Recombinant guinea pig and human RANTES activate macrophages but not eosinophils in the guinea pig.

To characterize the biologic activities of potential mediators of allergic inflammation, we have cloned, expressed, and purified guinea pig RANTES (gpRANTES). cDNA for gpRANTES was cloned from Con A-stimulated guinea pig spleen cells. A high level of gpRANTES expression in Escherichia coli was achieved by mutation of a human RANTES (hRANTES) expression construct to obtain a 68-amino acid protein identical with the predicted guinea pig amino acid sequence, assuming an equivalent amino terminus as the human protein. Purified gpRANTES was an effective stimulus of human eosinophils as assessed by increases in intracellular free calcium in fura-2-loaded cells and chemotactic responses in vitro. gpRANTES exhibits similar potency and efficacy to hRANTES. In marked contrast, neither gpRANTES nor hRANTES was able to activate guinea pig peritoneal eosinophils in these assays, even in the presence of IL-5. However, gpRANTES was found to be a potent stimulator of guinea pig peritoneal macrophages. Following tracheal instillation of gpRANTES, a dose-dependent increase in macrophages, but not eosinophils, was observed in gpBAL. Macrophage accumulation was detectable by 6 h and sustained for at least 48 h. These results indicate that RANTES in the guinea pig may have a different cellular selectivity than that described in the human, which may be important in the use of animal models in the analysis of allergic disorders. These selectivities do not appear to be accounted for by differences in guinea pig and human RANTES sequences.

Purification, characterization, and in vitro phosphorylation of the neuron-specific membrane-associated protein SCG10.

SCG10 is a neuron-specific, developmentally regulated protein which is highly enriched in growth cones. Sequence homology indicates that it is related to the phosphoprotein stathmin or Op18, an in vitro and in vivo substrate for several serine/threonine kinases which are involved in a variety of signaling pathways. As a first step to examine the biochemical properties of SCG10, the protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to apparent homogeneity. The purified protein was used in in vitro phosphorylation assays. SCG10 was phosphorylated by MAP kinase, cAMP-dependent protein kinase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, p34cdc2 kinase, DNA-dependent protein kinase, Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II, and casein kinase II. The protein was not a substrate for casein kinase I and protein kinase C. SCG10 was phosphorylated by src tyrosine kinase, which demonstrates that the protein can be phosphorylated in vitro on a tyrosine residue. Our data suggest that SCG10 is a phosphoprotein which might be involved in signal transduction in neurons.

A bacterial signal peptide directs efficient secretion of eukaryotic proteins in the baculovirus expression system.

Escherichia coli remains an organism of choice for the production of recombinant proteins required in large quantities. Whenever possible, secretion is the preferred strategy since it permits easy and efficient purification from the extracellular medium. Our efforts to use E. coli to secrete a human CD23 soluble variant fused to a pair of IgG binding domains via the Staphylococcal protein A signal peptide were unsuccessful. Surprisingly, when the same construct was expressed in the baculovirus system, efficient secretion was observed and cleavage of the signal peptide occurred at the expected site. Varying the genes in the fusions or the tags, or the topology of the gene and the tag, did not affect the high-level secretion and cleavage at the correct site. We envision that fusion of the bacterial signal sequence to eukaryotic recombinant genes will prove to be a tool of value for efficient protein secretion in insect cells using the baculovirus expression system.

Structure and bioactivity of recombinant human CTAP-III and NAP-2.

