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Biomedical subjects

D V Faller

Publications and source records attributed to D V Faller.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Expression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor is regulated by serum and mitogenic growth factors in murine 3T3 fibroblasts.

The aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates biological responses to planar aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo[alpha]pyrene. However, no endogenous physiological ligand for the AhR has been identified. Since the AhR regulates bioactivity to common environmental pollutants, and since it is predicted to play an important physiological function, we have investigated the expression of the AhR during the cell cycle of murine 3T3 fibroblasts. We show here that stimulation of growth-arrested 3T3 cells with serum results in increased expression of AhR protein. Serum-induced expression of AhR in synchronized, serum-stimulated cells occurs at the onset of DNA synthesis (S phase) and is maximal at time points corresponding to late S phase. Transient transfections with an AhR-promoter-luciferase construct demonstrate that reporter gene transcription from the AhR promoter is regulated in a serum-dependent manner. Serum-dependent induction of AhR expression is prevented by an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase activity. Ligand-activated growth factor receptors (platelet-derived growth factor receptor basic fibroblast growth factor receptor) as well as an ectopically expressed tyrosine kinase (the v-Src oncoprotein) induce AhR expression in the absence of serum. Therefore, tyrosine kinase signaling is both necessary and sufficient for induction of AhR expression. Studies with the G1 blocker sodium butyrate show that the signal transduction pathways mediating serum-stimulated progression through the cell cycle are distinct from those that induce AhR expression. These data suggest that transcriptional regulation of the AhR is important in determining cellular sensitivity to the actions of AhR ligand(s) and that the AhR may play a role during the cellular proliferative response.

Animals↗

Dose-intensive melphalan with blood stem cell support for the treatment of AL amyloidosis: one-year follow-up in five patients.

The morbidity and lethality of AL amyloidosis is caused by the deposition of lg light chains as fibrillar amyloid protein in vital organs, disrupting their function, and not by the generally low burden of clonal plasma cells that produce the paraproteins. Survival of patients with AL amyloidosis is no more than 1 to 2 years from the time of diagnosis with current management approaches. Clearly, more effective therapies are needed for this rapidly lethal disease. Five patients were treated with dose-intensive melphalan and blood stem cell support and followed for a period of 1 year. Patients were diagnosed with AL amyloidosis by tissue biopsy and categorized by performance status and organ involvement. Their plasma cell dyscrasias were evaluated with immunofixation electrophoresis of serum and urine specimens, quantitative serum lgs, and immunohistochemical staining of bone marrow biopsy specimens. After treatment with dose-intensive intravenous melphalan followed by infusion of autologous growth-factor-mobilized blood stem cells, clinical evaluations and plasma cell studies were repeated at 3 and 12 months. Three men and 2 women aged 38 to 53 years were treated. Median performance status (SWOG) was 2 (1 to 3), and clinical presentations included nephrotic syndrome (n = 1), symptomatic cardiomyopathy (n = 1), gastrointestinal involvement with polyneuropathy (n = 2), and hepatomegaly (n = 1). With a median follow-up of 13 months (12 to 17 months), all five patients are well and have shown stable or improved performance status and clinical remission of organ-related dysfunction, including a 50% reduction in daily proteinuria with no change in creatinine, reversal of symptoms of cardiomyopathy and reductions of posterior wall and septal thickening, reversal of polyneuropathy and gastric atony, and resolution of hepatomegaly by computed tomographic scan. In 3 of the 5 patients (60%) at 12 months after treatment, plasma cell dyscrasias could not be detected. Dose-intensive chemotherapy with intravenous melphalan and growth-factor-mobilized blood stem cell support is feasible therapy for patients with AL amyloidosis, even when there is clinical evidence of cardiac involvement. At least some patients with AL amyloidosis achieve complete remission of their plasma cell dyscrasia, improvement in performance status, and clinical remission of organ-specific disease after this form of treatment.

Adult↗

Detection of monoclonal microsatellite alterations in atypical breast hyperplasia.

