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Biomedical subjects

A Hiatt

Publications and source records attributed to A Hiatt.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

Assembly and plasma membrane targeting of recombinant immunoglobulin chains in plants with a murine immunoglobulin transmembrane sequence.

The cDNA encoding a full-length murine immunoglobulin gamma 1 heavy chain with its native leader sequence, transmembrane and intracellular domains was introduced into transgenic plants. Transformed plants expressed the recombinant polypeptide, but, in contrast to plants expressing the heavy chain without transmembrane sequence, the protein appeared to be associated with a plant cell membrane. Extraction of the membrane-associated heavy chain required the presence of a non-ionic detergent, and immunofluorescence studies of protoplasts demonstrated surface expression of membrane Ig heavy chain on up to 40% of the cells from a transgenic leaf. In plants expressing both the membrane Ig heavy chain and its partner light chain, functional antibody was also localised to the plant cell membrane and retention of the heavy chain at this site appeared to have no effect on the efficiency of antibody assembly. This approach of localising and accumulating recombinant antibody in cell membranes may have a number of applications, including passive immunisation against plant pathogens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Generation and assembly of secretory antibodies in plants.

Four transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plants were generated that expressed a murine monoclonal antibody kappa chain, a hybrid immunoglobulin A-G heavy chain, a murine joining chain, and a rabbit secretory component, respectively. Successive sexual crosses between these plants and filial recombinants resulted in plants that expressed all four protein chains simultaneously. These chains were assembled into a functional, high molecular weight secretory immunoglobulin that recognized the native streptococcal antigen I/II cell surface adhesion molecule. In plants, single cells are able to assemble secretory antibodies, whereas two different cell types are required in mammals. Transgenic plants may be suitable for large-scale production of recombinant secretory immunoglobulin A for passive mucosal immunotherapy. Plant cells also possess the requisite mechanisms for assembly and expression of other complex recombinant protein molecules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

In vivo efficacy of novel synthetic enediynes 1.

We have investigated the biodistribution, toxicity, and antitumor activity of a new type of synthetic compound containing an enediyne functional group capable of benzenoid diradical generation. The design of this cytotoxic molecule was based on the structures of naturally occurring enediyne antibiotics. Compared to the natural compounds, the synthetic enediyne displayed cytotoxicities approaching the natural analogs. Using a tritiated analog, biodistribution studies revealed relatively high uptake levels in kidney, lung, heart, and spleen with moderate levels in all other organs. Antitumor activity was apparent, with significant tumor regression observed in athymic nude mice with established M21 melanomas. Significant tumor antiproliferative effects were observed against L-1210 mouse leukemia, A549 lung carcinomas and PC3 prostate carcinomas in athymic nude mice, and against EMT-6 mouse mammary adenocarcinomas in Balb/cByJ mice. These results suggest that synthetic enediynes may be useful therapeutic compounds since their design reduces systemic toxicity compared to the natural products, without compromising antitumor activity. The relatively low sensitivity of many established cell lines to synthetic enediynes suggests a discrepancy between cell culture and in vivo tumor cytotoxicities. Adaptation of some cell lines for in vivo proliferation may affect their sensitivity to synthetic enediynes.

Animals↗

Assembly of monoclonal antibodies with IgG1 and IgA heavy chain domains in transgenic tobacco plants.

The genes encoding the heavy and light chains of a murine monoclonal antibody (mAb Guy's 13) have been cloned and expressed in Nicotiana tabacum. Transgenic plants have been regenerated that secrete full-length Guy's 13 antibody. By manipulation of the heavy chain gene sequence, constant region domains from an immunoglobulin alpha heavy chain have been introduced, and plants secreting Guy's 13 mAb with chimeric gamma/alpha heavy chains have also been produced. For each plant antibody, light and heavy chains have been detected by Western blot analysis and the fidelity of assembly confirmed by demonstrating that the antibody is fully functional, by antigen binding studies. Furthermore, the plant antibodies retained the ability to aggregate streptococci, which confirms that the bivalent antigen-binding capacity of the full length antibodies is intact. The results demonstrate that IgA as well as IgG class antibodies can be assembled correctly in tobacco plants and suggest that transgenic plants may be suitable for high-level expression of more complex genetically engineered immunoglobulin molecules. Since mAb Guy's 13 prevents streptococcal colonization in humans, transgenic plant technology may have therapeutic applications.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Regulation of apoptosis in leukemic cells by analogs of dynemicin A.

The naturally occurring enediyne antibiotics, which include calicheamicin, esperamicin, neocarzinostatin, kedarcidin and dynemicin, are a unique class of reactive compounds which can undergo aromatization to produce cytotoxic biradicals and can result in phosphodiester bond breakage of DNA. Synthetic enediynes designed with low molecular complexity are also highly cytotoxic, specifically to human leukemic cells, by a mechanism involving the induction of apoptosis. We have used a variety of biological assays to evaluate the cytotoxic properties of synthetic dynemicin analogs which contain a spectrum of structural modifications and reactivities. It was found that the induction of apoptosis and nuclear degradation by the synthetic compounds did not require an ability to bind or cleave DNA. Prevention of apoptosis was observed in analogs which were electronically stabilized to inhibit aromatic rearrangement and generation of diradicals. The preventive capability of the stabilized analogs was observed against a wide variety of toxic agents including topoisomerase I and II inhibitors, anti-mitotic and DNA anti-metabolite drugs, as well as alkylating agents. The structural determinants involved in inhibiting the induction of apoptosis are described. The significance of these results with respect to relevant mechanism of tumor regression are discussed.

Anthraquinones↗

Cell-specific regulation of apoptosis by designed enediynes.

The naturally occurring enediyne antibiotics are a unique class of antitumor drugs that combine reactive enediynes with additional structural features conferring affinity for DNA. Dynemicin A, in which an enediyne core is attached to an anthraquinone group capable of DNA intercalation, readily cleaves double-stranded DNA. This activity is thought to be the basis of its potent antitumor cytotoxicity. To investigate cell-specific mechanisms of cytotoxicity in the absence of DNA affinity, we have synthesized a variety of dynemicin-like enediynes that lack the anthraquinone moiety. We have found that the cytotoxicity of these compounds is dependent on their chemical instability and their enantiomeric form. Their selective toxicity results from a potent induction of apoptosis primarily in human leukemic cells. A group of synthetic enediynes were designed to be highly stable. These compounds were found to inhibit apoptotic cell death. This inhibition was observed in competition with the chemically unstable enediynes, including dynemicin and calicheamicin. The stable synthetic enediynes could also block the apoptotic morphology induced by unrelated cytotoxic agents such as cycloheximide, actinomycin D, and ultraviolet radiation. The results suggest that the cellular target(s) of synthetic enediynes may play a central role in regulating programmed cell death; a specific receptor-ligand interaction is proposed.

Anthraquinones↗

Characterization and applications of antibodies produced in plants.

Of the variety of compounds expressed in transgenic plants, antibodies offer probably the widest range of applications. The antibodies appear to possess all of the functional characteristics of antibody derived from hybridoma cells, although further study will be required to determine the effect of the difference in heavy chain glycosylation. More work will also be directed toward the assembly, accumulation, stability and secretion of plant antibodies. The effect of the signal sequence on the expression and assembly of antibodies has been shown and further methods of optimizing transgenic protein accumulation in plants almost certainly exist. