Selection for beta 2-microglobulin mutation in mismatch repair-defective colorectal carcinomas.

Novel peptide antigens complexed with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M) molecules are presented at the cell surface to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), provoking lysis of the antigen-presenting cell [1]. In tumor cells, genetically altered or abnormally expressed proteins provide a source of peptides that can be presented to CTLs; the resulting anti-tumour CTL responses may provide part of the body's defence against cancer. Disabling mutations in the HLA and beta 2M proteins required for peptide presentation allow a tumour cell to escape destruction by CTLs. Cells with deficient DNA mismatch repair have high spontaneous mutation rates [2] and produce many altered proteins that are a potential source of numerous unique peptides. Mutator tumour cells might therefore be particularly vulnerable to immune surveillance and CTL attack. Mutator phenotypes [3,4] and loss of beta 2M (or HLA) expression [5,6] are both relatively common among sporadic colorectal tumours. We have compared the frequency of beta 2M mutations in sporadic colorectal and other tumours with and without a mutator phenotype. Mutations were more frequent among colorectal tumours with the microsatellite instability indicative of a defect in DNA mismatch repair. The inactivating beta 2M mutations were predominantly frameshifts, which is consistent with the underlying mismatch repair defects. Evasion of immune surveillance by acquiring beta 2M mutations therefore occurs at high frequency in tumour cells with a mutator phenotype due to defective DNA mismatch repair.

Comparative effects in vivo of recombinant murine interleukin 3, natural murine colony-stimulating factor-1, and recombinant murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor on myelopoiesis in mice.

Purified murine colony-stimulating factors (CSF) recombinant interleukin 3 (IL-3), natural CSF-1, and recombinant granulocyte-macrophage (GM) CSF were assessed in vivo for their effects on BDF1 mouse bone marrow and spleen granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), erythroid (BFU-E), and multipotential (CFU-GEMM) progenitor cells in untreated mice and in mice pretreated with purified iron-saturated human lactoferrin (LF). The CSF and LF preparations did not contain detectable endotoxin (less than 0.1 ng). Mice pretreated with LF were more sensitive to the effects of CSF. In mice pretreated with LF, 2,000 U IL-3 or 20,000 U CSF-1 significantly enhanced the cycling status and absolute numbers of all progenitors, whereas 20,000 U GM-CSF significantly increased the cycling status of CFU-GM and CFU-GEMM, but had no effect on cycling of BFU-E or on numbers of any of the progenitors. The effects of CSF in mice pretreated with LF were not mimicked by 0.1-100 ng E. coli lipopolysaccharide.

Modulation of Friend virus infectivity in vivo by administration of purified preparations of human lactoferrin and recombinant murine interleukin-3 to mice.

Purified iron-saturated human milk lactoferrin (LF) and purified recombinant murine interleukin-3 (IL-3) were assessed in vivo for their effects on replication of spleen focus forming viruses (SFFV) in spleens of DBA/2 mice injected with the polycythemia-inducing strain of the Friend virus complex. LF and IL-3, inoculated 2 hr prior to the administration of the polycythemia-inducing strain of the Friend virus complex, respectively decreased and increased the replication of SFFV in mice as assessed by the spleen focus forming unit assay in primary and secondary DBA/2 mice. Since virus infectivity is associated with the DNA synthetic phase of the cell cycle and it has been shown elsewhere that LF decreases and IL-3 increases the percent of hematopoietic progenitor cells in S-phase in vivo, the results suggest that the opposing actions of LF and IL-3 on replication of SFFV may reflect the actions of these molecules on cycling of the target cells for SFFV.

Purified human transferrin and "transferrin" released from sorted T8+ lymphocytes suppress release of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors from sorted T4+ lymphocytes stimulated by phytohemagglutinin.