Atypical hyperplastic (AH) breast lesions are currently classified and treated as benign proliferative disorders, but their presence is associated with a four- to fivefold increased risk of developing breast cancer. Currently, it is not known if an AH lesion is a marker of increased risk, or is itself a premalignant lesion. To investigate this question, we used a series of 15 microsatellite loci to analyze 15 separate AH lesions microdissected from the archived pathology specimens of subjects with no coincident or previous breast malignancy. We found that a significant subset (6/15, or 40%) of these AH lesions demonstrated evidence of monoclonal microsatellite alterations, both length variation and allele loss. These monoclonal alterations suggest that the AH lesion has already undergone genetic changes conferring a growth advantage. Thus, these AH lesions may actually be early neoplasms. We also noted that monoclonality characterized AH lesions in younger as compared with older women (44 vs. 59 yrs, P < 0.05) and that a subset of monoclonal lesions (4/6) demonstrated microsatellite alterations at more than one locus, suggesting that an undetermined type of genetic instability may play a role early in the development of abnormal breast proliferations. These findings contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of AH lesions and may have implications regarding their relationship to breast tumors.

Adult↗

Immunoblastic lymphoma of donor origin in the allograft after lung transplantation.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are EBV-associated lymphoid neoplasms that are caused by the uncontrolled growth of EBV-infected B lymphocytes. The clinical presentation of PTLD can range from benign polygonal lymphoproliferative disorders to aggressive monoclonal immunoblastic lymphomas. In this report, we describe a seronegative lung transplant recipient who developed an immunoblastic lymphoma 4 months after lung transplantation from a seropositive donor. The neoplastic cells expressed B lymphocyte markers (CD19+, CD20+, sIgM+, kappa+) as well as the EBV antigen EBNA-2. A cell line with similar cytologic features spontaneously grew from in vitro cultures of the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The cell line and the lymphoma were EBV+, expressed a similar spectrum of B cell surface proteins, and had the donor's HLA haplotype. Analysis of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements and viral terminal repeat sequences revealed that the cell line and the tumor represented distinct B cell clones. Cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells were restimulated in vitro with the EBV transformed cell line and tested for cytolytic activity. The host T cells demonstrated high levels of cytolytic activity against the tumor cell line that was abrogated by the addition of a anti-monomorphic HLA class I monoclonal antibody (mAb) (W6/32). These studies indicate that cells of donor origin can persist in the transplanted organ and may lead to an EBV-associated posttransplant lymphoma.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Down-regulation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor expression during terminal differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte fibroblasts.

The transcription and expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors (PDGFRs) is down-regulated as a consequence of entry into the replicative cell cycle (Vaziri, C., and Faller, D. V. (1995) Mol. Cell. Biol. 15, 1244-1253). In this study, we have investigated the expression of PDGFRs during terminal differentiation, a process in which cells exit from the cell cycle. When treated with appropriate hormonal stimuli, 3T3-L1 fibroblasts initiate a differentiation program resulting in conversion to lipid-accumulating, adipocyte-like cells. Pre-adipocytes express amounts of PDGFalphaR and PDGFbetaR mRNA and protein that are similar to levels expressed in other murine 3T3 fibroblasts. In contrast, the expression of both alpha and beta receptor transcripts is greatly reduced in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. The loss of PDGFR mRNA following induction of differentiation precedes morphological conversion as well as the induction of many adipocyte-specific genes. The amounts of cell surface PDGFR protein diminish in parallel with the mRNA levels during differentiation, as shown by Western blotting and PDGF-binding assays. The reduced expression of PDGFRs does not reflect a general down-regulation of growth factor receptors, as expression of the type 1 FGFR is unaffected by terminal differentiation. The PDGFbetaR promoter drives strong expression of a luciferase reporter gene in pre-adipocytes, but not in differentiated cells, indicating that the decrease in PDGFR expression following induction of differentiation is a transcriptionally regulated event. Decreased PDGFR expression in differentiated cells is associated with impaired biological responsiveness to PDGF, as shown by reduced activation of mitogen-activated protein-kinase following PDGF stimulation, and decreased chemotactic responsiveness to PDGF. Our data suggest that PDGFR down-regulation is an important mechanism for reducing PDGF-responsiveness in terminally differentiated 3T3-L1 cells.

