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C M Tsiapalis

Publications and source records attributed to C M Tsiapalis.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Poly(A)-polymerase activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia of the B cell type.

Poly(A)-polymerase enzymic activity was biochemically determined in lymphocytic extracts from 40 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia of the B cell type. The enzymic activities of patients with stage A, B and C disease were (U/mg of protein): 4.9 +/- 5.5, 12.5 +/- 7.5 and 20.9 +/- 18.9, respectively. The difference in the enzyme level between stage A and C patients was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). Comparison of the enzyme activity level in relation to the pattern of bone marrow involvement revealed that patients with a diffuse pattern of infiltration had a significantly higher enzyme level (17.9 +/- 15.5 U/mg of protein) than patients with interstitial or mixed infiltration patterns (5.9 +/- 6.6 and 7.9 +/- 7.0 U/mg of protein; p less than 0.025). Finally, patients who required treatment for their disease also had a significantly higher poly(A)-polymerase activity level (14.5 +/- 13.9 U/mg of protein) than patients with stable disease (4.9 +/- 5.5 U/mg of protein; p less than 0.05). Our results indicate that the enzyme poly(A)-polymerase may be used as a biological marker in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

B-Lymphocytes↗

Polyadenylic acid polymerase activity in normal and leukemic human leukocytes.

Soluble polyadenylic acid [poly(A)] polymerase and poly(A) nucleases content of normal human blood lymphocytes and leukemic blood cell populations was determined. Blood lymphocytes from seven normal individuals were used as controls. Leukemic cells were obtained from 69 patients with various types of acute and chronic leukemias. Chronic lymphocytic leukemias presented poly(A) polymerase values with a mean of 9 +/- 4 (S.D.). Although most of the chronic lymphocytic leukemia cases presented poly(A) polymerase activities similar to those of normal lymphocytes (3 +/- 3), a small number fell into the specific activity values of acute leukemias, which were significantly higher and covered a wider range. The mean values for acute myeloblastic, acute monoblastic, and acute lymphoblastic leukemias were 53 +/- 50, 21 +/- 8, and 29 +/- 14, respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between chronic and acute leukemias (p less than 0.01). The observed differences in poly(A) polymerase levels of acute lymphoblastic leukemia versus chronic lymphocytic leukemia persisted after fractionation of the crude extracts and, furthermore, they could not be attributed to differences in the levels of poly(A)-degrading enzymes [poly(A) endo- and exonucleases]. Fractionation of leukemic extracts on Sephadex G-75 revealed two molecular forms of poly(A) polymerase activity.

Humans↗

Chemical modification of DNA polymerase phosphoprotein from avian myeloblastosis virus.

Fractionation of purified avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase, after phosphorylation in vitro, revealed the presence of a small acidic proten, a phosphate acceptor polypeptide with high specific activity. Its presence in the phosphorylated form with the polymerase resulted in as much as a 10-fold increase in the rate of DNA synthesis. Its presence in the dephosphorylated form with the polymerase had no effect in the rate of DNA synthesis.

Avian Leukosis Virus↗

Protein kinase and phosphoproteins of avian myeloblastosis virus.

A protein kinase associated with purified virions of avian myeloblastosis virus, BAI strain A, was highly purified by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. On the basis of molecular sieving on Sephadex G-200, the enzyme protein appeared to have a molecular weight of about 50,000 to 60,000; disc gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gels revealed the presence of at least two polypeptide chains; and isoelectric focusing on acrylamide gels revealed two protein bands with activity. Of the nonviral proteins used as phosphate acceptors, the greatest rate of phosphorylation was obtained with alpha-casein. Potential physiological substrates for this activity included specific virion polypeptide of avian myeloblastosis virus. One of the virion polypeptides found in association with reverse transcriptase activity from avian myeloblastosis virus accepted more phosphate than any of nonviral or viral polypeptides examined on the basis of nanomoles of 32P incorporated per milligram of protein.

Avian Leukosis Virus↗

Influence of phosphate on activity and stability of reverse transcriptase from avian myeloblastosis virus.