Nonadherent, low-density E-rosette-positive human peripheral blood cells were separated into T4+ and T8+ lymphocytes by immuno-fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) with monoclonal antibodies OKT4 and OKT8. Both T4+ and T8+ lymphocytes released granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors (GM-CSF) in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Purified iron-saturated human transferrin (TF) suppressed release of GM-CSF only from the T4+ subset of lymphocytes. A TF-type inhibitory activity was released from the T8+ subset of lymphocytes alone, and this inhibitory activity, as well as that in purified TF, was inactivated by preincubation with antihuman TF monoclonal antibody (HT/1). These studies suggest that, at least in vitro, subsets of T-lymphocytes and TF may be involved in the regulation of myelopoiesis.

Correlation between CSF-1 responsiveness and expression of (CSF-1 receptor) c-fms in purified murine granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM).

The gene product of the viral proto-oncogene v-fms, associated with the feline sarcoma virus (SM-FeSV), is a glycoprotein of 170 kd with associated tyrosine kinase activity. The murine c-fms proto-oncogene produces a similar glycoprotein of 165 kd and has been implicated as a similar, if not identical, molecule to the cell surface receptor of the hematopoietic growth factor CSF-1. Employing a v-fms probe in an in situ hybridization assay we examined the expression of c-fms transcripts in a population of purified granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM). Using this approach, which requires only 10-20 thousand cells, we demonstrate that 53% of the cells in the purified CFU-GM containing fraction (FR-28) express c-fms transcripts. In the presence of natural purified CSF-1, 51% +/- 3% of FR-28 cells form colonies or clusters in a semi-solid culture assay system. 94% of the colonies and clusters stimulated by CSF-1 were morphologically macrophage in nature. In addition, 84% +/- 4% of FR-28 cells formed colonies and clusters when stimulated with pokeweed mitogen spleen cell conditioned medium (PWMSCM) in a similar in vitro assay (35% granulocyte, 29% macrophage and 39% mixed granulocyte/macrophage colonies). These results indicate there is a correlation between the responsiveness of CFU-GM progenitor cells to CSF-1 and the expression of c-fms RNA.

Correlation between CSF-1 responsiveness and expression of (CSF-1 receptor) c-fms in purified murine granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM).

The gene product of the viral proto-oncogene v-fms, associated with the feline sarcoma virus (SM-FeSV), is a glycoprotein of 170 kd with associated tyrosine kinase activity. The murine c-fms proto-oncogene produces a similar glycoprotein of 165 kd and has been implicated as a similar, if not identical, molecule to the cell surface receptor of the hematopoietic growth factor CSF-1. Employing a v-fms probe in an in situ hybridization assay we examined the expression of c-fms transcripts in a population of purified granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM). Using this approach, which requires only 10-20 thousand cells, we demonstrate that 53% of the cells in the purified CFU-GM containing fraction (FR-28) express c-fms transcripts. In the presence of natural purified CSF-1, 51% +/- 3% of FR-28 cells form colonies or clusters in a semi-solid culture assay system. 94% of the colonies and clusters stimulated by CSF-1 were morphologically macrophage in nature. In addition, 84% +/- 4% of FR-28 cells formed colonies and clusters when stimulated with pokeweed mitogen spleen cell conditioned medium (PWMSCM) in a similar in vitro assay (35% granulocyte, 29% macrophage and 39% mixed granulocyte/macrophage colonies). These results indicate there is a correlation between the responsiveness of CFU-GM progenitor cells to CSF-1 and the expression of c-fms RNA.

Monoclonal antibody (II2C) to human lactoferrin inactivates the myelopoietic suppressive effect of human lactoferrin in vitro.

A mouse monoclonal antibody was prepared against purified and fully iron-saturated human breast milk lactoferrin (LF). This antibody was of the IgG1 subclass, and recognized LF biosynthesized in low-density normal human bone marrow cells and LF stored in normal human polymorphonuclear neutrophils. This antibody did not recognize purified and iron-saturated human transferrin. The antibody inactivated the suppressive effects of purified and iron-saturated human milk LF and LF present in crude extracts of normal polymorphonuclear neutrophils against the release of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors from mononuclear blood leukocytes in vitro.

