PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D J Knauer

Publications and source records attributed to D J Knauer.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

The glioma cell-derived neurite promoting activity protein is functionally and immunologically related to human protease nexin-I.

Protease nexin-I (PN-I, Mr approximately 43,000) is representative of a newly described class of cell-secreted protease inhibitors. PN-I has been purified to apparent homogeneity, partially sequenced, and monospecific antibodies have been raised against it. PN-I is a potent inhibitor of urokinase, thrombin, plasmin, and trypsin. In addition, cells have specific receptors that mediate the uptake of covalently linked complexes formed between PN-I and its protease substrates. In the present studies, we have investigated the relationship between human PN-I and a protease inhibitor derived from C6 glioma cells in culture that has neurite-promoting activity. On the basis of co-purification on heparin-Sepharose, identical molecular weight, antibody cross-reactivity, and receptor cross-reactivity, we conclude that PN-I and the glioma-cell-derived inhibitor are equivalent molecules.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
PubMed1987

Ligand blotting with 125I-fluoresceinamine-heparin.

A highly sensitive method for ligand blotting with heparin has been developed. This ligand-blotting method is successful largely due to the ability to prepare heparin derivatives of high radiospecific activity. Heparin was modified with fluoresceinamine according to the method of C.G. Glabe, P.K. Harty, and S.D. Rosen [1983) Anal. Biochem. 130, 287-294), and this fluoresceinamine-derivatized heparin can be radioiodinated to a specific activity of 100,000 cmp/ng of uronic acid. This is a 500-fold increase in specific activity over Bolton-Hunter-modified heparin, as prepared by A.D. Cardin, K.R. Witt, and R.L. Jackson [1984) Anal. Biochem. 137, 368-373). 125I-Fluoresceinamine-derivatized heparin retains its ability to interact specifically with heparin-binding proteins such as human protease nexin-I and antithrombin III. 125I-Fluoresceinamine-derivatized heparin can be used to visualize and quantify heparin binding proteins on nitrocellulose. Protease nexin-I can be visualized at the nanogram level. In addition, ligand blotting with 125I-fluoresceinamine heparin can be combined with Cleveland digestion (D.W. Cleveland, S. Fisher, M.W. Kirschner, and U.K. Laemmli (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 1102-1106) in order to identify heparin binding fragments of proteins with heparin binding domains.

Fluoresceins↗
PubMed1986

Biosynthesis of protease nexin-I.

Protease nexin-I (PN-I) is representative of a newly described class of serine protease inhibitors secreted by human fibroblasts, the protease nexins. Protease nexins form covalent complexes with their target proteases, subsequently binding to cells via specific receptors. PN-I preferentially binds thrombin, urokinase, trypsin, and plasmin, and its binding to thrombin is accelerated by heparin. We have previously described the production of a polyclonal antibody against PN-I which is able to block the binding of PN-I X proteinase complexes to cells and will immunoprecipitate metabolically labeled PN-I. Anti-PN-I was used to investigate the biosynthesis and regulation of PN-I in human fibroblasts. Unlabeled PN-I could compete for the binding of metabolically labeled PN-I to anti-PN-I, as shown by the elimination of the 43-kDa band representing PN-I on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis autoradiographs. Excision of this 43-kDa band from gels, followed by amino-terminal sequencing, showed a homogeneous protein that is homologous with that described by Scott et al. (Scott, R. W., Bergman, B. L., Bajpai, A., Hersh, R. T., Rodriguez, H., Jones, B. N., Barreda, C., Watts, S., and Baker, J. B. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7029-7034). An analysis of the biosynthesis of the PN-I revealed that a lower Mr precursor exists intracellularly. This apparent rough endoplasmic reticulum form appears as a doublet on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, as does mature PN-I. The PN-I precursor was also sensitive to endoglycosidase H, suggesting that it contains N-linked carbohydrates of the high mannose form. Mature PN-I is not sensitive to endoglycosidase H, but does contain 3 kDa of N-linked carbohydrate. PN-I appears to be constitutively secreted by fibroblasts. PN-I levels in conditioned media reach a steady state within 48 h, although PN-I synthesis maintains a constant rate. This steady state is due to the continuous uptake of PN-I from medium, presumably through a specific receptor.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
PubMed1986

Human protease nexin-I. Further characterization using a highly specific polyclonal antibody.

We have used purified protease nexin-I (PN-I) from human fibroblasts to develop a polyclonal antibody that specifically blocks the PN-I-mediated cellular binding of thrombin and urokinase. Anti-PN-I IgG did not inhibit the binding of 125I-epidermal growth factor-binding protein to fibroblasts, which is mediated by protease nexin-II, another cell-secreted, serine protease inhibitor that is distinct from PN-I. This furthers the belief that the protease nexins are distinct from one another. In addition, while anti-PN-I IgG immunoprecipitated PN-I X thrombin complexes, it did not do so with antithrombin-III X thrombin. Metabolically labeled PN-I was also immunoprecipitated by IgG, indicating that the protein can be labeled in vivo. The antibody also recognized primarily one band on Western transfers of conditioned medium from fibroblast cultures. These results suggest that anti-PN-I will be useful in probing the physiological role of PN-I as well as its biosynthesis.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
PubMed1984

Relationship between epidermal growth factor receptor occupancy and mitogenic response. Quantitative analysis using a steady state model system.

