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J Eisenman

Publications and source records attributed to J Eisenman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Structure-function studies of interleukin 15 using site-specific mutagenesis, polyethylene glycol conjugation, and homology modeling.

Interleukin (IL)-15 is a multifunctional cytokine that shares many biological activities with IL-2. This functional overlap, as well as receptor binding subunits shared by IL-15 and IL-2, suggests tertiary structural similarities between these two cytokines. In this study, recombinant human IL-15 was PEGylated via lysine-specific conjugation chemistry in order to extend the circulation half-life of this cytokine. Although PEGylation did extend the beta-elimination circulation half-life of IL-15 by greater than 50-fold, the biological activity of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-IL-15 was significantly altered. Specifically, PEG-IL-15 lost its ability to stimulate the proliferation of CTLL but took on the properties of a specific IL-15 antagonist in vitro. In comparing sequence alignments and molecular models for IL-2 and IL-15, it was noted that lysine residues resided in regions of IL-15 that may have selectively disrupted receptor subunit binding. We hypothesized that PEGylation of IL-15 interferes with beta but not alpha receptor subunit binding, resulting in the IL-15 antagonist activity observed in vitro. The validity of this hypothesis was tested by engineering site-specific mutants of human IL-15 as suggested by the IL-15 model (IL-15D8S and IL-15Q108S block beta and gamma receptor subunit binding, respectively). As with PEG-IL-15, these mutants were unable to stimulate CTLL proliferation but were able to specifically inhibit the proliferation of CTLL in response to unmodified IL-15. These results supported our model of IL-15 and confirmed that interference of beta receptor subunit binding by adjacent PEGylation could be responsible for the altered biological activity observed for PEG-IL-15.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interleukin 15.

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IL-15 has stimulatory activity for the induction of B cell proliferation and differentiation.

The identification and cloning of the novel cytokine IL-15 were recently described. IL-15 is produced by a wide range of cell types, with the highest levels of IL-15 mRNA being detected in epithelial lines, monocytes, muscle, and placenta. Although it has no sequence identity with IL-2, IL-15 shares many of the T cell-stimulatory activities described for IL-2. We have examined IL-15 for its ability to stimulate B cells and have compared its activity with that of IL-2. IL-15 costimulates proliferation of B cells activated with immobilized anti-human IgM or phorbol ester, but has no stimulatory effect on resting B cells. In combination with recombinant CD40L, IL-15 is a potent inducer of polyclonal IgM, IgG1, and IgA secretion, but does not cause production of IgG4 or IgE. The activity of IL-15 in B cell proliferation and differentiation assays is comparable with that of IL-2. Studies that used neutralizing Abs have demonstrated that, for signal transduction in B cells, IL-15 uses the beta-chain of the IL-2R complex but, unlike IL-2, does not require the alpha-chain. IL-2 is required for the generation of a human primary Ag-specific in vitro response using sheep erythrocytes as Ag. Of all cytokines examined, only IL-15 has the capacity to replace IL-2 in this system, although only partially. In summary, IL-15 has comparable activity with IL-2 for the induction of B cell proliferation and differentiation and uses at least some of the components of the IL-2R complex to mediate its effects.

Antibody Formation↗

Interleukin 15 and its receptor.

Interleukin 15 (IL-15) is a member of the four-helix bundle cytokine family that shares many in vitro biological activities with IL-2. Previous work demonstrated that IL-15 utilizes the beta and gamma chains of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R), and that these are essential for IL-15-mediated signal transduction. However, several lines of evidence indicated the existence of an additional, IL-15-specific receptor component. An IL-15 binding chain was identified on a murine T cell clone, and direct expression cloning was used to isolate the corresponding cDNA. The predicted structure of this protein shows sequence similarity to the IL-2R alpha chain. Transfection of this cDNA into a murine, IL-3-dependent myeloid cell line, 32D-01, conferred IL-15 binding and, together with transfection of the IL-2R beta chain, rendered the cells responsive to IL-15 stimulation. This experiment confirmed that the IL-15 binding chain is part of the IL-15 receptor, and it is designated as the IL-15R alpha subunit. The expression pattern of the IL-15R alpha mRNA is distinct from that of IL-2R alpha mRNA. Recombinant expression of a soluble form of IL-15R alpha demonstrated that it is a potent inhibitor of IL-15 biological activity.

