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M Taniuchi

Publications and source records attributed to M Taniuchi.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Demonstration of the retrograde transport of nerve growth factor receptor in the peripheral and central nervous system.

NGF acts on responsive neurons by binding to specific NGF receptors on axonal termini, after which a critical biochemical signal is retrogradely transported to the cell body. The identity of the signal(s) is unknown; candidates include NGF itself or some other "second messenger." A possible second messenger is the NGF receptor. As a first step in assessing the possible role of NGF receptor in the generation of the NGF-dependent signal, and in understanding the economy of NGF receptor synthesis and utilization, we determined whether the NGF receptor is retrogradely transported. Using immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody (192-IgG) against rat NGF receptor, we looked for accumulation of NGF receptor molecules distal (retrograde transport), as well as proximal (anterograde transport), to sites of axonal ligation or transection. By 10-12 hr in both the ligated sciatic nerve and the lesioned fimbria-fornix, accumulated NGF receptor was detected proximal and distal to the ligation/lesion site. The transported receptor presumably was located in sympathetic and sensory neurons in the sciatic nerve and in forebrain cholinergic neurons projecting from the medial septum to the hippocampus. In both anatomical sites, accumulation of NGF receptor on the proximal (anterograde) side occurred in streams of fine axonal processes, whereas staining on the distal (retrograde) side occurred in varicose or granular configurations. These results raise the possibility that the NGF receptor has a role in the mechanism of NGF beyond the initial binding event at the plasma membrane of the axonal terminus.

Animals↗

Phosphorylation of nerve growth factor receptor proteins in sympathetic neurons and PC12 cells. In vitro phosphorylation by the cAMP-independent protein kinase FA/GSK-3.

We have examined phosphorylation of nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor in cultured sympathetic neurons and PC12 cells. Dissociated rat superior cervical ganglion neurons or PC12 cells were incubated with 32Pi to label cellular phosphoproteins. Membrane proteins were solubilized, and NGF receptor proteins were immunoprecipitated with the monoclonal antibody 192-IgG. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography showed that NGF receptor components of Mr = 80,000 and Mr = 210,000 were phosphorylated. Phosphorylation of neither species was affected by treating the cells with NGF or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. When the 80,000-Da protein was subjected to complete trypsin proteolysis and then analyzed by reverse phase liquid chromatography, two 32P-labeled peptides were resolved. The more hydrophobic peptide accounted for most of the 32P and contained only phosphoserine; the other peptide contained phosphoserine and phosphothreonine. No phosphotyrosine was detected in the receptor proteins. When receptor molecules from nonlabeled PC12 cells were immunoprecipitated and then incubated in vitro with [gamma-32P]ATP and the cAMP-independent protein kinase FA/GSK-3, phosphorylation occurred predominantly on serine and to a lesser extent on threonine. However, the immunoprecipitated receptor proteins neither autophosphorylated nor were they detectably phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, casein kinase II, or protein kinase C (the Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme). We conclude that binding units of the NGF receptor are phosphorylated constitutively in at least two sites in intact cells and that they can be phosphorylated by FA/GSK-3 in vitro.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

Induction of nerve growth factor receptor in Schwann cells after axotomy.

We have discovered that axotomy of sciatic nerve induces Schwann cells distal to the lesion to express de novo, or at greatly increased levels, receptors for nerve growth factor (NGF). Surgical transection of sciatic nerve was performed on adult Sprague-Dawley rats, and, at various times after the operation, the following tissues were dissected for quantitation of NGF receptor: L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglia, sciatic nerve proximal to the transection, sciatic nerve distal to the transection, tibialis anterior muscle, and skin of the dorsum of the foot. The NGF receptor content of these samples was determined by labeling receptor molecules with radioiodinated NGF (125I-NGF) and then specifically immunoprecipitating the 125I-NGF-receptor complexes with 192-IgG, a monoclonal antibody directed against the rat NGF receptor. We observed a time-dependent increase in the amount of radioligand-labeled NGF receptor proteins found in the distal segment of transected sciatic nerve; by 7 days the density of receptor (crosslinked 125I-NGF molecules per mg of homogenate protein) had increased at least 50-fold. The number of receptor molecules in tibialis anterior muscle and dorsal foot skin, two structures denervated by the transection, also increased, with time courses parallel to that of distal sciatic nerve. There was little increase in the density of NGF receptors in the sciatic nerve proximal to the lesion and in the dorsal root ganglia. Immunohistochemical examination of the distal portion of transected sciatic nerve and of the muscle, with 192-IgG as the primary ligand, revealed prominent and exclusive staining of apparently all Schwann cells of the endoneurium, indicating that these peripheral neuroglial cells were expressing NGF receptors. These results show that axonal damage can induce the expression of NGF receptors in the population of sheath cells thought to promote neuronal regeneration. This dramatic increase in NGF receptors may be a mechanism to facilitate the regeneration of NGF-responsive neurons.

