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G J Freeman

Publications and source records attributed to G J Freeman.

107 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

The HB-6, CDw75, and CD76 differentiation antigens are unique cell-surface carbohydrate determinants generated by the beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase.

Expression of the beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase (alpha 2,6-ST) was shown to regulate the generation of multiple cell-surface differentiation antigens (Ags) that may be necessary for lymphocyte function. A new mAb was produced, termed HB-6, that was shown to identify a novel neuraminidase-sensitive cell-surface Ag expressed by subpopulations of human lymphocytes and erythrocytes. In attempting to isolate a cDNA encoding the HB-6 antigen by expression cloning, a cDNA encoding the alpha 2,6-ST (EC 2.4.99.1) was obtained. Since expression of the alpha 2,6-ST protein was shown to be limited to the Golgi apparatus, the cell-surface HB-6 Ag was demonstrated to be the product of alpha 2,6-ST activity. Interestingly, alpha 2,6-ST expression also generated two other neuraminidase-sensitive lymphocyte cell-surface differentiation Ags, CDw75, and CD76. The HB-6, CDw75, and CD76 mAb identified distinct Ags that were differentially expressed by different B cell lines and exhibited different patterns of expression in tissue sections. These results indicate that alpha 2,6-ST expression is a critical regulatory step in the formation of the Ags that are recognized by these mAb, and that an alpha 2,6-linked sialic acid residue is an essential component of each Ag. Thus, expression of a single ST can result in the generation of multiple distinct antigenic determinants on the cell surface which can be distinguished by mAb and may have regulatory roles in lymphocyte function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Immunologic purging of marrow assessed by PCR before autologous bone marrow transplantation for B-cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The use of autologous bone marrow transplantation is increasing in the management of advanced cancers. Many investigators have attempted to "purge" autologous marrow of residual tumor cells because of concern that reinfused tumor cells might contribute to relapse. The efficacy of purging remains unproved. METHODS: We performed clonogenic assays in a tumor cell line in culture to determine the efficiency of immunologic purging. Amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect residual lymphoma cells before and after purging of bone marrow from 114 patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in whom a translocation (t(14;18] that could be amplified by PCR was detected at the time of their initial evaluation. RESULTS: Immunologic purging in vitro resulted in a 3-to-6-log destruction of cells in the tumor cell line. Residual lymphoma cells were detected by PCR in the bone marrow of all patients before purging. No lymphoma cells could be detected in the marrow of 57 patients after purging. Disease-free survival was increased in these 57 patients as compared with those whose marrow contained detectable residual lymphoma (P less than 0.00001). The ability to purge residual lymphoma cells was not associated with the degree of bone marrow involvement (P = 0.4494) or the previous response to therapy (P = 0.1298). CONCLUSIONS: The inability to purge residual lymphoma cells was the most important prognostic indicator in predicting relapse. These results provide evidence of the clinical usefulness of ex vivo purging of autologous bone marrow in the treatment of patients with lymphoma and suggest that the reinfusion of malignant cells in autologous marrow contributes to relapse

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Selective induction of B7/BB-1 on interferon-gamma stimulated monocytes: a potential mechanism for amplification of T cell activation through the CD28 pathway.

The B cell activation antigen B7/BB-1 is the natural ligand for the T cell antigen CD28 and these two molecules are capable of mediating T-B cell adhesion. Engagement of the CD28 pathway provides a costimulatory signal to T cells leading to enhanced lymphokine production. We report that interferon-gamma (INF-gamma) induces the expression of B7/BB-1 on monocytes. This induction was very specific since other cytokines and stimuli which activate monocytes including M-CSF, GM-CSF, IL3, TNF-alpha, and LPS were unable to induce B7/BB-1. Following culture of monocytes with INF-gamma, maximal mRNA and cell surface B7/BB-1 expression was detected at 12 and 24 hr, respectively. In addition to antigen presentation, optimal T cell activation and lymphokine synthesis require an additional cell to cell contact signal provided by the antigen presenting cell. The induction of B7/BB-1 on monocytes and subsequent heterophilic interaction of B7/BB-1 with CD28 may provide a mechanism for the amplification of T cell proliferation and lymphokine production by INF-gamma activated monocytes.

Antigens, CD↗

Structure, expression, and T cell costimulatory activity of the murine homologue of the human B lymphocyte activation antigen B7.

