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Toshio Hirano

Publications and source records attributed to Toshio Hirano.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Adapter molecule Grb2-associated binder 1 is specifically expressed in marginal zone B cells and negatively regulates thymus-independent antigen-2 responses.

Grb2-associated binder 1 (Gab1) is a member of the Gab/daughter of sevenless family of adapter molecules involved in the signal transduction pathways of a variety of growth factors, cytokines, and Ag receptors. To know the role for Gab1 in hematopoiesis and immune responses in vivo, we analyzed radiation chimeras reconstituted with fetal liver (FL) cells of Gab1(-/-) mice, because Gab1(-/-) mice are lethal to embryos. Transfer of Gab1(-/-) FL cells of 14.5 days post-coitum rescued lethally irradiated mice, indicating that Gab1 is not essential for hematopoiesis. Although mature T and B cell subsets developed normally in the peripheral lymphoid organs, reduction of pre-B cells and increase of myeloid cells in the Gab1(-/-) FL chimeras suggested the regulatory roles for Gab1 in hematopoiesis. The chimera showed augmented IgM and IgG1 production to thymus-independent (TI)-2 Ag, although they showed normal responses for thymus-dependent and TI-1 Ags, indicating its negative role specific to TI-2 response. Gab1(-/-) splenic B cells stimulated with anti-delta-dextran plus IL-4 plus IL-5 showed augmented IgM and IgG1 production in vitro that was corrected by the retrovirus-mediated transfection of the wild-type Gab1 gene, clearly demonstrating the cell-autonomous, negative role of Gab1. Furthermore, we showed that the negative role of Gab1 required its Src homology 2-containing tyrosine phosphatase-2 binding sites. Cell fractionation analysis revealed that nonfollicular B cells were responsible for the augmented Ab production in vitro. Consistent with these results, the Gab1 gene was expressed in marginal zone B cells but not follicular B cells. These results indicated that Gab1 is a unique negative regulator specific for TI-2 responses.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2002

Requirement of Gab2 for mast cell development and KitL/c-Kit signaling.

Mast cells are thought to participate in a variety of immune responses, such as parasite resistance and the allergic reaction. Mast cell development depends on stem cell factor (Kit ligand) and its receptor, c-Kit. Gab2 is an adaptor molecule containing a pleckstrin homology domain and potential binding sites for SH2 and SH3 domains. Gab2 is phosphorylated on tyrosine after stimulation with cytokines and growth factors, including KitL. Gab2-deficient mice were created to define the physiological requirement for Gab2 in KitL/c-Kit signaling and mast cell development. In Gab2-deficient mice, the number of mast cells was reduced markedly in the stomach and less severely in the skin. Bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) from the Gab2-deficient mice grew poorly in response to KitL. KitL-induced ERK MAP kinase and Akt activation were impaired in Gab2-deficient BMMCs. These data indicate that Gab2 is required for mast cell development and KitL/c-Kit signaling.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2002

Crystallographic studies on human BST-1/CD157 with ADP-ribosyl cyclase and NAD glycohydrolase activities.

cADPR is the novel second messenger that elicits calcium release from intracellular calcium stores and works independently of IP(3). In mammals, the ADP-ribosyl cyclase function is found in two membrane proteins, CD38 and BST-1/CD157. These enzymes, exposed extracellularly, bear cADPR hydrolase and NAD glycohydrolase activities. In spite of its functional importance, the structural basis of these enzymatic reactions remains elusive. We determined the crystal structures of the extracellular region of human BST-1 at atomic resolution in the free form and in complexes with five substrate analogues: nicotinamide, NMN, ATPgammaS, ethenoNADP, and ethenoNAD. The three-dimensional structural views of the reaction centre with these ligands revealed the mode of substrate binding and the catalytic mechanism of the multifunctional enzymatic reactions. In each catalytic cleft of the dimeric enzyme, substrates are recognized predominantly through van der Waals interactions with two tryptophan residues, and thereby the N-glycosidic bond of NAD is correctly exposed near a catalytic glutamate residue. Its carboxyl side-chain stabilizes the catalytic intermediate of the S(N)-1 type reaction. This conformation of the catalytic cleft also implies the mechanism of cyclization between the adenine base and the ribose. The three key residues are invariant among the sequences of BST-1, CD38, and Aplysia cyclase, and hence this substrate recognition mode and catalytic scheme appear to be common in the cyclase family.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗
PubMed2002

A novel repressor-type homeobox gene, ved, is involved in dharma/bozozok-mediated dorsal organizer formation in zebrafish.

Dharma/Bozozok (Dha/Boz) is a homeodomain protein containing an Engrailed homology (Eh) 1 repressor motif. It is important in zebrafish dorsal organizer formation. Dha/Boz interacted with a co-repressor Groucho through the Eh1 motif. Expression of a Dha/Boz fused to the transcriptional activator VP16 repressed dorsal axis formation and the expression of organizer genes but led to the dorsal expansion of expression of the homeobox gene vox/vega1, indicating that Dha/Boz functions as a transcriptional repressor for dorsal axis formation. We also isolated a novel homeobox gene, ved, whose expression was negatively regulated by dha/boz. ved's sequence and expression profile were similar to those of vox/vega1 and vent/vega2. Like Vox/Vega1 and Vent/Vega2, Ved acted as a transcriptional repressor. The combined inhibition of ved, vox/vega1, and vent/vega2, by antisense morpholino injection, strongly dorsalized the embryos and elicited ventral expansion of organizer gene expression, compared with the effect of inhibiting each of these genes alone. These results suggest that ved is a target for the repressor Dha/Boz. Ved functions redundantly with vox/vega1 and vent/vega2 to restrict the organizer domain.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2002

Stat3 Controls Cell Movements during Zebrafish Gastrulation.

Vertebrate axis formation requires both the correct specification of cell fates and the coordination of gastrulation movements. We report that the zebrafish signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is activated on the dorsal side by the maternal Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Zebrafish embryos lacking Stat3 activity display abnormal cell movements during gastrulation, resulting in a mispositioned head and a shortened anterior-posterior axis, but show no defects in early cell fate specification. Time course analysis, cell tracing, and transplantation experiments revealed that Stat3 activity is required cell autonomously for the anterior migration of dorsal mesendodermal cells and non-cell autonomously for the convergence of neighboring paraxial cells. These results reveal a role for Stat3 in controlling cell movements during gastrulation.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

IL-6 in autoimmune disease and chronic inflammatory proliferative disease.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6), which was originally identified as a B-cell differentiation factor, is now known to be a multifunctional cytokine that regulates the immune response, hematopoiesis, the acute phase response, and inflammation. Deregulation of IL-6 production is implicated in the pathology of several disease processes. The expression of constitutively high levels of IL-6 in transgenic mice results in fatal plasmacytosis, which has been implicated in human multiple myeloma. Increased IL-6 levels are also observed in several diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic-onset juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA), osteoporosis, and psoriasis. IL-6 is critically involved in experimentally induced autoimmune disease, such as antigen-induced arthritis (AIA), and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. All these clinical data and animal models suggest that IL-6 plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Here we review the evidence for the involvement of IL-6 in the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory proliferative diseases (CIPD) and discuss the possible molecular mechanisms of its involvement.

Animals↗