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Biomedical subjects

K S Campbell

Publications and source records attributed to K S Campbell.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Cooperative mechanisms in the activation dependence of the rate of force development in rabbit skinned skeletal muscle fibers.

Regulation of contraction in skeletal muscle is a highly cooperative process involving Ca(2+) binding to troponin C (TnC) and strong binding of myosin cross-bridges to actin. To further investigate the role(s) of cooperation in activating the kinetics of cross-bridge cycling, we measured the Ca(2+) dependence of the rate constant of force redevelopment (k(tr)) in skinned single fibers in which cross-bridge and Ca(2+) binding were also perturbed. Ca(2+) sensitivity of tension, the steepness of the force-pCa relationship, and Ca(2+) dependence of k(tr) were measured in skinned fibers that were (1) treated with NEM-S1, a strong-binding, non-force-generating derivative of myosin subfragment 1, to promote cooperative strong binding of endogenous cross-bridges to actin; (2) subjected to partial extraction of TnC to disrupt the spread of activation along the thin filament; or (3) both, partial extraction of TnC and treatment with NEM-S1. The steepness of the force-pCa relationship was consistently reduced by treatment with NEM-S1, by partial extraction of TnC, or by a combination of TnC extraction and NEM-S1, indicating a decrease in the apparent cooperativity of activation. Partial extraction of TnC or NEM-S1 treatment accelerated the rate of force redevelopment at each submaximal force, but had no effect on kinetics of force development in maximally activated preparations. At low levels of Ca(2+), 3 microM NEM-S1 increased k(tr) to maximal values, and higher concentrations of NEM-S1 (6 or 10 microM) increased k(tr) to greater than maximal values. NEM-S1 also accelerated k(tr) at intermediate levels of activation, but to values that were submaximal. However, the combination of partial TnC extraction and 6 microM NEM-S1 increased k(tr) to virtually identical supramaximal values at all levels of activation, thus, completely eliminating the activation dependence of k(tr). These results show that k(tr) is not maximal in control fibers, even at saturating [Ca(2+)], and suggest that activation dependence of k(tr) is due to the combined activating effects of Ca(2+) binding to TnC and cross-bridge binding to actin.

Animals↗

Human natural killer cell receptors and signal transduction.

Natural killer (NK) cells express numerous receptors, which continually engage with ligands on cell surfaces. Until 1995, only a handful of these receptors were characterized and the molecular basis of NK cell activation was obscure. Recently, considerable advances have been made in characterizing the receptor repertoire on human NK cells. Both activating and inhibitory receptors can transduce positive or negative signals to regulate NK cell cytotoxicity and cytokine release responses. The inhibitory receptors normally predominate in this balance of signals. Certain tumor cells and virally infected cells that lack major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, however, can rapidly trigger NK cell activation. The basis of this activation is the loss of negative signals that are normally transmitted by MHC class I-binding inhibitory receptors, and the corresponding domination of activating receptor signals. While ligand specificity for a number of the recently described receptors is still a mystery, their signal transduction properties have begun to be defined. The dynamic crosstalk between these receptors ultimately governs the NK cell activation state. Although the complexities of NK cell signalling are only marginally understood, several overall themes have been defined by characterizing the roles of distinct pathways during NK cell responses.

Animals↗

A thixotropic effect in contracting rabbit psoas muscle: prior movement reduces the initial tension response to stretch.

Paired ramp stretches and releases ('triangular length changes', typically 0.04 +/- 0.09L0 s-1; mean +/- s.e.m.) were imposed on permeabilised rabbit psoas fibre segments under sarcomere length control. In actively contracting fibres, the tension response to stretch was biphasic; tension rose more rapidly during the first 0. 005L0 of the imposed stretch than thereafter. Tension also dropped in a biphasic manner during shortening, and at the end of the length change was reduced below the steady state. If a second triangular length change was imposed shortly after the first, tension rose less sharply during the initial phase of lengthening, i.e. the stiffness of the muscle during the initial phase of the response was reduced in the second stretch. This is a thixotropic effect. If a third triangular length change was imposed on the muscle, the response was the same as that to the second. The time required to recover the original tension response was measured by varying the interval between triangular length changes. Recovery to steady state occurred at a rate of approximately 1 s-1. The stiffness of the muscle during the initial phase of the response scaled with the developed tension in pCa (= -log10[Ca2+]) solutions ranging from 6.3 (minimal activation) to 4.5 (saturating effect). The relative thixotropic reduction in stiffness measured using paired length changes was independent of the pCa of the activating solution. The thixotropic behaviour of contracting skeletal muscle can be explained by a cross-bridge model of muscle contraction in which the number of attached cross-bridges is temporarily reduced following an imposed movement.

