Blocking Chk1 expression induces apoptosis and abrogates the G2 checkpoint mechanism.

Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) is a checkpoint gene that is activated after DNA damage. It phosphorylates and inactivates the Cdc2 activating phosphatase Cdc25C. This in turn inactivates Cdc2, which leads to G2/M arrest. We report that blocking Chk1 expression by antisense or ribozymes in mammalian cells induces apoptosis and interferes with the G2/M arrest induced by adriamycin. The Chk1 inhibitor UCN-01 also blocks the G2 arrest after DNA damage and renders cells more susceptible to adriamycin. These results indicate that Chk1 is an essential gene for the checkpoint mechanism during normal cell proliferation as well as in the DNA damage response.

Sequence of the promoter region of the gene for human X-linked 3-phosphoglycerate kinase.

We have determined the sequence of an 812-bp BamHI-EcoRI restriction fragment containing the 5' region of the human gene for PGK (3-phosphoglycerate kinase or ATP:3-phospho-D-glycerate 1-phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.2.3). The fragment contains 450 bp 5' to three start points for transcription (located by primer extension and S1 nuclease mapping), a leader sequence 85-94 bp long, the first exon of gene (65 bp), and part of the first intron. The promoter region is extremely G + C-rich, lacks a TATA box, and has an 8-bp direct repeat. A comparison of the promoter region for PGK with other promoters on the X-chromosome reveals homology with the promoter for HPRT, but not with the operator for factor IX.

Abrogation of G2 checkpoint specifically sensitize p53 defective cells to cancer chemotherapeutic agents.

BACKGROUND: Chkl is a checkpoint gene that is activated after DNA damage. It phosphorylates and inactivates Cdc25C at the late G2 phase. The inactivation of Cdc25C and consequently, the inactivation of Cdc2, are required for the G2 arrest induced by DNA damage. METHODS: We treated 184B5 cell line and its E6 transformed cell lines with adriamycin in the presence of staurosporine or UCNO1 and examined G2 arrest and cell death. RESULTS: We found that adriamycin induced a p53 and p21 response as well as a G1 arrest in 184B5 cells, but not in its E6 transformed cells. Staurosporine or UCNO1 abrogated the G2 arrest induced by adriamycin in both cell lines. In addition, staurosporine or UCNO1 specifically sensitized p53 incompetent cells to adriamycin. CONCLUSION: G2/M checkpoint abrogators can potentially enhance the cytotoxic effect of conventional chemotherapeutic reagents specifically to tumor cells.

Direct linkage of thrombin to its cell surface receptors in different cell types.

When 125I-thrombin was incubated with foreskin fibroblasts, cervical carcinoma cells or fibrosarcoma cells of human origin, or with secondary chick embryo cells or Chinese hamster lung cells, it became directly linked to its cell surface receptors. The thrombin-receptor complex (TH-R) was derived exclusively from a pool of 125I-thrombin that had become specifically bound to the cell surface. The linkage was probably covalent, since the complex was resistant to boiling in sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2-mercaptoethanol. Raising the pH to 12 disrupted TH-R, but did not affect a similar complex between epidermal growth factor and its receptor, suggesting that the linkage of these mitogens to their receptors was different. Mild trypsin treatment removed the ability of cells to form TH-R; however, after a 24-h incubation in serum-free medium, trypsin-treated cells recovered the capacity to form TH-R, suggesting that TH-R resulted from interaction of 125I-thrombin with a cellular rather than a serum component. The mitogenic response of cells to thrombin was inversely related to the fraction of specifically bound 125I-thrombin represented by TH-R. The role of TH-R in mitogenesis may be clarified in future studies by obtaining clones of Chinese hamster lung cells that vary in their capacities to form TH-R and to respond to the mitogenic action of thrombin.

Protease-nexin: a cellular component that links thrombin and plasminogen activator and mediates their binding to cells.

This report identifies a component of normal human fibroblasts that forms a covalent linkage with thrombin and urokinase (urinary plasmingoen activator) and mediates most of the specific cellular binding of these proteases. This component, here named protease-nexin (PN), is both associated with the cell surface and released into the culture medium. In several ways PN resembles antithrombin III (AT3), a prominent inhibitor of thrombin in serum: PN links thrombin, probably via an ester bond; PN does not link thrombin blocked at its catalytic site serine; PN has a high-affinity heparin-binding site; and heparin greatly accelerates the rate of linkage between soluble PN and thrombin. Despite these similarities, PN and AT3 are distinct; they differ in size and are not immunologically cross-reactive. Whereas AT3 regulates the proteolytic activity of thrombin in serum, PN may regulates the activity of serine proteases at and near the cell surface.

Preliminary characterization of a cloned neutral isoelectric form of the human peptidyl prolyl isomerase cyclophilin.

We report the cloning of a neutral isoelectric form of the human peptidyl prolyl isomerase, cyclophilin, its expression in Escherichia coli, and its purification and comparison to bovine thymus cyclophilin. The cloned protein exhibited a pI of approximately 7.8 and formed a simple 1:1 complex with cyclosporin A. This cloned form had a pI similar to that observed for the neutral isoform (pI approximately 7.4) of human splenocyte cyclophilin. The bovine thymus proteins exhibited anomalous behavior on CM-cellulose chromatography but were resolved into alkaline (pI approximately 9.3) isoforms and a new neutral (pI approximately 7.8) isoform by isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis and ultimately into at least four discrete isoforms by capillary electrophoresis. For cyclosporin A binding we observe a Kd of approximately 160 nM for an electrophoretically heterogeneous preparation of the natural bovine protein and approximately 360 nM for the more homogeneous preparation of the cloned human neutral isoform. Stopped-flow measurements of the activation energies for peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity indicate the recombinant human protein has an activation enthalpy of 3.67 kcal/mol and an activation entropy of -47.3 cal/K-mol for cis----trans isomerization.

