PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R D Klausner

Publications and source records attributed to R D Klausner.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Iron regulation of transferrin receptor mRNA levels requires iron-responsive elements and a rapid turnover determinant in the 3' untranslated region of the mRNA.

Post-transcriptional regulation of transferrin receptor mRNA levels by iron is mediated by a portion of the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the mRNA. We have previously shown that a 678 nucleotide fragment of the 3'UTR contains the regulatory element(s). Within this region are five RNA structures which resemble the iron-responsive element (IRE) in the 5' untranslated region of the ferritin mRNA which is regulated translationally by iron. The IREs from the ferritin and transferrin receptor mRNAs compete in an in vitro assay for interaction with a cytoplasmic protein; the activity of this IRE-binding protein is dependent upon the iron status of the cells. Based on further deletion analysis reported here, the sequence required for iron regulation of the transferrin receptor have been limited to 250 nucleotides which we have produced synthetically and cloned. This sequence, which contains three IREs, is capable of producing iron-dependent regulation of transferrin receptor levels. Removal of the three IREs from the synthetic element results in loss of iron regulation. Moreover, deletion of a single cytosine residue from each of the three IREs in the synthetic regulatory element eliminates high-affinity binding to the IRE-binding protein in vitro and results in low levels of iron-independent transferrin receptor expression, consistent with production of a constitutively unstable mRNA. These data indicate that the ability of the mRNA to interact with the IRE-binding protein is required for regulation of transferrin receptor mRNA levels by iron.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Activation-driven programmed cell death and T cell receptor zeta eta expression.

Activation of spontaneously dividing T cell hybridomas induces interleukin-2 (IL-2) production, a cell cycle block, and programmed cell death. T cell hybridomas that express the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) zeta homodimer (zeta 2), but not the TCR zeta eta heterodimer, were studied. The zeta eta- cells produced little or no inositol phosphates (IP) when stimulated with antigen. In most cases the hydrolysis of phosphoinositides was also impaired after stimulation with antibody to CD3, although one zeta eta- cell produced normal concentrations of IP. The zeta eta- cells slowed their growth and secreted IL-2 in response to both stimuli. However, the zeta eta- cells did not die after activation with antigen. Since activated thymocytes also undergo programmed cell death, these results may have important implications for the role of the zeta eta.TCR in negative selection.

Animals↗

Biochemical characterization of the eta chain of the T-cell receptor. A unique subunit related to zeta.

The T-cell antigen receptor is a multisubunit complex consisting of at least seven chains. Based upon structural and genetic considerations, we have divided these chains into three groups. The alpha and beta subunits (Ti) are the clonotypic chains responsible for antigen recognition. Three chains that are invariant among all T-cells define the CD3 complex. These include the CD3 gamma, delta, and epsilon chains. The zeta chain is a distinct component that, like the CD3 chains, is invariant among all T-cells. In the majority of receptors, zeta is found as a disulfide-linked homodimer. We have recently shown that approximately 10% of zeta is disulfide-linked to a chain which we have called eta. A preliminary model has been proposed, suggesting that there are two subclasses of receptors, depending upon the presence within the complex of either the zeta-zeta homodimer or the zeta-eta heterodimer. Evidence has been presented that these two subclasses may perform distinct signaling functions. In this paper the eta chain is characterized to determine whether it is structurally related to the zeta chain and, in particular, whether it might represent a post-translational modification of zeta. We can identify specific antigenic epitopes that are shared by both zeta and eta. However, not all antibodies raised against zeta can directly recognize eta. The apparent molecular mass of eta is 22 kDa, whereas zeta has a molecular mass of 16 kDa. We are unable to demonstrate any post-translational covalent modifications of eta to explain the difference in apparent molecular weight. These include phosphorylation, glycosylation, or sulfation. Amino acid incorporation studies demonstrate that the amino acid composition of eta is distinct from that of zeta. All of the eta in a T-cell is found in association with the rest of the components of the T-cell receptor. In addition, our anti-eta antibodies allow us to directly recognize human eta, which has an apparent molecular mass of approximately 23 kDa. Thus, eta and zeta appear to be related but distinct proteins, and we would propose that eta is the second member of the zeta group of components of the T-cell receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Chromosomal localization of nucleic acid-binding proteins by affinity mapping: assignment of the IRE-binding protein gene to human chromosome 9.