3T3 Cells↗

13-cis-retinoic acid with alpha-2a-interferon enhances radiation cytotoxicity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in vitro.

The treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck presents a challenge for oncologists. Radiation therapy alone fails to control many of these tumors. Chemotherapy added to radiation therapy has not clearly demonstrated an improvement in survival in the majority of trials reported to date. In this study, we have evaluated whether IFN-alpha-2a and/or 13-cis-retinoic acid (RA) enhance radiation cytotoxicity in a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell line (FaDu). Using a clonogenic cell survival assay, IFN-alpha-2a (1000 units/ml) or RA (1 microM) alone did not significantly enhance radiation cytotoxicity. The combination of the two agents, however, significantly increased the cytotoxicity of radiation against FaDu cells. The calculated survival fraction at 2 Gy was decreased from 0.649 with radiation alone to 0.477 when combined with the other two agents (P = 0.016), and the MID was decreased from 3.318 to 2.499 Gy (P = 0.028). A Phase I clinical trial to combine IFN-alpha-2a and/or RA in patients with unresectable head and neck cancer has been initiated.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

A role for activated p21 ras in inhibition/regulation of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) type-beta receptor activation.

Ligand-stimulated Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) type-beta receptor autophosphorylation, and tyrosine phosphorylation of receptor-associated signalling proteins, is blocked in cells expressing activated Ras genes. A factor present in membrane fractions of v-ras-expressing fibroblasts (Kbalb cells) dominantly inhibits the autophosphorylation of the PDGF type-beta receptor. Purification of this factor, via ion exchange, reveals that the inhibitor can be physically separated from the PDGF type-beta receptor, with reconstitution of PDGF type-beta receptor kinase activity in response to ligand binding. The inhibitor exhibited specificity for the PDGF type-beta receptor, and consistently co-purified with activated p21 ras, with Syp/PTP-2, and with Grb2. Neutralization of the p21 ras protein from the Kbalb cell membranes by p21 ras-specific monoclonal antibodies, however, completely removed the inhibition of PDGF type-beta receptor, rendering the PDGF type-beta receptor molecule capable of autophosphorylation in response to ligand. These results indicate that activated p21 ras either interacts directly with the PDGF type-beta receptor to inhibit autokinase activity, or complexes with different molecules such as Syp and/or Grb2 at the cell membrane to act on another effector which then inhibits PDGF type-beta receptor function.

3T3 Cells↗

Phosphorylation of Bcl-2 protein and association with p21Ras in Ras-induced apoptosis.

p21Ras mediates mitogenic responses and also renders cells susceptible to apoptosis after inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) activity. Ras-induced apoptosis can be blocked by the proto-oncogene bcl-2, but the biochemical or functional nature of Bcl-2 regulation of Ras-induced apoptosis is not understood. We demonstrate that Bcl-2 and p21Ras molecules can be co-immunoprecipitated in Jurkat cells. The level of this association is enhanced when an apoptotic stimulus (inhibition of PKC activity) is delivered. Bcl-2/p21Ras association is coincident with new phosphorylation of the Bcl-2 protein. Inhibition of this phosphorylation prevents protection from apoptosis by Bcl-2, providing a functional correlation to the phosphorylation event. The Bcl-2/p21Ras association cannot be competed by exogenous glutathione S-transferase-Ras fusion protein, suggesting that the endogenous complex may be formed before cell lysis. These results provide a possible mechanism of regulation of Ras-induced apoptosis by Bcl-2.

Apoptosis↗

Hypoxia decreases constitutive nitric oxide synthase transcript and protein in cultured endothelial cells.

