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C Peschle

Publications and source records attributed to C Peschle.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Caspase activation without death.

Since molecular cloning of the C. elegans ced-3 gene revealed its homology with mammalian IL-1beta-converting enzyme,1 14 members of the caspase family have been identified, which have often been involved as mediators of one or more phases of the apoptotic process. 2,3 However, an over-simplified role of these proteases may be insufficient to explain the usually constitutive expression of such a large and complex family of enzymes, many of which display overlapping specificity. In addition to the well-established role of caspase-1 in the production of active IL-1beta and IL-18 in inflammation,4 an increasing number of reports has recently suggested that caspases may have a function outside of apoptosis. In this review, the situations in which cells survive despite the presence of activated caspases in their cytoplasm will be examined and discussed, with the intent to gather all recent advances in this new field that promises to be a focus for caspase research in the near future.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Chromatin immunoselection defines a TAL-1 target gene.

Despite the major functions of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor TAL-1 in hematopoiesis and T-cell leukemogenesis, no TAL-1 target gene has been identified. Using immunoprecipitation of genomic fragments bound to TAL-1 in the chromatin of murine erythro-leukemia (MEL) cells, we found that 10% of the immunoselected fragments contained a CAGATG or a CAGGTG E-box, followed by a GATA site. We studied one of these fragments containing two E-boxes, CAGATG and CAGGTC, followed by a GATA motif, and showed that TAL-1 binds to the CAGGTG E-box with an affinity modulated by the CAGATG or the GATA site, and that the CAGGTG-GATA motif exhibits positive transcriptional activity in MEL but not in HeLa cells. This immunoselected sequence is located within an intron of a new gene co-expressed with TAL-1 in endothelial and erythroid cells, but not expressed in fibroblasts or adult liver where no TAL-1 mRNA was detected. Finally, in vitro differentiation of embryonic stem cells towards the erythro/megakaryocytic pathways showed that the TAL-1 target gene expression followed TAL-1 and GATA-1 expression. These results establish that TAL-1 is likely to activate its target genes through a complex that binds an E-box-GATA motif and define the first gene regulated by TAL-1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Transduction of the SkBr3 breast carcinoma cell line with the HOXB7 gene induces bFGF expression, increases cell proliferation and reduces growth factor dependence.

Several melanomas, carcinomas, glioblastomas and leukemias showed coordinated expression of HOXB7 and bFGF with exception of the SkBr3 mammary carcinoma that was negative for both. Transduction of HOXB7 gene into SkBr3 cells, induced bFGF expression, increased growth rate, independence from serum withdrawal and ability to form colonies in semisolid medium. ELISA assay showed that most of bFGF was associated to cell lysate when cells were cultured at 1% serum whereas in cells kept to 10% serum bFGF was detected both within cell lysate or secreted into cell supernatants. Antisense oligos to bFGF inhibited the growth of cells cultured in 1%, indicating that beside the possible activation of additional genes other than bFGF by HOXB7 transduction, only bFGF induction accounts for the observed results. Moreover, since inhibition of cell proliferation occurred in cells kept in 1% but not 10% serum, a bFGF intracrine loop appears operative in serum starved SkBr3/HOXB7 cells. Also, these results further indicate bFGF as target of HOXB7.

Agar↗
PubMed1998

Oxidative stress leads to a rapid alteration of transferrin receptor intravesicular trafficking.

Several studies have demonstrated that perturbations of intracellular oxidative balance play a key role in numerous physiological as well as pathological conditions leading to various morbidity states. In previous studies we have shown that the free radical inducer menadione rapidly and specifically downmodulates the membrane transferrin receptor (TfR) by blocking receptor recycling. This modulation is due to receptor redistribution and not to receptor loss. Here we show that other oxidant compounds, such as hydrogen peroxide, also induce a rapid downmodulation of membrane TfR and that pretreatment of cells with the antioxidant, thiol supplier, N-acetylcysteine inhibits the downmodulation of these receptors elicited by either menadione or hydrogen peroxide. This observation suggests that intracellular thiol redox status may be a critical determinant of TfR downmodulation induced by oxidative stress. Furthermore, immunocytochemical results show that, in menadione-treated cells, TfRs are associated with the Golgi complex, where normally only 20% of total cellular TfRs is found and is mainly detected in the cytoplasm as scattered punctuations. Accordingly, menadione and hydrogen peroxide also elicited a downmodulation of low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) which mediates, like TfR, the transport of nutrients to the cell and is endocytosed through clathrin-coated pits. Finally, experiments carried out using okadaic acid, an inhibitor of phosphatases, suggest that H2O2 and menadione downmodulate surface TfR via different biochemical pathways. Taken together these results suggest the existence of a potentially important protective mechanism through which iron uptake is prevented in oxidatively imbalanced cells. Iron uptake can in fact give rise to the formation of highly toxic hydroxyl radicals reacting with hydrogen peroxide and leading to cytotoxicity. Downmodulation of surface TfR may thus represent the physiological control mechanism for reducing iron uptake in diverse pathological conditions including hypoxia-reperfusion injury, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and aging.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1998