Three human mRNAs are regulated post-transcriptionally by iron via iron-responsive elements (IREs) contained in each mRNA. A cytoplasmic protein (IRE-BP) binds to these cis-acting elements and mediates the translational regulation of ferritin H- and L-chain mRNA and the iron-dependent stability of transferrin receptor (TfR) mRNA. We have taken advantage of the different mobilities of the human and rodent IRE/IRE-BP complexes on non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels to determine the chromosomal localization of the gene encoding the IRE-BP. Utilizing a panel of 34 different human/rodent hybrid cell lines we have assigned the IRE-BP gene to human chromosome 9. This new technique based on nucleic acid/protein interaction may allow determination of the chromosomal localization of other RNA- or DNA-binding proteins.

Animals↗

The isolation and characterization of the murine T cell antigen receptor zeta chain gene.

The T cell antigen receptor (TCR) is a multisubunit complex which has a dual function of antigen recognition and signal transduction. One of its invariant subunits, the zeta chain, has been shown to have a significant role in the expression and function of the TCR on the cell surface. The mouse and human zeta cDNAs share significant homologies to each other but are distinct from all of the previously characterized TCR components. We now report the isolation and structural analysis of the complete murine zeta gene. This gene spans at least 31 kilobases and divides into eight exons. The first exon, which is located at least 20 kilobases upstream from the second exon, codes for the 5'-untranslated region and most of the signal peptide. The second exon codes for the remainder of the signal peptide, the extracellular domain, the transmembrane domain, and the first three amino acids of the intracytoplasmic domain. Exons 3-7 encode the majority of the intracytoplasmic domain. The eight exon encodes the carboxyl-terminal 21 amino acids and the 3'-untranslated region. Four groups of mRNA initiation sites have been identified at approximately 140 base pairs upstream to the AUG codon. No TATA-like box has been detected. The gene is localized to the distal part of chromosome 1 in a linkage group highly conserved between man and mouse.

Animals↗

T cell activation induces rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of a limited number of cellular substrates.

Activation of murine T cells by antigen, antibodies binding the T cell antigen receptor, or stimulatory anti-Thy-1 antibodies results in rapid phosphorylation of the T cell receptor zeta chain on tyrosine residues. The T cell receptor is itself unlikely to be a tyrosine kinase; rather, it is probable that this receptor is coupled to a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase. To understand further this protein kinase pathway, additional targets of the tyrosine kinase have been sought by comparing anti-phosphotyrosine antibody immunoblots of cellular proteins from unactivated and activated T cell hybridomas. In addition to the T cell receptor zeta chain, two proteins of 53 and 62 kDa are phosphorylated on tyrosine residues after T cell activation. These phosphorylations require stimulatory anti-Thy-1 antibodies, antigen, or antireceptor antibody stimulation. The 53-kDa protein is preferentially phosphorylated by antigen or antireceptor antibody. Of interest is that variants of the murine T cell hybridoma lacking the T cell receptor zeta chain or lacking surface antigen receptor can nonetheless be stimulated by anti-Thy-1 antibodies to phosphorylate the 62-kDa substrate. In contrast to the tyrosine kinases of oncogenic viruses, the kinase coupled to the T cell antigen receptor appears to have a limited number of targets. These proteins are candidates for critical substrates in this protein tyrosine kinase pathway.

Animals↗

Brefeldin A implicates egress from endoplasmic reticulum in class I restricted antigen presentation.

Most antigens must be processed intracellularly before they can be presented, in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules at the cell surface, for recognition by the antigen-specific receptor of T cells. This processing appears to involve cleavage of protein antigens to smaller peptides. Only certain fragments of any protein can serve as T-cell epitopes and this is, at least in part, determined by the requirement that peptides be able to bind the MHC molecules. Class I restricted antigens are derived from proteins, such as viral antigens, that are synthesized within the presenting cell. Many of these antigens are cytosolic proteins and recent evidence suggests that it is in the cytosol that these proteins are processed to produce either the antigenic peptides or processed intermediates. How and where these processed cytosolic antigens cross the membrane of the vacuolar system and bind to the extracellular domain of the class I molecule is not known but one obvious site for this process is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), because this organelle is specialized to translocate proteins across the membrane from the cytosol into the secretory system. Based on this model, we reasoned that if we could pharmacologically block the movement of proteins out of the ER, endogenous antigen presentation would cease. An agent which causes such an effect is available--the fungal antibiotic Brefeldin A (BFA). Consistent with the above hypothesis, we report that BFA completely abolishes the ability of a cell to present endogenously synthesized antigens to class I restricted cytotoxic T cells.