Connective tissue-activating peptide III (CTAP-III) and neutrophil-activating peptide-2 (NAP-2) are both derived from a common precursor, platelet basic protein (PBP), which is stored in the alpha-granules of platelets and released upon their activation. CTAP-III is an 85-residue peptide which is converted to NAP-2 by enzymic removal of the 15 amino-terminal residues. Both peptides play a role in the early stages of wound healing and inflammation through different activities. We have cloned the cDNA for PBP and expressed constructs coding for the CTAP-III and NAP-2 polypeptides in Escherichia coli. We have purified and renatured these recombinant proteins. The integrity of the recombinant proteins has been ascertained by in vitro bioassays. CTAP-III causes 51% histamine release from the basophilic cell lin KU812 at 10(-7) M, whereas NAP-2 only causes 28% release at the same concentration. In assays on human neutrophils, NAP-2 had an EC50 of 2 x 10(-8) M in chemotaxis, an EC50 of 3 x 10(-8) M for shape change, and could displace IL-8 from neutrophils with a Kd of 7.5 x 10(-9) M. CTAP-III had no activity in these assays. The disulfide bonds have been identified by peptide mapping and sequence analysis, and are in the positions predicted by homology to interleukin-8 and platelet factor 4. Measurement of the molecular mass at physiologic concentrations by gel permeation chromatography has shown that CTAP-III forms predominantly tetramers and dimers, whereas NAP-2 is only dimetric. SDS/PAGE analysis of samples cross-linked with disuccinimidyl suberate support these topologies. We postulate a mechanism for tetramer formation based on the interaction of the amino-terminal extension in CTAP-III involving a helix-helix interaction that could stabilize the association of two CTAP-III dimers.

Dissecting processing and apoptotic activity of a cysteine protease by mutant analysis.

We have compared the behavior of wild-type mouse NEDD-2, a neural precursor cell-expressed, developmentally down-regulated cysteine protease gene, to various mutant forms of the gene in both apoptotic activity in neuronal cells and proteolytic cleavage in the Semliki Forest virus and rabbit reticulocyte protein expression systems. Our results confirm that NEDD-2 processing and apoptotic activity are linked phenomena. They identify aspartate residues as likely targets for autocatalytic cleavage. They establish that cleavage events only occur at specific sites. Finally, they pinpoint differential effects of individual mutations on the overall proteolytic cleavage patterns, raising interesting questions related to the mechanisms of subunit assembly.

Expression of the 69K movement protein of turnip yellow mosaic virus in insect cells.

The nonstructural 69-kilodalton (K) protein of turnip yellow mosaic virus is necessary for systemic spread of the virus within the plant. To examine the behavior of the 69K protein in vivo, antibodies were raised against the carboxy-terminal region of this protein. The full-length 69K protein was also expressed in insect cells using a recombinant baculovirus. Studies on the posttranslational modifications of the 69K protein in insect cells revealed that the protein is phosphorylated but not glycosylated. Further experiments of subcellular fractionation and indirect immunolocalization in insect cells showed that the 69K protein is localized in the cytoplasm and/or in the plasma membrane.

A molecular switch of chemokine receptor selectivity. Chemical modification of the interleukin-8 Leu25 --> Cys mutant.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a member of the CXC chemokine family, is a key activator of neutrophils. We have previously shown that two novel CC chemokine-like properties, namely monocyte chemoattraction and binding to CC CKR-1, are introduced into IL-8 by mutating Leu25 to the conserved tyrosine present in CC chemokines. To further investigate the role of this position in receptor selectivity, we have mutated Leu25 to cysteine. The protein folds correctly with two disulfide bonds and a free thiol group at Cys25. This mutant behaves overall like wild-type IL-8, with little change in neutrophil chemotaxis and IL-8 receptor binding, and has no effect on CC CKR-1. These data are consistent with cysteine being approximately isosteric with the natural amino acid leucine. However, modification of the cysteine by addition of a fluorescent N-methyl-N-(2-N-methyl, N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol-4-yl)aminoethyl)acetamido (NBD) group lowers potency in neutrophil chemotaxis and affinity in IL-8 receptor binding assays by 2 orders of magnitude. This Leu25 --> Cys-NBD mutant introduces monocyte chemoattractant activity and the ability to displace 125I-labeled macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha from the recombinant CC CKR-1 receptor. Additionally, we show a specific interaction between the fluorescent mutant and the N-terminal 34-amino acid peptide from CC CKR-1. This confirms the importance of this region in IL-8 in receptor binding and in conferring specificity between CXC and CC chemokines. Circular dichroism spectra of the IL-8 mutants having CC chemokine-like activity show a consistent drop in alpha-helical content compared with the spectra for wild-type IL-8. This suggests that distortion of the C-terminal helix may play a role in chemokine receptor-ligand selectivity.

