Ebola Virus Persistence in Ocular Tissues and Fluids (EVICT) Study: Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction and Cataract Surgery Outcomes of Ebola Survivors in Sierra Leone.

BACKGROUND: Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors are at risk for uveitis during convalescence. Vision loss has been observed following uveitis due to cataracts. Since Ebola virus (EBOV) may persist in the ocular fluid of EVD survivors for an unknown duration, there are questions about the safety and feasibility of vision restorative cataract surgery in EVD survivors. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of EVD survivors anticipating cataract surgery and patients with active uveitis to evaluate EBOV RNA persistence in ocular fluid, as well as vision outcomes post cataract surgery. Patients with aqueous humor that tested negative for EBOV RNA were eligible to proceed with manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS). FINDINGS: We screened 137 EVD survivors from June 2016 - August 2017 for enrolment. We enrolled 50 EVD survivors; 46 with visually significant cataract, 1 with a subluxated lens, 2 with active uveitis and 1 with a blind painful eye due to uveitis. The median age was 24.0years (IQR 17-35) and 35 patients (70%) were female. The median logMAR visual acuity (VA) was 3.0 (Snellen VA Hand motions; Interquartile Range, IQR: 1.2-3.0, Snellen VA 20/320 - Hand motions). All patients tested negative for EBOV RNA by RT-PCR in aqueous humor/vitreous fluid and conjunctiva at a median of 19months (IQR 18-20) from EVD diagnosis in Phase 1 of ocular fluid sampling and 34months (IQR 32-36) from EVD diagnosis in Phase 2 of ocular fluid sampling. Thirty-four patients underwent MSICS, with a preoperative median VA improvement from hand motions to 20/30 at three-month postoperative follow-up (P<0.001). INTERPRETATION: EBOV persistence by RT-PCR was not identified in ocular fluid or conjunctivae of fifty EVD survivors with ocular disease. Cataract surgery can be performed safely with vision restorative outcomes in patients who test negative for EBOV RNA in ocular fluid specimens. These findings impact the thousands of West African EVD survivors at-risk for ocular complications who may also require eye surgery during EVD convalescence.

Molecular interaction between the Fyn-associated protein SKAP55 and the SLP-76-associated phosphoprotein SLAP-130.

It has previously been reported that in resting T-lymphocytes the protein tyrosine kinase p59 constitutively co-precipitates with four phosphoproteins of 43, 55, 85, and 120 kDa, respectively. We have recently cloned the 55-kDa protein that was termed Src kinase-associated phosphoprotein of 55 kDa (SKAP55). Here we demonstrate that the recently characterized SH2-domain-containing leukocyte protein 76-associated phosphoprotein of 130 kDa (SLAP-130) is one of the components of the Fyn complex and that it also co-precipitates with SKAP55 in human T-cells. We establish that SKAP55 and SLAP-130 associate with each other when both molecules are co-expressed in COS cells. By co-transfection of truncated mutants of SKAP55 and SLAP-130 as well as by using the two-hybrid selection system, we further demonstrate that the association between SLAP-130 and SKAP55 is direct and involves the Src homology 3 domain of SKAP55 and the proline-rich sequence of SLAP-130.

Molecular cloning of SLAP-130, an SLP-76-associated substrate of the T cell antigen receptor-stimulated protein tyrosine kinases.

Previous work has demonstrated that SLP-76, a Grb2-associated tyrosine-phosphorylated protein, augments Interleukin-2 promoter activity when overexpressed in the Jurkat T cell line. This activity requires regions of SLP-76 that mediate protein-protein interactions with other molecules in T cells, suggesting that SLP-76-associated proteins also function to regulate signal transduction. Here we describe the molecular cloning of SLAP-130, a SLP-76-associated phosphoprotein of 130 kDa. We demonstrate that SLAP-130 is hematopoietic cell-specific and associates with the SH2 domain of SLP-76. Additionally, we show that SLAP-130 is a substrate of the T cell antigen receptor-induced protein tyrosine kinases. Interestingly, we find that in contrast to SLP-76, overexpression of SLAP-130 diminishes T cell antigen receptor-induced activation of the interleukin-2 promoter in Jurkat T cells and interferes with the augmentation of interleukin-2 promoter activity seen when SLP-76 is overexpressed in these cells. These data suggest that SLP-76 recruits a negative regulator, SLAP-130, as well as positive regulators of signal transduction in T cells.

SLP-76 is a substrate of the high affinity IgE receptor-stimulated protein tyrosine kinases in rat basophilic leukemia cells.

