Biomedical subjects

K Ballmer-Hofer

Publications and source records attributed to K Ballmer-Hofer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Activation-independent nuclear translocation of mitogen activated protein kinase ERK1 mediated by thiol-modifying chemicals.

The extracellular signal-regulated kinases ERK1 and ERK2 are key mediators of mitogenic signals in most cell types. In fibroblasts, sustained activation and nuclear translocation are mandatory for S-phase induction. The events leading to activation of these kinases are well understood, whereas little is known about the mechanism of their translocation. Using indirect immunofluorescence and biochemical analysis we show that ERK1 can translocate to the nucleus in the absence of activation and phosphorylation by upstream kinases when cells are treated with thiol-modifying chemicals. We propose that these chemicals inactivate a protein contributing to the cytoplasmic localization of ERK1.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Polyomavirus middle-T antigen lacking a membrane anchor sequence accumulates in the nucleus.

Three proteins expressed early in the replicative cycle of polyomavirus also play an essential role during virus-mediated tumorigenesis. One of the proteins, middle-T antigen, has been shown to bind cellular proteins involved in cell signalling such as c-Src, phosphatase 2A, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and SHC. Association of middle-T antigen with cellular membranes has been shown to be essential for middle-T-mediated cell transformation. A mutant virus encoding a truncated form of middle-T lacking a carboxy-terminal hydrophobic sequence mediating membrane association is not oncogenic. This mutant middle-T still binds phosphatase 2A through amino-terminal sequences common to small-and middle-T and is localized in the nucleus, although the protein does not contain a classical nuclear targeting sequence. Mutations introduced into the amino-terminal domain affecting the ability of truncated middle-T to bind phosphatase 2A prevented accumulation of the protein in the nucleus and led to localization in the cytoplasm. This suggests that nuclear localization of truncated middle-T may be a consequence of binding to phosphatase 2A.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1996

Polyomavirus middle-T antigen associates with the kinase domain of Src-related tyrosine kinases.

Middle-T antigen of mouse polyomavirus, an oncogenic DNA virus, associates with and activates the cellular tyrosine kinases c-Src, c-Yes, and Fyn. This interaction is essential for polyomavirus-mediated transformation of cells in culture and tumor formation in animals. To determine the domain of c-Src directing association with middle-T, mutant c-Src proteins lacking the amino-terminal unique domain and the myristylation signal, the SH2 domain, the SH3 domain, or all three of these domains were coexpressed with middle-T in NIH 3T3 cells. All mutants were found to associate with middle-T, demonstrating that the kinase domain of c-Src, including the carboxy-terminal regulatory tail, is sufficient for association with middle-T. Moreover, we found that Hck, another member of the Src kinase family, does not bind middle-T, while chimeric kinases consisting of the amino-terminal domains of c-Src fused to the kinase domain of Hck or the amino-terminal domains of Hck fused to the kinase domain of c-Src associated with middle-T. Hck mutated at its carboxy-terminal regulatory residue, tyrosine 501, was also found to associate with middle-T. These results suggest that in Hck, the postulated intramolecular interaction between the carboxy-terminal regulatory tyrosine and the SH2 domain prevents association with middle-T. This intramolecular interaction apparently also limits the ability of c-Src to associate with middle-T, since removal of the SH2 or SH3 domain increases the efficiency with which middle-T binds c-Src.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1995

Activation and nuclear translocation of mitogen-activated protein kinases by polyomavirus middle-T or serum depend on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.

Several cellular signal transduction pathways activated by middle-T in polyomavirus-transformed cells are required for viral oncogenicity. Here we focus on the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and Ras and address the question how these signaling molecules cooperate during cell cycle activation. Ras activation is mediated through association with SHC.GRB2.SOS and leads to increased activity of several members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family, while activation of PI 3-kinase results in the generation of D3-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositides whose downstream targets remain elusive. PI 3-kinase activation might also ensue as a direct consequence of Ras activation. Oncogenicity of middle-T requires stimulation of both Ras- and PI 3-kinase-dependent pathways. Mutants of middle-T incapable to bind either SHC.GRB2.SOS or PI 3-kinase are not oncogenic. Sustained activation and nuclear localization of one of the MAP kinases, ERK1, was observed in wild type but not in mutant middle-T-expressing cells. Wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI 3-kinase, prevented MAP kinase activation and nuclear localization in middle-T-transformed cells. PI 3-kinase activity was also required for activation of the MAP kinase pathway in normal serum-stimulated cells, generalizing the concept that signaling through MAP kinases requires not only Ras-but also PI 3-kinase-mediated signals.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1995

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator gene regulation by polyomavirus middle-T antigen.