The PML/RARalpha fusion protein inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced apoptosis in U937 cells and acute promyelocytic leukemia blasts.

We investigated the effect of the acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) specific PML/RARalpha fusion protein on the sensitivity to TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis. The U937 leukemia cell line was transduced with PML/RARalpha cDNA. PML/RARalpha expression caused a markedly reduced sensitivity to TNF-alpha, even if apoptosis was triggered by agonistic antibodies to TNF-alpha receptors I and II (TNF-alphaRI, II). PML/RARalpha induced a 10-20-fold decrease of the TNF-alpha-binding capacity via downmodulation of both TNF-alphaRI and TNF-alphaRII: this may mediate at least in part the reduced sensitivity to TNF-alpha. Furthermore, the fusion protein did not modify Fas expression (CD95) or sensitivity to Fas-mediated apoptosis. The pathophysiological significance of these findings is supported by two series of observations. (a) Fresh APL blasts exhibit no TNF-alpha binding and are resistant to TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis. Conversely, normal myeloblasts-promyelocytes show marked TNF-alphaR expression and are moderately sensitive to TNF-alpha-mediated cytotoxicity. Similarly, blasts from other types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML M1, M2, and M4 FAB types) show an elevated TNF-alpha binding. (b) The NB4 APL cell line, which is PML/RARalpha+, shows low TNF-alphaR expression capacity and is resistant to TNF-alpha-triggered apoptosis; conversely a PML/RARalpha- NB4 subclone (NB4.306) exhibits detectable TNF-alpha-binding capacity and is sensitive to TNF-alpha-mediated cytotoxicity. These studies indicate that the PML/RARalpha fusion protein protects against TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis, at least in part via downmodulation of TNF-alphaRI/II: this phenomenon may play a significant role in APL, which is characterized by prolonged survival of leukemic blasts.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1998

Productive human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection of purified megakaryocytic progenitors/precursors and maturing megakaryocytes.

We have evaluated the susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection of in vitro grown megakaryopoietic progenitors/precursors and maturing megakaryocytes (MKs), based on the following approach: (1) human hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), stringently purified from peripheral blood and grown in serum-free liquid suspension culture supplemented with thrombopoietin (Tpo), generated a relatively large number of >/= 98% to 99% pure megakaryocytic precursors and then mature-terminal MKs; (2) at different days of culture (ie, 0, 5, 8, 10) the cells were inoculated with 0.1 to 1.0 multiplicity of infection (m.o.i.) of the lymphotropic NL4-3 or 0.1 m.o.i. of the monocytotropic BaL-1 HIV-1 strain; (3) finally, the presence of viral mRNA and proteins was analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)/in situ hybridization and antigen capture assays, respectively, on day 2 to 12 of culture. MKs derived from day 0 and day 5 BaL-1-challenged cells do not support viral replication as assessed by p24 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RT-PCR. On the contrary, HIV transcripts and proteins were clearly detected in all NL4-3 infection experiments by RT-PCR and p24 assay, respectively, with the highest viral expression in day 5 to 8 challenged MKs. In situ hibridization studies indicate that the percentage of HIV+ MKs varies from at least 1% and 5% for day 0 and day 5 infected cells, respectively. Production of an infectious viral progeny, evaluated by the capability of culture supernatants from day 5 NL4-3-challenged MKs to infect C8166 T-lymphoblastoid cell line, was consistently observed (viral titer, approximately 5 x 10(3) tissue culture infectious dose50/mL/10(6) cells). Exposure of MKs to saturating concentration of anti-CD4 OKT4A monoclonal antibody (MoAb), which recognizes the CD4 region binding with the gp120 envelope glycoprotein, markedly inhibited HIV infection, as indicated by a reduction of p24 content in the supernatants: because the inhibitory effect was incomplete, it is apparent that the infection is only partially CD4-dependent, suggesting that an alternative mechanism of viral entry may exist. Morphologic analysis of day 12 MKs derived from HPCs infected at day 0 showed an impaired megakaryocytic differentiation/maturation: the percentage of mature MKs was markedly reduced, in that approximately 80% of cells showed only one nuclear lobe and a pale cytoplasm with few granules. Conversely, megakaryocytic precursors challenged at day 5 to 8 generated fully mature day 10 to 12 MKs showing multiple nuclear segmentation. Thus, the inhibitory effect of HIV on the megakaryopoietic gene program relates to the differentiation stage of cells subjected to the viral challenge. Finally, HPCs treated with 20 or 200 ng/mL of recombinant Tat protein, analyzed at different days of culture, showed an impaired megakaryocytopoiesis comparable to that observed in HIV-infected cells, thus suggesting that Tat is a major mediator in the above described phenomena. These results shed light on the pathogenesis of HIV-related thrombocytopenia; furthermore, they provide a model to investigate the effects of HIV on megakaryocytic differentiation and function.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Enforced TAL-1 expression stimulates primitive, erythroid and megakaryocytic progenitors but blocks the granulopoietic differentiation program.

