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R J Youle

Publications and source records attributed to R J Youle.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Angiogenin is a cytotoxic, tRNA-specific ribonuclease in the RNase A superfamily.

Angiogenin is a 14.4-kDa human plasma protein with 65% homology to RNase A that retains the key active site residues and three of the four RNase A disulfide bonds. We demonstrate that recombinant angiogenin functions as a cytotoxic tRNA-specific RNase in cell-free lysates and when injected into Xenopus oocytes. Inhibition of protein synthesis by angiogenin correlates with degradation of endogenous oocyte tRNA. Exogenous, radiolabeled tRNA is also hydrolyzed by angiogenin, whereas oocyte rRNA and mRNA are not detectably degraded by angiogenin. Protein synthesis was restored to angiogenin-injected oocytes by injecting the RNase inhibitor RNasin plus total Xenopus or calf liver tRNAs, thereby demonstrating that the tRNA degradation induced by angiogenin was the sole cause of cytotoxicity. A similar tRNA-reversible inhibition of protein synthesis was seen in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. Angiogenin therefore appears to be a specific cellular tRNase, whereas five homologues in the RNase A superfamily lack angiogenin's specificity for tRNA. One of these homologues purified from human eosinophils, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin, nonspecifically degrades oocyte RNA similar to RNase A and is also cytotoxic at very low concentrations.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Cytotoxic ribonuclease chimeras. Targeted tumoricidal activity in vitro and in vivo.

Monoclonal antibodies to the transferrin receptor or to the T cell antigen, CD5, were chemically linked to mammalian RNase A and found to specifically inhibit protein synthesis in antigen-positive cells. Antibody-mediated specificity of these cytotoxic ribonuclease chimeras (CRCs) was demonstrated in three ways. 1) Toxicity was due to the chemical linkage of RNase to antibody, as the individual components added separately or in combination did not inhibit protein synthesis; 2) the anti-transferrin receptor CRCs inhibited protein synthesis in those cells expressing the human transferrin receptor (K562, U251, Jurkat cells) but had no detectable toxicity to cells lacking the human transferrin receptor (Vero or NIH 3T3 cells); 3) free antibody to either the human transferrin receptor (454A12 or 5E-9) or to the T cell antigen, CD5 (T101), blocked the cytotoxicity of the respective CRC. Two CRC species, designated P1 and P2, that differed in size and stoichiometry of RNase A to antibody, were purified by size-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography. The higher molecular weight P1 conjugate had an IC50 of 20-30 nM, whereas the P2 conjugate had a higher IC50 of 300-500 nM. Bioactivity could be reversibly increased more than 10-fold by freezing. The cytotoxicity of the CRCs was examined in vivo in a solid tumor animal model. Intratumoral injections of an anti-transferrin receptor CRC into established U251 human glioblastoma tumors grown in the flanks of nude mice prevented tumor growth, whereas RNase A mixed with antibody was ineffective. CRCs, therefore, express cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Mammalian nucleases coupled to antibodies may be utilized as cell type-selective cytotoxins and have potential as pharmacologic reagents. The systemic toxicity and immunogenicity observed with mammalian derived cytotoxins may be significantly less than that of the currently employed plant- and bacterial-derived immunotoxins.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Cell surface and intracellular functions for ricin galactose binding.