Animals↗

Beyond managed costs.

Managed care organizations (MCOs) face an uncertain future. While consolidation and price competition have expanded their market share, health care expenditures are expected to rise in the near future, and the cost containment premise--and promise--of MCOs is being threatened by mixed blessing and nonsupportive stakeholders. To shed light on MCOs' situation, we discuss four drivers for change in health management in the U.S.: technology, regulation, consumerism, and demographics. Using those four drivers, we then assess the various stakeholders in the industry through a competitive analysis and a stakeholder analysis. These analyses suggest that the munificence of the MCO business environment has significantly declined, especially among supplier and buyer stakeholders. Hence, MCOs cannot continue to manage health care costs alone as this will no longer generate sufficient support among buyer and supplier stakeholders. Instead, MCOs must tackle five critical health care issues by working closely with other stakeholders and also by learning what they can from innovative health care initiatives both inside and outside the United States.

Cost Control↗

CD5 signal transduction: positive or negative modulation of antigen receptor signaling.

The CD5 lymphocyte surface glycoprotein is a coreceptor involved in the modulation of antigen-specific receptor-mediated activation and differentiation signals. Although first considered a costimulatory molecule in mature peripheral T cells, recent studies of CD5-/- mice have opened the possibility that CD5 may also mediate inhibitory signals that attenuate TCR/CD3- and BCR-mediated triggering in thymocytes and a subgroup of B cells (B-1a cells), respectively. The ultimate molecular basis for these differential modulatory properties of CD5, depending on the context of lymphocyte subset and differentiation stage, are presently unknown and are an issue of current intensive investigation. Here, we review recent reports, both contradictory and complementary, focused on CD5-mediated molecular intracellular signaling events that could provide the basis for its immunomodulatory properties.

CD5 Antigens↗

Signal transduction from the B cell antigen-receptor.

Ligation of the B cell antigen-receptor triggers an intricate maze of intercalated biochemical events that ultimately affect B cell biological responses. Recent advances have helped to connect many loose ends by identifying key adaptor proteins, such as BLNK/SLP-65, defining crucial roles for phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and mapping pathways controlling the mitogen-activated protein kinases (ERK, JNK and p38).

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

DAP12: a key accessory protein for relaying signals by natural killer cell receptors.

DAP12 is a 12 kDa transmembrane protein recently recognized as a key signal transduction receptor element in Natural Killer (NK) cells. It is a disulfide-linked homodimer that non-covalently associates with several activating receptors expressed on NK cells. Activation signals initiated through DAP12 are predicted to play strategic roles in triggering NK cell cytotoxicity responses toward certain tumor cells and virally infected cells. The cytoplasmic domain of DAP12 contains an Immunoreceptor Tyrosine-based Activation Motif (ITAM). Phosphorylation of ITAM tyrosines mediates associations with protein tyrosine kinases, which is a resonant feature of signalling through these motifs in T and B cell antigen receptors. In addition, its expression in other tissues, including dendritic cells and monocytes, suggests that DAP12 transduces ITAM-mediated activation signals for an extended array of receptors in those cells as well.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Human CD5 signaling and constitutive phosphorylation of C-terminal serine residues by casein kinase II.