Activity of RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (RDDP) from avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV), either in purified form or in virus lysates, was increased by phosphorylation. Stability of RDDP in lysates buffered with phosphate was much greater (no loss of activity in 48 hours at 4 degrees) than that in lysates buffered with Tris-Cl (76% loss). Activity lost in the Tris-buffered extracts was completely restored by phosphorylation. The findings suggested that AMV RDDP activity is influenced by the degree of phosphorylation of the enzyme or enzyme-associated proteins and that this chemical modification is mediated by protein phosphokinase and phosphoprotein phosphatase present in crude extracts of purified AMV. Application of these results provided the basis of procedures whereby RDDP can be recovered in significantly higher yield and purity than formerly.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Purification of terminal riboadenylate transferase from calf thymus gland.

A poly(A) polymerase has been purified from the soluble protein fraction of calf thymus gland. The activity is cytoplasmic and nonparticulate. Mn-2+ATP is the preferred substrate. On the basis of disc gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gels, gel filtration, and sedimentation velocity in sucrose gradients, the enzyme has a molecular weight of 62,000 and appears to consist of one polypeptide chain. The enzyme preparation is shown to be nearly homogeneous by disc gel electrophoresis and isoelectric-focusing. The activity has a pI of about 7.4. The specific activity of the enzyme is about 1700 mumol per hour per mg of protein, giving a turnover number of about 1800 mol of substrate per mol of enzyme min- minus 1. The activity is highly specific for ATP and is inhibited by other ribonucleoside triphosphates. It is sensitive to high levels of RNA-polymerase inhibitors. Km for oligoadenylate is 50 muM in the presence of Mn-2+ and 200 muM in Mg-2+ and equivalent Vmax is achieved with either metal ion. The initiator function may be filled by a variety of oligoribonucleotides having a free 3'-OH.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

Poly(A) polymerase specifically implicated in the mechanism of chemotherapeutic drug action during cell apoptosis.

It has recently been established that most anticancer drugs act through the mechanism of apoptosis. It has also been clinically confirmed that drug combinations are more effective than single drugs and various chemotherapeutic strategies have therefore been developed. The experiments described here concern the induction of apoptosis with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a substance with multiple activity especially as an inducer of differentiation, and interferon (IFN), a cytokine well known for its antiviral and antineoplastic effects; they are used alone or in combination. Apoptosis may be regulated at all levels of gene expression including the addition of the poly(A) tail to the 3' end of mRNAs. Poly(A) polymerase (PAP) [EC.2.7.7.19], the enzyme that catalyzes the addition of the poly(A) tail to mRNAs, changes in the process of development, differentiation, transformation and apoptosis. In the present study the induction of HeLa cells to apoptosis (65%) with a DMSO/rIFN-alpha combination resulted in pronounced PAP dephosphorylation and activity reduction. HeLa cells induced to apoptosis (35%) with DMSO gave lower levels of PAP dephosphorylation and reduction of activity and cells induced to apoptosis (18%) with rIFN-alpha gave only limited PAP dephosphorylation and reduction of activity. The implications of these observations for chemotherapeutic drug action at the level of mRNA polyadenylation point to the possible use of PAP as a biological marker for the evaluation of this action.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Anticancer drug action on poly(A) polymerase activity and isoforms during HeLa and WISH cell apoptosis.

Poly(A) polymerase (PAP; EC 2.7.7.19) catalyzes mRNA polyadenylation. Its activity and isoform levels vary during cell cycle transformation and apoptosis. It has become widely accepted that cell death after DNA damage by anticancer agents is primarily the result of apoptosis and that cells able to evade apoptosis will be resistant to cell killing. The therapeutic agents interferon (IFN), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and tamoxifen (Tam) with different mechanisms of action mediate both partial dephosphorylation and inactivation of PAP, detected by immunoblotting analysis and PAP enzyme assay, respectively. We examined the apoptotic tendencies of HeLa and WISH cell lines caused by one of the drugs used, 5-FU. The trend in the cells examined, observed by DAPI and/or DNA fragmentation assay, was found to be accompanied by and reversibly related to PAP activity levels and PAP lower mobility phosphorylated forms of 106 and 100 kDa isoforms. Moreover, a cell type-modulated, differential response of HeLa (chemosensitive cells) versus WISH (drug-resistant diploid cells) has been revealed. This finding yields information on the possible use of PAP as a tumor marker involved in cell commitment and/or induction of apoptosis and may help to improve our understanding of tumor cell sensitivity to anticancer agents.