The role of the two galactose binding sites of ricin B chain in ricin toxicity was evaluated by studying a series of ricin point mutants. Wild-type (WT) ricin and three ricin B chain point mutants having mutations in either 1) the first galactose binding domain (site 1 mutant, Met in place of Lys-40 and Gly in place of Asn-46), 2) the second galactose binding domain (site 2 mutant, Gly in place of Asn-255), or 3) both galactose binding domains (double site mutant containing all three amino acid replacements formerly stated) were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and then reassociated with recombinant ricin A chain. The different ricin B chains were mannosylated to the same extent. Cytotoxicity of these toxins was evaluated when cell entry was mediated either by galactose-containing receptors or through an alternate receptor, the mannose receptor of macrophages. WT ricin and each of the single domain mutants was able to kill Vero cells following uptake by galactose containing receptors. Lactose blocked the toxicity of each of these ricins. Site 1 and 2 mutants were 20-40 times less potent than WT ricin, and the double site mutant had no detectable cytotoxicity. WT ricin, the site 1 mutant, and the site 2 mutant also inhibited protein synthesis of mannose receptor-containing cells. Ricin can enter these cells through either a cell-surface galactose-containing receptor or through the mannose receptor. By including lactose in the cell medium, galactose-containing receptor-mediated uptake is blocked and cytotoxicity occurs solely via the mannose receptor. WT ricin, site 1, and site 2 mutants were cytotoxic to macrophages in the presence of lactose with the relative potency, WT greater than site 2 mutant greater than site 1 mutant. The double site mutant lacked cytotoxicity either in the absence or presence of lactose. Thus, even for mannose receptor-mediated toxicity of ricin, at least one galactose binding site remains necessary for cytotoxicity and two galactose binding sites further increases potency. These results are consistent with the model that the ricin B chain galactose binding activity plays a role not only in cell surface binding but also intracellularly for ricin cytotoxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Humanization of immunotoxins.

The construction and expression of a chimeric gene encoding a mouse/human antibody to the human transferrin receptor fused to the gene for angiogenin, a human homolog of pancreatic RNase, are described. F(ab')2-like antibody-enzyme fusions were prepared by linking the gene for human angiogenin to a chimeric anti-transferrin receptor heavy chain gene. The antibody-enzyme fusion gene was introduced into a transfectoma that secretes the chimeric light chain of the same antibody, and cell lines were cloned that synthesize and secrete the antibody-enzyme fusion protein of the expected size at a concentration of 1-5 ng/ml. Culture supernatants from clones secreting the fusion protein caused inhibition of growth and protein synthesis of K562 cells that express the human transferrin receptor but not toward a non-human-derived cell line that lacks this receptor. Whereas excess antibody to the same receptor did not itself inhibit protein synthesis, it was able to completely prevent the protein synthesis inhibition caused by the fusion protein. These results indicate that the cytotoxicity is due to a transferrin receptor-mediated mechanism involving the angiogenin portion of the fusion protein and demonstrate the feasibility of constructing recombinant antibody-RNase molecules capable of killing tumor cells bearing the transferrin receptor. The significance of the acquired cytotoxicity of a mouse/human chimeric antibody linked to a human protein may bear importantly in human therapeutic strategies that use mouse antibodies linked to toxins from plants or bacteria to target tumor cells. It is expected that the humanization of immunotoxins will lead to less toxicity and immunogenicity than currently available reagents.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Programmed cell death in heterokaryons. A study of the transfer of apoptosis between nuclei.

Thymocytes undergoing apoptosis induced by dexamethasone showed nuclear refractivity changes under Nomarski optics that correlated precisely with internucleosomal DNA degradation and was prevented by cycloheximide. When heterokaryons between thymocytes and 9L or NIH3T3 cells were examined, 99.75% of the nuclei in heterokaryons followed the original and distinct fate characteristic of the parental cells. Thymocyte nuclei proceeded to undergo apoptotic cell death, whereas the 9L and NIH3T3 nuclei in the heterokaryons did not show the morphologic changes of apoptosis or any DNA cleavage on gels, and remained viable and mitotic. Cycloheximide prevented the induction of apoptosis in thymocyte nuclei in the heterokaryons. An excess of up to seven thymocyte nuclei undergoing programmed cell death in a heterokaryon did not detectably damage the 9L nucleus, and an excess of six 9L nuclei did not protect the thymocyte nucleus from apoptosis. The proposed model stating that programmed cell death results from de novo synthesis of death-causing gene products is difficult to reconcile with these findings. A cell-type-specific activity, present in thymocyte nuclei before induction of apoptosis with corticosteroids and unable to diffuse between nuclei, appears to be responsible for DNA fragmentation. These results also show that nuclear disintegration is the trigger of thymocyte death and not a consequence of cell death due to another mechanism.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Apoptosis and DNA degradation induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium in neurons.

