Elevated plasma osteopontin in metastatic breast cancer associated with increased tumor burden and decreased survival.

Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted, integrin-binding phosphoprotein that has been implicated in both normal and pathological processes; qualitative increases in OPN blood levels have been reported in a small number of patients with metastatic tumors of various kinds. We measured plasma OPN levels in 70 women with known metastatic breast carcinoma, 44 patient controls who were on follow-up after completion of adjuvant treatment for early breast cancer, and 35 normal volunteers. The median plasma OPN of patients with metastatic disease was 142 microgram/liter (range, 38-1312 microgram/liter) and was significantly different (P < 0.0001, Mann Whitney U test) from both control groups (medians, 60 and 47 microgram/liter; ranges, 15-117 and 22-122 microgram/liter). Furthermore, we found that increasing plasma OPN is associated with shorter survival (P < 0.001) when patients were grouped in terciles for plasma OPN. This was also demonstrated when using a Cox proportional hazards model. Median plasma OPN levels were significantly increased for three or more sites of involvement (median, 232 microgram/liter; n = 13) versus 1 or 2 metastatic sites (medians, 129 and 130 microgram/liter; n = 29 and 28, respectively). Plasma OPN levels were correlated with other biochemical markers related to the extent of disease, such as serum alkaline phosphatase, aspartate succinate aminotransaminase, and albumin (r = 0.81, 0.62, and -0.56, respectively; all P < 0.001). This study demonstrates a statistically significant elevation in plasma OPN in the majority ( approximately 70%) of a large series of patients with metastatic breast cancer when compared (95th percentile) to healthy women or patients who had completed adjuvant treatment for early-stage breast cancer. Furthermore, this is the first study to demonstrate that higher OPN levels in patients with metastatic breast cancer may be associated with an increased number of involved sites and decreased survival.

Insertional mutagenesis using a synthetic lac operator.

We have developed a novel cassette for generating insertion mutants in multi-copy bacterial plasmids. The cassette consists of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides (oligos) which form a DNA duplex following reconstitution in vitro, due to sequence complementarity. It contains a 21-bp segment of the lac operator (lacZo), to provide a readily detectable phenotypic marker. Bacterial colonies harboring plasmids with insertions of this cassette are blue due to constitutive expression of the lac operon resulting from titration of lac repressor molecules by plasmid-borne lacZo sequences. Synthetic oligos containing a desire sequence may be added to the cassette by complementary ends for targeted insertion into plasmids. Sequencing of the resulting insertion mutants is facilitated by using oligos within the cassette as primers for bidirectional sequencing. This allows a complete characterization of each insertion in terms of location, structure of flanking sequences, and orientation of the inserted oligo. We have used this system to construct a series of mutants in early region 1a genes of human adenovirus type 5. For this purpose we designed a cassette which had all three possible translational reading frames open when inserted in one orientation, and all reading frames closed in the other orientation. The cassette also had BamHI restriction sites at each end which could be used to 'collapse' mutants, reducing the size of each insert to 6 bp.

Nonrandom insertion of Tn5 into cloned human adenovirus DNA.

The bacterial transposable element Tn5 displays regional selectivity in target sites for transposition. To examine this integration specificity of Tn5, we have mapped 57 insertion events in a plasmid pXC1 containing a eukaryotic viral DNA fragment as a target for Tn5 insertional mutagenesis. We found a nonrandom distribution of integration sites in pXC1, suggesting preferred targets for transposition. However, DNA sequence analysis of seven mutants revealed no target site sequence specificity for Tn5 insertion. We demonstrated that the majority of these insertions mapped downstream from a fortuitous promoter sequence which was present and active in this cloned insert in pXC1. Furthermore, when this promoter region was removed, Tn5 was able to transpose into previously unused upstream target sequences. Our data suggest that transcriptional activity may influence Tn5 transposition.

Quantification of osteopontin in human plasma with an ELISA: basal levels in pre- and postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVES: To develop an immunoassay for osteopontin (OPN), a secreted phosphoglycoprotein that is implicated in a number of human diseases, and establish basal plasma OPN levels in healthy women. DESIGN AND METHODS: An antigen-capture ELISA was developed to quantity OPN in plasma using a combination of mouse monoclonal and rabbit polyclonal antibodies. Basal OPN levels were determined in blood plasma of 21 pre- and 14 postmenopausal women obtained at 7-day intervals over a 4-week period. RESULTS: A group of 35 healthy women had a median OPN level of 31 micrograms/L (range = 14-64 micrograms/L). Comparison between pre- and postmenopausal women showed that their 4-week average OPN levels did not differ significantly (p > 0.16, Mann-Whitney test), and that levels in each premenopausal individual remained constant during the menstrual cycle, unaffected by cyclical levels of leuteinizing hormone and progesterone. CONCLUSION: Systematic quantification of plasma OPN can now be done by ELISA, which was used to establish basal plasma OPN levels in a group of healthy women. Levels in pre- and postmenopausal women appeared relatively stable over a 4-week period.

