Activity of two-chain recombinant human cytomegalovirus protease.

The human cytomegalovirus UL80 protease was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by metal-chelate chromatography using a histidine tag engineered at the amino terminus. Cleavage of the 30-kDa protease at an internal site, VEA/A144, resulted in the recovery of 16- plus 14-kDa two-chain protease. The amino-terminal 16-kDa chain and the carboxyl-terminal 14-kDa chain remained associated as an active enzyme that was modified specifically at Ser132 on the 16-kDa chain by [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate. Disruption of the cleavage site by mutation from VEA/A to AEA/A facilitated the recovery of active 30-kDa one-chain enzyme that could be similarly modified at Ser132 by [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate. Both one- and two-chain enzymes cleaved recombinant assembly protein at the maturation site, VNA/S, and a peptide, GVVNASARL, mimicking this site. Internal processing does not inactivate the protease but forms a two-chain enzyme that retains activity.

Cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant mediates neutrophil influx in immune complex glomerulonephritis in rat.

Chemokines are a family of cytokines whose participation in inflammation in vivo remains to be established. Using the rat model of anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) nephritis, we found that mRNA for the chemokine CINC (cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant) was induced in the kidney, and the corresponding protein was elaborated by isolated inflamed glomeruli. Production of CINC by glomeruli was unaffected by complement- or leukocyte-depletion prior to disease induction. Cytokines which induce CINC expression in renal cells (TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta) were also expressed in the kidney during glomerular inflammation. TNF-alpha production, unlike CINC, was complement and leukocyte dependent. In vivo administration of anti-CINC, but not anti-human IL-8, IgG selectively attenuated the influx of PMNs into the glomerulus and commensurately diminished proteinuria. The participation of CINC was not tissue-specific: anti-CINC IgG also diminished the influx of PMNs in dermal immune complex inflammation. In sum, we propose that glomerular immune complex deposition/complement activation leads to cytokine production which results in CINC expression by endogenous glomerular cells. The CINC produced plays a contributory role in the influx of PMNs into the glomerulus in the context of the activation of other inflammatory mediators. These results suggest a potential role for CINC homologues, IL-8 and the GRO family of chemokines, in human immune complex-mediated disease.

Investigation of possible autocrine functions for rat GRO/CINC (cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant).

Rat cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) is an eight kilodalton polypeptide originally purified from media conditioned by interleukin-1 beta stimulated 52E, an epithelioid clone derived from normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. Using a fibroblastic clone of the NRK cells, 49F, we found expression of the CINC gene to be induced by either serum or cytokines in growth-arrested cultures within 1 hour of stimulation. There was no observable CINC expression in exponentially growing cells in the absence of cytokine stimulation. CINC protein had no significant effect on 3H-thymidine incorporation or growth rate of NRK49F. We have observed that CINC is constitutively produced by some transformed NRK cells, clone RC20, suggesting an association with the expression of a transformed phenotype. Unlike the parent 49F, RC20 cells are capable of growth in soft agar and serum-free media and form highly metastatic tumors in nude mice. We have examined the possible autocrine functions of CINC and its possible links to the expression of the transformed phenotype by these cells. The use of a blocking CINC polyclonal antibody demonstrated that CINC did not function as an autocrine growth factor for RC20. Though CINC is a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, it did not induce migration of either RC20 or 49F cells. CINC only moderately promoted adhesion of RC20 cells when used as a matrix protein. These data do not support the hypothesis that production of CINC by the RC20 cells provides an obvious advantage for the transformed cells constitutively producing it.

High-level expression of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) by a metastatic rat cell line: purification and production of blocking antibodies.

Significant levels of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) were found in serum-free medium conditioned by a highly metastatic rat cell line, RC20. To study CINC's role in inflammation and metastasis, CINC was purified from this source for use in in vitro assays and for antibody production in goats and rabbits. CINC was a potent chemoattractant for rat neutrophils (EC-50 0.5 nM). A fusion protein of glutathione-S-transferase and CINC (GST-CINC) was produced in E. coli. Anti-CINC polyclonal IgG was purified from immune goat and rabbit sera by protein A and GST-CINC affinity chromatography. Both goat and rabbit anti-CINC antibody preparations at 4 micrograms/mL (an 11-fold molar excess) were found to completely block the activity of 2.5 nM CINC in a rat neutrophil chemotaxis assay. These antibodies have been used to develop a sensitive immunoassay for CINC. The availability of large amounts of affinity-purified blocking anti-CINC antibody will allow investigations into the role played by CINC in rodent inflammation models and in the metastasis of RC20 cells.

Effects of N-glycosylation on in vitro activity of Bowes melanoma and human colon fibroblast derived tissue plasminogen activator.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), when isolated from human colon fibroblast (hcf) cells, is N-glycosylated differently than when isolated from the Bowes melanoma (m) cell line (Parekh et al., 1988). Both hcf- and m-t-PA can be separated into type I t-PA (with three occupied N-glycosylation sequons, at Asn-117, -184, and -448) and type II t-PA (with two occupied sequons, at Asn-117 and -448). Oligosaccharide analysis of each of these types of t-PA indicates that hcf-t-PA and m-t-PA have no glycoforms in common, despite having the same primary amino acid sequence. We have therefore compared in vitro the enzymatic activities and fibrin binding of type I and type II hcf- and m-t-PA with those of aglycosyl t-PA isolated from tunicamycin-treated cells. Plasminogen activation kinetics were determined by using an indirect amidolytic assay with Glu-plasminogen and a chromogenic plasmin substrate. In the absence of stimulator, there was little difference in activity between type I and type II t-PA, but the activity of aglycosyl t-PA was 2-4-fold higher than that of the corresponding glycosylated t-PA. In the presence of a fibrinogen fragment stimulator, the Kcat value of type II t-PA was approximately 5-fold that of type I t-PA from the same cell line, while the Km values for activation of Glu-plasminogen were similar (0.13-0.18 microM). The stimulated activity of glycosyl t-PA was similar to that of type II t-PA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An instrument to identify stressors in renal transplant recipients.

The purpose of this study was to create a reliable, valid instrument to identify the major stressors experienced by new transplant recipients and to establish baseline data. Sixty transplant recipients (85% of sample) responded to a mailed questionnaire. From a list of 44 possible stressors the subjects self-reported the possibility of rejection as the major stressor. Recommendations include using the instrument (KTRSS) in clinical practice to plan individualized care based on an assessment of the client's perception of stressors following transplantation and educating clients about the stressors common to the transplant recipient.