Expression of polyomavirus middle-T antigen (middle-T) is involved in the formation of various tumors in vivo, e.g. hemangiomas and mammary gland tumors. Several genes have been shown to be activated in middle-T-expressing cells, but the underlying mechanisms have only been partially elucidated. Among the genes regulated by middle-T, the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) gene seems to be of primary importance for the development of the transformed phenotype. We have found that the uPA gene is highly expressed in eEnd2 cells derived from a hemangioma expressing middle-T. NIH3T3 cells show negligible levels of uPA mRNA but its expression was highly induced by infecting with a middle-T-expressing retrovirus. Middle-T did not affect uPA mRNA stability. Transient cotransfection experiments using a uPA-receptor gene construct and a middle-T expression vector showed that high uPA mRNA levels are due to increased uPA promoter activity. Analyses of various signaling molecules by transient cotransfection assays and in vitro kinase assays established that a signaling pathway involving c-Src, SOS, Ras, Raf-1 and ERK is activated by middle-T in NIH3T3 cells, resulting in the activation of the uPA gene promoter via PEA3/AP1 elements. In contrast, in eEND2 cells uPA gene induction is only partially dependent on this pathway, suggesting the involvement of additional signaling molecules in endothelial cells.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1995

Domains in middle-T antigen that cooperate in polyomavirus-mediated oncogenic transformation.

Middle-T antigen is the oncogenic protein of Polyomavirus and associates with several cellular enzymes involved in signal transduction, e.g., Src tyrosine kinases, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), and Shc, an SH2 domain-containing adapter protein. We have shown earlier that middle-T is a target of a cell cycle-regulated serine/threonine-specific kinase, presumably p34cdc2. Phosphorylation of middle-T by p34cdc2 results in increased apparent M, weight of the protein on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Two threonine residues in positions 160 and 291, respectively, were identified in the middle-T sequence as putative targets of a cyclin-dependent kinase. Replacement of threonine 160 by alanine resulted in a transformation-defective mutant protein that was still capable of forming all the complexes with cellular proteins, suggesting that additional characteristics of middle-T are required for cell transformation. In the present study we report that the defect of the T160A middle-T mutant is compensated by mutations introduced into a domain encompassing amino acids 253 to 302. In particular, mutating serine 283, a canonical phosphorylation site for a cyclin-dependent kinase, to an alanine residue rendered the T160A middle-T mutant wild type. Based on these results we suggest that cell cycle-specific phosphorylation of specific serine and threonine residues by cyclin-dependent kinases regulates middle-T function.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1995

Catalytic activity and transformation potential of v-Src require arginine 385 in the substrate binding pocket.

Tyrosine kinase are important mediators of signal transduction in eukaryotic cells. In order to better understand the mechanism of catalysis we studied a set of mutants of the prototype tyrosine kinase, the c-Src protein, a homologue of the Rous Sarcoma virus oncogene. Based on an X-ray structure of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) we mutated an arginine residue conserved in subdomain VI of all known kinases to a non-charged residue. This residue coordinates phosphate of the autophosphorylation site located in subdomain VII of cAPK and this interaction has been proposed to be crucial for substrate binding. The mutant R385A of c-Src had low kinase activity towards exogenous substrates yet was able to autophosphorylate at tyrosine 416. When introduced into an activated v-src gene the R385A mutation totally blocked cell transformation. Our data suggest that the function of the conserved arginine 385 is to coordinate the phosphate of the autophosphorylation site and to provide in this way a stable template for substrate binding.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1995

Membrane association of polyomavirus middle-T antigen in an in vitro system.

