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Biomedical subjects

J Jackman

Publications and source records attributed to J Jackman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Identification of Bacillus spores by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry.

Unique patterns of biomarkers were reproducibly characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)-mass spectrometry and were used to distinguish Bacillus species members from one another. Discrimination at the strain level was demonstrated for Bacillus cereus spores. Lipophilic biomarkers were invariant in Bacillus globigii spores produced in three different media and in B. globigii spores stored for more than 30 years. The sensitivity was less than 5,000 cells deposited for analysis. Protein biomarkers were also characterized by MALDI analysis by using spores treated briefly with corona plasma discharge. Protein biomarkers were readily desorbed following this treatment. The effect of corona plasma discharge on the spores was examined.

Bacillus↗

Viral characterization by direct analysis of capsid proteins.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry has enabled viral coat proteins to be characterized directly from the virus. This analysis, demonstrated here with tobacco mosaic virus U2, a bacteriophage MS2, and equine encephalitis TRD, is achieved with a combination of organic acid, UV-absorbing matrix, and high-energy desorption with a nitrogen laser. The molecular weights of these proteins are determined with sufficient accuracy to allow differentiation among viral species and strains. The abundant hydrophobic MS2 coat protein was analyzed in aliquots of culture medium and of the tobacco mosaic virus coat protein in infected leaves. This method provides rapid detection of coat protein in the low-femtomole range, as estimated by titering plaque-forming units of MS2.

Capsid↗

Characterization of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway in cell lines of the National Cancer Institute anticancer drug screen and correlations with the growth-inhibitory potency of 123 anticancer agents.

In the present study, we report the characterization of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway in the 60 cell lines of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) anticancer drug screen, as well as correlations between the integrity of this pathway and the growth-inhibitory potency of 123 anticancer agents in this screen. Assessment of p53 status in these lines was achieved through complete p53 cDNA sequencing, measurement of basal p53 protein levels and functional assessment of (a) transcriptional activity of p53 cDNA from each line in a yeast assay, (b) gamma-ray-induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest, and (c) gamma-ray-induced expression of CIP1/WAF1, GADD45, and MDM2 mRNA. Our investigations revealed that p53 gene mutations were common in the NCI cell screen lines: 39 of 58 cell lines analyzed contained a mutant p53 sequence. cDNA derived from almost all of the mutant p53 cell lines failed to transcriptionally activate a reporter gene in yeast, and the majority of mutant p53 lines studied expressed elevated basal levels of the mutant p53 protein. In contrast to most of the wild-type p53-containing lines, cells containing mutant p53 sequence were also deficient in gamma-ray induction of CIP1/WAF1, GADD45, and MDM2 mRNA and the ability to arrest in G1 following gamma-irradiation. Taken together, these assessments provided indications of the integrity of the p53 pathway in the 60 cell lines of the NCI cell screen. These individual p53 assessments were subsequently used to probe a database of growth-inhibitory potency for 123 "standard agents," which included the majority of clinically approved anticancer drugs. These 123 agents have been tested against these lines on multiple occasions, and a proposed mechanism of drug action had previously been assigned to each agent. Our analysis revealed that cells with mutant p53 sequence tended to exhibit less growth inhibition in this screen than the wild-type p53 cell lines when treated with the majority of clinically used anticancer agents: including DNA cross-linking agents, antimetabolites, and topoisomerase I and II inhibitors. Similar correlations were uncovered when we probed this database using most of the other indices of p53 status we assessed in the lines. Interestingly, a class of agents that differed in this respect was the antimitotic agents. Growth-inhibitory activity of these agents tended, in this assay, to be independent of p53 status. Our characterization of the p53 pathway in the NCI cell screen lines should prove useful to researchers investigating fundamental aspects of p53 biology and pharmacology. This information also allows for the large-scale analysis of the more than 60,000 compounds tested against these lines for novel agents that might exploit defective p53 function as a means of preferential toxicity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Antiproliferative effects of cyclopentenyl cytosine (NSC 375575) in human glioblastoma cells.

