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J Varani

Publications and source records attributed to J Varani.

232 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Immunologic vasculitis in beige mice with deficiency of leukocytic neutral protease.

Immune complex vasculitis has been induced in normal mice and in mice with features of the Chediak-Higashi syndrome ("beige" mice). The accumulation of neutrophils in peritoneal exudates after the injection of C5a is not quantitatively depressed in beige as compared with normal mice. Immune complex-induced vasculitis in these two strains of mice is not quantitatively different, as assessed by vascular damage (vasopermeability changes and histologic criteria). Measurements of leukocyte enzymes confirm the findings of Vassalli et al. that leukocytes of beige mice lack neutral protease activity. The data suggest that the neutral protease of murine leukocytes does not account for the vascular damage of immune complex vasculitis.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Digestion of the fifth component of complement by leukocyte enzymes. Sequential generation of chemotactic activities for leukocytes and for tumor cells.

Leukocytes contain within their lysosomal granules enzymatic activity that will generate from C5 chemotactic activity for leukocytes (neutrophils) and tumor (Walker carcinosarcoma) cells. Similar activity has been found in phagocytic supernatant fluids from neutrophils and in purified preparations of the leukocyte neutral proteases elastase and cathepsin G. White leukotactic activities can be generated from either the third (C3) or the fifth (C5) components of complement, only C5 serves as a source for generation of the chemotactic activity for tumor cells. As has been previously shown with trypsin, the C5-related chemotactic activities generated by leukocyte proteases are time-dependent: leukotactic activity appears early, then disappears, and is replaced by chemotactic activity for tumor cells. The generation of these chemotactic activities from C5 is blocked by prior treatment of leukocyte preparations with the neutral protease inhibitor Trasylol. The demonstration that enzyme activities from leukocytes have the ability to generate tumor cell chemotactic factors from C5 suggests a possible mechanism by which the development of metastatic lesions may be promoted at sites of tissue injury or inflammation.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Comparison of cell attachment and caseinolytic activities of five tumour cell types.

We have examined the ability of 5 tumour cell types to attach to plastic flasks in medium containing either 10% foetal calf serum or 10% normal human serum and compared this ability with cell-associated caseinolytic activity. The cell types used included fibrosarcoma cells which were obtained from a methylcholanthrene-induced tumour in a C57 BL/6 mouse, the SV40-transformed 3T3 (BALB/c) cells, the Walker carcinosarcoma cells and 2 lines of HeLa cells. All 5 cell types attached to the flasks and spread out efficiently in medium containing 10% foetal calf serum. The walker carcinosarcoma cells and the 2 lines of HeLa cells also attached efficiently in medium containing 10% normal human serum and grew into monolayers in this medium. These 3 cell types had no detectable caseinolytic activity. The fibrosarcoma cells and the SV40-transformed 3T3 (BALB/c) cells did not attach in normal human serum-containing medium. These 2 cell types had readily detected caseinolytic activity. Normal human serum and foetal calf serum were compared for levels of protease-inhibitor activity. Human serum was found to have less activity than foetal calf serum against both trypsin and plasmin as well as the cell-associated caseinolytic activity. The low level of protease inhibitor activity in normal human serum may contribute to the inability of this serum to support the attachment of cells with detectable protease activity because the addition of protease inhibitors such as soybean trypsin inhibitor, lima bean trypsin inhibitor and bovine pancreas trypsin inhibitor to normal human serum dramatically enhanced cell attachment. In contrast to this, the addition of E-amino-n-caproic acid to normal human serum and the removal of plasminogen from normal human serum did not enhance its capacity to support cell attachment.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Characteristics of the chemotactic response of neoplastic cells to a factor derived from the fifth component of complement.