Because mitogenic stimulation by epidermal growth factor (EGF) requires at least an 8--12-h exposure to commit the majority of the cells to divide, a number of complicating processes must be evaluated in an analysis of the relationship between receptor occupancy and the biological response. During this period, the number of cellular EGF receptors changes and the cells continuously bind, internalize, and degrade the hormone. To deal with these changes, we utilized our previously described steady state model that permits an analysis of EGF interactions with cells under steady state conditions. For these studies we derived and measured a number of steady state rate constants to describe the interaction of 125I-EGF with cultured human and mouse fibroblast-like cells. The validity of these constants was established by demonstrating the close agreement between experimentally determined results and predicted results from computer simulations using these constants. These approaches in conjunction with experiments on the mitogenic stimulation of the cells with EGF led to the conclusion that there is a linear relationship between mitogenic stimulation and EGF receptor occupancy at steady state, with no apparent "spare" EGF receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Protease nexins: cell-secreted proteins that mediate the binding, internalization, and degradation of regulatory serine proteases.

The protease nexins (PN-I, Mr approximately 38,000; PN-II, Mr approximately 95,000; and PN-III, Mr approximately 31,000) are recently described cell-secreted proteins that selectively link to regulatory serine proteases in the extracellular environment and mediate their cellular binding, internalization, and degradation. In the present studies we compared the protease nexins with respect to protease specificity, heparin sensitivity, and general mode of action. By competitive binding assays using [125I]-thrombin, [125I]-nerve growth factor-gamma (125I-NGF-gamma), and [125I]-epidermal growth factor binding protein (125I-EGF-binding protein), we characterized the nexins in terms of protease specificity and determined that PN-I links to and mediates the cellular binding of thrombin or urokinase, whereas PN-II and PN-III preferentially link to and mediate the cellular binding of the EGF binding protein and NGF-gamma, respectively. In addition, whereas the ability of PN-I to link to thrombin is strongly modulated by heparin, PN-II and PN-III are essentially unaffected by heparin. The linkage of each of the nexins to their respective proteases requires the catalytic site serine of the protease, judged by the inability of diisopropylphospho (DIP) derivatives of the proteases tested to link to their respective nexins. Subsequent to linkage, the nexin:protease complexes are bound to cells, rapidly internalized, and ultimately degraded via a monensin-sensitive apparently lysosomal pathway, although each nexin:protease complex is degraded at its own characteristic rate. Importantly, the protease nexins provide the major pathway through which human fibroblasts interact with each of the serine proteases studied. Taken together, these data suggest that the nexins are a unique class of cell-secreted proteins that enable cells to monitor and selectively regulate specific serine proteases in their environment.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
PubMed1983

A reevaluation of the response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to certain growth factors.

Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUV-EC) were isolated and maintained in pure culture on a fibronectin matrix with hypothalamic derived endothelial cell growth factor included in the culture medium. HUV-EC maintained under these conditions displayed only slight alterations in morphological appearance and continued to produce Factor VIII antigen. The cells showed an unaltered growth response to serum and added growth factors up to passage 16 (greater than 30 population doublings). We found that epidermal growth factor (EGF) was potently mitogenic for HUV-EC, but only in the presence of endothelial cell growth factor. Also in contrast to a previous report, we were unable to demonstrate a potentiation of this response by human alpha-thrombin. Because of these discrepancies, we performed studies to determine if they might be explained by a difference in the interaction of our HUV-EC with EGF. In studies utilizing 125I-EGF as tracer probe, we determined that our HUV-EC have an EGF receptor number of 13,000 sites/cell with an apparent Kd-4.0 X 10(-9) M. In addition, receptor-bound 125I-EGF was rapidly internalized and degraded presumably by a lysosomally mediated pathway since degradation was complete to the amino acid level. These results are in agreement with those previously published and thus do not provide a basis on which to resolve discrepancies regarding the growth response of HUV-EC to various growth factors.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1982

Action spectrum for the in vitro induction of simian virus 40 by ultraviolet radiation.

A line of simian virus 40-transformed hamster kidney cells was exposed to ultraviolet radiation at eleven different wavelengths in the region 238-302 nm. An action spectrum derived from the resulting exposure-response curves for the induction of simian virus 40 from these cells exhibits a broad peak in the region 260-270 nm suggesting DNA as the major chromophore for this response. This conclusion is consistent with results obtained by other investigators who have noted viral induction by a number of DNA-damaging agents.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Epidermal growth factor carrier protein binds to cells via a complex with released carried protein nexin.

