Biomedical subjects

Vinay Kumar

Publications and source records attributed to Vinay Kumar.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of recombinant class B non-specific acid phosphatase of Salmonella typhimurium.

The aphA gene of Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium strain MD6001 was cloned in the multicopy plasmid pBluescript SK(-). The recombinant AphA protein was purified to homogeneity. The protein crystallized in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 112.4, b = 130.2, c = 139.6 A. Consistent with the self-rotation function, there are two tetramers in the asymmetric unit, indicating a solvent content of approximately 54%. The crystals are composed of biologically active AphA molecules.

Acid Phosphatase↗

PubMed2003

Cutting edge: the NK cell receptor 2B4 augments antigen-specific T cell cytotoxicity through CD48 ligation on neighboring T cells.

2B4 is expressed on all NK and a subset of memory/effector CD8(+) T cells. 2B4 binds to CD48 and activates NK cytotoxicity, but its function on CD8(+) T cells is not clear. Furthermore, two isoforms of 2B4 (2B4S and 2B4L) exist in mice but the role of individual isoforms is not known. To address these questions, we generated primary T cell cultures from L(d)-specific 2C/Rag2(-/-) TCR transgenic mice and transduced them with 2B4S or 2B4L. 2B4S- or 2B4L-transduced T cells showed greater cytotoxicity over control cells against CD48(+) and CD48(-) targets, suggesting that ligation of 2B4 by CD48 on target cells was not necessary for 2B4 function. Rather, 2B4/CD48 interaction on adjacent T cells appeared to be critical for cytotoxicity. Therefore, 2B4 functions as a costimulator of CD8(+) T cells in MHC-restricted cytotoxicity. We conclude that 2B4/CD48 interactions among T cells themselves can augment CTL lysis of their specific targets.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed2003

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of recombinant class A non-specific acid phosphatase of Salmonella typhimurium.

The phoN gene of Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium strain MD6001 was cloned in the multicopy plasmid pBluescript SK(-). The nucleotide sequence of the cloned gene differs from the corresponding S. typhimurium LT2 sequence at 23 residues, leading to 15 amino-acid differences, but was very close to the S. typhi phoN sequence (only three nucleotide and two amino-acid differences). The recombinant PhoN protein was purified to homogeneity. Two forms of crystals were harvested from a single crystallization condition. Diffraction intensity data were collected using a laboratory X-ray source to resolution limits of 2.5 and 2.8 A for crystals belonging to space group C2 and C222(1), respectively. Based on non-crystallographic symmetry, four monomers of PhoN are expected to be present in the asymmetric unit of the C2 unit cell. Two monomers of a biologically active dimer in the asymmetric unit of the C222(1) unit cell are expected from the Matthews coefficient.

Acid Phosphatase↗

PubMed2003

A new conformer of 20-hydroxyecdysone from Sesuvium portulacastrum: an x-ray crystallographic study.

X-ray single crystal analysis of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E, 2), an important insect moulting hormone, isolated from Sesuvium portulacastrum Linn. was found to exhibit a unique stereochemical configuration revealing it to be a different conformer (polymorph) possessing the aliphatic chain atoms in a trans configuration. Moreover, the analysis also revealed the presence of three molecules of water of crystallisation thereby restricting the freedom of the aliphatic side chain.

Aizoaceae↗

PubMed2003

Dietary dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits bone marrow and leukemia cell transplants: role of food restriction.

Dietary dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) inhibits the proliferation of syngeneic bone marrow cells (BMC) infused into lethally irradiated mice. Potential mechanisms for suppression of hematopoiesis were evaluated and the findings were as follows: (i) depletion of NK, T, B or macrophage cells failed to reverse suppression by DHEA; (ii) stem cell stimulation by erythropoietin, growth hormone, interleukin-2, Friend leukemia virus, or cyclophosphamide failed to reverse suppression; (iii) supplementation of fatty acids, mevalonate, or deoxyribonucleotides, which are dependent upon glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase function, did not enhance BMC growth in mice fed DHEA; (iv) DHEA downstream metabolites 4-androstenedione and 17beta-estradiol, as well as the synthetic steroid, 16alpha-chloroepiandrosterone (but not testosterone or 5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol), also inhibited BMC growth. Tamoxifen antagonized the effects of 17beta-estradiol but not DHEA; (v) dietary DHEA causes hypothermia, but housing of DHEA-fed mice at 34 degrees C to maintain normal body temperature did not reverse suppression; (vi) DHEA leads to a decrease in food intake in rodents. Pair-feeding control diet to mice fed DHEA mimicked the effects of dietary DHEA; (vii) adrenalectomy and orchiectomy decrease the levels of stress and sex hormones, respectively. Neither procedure affected the ability of food restriction or DHEA feeding to inhibit hematopoiesis; (viii) growth of GR-3 NM pre-B leukemia cells in unirradiated mice was also suppressed by DHEA or food restriction. We conclude that DHEA, by reducing food intake in mice, inhibits bone marrow and leukemia cell growth. The precise mechanism(s) by which reduced food intake per se inhibits hematopoiesis is not known, but may involve an increased rate of cellular apoptosis.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Definition of additional functional ligands for Ly49I(B6) using FVBLy49I(B6) transgenic mice and B6 natural killer cell effectors.

