TCRs genetically linked to CD28 and CD3ε do not mispair with endogenous TCR chains and mediate enhanced T cell persistence and anti-melanoma activity.

Adoptive transfer of T cells that are gene engineered to express a defined TCR represents a feasible and promising therapy for patients with tumors. However, TCR gene therapy is hindered by the transient presence and effectiveness of transferred T cells, which are anticipated to be improved by adequate T cell costimulation. In this article, we report the identification and characterization of a novel two-chain TCR linked to CD28 and CD3ε (i.e., TCR:28ε). This modified TCR demonstrates enhanced binding of peptide-MHC and mediates enhanced T cell function following stimulation with peptide compared with wild-type TCR. Surface expression of TCR:28ε depends on the transmembrane domain of CD28, whereas T cell functions depend on the intracellular domains of both CD28 and CD3ε, with IL-2 production showing dependency on CD28:LCK binding. TCR:28ε, but not wild-type TCR, induces detectable immune synapses in primary human T cells, and such immune synapses show significantly enhanced accumulation of TCR transgenes and markers of early TCR signaling, such as phosphorylated LCK and ERK. Importantly, TCR:28ε does not show signs of off-target recognition, as evidenced by lack of TCR mispairing, as well as preserved specificity. Notably, when testing TCR:28ε in immune-competent mice, we observed a drastic increase in T cell survival, which was accompanied by regression of large melanomas with limited recurrence. Our data argue that TCR transgenes that contain CD28, and, thereby, may provide T cell costimulation in an immune-suppressive environment, represent candidate receptors to treat patients with tumors.

Validating pharmacological disruption of protein-protein interactions by acceptor photobleaching FRET imaging.

Proteins are the major targets of drug discovery and many of the new drugs are designed to exert their effect by disrupting protein-protein interactions. Validation of the inhibition of molecular interactions is generally done by biochemical methods, however, these are often not feasible when the interaction is not stable enough. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is an excellent tool for determining direct molecular interactions between two molecules in the cell membrane or inside cells in their natural state. Although originally established as a flow cytometric approach, FRET has been adapted for microscopy, allowing for analysis of sub-cellular co-localization at the single cell level. In this chapter, we provide theoretical introduction to the phenomenon of FRET, and a protocol - including labeling techniques, measurement, and evaluation of microscopy images - of the simplest microscopic FRET approach, acceptor photobleaching FRET. This technique is generally usable for studying protein interactions and requires only a standard confocal laser scanning microscope. To demonstrate the value of image based FRET for testing pharmacological disruption of protein-protein interactions, we show how inhibition of the hetero-dimerization of ErbB2 and ErbB1 by the humanized monoclonal antibody pertuzumab can be validated using this technique.

Microcystin-LR, a protein phosphatase inhibitor, induces alterations in mitotic chromatin and microtubule organization leading to the formation of micronuclei in Vicia faba.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Microcystin-LR (MCY-LR) is a cyanobacterial toxin, a specific inhibitor of type 1 and 2A protein phosphatases (PP1 and PP2A) with significant impact on aquatic ecosystems. It has the potential to alter regulation of the plant cell cycle. The aim of this study was improved understanding of the mitotic alterations induced by cyanotoxin in Vicia faba, a model organism for plant cell biology studies. METHODS: Vicia faba seedlings were treated over the long and short term with MCY-LR purified in our laboratory. Short-term treatments were performed on root meristems synchronized with hydroxylurea. Sections of lateral root tips were labelled for chromatin, phosphorylated histone H3 and ß-tubulin via histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Mitotic activity and the occurrence of mitotic alterations were detected and analysed by fluorescence microscopy. The phosphorylation state of histone H3 was studied by Western blotting. KEY RESULTS: Long-term MCY-LR exposure of lateral root tip meristems increased the percentage of either early or late mitosis in a concentration-dependent manner. We observed hypercondensed chromosomes and altered sister chromatid segregation (lagging chromosomes) leading to the formation of micronuclei, accompanied by the formation of disrupted, multipolar and monopolar spindles, disrupted phragmoplasts and the hyperphosphorylation of histone H3 at Ser10. Short-term MCY-LR treatment of synchronized cells showed that PP1 and PP2A inhibition delayed the onset of anaphase at 1 µg mL(-1) MCY-LR, accelerated cell cycle at 10 µg mL(-1) MCY-LR and induced the formation of lagging chromosomes. In this case mitotic microtubule alterations were not detected, but histone H3 was hyperphosphorylated. CONCLUSIONS: MCY-LR delayed metaphase-anaphase transition. Consequently, it induced aberrant chromatid segregation and micronucleus formation that could be associated with both H3 hyperphosphorylation and altered microtubule organization. However, these two phenomena seemed to be independent. The toxin may be a useful tool in the study of plant cell cycle regulation.

ErbB protein modifications are secondary to severe cell membrane alterations induced by elisidepsin treatment.