Polyomavirus-infected cells express three proteins in the early phase of the lytic cycle, the so-called tumor antigens. Two of them, large- and middle-T antigens, are also required for virus-mediated transformation of primary cells, while middle-T alone is sufficient to transform established cells in culture. Cell transformation by middle-T is strictly dependent on the ability of this protein to associate with cellular enzymes like members of the Src family of tyrosine kinases, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, phosphatase 2A and SHC, an adapter protein linking GDP/GTP exchange factors to tyrosine kinase receptors. A carboxy-terminal stretch of 22 hydrophobic amino acids is required for targeting middle-T and associated proteins to cellular membranes. Here we show in an in vitro system that middle-T fusion proteins carrying an amino-terminal hemagglutinin leader sequence are capable to bind to and enter the lumen of dog pancreas microsomes supporting the concept that the carboxy-terminus of middle-T is an authentic membrane-targeting domain. Furthermore, wild-type middle-T, but not a truncated protein lacking the putative membrane anchor, specifically associates with artificial lipid bilayers.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Mitosis-specific phosphorylation of polyomavirus middle-sized tumor antigen and its role during cell transformation.

Transformation of cells in culture by polyomavirus is mediated by one of its early gene products, middle-sized tumor antigen (MTAg). This protein forms multiple complexes with cellular enzymes such as tyrosine kinases (pp60c-src), a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and phosphatase 2A. Association with MTAg leads to the activation of pp60c-src through interference with phosphorylation at Tyr-527, a site negatively regulating src kinase activity. MTAg abrogates mitosis-specific activation of pp60c-src, resulting in constitutive high kinase activity of the enzyme throughout all phases of the cell cycle. Here we report that MTAg is transiently modified during mitosis, resulting in an increase in its apparent molecular size on SDS/acrylamide gels. Similarly, MTAg isolated from interphase cells and phosphorylated by the cell cycle-regulated serine/threonine kinase p34cdc2 in vitro has increased molecular mass. The large molecular mass form of the protein can be converted to the authentic 56-kDa form upon dephosphorylation by potato acid phosphatase. Two putative phosphorylation sites for a cdc2-like kinase were identified as Thr-160 and -291, respectively. Conversion of Thr-160 to Ala resulted in a transformation-defective mutant protein that was still capable of associating with pp60c-src, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and phosphatase 2A, while the corresponding mutant in position 291 was wild type with respect to all parameters measured so far. These data suggest that phosphorylation by p34cdc2 or a related cell cycle-regulated kinase modulates the interaction of MTAg with cellular targets that are crucial for cell transformation.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1993

Phosphatase 2A associated with polyomavirus small-T or middle-T antigen is an okadaic acid-sensitive tyrosyl phosphatase.

Papovavirus tumor antigens have been shown to associate with the cellular phosphoserine/threonine-specific protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). We were interested in the consequences that T-antigen association might have on PP2A activity and so studies of the phosphatase activity in immunoprecipitates, prepared from polyoma virus-transformed or polyoma virus-infected mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, were performed. The phosphoserine/threonine phosphatase activity, measured with phosphorylase a as the substrate, showed all the characteristics of PP2A. It was stimulated by polycations, inhibited by fluoride or p-nitrophenyl phosphate, sensitive to okadaic acid and microcystin and insensitive to inhibitor-1 and inhibitor-2. Phosphotyrosyl phosphatase (PTPase) activity was associated with the middle-T/small-T-associated complex when reduced, carboxamidomethylated and maleylated lysozyme, phosphorylated exclusively on tyrosyl residues, was used as the substrate. This PTPase activity was as sensitive to okadaic acid as was the phosphorylase phosphatase activity; it could be inhibited by phosphorylase a and did not dephosphorylate poly(Glu80Tyr20). The level of middle-T/small-T-associated PTPase activity relative to the phosphorylase phosphatase activity was tenfold higher than that of the purified dimeric PP2A. A similar activity ratio was observed with the purified phosphatase after stimulation with a cellular protein, designated phosphotyrosyl phosphatase activator. These results suggest that the same enzyme may possess dual specificity. In contrast to the cellular trimeric PP2A, containing the 55-kDa putative regulatory subunit, the middle-T/small-T-associated enzyme had low activity towards a retinoblastoma peptide phosphorylated by p34cdc2. These results indicate how middle-T/small-T might effect the activity of PP2A in polyoma virus-transformed cells.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1993

Myristylation and amino-terminal phosphorylation are required for activation of pp60c-src during mitosis.