BACKGROUND: Natural killer (NK) cells use inhibitory Ly49 receptors to differentiate self from foreign cells based on interactions with major histocompatibility (MHC) class I molecules. Inhibitory receptors may recognize multiple MHC class I molecules. Studies to define ligands for the Ly49 receptors are complicated by the fact that receptors are expressed in overlapping subsets on NK cells. Binding studies can predict which MHC class I molecules are ligands for Ly49 receptors, but functional tests are required to substantiate results from binding studies. METHODS: We developed Ly49 receptor transgenic mice and studied the function of Ly49I(B6) in FVB.Ly49I(B6) transgenic mice using bone marrow transplantation assays to determine additional functional ligands for Ly49I(B6). We have also used fluorescence-activated cell sorting to isolate specific populations of B6 NK cells bearing Ly49I for use as effectors in chromium-release assays against a panel of Concanavalin A blast targets. RESULTS: Bone marrow transplantation studies indicate that H2-K(b), H2(s), and H2(v) serve as functional ligands for Ly49I(B6). In vitro cytotoxicity assays indicate that Ly49I recognizes H2(q), but not H2(d) or H2(k), target cells to inhibit NK killing. CONCLUSIONS: These data add support to previous binding studies by showing functional interactions between the B6-strain Ly49I and H2-K(b), H2(s), H2(v), and H2(q) class I antigens.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

B6 strain Ly49I inhibitory gene expression on T cells in FVB.Ly49IB6 transgenic mice fails to prevent normal T cell functions.

Inhibitory Ly49 receptors expressed on NK cells provide a mechanism for tolerance to normal self tissues. The immunoregulatory tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs present in some Ly49s are able to transmit an inhibitory signal upon ligation by MHC class I ligands. In our system, as well as others, mice transgenic for inhibitory Ly49 receptors express these receptors on both NK and T cells. FVB (H2(q)) mice transgenic for the B6 strain Ly49I (Ly49I(B6)) express the inhibitory Ly49 receptor on the surface of both T and NK cells. Although Ly49I functions to prevent NK-mediated rejection of H2(b) donor bone marrow cells in this transgenic mouse strain, the T cells do not appear to be affected by the expression of the Ly49I transgene. FVB.Ly49I T cells have normal proliferative capabilities both in vitro and in vivo in response to the Ly49I ligand, H2(b). In vivo functional T cell assays were also done, showing that transgenic T cells were not functionally affected. T cells in these mice also appear to undergo normal T cell development and activation. Only upon stimulation with suboptimal doses of anti-CD3 in the presence of anti-Ly49I is T cell proliferation inhibited. These data are in contrast with findings in Ly49A, and Ly49G2 receptor transgenic models. Perhaps Ly49I-H2(b) interactions are weaker or of lower avidity than Ly49A-H-2D(d) interactions, especially in T cells.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Relationships between early B- and NK-lineage lymphocyte precursors in bone marrow.

Recent studies have demonstrated that lineage marker-negative (Lin(-)) c-kit(Lo) Flk-2/Flt3(+) IL-7R(+) Sca-1(Lo) CD27(+) Ly-6C(-) Thy-1(-)CD43(+) CD16/32(Lo/-) terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)(+) cells in murine bone marrow are functional lymphocyte precursors. However, it has not been clear if this is an obligate intermediate step for transit of multipotential hematopoietic stem cells to natural killer (NK) cells. We have now used serum-free, stromal cell-free cultures to determine that NK progenitors are enriched among an estrogen-regulated, c-kit(Lo) subset of the Lin(-) fraction. However, several experimental approaches suggested that this population is heterogeneous and likely represents a stage where B and NK lineages diverge. Although most B-cell precursors were directly sensitive to estrogen in culture, much of the NK-cell precursor activity in that fraction was hormone resistant. B-lineage potential was largely associated with interleukin 7 receptor alpha (IL-7R(alpha)) expression and was selectively driven in culture by IL-7. In contrast, many NK precursors did not display detectable amounts of this receptor and their maturation was selectively supported by IL-15. Finally, single-cell experiments showed that the Lin(-) c-kit(Lo) fraction contains a mixture of B/NK, B-restricted, and NK-restricted progenitors. Two-step culture experiments revealed that NK precursors become hormone resistant on or before acquisition of CD122, signaling commitment to the NK lineage. CD45R is preferentially, but not exclusively, expressed on maturing B-lineage cells. Production of these 2 blood cell types is regulated in bone marrow by common and then independent mechanisms that can now be studied with greater precision.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

2B4 is constitutively associated with linker for the activation of T cells in glycolipid-enriched microdomains: properties required for 2B4 lytic function.