Apoptosis is a prominent mechanism of programmed cell death in lymphocytes and in cancer cells not previously found in neurons. We have identified apoptosis and internucleosomal DNA degradation in cultures of cerebellar granule neurons. 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, a selective neurotoxin that destroys the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway and results in a parkinsonian syndrome, increases the rate of apoptosis and kills cerebellar granule cells in culture via induction of programmed cell death. Inhibition of gene expression in granule cells with cycloheximide prevents the MPP(+)-induced apoptosis and the DNA fragmentation. Our findings demonstrate a new pathway of neuron death and suggest the possibility that neurodegenerative diseases may result from the inappropriate activation of programmed cell death by apoptosis.

1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium↗
PubMed1991

Cytotoxic potential of ribonuclease and ribonuclease hybrid proteins.

Pancreatic RNase injected into Xenopus oocytes abolishes protein synthesis at concentrations comparable to the toxin ricin yet has no effect on oocyte protein synthesis when added to the extracellular medium. Therefore RNase behaves like a potent toxin when directed into a cell. To explore the cytotoxic potential of RNase toward mammalian cells, bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A was coupled via a disulfide bond to human transferrin or antibodies to the transferrin receptor. The RNase hybrid proteins were cytotoxic to K562 human erythroleukemia cells in vitro with an IC50 around 10(-7) M whereas greater than 10(-5) M native RNase was required to inhibit protein synthesis. Cytotoxicity requires both components of the conjugate since excess transferrin or ribonuclease inhibitors added to the medium protected the cells from the transferrin-RNase toxicity. Compounds that interfere with transferrin receptor cycling and compartmentalization such as ammonium chloride decreased the cytotoxicity of transferrin-RNase. After a dose-dependent lag period inactivation of protein synthesis by transferrin-RNase followed a first-order decay constant. In a clonogenic assay that measures the extent of cell death 1 x 10(-6) M transferrin-RNase killed at least 4 logs or 99.99% of the cells whereas 70 x 10(-6) M RNase was nontoxic. These results show that RNase coupled to a ligand can be cytotoxic. Human ribonucleases coupled to antibodies also may exhibit receptor-mediated toxicities providing a new approach to selective cell killing possibly with less systemic toxicity and importantly less immunogenicity than the currently employed ligand-toxin conjugates.

Ammonium Chloride↗
PubMed1991

Comparison of RNases and toxins upon injection into Xenopus oocytes.

Several toxins abolish cellular protein synthesis by attacking specific sites in 28 S RNA. One of these toxins, alpha-sarcin, is an RNase that also cleaves nonspecifically on the 3' side of purines in deproteinized RNA. Several other RNases were injected into Xenopus oocytes, examined for their ability to abolish protein synthesis, and compared with alpha-sarcin and ricin. Surprisingly, pancreatic RNase A or B abolished oocyte protein synthesis at concentrations (approximately 0.03 nM) comparable to, or lower than, the amount of alpha-sarcin (approximately 2 nM) or ricin (approximately 0.07 nM) required to abolish protein synthesis. RNases S and T1 only inhibited oocyte protein synthesis when used at concentrations approximately 10 x higher than RNase A whereas RNases C, T2, U2, and nuclease P1 required concentrations approximately 100 times higher than RNase A to abolish protein synthesis. There was a direct correlation between the degradation of oocyte RNA and the inhibition of protein synthesis. The RNase inhibitors RNasin and Inhibit-Ace injected into the oocyte both prevented RNase A from hydrolyzing oocyte rRNA and abolishing protein synthesis. Enzymatically inactive oxidized RNase A did not inhibit protein synthesis when injected into the oocyte. None of the RNases or alpha-sarcin abolished protein synthesis when added to oocyte extracellular medium. Angiogenin is a human plasma protein that induces blood vessel formation in chick embryos, has 35% amino acid identity with RNase A, and cleaves 18 S and 28 S RNA in rabbit reticulocyte lysates (St. Clair, D. K., Rybak, S. M., Riordan, J. F. & Vallee, B. L. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7263-7268, and references therein). Recombinant angiogenin injected into oocytes abolished protein synthesis, and this toxic effect was inhibited by RNasin but was not inhibited by Inhibit-Ace. Unlike RNase A and the other nucleases that hydrolyzed cellular rRNA, no cleavage of 18 or 28 S RNA by recombinant angiogenin was seen at concentrations 100 x greater than necessary to abolish protein synthesis. Recombinant angiogenin must selectively attack specific RNA(s) or another target in the cell.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Comparison of protein synthesis inhibition kinetics and cell killing induced by immunotoxins.