Following occupancy of the T cell receptor by antigen, T cell proliferation and lymphokine production are determined by a second costimulatory signal delivered by a ligand expressed on antigen presenting cells. The human B cell activation antigen B7, which is expressed on antigen presenting cells including activated B cells and gamma interferon treated monocytes, has been shown to deliver such a costimulatory signal upon attachment to its ligand on T cells, CD28. We have cloned and sequenced the murine homologue of the human B7 gene. The predicted murine protein has 44% amino acid identity with human B7. The greatest similarity is in the Ig-V and Ig-C like domains. Murine B7 mRNA was detected in murine hematopoietic cells of B cell but not T cell origin. Cells transfected with murine B7 provided a costimulatory signal to human CD28+ T lymphocytes. These results demonstrate the costimulatory activity of murine B7 and provide evidence that the ligand attachment site is conserved between the two species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

B-cell surface antigen B7 provides a costimulatory signal that induces T cells to proliferate and secrete interleukin 2.

Occupancy of the T-cell receptor complex does not appear to be a sufficient stimulus to induce a T-cell-mediated immune response. Increasing evidence suggests that cognate cell-cell interaction between an activated T cell and an antigen-presenting cell may provide such a stimulus. A candidate T-cell surface molecule for this costimulatory signal is the T-cell-restricted CD28 antigen. Following crosslinking with anti-CD28 mAb, suboptimally stimulated CD28+ T cells show increased proliferation and markedly increased secretion of a subset of lymphokines. Recently, the B-cell surface activation antigen B7 was shown to be a natural ligand for the CD28 molecule, and both B7 and CD28 are members of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Here we report that B7-transfected CHO cells can induce suboptimally activated CD28+ T cells to proliferate and secrete high levels of interleukin 2. The response is identical whether T cells are submitogenically stimulated with either phorbol myristate acetate or anti-CD3 to activate the T cells. This response is specific and can be totally abrogated with anti-B7 monoclonal antibody. As has previously been observed for anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody, B7 ligation induced secretion of interleukin 2 but not interleukin 4. We have previously demonstrated that B7 expression is restricted to activated B lymphocytes and interferon gamma-activated monocytes. Since these two cellular populations are involved in antigen presentation as well as cognate interaction with T lymphocytes, B7 is likely to represent a central constimulatory signal that is capable of amplifying an immune response.

Animals↗

B7, a new member of the Ig superfamily with unique expression on activated and neoplastic B cells.

The human B cell restricted activation antigen B7 identifies an in vivo primed subpopulation of B cells that demonstrate an accelerated response to triggers of B cell activation and proliferation. The cDNA encoding B7 was molecularly cloned by cDNA expression. The identity of the B7 cDNA was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation of a 44/54-kDa protein from B7 transfected COS cells. The sequence of the B7 polypeptide predicts a type I membrane protein of 262 amino acids with eight potential N-linked glycosylation sites in the extracellular region and a short, highly positively charged cytoplasmic tail. The extracellular region is homologous to the Ig gene superfamily and consists of two contiguous Ig-like domains. The first Ig domain has the characteristics of a variable domain and the second that of a constant region domain. B7 mRNA was detected only on anti-Ig activated B lymphocytes and not in other hematopoietic cells. After in vitro activation of B cells with anti-Ig, B7 mRNA was maximally expressed between 4 and 12 h with four RNA transcripts of 1.7, 2.9, 4.2, and 10 kb. The 2.9-kb mRNA predominated in in vitro-activated B cells whereas the 1.7-kb mRNA was most abundant in tumor cells of B cell origin. B7 expression was confined to several histologically defined subgroups of B cell malignancies. The majority of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were B7+ whereas the B cell leukemias and circulating non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were generally negative. These results demonstrate that the B7 gene encodes a unique molecule belonging to the Ig superfamily and that B7 expression is limited to normal activated B cells and noncirculating B cell malignancies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural and functional studies of the early T lymphocyte activation 1 (Eta-1) gene. Definition of a novel T cell-dependent response associated with genetic resistance to bacterial infection.

We describe a murine cDNA, designated Early T lymphocyte activation 1 (ETA-1) which is abundantly expressed after activation of T cells. Eta-1 encodes a highly acidic secreted product having structural features of proteins that bind to cellular adhesion receptors. The Eta-1 gene maps to a locus on murine chromosome 5 termed Ric that confers resistance to infection by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (RT), an obligate intracellular bacterium that is the etiological agent for human scrub typhus. With one exception, inbred mouse strains that expressed the Eta-1a allele were resistant to RT infection (RicR), and inbred strains expressing the Eta-1b allele were susceptible (RicS). These findings suggest that Eta-1 is the gene inferred from previous studies of the Ric locus (5). Genetic resistance to RT infection is associated with a strong Eta-1 response in vivo and inhibition of early bacterial replication. Eta-1 gene expression appears to be part of a surprisingly rapid T cell-dependent response to bacterial infection that may precede classical forms of T cell-dependent immunity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning and expression of a gamma-interferon-inducible gene in monocytes: a new member of a cytokine gene family.