Soluble interleukin-5 receptor alpha-chain binding assays: use for screening and analysis of interleukin-5 mutants.

Interleukin-5 (IL-5) is a key cytokine for the production, differentiation, and activation of eosinophils. IL-5 is a member of the four helical bundle family of cytokines, and in common with many members of the cytokine family it binds to a heterodimeric receptor composed of a ligand binding alpha-chain and a signal-transducing beta-chain. We have established two receptor/ligand binding assays based on the extracellular domain of the receptor alpha-chain which we have produced as a fusion protein. One assay is based on scintillation proximity fluoromicrospheres and radiolabeled ligand and the other on detection of biotinylated ligand binding to immobilized receptor using a chemiluminescent substrate in a 96-well microtiter plate format. Both receptor binding assays have been optimized for high throughput screening for receptor antagonists. These assays were also used for analytical purposes and the binding of ligand to the receptor alpha-chain was compared directly to receptor binding assays performed on TF-1 cells which express the receptor alpha beta-heterodimer. These three assays have been used to study site-directed mutants of IL-5 to determine the important residues for interaction of the cytokine with each chain of the receptor (P. Graber et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 15762-15769).

Functional activity of a biotinylated human neurokinin 1 receptor fusion expressed in the Semliki Forest virus system.

The 1.3 S biotinylatable subunit of Proprionibacterium shermanii transcarboxylase complex was fused to the C-terminus of the human neurokinin 1 receptor gene and introduced into the Semliki Forest virus expression vector pSFV1. RNA transcribed from pSFV1-NK1-biot and pSFV-Helper2 was coelectroporated into BHK cells permitting in vivo packaging of recombinant virus. Infection of BHK and CHO cells with SFV-NK1-biot virus yielded high level of the fusion receptor as detected by metabolic labeling, immunoblotting with streptavidin alkaline phosphatase and binding to substance P. Like native receptor, the biotinylated receptor fusion was able to stimulate Ca2+ mobilization in infected CHO cells, indicating functional coupling to guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins.

Recombinant soluble trimeric CD40 ligand is biologically active.

CD40 ligand (CD40L) is expressed on the surface of activated CD4+ T cells, basophils, and mast cells. Binding of C40L to its receptor, CD40, on the surface of B cells stimulates B cell proliferation, adhesion and differentiation. A preparation of soluble, recombinant CD40L (Tyr-45 to Leu-261), containing the full-length 29-kDa protein and two smaller fragments of 18 and 14 kDa, has been shown to induce differentiation of B cells derived either from normal donors or from patients with X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (Durandy, A., Schiff, C., Bonnefoy, J.-Y., Forveille, M., Rousset, F., Mazzei, G., Milili, M., and Fischer, A. (1993) Eur. J. Immunol. 23, 2294-2299). We have now purified each of these fragments to homogeneity and show that only the 18-kDa fragment (identified as Glu-108 to Leu-261) is biologically active. When expressed in recombinant form, the 18-kDa protein exhibited full activity in B cell proliferation and differentiation assays, was able to rescue of B cells from apoptosis, and bound soluble CD40. Sucrose gradient sedimentation shows that the 18-kDa protein sediments as an apparent homotrimer, a result consistent with the proposed trimeric structure of CD40L. This demonstrates that a soluble CD40L can stimulate CD40 in a manner indistinguishable from the membrane-bound form of the protein.