Immunotoxins comprised of a monoclonal antibody covalently coupled to recombinant ricin A chain or to a binding-defective form of diphtheria toxin were compared with respect to their rates of protein synthesis inhibition and efficiencies of killing target cells. Protein synthesis inhibition rates were established by measuring the incorporation of L-[14C]leucine in toxin-treated cells relative to untreated cells at several times after exposure of cells to an immunotoxin. Cell killing was assessed by a limiting dilution assay which measures the number of cells surviving toxin treatment relative to untreated cells. At equivalent protein concentrations, the diphtheria toxin immunotoxin inhibited protein synthesis significantly more rapidly than the ricin A immunotoxin but, contrary to previous predictions, achieved a significantly lower cell kill. Thus, the kinetics of protein synthesis inactivation do not necessarily correlate with killing efficiencies. Possible explanations for these results are that the effect of the diphtheria toxin immunotoxin on protein synthesis is partially reversible or that the diphtheria toxin immunotoxin enters the cytosol at a faster rate than the ricin A immunotoxin but also is degraded at a faster rate.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1991

Suppression of the immune response to immunotoxins with anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies.

Treatment of normal mice with a mAb to CD4 (GK1.5) was explored as a means of inhibiting the antibody response to an immunotoxin. Three days of pretreatment with 200 micrograms of GK1.5 completely abrogated the primary antibody response to a 3-micrograms dose of a mutant diphtheria toxin conjugated to an anti-transferrin receptor antibody. The same dose and schedule of anti-CD4 antibody significantly reduced and delayed, but did not prevent, the anamnestic antitoxin response in animals that had been previously primed to the immunotoxin. Three daily injections of anti-CD4 antibodies followed by weekly doses of immunotoxin resulted in a 3-wk delay in the development of antitoxin antibodies, and the kinetics of the antitoxin response correlated with the kinetics of recovery of CD4+ T cells in the spleen and lymph nodes. The antitoxin response to repeated doses of immunotoxin was completely abrogated when anti-CD4 antibodies were given every 2 wk throughout the course of immunotoxin treatment. Thus, transient depletion of Th cells during treatment can block the immune response to an immunotoxin. There was no evidence of tolerance induction with this regimen.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Mutations in diphtheria toxin to improve immunotoxin selectivity and understand toxin entry into cells.

Diphtheria toxin can be used to selectively kill target cells by coupling it to cell-type-specific binding moieties such as monoclonal antibodies. These reagents have important potential in treating diseases, selectively ablating cell populations in experimental systems and for understanding how proteins cross membranes. Point mutations and deletions in the diphtheria toxin gene have been used to identify and localize regions of diphtheria toxin involved in cell killing. Mutations have been identified that prevent binding of the toxin to a cell surface receptor yet these mutations do not inhibit the cell entry activity or the intracellular cytotoxicity of the toxin. Coupling of these mutant toxins to new, cell-type-specific binding moieties yields potent reagents with up to 200,000-fold selectivity between target and nontarget cells. Mutations and deletions in the membrane transport regions are beginning to explain how the toxin enters cells and may also help in the design of more effective therapeutic reagents.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Pharmacokinetic analysis of immunotoxin uptake in solid tumors: role of plasma kinetics, capillary permeability, and binding.

