Biomedical subjects

Roger Chammas

Publications and source records attributed to Roger Chammas.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Structural and inhibitory properties of a plant proteinase inhibitor containing the RGD motif.

Purified from Bauhinia rufa seeds, BrTI is a Kunitz proteinase inhibitor that contains the RGD sequence. BrTI inhibits trypsin (K(iapp) 2.9 nM) and human plasma kallikrein (K(iapp) 14.0 nM) but not other related enzymes. The synthetic peptide YLEPVARGDGGLA-NH(2) (70 microM) inhibited the adhesion to fibronectin of B16F10 (high-metastatic B16 murine mouse melanoma cell line) and of Tm5 (murine melanoma cell lines derived from a non-tumorigenic lineage of pigmented murine melanocytes, melan-a). YLEPVARGEGGLA-NH(2) in which Asp(9) was changed into Glu does not affect the cell attachment. Moreover, this peptide was functional only when the sequence present in the native protein was preserved, since YLIPVARGDGGLA-NH(2) in which Glu(3) was changed into Ile does not interfere with B16F10 and was less effective on Tm5 cell line adhesion. Neither YLEPVARGDGGLA-NH(2), YLIPVARGDGGLA-NH(2) or YLEPVARGEGGLA-NH(2) inhibit the interaction of RAEC (endothelial cell line from rabbit aorta) with fibronectin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Proteomic and SAGE profiling of murine melanoma progression indicates the reduction of proteins responsible for ROS degradation.

Using 2-DE of total cell protein extracts, we compared soluble proteins from murine melanoma lines Tm1 and Tm5 with proteins from the nontumoral cell melan-a from which they were derived. Seventy-one of the 452 spots (average) detected with CBB were differentially accumulated, i.e., increased or decreased twofold. Forty-four spots were identified by PMF/MALDI-TOF, 15 with increased and 29 with decreased protein levels. SAGE showed that 17/34 (50%) of the differentially accumulated proteins, pI range 4-7, presented similar differences at the mRNA level. Major reductions in protein were observed in tumor cells of proteins that degrade reactive oxygen species (ROS). Decreases of > or = twofold in GST, superoxide dismutase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, thioredoxin, peroxiredoxin 2, and peroxiredoxin 6 protein were observed. SAGE indicated the reduction of other proteins involved in ROS degradation. As expected, the accumulation of exogenous peroxides was significantly higher in the tumor cells while the levels of glutathionylation were two times lower in the tumor cells compared to melan-a. The differential accumulation of proteins involved in oncogene/tumor suppressor pathways was observed. Melanoma cells can favor survival pathways activated by ROS by inhibiting p53 pathways and activation of Ras and c-myc pathways.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Melanocyte transformation associated with substrate adhesion impediment.

Exclude experimental models of malignant transformation employ chemical and physical carcinogens or genetic manipulations to study tumor progression. In this work, different melanoma cell lines were established after submitting a nontumorigenic melanocyte lineage (melan-a) to sequential cycles of forced anchorage impediment. The great majority of these cells underwent anoikis when maintained in suspension. After one deadhesion cycle, phenotypic alterations were noticeable in the few surviving cells, which became more numerous and showed progressive alterations after each adhesion impediment step. No significant differences in cell surface expression of integrins were detected, but a clear electrophoretic migration shift, compatible with an altered glycosylation pattern, was observed for beta1 chain in transformed cell lines. In parallel, a progressive enrichment of tri- and tetra-antennary N-glycans was apparent, suggesting increased N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V activity. Alterations both in proteoglycan glycosylation pattern and core protein expression were detected during the transformation process. In conclusion, this model corroborates the role of adhesion state as a promoting agent in transformation process and demonstrates that cell adhesion disturbances may act as carcinogenic stimuli, at least for a nontumorigenic immortalized melanocyte lineage. These findings have intriguing implications for in vivo carcinogenesis, suggesting that anchorage independence may precede, and contribute to, neoplastic conversion.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Toxoplasma gondii infection reveals a novel regulatory role for galectin-3 in the interface of innate and adaptive immunity.