Cyclopentenyl cytosine (CPEC) exerts an antiproliferative effect against a wide variety of human and murine tumor lines, including a panel of human gliosarcoma and astrocytoma lines. This effect is produced primarily by the 5'-triphosphate metabolite CPEC-TP, an inhibitor of cytidine-5'-triphosphate (CTP) synthase (EC 6.3.4.2). Because previous studies with human glioma cell lines utilized cells in long-term tissue culture, we have undertaken to determine whether the activity of CPEC in such model systems is also demonstrable in freshly excised human glioblastoma cells. Glioma cells obtained at surgery and in log phase growth were exposed to the drug at levels ranging from 0.01 to 1 microM for 24 h, and CPEC-TP and CTP levels were determined by HPLC. Dose-dependent accumulation of CPEC-TP was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in CTP pools, with 50% depletion of the latter being achieved at a CPEC level of ca. 0.1 microM. Human glioma cell proliferation was inhibited 50% by 24-h exposure to 0.07 microM CPEC. Postexposure decay of CPEC-TP was slow, with a half-time of 30 h. DNA cytometry showed a dose-dependent shift in cell cycle distribution, with an accumulation of cells in S-phase. The pharmacological effects of CPEC on freshly excised glioblastoma cells are quantitatively similar to those seen in a range of established tissue culture lines, including human glioma, colon carcinoma, and MOLT-4 lymphoblasts, supporting the recommendation that the drug may be advantageous for the treatment of human glioblastoma.

Adult↗

Correlations between S and G2 arrest and the cytotoxicity of camptothecin in human colon carcinoma cells.

Previous cell line comparisons indicated that neither S-phase fraction nor topoisomerase I (top1) levels are sufficient to predict camptothecin (CPT) cytotoxicity (F. Goldwasser el al., Cancer Res., 55: 2116-2121, 1995.). To identify new determinants for CPT activity, two mutant p53 human colon cancer cell lines, SW620 and KM12, that were previously reported to have similar top1 levels and differential sensitivity to CPT were studied. No difference in the kinetics of top1-mediated DNA single-strand breaks or DNA synthesis inhibition were observed after 1 h exposure to 1 microM CPT. Pulse-labeling alkaline elution showed deficiency of damaged replicon elongation in the more sensitive SW620 cells. Consistentiy, flow cytometry analyses showed that KM12 was arrested in G2, whereas SW620 cells were irreversibly blocked in S phase. Aphidicolin protection was minimal in KM12 and more pronounced in the more sensitive SW620 cells. Thus, CPT appears to have two cytotoxic mechanisms, one protectable by aphidicolin and present in SW620 and the other not protectable by aphidicolin and common to both cell lines. SW620 exhibited also a greater capacity to break through the G2 checkpoint after DNA damage. Consistently, SW620 cells failed to down-regulate cyclin B-cdc2 kinase activity, whereas KM12 cells down-regulated cyclin B/cdc2 kinase activity within 30 min to 20 % of control level after CPT treatment. Analysis of the 7 human colon carcinoma cell lines of the NCI Anticancer Drug Screen showed that defects in replicon elongation and G2 breakthrough capability correlate with sensitivity to CPT. Our results suggest that misrepair of damaged replicons and/or alterations in DNA damage checkpoints is critical to defining chemosensitivity to CPT-induced top1-cleavable complexes and that CPT appears to have two cytotoxic mechanisms, one protectable by aphidicolin, and the other not.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

Suppression of in vivo tumor growth and induction of suspension cell death by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-3.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3(TIMP-3), a novel member of TIMP family genes, has been recently cloned and shown to be expressed in preneoplastic but not in neoplastic mouse JB6 epidermal cells (Sun et al. 1994 Cancer Res., 54, 11139). This down regulation of the gene appears to be attributable at least in part to alteration of gene methylation (Sun et al. 1995 J. Biol. Chem., 270, 19312). Little is known, however, about the role of TIMP-3 in human cancers. We screened several human tumor cell lines for TIMP-3 expression and found that a colon carcinoma line, DLD-1, did not express TIMP-3. If down regulation of TIMP-3 is causally related to carcinogenesis, re-expression by transfection may reverse the tumor cell phenotype. We therefore overexpressed human TIMP-3 in DLD-1 cells. TIMP-3 transfectants showed a serum-dependent growth inhibition in monolayer culture and a decreased growth potential in nude mice in a manner dependent on the level of TIMP-3 expression. A transfectant expressing a high level of active hTIMP-3 completely lost the ability to form tumors following s.c. injection into nude mice. We also tested TIMP-3 expressing cells and neocontrol TIMP-3 negative cells for their ability to grow in liquid suspension culture, since both cells grew in semi-solid soft agar. As compared to neocontrol cells, TIMP-3 overexpressors formed large aggregates, followed by cell death. This effect was not mimicked by BB94, a broad MMP inhibitor. We conclude from this study that (i) TIMP-3 overexpression in human colon carcinoma cells induces growth arrest in low serum conditions and inhibits in vivo tumor growth and (ii) the TIMP-3-induced large aggregate formation and subsequent cell death under suspension growth cannot be explained by its MMP inhibitory activity.