In human adult hematopoiesis, the TAL-1 gene is up- and down-modulated in erythropoiesis and granulopoiesis, respectively [G. L. Condorelli et al., Blood, 86: 164-175, 19951. Here, it is shown that, in a hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) unilineage differentiation culture, tal-1 is induced and then expressed, in a sustained manner, in the megakaryopoietic lineage, whereas it is barely or not detected in the monocytopoietic series. We have investigated the role of enforced tal-1 expression by retroviral transfer into HPCs [erythroid burst-forming units and megakaryocytic and granulomonocytic colony-forming units (CFUs)], primitive HPCs (high proliferative potential colony-forming cells), and putative hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), assayed as long-term culture initiating cells. TAL-1 overexpression induces an increase of erythroid burst-forming unit colony number and size and megakaryocytic CFU colony number and an inhibition of granulomonocytic CFU and granulocytic CFU (CFU-G) but not monocytic CFU colony number; conversely, TAL-1 mutants with defective heterodimerizing or DNA-binding domains do not exert these effects at a significant level. Although it does not affect long-term culture initiating cells, exogenous TAL-1 causes a significant proliferative stimulus on primary and secondary high proliferative potential colony-forming cells. In conclusion, exogenous tal-1 exerts differential and stage- and lineage-specific effects on the HPC/HSC differentiation/proliferation gene programs. Thus, it induces a stimulatory effect at the level of erythroid and megakaryocytic HPCs, while exerting a selective proliferative action on downstream erythropoiesis. Furthermore, it induces differential effects on the myeloid series: the partial blockade of CFU-G differentiation is possibly linked to the sharp down-modulation of endogenous TAL-1 expression at the level of the CFU-G-to-granulopoietic precursor differentiation step; in contrast, no significant effect is observed on monocytic CFU colony formation. Finally, the stimulatory effect on primitive HPCs but not putative stem cells suggests subtle differences in the effects exerted by tal-1 overexpression on primitive HPC/HSC subsets in adult life.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Arsenic trioxide as an inducer of apoptosis and loss of PML/RAR alpha protein in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells.

BACKGROUND: Retinoids, which are derivatives of vitamin A, induce differentiation of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells in vitro and in patients. However, APL cells develop resistance to retinoic acid treatment. Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) can induce clinical remission in patients with APL, including those who have relapsed after retinoic acid treatment, by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) of the leukemia cells. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which As2O3 induces apoptosis in retinoic acid-sensitive NB4 APL cells, in retinoic acid-resistant derivatives of these cells, and in fresh leukemia cells from patients. METHODS: Apoptosis was assessed by means of DNA fragmentation analyses, TUNEL assays (i.e., deoxyuridine triphosphate labeling of DNA nicks with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase), and flow cytometry. Expression of the PML/RAR alpha fusion protein in leukemia cells was assessed by means of western blotting, ligand binding, and immunohistochemistry. Northern blotting and ribonuclease protection assays were used to evaluate changes in gene expression in response to retinoic acid and As2O3 treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: As2O3 induces apoptosis without differentiation in retinoic acid-sensitive and retinoic acid-resistant APL cells at concentrations that are achievable in patients. As2O3 induces loss of the PML/RAR alpha fusion protein in NB4 cells, in retinoic-acid resistant cells derived from them, in fresh APL cells from patients, and in non-APL cells transfected to express this protein. As2O3 and retinoic acid induce different patterns of gene regulation, and they inhibit the phenotypes induced by each other. Understanding the molecular basis of these differences in the effects of As2O3 and retinoic acid may guide the clinical use of arsenic compounds and provide insights into the management of leukemias that do not respond to retinoic acid.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1998