The delivery of cell-specific protein toxins to the interstitium of solid tumors was examined in athymic mice bearing s.c. human rhabdomyosarcoma (TE671) tumors. The toxins are diphtheria toxin (DT), Mr = 60,000, and an immunotoxin, Mr = 210,000. The immunotoxin is a chemical conjugate of a mutant DT defective in binding and a monoclonal antibody specific for the human transferrin receptor. The plasma, tumor, and muscle concentrations of DT, immunotoxin, and closely related nonbinding controls were measured 2, 6, and 24 h after i.v. injection into tumor-bearing mice. Both DT and immunotoxin are specific for the human xenograft in the mouse because DT is very toxic to human cells but not to murine cells and immunotoxin is directed against a human cell receptor. A compartmental pharmacokinetic model was developed for the analysis of the in vivo data to provide plasma-to-tissue transport constants (capillary permeability-area products), binding parameters (products of the association constant and the initial binding site concentration), and the interstitial fluid flow rate. The model also provides a simple mathematical framework for understanding the effect of these variables on the localization of macromolecules in tumors. The plasma-to-tissue transport constant of immunotoxin in TE671 tumor was 0.13 microliters/min/g, compared to 0.29 microliters/min/g for DT. However, despite the lower capillary permeability of the larger molecular weight toxin, the cumulative tumor exposure to immunotoxin was 80% higher than that to DT after 24 h. A longer plasma half-life and higher apparent in vivo binding parameter of immunotoxin compared to DT contributed to the higher tumor exposure. Plasma-to-tissue transport constants for tumor were 60 to 100% higher than those for muscle. This finding is consistent with observations by others that tumor vasculature is more permeable than are normal muscle capillaries. Also, the interstitial fluid flow of the tumor, 0.80 microliters/min/g, was higher than that of muscle, 0.58 microliters/min/g. The product of the binding affinity and binding site concentration for immunotoxin in vivo was 530 times lower than that predicted based on in vitro measurements. Lower expression of antigen binding sites, inaccessibility of binding sites in vivo, and degradation of the toxin are several possible factors that may account for the in vitro-in vivo differences in binding. This study illustrates the interrelationship of plasma kinetics, capillary permeability, and binding and their effects on toxin concentrations that are achieved in the tissue interstitium.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Diphtheria toxin mutant selectively kills cerebellar Purkinje neurons.

CRM107 (crossreacting material 107), a double point mutant of diphtheria toxin that lacks receptor-binding activity, specifically kills cerebellar Purkinje cells in vivo. After injection into guinea pig cerebrospinal fluid, CRM107 (0.9 micrograms) and CRM107-monoclonal antibody conjugates (10 micrograms) kill up to 90% of the total Purkinje cell population with no detectable toxicity to other neurons. Animals exhibit ataxia, tremor, and abnormalities of posture and tone. Native diphtheria toxin, ricin, and ricin A chain do not cause ataxia and do not reduce the Purkinje cell population after intrathecal injection into guinea pigs at toxic or maximally tolerated doses. However, in rats, which will tolerate higher doses of diphtheria toxin than guinea pigs, Purkinje cells can be killed by both CRM107 and diphtheria toxin. A truncated mutant of diphtheria toxin, called CRM45, can also cause Purkinje cell killing but has additional toxicity not seen with CRM107. Animals treated with intrathecal CRM107 or CRM107 linked to antibodies may serve as models for Purkinje cell loss in a broad spectrum of human diseases and may be used to further study cerebellar physiology. Understanding the basis for the Purkinje cell sensitivity to CRM107 may illuminate other causes of Purkinje cell loss.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Epidermal growth factor receptors on ependymomas and other brain tumors.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and transferrin receptor levels were determined in 14 intracranial neoplasms (four glioblastomas multiforme, four medulloblastomas, four ependymomas, one cerebellar astrocytoma, and one acoustic neurinoma) and in four samples of "normal" brain tissue. A competitive radioreceptor assay with 125I-epidermal growth factor and 125I-transferrin was performed using the primitive neuroectodermal tumor-derived TE-671 tissue-culture cell line as a standard. Epidermal growth factor receptors were present on TE-671 cells, all four ependymomas, and two of the four glioblastomas multiforme. The number of EGFR's per cell for ependymomas were estimated to range from 1000 to 6000. Transferrin receptors were detected on TE-671 cells, two of the four medulloblastomas, and one of the four glioblastomas multiforme. A cell surface binding assay, performed directly on the rat ependymal cell monolayer, was also analyzed. The identification of EGFR's on ependymomas and TR's on medulloblastomas suggests that malignant central nervous system tumors that spread by cerebrospinal fluid pathways may be treatable by intrathecal antibody-toxin conjugates. The presence of EGFR's on all of the ependymomas may reflect a role of the receptor in the malignant phenotype of this tumor.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Diphtheria toxin effects on brain-tumor xenografts. Implications for protein-based brain-tumor chemotherapy.