Epidermal growth factor carrier protein (CP) is an arginine endopeptidase bound to epidermal growth factor (EGF) in vivo that processes pro-EGF to EGF and potentiates EGF action. Here, we provide a base for studying the biological functions of CP by showing that highly purified 125I-labeled CP, free of contaminating EGF, is specifically bound and internalized by normal human fibroblasts in serum-free medium. The characteristics of the binding reaction, however, were unusual and not consistent with direct interaction of CP with cell surface receptors. Subsequent experiments showed that cellular binding of 125I-labeled CP was mediated via a cell-secreted protein. We named the protein carrier protein nexin (CPN) because of its close functional similarity to protease nexin, which mediates cellular binding of thrombin or urokinase. Both CPN and protease nexin are secreted by cells, form covalent complexes with regulatory proteases in the extracellular environment, and mediate cellular binding of these proteases, apparently via a cell surface receptor for the nexin moiety of the complex. By several criteria, however, CPN and protease nexin are unique entities. This finding of a specific interaction of a growth factor carrier protein with cells suggests the possibility of additional physiological functions for these carriers in growth factor action or metabolism or both.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Purification and characterization of multiplication-stimulating activity (MSA) carrier protein.

The rat liver cell line, BRL-3A, is known to produce a family of polypeptides referred to as multiplication-stimulating-activity (MSA). Serum-free conditioned medium from this cell line is a rich source for the purification of these somatomedin-like molecules. Somatomedins in serum, as well as MSA produced by BRL-3A cells in culture, exist primarily as a high molecular weight complex bound to specific carrier proteins. This study describes the purification of the MSA carrier protein (MCP) from conditioned medium using affinity chromatographic procedures. The purified carrier protein is shown to specifically bind labeled MSA and generates a complex with an apparent molecular weight of 60,000-70,000 daltons. Characterization of the carrier protein indicates that it consists of two different noncovalently linked protein chains with apparent molecular weights of 30,000 and 31,500 daltons. The availability of a pure carrier protein should provide a unique opportunity to investigate the functional significance of the carrier protein in the biological activity of the somatomedins.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Inhibition of biological activity of multiplication-stimulating activity by binding to its carrier protein.

Multiplication-stimulating activity (MSA) produced by Buffalo rat liver cells (BRL-3A) in culture is related to the somatomedin family of growth regulatory polypeptides. MSA will stimulate glucose transport and DNA synthesis in normal chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) at concentrations of 10-200 ng/ml. MSA found in BRL-3A-conditioned medium, like the somatomedins in serum, does not exist as the free hormone but is bound to a specific high molecular weight carrier protein. In this report we demonstrate that purified MSA carrier protein (MCP) inhibits the biological activity of MSA on CEF as measured by the stimulation of glucose transport and DNA synthesis. In addition, purified MCP competitively inhibits the binding of 125I-labeled MSA to these cells. In control experiments in which insulin was used as the mitogenic agent, MCP had no effect on these biological responses. These results indicate that the inhibitory effect of MCP is the result of specific interaction with MSA and support the hypothesis that cells may be unresponsive to somatomedins bound to their serum carrier proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Identification of somatomedin-like polypeptides produced by mammary tumors of BALB/c mice.

A transplantable mammary tumor derived from an outgrowth of nodule-like alveolar lesions induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in cultures of whole mammary gland was shown to produce a family of somatomedin-like polypeptides when cultured in vitro. Minced mammary tumor tissue as well as monolayer cultures of tumor cells produced similar polypeptides when incubated in serum- and hormone-free medium. The polypeptides released into the medium ranged in molecular weight from 20,000 to 7,000 as determined by Sephadex G-50 chromatography under acidic conditions and analytical gel electrophoresis in acetic acid:urea. Because of their relative abundance, the M.W. 7000 polypeptides were partially purified and characterized. This preparation markedly stimulated DNA synthesis in chicken embryo fibroblast cultures and competed for the binding of 125I-labeled multiplication-stimulating activity to these cells. The binding of 125I-labeled epidermal growth factor to the surface of mouse embryo fibroblasts, in contrast, was not affected.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Regulation of the proliferative response in Rous sarcoma virus transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts by serum and multiplication-stimulating activity (MSA).

A temperature sensitive mutant of Rous sarcoma virus (tsNY68) was used to obtain cultures of quiescent virus-infected chicken embryo fibroblasts arrested by serum starvation at the non-permissive temperature. Upon shift to the permissive temperature, these cells enter the replicative cell cycle as evidenced by increases in 2-deoxyglucose uptake, 3H-thymidine incorporation and percent labeled nuclei. These changes occur in the absence of serum and the cells become morphologically transformed within eight to ten hours after the temperature shift. Entry into the S phase temporally resembles that of normal quiescent fibroblasts stimulated with serum. This experimental system was used to examine the proliferative response of transformed cells to serum and purified multiplication-stimulating activity (MSA) during the transition from the resting to the growing state. Data are presented which show that the presence of serum in the medium enhances the proliferative response of quiescent infected cells shifted to the permissive temperature over those shifted in the absence of serum. In contrast, the presence of MSA has no additional effect on the response exhibited by infected cells shifted to the permissive temperature in serum-free medium. Labeled MSA binding experiments show that this lack of response is not due to a loss of MSA receptors on the cell surface since transformed cells are still capable of binding MSA at the same level as normal cells. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the set of biochemical events initiated by MSA in normal cells are turned on in infected cells shifted to the permissive temperature by the activation of the src gene product.

Abdominal Muscles↗