2B4 is a receptor belonging to the Ig superfamily and is found on all murine NK cells as well as a small subset of T cells. Previous studies have found that cross-linking of the 2B4 receptor results in both increased cytotoxicity and IFN-gamma secretion. We have discovered that 2B4 from transfected NK and T cell lines, as well as from primary murine cells, coimmunoprecipitates with the phosphoprotein linker for the activation of T cells (LAT), which is essential for TCR-mediated signaling. This association is independent of both 2B4 phosphorylation and the cytoplasmic tail of 2B4. We have found that, along with LAT, 2B4 is constitutively located in glycolipid-enriched microdomains of the plasma membrane. In fact, 2B4 appears to associate with LAT only when it localizes to glycolipid-enriched microdomains. This localization of 2B4 occurs due to a CxC cysteine motif found in the transmembrane region, as determined by mutagenesis studies. 2B4-mediated cytotoxicity is defective in the absence of LAT, indicating that LAT is a required intermediate for 2B4 signal transduction. However, we have also shown that LAT association alone is not sufficient for maximal 2B4 activation.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

PubMed2002

Murine natural killer cell progenitors and their requirements for development.

Molecules that are essential to natural killer (NK) cell development have been identified mostly through characterizing knock-out mice that exhibit NK deficiencies. Such studies have shown that the interaction of membrane lymphotoxin (LT) on NK cells with its receptor on stromal elements is necessary for inducing a permissive microenvironment for NK development. Also, transcription factors such as Id2, interferon regulatory factors-1 (IRF-1), IRF-2, and Ets-1 are indispensable while PU.1 has a somewhat selective role. In addition, recent studies have identified T/NK progenitors (T/NKPs) in the fetal liver that precede migration to the fetal thymus as well as the earliest committed NK precursors in the bone marrow.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Emergent repair of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm using an AneuRx stent-graft.

PURPOSE: To report a case of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) treated with a commercially available endoluminal graft. CASE REPORT: Ruptured AAA was diagnosed in a 58-year-old man with lower abdominal pain, hypotension, and syncope. A contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scan confirmed the presence of a 7-cm ruptured infrarenal AAA associated with a large retroperitoneal hematoma. The aneurysm was successfully excluded with a bifurcated AneuRx stent-graft placed through a femoral approach in an emergent procedure. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day. CT scans at 1 and 10 months demonstrated complete resolution of the retroperitoneal hematoma and continued exclusion of the aneurysm. CONCLUSIONS: The AneuRx stent-graft can be successfully applied for the treatment of a ruptured AAA in emergency situations.

Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal↗

PubMed2002

Decrease of core body temperature in mice by dehydroepiandrosterone.

Dietary dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reduces food intake in mice, and this response is under genetic control. Moreover, both food restriction and DHEA can prevent or ameliorate certain diseases and mediate other biological effects. Mice fed DHEA (0.45% w/w of food) and mice pair-fed to these mice (food restricted) for 8 weeks were tested for changes in body temperature. DHEA was more efficient than food restriction alone in causing hypothermia. DHEA injected intraperitoneally also induced hypothermia that reached a nadir at 1 to 2 hr, and slowly recovered by 20 to 24 hr. This effect was dose dependent (0.5-50 mg). Each mouse strain tested (four) was susceptible to this effect, suggesting that the genetics differ for induction of hypophagia and induction of hypothermia. Because serotonin and dopamine can regulate (decrease) body temperature, we treated mice with haloperidol (dopamine receptor antagonist), 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (serotonin production inhibitor), or ritanserin (serotonin receptor antagonist) prior to injection of DHEA. All of these agents increased rather than decreased the hypothermic effects of DHEA. DHEA metabolites that are proximate (5-androstene-3beta, 17beta-diol and androstenedione) or further downstream (estradiol-17beta) were much less effective than DHEA in inducing hypothermia. However, the DHEA analog, 16alpha-chloroepiandrosterone, was as active as DHEA. Thus, DHEA administered parentally seems to act directly on temperature-regulating sites in the body. These results suggest that DHEA induces hypothermia independent of its ability to cause food restriction, to affect serotonin or dopamine functions, or to act via its downstream steroid metabolites.

5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intussusception due to gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the colon: diagnosis by colonoscopy.

Intussusception of the intestine is rare in adults. We report a case of a 45-year-old male who presented with long-standing pyrexia of unknown origin, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal bleeding and constitutional symptoms. Colonoscopic examination revealed a large invaginated mass suggestive of colonic intussusception due to gastrointestinal stromal tumour of the colon. His symptoms disappeared after surgical removal of the tumour.

Colonic Neoplasms↗