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Biomedical subjects

J A Hamilton

Publications and source records attributed to J A Hamilton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

cAMP suppresses p21ras and Raf-1 responses but not the Erk-1 response to granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor: possible Raf-1-independent activation of Erk-1.

The cAMP analogue 8-bromo-cAMP (8BrcAMP) inhibits granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-stimulated DNA synthesis in myeloid NFS-60 cells. We examined the effect of 8BrcAMP addition on the G-CSF-stimulated extracellular signal-related protein kinase 1 (Erk-1), p21ras and Raf-1 activation. The Erk-1 activity was not down-regulated by the increase in intracellular cAMP levels, whereas p21ras and Raf-1 activities were, suggesting that Erk-1 activity might not be dependent on upstream p21ras and/or Raf-1 activity in this system. To explore this possibility further, we sought to determine whether there were downstream substrates of Raf-1 that were distinguishable from those of Erk-1 by using two-dimensional SDS/PAGE analysis of the protein phosphorylation patterns of NFS-60 cell cytosolic extracts treated with exogenous Raf-1 or Erk-1 in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP. The two phosphorylation patterns were found to have many differences. To gain further insights into the possible relevance of these phosphorylation patterns and as an approach to exploring in more detail the inhibitory effect of 8BrcAMP, two-dimensional SDS/PAGE analysis was performed on the cytosolic extracts of 32P-labelled NFS-60 cells treated with G-CSF, in the absence or presence of 8BrcAMP. It was found that the phosphorylated proteins whose appearance was specific to the action of exogenous Raf-1 were sensitive to the action of 8BrcAMP in vivo, whereas those whose appearance was specific to the action of exogenous Erk-1 alone, or common to the actions of Raf-1 and Erk-1, were 8BrcAMP-insensitive. The results are consistent with a Raf-1-independent pathway for Erk-1 activation in G-CSF treated myeloid cells, and a number of potential downstream substrates of these kinases have been identified for further characterization.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate

CSF-1 and cell cycle control in macrophages.

Control of cell proliferation involves a finely interwoven network of positive and negative cell cycle regulators. Signal transduction pathways linking c-fms (CSF-1R) to cellular proliferation and differentiation are being explored. Part of the strategy is to use a series of G1 inhibitors to help pinpoint relevant targets. Several inhibitors-8Br-cAMP, interferon gamma (IFN gamma), INF alpha/beta, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha), and dimethylamiloride-suppress CSF-1-stimulated proliferation in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) even when added in the mid- to late-G1 phase of the cell cycle. The down-modulating effects of the inhibitors on the expression of the following cell cycle regulators have been examined: c-myc, cyclin D1 and D2, cdk4, Rb phosphorylation, E2F binding activity, ribonucleotide reductase subunits, and PCNA. Some differences in the negative control of such regulators were found, for example, in the manner in which IFN gamma and cAMP down-regulate c-myc expression. Using blocking antibodies and BMM from type I IFN receptor knockout mice, it appears that one of these inhibitors, IFN alpha/beta, acts as an endogenous inhibitor in CSF-1-treated BMM and is also responsible, at least in part, for the inhibition of cell cycle progression by LPS and TNF alpha. Another strategy has been to attempt to relate early biochemical changes induced by CSF-1 to later changes in the G1 phase, partly by studying cycling versus noncycling macrophages and partly by using cells expressing c-fms with tyrosine mutations in the intracytoplasmic region. CSF-1-mediated effects on the following signal transduction molecules in these systems will be described: PI3-kinase, myelin basic protein kinases, Erks, and STAT transcription factors.

Animals

Identification of phosphoproteins specific to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mediated signaling using 2D-SDS-PAGE.