In attempts to investigate the role of galectin-3 in innate immunity, we studied galectin-3-deficient (gal3-/-) mice with regard to their response to Toxoplasma gondii infection, which is characterized by inflammation in affected organs, Th-1-polarized immune response, and accumulation of cysts in the central nervous system. In wild-type (gal3+/+) mice, infected orally, galectin-3 was highly expressed in the leukocytes infiltrating the intestines, liver, lungs, and brain. Compared with gal3+/+, infected gal3-/- mice developed reduced inflammatory response in all of these organs but the lungs. Brain of gal3-/- mice displayed a significantly reduced number of infiltrating monocytes/macrophages and CD8+ cells and a higher parasite burden. Furthermore, gal3-/- mice mounted a higher Th1-polarized response and had comparable survival rates on peroral T. gondii infection, even though they were more susceptible to intraperitoneal infection. Interestingly, splenic cells and purified CD11c+ dendritic cells from gal3-/- mice produced higher amounts of interleukin-12 than cells from gal3+/+ mice, possibly explaining the higher Th1 response verified in the gal3-/- mice. We conclude that galectin-3 exerts an important role in innate immunity, including not only a pro-inflammatory effect but also a regulatory role on dendritic cells, capable of interfering in the adaptive immune response.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Transient inflammatory response induced by apoptotic cells is an important mediator of melanoma cell engraftment and growth.

Two murine melanoma cell lines, Tm1 and Tm5, were derived from a nontumorigenic lineage of pigmented murine melanocytes, melan-a. Both Tm1 and Tm5 are invariably tumorigenic in syngeneic mice when inoculated s.c. in doses higher than 10(4) cells; 10(3) or fewer cells rarely give rise to tumors. We demonstrate that subtumorigenic inocula of Tm1 or Tm5 cells (10(3)) as well as of a known murine melanoma cell line (B16F10) develop as vigorously growing tumor grafts only when coinoculated with apoptotic, but not necrotic cells. The presence of apoptotic cells correlates with a transient inflammatory infiltrate, composed mainly of neutrophils and macrophages. Kinin B1 receptor-deficient mice, which have impaired transmigration of neutrophils to inflamed tissues, had significant growth inhibition of subtumorigenic doses of melanoma cells coinjected with apoptotic cells. Using the same model, tumor take in athymic mice was similar to that seen in wild-type mice, suggesting that a T cell-dependent inflammatory response is not necessary to promote the survival and growth of subtumorigenic doses of melanoma cells. Taken together, our results describe how tumor engraftment and growth can be profoundly affected by microenvironmental alterations in response to the presence of apoptotic cells. Disrupting the delicate balance between apoptotic cells and leukocyte infiltration may provide potentially important insights for understanding and interfering with tumor cell viability during treatment with either gamma-radiation or apoptosis-inducing drugs.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Changes in the proteomic profile during differentiation and maturation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells stimulated with granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor/interleukin-4 and lipopolysaccharide.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are highly specialized antigen-presenting cells that play an essential role in the immune response. We used the proteomic approach based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to identify the protein changes that occur during differentiation of DCs from monocytes (Mo) stimulated with granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor/interleukin-4 (GM-CSF/IL-4) and during the maturation of immature DCs stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Sixty-three differentially expressed proteins (+/- two-fold) were unambiguously identified with sequence coverage greater than 20%. They corresponded to only 36 different proteins, because 11 were present as 38 electrophoretic forms. Some proteins such as tropomyosin 4 and heat shock protein 71 presented differentially expressed electrophoretic forms, suggesting that many of the changes in protein expression that accompany differentiation and maturation of DCs occur in post-translationally modified proteins. The largest differences in expression were observed for actin (21-fold in Mo), Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor 2 (20-fold in Mo), vimentin (eight-fold in immature DCs), lymphocyte-specific protein 1 (12-fold in mature DCs) and thioredoxin (14-fold in mature DCs). Several proteins are directly related to functional and morphological characteristics of DCs, such as cytoskeletal proteins (cytoskeleton rearrangement) and chaperones (antigen processing and presentation), but other proteins have not been assigned specific functions in DCs. Only a few proteins identified here were the same as those reported in proteomic studies of DCs, which used different stimuli to produce the cells (GM-CSF/IL-4 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha). These data suggest that the DC protein profile depends on the stimuli used for differentiation and especially for maturation.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Molecular engineering of an EGFP/disintegrin-based integrin marker.