Endothelial cell-generated nitric oxide (NO) accounts in large part for the labile vasodilator termed endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Two distinct types of NO synthase exist: a "constitutive' type (cNOS), found in endothelial cells, and an "inducible' enzyme. Endothelial cells sense pO2 levels in the range of 70-20 torr and respond to this hypoxia by inducing transcription of genes which encode the vasoactive proteins PDGF-B and endothelin-1. Exposure of human or bovine endothelial cells to low oxygen tensions results in a profound decrease in the transcript for cNOS and a corresponding fall in cNOS protein levels. The ability of endothelial cells exposed to hypoxia to produce NO in response to bradykinin, a stimulator of cNOS activity, was coordinately impaired. Cobalt inhibited the expression of cNOS transcripts, suggesting a mechanism comparable to that by which oxygen tension regulates expression of other vasoregulatory genes. In the presence of actinomycin-D, hypoxia had no effect on cNOS transcripts, suggesting that new gene transcription is required for cNOS suppression. The reducing agents PDTC and N-Ac did not mimic cNOS gene suppression by hypoxia, suggesting that this suppression is not related to the redox state of the intracellular environment. Thus, regulation of cNOS function in response to environmental factors can occur at the level of gene expression as well as at the level of enzyme activation.

Acetylcysteine↗

Erythroid progenitor proliferation is stimulated by phenoxyacetic and phenylalkyl acids.

Short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate and propionate, are under investigation as therapeutic stimulants of fetal hemoglobin production in the beta-hemoglobin disorders. Significant limitations to these fatty acids and derivatives as optimal therapeutics are their rapid metabolism in vivo and their induction of cell growth arrest in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. This antiproliferative activity is related to their inhibition of metabolic transport pumps which are essential for cell proliferation. Other small carbon compounds, the phenylalkyl acids, phenoxyacetic acids, and phenylacetic acids, which are structurally resistant to oxidative metabolism, are shown here to induce fetal globin production in human erythroid cultures at concentrations of 0.2 mM, lower than those required for most other fatty acids. Certain of these compounds were found not to inhibit cellular neutral amino acid transport function in erythroid cells, nor to inhibit erythroid colony (Bfu-e) growth. Certain of these compounds even stimulated human Bfu-e proliferation in vitro beyond that induced by optimal concentrations of hematopoietic growth factors. The combination of increased fetal globin chain production by these compounds and their stimulatory effects on erythropoiesis result in an increase in Hb F-expressing erythroid cells in culture several-fold greater than that achieved by the butyrates. These new compounds thus have the potential to provide superior therapy for the beta-hemoglobinopathies and other anemias.

Biological Transport↗

Moloney murine leukemia virus activates NF-kappa B.

Nonacutely transforming retroviruses, such as Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV), differ from transforming viruses in their mechanisms of tumor induction. While the transforming viruses cause tumors by transduction of oncogenes, the leukemia retroviruses, lacking oncogenes, employ other mechanisms, including promoter insertion and enhancer activation. Although these two mechanisms occur in many tumors induced by leukemia viruses, a substantial proportion of such tumors do not show site-specific proviral insertions. Thus, other, unidentified virus-driven mechanisms may participate in tumorigenesis. In these studies, we show that infection of cells by M-MuLV activates expression of Rel family transcription factors. In murine cells chronically infected with M-MuLV, gel shift analyses with kappaB DNA-binding motifs from the murine immunoglobulin kappa light chain enhancer demonstrated induction of at least two distinct kappaB enhancer-binding complexes. Supershifting and immunoblotting analyses defined p50, p52, RelB, and c-Rel subunits as constituents of these virus-induced protein complexes. Transient transfections performed with kappaB-dependent reporter plasmids showed transcriptional activation in M-MuLV-infected cells relative to uninfected cells. Induction of Rel/NF-kappaB transcription factor activity by M-MuLV infection may prove relevant to the mechanism of M-MuLV-induced leukemia.

3T3 Cells↗

Calcium-dependent immediate-early gene induction in lymphocytes is negatively regulated by p21Ha-ras.

