Biomedical subjects

C Mavilia

Publications and source records attributed to C Mavilia.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

Primary structure of high molecular weight tau present in the peripheral nervous system.

The tau proteins are a family of brain microtubule binding proteins that are required during axonal outgrowth and are found in neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer disease. A protein of higher molecular weight, immunologically related to tau, is expressed in the adult peripheral system and in cultured neuronal cell lines of neural crest origin. The predicted amino acid sequence of the high molecular weight tau from N115 cells has been determined from the sequence of its 2340-base-pair cDNA. High molecular weight tau contains an open reading frame encoding 733 amino acid residues. It contains sequences homologous to those present in the N-, middle, and C-terminal domains of adult brain tau proteins, including four homologous repeats, which are the tubulin binding sites, and an amino acid stretch, which is present only in the N-terminal domain of the mature brain variants. The middle region contains a previously unidentified nonhomologous stretch of 237 amino acid residues as well as a domain of 66 residues homologous to exon 6 of the bovine gene that is absent in all bovine, rat, and mouse tau cDNAs sequenced so far. A cDNA probe specific to the nonhomologous tau insert hybridizes to the 8- to 9-kilobase tau mRNA in N115 cells but not to the 6-kilobase tau mRNA in brain. Probes for the domains common to brain tau isoforms hybridize to both messages. The sequence of high molecular weight tau protein also suggests that it, like low molecular weight tau, is an elongated hydrophilic molecule. This cDNA should allow us to study the role of the domains specific to these tau forms in the specialization of the peripheral nervous system and for study of their expression in normal and pathological states.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1990

Intrathyroidal lymphocytes from non toxic multinodular goiter: no evidence for production of thyroid stimulating antibodies.

Although an autoimmune pathogenesis for non toxic goiter has been suggested, reports concerning circulating antibodies to TSH receptor structures have been conflicting. Intra thyroid lymphocytes, capable of secreting IgG, have been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of Graves' and Hashimoto's diseases; therefore, the ability of conditioned media obtained from intra thyroid lymphocyte culture, and of IgG purified from these media, to stimulate cAMP accumulation and [3H]-Thymidine (TdR) uptake in FRTL-5 cells was investigated. The activity of IgG produced "in vitro" was compared with that of circulating IgG. Thyroid tissue samples were obtained at surgery from 21 patients with non toxic multinodular goiter (MNG), 5 patients with active Graves' disease (GD), and from 10 normal subjects, undergoing neck surgery for non-thyroidal pathology. IgG purified from media of GD lymphocyte cultures stimulated both cAMP accumulation and [3H]-TdR in 5 out of 5 cases: all of the IgG purified from control or MNG lymphocyte culture media was not active in either assay. Circulating IgG did not affect cAMP accumulation or [3H]-TdR in any of the non toxic MNG cases: controls showed no changed at all. However, both activities represented were increased by GD IgG. Conditioned media from intra thyroid lymphocyte cultures significantly inhibited basal cAMP accumulation in 7 out of the 21 non toxic MNG samples and totally abolished the response in all GD patients. [3H]-TdR was not affected by IgG of any of the controls, but it had an inhibitory effect on 8 out of 21 non toxic MNG patients, and significantly stimulated [3H]-TdR in all GD patients. In conclusion, present data demonstrate that intra thyroid lymphocytes from non toxic MNG do not produce antibodies capable of mimicking TSH actions through the adenylate cyclase cascade. Conversely, soluble factors interacting in TSH-mediated functions of FRTL-5 cells are present in conditioned media of intra thyroid lymphocytes of GD and MNG thyroid lymphocytes of GD and MNG thyroid cultures.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Calf serum modifies the mitogenic activity of epidermal growth factor in WRT thyroid cells.