Amnion↗

Early 5-fluorouracil-induced changes of poly(A) polymerase in HeLa and WISH cells.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a drug with numerous mechanisms of action which has a long-term suppressive effect on human cancer cell proliferation, mediates both partial dephosphorylation and inactivation of poly(A) polymerase (PAP) [EC. 2.7.7.19] as detected by immunoblotting analysis and non-specific enzyme assay, respectively, in human carcinoma HeLa and diploid WISH cells at a concentration of 100 microM. When the same experiment is done in the presence of phosphatase inhibitors, 5-FU-induced partial PAP dephosphorylation is abolished. Moreover, a cell type-modulated, differential response of HeLa cells (5-FU chemosensitive cells) versus WISH cells (drug-resistant diploid cells) is observed. These results suggest that 5-FU induces early direct or indirect changes in the structure and function of PAP and may regulate pre-mRNA cleavage-polyadenylation.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PAP modulations in Daudi cells and Molt-3 cells treated with etoposide are mutually associated with morphological evidence of apoptosis.

Daudi (B-cell line) and Molt-3 (T-cell line) cells provide a model for the study of apoptosis, the induction of which is often accompanied by concominant modulations of proteins involved in mRNA maturation. One of these proteins is poly(A) polymerase (PAP), which is responsible for mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation. A number of recent reports also suggest involvement of mRNA maturation and stability in the induction of specific pathways of cell apoptosis. In this study we identified PAP activity levels and isoform modulations in two different cell lines (Daudi and Molt-3) and related them to DNA fragmentation (a hallmark of apoptosis) and cell cycle phase specificity in terms of the temporal sequence of events and the time that elapsed between administration of the apoptosis inducer (the widely used anticancer drug etoposide) and the observed effects. Treatment of both cell lines with 20 microg/mL etoposide induced apoptosis after four hours in Molt-3 cells and only after 24 hours in Daudi cells, as revealed by two independent methods. In Daudi cells the PAP activity levels and isoforms were downregulated prior to deltapsim reduction, DNA fragmentation and the morphological changes of the nucleus, whereas in Molt-3 cells no PAP activity and isoform modulations were observed prior to the early hallmarks of apoptosis.

Apoptosis↗

[Age-dependent changes in mRNA transport (nucleus-cytoplasm)].

Transport of mRNA from nucleus to cytoplasm is an ATP-dependent process which occurs strictly vectorially. Because the mRNA is structurally bound during transport, mRNA transport is a "solid-state" process consisting of i) mRNA release from the nuclear matrix, ii) mRNA translocation through the nuclear pore, and iii) cytoskeletal binding. We identified and purified the following components involved in the translocation step: i) the nuclear envelope (NE) nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase) which is stimulated by the 3'poly(A) tail of mRNA, ii) the poly(A)-recognizing mRNA carrier, iii) the NE protein kinase, and iv) the NE phosphatase. In addition, we found that an RNA helicase activity is present in NE, which also may be involved in RNA transport. Our results show that, besides poly(A), also double-stranded RNA structures may modulate RNA export. The amount of mRNA released from nuclei markedly decreases with age. Evidence is presented that this age-dependent change is caused by an impairment of polyadenylation of mRNA, hnRNA processing, release of mRNA from nuclear matrix, and translocations of mRNA from nuclear to cytoplasmic compartment (decrease in activities of NE NTPase, protein kinase, and phosphatase; decrease in poly(A)-binding affinity of mRNA carrier).

Animals↗