Stimulation of the IgE high affinity receptor on rat basophilic leukemia RBL-2H3 cells results in activation of protein tyrosine kinases and rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of several substrates, many of which remain unidentified. In this report, we demonstrate that the Grb2 adapter protein, when expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein, associates with four tyrosine-phosphorylated molecules (116, 76, 36, and 31 kDa) from lysates of stimulated RBL-2H3 cells. We show further that the 76-kDa protein is SLP-76, a hematopoietic cell-specific protein first identified as a Grb2-binding protein in T cells. Upon stimulation of the high affinity receptor for IgE, SLP-76 undergoes rapid tyrosine phosphorylation and associates with two additional tyrosine phosphoproteins of 62 and 130 kDa via the SH2 domain of SLP-76. Additional studies demonstrate that the SLP-76 SH2 domain also binds a protein kinase from stimulated RBL-2H3 cell lysates. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of SLP-76 requires Syk activity but is not dependent on Ca+2 mobilization. These data, together with our previous work documenting its role in T-cell activation, suggest that SLP-76 and the proteins with which it associates may play a fundamental role in coupling signaling events in multiple cell types in the immune system.

Implication of the GRB2-associated phosphoprotein SLP-76 in T cell receptor-mediated interleukin 2 production.

Recently we described the molecular cloning of SLP-76, a hematopoietic cell-specific 76-kD protein that was first identified through its association with GST/Grb2 fusion proteins. The primary sequence of SLP-76 predicts a protein of 533 amino acids comprising an amino-terminal region with numerous potential tyrosine phosphorylation sites, a central region rich in proline residues, and a single carboxy-terminal SH2 domain. Here we demonstrate formally that Grb2 associates with unphosphorylated SLP-76 and map the Grb2 binding site on SLP-76 undergoes rapid tyrosine phosphorylation and associates with tyrosine phosphoproteins of 36, 62, and 130 kD. In vitro experiments show that the SH2 domain of SLP-76 associates with the 62- and 130-kD proteins and additionally with a serine/threonine kinase. Finally, we demonstrate that transient overexpression of SLP-76 results in dramatically enhanced TCR-mediated induction of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and interleukin (IL) 2 promoter activity; and we provide evidence that a functional SLP-76 SH2 domain is required for this effect. Our data document the in vivo associations of SLP-76 with several proteins that potentially participate in T cell activation and implicate SLP-76 itself as an important molecule in TCR-mediated IL-2 production.

Identification of the sites of interaction between lymphocyte phosphatase-associated phosphoprotein (LPAP) and CD45.

Human lymphocyte phosphatase-associated phospho-protein (LPAP) is a phosphoprotein of unknown function that noncovalently associates with CD45 in lymphocytes. In CD45-deficient human T cells, LPAP protein is synthesized at normal levels but is more rapidly degraded than in wild-type cells. Expression of CD45 cDNA rescues LPAP protein expression. This strongly suggests that LPAP is protected from degradation through its interaction with CD45. We have mapped the sites of interaction between LPAP and CD45 employing chimeric CD45 molecules and LPAP deletion mutants. Our data demonstrate that the interaction between LPAP and CD45 is mediated via the transmembrane regions of both molecules. In addition, the intracytoplasmic amino acids adjacent to the transmembrane region of LPAP may influence its binding to CD45.

Inhibition of cell proliferation by C/EBP alpha occurs in many cell types, does not require the presence of p53 or Rb, and is not affected by large T-antigen.

The transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP alpha) is expressed predominantly in differentiated tissues and is able to induce growth arrest and differentiation in preadipocytes. C/EBP alpha expression is high in non-dividing hepatocytes, but decreases during liver regeneration. These observations suggest that C/EBP alpha is inversely related to cell proliferation. To investigate the mechanism of growth inhibition by C/EBP alpha, the response of immortal human cells to cotransfection of a C/EBP alpha expression vector (CMV alpha) and a CMV beta-galactosidase expression vector was examined. Hep3B2, a hepatoma; Saos2, an osteosarcoma deficient for p53 and Rb; and 639, a fibroblast expressing SV40 T-antigen, were examined. Transiently transfected cells were stained for beta-gal activity to monitor their ability to undergo division. The ability of stable transformants to form colonies was also assessed for each cell line. Cells transfected with CMV alpha remained as non-dividing cells while control cells divided to form colonies. Mutations of the C/EBP alpha sequence demonstrated that only a small, previously uncharacterized activation domain was required for antimitotic activity. Our results suggest that C/EBP alpha may play a role in maintaining the quiescent state of hepatocytes and other cells. Furthermore, it appears that the effects of C/EBP alpha are not mediated through p53 or Rb and are not altered by T-antigen.

The CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP alpha) gene (CEBPA) maps to human chromosome 19q13.1 and the related nuclear factor NF-IL6 (C/EBP beta) gene (CEBPB) maps to human chromosome 20q13.1.

The CEBPA gene encoding CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP alpha) has been mapped to human chromosome 19 and the CEBPB (formerly TCF5) gene encoding NF-IL6 (C/EBP beta) to human chromosome 20 by Southern blot analysis of Chinese hamster x human and mouse x human somatic cell hybrids. CEBPA has been further mapped to 19q13.1 between the loci GPI and TGFB using human x hamster somatic cell hybrids containing restricted fragments of human chromosome 19. This position was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Furthermore, CEBPB has been mapped to 20q13.1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.