Disintegrins are viper venom peptides, which bind integrins with high affinity (10(-8) M) and selectivity. Among them, eristostatin (Er) selectively binds and inhibits alphaIIbbeta3 integrin function. In this work we have engineered an enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP)-tagged Er as an alphaIIbbeta3 biomarker to be used in bioassays involving fluorescence detectors. For this, we have first constructed an EGFP bacterial expression vector, which resulted in a 6xHis tag-coding region followed by the EGFP gene and a 3' multiple cloning site (MCS) comprising nine restriction sites. This vector, termed pAZ, was used to clone the Er gene, resulting in a 32 kDa EGFP-Er fusion protein when expressed as characterized by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Both EGFP-Er and EGFP (expressed from the empty pAZ vector) were purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) and their fluorescence was measured showing similar values, thus suggesting that the Er portion is not affecting the EGFP activity. EGFP-Er, but not EGFP selectively bound to immobilized platelets as detected by confocal microscopy indicating the preservation of Er disintegrin activity and its potential use as a marker for alphaIIbbeta3 integrin. Our data suggest the use of the pAZ vector for expressing soluble EGFP-labeled proteins and the use of EGFP-fused disintegrins as markers for integrins.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Galectin-3 as an immunohistochemical tool to distinguish pilocytic astrocytomas from diffuse astrocytomas, and glioblastomas from anaplastic oligodendrogliomas.

The distinction of astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, mainly pilocytic astrocytomas (PILOs) from infiltrating astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas (ODs), and high-grade oligodendrogliomas from glioblastomas (GBMs), poses a serious clinical problem. There is no useful immunohistochemical (IHC) marker to differentiate these gliomas, and sometimes the differential diagnosis between them is arbitrary. We identified galectin-3 (Gal-3) as a possible tool to differentiate them based on gene expression profiles of GBMs. We confirmed the differential expression in 45 surgical samples (thirteen GBMs; seven PILOs; 5 grade II ODs; 5 anaplastic oligodendrogliomas [AODs], including 2 Oligo-astrocytomas; 8 diffuse astrocytomas [ASTs], and 7 non-neoplastic samples) by quantification of Gal-3 gene expression by real-time quantitative PCR (rt-PCR). Higher expression of Gal-3 was observed in GBMs and PILOs than in OD, AODs and ASTs. The IHC expression of Gal-3 was evaluated in 90 specimens (fifteen PlLOs, fourteen ASTs, 10 anaplastic astrocytomas, fifteen GBMs, eleven ODs, fifteen AODs, and 10 dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors). The mean labeling score for Gal-3 determined according to the percentage of labeled cells in the tumor bulk was significantly different in GBMs versus AODs and in PILOs versus ASTs. Hence, Gal-3 is differentially expressed in central nervous system tumors, making IHC detection of Gal-3 a useful tool in distinguishing between these gliomas.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Galectin-3 modulates carbohydrate-dependent thymocyte interactions with the thymic microenvironment.

The process of thymocyte differentiation occurs within the context of the thymic microenvironment, in which T cell precursors interact with thymic microenvironmental cells and extracellular matrix. Here we studied the expression of galectin-3, a beta-galactoside binding lectin, in the thymus of young adult mice. Galectin-3 was found mainly in the medulla and to a lesser extent in the cortex. We further showed that distinct microenvironmental elements, such as thymic epithelial cells, the epithelial component of thymic nurse complexes and phagocytic cells of the thymic reticulum produce, secrete and accumulate galectin-3 on the cell surface. Functionally, galectin-3-enriched medium inhibited in vitro thymocyte interactions with thymic microenvironmental cells, accelerated the release of thymocytes from thymic nurse cells and inhibited the reconstitution of these lymphoepithelial complexes. These effects were blocked by exogenous lactose (Galbeta1-4Glc), but not melibiose (Galalpha1-6Glc), and by a monospecific anti-galectin-3 antibody. Recombinant galectin-3 also inhibited thymocyte/thymic epithelial cell interactions. Our data indicate that intrathymically produced galectin-3 disrupts thymocyte/microenvironmental cell interactions, thus acting as a de-adhesion molecule.

Animals↗