Chemotactic factors for malignant neoplastic cells can be generated from either the fifth component of complement or from leukotactic fractions obtained from zymosanactivated serum. Digestion of the fifth component of complement by trypsin initially produced leukotactic activity, but as digestion continues, leukotactic activity is lost and tumor cell chemotactic activity is generated. Separation of the leukotactic activity is lost and tumor cell chemotactic activity is generated. Separation of the leukotactic activity and tumor cell chemotactic activity can be accomplished by gel filtration or isoelectric focusing. Gel filtration indicates that the tumor cell chemotactic factor has a molecular weight of approximately 8000 daltons. Tumor cell chemotactic activity can be generated by trypsinizing the leukotactic fractions isolated by isoelectric focusing. The responses of cultured Walker tumor cells or of Walker ascites tumor cells are dose-dependent and truly chemotactic. Cells from a murine malignant lymphoma do not respond to the complement-derived chemotactic factor for tumor cells, indicating that not all malignant cells share this functional property.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

A comparison of the migration patterns of normal and malignant cells in two assay systems.

The migration patterns of normal mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) cells and mouse fibrosarcoma (FS) cells were compared in two assay systems. The two assay systems used were themodified Boyden chamber (micropore membrane) assay and the agarose drop explant assay. In both assays the major population of MEF cells exhibited a greater rate of migration than the major population of FS cells. However, a small subpopulation of FS cells which had a much greater rate of migration than the major population of either MEF or FS cells was detected in the agarose drop assay. A number of drugs which are known to inhibit the migration of leukocytes were tested against the MEF and FS cells. Concentrations were found that inhibited the major population of both groups by greater than 90%. However, at concentrations which inhibited the migration of the major population of FS cells by greater than 90%, a small group of fast-moving cells was still detected. Although the fast-moving cells were relatively resistant to treatment with the various drugs, this group was sensitive to a factor in serum. When normal human serum was used in place of fetal calf serum, the migration of the major population of FS cells was inhibited very little but movement of the fast-moving population was completely eliminated. We speculate that the small subgroup of fast-moving cells may be responsible for the invasive nature of the FS cells.

Blood↗
PubMed1976

Photoinactivation of latent herpes simplex virus in rabbit kidney cells.

The photoinactivation of actively and nonactively growing herpes simplex virus by neutral red and proflavine was studied in rabbit kidney cells. Active virus growth was inhibited by both dyes under conditions which did not destroy the cells. Neutral red caused a much greater inhibition than proflavine. Neutral red also caused a reduction in the reactivation rate of latent virus when the infected cells were treated during the latent period. In the treated cultures that did reactivate virus, the average length of the latent period was increased over the control value. Proflavine treatment did not reduce the rate of reactivation of latent virus and did not increase the average latent period of the treated cultures.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Effects of 5-bromodeoxyuridine and 5-iododeoxyuridine on a latent herpes simplex virus infection.

A latent herpes simplex virus infection was established in rabbit kidney cells. Treatment of the cells with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine after the latent infection was established had no effect on the rate of virus recovery but did extend the latent period before active virus growth resumed. In contrast to this, treatment of cells with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine or 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine prior to infection with virus increased the subsequent rate of virus recovery.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Establishment of a nonproductive herpes simplex virus infection in rabbit kidney cells.

A nonproductive infection of rabbit kidney cells was established with a type 2 strain of herpes simplex virus after incubation of the virus-infected cells at 41 C. Although infectious virus could not be recovered from cells disrupted by freeze-thawing or sonication after incubation at 41 C, spontaneous reactivation of virus growth occurred in 84% of the cultures after lag periods of variable length when cultures of viable cells were transferred to 37 C and incubated. Forty-one percent of the cultures had lag periods of 4 or more days, and 24% had lag periods of 7 or more days. The longest lag period was 45 days. A similar infection was established in WI-38 cells, but attempts to establish the infection in human kidney cells was not successful. This nonproductive infection is being used to study the effects of various physical and chemical agents on herpes simplex virus in a latent state.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Phorbol ester binding and phorbol ester-induced arachidonic acid metabolism in a highly responsive murine fibrosarcoma cell line and in a less-responsive variant.