A model was developed to determine whether protein-based chemotherapeutic agents can cross the blood-brain barrier and successfully treat brain tumors. The human small-cell lung carcinoma N417D was grown as a solid tumor in the nude rat brain, and diphtheria toxin (DT) was administered intravenously as therapy. Because rat cells lack functional DT receptors and are 1000 to 10,000 times less sensitive to DT than human cells, a therapeutic window exists between the implanted human tumor and the nude rat host. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of DT were defined. Within 6 hours, more than 90% of the initial DT concentration was removed from the blood. The blood-to-tumor transfer constant Ki for DT in small N417D tumors was 0.49 microliters/gm-min, one-fourth to one-fifth the reported values for permeability to proteins in other experimental tumor models. Despite the toxin's short plasma half-life and the relatively intact blood-tumor barrier, DT administered intravenously as a single dose significantly extended animal survival. Untreated nude rats developed solid parenchymal tumors and died in 11 to 16 days (median 15 days). When administered at 0.1 micrograms/animal, DT increased the median survival time to 19 days (p less than 0.0016) while 1.0-microgram doses extended median survival times to 26.5 days (p less than 0.0002). A higher dose of DT (3.0 micrograms) had no further beneficial effect on survival (26.1 days). Blood-brain barrier constraints to successful monoclonal antibody-based therapies of brain tumors may have been overestimated since antibody conjugates have plasma half-lives longer than DT, and the permeability of N417D tumors to DT is equal to or less than the permeability of other experimental tumors to large proteins. Recently developed immunotoxins that have the higher potency of DT and a therapeutic window as wide as DT has in this nude rat/human tumor paradigm may be effective in treating brain tumors despite limited blood-tumor permeability.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

A point mutation of proline 308 in diphtheria toxin B chain inhibits membrane translocation of toxin conjugates.

Diphtheria toxin (DT) is a soluble protein that translocates across hydrophobic lipid bilayers in response to low pH. The translocation activity of DT has been localized to the 40-kDa toxin B chain and can be expressed independently of the C-terminal receptor binding site. Buried hydrophobic domains in DT are thought to participate in the membrane translocation process. We have identified a mutant form of DT, CRM 102, that has a point mutation at position 308 (Pro----Ser) within one of these hydrophobic domains. CRM 102 conjugated to a monoclonal antibody against the T cell receptor, the transferrin receptor, or transferrin itself is approximately 10-fold less toxic than native DT or a control DT mutant, CRM 103, linked to the same binding moieties. Direct measurement of membrane translocation activity by exposure of cells to low extracellular pH demonstrates that CRM 102 conjugates express only 10% of the translocation activity of the control toxin conjugates. However, when CRM 102 or 102 conjugates bind and kill cells via the DT receptor, no reduction in membrane translocation activity is observed. The defect in CRM 102 is not evident in the presence of 20 mM NH4Cl. The defect in translocation also has no effect on the ratio of the lag time before protein synthesis inhibition begins to the rate of protein synthesis inhibition. Thus, the proline-serine substitution at position 308 disrupts the membrane translocation process and distinguishes between two routes of DT entry: DT receptor-mediated entry and entry mediated by alternate receptors.

Animals↗