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Utilization of the beta and gamma chains of the IL-2 receptor by the novel cytokine IL-15.

We have recently cloned a novel cytokine, IL-15, with shared bioactivities but no sequence homology with IL-2. We found high affinity IL-15 binding to many cell types, including cells of non-lymphoid origin. Analysis of IL-15 interaction with subunits of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) revealed that the alpha subunit was not involved in IL-15 binding. We demonstrated directly in cells transfected with IL-2R subunits that both the beta and gamma chains are required for IL-15 binding and signaling. Hence, IL-15, like IL-2, IL-4 and IL-7, utilizes the common IL-2R gamma subunit found to be defective in X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency in humans. IL-15 is the only cytokine other than IL-2 that has also been shown to share the beta signaling subunit of IL-2R. The differential ability of some cells to bind and respond to IL-2 and IL-15 implies the existence of an additional IL-15-specific component.

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Cloning of a T cell growth factor that interacts with the beta chain of the interleukin-2 receptor.

A cytokine was identified that stimulated the proliferation of T lymphocytes, and a complementary DNA clone encoding this new T cell growth factor was isolated. The cytokine, designated interleukin-15 (IL-15), is produced by a wide variety of cells and tissues and shares many biological properties with IL-2. Monoclonal antibodies to the beta chain of the IL-2 receptor inhibited the biological activity of IL-15, and IL-15 competed for binding with IL-2, indicating that IL-15 uses components of the IL-2 receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Recombinant murine steel factor stimulates in vitro production of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells.

The ability of murine Steel factor to promote the in vitro production of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM) was examined in short-term liquid cultures. Bone marrow from C57BL/6J or Sl/Sld mice was placed in culture for seven days with either Steel factor alone or in the presence of IL-3. CFU-GM responsive to GM-CSF, IL-3, and CSF-1 were measured in the input population and again after 3 or 7 days in culture. Steel factor alone increased the number of all CFU-GM types as early as 3 days after culture initiation, with further increases at day 7. This effect was potentiated by the addition of IL-3. Production of CFU-GM by C57BL/6J or Sl/Sld marrow was comparable except for enhanced production of CSF-1 responsive progenitors by Sl/Sld marrow. A recombinant Sld protein was also shown to be equivalent to the wild-type protein in its capacity to promote CFU-GM production from normal bone marrow.

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Pharmacokinetic parameters of recombinant mast cell growth factor (rMGF).

The gene product of the murine Steel (Sl) locus encodes an early-acting hematopoietic growth factor that is a ligand for the c-kit protooncogene. Several cDNAs for the Sl gene product, known as mast cell growth factor (MGF), stem cell factor (SCF), or kit ligand (KL), have recently been isolated, and both soluble and membrane-associated versions have been shown to be biologically active. The potential for therapeutic usage of recombinant MGF (rMGF) indicated a need for determining the biodistribution and elimination parameters of this cytokine. Pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated that radiolabeled rMGF had a distribution half-life of 2 min and an elimination half-life of 2.1 h in wild-type mice following iv injection, during which a striking localization of labeled rMGF in the lungs was noted. When administered by subcutaneous injection the elimination half-life was prolonged to 8.4 h. The primary sites of rMGF elimination appeared to be the kidneys and the liver. Pharmacokinetic analysis of labeled rMGF in mutant Sl/Sld mice, which are mast cell deficient, demonstrated similar distribution and elimination half-lives compared to wild-type mice (1.4 min and 1.8 h, respectively). In addition, the biodistribution pattern of the labeled rMGF in Sl/Sld mice was similar to that observed in wild-type mice, including the striking localization to the lungs. Binding of radiolabeled rMGF to lungs in vivo subsequent to iv injection was completely inhibited by excess unlabeled rMGF. Interestingly, mice that received an iv injection of the higher doses of rMGF (15 micrograms) demonstrated profound respiratory distress and hypotension within minutes of administration. Histologic analysis of lungs from such mice revealed extensive mast cell degranulation, which was associated with vasodilatation and pronounced hyperemia of virtually all pulmonary vessels. The respiratory distress in normal mice was probably a consequence of mast cell degranulation induced by rMGF since similar findings were not observed in Sl/Sld mice injected with identical concentrations of rMGF.