Monoclonal antibodies specific for a tumor-associated membrane phosphoprotein in human cell hybrids.

Four monoclonal antibodies, 5/138, 5/32, BD6 and 6/266, are reported which recognize a previously described membrane associated dimeric protein of Mr = 2 X 75,000 and whose expression is correlated with malignant phenotype in HeLa-normal fibroblast hybrids.

A mutated HLA-A*0101 allele in the colorectal cell line HCA-7.

The colorectal cell line HCA-7 expresses surface human leucocyte antigen-A*0201 (HLA-A*0201), but lacks expression of HLA-A*0101 whilst the normal B-cell line (EVA-1224), derived from the same individual, expresses both surface HLA-A1 and HLA-A2. Amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction analysis, using sequence-specific primers, suggested that HCA-7 has a mutation in a 7 base pair (bp) cytosine repeat sequence located at the beginning of Exon 4 (bp 621-627). Cloning and sequencing revealed HCA-7 to have eight cytosine residues in this repeat sequence. In contrast, EVA-1224 contained only 7 cytosines. Analysis of the mRNA for HLA-A*010 using reverse trancriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), with an allele-specific 5' primer in exon 2 (bp 253-271) and a series of 3' primers in exons 3, 4 and 7 and in the 3'untranslated region, revealed that HCA-7 contained a shortened message terminating in the region of the exon 3/4 boundary. The insertion of an extra cytosine in this region, which is only two bases from the exon 3/4 splice site, is presumed to lead to a splicing defect between exons 3 and 4 resulting in the lack of expression of a functional HLA-A*0101 product. HCA-7 is mismatch repair (MMR) defective due to lack of expression of hMLH1 resulting from hypermethylation of the promoter region. The consequential increase in errors in single-nucleotide repeat stretches of DNA can account for the HLA-A*0101 mutation. This has probably then been selected for in the tumour to enable escape from immune attack against an HLA-A*0101-restricted tumour-specific determinant that has also arisen as a result of the tumour being MMR defective.

Preclinical application of radioimmunoguided surgery using anti-carcinoembryonic antigen biparatopic antibody in the colon cancer.

Radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) has been known as a sophisticated tool to detect micrometastasis intraoperatively. A preclinical model of RIGS was designed to test the possible clinical applicability of the biparatopic antibody in detecting colorectal cancer. The biparatopic antibody was constructed using two anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific antibodies, T84.66 and PR1A3, reacting against two different epitopes. (125)I-labeled biparatopic antibody was introduced via the principal colonic arteries at the end of operation in 10 operable patients with colon cancer. After 24 h, the radioactivities of the tumors and lymph nodes were counted using the gamma-detecting probe. The radioactivity count was performed ex vivo. The accurate detection in the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes were 100 and 88.7% respectively. False-positive detections occurred in 24 of 256 lymph nodes (9.4%), whereas false-negative detections occurred in 5 of them (2%). The most frequent cause of false-positive detection was dissociated radionuclides trapped in the lymphatic tissues. False-negative detections occurred mainly from weak targeting by radiolabeled antibody, probably due to weak expression of tumor CEA. Conclusively, as most detection errors appear to be reduced within 3 days in vivo, the biparatopic antibody can efficiently be applied to the clinical RIGS, thereby facilitating accurate detection and removal of occult cancer foci in colorectal cancer.

Transformations of C21 and C19 steroids in porcine ovarian preparations and the chromatographic separation of the metabolites.