Like other cytokines, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) activates a complex array of signal transduction pathways involving multiple kinases and phosphatases. We sought to identify phosphoproteins specific to G-CSF signaling. Using 2D-SDS-PAGE of 32P-labeled cytosolic extracts, we compared phosphoprotein patterns of NFS-60 cells treated with G-CSF or interleukin-3 (IL-3). We also compared the patterns found after stimulation of M-NFS-60 cells with macrophage-CSF (M-CSF). A large number of phosphoproteins were found that were specific for the G-CSF response. Their distribution contrasted with that of Erk-1-related spots, identified by Western blotting, which were common to G-CSF, M-CSF (CSF-1), and IL-3 responses. The activation of Erk-1 by these cytokines was confirmed by in vitro kinase assays. The 2D-SDS-PAGE approach was also used to demonstrate that a series of unrelated G1 phase inhibitors of the mitogenic action of G-CSF elicited both common and diverse protein phosphorylation changes in G-CSF-treated NFS-60 cells that were not dependent on the inhibition of Erk-1 activity, as demonstrated by both in vitro kinase assays and 2D-SDS-PAGE. Therefore, 2D-SDS-PAGE has potential to dissect both the signal transduction pathways lying downstream of the G-CSF receptor (and of the receptors for other CSFs) and also the site of action of proliferation inhibitors.

Animals

Identification of PRG1, a novel progestin-responsive gene with sequence homology to 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase.

To define early molecular targets of progestin action, the differential display technique was used to identify genes with altered levels of expression in T-47D breast cancer cells treated with the synthetic progestin ORG 2058 for 3 h. PRG1 was first isolated as a 200-bp cDNA clone and its progestin regulation confirmed by Northern analysis. Cloning of the complete coding region of PRG1 revealed that it shared a high degree of amino acid sequence identity with isoforms of the enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from several tissues and species. Expression of PRG1 mRNA was observed in several normal breast epithelial and breast cancer cell lines and in a variety of human tissues, with highest expression in the breast, aorta, and brain. In T-47D cells, PRG1 mRNA was rapidly and transiently induced by progestins, expression peaking between 2 and 4 h and returning to control levels by 12 h. Progestin-induced increases in PRG1 mRNA were inhibited by the progestin antagonist RU 486 and occurred via the progesterone receptor. Progestin induction of PRG1 mRNA was also inhibited by actinomycin D but not by cycloheximide. PRG1 is therefore a novel human gene that is directly regulated by progestins via the progesterone receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence

Requirement for Y706 of the murine (or Y708 of the human) CSF-1 receptor for STAT1 activation in response to CSF-1.

Using FDC-P1 derived cell lines which ectopically express either the wild type or mutant forms of the murine CSF-1 receptor in which individual tyrosine residues have been replaced with phenylalanine, we analysed the requirement for tyrosine residues of the receptor for the activation of STAT proteins in response to CSF-1. We found Y706 to be required for efficient activation of STAT1. The activation of STAT3 was not affected by the mutation of Y706 to phenylalanine. The addition of phosphopeptides spanning Y708 of the human CSF-1 receptor (identical with the sequence surrounding Y706 of the murine receptor) to electrophoretic mobility shift assays led to competition of the formation of STAT1 containing complexes, SIF-B and SIF-C with the DNA probe. These phosphopeptides did, however, not affect the formation of the STAT3 containing complex, SIF-A, with the probe. Replacement of Y807 with phenylalanine led to a complete block of activation of all STAT proteins in response to CSF-1, however, this phosphotyrosine does not appear to represent a STAT binding site of the receptor as a phosphopeptide spanning Y809 of the human CSF-1 receptor could not compete any STAT/DNA complex formation in electrophoretic mobility shift assays.

Animals

Dissociation of long and very long chain fatty acids from phospholipid bilayers.