High-efficiency gene transfer and selection of human hematopoietic progenitor cells with a hybrid EBV/retroviral vector expressing the green fluorescence protein.

We report a retroviral expression vector (PINCO) that allows high-efficiency gene transfer and selection of hemopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). The main characteristics of this vector are the presence outside the two long terminal repeats of the EBV origin of replication and the EBNA-1 gene and the presence in the retrovirus of the cDNA that encodes for the enhanced green fluorescence protein (GFP), controlled by a cytomegalovirus promoter. Transient transfection of PINCO in Phoenix packaging cells results in episomal propagation of the plasmid and generates viral titers as high as 10(7) colony-forming units/ml. Infection of established cell lines with the PINCO retrovirus yields more than 95% GFP-expressing cells. GFP expression remains stable for months in infected cell cultures and can easily be monitored by fluorescent microscopy or fluorescence-activated cell-sorting (FACS) analysis of living cells. The PINCO vector allows efficient expression of a second gene (thymidine kinase, Shc, and PML), and there is strict correlation between GFP and second gene expression levels in the infected cells. PINCO was used to infect human HPCs; infection efficiency was about 50%. GFP-positive cells can be FACS sorted to yield a homogeneous population of infected cells. FACS-sorted GFP-positive HPC cells have, with respect to unfractionated HPC cells, the same frequency of long-term culture initiating cells and an identical capacity to undergo multilineage and unilineage differentiation. The entire gene transfer procedure, from the transfection of the packaging cell line to the infection of target cells, requires less than a week. The high viral titer and the easy obtainment of homogeneously infected cell populations without drug selection procedures make PINCO an ideal vector for gene transfer of human primary hemopoietic cells.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1998

Unilineage hematopoietic differentiation in bulk and single cell culture.

The rarity of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSCs, HPCs) has hampered the analysis of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying early hematopoiesis. Methodology for HPC purification has partially offset this limitation. A further hurdle has been represented by the heterogeneity of the analyzed HPC/precursor populations: recently, development of unilineage HPC differentiation cultures has provided homogeneous populations of hematopoietic cells, particularly in the early differentiation state, i.e., populations pertaining to a single lineage and a restricted stage of differentiation/maturation, but sufficiently large for cellular/molecular analysis. This report focuses on the development and characterization of the unilineage HPC differentiation culture systems. A section is devoted to selected cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying hematopoiesis, which have been investigated by the HPC unilineage culture approach. Finally, recent advances in the development of HPC unilineage cultures at single cell level are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Long-term cultures of human fetal liver cells: a three-dimensional experimental model for monitoring liver tissue development.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The present study describes an embryonic-fetal liver culture system which allows morphogenetic interactions consistent with the development of the hepatocellular function. METHODS: Intact livers from 8-12-week embryos were soaked in an extracellular matrix at 4 degrees C and gently dissociated without any enzymatic treatment. The resulting spherical hepatic units were cultured in a chemically defined serum-free medium and seeded into an extracellular matrix layer. Adherent three-dimensional tissue specimens were examined at various times by light and electron microscopy to evaluate the maintenance of hepatocyte morphology. RESULTS: The liver cells were viable for over 4 months; erythropoietic burst colonies were detected for longer than 6 weeks. Parallel detection of bile salt production in the medium by high performance liquid chromatography proved liver tissue functionality. Bile salt composition revealed predominance of taurine-conjugates rather than glycine. Maximum bile salt concentration (approximately 3 months) coincided with structural and ultrastructural observations indicating a marked decline in hematopoiesis, well-defined biliary canaliculi and formation of an organ-like structure. CONCLUSIONS: This three-dimensional culture system recapitulates fetal liver development with: (i) initial proliferation of both fetal erythropoietic and hepatic cells and (ii) subsequent shut-off of erythropoiesis and a shift to a more advanced stage of hepatocyte function, such as bile salt secretion.