The induction of immediate-early (IE) response genes, such as egr-1, c-fos, and c-jun, occurs rapidly after the activation of T lymphocytes. The process of activation involves calcium mobilization, activation of protein kinase C (PKC), and phosphorylation of tyrosine kinases. p21(ras), a guanine nucleotide binding factor, mediates T-cell signal transduction through PKC-dependent and PKC-independent pathways. The involvement of p21(ras) in the regulation of calcium-dependent signals has been suggested through analysis of its role in the activation of NF-AT. We have investigated the inductions of the IE genes in response to calcium signals in Jurkat cells (in the presence of activated p21(ras)) and their correlated consequences. The expression of activated p21(ras) negatively regulated the induction of IE genes by calcium ionophore. This inhibition of calcium-activated IE gene induction was reversed by treatment with cyclosporin A, suggesting the involvement of calcineurin in this regulation. A later result of inhibition of this activation pathway by p21(ras) was down-regulation of the activity of the transcription factor AP-1 and subsequent coordinate reductions in IL-2 gene expression and protein production. These results suggest that p2l(ras) is an essential mediator in generating not only positive but also negative modulatory mechanisms controlling the competence of T cells in response to inductive stimulations.

Calcium↗

Direction of p21ras-generated signals towards cell growth or apoptosis is determined by protein kinase C and Bcl-2.

Normal and activated Ras proteins are known to act as signal transducers, mediating mitogenic responses. Interactions of p21ras and protein kinase C (PKC) are required in a number of mitogenic or activation signaling pathways. The constitutive expression of activated v-Haras in Jurkat cells, a human T lymphoblastoid cell line, renders the cells susceptible to apoptosis during transient down-regulation or inhibition of PKC. Similarly, the expression of v-Ki-ras in murine fibroblasts induces apoptosis during suppression of PKC activity. This Ras-specific cell death is dependent upon suppression of cellular PKC activity, and can be blocked by the survival-promoting bcl-2 gene product. In vivo phosphorylation studies indicate that Bcl-2 is a phosphoprotein, and the phosphorylation state of Bcl-2 is modulated in the setting of activated p21Ha-ras in response to inhibition of PKC. These findings suggest an interactive regulation of growth or apoptosis in cells which involves at least three molecules: p21ras, PKC and Bcl-2.

Apoptosis↗

Hypoxia induces AP-1-regulated genes and AP-1 transcription factor binding in human endothelial and other cell types.

Hypoxia results in differential expression of specific genes in certain cell types. In endothelial cells, hypoxia activates several genes that are known to be inducible by transcription factor AP-1, including endothelin-1 and platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B). In this study we demonstrated that other AP-1-inducible genes are activated by hypoxia in these cells, including collagenase IV and c-jun, and sought to correlate the activation of genes by hypoxia with the activation of transcription factor AP-1. Depending upon the type of cell studied, hypoxic exposure resulted in the induction of AP-1 transcription factor DNA-binding activity with wide variations in levels of binding. The magnitude of activation of transcription factor AP-1 by hypoxia did not always strictly correlate with the level of induction of AP-1-inducible genes. This finding indicates a requirement for additional mechanisms of controlling transcription beyond the simple activation of AP-1 factor DNA-binding activity for the activation of AP-1-inducible genes during hypoxia. Hypoxia has been reported to lower the intracellular redox potential. The effect of redox state changes on AP-1 transcription factor activity and on the activation of AP-1-inducible genes was also studied. PDTC, a potent reducing agent, activated the AP-1 transcription factor in HeLa cells, and also resulted in increased accumulation of c-jun mRNA in these cells. In contrast to PDTC-mediated activation of the AP-1 transcription factor and the subsequent induction of the AP-1-regulated c-jun gene, hypoxic activation of AP-1 transcription factor binding to its cognate DNA sequence did not activate the c-jun gene in HeLa cells, thus documenting distinct differences in signals generated by the reducing intracellular microenvironments created by hypoxia and PDTC. These results demonstrate the induction of AP-1 transcription factor activity by hypoxic environments, but suggest that additional factors or cell-specific signals are involved in the regulation of hypoxia-induced genes.

Binding Sites↗

A small GTP-binding protein, Rho, associates with the platelet-derived growth factor type-beta receptor upon ligand binding.