It has already been shown that Wistar rat thyroid (WRT) cells in low concentrations of calf serum (0.5%) are under the influence of both thyrotropin (TSH) and insulin as regards growth. The present data show that epidermal growth factor (EGF), in concentrations up to 10 micrograms/ml, is not able to modify DNA synthesis in WRT cells. On the other hand, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) stimulates DNA synthesis from a dose which is 10-fold lower than that of insulin alone. Combined stimulation of EGF and TSH in WRT cells is equal to that of TSH alone in relation to DNA synthesis, while the combined presence of TSH and IGF-I, or TSH and insulin, in the same medium results in an effect which is greatly superior to the theoretical sum of activities. Repetition of the same experiments using the original clone of WRT cells, but in high concentrations of calf serum (5%), shows that EGF stimulates DNA synthesis in a dose-dependent way from 0.1 to 100 ng/ml. Under these conditions, combined stimulation of EGF with TSH shows that DNA synthesis is equal to the predicted theoretical sum. No other differences in WRT cell sensitivity to either IGF-I or insulin, or IGF-I and TSH and insulin and TSH, can be noted. This finding is confirmed by the demonstration of specific and sensitive binding sites for EGF on WRT cells cultured in 5% calf serum; these binding sites are not present on WRT cells adapted to grow in 0.5% calf serum. Present data support the hypothesis that EGF and serum growth actions are mediated through the same analogous pathway, which is, however, different from those of TSH and/or IGF-I and/or insulin.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Insulin stimulates cell growth of a new strain of differentiated rat thyroid cells.

A new strain, named WRT cells, has been generated from primary cultures of rat thyroids. The primary culture was grown in Coon's modified Ham's F12 medium with 5% calf serum, insulin, hydrocortisone, transferrin, somatostatin, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine and thyrotropin (TSH). On the basis of the following facts, the WRT cell strain, cloned from the primary culture, was considered 'normal': the cells are euploid, not carcinogenic, not able to grow in soft agar, and show contact inhibition. Their differentiated functions consist of the ability to synthesize thyroglobulin and to take up iodide, and they have a TSH-dependent adenylate cyclase system. TSH increases cellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels and [3H]thymidine incorporation in WRT cells from a concentration similar to that active on another clonal rat cell line (FRTL-5), even though the cell replication appears to be differently regulated in the two cell strains. In fact, the WRT cell doubling time is 42 h and they are also able to grow in the absence of TSH, though more slowly. In the same conditions, FRTL-5 cells have a population doubling time of 38 h, but they are not able to grow in the absence of TSH. When the effect of the other growth factors of the medium was studied, insulin appears to be a growth stimulus by itself, while it is only a facilitative step for TSH action in FRTL-5 cells. WRT cells, unlike FRTL-5 cells, can grow with a population doubling time of 80 h, when cultured for prolonged periods in a medium with a low serum concentration (0.5%), but containing insulin plus TSH. In conclusion, the WRT cell strain is a new and interesting experimental model for studying growth factors at the level of the thyroid, especially for their mechanism of action on the TSH receptor.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An update on human Th1 and Th2 cells.

The existence of functionally polarized human T cell responses based on their profile of cytokine secretion in both the CD4+ T helper (Th) and the CD8+ T cytotoxic cell subset has been established. Human Th1 and Th2 cells not only produce a different set of cytokines but also exhibit distinct functional properties and preferential expression of some activation markers, such as LAG-3 and CD30, respectively. Several factors are involved in the Th cell differentiation into the polarized Th1 or Th2 pathway. They include the cytokine profile of 'natural immunity' evoked by different offending agents, the nature of the peptide ligand, as well as the activity of some costimulatory molecules and microenvironmentally secreted hormones, in the context of different host genetic backgrounds. Polarized Th1-type and Th2-type responses play different roles in protection, Th1 being effective in the defense against intracellular pathogens and Th2 against intestinal nematodes. Moreover, they are responsible for different types of immunopathological reactions. Th1 responses predominate in organ-specific autoimmune disorders, acute allograft rejection, unexplained recurrent abortions, and in some chronic inflammatory disorders of unknown etiology. In contrast, Th2 responses predominate in Omenn's syndrome, transplantation tolerance, chronic graft versus host disease, systemic sclerosis; moreover allergen-reactive Th2 cells are involved in the triggering of atopic disorders.

Autoimmune Diseases↗