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Steel-Dickie mutation encodes a c-kit ligand lacking transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains.

Mice homozygous for the viable Sl allele steel-Dickie (Sld) are sterile, severely anemic, and black-eyed white. The nature of the Sld mutation was investigated at the molecular level and was found to be due to a 4.0-kilobase intragenic deletion in mast cell growth factor (MGF) genomic sequences, providing conclusive evidence that Sl encodes MGF. As a consequence of this deletion, Sld is only capable of encoding a soluble truncated growth factor that lacks both transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. Northern analysis indicates that Sld mRNA is expressed at approximately wild-type levels in adult tissues, and yeast expression studies suggest that the Sld protein is as biologically active as wild-type soluble MGF. These studies provide a molecular basis for explaining the Sld phenotype, a description of a germ-line mutation in the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of a membrane-bound growth factor, and in vivo evidence for the importance of membrane-bound forms of growth factors in mammalian development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Alternate splicing of mRNAs encoding human mast cell growth factor and localization of the gene to chromosome 12q22-q24.

Human mast cell growth factor (MGF) complementary DNAs (cDNAs) were cloned from HeLa cells using the polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotides corresponding to murine and human MGF sequences. Sequencing of the cloned human MGF polymerase chain reaction products revealed two types of cDNA: a full length form corresponding in size to the murine cDNA, and an alternately spliced clone with a deletion of the sixth exon of the gene. Since membrane-bound MGF is predicted to be proteolytically cleaved within the sequences encoded by exon 6 to generate a soluble protein, this alternately spliced cDNA would likely encode a noncleavable, membrane-bound form of MGF. No difference in biological activity on human bone marrow cells was observed with recombinant, soluble forms of both types of human MGF protein. Our previous localization of the murine MGF gene to the Sl locus on chromosome 10 suggested (via conserved linkage groups) that the human MGF gene would be located on human chromosome 12. Therefore, rodent-human somatic cell hybrids with or without an entire human chromosome 12 and hybrids retaining partial 12 were tested by Southern blot analysis and used to show the presence of the human Mgf locus at chromosome region 12q. Chromosomal in situ hybridization localized the gene to 12q22-q24 in the region predicted by the comparative mapping of the murine Mgf/Sl locus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of a ligand for the c-kit proto-oncogene.

We report the purification and N-terminal amino acid sequence of a novel mast cell growth factor, termed MGF, from the supernatants of a murine stromal cell line. A panel of interleukin 3-dependent cell lines were screened for responsiveness to partially purified MGF in [3H]thymidine incorporation assays; proliferative stimulation of these cells in response to MGF correlated with expression of mRNA for the c-kit protooncogene. MGF was shown to be a ligand for c-kit by cross-linking 125I-labeled MGF to c-kit-expressing cells with subsequent immunoprecipitation of the complex with antiserum specific for the C-terminus of c-kit. This establishes MGF as a ligand for the c-kit protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular cloning of mast cell growth factor, a hematopoietin that is active in both membrane bound and soluble forms.

We have previously reported the identification of a novel mast cell growth factor (MGF) that was shown to be a ligand for c-kit and is encoded by a gene that maps near the steel locus on mouse chromosome 10. We now report the cloning of cDNAs encoding the MGF protein. The MGF protein encoded by this cDNA can be expressed in a biologically active form as either a membrane bound protein or as a soluble factor. The soluble protein promotes the proliferation of MGF-responsive cell lines and, in the presence of erythropoietin, stimulates the formation of macroscopic [corrected] erythroid and multilineage hematopoietic colonies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

T-cell interleukin 1 receptor cDNA expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells regulates functional responses to interleukin 1.