pp60c-src, a cellular tyrosine kinase homologous to the retroviral v-src oncogene, becomes transiently activated during mitosis. Activation is accompanied by phosphorylation of three sites in the amino-terminal regulatory domain of the protein, threonine 34, threonine 46 and serine 72. These sites can be phosphorylated in vitro by a cell cycle-regulated kinase, p34cdc2, yet this does not result in increased kinase activity of pp60c-src. pp60c-src is negatively regulated by phosphorylation at tyrosine 527, and it has been shown that this site is transiently dephosphorylated in mitotic cells. The importance of tyrosine 527 in the regulation of pp60c-src is also emphasized by the fact that oncogenic mutants of pp60src lacking tyrosine 527 are constitutively active during the entire cell cycle. Here we report that a non-myristylated mutant of pp60c-src is not activated and only partially phosphorylated at the amino terminus in mitotic cells. Additional mutants lacking one (TTAc-src), two (AASc-src) and three (AAAc-src) cdc2 phosphorylation sites had slightly higher kinase activity than wild-type pp60c-src in interphase cells and were not activated during mitosis. However, all four mutant proteins were still transiently dephosphorylated at tyrosine 527 during mitosis, suggesting that myristylation and amino-terminal phosphorylation may be necessary but are clearly not sufficient for mitosis-specific activation.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1992

Acute suppression of albumin synthesis in systemic inflammatory disease: an individually graded response of rat hepatocytes.

The effects of an inflammatory insult on albumin of the rat liver were investigated at the cellular level and were correlated with serum albumin concentration. After SC injection of turpentine, the livers were perfused and fixed in vivo; serial liver sections were stained using a streptavidin-ABC-immunoperoxidase technique with an antibody to rat albumin. Albumin and total protein were measured at intervals after turpentine injection in whole livers and in serum. Fibrinogen was determined in plasma only. Twenty-four hours after turpentine injection serum albumin had dropped by 25% and was at 50% of its initial value at Day 3. Serum fibrinogen increased 2.4-fold within 24 hr and decreased thereafter. Liver homogenates showed no significant changes in albumin concentration. Immunohistochemically, all hepatocytes stained positive for albumin in normal animals. During inflammation, the immunostainable albumin content vanished entirely in a majority of all hepatocytes while remaining unchanged in other cells, thus producing a strikingly patchy staining pattern. No signs of resumption of albumin accumulation in depleted hepatocytes were seen after 8 days, despite a clear trend towards normalization of serum albumin concentration. These results suggest that individual hepatocytes differ widely in their response to agents that suppress albumin synthesis in an acute-phase reaction.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Insulin-like growth factor-1 stimulates proliferation of myeloid FDC-P1 cells overexpressing the human colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor.

Retrovirally expressed human CSF-1 receptor can induce CSF-1-dependent growth of IL-3-dependent hemopoietic cells FDC-P1. Here we show that expression of the human CSF-1 receptor also allowed FDC-P1 cells to grow in response to Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-I). The authentic receptor for IGF-I was identified by affinity cross-linking and binding analysis on both control (infected with a neo vector) and CSF-1 receptor expressing FDC-P1 cells. DNA and RNA analysis of these cells and of five clones of IGF-I responsive cells demonstrated that the IGF-I receptor gene was not rearranged nor was it abnormally expressed in IGF-I responsive cells. These results suggest that myeloid cells over-expressing CSF-1R (c-fms protooncogene product) might have a proliferative advantage over normal myeloid cells in a physiological situation, independently of the presence of CSF-1 or the capacity of the cells to respond to CSF-1. This would indicate a possible role for c-fms in human neoplasia.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Association of p60c-src with polyoma virus middle-T antigen abrogating mitosis-specific activation.

Polyoma middle-T antigen is required for tumorigenesis in animals and for viral transformation of a variety of cells in culture (reviewed in ref. 1). Middle-T associates with and thereby activates p60c-src, a cellular tyrosine kinase homologous to the oncogene product of Rous sarcoma virus. Activation of p60c-src by middle-T is accompanied both by dephosphorylation of tyrosine 527, a site which negatively regulates src kinase src kinase activity (reviewed in refs 4-6) and by autophosphorylation on tyrosine 416 (refs 7-10). Phosphoprotein p60c-src is subject to cell cycle-specific regulation. It is most active during mitosis and repressed in interphase. Here we report that mitotic p60c-src is dephosphorylated at tyrosine 527. We also show that in cells expressing middle-T, src kinase activity is high both in mitosis and during interphase. An oncogenic mutant src protein, p60c-src(527F), where tyrosine 527 is substituted by phenylalanine, is also highly active in all phases of the cell cycle.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Differential expression of tenascin splicing variants in the chick gizzard and in cell cultures.