Phorbol ester binding was examined in two lines of murine fibrosarcoma cells. The two cell lines were isolated from the same parent tumor but respond differentially to stimulation with phorbol esters. In one of the lines, these agents stimulate a rapid attachment and spreading response and induce directional migration. The other cell line does not migrate in response to stimulation with phorbol esters and the attachment and spreading response is slow. The cell line which responds actively to phorbol ester stimulation is highly malignant when injected into syngeneic animals while the other line is of low tumorigenicity and is virtually non-metastatic. In spite of these differences, both lines were found in the present study to bind [3H]4 beta-phorbol-12 beta, 13 alpha-dibutyrate in a receptor-mediated fashion. The characteristics of binding were virtually identical between the two cell lines. In additional studies, arachidonic acid metabolism was examined in the same two lines. In the highly responsive line, PMA stimulated a rapid release of [3H]arachidonic acid and its conversion into cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products. In the less-responsive line, PMA stimulated a slower release of [3H]arachidonic acid from prelabeled cells. The quantity of arachidonic acid metabolites produced was also much less. These studies suggest that the disparity between the two cell lines in their response to phorbol ester stimulation is not the result of differences in the initial interaction between the cells and ligand but may result from alterations in their signal transductance mechanism. This may be the result of inherent differences in capacity for arachidonic acid metabolism.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Laminin production by murine melanoma cells: possible involvement in cell motility.

Three lines of B16 melanoma cells (B16-F1, B16-F10 and B16-BL6) were examined for motility in the micropore filter assay and for synthesis in culture of the basal lamina glycoprotein laminin. All three lines synthesized laminin as judged by the incorporation of [35S]methionine into immunoreactive laminin and secreted (or shed) laminin into the culture medium as indicated by biosynthetic labeling studies and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Immunoreactive laminin was also seen on the surface of the cells as indicated by immunofluorescence staining and by complement-mediated killing. Analysis of [35S]methionine-labeled laminin immunoprecipitates by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) both with and without reduction of intersubunit disulfide bonds revealed that all three cell lines produced a similar array of laminin forms, and that the Mr = 950 kD laminin molecule (but not the uncombined subunits) was secreted into the culture medium. Laminin biosynthesis appeared to be limited by the availability of the Mr = 400 kD A subunit as shown by the intracellular accumulation of excess B subunit in the form of uncombined B subunit (Mr = 200 kD) and as a disulfide-linked B dimer (Mr = 400 kD). The motility of all three cell lines was stimulated four- to five-fold by the addition of either exogenous laminin from the EHS sarcoma or culture medium from the B16 cells containing the secreted laminin. The stimulated motility was inhibited by antilaminin serum. These observations suggest that the laminin synthesized by the B16 melanoma cells themselves may facilitate their motility.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Characterization of thrombospondin synthesis, secretion and cell surface expression by human tumor cells.

Previous studies have shown that thrombospondin (TSP) is an adhesion factor for some human tumor cells. The previous studies have shown further that tumor cells which utilize TSP as an adhesion factor also synthesize it. This study continues the effort to understand how TSP production and expression are regulated in human tumor cells and the consequences of this for the cells. It is shown that differences among cell lines in their capacity to biosynthesize TSP are associated with differences in TSP specific mRNA levels. This indicates that biosynthesis is regulated at the transcriptional level. There is also a direct relationship between TSP biosynthesis and secretion into the culture medium and expression at the cell surface. The cells which are the most biosynthetically active secrete amounts of TSP into the culture medium that are sufficient to elicit a detectable response in the cell-substrate adhesion assay. The kinetics of TSP secretion by these cells are in accord with the kinetics of attachment and spreading of the same cells in the absence of exogenous adhesion factors. These data are consistent with the idea that endogenously produced TSP promotes the adhesion of the cells which synthesize it in an autocrine manner.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Attachment, spreading and growth in vitro of highly malignant and low malignant murine fibrosarcoma cells.

Highly malignant cell lines and low-malignant cell lines isolated from three different methylcholanthrene-induced murine fibrosarcomas were examined for their ability to attach to plastic dishes and collagen-coated dishes under serum-free conditions and in the presence of serum. Most of the cells from the three highly malignant lines attached and spread under all conditions. By 72 h, there was a significant increase in the number of cells indicating that at least some of the cells had undergone division (even in the absence of serum). In contrast, fewer of the cells from the three low-malignant lines attached and spread on the plastic or collagen substrates in the absence of serum or in the presence of 0.1 per cent serum. However, when 15 micrograms laminin per dish was added along with the low-malignant cells, they then attached and spread on the plastic and collagen-coated dishes. Previous studies have indicated that the highly malignant lines express cell surface antigens that cross-react with laminin while the low-malignant cell lines do not. We speculate that the differences between the high- and low-malignant cells in the expression of cell surface laminin-like antigens contribute to the dissimilarities in attachment and spreading capacity. These differences may also contribute to the dissimilarity between these cells in malignant potential.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antagonism of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase ameliorates the psoriatic phenotype in organ-cultured skin.