Dissociation of fatty acids (FA) from and transbilayer movement (flip-flop) in small unilamellar phosphatidylcholine vesicles (SUV) were monitored by measuring the pH inside the vesicle with an entrapped water-soluble fluorophore, pyranin. With a pH gradient imposed upon SUV preloaded with FA, the rate of flip-flop of saturated very long chain FA (C20:0, C:22:0, and C24:0) was shown to be fast (t1/2 < 1 s); previously, we showed by stopped flow measurements that flip-flop of long chain (14-18 carbons) FA is very fast [t1/2 < 10 ms; Kamp, F., et al. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 11928-11937]. The rates of dissociation of FA from SUV were evaluated by incorporating FA into donor vesicles and measuring transfer to acceptor vesicles. The transfer was followed by changes in internal pH of either donor or acceptor vesicles with stopped flow (C14:0, C16:0, C17:0, C18:0, C18:1, and C18:2) or on-line (C20:0, C22:0, and C24:0) fluorescence. All FA showed a single-exponential transfer process that was slower than the lower limits established for the rate of flip-flop, with t1/2 of dissociation ranging from 20 ms for C14:0 to 1900 s for C24:0. The pseudo-unimolecular rate constant (koff) for dissociation of C14:0 to C26:0 showed a 10-fold decrease for each addition of two CH2 groups to the acyl chain and a delta (delta G) of -740 cal/CH2. The dissociation rate constants for oleic acid (18:1) and linoleic acid (18:2) were 5 and 10 times faster, respectively, than that of C18:0. The rates of dissociation for typical dietary FA are sufficiently rapid that complex mechanisms (e.g. protein-mediated) may not be required for their desorption from biological membranes. The very slow dissociation rates for C24:0 and C26:0 may accentuate their pathological effects in diseases in which they accumulate in tissues.

Arylsulfonates

Differences in the kinetics of activation of protein kinases and extracellular signal-related protein kinase 1 in colony-stimulating factor 1-stimulated and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages.

To determine the relevance of mitogen-activated protein kinase activity to macrophage proliferation, we measured the stimulation of myelin basic protein (MBP) kinase and extracellular signal-related protein kinase (ERK) activity in a macrophage cell line (BAC1.2F5), bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) and resident peritoneal macrophages (RPM). By using an 'ingel' MBP kinase assay the activities of renaturable MBP kinases were detected, including several with molecular masses similar to those of ERK-1 and ERK-2. These represented a minor fraction of total activity and were not activated to an appreciable extent by colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1). By using a sensitive and specific immune-complex kinase assay, activation of ERK-1 by CSF-1 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was demonstrated. Two kinetically distinct pathways of ERK-1 activation by CSF-1 were resolved, with peak activations occurring at 5 and 15 min. The kinetics and degree of activation were similar in BMM, BAC1.2F5 cells and RPM. LPS activated ERK-1 with a single peak at 10-15 min, corresponding to the later peak of activation by CSF-1. Thus there was no strict correlation between ERK activation and macrophage proliferation.

Animals

Association between phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, Cbl and other tyrosine phosphorylated proteins in colony-stimulating factor-1-stimulated macrophages.

Colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) stimulation of the macrophage cell line BAC1.2F5 and murine bone marrow-derived macrophages resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3 kinase) p85 alpha and its stable association with several tyrosine phosphorylated proteins, including CSF-1 receptor (p165), p120, p95 and p55-p60. p120 co-migrated with the product of the protooncogene c-cb1 in anti-p85 alpha immunoprecipitates, and associated with p85 alpha in a rapid and transient manner. Reciprocal experiments confirmed the presence of p85 alpha in anti-Cb1 immunoprecipitates on CSF-1 stimulation of macrophages. PI-3 kinase immunoprecipitates from the myeloid FDC-P1 cell line expressing mutant CSF-1 receptor (Y721F), which does not associate with PI-3 kinase, still contained Cbl. The identity of the tyrosine phosphorylated protein p95 remains unknown. The interaction between p85 alpha and the tyrosine phosphorylated proteins survived anion-exchange chromatography, suggesting perhaps the presence of a stable complex; furthermore, in CSF-1-treated BAC1.2F5 cell extracts, only one of the two pools of PI-3 kinase separated by chromatography was present in this putative complex. The association did not appear to correlate with proliferation, since a similar interaction between p85 alpha and tyrosine phosphorylated proteins was also observed in poorly proliferating resident peritoneal macrophages stimulated with CSF-1. The possible significance of these findings for CSF-1-regulated macrophage functions is discussed.