CD5 is a lymphocyte surface glycoprotein with a long cytoplasmic domain suitable for phosphorylation and signal transduction, which is involved in the modulation of Ag-specific receptor-mediated activation and differentiation signals. In this study, we use Jurkat T cell transfectants of CD5 cytoplasmic tail mutants to reveal phosphorylation sites relevant to signal transduction. Our results show that casein kinase II (CKII) is responsible for the constitutive phosphorylation of CD5 molecules at a cluster of three serine residues located at the extreme C terminus (S458, S459, and S461). Furthermore, the yeast two-hybrid system demonstrates the specific association between the C-terminal regions of the CD5 cytoplasmic tail and the regulatory beta subunit of CKII. We demonstrate that CKII associates with and phosphorylates the C-terminal region of CD5, a conserved domain known to be relevant for the generation of second lipid messengers, and thereby enables at least one component of its signaling function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interaction of p59fyn kinase with the dynein light chain, Tctex-1, and colocalization during cytokinesis.

The protein tyrosine kinase p59fyn (Fyn) plays important roles in both lymphocyte Ag receptor signaling and cytokinesis of proB cells. We utilized yeast two-hybrid cloning to identify the product of the tctex-1 gene as a protein that specifically interacts with Fyn, but not with other Src family kinases. Tctex-1 was recently identified as a component of the dynein cytoskeletal motor complex. The capacity of a Tctex-1-glutathione S-transferase fusion protein to effectively bind Fyn from cell lysates confirmed the authenticity of this interaction. Tctex-1 binding required the first 19 amino acids of Fyn and integrity of two lysine residues within this sequence that were previously shown to be important for Fyn interactions with the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs) of lymphocyte Ag receptors. Expression of tctex-1 mRNA and protein was observed in all lymphoma lines analyzed, and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy localized the protein to the perinuclear region. Analysis of a T cell hybridoma revealed prominent colocalization of Tctex-1 and Fyn at the cleavage furrow and mitotic spindles in cells undergoing cytokinesis. Our results provide a unique insight into a mechanism by which Tctex-1 might mediate specific recruitment of Fyn to the dynein complex in lymphocytes, which may be a critical event in mediating the previously defined role of Fyn in cytokinesis.

Animals↗

A cross-bridge mechanism can explain the thixotropic short-range elastic component of relaxed frog skeletal muscle.

1. The passive tension and sarcomere length of relaxed frog skeletal muscle fibres were measured in response to imposed length stretches. The tension response to a constant-velocity stretch exhibited a clear discontinuity. Tension rose more rapidly during the initial approximately 0.4 % L0 of the stretch than during the latter stages (where L0 is the resting length of the fibre). This initial tension response is attributed to the short-range elastic component (SREC). 2. The use of paired triangular stretches revealed that the maximum tension produced during the SREC response of the second stretch was significantly reduced by the first stretch. This history-dependent behaviour of the SREC reflects thixotropic stiffness changes that have been previously described in relaxed muscle. 3. The biphasic nature of the SREC tension response to movement was most apparent during the first imposed length change after a period at a fixed length, irrespective of the direction of movement. 4. If a relaxed muscle was subjected to an imposed triangular length change so that the muscle was initially stretched and subsequently shortened back to its original fibre length, the resting tension at the end of the stretch was reduced relative to its initial pre-stretch value. Following the end of the stretch, tension slowly increased towards its initial value but the tension recovery was not accompanied by a contemporaneous increase in sarcomere length. This finding suggests that the resting tension of a relaxed muscle fibre is not entirely due to passive elasticity. The results are compatible with the suggestion that a portion of the resting tension - the filamentary resting tension (FRT) - is produced by a low level of active force generation. 5. If a second identical stretch was imposed on the muscle at a time when the resting tension was reduced by the previous stretch, the maximal tension produced during the second stretch was the same as that produced during the first, despite the second stretch commencing from a lower initial resting tension. 6. In experiments using paired triangular length changes, an inter-stretch interval of zero did not produce a substantially greater thixotropic reduction in the second stretch elastic limit force than an inter-stretch interval in the range 0.5-1 s. 7. A theoretical model was developed in which the SREC and FRT arise as manifestations of a small number of slowly cycling cross-bridges linking the actin and myosin filaments of a relaxed skeletal muscle. The predictions of the model are compatible with many of the experimental observations. If the SREC and FRT are indeed due to cross-bridge activity, the model suggests that the cross-bridge attachment rate must increase during interfilamentary movement. A mechanism (based on misregistration between the actin binding sites and the myosin cross-bridges) by which this might arise is presented.