Tenascin is a large disulfide-linked hexameric extracellular matrix glycoprotein. It is a multidomain protein containing many repeated structural units such as heptad-, EGF-like-, and fibronectin type III repeats, as well as a homology to the globular domains of beta- and gamma-fibrinogen. In the chick embryo three major tenascin variants exist. They arise from one gene by alternative splicing of three of its 11 fibronectin type III repeats. Monoclonal antibodies against the alternatively spliced domains allowed us to study the expression of tenascin variants in tissue sections and in cell cultures. In the gizzard, the largest tenascin variant was only detected in the smooth muscle layer and the connective tissue below the epithelium of the villi, whereas the shortest tenascin variant was predominant in the tendons and the intramuscular connective tissue. Differential expression of tenascin variants was also obtained in cell cultures of chick embryo fibroblasts. Fetal calf serum equally stimulated the accumulation of all three tenascin variants, whereas after transformation with polyomavirus middle-T only the secretion of the largest tenascin variant was greatly enhanced.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Disruption of cytoskeletal structures results in the induction of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator gene expression.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is expressed at higher levels in many transformed cells as compared with their non-transformed counterparts. The transformed phenotype is associated with changes in the cytoskeleton. Therefore, we have investigated whether alterations in the cytoskeleton can trigger changes in the expression of the uPA gene. To this end we analyzed the expression of the uPA gene following exposure of porcine kidney cells, LLC-PK1, to agents that modify the organization of specific components of the cytoskeleton. These cells exhibited increased uPA mRNA and protein after disruption of microtubules by colchicine or nocodazole treatment or after disruption of microfilaments by cytochalasin B treatment. Colchicine, nocodazole, and cytochalasin B did not cause alterations in the level of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in LLC-PK1 cells. In contrast, down-regulation of protein kinase C by phorbol myristate acetate, reduced, but did not fully prevent the induction of uPA mRNA when LLC-PK1 cells were subsequently exposed to colchicine, nocodazole, or cytochalasin B. Apparently, a signal transduction pathway in part involving protein kinase C but not cAMP-protein kinase mediates the regulatory changes at the transcriptional level of the uPA gene. Inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide prior to the exposure of LLC-PK1 cells to colchicine, nocodazole, or cytochalasin B, largely prevented the induction of uPA mRNA.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

PubMed1990

Myristylation of pp60c-src is not required for complex formation with polyomavirus middle-T antigen.

Middle-T antigen (middle-T), the transforming gene product of polyomavirus, associates with several cellular tyrosine kinases, such as pp60c-src. Complex formation leads to kinase activation and is essential for cell transformation. Middle-T-associated as well as uncomplexed pp60c-src is predominantly found in the plasma membrane. We transfected mouse 3T3 fibroblasts with a mutated c-src gene (2Ac-src), allowing the expression of a protein containing alanine instead of glycine in position 2 of the primary translation product. Contrary to the wild-type c-src gene product, pp60c-src(2A) was not myristylated and accumulated in the cytoplasm instead of being transferred to cellular membranes. The mutant protein was able to associate with middle-T and was activated similarly to the wild-type c-src gene product. Both wild-type and 2A mutant protein were membrane associated upon complex formation with middle-T. This finding suggests that the putative carboxy-terminal membrane anchor sequence of middle-T is sufficient to hold middle-T-associated pp60c-src(2A) in the plasma membrane.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Stimulation of pp60c-src kinase activity in FDC-P1 cells by polyoma middle-T antigen and hematopoietic growth factors.

Either of two hematopoietic growth factors, GM-CSF or IL-3, are required for the growth of the bone marrow-derived FDC-P1 cell line. These factors induce cellular tyrosine-specific protein kinases when added to resting cells. The receptors for these factors have not been unambiguously shown to contain a kinase domain. To determine whether src-related kinases, in particular pp60-c-src, are regulated by GM-CSF or IL-3, FDC-P1 cells were transfected with plasmids carrying polyoma middle-T antigen, a potent activator of pp60c-src. Middle-T-expressing cells showed a reduced requirement for GM-CSF and IL-3 and selected clones grew in the absence of these factors. Middle-T formed a complex with pp60c-src and stimulated its in vitro kinase activity 20-50 fold. pp60c-src kinase activity was further increased if middle-T-expressing, factor-independent cells were treated with GM-CSF or IL-3.

Animals↗