A simple technique for the rescue of early region I mutations into infectious human adenovirus type 5.

Early region 1 (E1) of the human adenoviruses has many intriguing properties which have prompted numerous mutational studies to help delineate and characterize the domains responsible for these functions. In mutational analyses being done currently, the E1 region is usually cloned into a bacterial plasmid where it is mutated and then the altered E1 sequences are "rescued" back into infectious virus. The most frequently used rescue procedures are somewhat tedious, requiring the purification and fractionation of linear viral DNA or DNA fragments, and often involve the screening of numerous plaque isolates. Several observations we have made recently on the properties of adenovirus DNA in infected cells and on infectious plasmids in transfected cells led us to design a new approach for rescuing E1 mutations into infectious viral genomes. We constructed a plasmid, pJM17, containing the entire Ad5 DNA molecule, with an insert in the E1 region that exceeds the packaging constraints of the adenovirus capsid. Following transfection of pJM17 into 293 cells the plasmid DNA is able to replicate but cannot be packaged into infectious virions. In contrast cotransfection of 293 cells with pJM17 plus an E1-containing plasmid carrying mutated sequences produces recombinant virions at high efficiencies. Neither plasmid needs to be linearized prior to contransfection. The technique eliminates the need to purify and manipulate infectious virion DNA and since no unique restriction sites are needed, both E1A and E1B mutants' as well as foreign gene inserts in the E1 region can be easily rescued into virus.

Isolation and characterization of insertion mutants in E1A of adenovirus type 5.

We have constructed a series of insertion mutations at 18 sites in the coding sequences of early region 1A (E1A) of human adenovirus type 5 (Ad5). At each site we have introduced three types of mutation: a 39-bp insertion specifying a 13-aa residue oligopeptide, a 39-bp insertion containing chain termination codons in all three reading frames, and a "collapsed" insert of 6-bp forming a conventional linker insertion mutation. All mutants were sequenced to determine the precise location, structure, and orientation of the inserts. The mutants were assayed for their abilities to trans-activate and to repress using transient expression assays in HeLa cells cotransfected with the E1A mutant plasmids and a reporter plasmid containing the bacterial beta-galactosidase (lac Z) gene under the control of Ad5 early promoters. The mutants were also tested for their ability to transform baby rat kidney cells in cooperation with either E1B or the ras oncogene. Each mutant was rescued into virus and infectivity was compared in HeLa and 293 cells. In addition, E1A protein synthesis was analyzed in cells infected with the mutant viruses and the insertions were found to have pronounced but unpredictable effects on electrophoretic mobility of E1A proteins in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. The results of functional assays indicated that only mutations mapping in, or deleting, the unique region of the 13 S mRNA product had any effect on ability to trans-activate and that a perfect correlation existed between ability of a mutant to trans-activate and to replicate efficiently in HeLa cells or to transform baby rat kidney cells in an E1A plus E1B mediated assay. In contrast, insertions near conserved region 2 of exon I and in the NH2-terminal portion of exon II significantly reduced repression activity but left transforming activity with E1B or with ras essentially unaffected suggesting that the repression function of E1A is separate from, or at least nonessential in, transformation.

Inhibition of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-mediated cell adhesion to osteopontin by a monoclonal antibody against osteopontin.

Osteopontin (OPN), a secreted phosphoprotein, has been implicated in various biological phenomena (e.g. bone development, sepsis, tumor progression, and metastasis). Its role in any context is poorly understood. OPN contains a conserved Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) sequence, and binds to cells via integrin-mediated mechanisms. Using recombinant human osteopontin-glutathione S-transferase fusion protein and our improved hybridoma fusion partner (Sp2/mIL6), we raised murine monoclonal antibodies against osteopontin. We characterized two antibodies that recognize not only recombinant but also native human osteopontin. These antibodies do not cross-react with mouse osteopontin (recombinant protein or that secreted by ras-transformed NIH 3T3 cells), or bovine bone osteopontin, suggesting that they recognize epitopes unique to human OPN. One antibody specifically inhibited adhesion of MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer cells and ras-transformed NIH 3T3 cells to human osteopontin. This antibody failed to recognize osteopontin cleaved by thrombin, which cleaves adjacent to the cell binding domain. We previously showed that thrombin cleavage reduces osteopontin cell binding activity. Thus we postulate that this monoclonal antibody recognizes and interferes with the function of the RGD/thrombin cleavage region of human OPN.