Ligand binding to the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor initiates a complex and diverging cascade of signaling pathways. GTP-binding proteins with intrinsic GTPase activity (G-proteins) frequently link cell surface receptors to intracellular signaling pathways, but no close associations of the PDGF receptor and any small G-proteins, nor any such associations activated by ligand binding to the receptor have been previously reported. We demonstrate that a small GTP-binding protein binds specifically to the murine and human PDGF type-beta receptor. In response to PDGF-BB stimulation, there is an increase in the amount of labeled small G-protein associated with the PDGF type-beta receptor. The GTP-binding protein did not undergo ligand-induced association with a mutant receptor protein that was unable to bind ATP. Proteolytic cleavage analysis, together with two-dimensional separation techniques, identified the small G-protein specifically associating with the PDGF type-beta receptor after ligand binding as a member of the Rho family. This was confirmed by demonstration that the small G-protein coimmunoprecipitated by the anti-PDGF receptor antibody was a substrate for the ADP-ribosyltransferase C3 exoenzyme. Thus, the PDGF type-beta receptor may form a complex with one or more small G-proteins upon binding PDGF-BB, and the Rho small G-protein is likely to be an important component of the proteins making up the multimeric signaling complex of the PDGF type-beta receptor.

3T3 Cells↗

Characterization of a hypoxia-responsive adhesion molecule for leukocytes on human endothelial cells.

Decreased oxygen tension is one important component of ischemic episodes, which are characterized by leukocyte accumulation at the site of infarction. We have reported recently that cultured endothelial and muscle RD cells transferred from pO2 of 120 torr to pO2 of 50 torr for 3 h dramatically increased their adhesiveness for lymphocytes and neutrophils. In the present study, we identify and characterize a new endothelial cell adhesion molecule that mediates hypoxia-induced adhesion to leukocytes. We have generated a mAb, HAL 1/13, that recognizes a cell surface epitope common to both RD and endothelial cells and inhibits lymphocyte and neutrophil adhesion to muscle and endothelial cell monolayers under normoxic conditions in a dose-dependent manner. The contribution of the HAL 1/13 ligand to leukocyte adhesion significantly increased (more than twofold) when the muscle or endothelial cells had been exposed previously to a hypoxic environment. HAL 1/13 mAb completely abolished the enhancing effect of hypoxia on RD and endothelial cell adhesiveness for leukocytes. HAL 1/13 mAb immunoprecipitated a protein with Mr approximately 85,000 Da from cell surface-iodinated muscle and endothelial cells. The Mr, CD cluster dendrogram analysis, and lack of induction by IL-1 of HAL 1/13 distinguish it from most other known endothelial cell adhesion molecules. We suggest that this hypoxia-sensitive adhesion receptor on mesenchymal cells participates in neutrophil adhesion and consequent diapedesis during hypoxia-associated pathologic conditions.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

The Moloney leukemia retroviral long terminal repeat trans-activates AP-1-inducible genes and AP-1 transcription factor binding.

Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MuLV) is a thymotropic and leukemogenic retrovirus which causes T lymphomas. The long terminal repeat (LTR) of Mo-MuLV affects the regulation of a number of cellular genes, including collagenase IV, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and c-jun genes, all of which contain 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-responsive element consensus sites within their promoters. We report here that Mo-MuLV stimulates the collagenase IV gene through transcription factor AP-1, and that the expression of a subgenomic portion of Mo-MuLV LTR alone is sufficient for this effect. Transient or stable expression of the viral LTR increases cellular AP-1 DNA binding activity. The collagenase IV 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-responsive element consensus sequence was shown to be required for this trans-activation. Deletions or mutations of this consensus site which abolished AP-1 binding also abolished trans-activation by the LTR. Transient or stable transfection of the viral LTR into cells stimulated c-jun gene expression, suggesting one mechanism whereby the viral LTR may induce cellular AP-1 activity. Thus, the Mo-MuLV LTR, through activation of the transcription factor AP-1, is capable of regulating cellular gene expression, including the induction of proto-oncogenes. This activity may be relevant to the mechanisms whereby retroviruses which do not contain oncogenes induce neoplasia.

3T3 Cells↗