To define activation-specific sequences in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), a cDNA library was constructed by subtractive hybridization using resting and stimulated PBL pairs. Stimulation of PBL was achieved by triggering with mitogenic anti-CD2 (T11) monoclonal antibodies. Differential library screening with cDNA probes derived from stimulated versus resting PBL led to identification of two novel sequences, termed HC11 and HC14. The predicted primary and secondary structure of HC11 deduced from the translated nucleotide sequence suggests that the gene encodes a secreted protein of 99 amino acids (aa), including a 23 aa residue leader sequence. Surprisingly, Northern blot analysis demonstrated that HC11 mRNA is induced predominantly in peripheral blood non-T cells. Subsequently, we observed that the HC11 mRNA is induced in macrophages and the monocytic line U-937 by gamma-IFN, raising the possibility that T cell-derived gamma-IFN induced upon anti-CD2 stimulation activated monocytes to express HC11 RNA. In support of this notion, neutralizing anti-gamma-IFN monoclonal antibody inhibits the induction of HC11 mRNA in PBL activated through anti-CD2 antibodies. These findings suggest that there is a molecular cascade involving T cell-produced lymphokines and monokines which serve as a means for intercellular communication. Transient expression of HC11 cDNA results in a readily detectable specific set of protein bands in SDS-PAGE analysis of supernatants from radio-labeled COS cells, consistent with HC11 encoding a secreted product(s). Protein sequence comparison reveals homology with other members of a recently described inducible cytokine family whose functions are yet to be defined.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interleukin 6 gene expression in normal and neoplastic B cells.

In the present report we demonstrate that the IL-6 gene is expressed in anti-Ig-activated and neoplastic B cells. After activation with anti-Ig, splenic B cells rapidly expressed IL-6 mRNA with peak expression occurring at 4 h and declining rapidly thereafter. In an attempt to exclude that the IL-6 mRNA expression was in non-B cells, T cells and monocytes were extensively depleted. In this highly purified B cell population, IL-6 mRNA was retained, whereas the expression of the T cell- and monocyte-restricted CD2 and CD14 genes was nearly undetectable. These results are consistent with the conclusion that activated B cells express IL-6 mRNA. Because we found IL-6 mRNA expression in normal activated B lymphocytes, we examined the expression of IL-6 mRNA in B cell neoplasms. 11 of 25 non-Hodgkins B cell lymphomas and 4 of 4 myelomas and plasma cell leukemias expressed IL-6 mRNA, whereas only 1 of 19 B cell leukemias was positive. To exclude that IL-6 mRNA expression in neoplastic B cells was the result of contaminating non-B cells, T cells and monocytes were extensively depleted from the tumor specimens. In the three IL-6-positive tumor samples depleted of T cells and monocytes, IL-6 mRNA expression was retained in all cases. These observations provide support for the idea that the IL-6 gene is expressed in normal activated and neoplastic B cells.

Adult↗

rpt-1, an intracellular protein from helper/inducer T cells that regulates gene expression of interleukin 2 receptor and human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

The Rpt-1 (for regulatory protein, T-lymphocyte, 1) gene, selectively expressed by resting but not by activated CD4+ inducer T cells, encodes an intracellular protein (rpt-1, Mr 41,000) that down-regulates gene expression directed by the promoter region of the gene encoding interleukin 2 receptor alpha chain and by the long terminal repeat of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. The data reported here suggest that rpt-1 levels may be inversely correlated with activation of CD4+ T cells and human immunodeficiency virus replication leading to clinical symptoms of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Cloning and characterization of a novel T cell activation gene.

We have used the technique of subtractive hybridization to identify a T cell gene selectively expressed during activation via the antigen-receptor pathway. This gene, termed TCA3 (for T cell activation) encodes a mRNA which is expressed following concanavalin A (Con A) activation of T cell clones at levels of approximately 1% total poly(A)-containing mRNA. The cDNA isolate, termed TCA3.0, is 512 bases in length excluding poly(A) and encodes a predicted 92-amino acid protein having the characteristics of a secreted polypeptide of approximately 69 amino acids. The genomic organizations of TCA3 was determined for two lambda phage clones and was found to be a single copy gene containing at least three exons dispersed over less than 4.7 kb. The temporal appearance of TCA3 mRNA in response to several activating agents was examined. It is not transcribed in response to interleukin 2 stimulation, but is transcribed in response to either antigen or Con A stimulation and can be detected as early as 1 hr poststimulation. Expression TCA3 in response to Con A is blocked by cyclosporin A treatment. The combined data suggest that TCA3 may represent a new lymphokine.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

High efficiency gene transfer into murine T cell clones using a retroviral vector.