Antigens, Viral↗

Oxidation-reduction and the molecular mechanism of a regulatory RNA-protein interaction.

Iron-responsive elements (IREs) are RNA motifs that have been identified within the 5' untranslated region of ferritin messenger RNA and the 3' untranslated region of transferrin receptor mRNA. A single IRE mediates iron-dependent control of ferritin translation, whereas multiple IREs are found in the region of the transferrin receptor mRNA responsible for iron-dependent control of mRNA stability. A cytosolic protein binds in vitro to the IREs of both mRNAs. The IRE-binding protein (IRE-BP) is shown to require free sulfhydryl groups for its specific interaction with the IRE. Treatment of lysates with reducing agents increases the binding activity, whereas agents that block sulfhydryls inhibit binding. Iron starvation, leading to decreased ferritin translation, results in increased binding activity, which is explained by an increase in the fraction of the IRE-BP that is in a fully reduced state.

Cytosol↗

Rapid redistribution of Golgi proteins into the ER in cells treated with brefeldin A: evidence for membrane cycling from Golgi to ER.

In cells treated with brefeldin A (BFA), movement of newly synthesized membrane proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus was blocked. Surprisingly, the glycoproteins retained in the ER were rapidly processed by cis/medial Golgi enzymes but not by trans Golgi enzymes. An explanation for these observations was provided from morphological studies at both the light and electron microscopic levels using markers for the cis/medial and trans Golgi. They revealed a rapid and dramatic redistribution to the ER of components of the cis/medial but not the trans Golgi in response to treatment with BFA. Upon removal of BFA, the morphology of the Golgi apparatus was rapidly reestablished and proteins normally transported out of the ER were efficiently and rapidly sorted to their final destinations. These results suggest that BFA disrupts a dynamic membrane-recycling pathway between the ER and cis/medial Golgi, effectively blocking membrane transport out of but not back to the ER.

Animals↗

A cytosolic protein binds to structural elements within the iron regulatory region of the transferrin receptor mRNA.

The level of mRNA encoding the transferrin receptor (TfR) is regulated by iron, and this regulation is mediated by a portion of the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the TfR transcript. This portion of 3' UTR of the human TfR mRNA contains five RNA elements that have structural similarity to the iron-responsive element (IRE) found as a single copy in the 5' UTR of the mRNA for ferritin, whose translation is regulated by iron. Moreover, five very similar elements are also contained in the 3' UTR of the chicken TfR mRNA. Cytosolic extracts of human cell lines are shown by a gel shift assay involving RNase T1 protection to contain an IRE-binding protein capable of specific interaction with the human TfR 3' UTR. When the protecting protein is removed, the protected RNA can be digested with RNase T1 to yield oligoribonucleotide fragments characteristic of two of the IREs contained in the TfR 3' UTR. As judged by cross-competition experiments, the same IRE-binding protein interacts with the ferritin IRE. The apparent affinity of RNA sequence elements for the IRE-binding protein is shown to depend upon the sequence of the RNA. A comprehensive secondary structure for the regulatory region of the TfR mRNA is proposed based on the experimentally demonstrated presence of at least two IRE-like structural elements.

Binding Sites↗

The iron-responsive element binding protein: a method for the affinity purification of a regulatory RNA-binding protein.

A method of affinity purification of a regulatory protein that binds specific RNA sequences is described. RNAs containing the regulatory sequences are transcribed in vitro from oligonucleotide templates, biotinylated, and incubated with unfractionated cytosol. Specific RNA-protein complexes are bound in solution to avidin, and the resulting complex is bound to biotin-agarose beads. The cytosolic binding protein is released from the RNA in high salt, and a second round of purification yields an essentially homogeneous protein. Using this method, we have identified the protein in human liver that binds iron-responsive RNA regulatory sequences. Iron-responsive elements (IREs) are RNA stem-loops present in the mRNAs encoding ferritin and the transferrin receptor. IREs form the basis for the translational regulation of ferritin gene expression and the regulation of transferrin receptor mRNA degradation rates. The IRE binding protein purified by this technique migrates as a 90-kDa polypeptide on SDS/PAGE. The interaction of the purified protein with IRE-containing RNAs can be detected by gel-mobility shift assays or by covalent crosslinking induced by UV irradiation.