Mutation of Leu25 and Val27 introduces CC chemokine activity into interleukin-8.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a member of the CXC branch of the chemokine superfamily and activates neutrophils but not monocytes. The related CC chemokine branch, which includes monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and RANTES are potent chemoattractants for monocytes but not neutrophils. Examination of the sequences of the CXC chemokines reveals that the highly conserved leucine, corresponding to Leu25 in IL-8, is always replaced by tyrosine in CC chemokines. There is also a high degree of conservation among the CXC chemokines of the adjacent Val27 residue, which points out from the same side of the beta-sheet as Leu25. In RANTES, Val27 is also replaced by a tyrosine. In order to investigate the role of these residues in controlling cell specificity, we have made the single mutants Leu25-->Tyr, Val27-->Tyr and the double mutant Leu25-->Tyr, Val27--> Tyr of IL-8. These proteins have been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity from inclusion body material. All three mutants have lower potency and efficacy in chemotaxis and calcium mobilization assays using neutrophils. The mutants also show lowered affinity to both IL-8 receptors A and B expressed recombinantly in HL-60 cells and to neutrophils in [125I]IL-8 competition assays. Additionally, the Leu25-->Tyr mutation introduces a novel monocyte chemoattractant activity into IL-8. We therefore studied the displacement of [125I]MIP-1 alpha by IL-8 Leu25-->Tyr from the CC-CKR-1 receptor. The mutant displaces MIP-1 alpha ligand with an affinity only 12-fold less than MIP-1 alpha itself. This suggests that mutations in this region of IL-8 are involved in receptor binding and activation and in the control of specificity between CC and CXC chemokines.

Viral proteins E1B19K and p35 protect sympathetic neurons from cell death induced by NGF deprivation.

To study molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal cell death, we have used sympathetic neurons from superior cervical ganglia which undergo programmed cell death when deprived of nerve growth factor. These neurons have been microinjected with expression vectors containing cDNAs encoding selected proteins to test their regulatory influence over cell death. Using this procedure, we have shown previously that sympathetic neurons can be protected from NGF deprivation by the protooncogene Bcl-2. We now report that the E1B19K protein from adenovirus and the p35 protein from baculovirus also rescue neurons. Other adenoviral proteins, E1A and E1B55K, have no effect on neuronal survival. E1B55K, known to block apoptosis mediated by p53 in proliferative cells, failed to rescue sympathetic neurons suggesting that p53 is not involved in neuronal death induced by NGF deprivation. E1B19K and p35 were also coinjected with Bcl-Xs which blocks Bcl-2 function in lymphoid cells. Although Bcl-Xs blocked the ability of Bcl-2 to rescue neurons, it had no effect on survival that was dependent upon expression of E1B19K or p35.

Inhibition of an in vivo antigen-specific IgE response by antibodies to CD23.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediates many allergic responses. CD23 is a 45-kilodalton type II transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in many cell types. It is a low-affinity IgE receptor and interacts specifically with CD21, thereby modulating IgE production by B lymphocytes in vitro. In an in vivo model of an allergen-specific IgE response, administration of a rabbit polyclonal antibody to recombinant human truncated CD23 resulted in up to 90 percent inhibition of ovalbumin-specific IgE synthesis. Both Fabs and intact IgG inhibited IgE production in vitro and in vivo. Thus, CD23 participates in the regulation of IgE synthesis in vivo and so could be important in allergic disease.

Expression and characterization of human D4 dopamine receptors in baculovirus-infected insect cells.

The human D4 dopamine receptor has been genetically engineered for expression in insect cells using the baculovirus system. A D4 cDNA gene fusion construct [(1991) Nature 350, 610-614] was synthetically modified to remove two introns from the coding region, and expressed in S. frugiperda (Sf9) cells as a fusion with a short sequence from the polyhedrin protein. Binding assays with [3H]spiperone indicated high levels of D4 receptor binding 90 h after infection and a pharmacological profile identical to that reported for D4 receptors expressed in COS-7 cells using the cDNA gene hybrid. We also show that the agonist binding affinity of D4 receptors expressed in Sf9 cells can be shifted by GTP-gamma-S, indicating coupling to G-proteins.

Characterization of recombinant-derived granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).

