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K Todokoro

Publications and source records attributed to K Todokoro.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Functionally essential cytoplasmic domain of the erythropoietin receptor.

The cytoplasmic domains of the erythropoietin receptor essential for signal transduction were identified by assessing a series of truncated and deletional mutant receptors. A 91-amino acid region proximal to the transmembrane domain was required for growth signaling. In this region, residues between 353Pro and 362His and between 278Gln and 308Leu appeared to constitute the essential cytoplasmic domains. These two domains contain the conserved amino acids common in the cytokine receptor superfamily, which indicates that these domains in the cytoplasmic regions of the erythropoietin receptor may be important for interaction with common signal transducers or protein tyrosine kinases.

Amino Acid Sequence

Tryptophan residue of Trp-Ser-X-Trp-Ser motif in extracellular domains of erythropoietin receptor is essential for signal transduction.

The Trp-Ser-X-Trp-Ser motif commonly exists just outside the transmembrane domains of all cytokine receptors so far isolated. The role of this conserved motif in erythropoietin receptor was examined by assessing a series of mutant receptors on erythropoietin-induced signal transduction. Replacement of one of the two conserved Trp residues in the motif to Gly was found to completely abolish the binding of erythropoietin to the receptor and also to lose the ability to transduce the factor-dependent growth signal. While the mutants with one Ser residue converted to Gly or Ala retained full biological activities, the replacement of both conserved Ser residues diminished the functions of the receptor. Furthermore, the receptors lacking a part or all of the Trp-Ser-X-Trp-Ser motif did not respond to erythropoietin. The Trp-Ser-X-Trp-Ser motif, especially Trp residue, located in extracellular domains of the erythropoietin receptor thus appears to play a critical role in receptor-mediated signal transduction.

Amino Acid Sequence

Growth signal erythropoietin activates the same tyrosine kinases as interleukin 3, but activates only one tyrosine kinase as differentiation signal.

By Western blotting with anti-phosphotyrosine-specific antibody, we demonstrated that both erythropoietin (Epo) and interleukin 3 (IL3) induce rapid and transient tyrosine phosphorylation of a common set of proteins of 45, 55, 69, 87, 90, 95 and 160 KDa as a growth signal in Epo- and IL3-dependent FD-M6 cells. In contrast, only two proteins of 87 and 90 KDa were transiently phosphorylated in Epo-induced erythroid differentiation of SKT6 cells. Furthermore, no tyrosine phosphorylation was observed in dimethyl sulfoxide-induced differentiation of SKT6 cells. Taken together with other observations, these results indicate that Epo, IL3 and GM-CSF activate the same tyrosine protein kinases as growth signal and that Epo-induced differentiation signal uses only a part of the tyrosine kinase pathway.

Animals

GATA-1 transactivates erythropoietin receptor gene, and erythropoietin receptor-mediated signals enhance GATA-1 gene expression.

Erythropoietin is a cytokine which specifically regulates the proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells. The expression of erythropoietin receptor on the cell membrane of the progenitor cells is a critical event during the erythroid differentiation process. In order to clarify the tissue-specific and differentiation stage-specific expression of the erythropoietin receptor gene, its transcriptional regulation was examined by transient expression assay, gel mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting. The results clearly showed that GATA-1 transactivates the gene expression through a single GATA motif located around -200 bp upstream from the ATG codon in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis revealed that erythropoietin receptor-mediated signals strongly enhanced GATA-1 gene expression in accordance with the appearance of hemoglobin-positive cells. Taken together with other observations, these results suggested the following scheme of erythroid differentiation: 1)GATA-1 is expressed in the early stage of blood cell development; 2) GATA-1 transactivates the erythropoietin receptor gene; 3) erythropoietin binds its receptor and the receptor-mediated signals enhance GATA-1 gene expression in erythroid progenitor cells; and 4) GATA-1 finally transactivates hemoglobin synthesis-related genes and globin genes in relatively matured erythroid cells.

Animals

Constitutive expression of exogenous c-myb gene causes maturation block in monocyte-macrophage differentiation.

A nuclear protooncogene c-myb has been hypothesized to play an important role in hematopoiesis, but little is known about the physiological function of the c-myb gene products. To study the role of c-myb gene expression in monocyte-macrophage differentiation and proliferation, we introduced exogenous c-myb gene into murine myelomonocytic leukemia WEHI-3B(D+) cells which can be induced to differentiate into mature monocytes with granulocyte-colony stimulation factor (G-CSF) and actinomycin D. Expression of the transfected gene was found to result in elevated levels of c-myb transcripts, which were not subject to normal down-regulation by differentiation induction. This constitutive expression of c-myb gene allowed the c-myb transfectants to differentiate into promonocytes with G-CSF and actinomycin D, but blocked further maturation from promonocytes to mature monocytes. It is concluded that normal down-regulation of c-myb gene expression during monocyte-macrophage differentiation is required for the maturation of promonocytes to mature monocytes.

Animals

Isolation of eukaryotic ribosomal proteins. Purification and characterization of the 60 S ribosomal subunit proteins La, Lb, Lf, P1, P2, L13', L14, L18', L20, and L38.

The proteins of the large subunit of rat liver ribosomes were separated into seven groups by stepwise elution from carboxymethylcellulose with LiCl at pH 6.5. Ten proteins (La, Lb, Lf, P1, P2, L13', L14, L18', L20, and L38) were isolated from three groups (A60, B60, and D60) by ion exchange chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose and DEAE-cellulose, and by filtration through Sephadex. The amount of protein obtained varied from 0.3 to 3.8 mg. Two of the proteins (La and L18') had no detectable contamination; the impurities in the others were not greater than 8%. The molecular weight of the proteins was estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate; the amino acid composition was determined. Several additional acidic proteins were identified: P1a and P1b are phosphorylated derivatives of P1; P2a, P2b, and P2c are phosphorylated derivatives of P2. P1 and P2 are distinct proteins but both have large amounts of alanine (20.4 and 17.5 mol %).

Amino Acids

Isolation of eukaryotic ribosomal proteins. Purification and characterization of 60 S ribosomal subunit proteins L3, L6, L7', L8, L10, L15, L17, L18, L19, L23', L25, L27', L28, L29, L31, L32, L34, L35, L36, L36', and L37'.

The proteins of the large subunit of rat liver ribosomes were separated into seven groups by stepwise elution from carboxymethylcellulose with LiCl at pH 6.5. Twenty-one proteins (L3, L6, L7', L8, L10, L15, L17, L18, L19, L23', L25, L27', L28, L29, L31, L32, L34, L35, L36, L36', and L37') were isolated from three groups (C60, E60, and F60) by ion exchange chromatography on carboxymethycellulose and by filtration through Sephadex. The amount of protein obtained varied from 0.3 to 25 mg. Nine of the proteins (L6, L8, L18, L27', L28, L29, L34, L36, and L36') had no detectable contamination: the impurities in the others were no greater than 9%. The molecular weight of the proteins was estimated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate; the amino acid composition was determined.

Amino Acids