Base Sequence↗

Pre-Golgi degradation of newly synthesized T-cell antigen receptor chains: intrinsic sensitivity and the role of subunit assembly.

The T cell antigen receptor (TCR) is a multisubunit complex composed of at least seven transmembrane chains. The predominant species in most T cells has the composition alpha beta gamma delta epsilon zeta 2. The roles of subunit assembly in transport out of the ER and in the recently described process of pre-Golgi degradation of newly synthesized TCR chains were analyzed in a T-cell line deficient in the synthesis of delta chains (delta 2) and in COS-1 fibroblasts transfected with genes encoding individual TCR chains. Studies with the delta-deficient T-cell line showed that, in the absence of delta, the other TCR chains were synthesized at normal rates, but, instead of being transported to the cell surface, they were retained in the ER. Analysis of the fate of TCR chains retained in the ER showed that they were degraded at vastly different rates by a nonlysosomal pathway. Whereas the alpha chains were degraded rapidly, gamma, zeta, and epsilon were relatively long-lived. To analyze whether this selective degradation was because of different intrinsic susceptibility of the individual chains to degradation or to the formation of resistant oligomers, TCR chains were expressed alone or in combinations in COS-1 fibroblasts. These studies showed that (a) individual TCR chains were degraded at different rates when expressed alone in COS-1 cells, and (b) sensitive chains could be stabilized by coexpression with a resistant chain. Taken together, these observations indicate that both intrinsic sensitivity and subunit assembly play a role in determining the rates at which newly synthesized TCR chains are degraded in the ER.

Animals↗

Regulation of interaction of the iron-responsive element binding protein with iron-responsive RNA elements.

The 5' untranslated region of the ferritin heavy-chain mRNA contains a stem-loop structure called an iron-responsive element (IRE), that is solely responsible for the iron-mediated control of ferritin translation. A 90-kilodalton protein, called the IRE binding protein (IRE-BP), binds to the IRE and acts as a translational repressor. IREs also explain the iron-dependent control of the degradation of the mRNA encoding the transferrin receptor. Scatchard analysis reveals that the IRE-BP exists in two states, each of which is able to specifically interact with the IRE. The higher-affinity state has a Kd of 10 to 30 pM, and the lower affinity state has a Kd of 2 to 5 nM. The reversible oxidation or reduction of a sulfhydryl is critical to this switching, and the reduced form is of the higher affinity while the oxidized form is of lower affinity. The in vivo rate of ferritin synthesis is correlated with the abundance of the high-affinity form of the IRE-BP. In lysates of cells treated with iron chelators, which decrease ferritin biosynthesis, a four- to fivefold increase in the binding activity is seen and this increase is entirely caused by an increase in high-affinity binding sites. In desferrioxamine-treated cells, the high-affinity form makes up about 50% of the total IRE-BP, whereas in hemin-treated cells, the high-affinity form makes up less than 1%. The total amount of IRE-BP in the cytosol of cells is the same regardless of the prior iron treatment of the cell. Furthermore, a mutated IRE is not able to interact with the IRE-BP in a high-affinity form but only at a single lower affinity Kd of 0.7 nM. Its interaction with the IRE-BP is insensitive to the sulfhydryl status of the protein.

Base Sequence↗

Architectural editing: determining the fate of newly synthesized membrane proteins.

Many integral membrane proteins exist on the plasma membrane as part of multicomponent complexes. In addition to correctly transporting newly synthesized proteins from their site of synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane, the cell must possess mechanisms to ensure that the complexes expressed on the cell surface are accurately assembled. The cell appears to accomplish this feat by superimposing a set of constraints on the newly synthesized membrane proteins whereby the structure and state of assembly of the protein determine its intracellular fate. These processes impose a dramatic level of post-translational regulation on the expression of surface membrane protein complexes. By and large, the cell uses these mechanisms to dispose of, or "edit out," newly synthesized proteins that are not correctly assembled or folded. This review will describe current views of the processes of architectural editing, with an emphasis on the regulation of cell surface expression of the multicomponent T-cell antigen receptor complex.

Amino Acid Sequence↗