Bile Acids and Salts↗
PubMed1998

The synergistic effect of simultaneous addition of retinoic acid and vitamin D3 on the in-vitro differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cell lines could be efficiently transposed in vivo.

Both human cell lines HL-60 and AML-193 exhibit a myeloblastic and promyelocytic morphology, respectively, but may be regarded as bipotent leukemic precursors. They can be triggered to differentiate to either granulocytes or monocytes upon retinoic acid (RA) or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (D3) addition, respectively. We have investigated the effect of combined addition of these chemical inducers on the in-vitro differentiation of both cell lines. RA and D3 added together exert synergistic effects on the in-vitro maturation of these myeloid cell lines. Interestingly, the additive effects were lost if the cells were incubated with the inducers added at sequential times. The synergistic effect could be transposed in vivo and could be clinically significant in the treatment of the promyelocytic leukemia. This clinical strategy may help to prevent retinoic acid resistance or to overcome it in patients relapsed after RA therapy and usually unresponsive to a reinduction therapy with RA alone.

Cell Differentiation↗
PubMed1998

Terminal megakaryocytic differentiation of TF-1 cells is induced by phorbol esters and thrombopoietin and is blocked by expression of PML/RARalpha fusion protein.

We have analyzed the differentiation program of growth factor-dependent TF-1 erythroleukemia cells as well as clones with inducible expression of the APL-specific PML/RARalpha protein. We have shown that TF-1 cells may be induced to megakaryocytic differentiation by phorbol ester (phorbol dibutyrate, PDB) addition, particularly when combined with thrombopoietin (Tpo). RT-PCR studies showed that Tpo induces Tpo receptor (TpoR or c-mpl), whose expression was further potentiated by PDB addition. When the cells are induced with both PDB and Tpo erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) expression was inhibited. In the absence of Zn2+-induced PML/RARalpha expression, PDB and Tpo induced megakaryocytic differentiation of TF-1 MTPR clones as observed in 'wild-type' TF-1 cells. Conversely, when PML/RARalpha expression was induced by Zn2+, PDB and Tpo treatment of these clones caused only a reduced level of megakaryocytic differentiation. These observations indicate that: (1) TF-1 cells as well as other erythroleukemic cells, possess the capacity to differentiate to megakaryocytic cells when grown in the presence of protein kinase (PKC) activators and more efficiently when combined with Tpo; (2) the PML/RARalpha gene has a wide capacity to interfere with the program of hematopoietic differentiation, including megakaryocytic differentiation. Finally, we also observed that PML/RARalpha expression in TF-1 cells induces an up-modulation of interleukin-3 receptor, c-kit and c-mpl, a phenomenon which may offer these cells a growth advantage.

Carcinogens↗
PubMed1997

Activation of human B-MYB by cyclins.

B-MYB expression is associated with cell proliferation and recent studies have suggested that it promotes the S phase of mammalian cells. Based on its homology to the transcription factors c-MYB and A-MYB, B-MYB is thought to be involved in transcriptional regulation; however, its activity is not detectable in several cell lines. It was postulated that B-MYB function may depend on the presence of a cofactor, and recent studies suggested that B-MYB is phosphorylated specifically during S phase in murine fibroblasts. In this report we provide evidence that the product of the human B-myb gene can be activated in vivo by coexpression with cyclin A or cyclin E. Transfection studies showed that B-MYB was a weak transcriptional activator in SAOS-2 cells and was unable to promote their proliferation. In contrast, overexpression of both B-MYB and cyclin A or cyclin E caused a drastic increase in the number of SAOS-2 cells in S phase. Also, overexpression of cyclin A and cyclin E in SAOS-2 cells enhanced the ability of B-MYB, but not c-MYB, to transactivate various promoters, including the cdc2 promoter, the HIV-1-LTR, and the simian virus 40 minimal promoter. A direct role for cyclin-dependent activation of B-MYB was demonstrated using an in vitro transcription assay. These observations suggest that one mechanism by which cyclin A and E may promote the S phase is through modification and activation of B-MYB.

Cell Cycle↗