The separation of several C21 steroids, such as 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and androgens, such as testosterone, from the non-polar steroids like 16-androstenes has been achieved on one thin-layer chromatographic plate using a two-dimensional technique. This method has been further developed to include a separation of some oestrogens from C19 steroids. The thin-layer chromatographic development was then utilised to separate the metabolites of porcine ovarian incubations. Homogenised preparations of corpora lutea (5-14 days post ovulation) were incubated separately with [4-14C] testosterone, [4-14C] progesterone and [4-14C] pregnenolone, using NADPH as cofactor. After two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography the metabolites were identified by establishing their radiochemical purity either by repeated thin-layer chromatography or by gas-fraction collection. Pregnenolone was converted to small yields of 4,16-androstadien-3-one (0.13-0.28%) and 5 alpha-androst-16-en-3-one (less than 0.1%) and also to 17-hydroxypregnenolone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (0.8 and 0.37% respectively). Increased activity of 5-ene-3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/4,5-isomerase was shown by the high yields (73-83%) of progesterone obtained from pregnenolone. This was associated with decreased C-17.20 lyase activity as reflected in the relatively small amounts of 4-androstenedione obtained from both pregnenolone and progesterone. None of the well-known oestrogens or 16-androstenes was formed from progesterone or testosterone, but the latter was converted into 4-androstenedione, in small yield. Both pregnenolone and progesterone gave rise to a metabolite in 1-2% yield (of similar polarity to the 16-androstenes but separated from them by thin-layer chromatography on AgNO3-impregnated plates) which has been tentatively identified as 5 alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione. Incubations of porcine follicular fluid and tissue with labelled pregnenolone or progesterone did not result in the biosynthesis of labelled 16-androstenes.

Beta 2-microglobulin gene mutations: a study of established colorectal cell lines and fresh tumors.

The technique of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was used to screen a series of 37 established colorectal cell lines, 22 fresh tumor samples, and 22 normal DNA samples for mutations in the beta 2-microglobulin gene. Exon 1 (including the leader peptide sequence) and exon 2 were screened separately. Six of 37 colorectal cell lines and 1 of 22 fresh tumors were shown to contain mutations, whereas no mutations were detected in the normal DNA samples. Sequencing of these mutations showed that an 8-bp CT repeat in the leader peptide sequence was particularly variable, since 3 of the cell lines and one fresh tumor sample have deletions in this region. In the related cell lines, DLD-1 and HCT-15, two similar mutations were identified, a C-->A substitution in codon 10 and a G-->T mutation in the splice sequence of intron 1. Expression of beta 2-microglobulin was examined using a series of monoclonal antibodies in an ELISA system. Reduced expression correlated with a mutation in one allele of beta 2-microglobulin, whereas loss of expression was seen in instances where a line was homozygous for a mutation or heterozygous for two mutations.

The human chromosome content in human x rodent somatic cell hybrids analyzed by a screening technique using Alu PCR.

The ubiquitous nature of the Alu sequence throughout the human genome forms the basis of an assay we present here for analyzing the human chromosome content of human x rodent somatic cell hybrids. A human-specific Alu primer was used both to amplify sequences and to 32P label the products in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Unlabeled inter-Alu PCR products from two series of human x rodent hybrids were used to prepare dot blots which were probed with labeled inter-Alu products prepared from between 10(3) and 10(4) hybrid cells. In the first series we demonstrate that a labeled inter-Alu probe from the hybrid DL18ts, containing a single chromosome 18, on a dot blot hybridized only with those inter-Alu products containing chromosome 18. Similar specificity for human chromosome 5 was shown when a Southern blot of the PCR products was hybridized with a probe made from the hybrid HHW 213, which contains only chromosome 5p. Using a dot blot from a second series of control hybrids, 15 of which contained single human chromosomes, hybridization of a labeled probe from the hybrid 18X4-1 was shown to react specifically with the controls that expressed chromosome 18. Application of the technique reported here allows simple and rapid characterization of the human chromosome content in human x rodent hybrids.

Studies of 16-androstenes in an infant with virilizing adrenal carcinoma.