Animals

Intracellular pH in adipocytes: effects of free fatty acid diffusion across the plasma membrane, lipolytic agonists, and insulin.

The main function of white adipose tissue is to store nutrient energy in the form of triglycerides. The mechanism by which free fatty acids (FFA) move into and out of the adipocyte has not been resolved. We show here that changes in intracellular pH (pH1) in adipocytes correlate with the movement of FFA across cellular membranes as predicted by the Kamp and Hamilton model of passive diffusion of FFA. Exposure of fat cells to lipolytic agents or external FFA results is a rapid intracellular acidification that is reversed by metabolism of the FFA or its removal by albumin. In contrast, insulin causes an alkalinization of the cell, consistent with its main function to promote esterification. Inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange in adipocytes does not prevent the changes in pHi caused by FFA, lipolytic agents, or insulin. A fatty acid dimer, which diffuses into the cell but is not metabolized, causes an irreversible acidification. Taken together, the data suggest that changes in pHi occur in adipocytes in response to the passive diffusion of un-ionized FFA (flip-flop) into and out of the cell and in response to their metabolism and production within the cell. These changes in pHi may, in turn, modulate hormonal signaling and metabolism with significant impact on cell function.

Adipocytes

Differential regulation of cell cycle machinery by various antiproliferative agents is linked to macrophage arrest at distinct G1 checkpoints.

There is currently much interest in the mechanisms of action of antiproliferative agents and their effects on cell cycle machinery. In the present study we examined the mechanisms of action of four unrelated agents known to inhibit proliferation of CSF-1-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM). We report that 8-bromo-cAMP (8Br-cAMP) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) potently reduced CSF-1-stimulated cyclin D1 protein, and cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) 4 mRNA and protein levels, while the inhibitory effects of the Na+/ H+ antiport inhibitor 5-(N',N'-dimethyl) amiloride (DMA) and interferon gamma (IFN gamma ) were only weak. All agents repressed CSF-1-stimulated retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation. Furthermore, 8Br-cAMP and to a lesser extent IFN gamma, also reduced CSF-1-stimulated levels of E2F DNA binding activity in a macrophage cell line, BAC1.2F5. An explanation for the different effects of the agents is that 8Br-cAMP and LPS were found to arrest BMM in early/mid-G1, while IFN gamma and DMA arrested cells in late G1 or early S phase. These data indicate that (1) different antiproliferative agents can arrest the same cell type at distinct checkpoints in G1 and (2) effects of antiproliferative agents on cell cycle machinery is linked to the position at which they arrest cells in G1.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate

Extracellular mutations of non-obese diabetic mouse FcgammaRI modify surface expression and ligand binding.

The non-obese diabetic mouse (NOD) expresses a unique form of the high affinity receptor for IgG (FcgammaRI), containing multiple mutations that result in substitutions and insertions of amino acids and a truncated cytoplasmic tail. As a result of these major changes, receptor affinity for IgG increases 10-fold over that of wild-type FcgammaRI from BALB/c mice, while the specificity for ligand is retained. Kinetic analysis revealed that while the association rate of IgG with FcgammaRI from NOD mice (FcgammaRI-NOD) and FcgammaRI from BALB/c mice (FcgammaRI-BALB) is similar, IgG bound much more tightly to FcgammaRI-NOD as revealed by a profoundly diminished dissociation rate. Transfection studies demonstrated that FcgammaRI-NOD was expressed at one-tenth of the level of FcgammaRI-BALB. Although mouse FcgammaRI was previously not known to associate with the FcepsilonRI gamma-subunit, transfection of COS-7 cells demonstrates that like human FcgammaRI, mouse FcgammaRI is also able to associate with this signaling subunit. Furthermore, expression levels of FcgammaRI-NOD were not restored by the presence of the FcepsilonRI gamma-subunit. The difference in the levels of expression was mapped to mutations in the extracellular region of FcgammaRI-NOD as replacement of the extracellular domains with those of human FcgammaRI or FcgammaRI-BALB restored expression to that of human FcgammaRI or FcgammaRI-BALB.

