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J Gratiot-Deans

Publications and source records attributed to J Gratiot-Deans.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Bcl-2 expression during T-cell development: early loss and late return occur at specific stages of commitment to differentiation and survival.

During T-cell development CD3-CD4-CD8- (double-negative) thymocytes proliferative and produce an enormous number of CD3loCD4+CD8+ (double-positive) thymocytes which are destined to die intrathymically unless rescued by positive selection. Those which survive become mature CD3hiCD4/8+ (single-positive) cells and are the precursor of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The product of the bcl-2 protooncogene has been implicated in preventing programmed cell death and is required for prolonged lymphocyte survival following maturation. Previously we and others have reported that Bcl-2 protein expression is biphasic, being high in proliferating double-negative stem cells, low in all double-positive thymocytes except for 1-5% of these cells, and restored in mature, single-positive thymocytes. However, it remained unclear which signaling and selection events regulate Bcl-2 during T-cell maturation. Now we have utilized four-color flow cytometry in normal and genetically altered mice for a detailed analysis of Bcl-2 expression as it relates to T-cell receptor (TCR) expression and positive selection. These studies show that (i) expression of a transgenic TCR in double-negative thymocytes does not lead to premature loss of Bcl-2; thus, Bcl-2 downregulation is not solely due to TCR expression; (ii) Bcl-2 expression is lost at the early transitional CD3-/loCD4-CD8+ stage, prior to expression of CD4; (iii) the Bcl-2+ double-positive thymocytes are those which have undergone positive selection; and (iv) upregulation of Bcl-2 during positive selection requires participation of the CD4 or CD8 co-receptor. These results demonstrate that Bcl-2 and TCR expression are regulated independently during T-cell development, and suggest a role for the CD4 or CD8 co-receptor in Bcl-2 induction during positive selection.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

New biologic immunosuppressive agents in transplantation.

Antigen-specific immunologic nonresponsiveness (tolerance) to alloantigens is a goal in transplantation. Most successful strategies of tolerance induction target the T cell. Activation of a quiescent T cell requires two different signals. Signal 1 is delivered when the T-cell receptor is engaged by foreign antigen presented by major histocompatibility complex molecules. Several potential pathways exist to deliver signal 2, which is also termed a costimulatory signal, although by far the best characterized pathway is through the T-cell co-receptor CD28. Blockade of either signal 1 or signal 2 may be sufficient to induce tolerance to alloantigens. Recent advances in knowledge of T-cell receptor-major histocompatibility complex interactions, in mechanisms of self-tolerance and in the identity and importance of costimulatory receptors and their ligands, have led to the development of various new strategies to block signals 1 and 2 using biologic agents. This review focuses on the most promising new modalities.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

bcl-2 proto-oncogene expression during human T cell development. Evidence for biphasic regulation.

To ensure that the mature T cell repertoire is MHC-restricted yet not autoreactive, cortical thymocytes that express low levels of the TCR/CD3 complex along with CD4 and CD8 (double positive cells) are subjected to positive and negative selection. Surviving cells lose either CD4 or CD8 (single positive cells) and are located primarily in the thymic medulla. bcl-2, a novel proto-oncogene that promotes cell survival by inhibiting programmed cell death (apoptosis), may be an important protein in regulating cell survival during thymocyte development. We have examined the expression of bcl-2 during T cell development by using human thymocytes. Consistent with previous studies, human thymic tissue sections stained for bcl-2 revealed occasional bcl-2+ cells within the thymic cortex and intense staining of virtually all medullary thymocytes. More quantitative western blot analysis and S1 nuclease protection assay revealed that single positive thymocytes contained approximately 2 to 3 times the level of bcl-2 protein and 3 to 4 times the level of bcl-2 mRNA as double positive thymocytes. Flow cytometric analysis of purified double positive thymocytes revealed that minimal amounts of bcl-2 protein was in fact detectable in most cells, although a small subpopulation (10-20%) contained higher levels. In contrast, brighter staining for bcl-2 was observed in virtually all single positive thymocytes. Surprisingly, CD4-CD8- thymocytes (both CD3- and CD3+) expressed the same amount of bcl-2 as did the single positive thymocytes. Because a large percentage of CD3-CD4-CD8- cells are cycling, we examined the effect of mitogenic stimulation on bcl-2 expression by double positive thymocytes by using western blot analysis. bcl-2 expression in double positive thymocytes could not be induced by cell cycle entry following stimulation with PMA and ionomycin. Our data demonstrate that bcl-2 expression is biphasic during T cell development. Both CD3-CD4-CD8- and CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ thymocytes express high levels of bcl-2. Therefore, diminished bcl-2 expression in double positive thymocytes seems to be the result of specific down-regulation in order to facilitate the selection CD4+CD8+ thymocytes.

