptors with almost no utilization of other neutral type II (lactose, 2-fucosyllactose), or type I (lacto-N-biose I) acceptors. CFT1-transfected cells make cell surface LewisX (COS-7) and LewisX + VIM-2 structures (Chinese hamster ovary). CFT1 gene expression is tissue-specific and includes embryonic thymus and bursa. Furthermore, expression of the CFT1 gene and cell surface LewisX structures are closely linked during B cell development. These findings reveal the evolutionary conservation between nonmammalian and mammalian alpha(1,3)-fucosyltransferase genes and demonstrate a role for fucosyltransferase gene regulation in the developmental expression of oligosaccharide structures.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Bcl-xS enhances adenoviral vector-induced apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells.

bcl-x is a member of the bcl-2 family of genes and by alternative splicing gives rise to two distinct mRNAs: bcl-xL and bcl-xS. We have previously investigated the expression of Bcl-x in neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines and have shown that Bcl-xL is expressed and functions to inhibit chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. However, none of the NB cell lines expressed Bcl-xS. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of Bcl-xS expression on the viability of NB cells. A panel of NB cell lines (CHP-382, GOTO, SHEP-1, SHSY-5Y, and GI-CA-N) were infected with either a bcl-xS adenovirus (pAdRSV-bcl-xS) or a control virus (pAdRSV-lac-z). NB cells showed loss of viability with both viruses, although the bcl-xS virus was most toxic. Importantly, infection with the bcl-xS adenovirus resulted in rapid loss of cell viability, DNA fragmentation, and morphological features of apoptosis even in NB cells transfected to overexpress Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. These findings suggest that deregulated expression of Bcl-xS using an adenovirus may provide a novel mechanism for initiating cell death in tumors that express Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL.

Adenoviridae↗