An 18-month-old girl with virilization was found to have an encapsulated right adrenal carcinoma (2 x3 cm) with great variation in nuclear size, frequent mitoses, and possible blood vessel invasion. Preoperative urinary excretions of 17-ketosteroids, androsterone, etiocholanolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, pregnanetriol, 3alpha-androstenol, and 3 beta-androstadienol were elevated; all showed a noticeable decrease postoperatively. Cortisol acetate, given preoperatively, produced a definite decrease in the urinary excretion of 17-ketosteroids and dehydroepiandrosterone; administration of corticotropin resulted in an increase in levels of urinary 17-ketosteroids, 17-hydroxycorticosteroids, and pregnanetriol. Urinary testosterone and 3beta-androstadienol may have diagnostic value since neither was suppressed by cortisol therapy. The behavior of both 3alpha-androstenol and 3beta-androstadienol in this study suggests that they are of adrenal origin.

Lactoferrin: affinity purification from human milk and polymorphonuclear neutrophils using monoclonal antibody (II 2C) to human lactoferrin, development of an immunoradiometric assay using II 2C, and myelopoietic regulation and receptor-binding characteristics.

Several investigators have now confirmed our original report demonstrating the myelopoietic suppressive activity of lactoferrin (LF) in vitro. In order to further clarify this activity, we used the recently produced and purified neutralizing antibody (II 2C) to LF to set up an immunoradiometric assay specific for LF and to affinity purify LF from lysates of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) obtained from healthy donors. Iron-saturated purified PMN LF was as active as iron-saturated affinity purified milk LF as a suppressor of the release of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factors (GM-CSF) from mononuclear human peripheral blood leukocytes. The activities of both the PMN LF and milk LF were inactivated by preincubation with monoclonal anti-LF antibody (II 2C). In order to evaluate the methods of iron saturation of LF in vitro as measures of their functional activities, milk LF was iron saturated by four different methods, including ferric citrate, ferric ammonium sulphate, ferric chloride with nitriloacetate, and ferric chloride alone. The functional characteristics of all four preparations of LF saturated with iron in vitro were relatively equal and were more active than native LF. Resident mouse peritoneal macrophages separated into subpopulations of GM-CSF-producing cells by velocity sedimentation were evaluated for their LF-receptor binding capacity and for sensitivity to the suppression of GM-CSF release by LF. Iron saturated LF suppressed release of GM-CSF from only those fractions containing LF-receptor bearing cells, although not all fractions containing cells bearing receptors for LF responded to the suppressive activity of LF. These studies provide further evidence for the myelopoietic regulatory activity in vitro of PMN-derived LF, which is mediated through populations of mononuclear phagocytes having receptors for LF.

Purified murine granulocyte/macrophage progenitor cells express a high-affinity receptor for recombinant murine granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Purified recombinant murine granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was labeled with 125I and used to examine the GM-CSF receptor on unfractionated normal murine bone marrow cells, casein-induced peritoneal exudate cells, and highly purified murine granulocyte/macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM). CFU-GM were isolated from cyclophosphamide-treated mice by Ficoll-Hypaque density centrifugation followed by counterflow centrifugal elutriation. The resulting population had a cloning efficiency of 62-99% in cultures containing conditioned medium from pokeweed mitogen-stimulated spleen cells and 55-86% in the presence of a plateau concentration of purified recombinant murine GM-CSF. Equilibrium binding studies with 125I-labeled GM-CSF showed that normal bone marrow cells, casein-induced peritoneal exudate cells, and purified CFU-GM had a single class of high-affinity receptor with an approximate Ka of 10(8)-10(9) M-1. CFU-GM expressed an average of 3783 +/- 4 receptors per cell; normal bone marrow cells, 1518 +/- 242 receptors per cell; and peritoneal exudate cells, 2025 +/- 216 receptors per cell. Affinity crosslinking studies demonstrated that 125I-labeled GM-CSF bound specifically to two species of Mr 180,000 and 70,000 on CFU-GM, normal bone marrow cells, and peritoneal exudate cells. The Mr 70,000 species is thought to be a proteolytic fragment of the intact Mr 180,000 receptor. The present studies indicate that the GM-CSF receptor expressed on CFU-GM and mature myeloid cells are structurally similar. In addition, the number of GM-CSF receptors on CFU-GM is twice the average number of receptors on casein-induced mature myeloid cells, suggesting that receptor number may decrease as CFU-GM mature.