Cell Differentiation↗
PubMed1993

Data base analysis of protein expression patterns during T-cell ontogeny and activation.

We have developed a data base of lymphoid proteins detectable by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The data base contains two-dimensional patterns and derived information pertaining to polypeptide constituents of unstimulated and stimulated mature T cells and immature thymocytes, single-cell-derived T- and B-cell clones, leukemia cells, and lymphoid cell lines. Using this data base, we have compared the protein constituents of mature T cells and immature thymocytes before and after mitotic stimulation. A subset of polypeptides that are induced in mature T cells following mitotic stimulation were found to be constitutively expressed in immature thymocytes. Other polypeptides exhibited differences in their expression between mature and immature thymocytes in a manner unrelated to proliferation. The identity of several constitutively expressed or mitotically induced proteins in lymphoid cells was established by microsequencing. These initial findings point to significant differences in the molecular pathways leading to proliferation between mature and immature T cells. The construction of this database should facilitate further studies of lymphoid differentiation and function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Elevated proliferating cell nuclear antigen levels in immature thymocytes. Dissociation from cell cycle progression.

Entry into and progression through the cell cycle is associated with a tightly regulated program of gene expression in mature T cells. One such gene product, proliferating cell nuclear Ag (PCNA), is the auxiliary protein of DNA polymerase delta, and is induced during late G1 and early S phase after stimulation of resting (G0) cells. Blockade of PCNA production has been found to inhibit cell division suggesting that PCNA plays an important role in cell proliferation. The extent to which PCNA and other proliferation-related gene products are similarly regulated in thymocytes has been largely undetermined. Here, we report that immature double positive (CD4+CD8+) thymocytes express high levels of PCNA protein and mRNA relative to mature single positive (CD4+CD8- or CD4-CD8+) thymocytes or peripheral blood T cells. Elevation of PCNA expression among double positive thymocytes is not the result of increased numbers of cycling cells in this subpopulation, being specifically observed in double positive thymocytes with normal diploid DNA content and resting (G0) levels of RNA. Unlike mature thymocytes and T cells, mitogenic stimulation did not induce an increase in PCNA expression in double positive thymocytes. These data indicate that immature thymocytes express high levels of PCNA in the absence of cell cycle progression, thus providing evidence for differential regulation of proliferation related pathways during lymphoid development. Altered expression patterns of these genes in immature vs mature thymocytes may contribute to the process of thymic selection.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Differential expression of Op18 phosphoprotein during human thymocyte maturation.

Op18 (also termed prosolin/stathmin) is a highly conserved 18-kD cytosolic phosphoprotein expressed in low levels in mature resting G0 lymphocytes, but induced in late G1 and S phases after entry into the cell cycle. In addition to its induction in normal proliferating lymphocytes, Op18 has been found to occur at high levels in acute leukemias and in neuroendocrine tissue. The presence and rapid phosphorylation of Op18 after stimulation of proliferating cells correlates with subsequent functional responses of the cells, and, therefore, Op18 has been suggested to play a key role in signal transduction. The pattern of expression of Op18 during lymphoid development is of interest in view of its high levels of expression in acute leukemias, representing cells arrested at an immature stage, thus raising the possibility that Op18 may be regulated differently in mature and immature lymphoid cells. We report here that immature human thymocytes bearing the cortical double positive phenotype (CD4+CD8+) constitutively express high levels of Op18 protein. In contrast, in mature single positive thymocytes (CD3+CD4+ or CD3+CD8+), Op18 protein is expressed at a lower level, comparable to that seen in peripheral blood T cells. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that most of the cells in the double positive thymocyte population expressing high levels of Op18 were noncycling and arrested in G0. Furthermore, there was no correlation between Op18 levels and the proportion of cycling cells in double positive thymocyte populations isolated from different thymuses. Interestingly, although Op18 protein levels did not increase any further after mitogenic stimulation of double positive thymocytes, an increase in Op18 phosphorylation was observed, thus coupling of Op18 phosphorylation to cell activation remained intact. Our results show that during lymphoid maturation Op18 expression is uncoupled from cell proliferation. These data also suggest that the ordered expression of proliferation-associated genes seen in mature T cells may be disrupted during T cell maturation.

Animals↗