Elisidepsin is a marine-derived anti-tumor agent with unique mechanism of action. It has been suggested to induce necrosis associated with severe membrane damage. Since indirect evidence points to the involvement of ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases and lipid rafts in the mechanism of action of elisidepsin, we investigated the effect of the drug on the distribution of ErbB proteins and systematically compared the elisidepsin sensitivity of cell lines overexpressing ErbB receptors. Stable expression of a single member of the ErbB family (ErbB1-3) or co-transfection of ErbB2 and ErbB3 did not modify the elisidepsin sensitivity of CHO and A431 cells. However, elisidepsin induced the redistribution of ErbB3 and two GPI-anchored proteins (transfected GPI-anchored eGFP and placental alkaline phosphatase) from the plasma membrane to intracellular vesicles without comparable effects on ErbB1 and ErbB2. Elisidepsin increased the binding of a conformational sensitive anti-ErbB3 antibody without modifying the binding of other ErbB2 or ErbB3 antibodies, and it decreased the homoassociation of both ErbB2 and ErbB3. We also found that elisidepsin decreased the fluorescence anisotropy of a membrane specific fluorescent probe and induced a blue shift in the emission spectrum of Laurdan pointing to significant changes in the order of the plasma membrane possibly associated with the formation of liquid ordered domains. Although the distribution of ErbB proteins is preferentially altered by elisidepsin, our data question their role in determining sensitivity to the drug. We assume that induction of liquid ordered domains is the primary action of elisidepsin leading to all the other observed changes.

T-cell synapse formation depends on antigen recognition but not CD3 interaction: studies with TCR:ζ, a candidate transgene for TCR gene therapy.

T-cell receptors (TCRs) can be genetically modified to improve gene-engineered T-cell responses, a strategy considered critical for the success of clinical TCR gene therapy to treat cancers. TCR:ζ, which is a heterodimer of TCRα and ß chains each coupled to complete human CD3ζ, overcomes issues of mis-pairing with endogenous TCR chains, shows high surface expression and mediates antigen-specific T-cell functions in vitro. In the current study, we further characterized TCR:ζ in gene-engineered T cells and assessed whether this receptor is able to interact with surface molecules and drive correct synapse formation in Jurkat T cells. The results showed that TCR:ζ mediates the formation of synaptic areas with antigen-positive target cells, interacts closely with CD8α and MHC class I (MHCI), and co-localizes with CD28, CD45 and lipid rafts, similar to WT TCR. TCR:ζ did not closely associate with endogenous CD3ε, despite its co-presence in immune synapses, and TCR:ζ showed enhanced synaptic accumulation in T cells negative for surface-expressed TCR molecules. Notably, synaptic TCR:ζ demonstrated lowered densities when compared with TCR in dual TCR T cells, a phenomenon that was related to both extracellular and intracellular CD3ζ domains present in the TCR:ζ molecule and responsible for enlarged synapse areas.

Evaluation of intensity-based ratiometric FRET in image cytometry--approaches and a software solution.

The intensity-based ratiometric FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) method is a powerful technique for following molecular interactions in living cells. Since it is not based on irreversibly destroying the donor or the acceptor fluorophores, the time course of changes in FRET efficiency values can be monitored by this method. ImageJ, a sophisticated software tool for many types of image processing allows users to extend it with programs for various purposes. Implementing intensity-based ratiometric FRET with ImageJ vastly enhances the applicability of the FRET method. We developed an efficient ImageJ plugin, RiFRET, which calculates FRET efficiency on a pixel-by-pixel basis from ratiometric FRET images. It allows the user to correct for channel cross-talk (bleed-through) and to calculate FRET from image stacks, i.e., from 3D data sets. Semiautomatic processing for larger datasets is also included in the program. Furthermore, several options for calibrating FRET efficiency calculations were tested and their applicability to various expression systems is discussed. Although the ratiometric FRET method is widely applied, our plugin is the first freely available software for evaluating such FRET data. The program is user friendly and provides reliable, standardized results.

Cylindrospermopsin induces alterations of root histology and microtubule organization in common reed (Phragmites australis) plantlets cultured in vitro.

We aimed to study the histological and cytological alterations induced by cylindrospermopsin (CYN), a protein synthesis inhibitory cyanotoxin in roots of common reed (Phragmites australis). Reed is an ecologically important emergent aquatic macrophyte, a model for studying cyanotoxin effects. We analyzed the histology and cytology of reed roots originated from tissue cultures and treated with 0.5-40 microg ml(-1) (1.2-96.4 microM) CYN. The cyanotoxin decreased root elongation at significantly lower concentrations than the elongation of shoots. As general stress responses of plants to phytotoxins, CYN increased root number and induced the formation of a callus-like tissue and necrosis in root cortex. Callus-like root cortex consisted of radially swollen cells that correlated with the reorientation of microtubules (MTs) and the decrease of MT density in the elongation zone. Concomitantly, the cyanotoxin did not decrease, rather it increased the amount of beta-tubulin in reed plantlets. CYN caused the formation of double preprophase bands; the disruption of mitotic spindles led to incomplete sister chromatid separation and disrupted phragmoplasts in root tip meristems. This work shows that CYN alters reed growth and anatomy through the alteration of MT organization.

AccPbFRET: an ImageJ plugin for semi-automatic, fully corrected analysis of acceptor photobleaching FRET images.

BACKGROUND: The acceptor photobleaching fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method is widely used for monitoring molecular interactions in cells. This method of FRET, while among those with the simplest mathematics, is robust, self-controlled and independent of fluorophore amounts and ratios. RESULTS: AccPbFRET is a user-friendly, efficient ImageJ plugin which allows fully corrected, pixel-wise calculation and detailed, ROI (region of interest)-based analysis of FRET efficiencies in microscopic images. Furthermore, automatic registration and semi-automatic analysis of large image sets is provided, which are not available in any existing FRET evaluation software. CONCLUSION: Despite of the widespread applicability of the acceptor photobleaching FRET technique, this is the first paper where all possible sources of major errors of the measurement and analysis are considered, and AccPbFRET is the only program which provides the complete suite of corrections--for registering image pairs, for unwanted photobleaching of the donor, for cross-talk of the acceptor and/or its photoproduct to the donor channel and for partial photobleaching of the acceptor. The program efficiently speeds up the analysis of large image sets even for novice users and is freely available.