To establish a gene transfer and expression system for murine T cell clones, we have introduced the neomycin phosphotransferase gene encoding resistance to the neomycin analogue, G418, into non-neoplastic inducer T cell clones by using a replication-defective retroviral vector. This method allowed highly efficient gene transfer (20 to 40%) into two inducer T cell clones. The level of viral RNA expression in G418r T cells was 0.1% of poly(A)+ RNA. The infected G418r cells retained physiologic responsiveness to specific antigen as judged by antigen-specific proliferation and production of IL 3.

Animals↗

Sequential expression of new gene programs in inducer T-cell clones.

We have prepared a cDNA probe that detects genes that are rapidly and abundantly expressed after exposure of inducer T-lymphocyte clones to antigen or mitogen. All inducer cells tested express a characteristic set of new mRNA, and these mRNAs are not expressed after activation of other lymphocytes. This initial burst of mRNA synthesis is paralleled by synthesis and secretion of a family of polypeptides that mediate inducer cell activity, including T- and B-cell growth factors, interferon, and molecules that bind to antigen. Expression of this initial genetic program precedes mitosis and is replaced within 74 hr by a different genetic program, which may control further cell division. The action of these sequential sets of genetic programs defines two stages of the cell's differentiation and accounts for altered expression of the cell's immunological functions.

Animals↗

Mapping temperature-sensitive mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus by RNA heteroduplex formation.

Duplex RNA molecules made by hybridization of virion and mRNA of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) were digested with ribonuclease and separated into five size classes, each containing the gene and the mRNA for one of the VSV proteins. Denaturation of the duplexes yielded full size mRNA lacking poly(A) tails. Utilizing duplex formation between the RNAs from VSV temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants and their revertants and subsequent RNase digestion under varying salt conditions, specific cleavages within a certain duplex were seen for representative mutants from complementation groups, III, IV and V. Specific cleavages were not seen for a group II mutant. From these results gene assignments cannot be made for group II; equivocal assignments are made for group III and clear assignments made for group IV and V. The assignment for the group V mutants, however, does not conform to expectations. Nevertheless, from these studies and other published ones, there is the suggestion that interactions may exist between the gene products of complementation groups II and V during VSV transcription and morphogenesis. These results also support the lack of transcriptional splicing for VSV mRNAs.

Genes, Viral↗

RNA synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus. VIII. Oligonucleotides of the structural genes and mRNA.

The single-stranded RNA genome of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV, Indiana serotype, San Juan strain) yields approx. 75 RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides ranging in size from 10 to 50 bases. Each of the five structural genes, isolated as duplex RNA molecules hybridized to complementary mRNA, contains two or more of these large oligonucleotides. One of the oligonucleotides is identified as part of the non-coding region near the 3' end of the genome. Comparison of these results with others indicate that the RNA sequence of VSV is apparently stable in the laboratory but not in the wild. RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides are also shown for all five VSV mRN species. Whether the mRNA for these digestions are are isolated from duplex RNA molecules or as single-stranded RNA species, the oligonucleotide patterns for each mRNA are virtually identical, indicating that each mRNA is transcribed from contiguous sequences on the genome. Comparison with published oligonucleotide patterns obtained from other isolates of VSV or from VSV deletion mutants indicate that identity and changes in their genome structure can be correlated with specific structural genes.

Base Sequence↗

RNA synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus. VII. Complete separation of the mRNA's of vesicular stomatitis virus by duplex formation.

Full-length virion RNA and complementary mRNA's of vesicular stomatitis virus can be annealed to each other, digested with RNases, and then separated as five unique duplex RNA molecules on polyacrylamide slab gels. Similar RNA duplexes were detected whether mRNA or virion RNA was the radioactive component and whether the mRNA was synthesized in vitro or in vivo. The sharp banding pattern of these RNA molecules was dependent on treatment with RNase T2, suggesting that removal of poly(A) is necessary. Identification of the coding region contained in each RNA duplex was based on their previous identification as single-stranded mRNA on formamide-containing, polyacrylamide gels. Because the two smallest mRNA'S had not been previously separated, their identification was based on their in vitro transcriptional gene order. In the order of increasing mobilities on the slab gels, the RNA duplexes are identified as the hybrid of the region of the genome RNA hybridized to the complementary mRNA coding for the large protein, the glycoprotein, the nucleocapsid protein, the core-associated NS protein, and the matrix protein (L,G,N,NS, and M). Several lines of evidence support the presence of undegraded complete mRNA, excluding poly(A), in these RNA duplexes. Also, the two smallest mRNA's, separated by duplex formation, were denatured, and their individual oligonucleotide fingerprints were determined. From chemical length determinations, the molecular weights of the mRNA, minus poly(A), are 2.78 X 10(5) and 2.5 X 10(5), respectively, for the mRNA's of the NS and M proteins.

Cell Line↗