Animals↗

Nerve growth factor receptor molecules in rat brain.

We have developed a method to immunoprecipitate rat nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor proteins and have applied the method to detect NGF receptor molecules in the rat brain. Crosslinking 125I-labeled NGF to either PC12 cells or cultured rat sympathetic neurons yielded two radiolabeled molecules (90 kDa and 220 kDa) that were immunoprecipitated by monoclonal antibody 192-IgG. Further, 192-IgG precipitated two radiolabeled proteins, with the expected sizes (80 kDa and 210 kDa) of noncrosslinked NGF receptor components, from among numerous surface-iodinated PC12 cell proteins. These results demonstrate the specific immunoprecipitation of NGF receptor molecules by 192-IgG. We applied the 125I-NGF crosslinking and 192-IgG-mediated immunoprecipitation procedures to plasma membrane preparations of the following areas of rat brain: medial septum, cerebellum, brainstem, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, thalamus, and olfactory bulb. NGF receptor molecules of the same molecular masses as the peripheral receptor components were consistently detected in all of these regions and in preparations from whole brains. Removal of the peripheral sympathetic innervation of the brain did not eliminate these NGF receptor proteins, indicating that the receptor is endogenous to central nervous system tissues. We also observed retrograde transport of 125I-labeled 192-IgG from the parietal cortex to the nucleus basalis and from the hippocampus to the nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca and the medial septal nucleus. These findings demonstrate the presence in brain of NGF receptor molecules indistinguishable from those of the peripheral nervous system.

Animals↗

Characterization of the binding properties and retrograde axonal transport of a monoclonal antibody directed against the rat nerve growth factor receptor.

We have demonstrated in vitro and in vivo the specific binding of a monoclonal antibody to the rat nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor. Previous work had shown that this antibody, designated 192-IgG, does not compete with NGF for binding to the NGF receptor of PC12 cells, but instead interacts with the receptor to increase NGF binding to PC12 cells (Chandler, C. E., L. M. Parsons, M. Hosang, and E. M. Shooter, 1984, J. Biol. Chem., 259:6882-6889). In the present study, a solid-phase separation assay verified the specific formation of a ternary complex of 192-IgG, the NGF receptor, and NGF: 125I-labeled 192-IgG precipitated from solution only when incubated with both solubilized NGF receptor and NGF covalently linked to a solid phase (Sepharose 4B). Filtration assays using plasma membrane preparations of various tissues showed strict correlation of 125I-192-IgG and 125I-labeled NGF binding; only membranes obtained from superior cervical ganglion bound significant amounts of the monoclonal antibody and NGF. Injection of 125I-192-IgG into the rat anterior eye chamber led to accumulation of intact antibody molecules in the ipsilateral superior cervical ganglion, indicating retrograde axonal transport of 125I-192-IgG from the neuronal termini, located at the iris, to the cell bodies situated in the ganglion. The time course and saturation characteristics of 125I-192-IgG retrograde transport were very similar to those previously reported for 125I-NGF transport, indicating that 192-IgG can be internalized and transported by the same mechanisms as is NGF. Consistent with results of the in vitro binding assays, 192-IgG and NGF failed to compete for retrograde transport and were actually co-transported. Retrograde axonal transport of 192-IgG appears to be species specific, since 125I-192-IgG was transported in the rat, but not in mice, gerbils, hamsters, or guinea pigs. These results establish monoclonal antibody 192-IgG as a specific probe for the rat NGF receptor in vitro and in vivo.

Animals↗

Selective destruction of nerve growth factor receptor-bearing cells in vitro using a hybrid toxin composed of ricin A chain and a monoclonal antibody against the nerve growth factor receptor.