Amino Acid Sequence

Flexibility is a likely determinant of binding specificity in the case of ileal lipid binding protein.

BACKGROUND: The family of lipid binding proteins (LBPs) includes a large number of fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) but only two proteins (ileal lipid binding protein, ILBP, and liver fatty acid binding protein) that can bind both fatty acids and bile acids. Bile acid transport is medically and pharmacologically important, but is poorly understood. To understand the binding properties of ILBP, we studied its solution structure with and without bound lipids and compared these with known structures of FABPs. RESULTS: The sequence-specific 1H resonance assignments for porcine ILBP have been determined by homonuclear two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectroscopy for the apo-protein as well as for ILBP complexes with fatty acid and bile acid ligands. From NOE spectra and hydrogen exchange data, similar secondary structure elements were identified for all three protein forms. ILBP is composed of ten antiparallel beta strands arranged in two nearly orthogonal beta sheets (a fold seen in other FABPs, and dubbed the "beta-clam shell'), covered on one side by two short, nearly parallel alpha helices. Binding of fatty acids or bile acids to ILBP alters mainly the side-chain proton resonances of amino acids within the protein cavity, indicating that both bile acids and fatty acids can bind in the interior of the protein between the two beta sheets; binding of bile acids stabilizes the protein backbone by a small amount. Fast hydrogen exchange rates for the backbone amide protons of ILBP indicate that the hydrogen-bonding network of the beta sheet in ILBP is weaker than the corresponding network in rat intestinal and bovine heart FABPs. CONCLUSIONS: The tertiary structure of ILBP is similar to that of other LBPs, but appears to be unusually flexible, with a relatively weak hydrogen-bonding network. It is likely that this flexibility is important in allowing bile acids, which are larger and more rigid than fatty acids, to enter the central cavity of the protein.

Amino Acid Sequence

Endogenous IFN-alpha beta suppresses colony-stimulating factor (CSF)-1-stimulated macrophage DNA synthesis and mediates inhibitory effects of lipopolysaccharide and TNF-alpha.

Murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) are widely used as a suitable model to study the proliferative response to macrophage-CSF or CSF-1. We report here that the amount of DNA synthesis observed in BMM cultures in response to CSF-1 can be masked quite significantly by low levels of IFN-alpha beta produced in the cultures. It was found that Ab to IFN-alpha beta could enhance the proliferative response in CSF-treated BMM that were able to respond to endogenous IFN-alpha beta; however, BMM from mice lacking a component of the type I IFN receptor did not show any enhancement of CSF-1-dependent DNA synthesis on addition of the Ab. While DNA synthesis in CSF-1-stimulated BMM from normal mice was also very sensitive to the inhibitory actions of very low concentrations of added IFN-alpha beta, DNA synthesis in BMM from the "knockout" mice was not, indicating that the type I IFN receptor component containing the null mutation was essential for signal transduction. Previously it was shown that bacterial LPS, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and cAMP could all inhibit CSF-1-stimulated BMM DNA synthesis and proliferation. Using the combined approach of blocking IFN-alpha beta Ab and the IFN receptor "knockout" mice, it was found here that the growth-inhibitory effects of LPS and TNF-alpha are due, to a significant extent, to endogenous IFN-alpha beta, whereas those of IFN-gamma and cAMP occur by a different mechanism. it is proposed that the type I IFN receptor (IFNAR 1) "knockout" mice may be useful in delineating some of the in vivo actions of CSF-1, LPS, TNF-alpha, and possibly other agents.

Animals

c-fos antisense DNA inhibits proliferation of osteoclast progenitors in osteoclast development but not macrophage differentiation in vitro.