Human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and a mutant having a Ser for Cys substitution at residue 18 were produced in Escherichia coli strain W3110. About 60 mg of pure protein was obtained from 50 g of wet cells with a recovery of about 20%. The proteins were characterized physically and chemically, including determination of disulphide bonds, which were found to exist between residues 37-43 and 65-75. Cys-18 is not involved in disulphide bond formation and was substituted by Ser with no effects on gross protein conformation or biological activity. Both the wild-type and the mutant recombinant-derived proteins, although not glycosylated, possess colony-stimulating activities. In a bioassay using the murine myelomonocytic leukaemic cell line WEH1 3B D+, activities were obtained which were similar to those of natural G-CSF and of a glycosylated recombinant-derived human G-CSF produced in monkey cells.

Purification and characterization of the DNA-binding protein Ner of bacteriophage Mu.

The construction is described of a plasmid (pL-ner) which directs the high-level production of the bacteriophage Mu Ner protein in Escherichia coli. The protein, recovered in the soluble cellular fraction, was susceptible to in vivo proteolytic processing, in many host strains, but not in E. coli B, a natural lon- prototroph. A simple purification method is described which takes advantage of the basic nature of the protein. The purified protein was shown to be physically and chemically homogeneous and to have an amino acid sequence identical to that predicted for the authentic protein. The protein was also shown to have in vitro biological activity, as measured by specific binding to a DNA fragment containing the consensus Ner-binding sequence, and in vivo biological activity as the protein produced by the pL-ner plasmid allowed lysogenic-like maintenance of a Mu prophage c mutant unable to synthesise a functional Mu repressor.

Tumor necrosis factor/cachectin is an effector of skin and gut lesions of the acute phase of graft-vs.-host disease.

Lethally irradiated mice were injected with semiallogeneic, T-depleted bone marrow cells and an amount of peripheral T lymphocytes sufficient to induce graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) becoming apparent on the second week after the graft and leading to an increasing mortality rate within the following weeks (greater than 90% mortality within 80 d). Mice receiving bone marrow cells alone had no GVHD and were used as controls. Beginning on day 8, mice with GVHD were injected weekly with 2 mg of either rabbit anti-mouse recombinant tumor necrosis factor/cachectin (TNF-alpha) IgG, or normal rabbit IgG. On the 16-18th d, mice were killed to examine the skin and intestinal lesions of the acute phase of GVHD. The anti-TNF treatment resulted in an almost complete prevention of the severe lesions seen in the mice treated with normal rabbit IgG, i.e., the skin epidermal cell necrosis, foci of lichenoid hyperplastic reactions, and loss of the hypodermic fat; in the gut dilatation with marked flattening of the villi and elevation of the crypts, with increased numbers of mitoses and isolated crypt cell necrosis. In addition to preventing these acute lesions, anti-TNF treatment resulted in a significantly decreased mortality (approximately 70% survival at 80 d). These results suggest that during acute GVHD, the activation of grafted lymphocytes leads to a local release of TNF in the cutaneous and intestinal mucosae, which induces epithelial cell alterations and increases the inflammatory reaction.

Tumor necrosis factor (cachectin) as an essential mediator in murine cerebral malaria.

Tumor necrosis factor, or cachectin (TNF-alpha), a protein with a wide range of biological activities, is produced mainly by macrophages and may be important in inflammatory processes. The role of TNF-alpha in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria was investigated in a murine model. Most CBA mice infected with Plasmodium berghei anka die between days 6 and 14 with acute neurological manifestations unrelated to the level of parasitemia, whereas mice of some other strains have malaria of the same severity that ends in death after 3 to 4 weeks without neurological manifestations. The activity of serum TNF-alpha was considerably increased in CBA/Ca mice with cerebral malaria but not in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice that did not develop this complication. One injection of rabbit antibody to TNF-alpha on day 4 or 7 fully protected infected mice from cerebral malaria without modifying the parasitemia, whereas immunoglobulins from normal rabbit had no effect. In mice with cerebral malaria, the cerebral vessels showed focal accumulations of packed macrophages often containing infected erythrocytes; this lesion was not seen in mice treated with antibody to TNF-alpha or in untreated mice without cerebral malaria. These findings indicate that TNF-alpha has an important role in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria in this murine model and suggest that local accumulation and activation of macrophages may lead to the predominance of lesions in the central nervous system.