Algorithms↗

Signaling through human killer cell activating receptors triggers tyrosine phosphorylation of an associated protein complex.

Our understanding of the biology of human natural killer (NK) cells has significantly advanced in recent years upon identification of a family of NK cell-expressed genes that encode killer cell inhibitory receptors (KIR). Individual KIR can selectively bind various HLA class I allotypes and consequently transduce inhibitory signals that block NK cell lysis of ligand-bearing target cells. A distinct subset of related and linked genes express truncated versions of KIR that are otherwise highly homologous in amino acid sequence. Interestingly, these receptors appear to transmit stimulatory signals into NK cells and have been termed killer cell activating receptors (KAR). In this report, we demonstrate that recognition of HLA-Cw3 by the p50 KAR, NKAT8, can potentiate the cytotoxic response of appropriate NK cell clones. Specific cross-linking of this KAR with a monoclonal antibody resulted in intracellular calcium mobilization, protein tyrosine phosphorylation, and phosphorylation of the MAP kinases, ERK1 and ERK2. In addition, we identified a KAR-associated disulfide-linked dimer of a 13-kDa protein that was absent in the Jurkat T cell line and is predicted to participate in these activation signaling events. Upon treatment of NK cells with pervanadate, the disulfide-linked p13 and additional proteins of 25, 30, 37 and 50-95 kDa were identified as KAR-associated tyrosine phosphoproteins. Importantly, p13 was inducibly tyrosine phosphorylated upon cross-linking of NKAT8, which strongly suggests that the associated p13 provides KAR with appropriate cytoplasmic structure to couple with tyrosine kinase-mediated signaling effectors.

Cell Line↗

Interaction of the CD5 cytoplasmic domain with the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase IIdelta.

CD5 is a type I transmembrane protein expressed on the surface of T cells and of B1 B cells. The analysis of CD5-deficient mice suggests that CD5 can down-regulate positive signals from the antigen receptors on T and B cells but the mechanism is not known at present. In contrast to the extracellular domain the 93 amino acid long cytoplasmic domain of CD5 is highly conserved between CD5 proteins of different mammalian species. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified two proteins which specifically bind to the N-terminal part of the CD5 cytoplasmic sequence. These are the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase IIdelta and Tctex-1, a light chain component of the dynein motor complex. The interaction of CD5 with the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase IIdelta was reproduced in vitro using fusion proteins. The potential function of these proteins in CD5 internalization and negative signaling is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Modulation of the enzymatic properties of protein phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit by the recombinant 65-kDa regulatory subunit PR65alpha.

All protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) holoenzymes contain a 36-kDa catalytic subunit (PP2Ac) and a regulatory subunit of 65 kDa (PR65). We have studied the interaction between PP2Ac and PR65 in an in vitro system, using PP2Ac isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle and recombinant PR65alpha expressed in bacteria or insect cells. Bacterially expressed PR65alpha exhibited identical biochemical properties to the protein expressed and isolated from the baculoviral expression system. The association of recombinant PR65 with PP2Ac was very tight (K(D)app = 85 pM) and led to a suppression of PP2A activity, which was maximal (70-80%) when phosphoproteins were used as substrates. When less-structured or smaller substrates (such as phosphopeptides) were used, this inhibition was only 30%. PR65 stimulated PP2Ac activity when the assays were performed in the presence of polycations. This indicates that the PR65 not only serves the previously predicted structural role as a molecular scaffold, but also allosterically modulates the enzymatic properties of PP2Ac. Furthermore, we identified a site of interaction between PP2Ac and PR65alpha by disruption of a stretch of basic amino acids by introduction of a glutamate at position 416. This produced an almost 100-fold reduced affinity for PP2Ac and indicated that this basic motif is an important determinant for the interaction of PR65 and PP2Ac.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Normal development but differentially altered proliferative responses of lymphocytes in mice lacking CD81.