We previously reported that osteoclast formation in vitro, by coculture of mouse bone marrow and primary osteoblastic cells, occurs in two phases: proliferation of osteoclast progenitors followed by terminal differentiation into mature osteoclasts. Using this coculture system, we examined the effects of c-fos antisense and sense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides on osteoclast development and macrophage differentiation. Treatment with c-fos antisense for the first 4 days of coculture inhibited osteoclast formation in a dose-dependent fashion. However, when c-fos antisense was added during the second phase of coculture (4-6 days), osteoclast formation was unaffected. In contrast, c-fos antisense treatment had no effect on the appearance of F4/80 antigen-positive cells of the macrophage lineage in these cultures or on the induction by colony stimulating factor-1 of macrophage colony formation in cultures of mouse bone marrow cells in agar. Neither osteoclast differentiation nor macrophage appearance was inhibited by adding control c-fos sense in the cocultures. When c-fos antisense was added into an assay of bone resorption by mature osteoclasts, pit formation on dentine slices was unaffected. These results indicate that c-fos plays an important role in the proliferative phase of osteoclast progenitors in osteoclast development, but not in the terminal differentiation phase or in the bone resorbing activity of mature osteoclasts. c-fos antisense specifically inhibited osteoclast formation but had no effect on macrophage development.

Analysis of Variance

13C MAS NMR studies of crystalline cholesterol and lipid mixtures modeling atherosclerotic plaques.

Cholesterol and cholesteryl esters are the predominant lipids of atherosclerotic plaques. To provide fundamental data for the quantitative study of plaque lipids in situ, crystalline cholesterol (CHOL) and CHOL/cholesteryl ester (CE) mixtures with other lipids were studied by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance with magic-angle-sample spinning. Highly distinctive spectra for three different crystalline structures of CHOL were obtained. When CHOL crystals were mixed with isotropic CE oil, solubilized CHOL (approximately 13 mol % CHOL) was detected by characteristic resonances such as C5, C6, and C3; the excess crystalline CHOL (either anhydrous or monohydrate) remained in its original crystalline structure, without being affected by the coexisting CE. By use of 13C-enriched CHOL, the solubility of CHOL in the CE liquid-crystalline phase (approximately 8 mol %) was measured. When phosphatidylcholine was hydrated in presence of CHOL and CE, magic-angle-sampling nuclear magnetic resonance revealed liquid-crystalline CHOL/phosphatidylcholine multilayers with approximately an equal molar ratio of CHOL/phosphatidylcholine. Excess CHOL existed in the monohydrate crystalline form, and CE in separate oil or crystalline phases, depending on the temperature. The magic-angle-sampling nuclear magnetic resonance protocol for identifying different lipid phases was applied to intact (ex vivo) atherosclerotic plaques of cholesterol-fed rabbits. Liquid, liquid-crystalline, and solid phases of CE were characterized.

Animals

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-stimulated proliferation of myeloid cells: mode of cell cycle control by a range of inhibitors.

The myeloid cell line, NFS-60, is dependent on granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or interleukin-3 (IL-3) for survival and growth. Long-term G-CSF-dependent proliferation was found to be completely inhibited by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), cyclic AMP, and dimethylamiloride and partially inhibited by IFN-alpha and lipopolysaccharide. With the exception of IFN-gamma, these agents exhibited a corresponding pattern of inhibition of DNA synthesis in quiescent NFS-60 cells stimulated with G-CSF. IFN-gamma was only a weak inhibitor of DNA synthesis, suggesting that it may act at a later stage to block proliferation. The addition of G-CSF to NFS-60 cells resulted in phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) and activation of E2F DNA binding activity. The inhibitors were found to suppress the phosphorylation of pRB, lead to the production of higher order E2F complexes, and suppress the expression of c-myc and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) to an extent that correlated with their ability to block DNA synthesis. These findings are consistent with the notion that the ratio of free/bound E2F binding activity is critical in controlling cell cycle progression through G1 to S-phase in these cells.

Amiloride