Psoriatic plaque skin incubated for eight days in organ culture in the presence of a potent epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) antagonist reverted to a more normal histological appearance, while untreated psoriatic plaque skin retained histological features associated with the psoriatic phenotype. In concomitant studies it was shown that the EGF-RTK antagonist had no significant effect on histological features of non-psoriatic skin and no effect on dermal function, i.e. elaboration of both type I procollagen and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1; interstitial collagenase). When human epidermal keratinocytes were treated with the EGF-RTK antagonist in monolayer culture, growth inhibition was seen (ED(50) = approximately 0.06 microM). When dermal fibroblasts were exposed to the EGF-RTK antagonist in monolayer culture, proliferation, MMP-1 and type I procollagen production were essentially unaffected at concentrations which interfered with keratinocyte growth (up to 1 microM). The capacity of the EGF-RTK antagonist to modulate the histological features of psoriatic skin in organ culture under conditions in which normal skin architecture and dermal function are largely unaffected suggests a potential for anti-psoriatic therapy.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mechanisms of neutrophil-dependent and neutrophil-independent endothelial cell injury.

The acute inflammatory process is initiated when an extravascular stimulus provokes capillary dilatation and increased permeability, and recruits circulating neutrophils to the site. Damage to vascular structures is seen at these sites and evidence of injury occurs early in the evolution of the lesion. Studies carried out over the past 10 years in a number of laboratories have elucidated many of the biochemical events that lead to endothelial cell damage at sites of inflammation. Activated neutrophils bind tightly to the target cells and this is accompanied by neutrophil generation of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide and by release of granule enzymes. Neutrophil-derived hydrogen peroxide gains access to the interior of the target cell where it induces a breakdown of cellular ATP and a build-up of ATP metabolites. Among these are xanthine and hypoxanthine, substrates for xanthine oxidase. Exposure of the target cell to other neutrophil products (specifically, elastase) induces the interconversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase. Formation of uric acid from hypoxanthine and xanthine by the oxidase form of the enzyme results concomitantly in the generation of superoxide anion. In addition to providing a source of intracellular reducing equivalents, the target (endothelial) cell is also the source of iron. Target cell iron, maintained in the reduced form by intracellular oxidants, combines with neutrophil-derived hydrogen peroxide to form the highly reactive (and highly toxic) hydroxyl radical. This oxidant is most likely the direct mediator of injury.

Endothelium, Vascular↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differentiation-related alterations in the plasma membranes of chemically transformed murine fibroblasts.

One of the pathways of action of the differentiation-inducing agent DMF, in chemically transformed AKR-MCA fibroblastic cells, is through the concurrent restoration of the synthesis of the cell-surface adhesion molecule fibronectin and receptors for fibronectin. In order to identify plasma membrane components that are intimately associated with the induction of differentiation by DMF in the AKR-MCA cells, we have purified, characterized and compared the plasma membranes prepared from DMF treated and untreated AKR-MCA cells and from DMF treated and untreated AKR-2B cells (untransformed control cells). While DMF was found to have a non-discernible effect on the plasma membranes of the untransformed AKR-2B control cells, it restored the expression of several major AKR-2B associated plasma membrane proteins to the transformed AKR-MCA cells. These included major plasma membrane proteins of molecular weight 46 and 38 kilodaltons which were identified by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE, and two other major silver staining proteins identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Plasma membrane carbohydrate moieties were also analyzed by 125I-lectin probes following SDS-PAGE fractionation and electrophoretic transfer of plasma membranes to nitrocellulose. Differences in the radiolabeled Con A and RCA 1 binding profiles were observed between the untransformed and transformed cells. DMF induced an overall restoration of the untransformed AKR-2B associated lectin binding profiles to the differentiated AKR-MCA cells. This study identified several plasma membrane proteins and lectin binding carbohydrate moieties, the qualitative or quantitative alterations of which were intimately associated with chemical transformation and differentiation induction of the transformed cells.

Animals↗