CD81 (TAPA-1) is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily (TM4SF) which is expressed on the cell surface of most cells of the body throughout their cellular differentiation. It has been recognized in several cell surface complexes of lymphocytes, suggesting that it may have diverse roles in lymphocyte development and activation regulation. Mice with a CD81 null mutation revealed normal T- and conventional B-cell development, although CD19 expression on B cells was dull and B-1 cells were reduced in number. However, both T and B cells of mutant mice exhibited strikingly enhanced proliferation in response to various types of stimuli. Interestingly, while proliferative responses of T cells following T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) engagement was enhanced in the absence of CD81, B-cell proliferation in response to B-cell antigen-receptor (BCR) cross-linking was severely impaired. Despite these altered proliferative responses, both tyrosine phosphorylation and intracellular calcium flux in response to cross-linking of cell surface antigen receptors were normal in mutant mice, reflecting apparently normal initial signaling of antigen receptors. In conclusion, though CD81 is not essential for normal T- and conventional B-cell development, it plays key roles in controlling lymphocyte homeostasis by regulating lymphocyte proliferation in distinct manners, dependent on the context of stimulation.

Animals↗

DnaJ/hsp40 chaperone domain of SV40 large T antigen promotes efficient viral DNA replication.

The amino-terminal domain of SV40 large tumor antigen (TAg) is required for efficient viral DNA replication. However, the biochemical activity associated with this domain has remained obscure. We show here that the amino-terminal domain of TAg shares functional homology with the J-domain of DnaJ/hsp40 molecular chaperones. DnaJ proteins function as cofactors by regulating the activity of a member of the 70-kD heat shock protein family. Genetic analyses demonstrated that amino-terminal sequences of TAg comprise a novel J-domain that mediates a specific interaction with the constitutively expressed hsc70 and show that the J-domain is also required for efficient viral DNA replication in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the J-domain of two human DnaJ homologs, HSJ1 or DNAJ2, could substitute functionally for the amino-terminus of TAg in promoting viral DNA replication. Together, our findings suggest that TAg uses its J-domain to support SV40 DNA replication in a manner that is strikingly similar to the use of Escherichia coli DnaJ by bacteriophage lambda in DNA replication. However, TAg has evolved a more efficient strategy of DNA replication through an intrinsic J-domain to associate directly with a partner chaperone protein. Our observations provide evidence of a role for chaperone proteins in the process of eukaryotic DNA replication.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The cytoplasmic domain of rat NKR-P1 receptor interacts with the N-terminal domain of p56(lck) via cysteine residues.

NKR-P1 is a type II transmembrane protein which acts as an activation receptor on natural killer (NK) cells. The cytoplasmic domains of the CD4, CD8 and 4-1BB receptors contain the sequence Cys-X-Cys-Pro which is directly involved in coupling to another pair of cysteines in the N-terminal domain of the src family tyrosine kinase p56(lck). The cytoplasmic domain of NKR-P1 in rodents also contains the Cys-X-Cys-Pro sequence, but the capacity of the receptor to bind p56(lck) is presently unknown. We tested for direct coupling between these proteins using both protein biochemistry and the yeast two-hybrid technique. Immunoprecipitation studies showed that p56(lck) can be co-immunoprecipitated with NKR-P1 from a rat NK tumor cell line. In addition, the cytoplasmic domain of NKR-P1 interacted with the N-terminal domain of p56(lck) in yeast as assessed by reporter gene activation. Integrity of the cysteine pairs in both proteins was critical in mediating the interaction. The experiments suggest that the association of p56(lck) with NKR-P1 is somewhat weaker than the p56(lck) association with CD8alpha, but of much lower avidity than between CD4 and p56(lck). This could reflect a higher activation threshold for the NKR-P1 and CD8 receptors, which are involved in cytolytic responses, compared to CD4 which is involved in T cell helper function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