Animals↗

A p53-independent pathway for activation of WAF1/CIP1 expression following oxidative stress.

Incubating human cells in diethylmaleate (DEM) depletes the intracellular pool of reduced glutathione (GSH) and increases the concentration of oxidative free radicals. We found that DEM-induced oxidative stress reduced the ability of p53 to bind its consensus recognition sequence and to activate transcription of a p53-specific reporter gene. Nevertheless, DEM treatment induced expression of WAF1/CIP1 but not GADD45 mRNA. The fact that N-acetylcysteine, a precursor of GSH that blocks oxidative stress, prevented WAF1/CIP1 induction by DEM suggests that WAF1/CIP1 induction probably was a consequence of the ability of DEM to reduce intracellular GSH levels. DEM induced WAF1/CIP1 expression in Saos-2 and T98G cells, both of which lack functional p53 protein. DEM treatment did not produce an increase in membrane-associated protein kinase C, but ERK2, a mitogen-activated protein kinase, was phosphorylated in a manner consistent with ERK2 activation. DEM treatment also produced a dose-dependent delay in cell cycle progression, which at low concentrations (0.25 mM) consisted of a G2/M arrest and at higher concentrations (1 mM) also involved G1 and S phase delays. Our results indicate that oxidative stress induces WAF1/CIP1 expression and arrests cell cycle progression through a mechanism that is independent of p53. This mechanism may provide for cell cycle checkpoint control under conditions that inactivate p53.

Animals↗

Modulation of the Grb2-associated protein complex in human CD4+ T cells by receptor activation.

A panel of human CD4+ T cell clones was utilized to dissect and analyze the biochemical consequences of activation of CD3 or CD28. To molecularly characterize receptor-activated proximal signaling events, tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins co-precipitating with a Grb2 fusion protein after receptor activation were analyzed. Ligation of CD28, but not other costimulatory molecules, induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of two previously identified Grb2 binding proteins (pp76 and pp116). A third Grb2 binding protein (pp36) was extensively tyrosine phosphophorylated in response to combined CD3 and CD28 activation, but not in response to ligation of either receptor alone. cAMP and co-ligation of CD45 affected the receptor-activated tyrosine phosphorylation of Grb2-associated proteins. Furthermore, we demonstrated that two signaling molecules, Vav and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI(3)K), also interacted with the Grb2 protein complex. The activity of PI(3)K was required for T cell activation, because wortmannin, a PI(3)K inhibitor, blocked T cell proliferation and cytokine production induced by ligation of CD3 and CD28. In conclusion, we demonstrate that in activated human T cell clones, the composition of Grb2 protein complex is modulated by costimulatory signals and cAMP, which may be important for the regulation of intracellular signal transduction.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Interaction of nuclear protein p140 with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 TAR RNA in mitogen-activated primary human T lymphocytes.

Several lines of evidence suggest that cellular proteins play a role during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat-mediated trans activation. A recent report from this laboratory has shown that a 140-kDa HeLa nuclear protein (p140) binds specifically to the lower stem region of the Tat response element, TAR RNA. Since HIV-1 trans activation is most efficient in proliferating T cells, we investigated the binding of p140 to TAR RNA in unstimulated and mitogen-activated, G1-phase primary T lymphocytes. TAR RNA/protein-binding activity was low in resting cells but increased significantly within 2 h of activation and remained elevated for at least 48 h. Corresponding increases in p140 protein levels were observed with most but not all donors, suggesting that an additional nuclear factor(s) may be required for efficient binding of this protein to TAR RNA in activated T cells.

Base Sequence↗

Genotoxic stress confers preferential and coordinate messenger RNA stability on the five gadd genes.

The growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible (gadd) genes represent a group of five stress-inducible genes that are coordinately regulated at the transcriptional level. Posttranscriptional regulation of gadd153, gadd45, gadd34, gadd33, and gadd7 was studied after exposure to DNA-damaging agents or other growth arrest treatments in hamster cells. Relative transcript levels were measured following treatment with the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin D. After exposure to methylmethane sulfonate or UV radiation, all five gadd messages demonstrated a coordinate increase in mRNA stability compared to untreated exponentially growing cells. This enhanced stability was not an universal response to genotoxic stress since other DNA damage-inducible genes, such as c-jun and c-fos, did not show an appreciable increase in mRNA half-life. In contrast, induction of growth arrest by media depletion (starvation) or by treatment with the growth inhibitor prostaglandin A2 did not induce such an increase in mRNA stability in all gadd genes. Comparison of overall RNA turnover by 3H labeling of total cellular RNA also indicated that the preferential stabilization of the gadd transcripts by DNA-damaging agents was not an artifactual response due to variations in overall RNA metabolism within each treatment group. However, DNA-damaging agents were ineffective in inducing stabilization of gadd153 mRNA in growth-arrested cells. This suggest that the signal(s) that give rise to gadd mRNA stability may also be affected by the state of cellular proliferation. Together, these results suggest that the global posttranscriptional response of the gadd genes to DNA-damaging agents is specific and unique to actively growing cells, and further implicates the role of the gadd genes in the DNA damage response of cycling cells.

Animals↗

Constitutive expression of B-myb can bypass p53-induced Waf1/Cip1-mediated G1 arrest.

Overexpression of wild-type p53 protein has been shown to induce arrest in the G1 stage of the cell cycle and to transactivate expression of the gene that encodes the 21-kDa Waf1/Cip1 protein, a potent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase activity. p53-dependent G1 arrest is accompanied by decreased expression of the B-myb gene, a relative of the c-myb cellular oncogene. In this study we show that B-myb expression is required for cells to progress from G1 into S phase and that high levels of ectopic B-myb expression uncoupled from cell cycle regulation rescues cells from p53-induced G1 arrest even in the presence of Waf1/Cip1 transactivation and inhibition of cyclin E/Cdk2 kinase activity. Cotransfection experiments with p53 expression plasmids and expression plasmids encoding in-frame deletion mutations in B-myb coding sequences indicate that the DNA-binding domain of the B-Myb protein is required for this activity. These results provide evidence of a bypass of p53-induced Waf1/Cip1-mediated cell cycle regulatory pathways by a member of the myb oncogene family.

Base Sequence↗

Role of the cdc25C phosphatase in G2 arrest induced by nitrogen mustard.

G2 arrest induced by nitrogen mustard in human lymphoma CA46 cells is associated with a failure to activate hyperphosphorylated cdc2/cyclin B1 complexes. We investigated the possibility that this might be due to a suppression of cdc25C phosphatase activity. cdc25C from interphase cells migrated as a 54- to 57-kDa doublet in SDS gels and exhibited basal phosphatase activity. cdc25C from mitotic cells migrated as a 66-kDa hyperphosphorylated species and exhibited elevated phosphatase activity. cdc25C hyperphosphorylation and activation were mediated by cdc2, supporting the view of a cdc2-cdc25C autocatalytic feedback loop. Immunofluorescence and cell fractionation studies suggested cdc2-cdc25C interaction occurred within the cytoplasm. Cells arrested in G2 phase following nitrogen mustard treatment or cells arrested in S phase with aphidicolin failed to dephosphorylate and activate cdc2, and this correlated with failure to convert cdc25C into the most active hyperphosphorylated species. Our findings suggest that checkpoints guarding against mitotic entry in the presence of unreplicated or damaged DNA suppress formation of the cdc2-cdc25C autocatalytic feedback loop that normally brings about rapid activation of cdc2.

Aphidicolin↗

The protein kinase C inhibitor ilmofosine (BM 41 440) arrests cells in G2 phase and suppresses CDC2 kinase activation through a mechanism different from that of DNA damaging agents.

The thioether phospholipid derivative ilmofosine (BM41440), a selective inhibitor of protein kinase C, is a new anticancer drug presently undergoing Phase II clinical trials. We have examined the influence of the compound on cell cycle progression. Ilmofosine was found to induce a dose-dependent accumulation of CA46 cells in G2-phase of the cell cycle. G2-arrest correlated with suppression of cdc2 kinase activation. Ilmofosine did not affect cdc2 kinase activity in vitro, consistent with an indirect locus of action. Ilmofosine treated CA46 cells failed to accumulate hyperphosphorylated-cdc2/cyclin B1 complexes that are observed when G2-arrest is induced by either nitrogen mustard or ionizing radiation. Indeed, cdc2 became dephosphorylated and cyclin B1 protein levels decreased as ilmofosine treated cells became arrested in G2. Our findings suggest that ilmofosine down-regulates cdc2 kinase activation through a mechanism that affects the formation of cdc2/cyclin B1 complexes.

Alkaloids↗