A hybrid toxin composed of ricin A chain and a monoclonal antibody directed against the rat nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor (192-IgG) was prepared using the heterobifunctional cross-linking agent N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)-propionate and purified by affinity chromatography. Characterization studies showed that the hybrid, 192-s-s-A, displaced bound 125I-labeled 192-IgG from rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) membranes with an IC50 3-5 times lower than that of unconjugated 192-IgG. When incubated with cultured rat SCG neurons, 192-s-s-A inhibited protein synthesis in a concentration-dependent fashion. The effect of 192-s-s-A on these neurons was reversed by coincubation with an excess of 192-IgG. The IC50 of 192-s-s-A on protein synthesis in rat SCG neurons was 4 nM. Intact ricin and ricin A chain inhibited protein synthesis in these neurons with IC50 values of 5 pM and 500 nM, respectively. The 192-s-s-A hybrid had no effect on mouse SCG neurons or a human melanoma cell line known to have NGF receptors. This is consistent with the finding that 192-IgG recognizes only the rat NGF receptor. Also, 192-s-s-A did not inhibit protein synthesis in primary cultures of rat skeletal muscle or Vero cells, which do not have cell surface receptors for NGF. 192-s-s-A was able to inhibit protein synthesis in PC12 cells but the potency was 10-100 times less in these cells compared to rat SCG neurons. Ricin and A chain were also 10-100 times less potent in PC12 cells than neurons. Rat SCG neurons exposed to 192-s-s-A lost their refractile appearance under phase-contrast optics, showed granular degeneration of neurites, and died. Thus the decreased protein synthesis caused by the hybrid toxin correlated with the morphological destruction of the neurons. 192-s-s-A represents a potentially powerful tool by which to selectively destroy NGF receptor-bearing cells in vitro. The hybrid toxin may prove useful as an in vivo toxin.

Animals↗

Evidence for formation of two thioether bonds to link heme to apocytochrome c by partially purified cytochrome c synthetase.

Cytochrome c synthetase has been solubilized from yeast mitochondria using Triton X-100 and fractionated with ammonium sulfate. Use of this partially purified enzyme has permitted us to isolate a quantity of iso-1-cytochrome c formed from 125I-labeled apocytochrome c and hemin in the presence of a NADPH-generating system. Visible absorption spectra (pH 8.0 or 5.0) including alpha, beta, and Soret bands and their molar absorption coefficients of this enzymatically synthesized cytochrome c in the oxidized and reduced states are the same, within experimental error, as those of native cytochrome c. Pyridine ferrohemochrome (pH 13) of the synthesized species also exhibits the same alpha and beta bands as those of iso-l-cytochrome c and similar to those reported for heme peptides of cytochrome c. If only one or no thioether bond were formed between the two vinyl side groups of heme and the cysteine residues of apocytochrome c, all these alpha and beta bands would have shifted to red (Pettigrew, G. W., Leaver, J. L., Meyer, T. E., and Ryle, T. E. (1975) Biochem J. 147, 291-302). Thus, two thioether bonds appear to be formed to link heme to apocytochrome c by cytochrome c synthetase, completing information of the three-dimensional structure of cytochrome c.

Cytochrome c Group↗

Inhibition of cholera toxin activation of the adenylate cyclase system in intact HeLa cells.

Cholera toxin treatment activates the adenylate cyclase in intact HeLa cells. However, pretreatment of the cells with chemicals known to inhibit receptor internalization and lysosomal processing blocks the toxin activation. The agents found to inhibit the effect of cholera toxin include methylamine, ammonium chloride, chloroquine and dansylcadaverine. These chemicals did not affect either the binding of )125I)-cholera toxin to HeLa cells nor the ability of A1 peptide to activate the adenylate cyclase in plasma membrane preparations. We conclude that these chemicals act on the processing of the toxin subsequent to its binding and that internalization and lysosomal processing mediate the release of the active fragment from cholera toxin, which activates the adenylate cyclase system.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Rubella epidemic in an institution: protective value of live rubella vaccine and serological behavior of vaccinated, revaccinated and naturally immune groups.

A rubella epidemic occurred in an institutional population composed of 189 susceptible, 37 naturally immune, 35 previously vaccinated and 38 serologically uncharacterized children and nursing staff. The epidemic lasted 3.5 months and showed more than 5 waves. Detailed clinical and serological examinations of these subjects were made. A rash appeared in 156 (52%) of 299 persons, including 145 (87%) of 166 unvaccinated and serologically uncharacterized subjects, but not in the 72 immune persons. In the middle of the 3rd wave urgent vaccination of 61 children aged 0 to 2 years of the susceptible group reduced the rate of appearance of a rash to 11 of the children (18%), as compared with 126 (98%) of 128 subjects in the unvaccinated non-immune group. The epidemic only reached a 4th wave in the vaccinated group, but it extended to a 5th wave or more in unvaccinated subjects. None of the 35 subjects in a previously vaccinated group developed rubella, although the rate of subclinical reinfection in this previously vaccinated group was higher (35%) than that in the naturally immune group (17%). Three cases of subclinical reinfection were detected even among 6 previously revaccinated subjects.

Adolescent↗