Sequencing analysis of the region encoding the DNA polymerase of bovine adenovirus serotypes 2 and 3.

Bovine adenoviruses (BAVs) are important pathogens causing significant economic losses to the cattle industry. We have been interested in the differences among serotypes of these viruses, particularly in their pathogenicity and host range. As part of our efforts to better understand these viruses, we have determined the nucleotide sequences for serotype 3 (BAV3) at map coordinates beween 11.7 and 23.7% and for serotype 2 (BAV2) between 13.1 and 24.0%. Analyses of these sequences revealed large open reading frames (ORFs) encoded within the leftward-reading strand of the viral DNA. The coding capacity of the ORF in BAV3 is 1,167 amino acid residues and 1,138 in BAV2. A search in the GenEMBL protein sequence databank for homology to the predicted polypeptide products of these ORFs established their identity as that for the adenovirus (Ad) DNA polymerase (DNA pol). The deduced polypeptide sequences were aligned with each other and with other known Ad DNA pols to reveal regions of homology and similarity. The comparison at the amino acid sequence level not only showed that the bovine Ad DNA pols from the two serotypes are quite distinct from each other, but also revealed that Ad DNA pols contain multiple domains that are highly conserved among human, canine and bovine Ads. These conserved domains are likely important for the multiple functions attributed to Ad DNA pol, which include catalysis of its own initiation complex, elongation of nascent DNA strand, as well as correction of DNA replication errors.

Low-molecular-weight variants of osteopontin generated by serine proteinases in urine of patients with kidney stones.

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional glycosylated phosphoprotein found in body fluids, including urine, and has been implicated in urinary stone formation. We tested the hypothesis that OPN levels in urine of patients with kidney stones differed from normal individuals. To quantify OPN levels in the urine, we developed an ELISA using a combination of a mouse monoclonal and rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against a recombinant glutathione-S-transferase-human OPN fusion protein. In a group of 34 patients diagnosed with kidney stones compared with a control group of 23 normal individuals, we found that OPN levels in urine of the patient and control groups ranged from 0.01 to 2.7 micrograms/ml, with no significant difference in their medians (P > 0.8, Mann-Whitney test). OPN in urine was qualitatively assessed by Western blotting using a biotinylated monoclonal antibody to detect various molecular forms. The urine of most individuals contained OPN species within in the 55- to 66-kDa electrophoretic mobility range. However, a significantly higher proportion of individuals in the patient group (13 of 34) was found to have aberrant urine OPN species (< or = 40 kDa) compared to 2 of 23 for the control group (P < 0.03, chi 2 test). Mixing experiments indicated that urine samples with aberrant OPN contain proteases inhibitable with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Such proteases could break down normal urine OPN in vitro. Therefore, urine from a high frequency of kidney stone patients contains serine proteases that contribute to proteolytic cleavage of OPN.

Anti-adenovirus type 5 cytotoxic T lymphocytes: immunodominant epitopes are encoded by the E1A gene.

Virus specific, major histocompatibility complex-restricted, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) generated in Fischer strain rats infected with human adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) were found to recognize antigenic determinants encoded within the Ad5 early region 1A (E1A) gene. Preliminary mapping studies suggest that the E1A CTL epitopes are encoded within the regions between bp 625 to 810 and 916 to 974 in the first exon of this gene. These epitope-coding regions occur within subregions of E1A that are conserved functionally, and to some extent structurally (approximately 50% sequence homology), among adenoviruses of different groups. Nevertheless, Ad5-specific CTL lysed only targets infected with adenoviruses of the same group (group C; e.g., Ad2) and not targets infected with adenoviruses of different groups (groups A, B, and E). These results suggest that virus-specific CTL may limit adenoviral dissemination by destroying virus-infected cells at an early stage in the viral replicative cycle, during E1A gene expression. Expression of other adenovirus genes does not appear to be required to target infected cells for elimination by CTL.