We have cloned a cDNA encoding a receptor identical to the native Mr 80,000 glycoprotein that binds interleukin (IL) 1 alpha and -beta in murine T cells. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with this T-cell IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) [CHO(IL-1R)] cDNA express approximately 100,000 IL-1Rs per cell, compared to the less than 100 receptors present on control CHO cells. For two functional responses to IL-1, prostaglandin synthesis and cytokine secretion, CHO(IL-1R) cells were 1000 times more sensitive to IL-1 alpha than were control CHO cells. Northern blot analysis and antibody precipitation demonstrated that one of the cytokines induced was granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and that mRNA levels for this cytokine were increased in CHO(IL-1R) cells by IL-1 alpha concentrations that had no effect on control cells. To establish the role of the recombinant receptors in signal transduction, an IL-1R cDNA modified by deletion of the predicted cytoplasmic domain was expressed in the CHO cell line termed CHO(IL-1R delta CT). CHO(IL-1R delta CT) cells expressed approximately 100,000 high-affinity IL-1 binding sites per cell, but these cells were less sensitive than control lines to IL-1, as measured by prostaglandin and cytokine release. These results show that the IL-1R cDNA encodes the entire functional receptor and that the cytoplasmic domain is required for signal transduction but not ligand binding.

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Purification to homogeneity of B cell stimulating factor. A molecule that stimulates proliferation of multiple lymphokine-dependent cell lines.

Murine B cell stimulating factor 1 (BSF-1) was purified to homogeneity from supernatants of a stimulated thymoma cell line. A protein of 18.4 kD with a unique N-terminal amino acid sequence was identified. BSF-1 had a sp act of at least 3.28 X 10(8) U/mg. In addition to its B cell-stimulatory activity, BSF-1 also stimulated the proliferation of several IL-2- and IL-3-dependent cell lines. We conclude that BSF-1 is both a growth factor and a differentiation factor. Finally, these results also suggest additional biologic properties of BSF-1 on lineages besides B lymphocytes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Lymphokine purification by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography has been used to purify to homogeneity two different lymphokines. Human IL-2 was purified on a C8 reversed-phase column in pyridine-acetate-propanol followed by chromatography on a C18 reversed-phase column in trifluoroacetic acid-acetonitrile. Protein sequence analysis of in situ-generated cyanogen bromide peptides obtained from this preparation established the homogeneity of this material and confirmed the amino acid sequence predicted from the published DNA sequence. Murine CSF-2 alpha was purified on a C18 reversed-phase column in trifluoroacetic acid-acetonitrile followed by chromatography on the same column in pyridine-acetate-propanol. The final preparation yielded a single band on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel with a molecular weight of 24,500.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The effect of leucine on plasma insulin following endotoxin shock in the rat.

We have previously documented the ability of exogenous L-leucine to accelerate the endotoxin shock syndrome. In this report we have tested the hypothesis that the mechanism for this action of leucine was via an induction of pancreatic insulin hypersecretion. Pentobarbital-anesthetized rats were injected with 1 mg/100 gm S. enteritidis endotoxin (LD90) or vehicle and infused with either Krebs Henseleit vehicle or 0.153 M leucine to a dose of 7.6 mmole/kg. Following leucine administration, plasma concentrations of leucine decayed at an exponential rate in both endotoxin-treated and sham-treated groups. The extrapolated initial leucine concentration in the endotoxin-treated rats was significantly higher than the sham rats, indicating a lower circulating blood volume in the endotoxin-treated group. In the vehicle and endotoxin-treated group, insulin levels exhibited a biphasic response, significantly lower at 30 minutes and significantly higher at three hours. In the leucine- and endotoxin-treated groups, insulin levels were markedly higher 0.5, 2, and 3 hours after leucine infusion. In the two non-endotoxin treated groups, no significant changes in insulin levels were noted after infusion. Therefore, the shock accelerating action of leucine may be due to a direct stimulation of insulin secretion inducing a prolonged hyperinsulinemia.

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