Affinity purification of HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteases from recombinant E. coli strains using pepstatin-agarose.

A procedure is described which employs pepstatin-agarose for the affinity purification of either HIV-1 or HIV-2 protease from two similar recombinant E. coli constructs that were developed for the expression of these enzymes. HIV-2 protease was routinely expressed at much higher levels than the HIV-1 enzyme and pepstatin-agarose was the only chromatography step required to isolate pure HIV-2 protease from crude bacterial lysates. A Mono S ionic exchange step following pepstatin-agarose chromatography was sufficient to bring the HIV-1 protease to homogeneity. Purification of either enzyme can be completed in several days yielding homogeneous preparations suitable for crystallization and other physical characterization.

Molecular cloning of a gene belonging to the carcinoembryonic antigen gene family and discussion of a domain model.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a glycoprotein important as a tumor marker for colonic cancer. Immunological and biochemical studies have shown it to be closely related to a number of other glycoproteins, which together make up a gene family. We have cloned a member of this gene family by using long oligonucleotide probes (42-54 nucleotides) based on our protein sequence data for CEA and NCA (nonspecific cross-reacting antigen) and on human codon usage. The clone obtained (lambda 39.2) hybridizes with six probes and has a 15-kilobase insert. The 5' end of the gene is contained within a 2700-base-pair EcoRI fragment, which hybridizes with five of the six synthetic probes. Sequencing of the 5' end region revealed the location and structure of one exon and two putative intron boundaries. The exon encodes part of the leader sequence and the NH2-terminal 107 amino acids of NCA. Southern blot analysis of human normal and tumor DNA, using as probes two lambda 39.2 fragments that contain coding sequences, suggests the existence of 9-11 genes for the CEA family. One of the restriction fragments described here has been used by Zimmermann et al. [Zimmermann, W., Ortlieb, B., Friedrich, R. & von Kleist, S. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 2960-2964] to isolate partial cDNA clones for CEA. The identity of this clone was verified with our protein sequence data [Paxton, R., Mooser, G., Pande, H., Lee, T.D. & Shively, J.E. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 920-924]. We discuss a domain structure for CEA based on the CEA sequence data and the NCA exon sequence data. It is likely that this gene family evolved from a common ancestor shared with neural cell adhesion molecule and alpha 1 B-glycoprotein and is perhaps a family within the immunoglobulin superfamily.

Isolation of a cDNA clone for human X-linked 3-phosphoglycerate kinase by use of a mixture of synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides as a detection probe.

We have obtained a cDNA clone encoding most of human X-linked 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK; ATP:3-phospho-D-glycerate 1-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.2.3). Total mRNA was prepared from human adenocarcinoma-derived cell line LS174T and used for cDNA preparation. Double-stranded cDNA was inserted, after tailing with oligo(dC), into the plasmid vector pBR327 and cloned in Escherichia coli K-12. Transformants were screened by colony hybridization with a mixture of 32P-labeled oligodeoxyribonucleotides. A pool of hexadecamers complementary to all 32 possible sequences encoding amino acids 291-296 of X-linked PGK was used for the initial screen. One clone among 2,500 gave a strong positive signal. Plasmid DNA from this clone was purified and characterized by hybridization first to the hexadecamer probe mixture and then to an undecamer probe consisting of a mixture of four sequences. The cloned fragment hybridizes preferentially to DNA from human cells with five X chromosomes. DNA sequence analysis has established that the 1.2-kilobase-pair fragment encodes PGK from amino acid 121 through the COOH terminus.

Solution structure of the cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex by NMR.

Cyclosporin A, a cyclic undecapeptide, is a potent immunosuppressant that binds to a peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase of 165 amino acids, cyclophilin. The cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex inhibits the calcium- and calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, calcineurin, resulting in a failure to activate genes encoding interleukin-2 and other lymphokines. The three-dimensional structures of uncomplexed cyclophilin, a tetrapeptide/cyclophilin complex, and cyclosporin A when bound to cyclophilin have been reported. However, the structure of the cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex has not been determined. Here we present the solution structure of the cyclosporin A/cyclophilin complex obtained by heteronuclear three-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The structure, one of the largest determined by NMR, differs from proposed models of the complex and is analysed in terms of the binding interactions and structure/activity relationships for CsA analogues.

X-ray crystallographic structure of ABT-378 (lopinavir) bound to HIV-1 protease.

The crystal structure of ABT-378 (lopinavir), bound to the active site of HIV-1 protease is described. A comparison with crystal structures of ritonavir, A-78791, and BILA-2450 shows some analogous features with previous reported compounds. A cyclic urea unit in the P(2) position of ABT-378 is novel and makes two bidentate hydrogen bonds with Asp 29 of HIV-1 protease. In addition, a previously unreported shift in the Gly 48 carbonyl position is observed. A discussion of the structural features responsible for its high potency against wild-type HIV protease is given along with an analysis of the effect of active site mutations on potency in in vitro assays.

Cloning and expression of the adenosine kinase gene from rat and human tissues.

Adenosine kinase is ubiquitous in eukaryotes and is a key enzyme in the regulation of the intracellular levels of adenosine, an important physiological effector of many cells and tissues. In this paper we report the cloning of cDNAs encoding adenosine kinase from both rat and human tissues. Two distinct forms of adenosine kinase mRNA were identified in human tissues. Sequence variation between the two forms is restricted to the extreme 5'-end of the adenosine kinase mRNA, including a portion of the coding region, and is consistent with differential splicing of a single transcriptional product. We have expressed both forms in E. coli and produced soluble active enzyme which catalyzes the phosphorylation of adenosine with high specific activity in vitro and is susceptible to known adenosine kinase inhibitors.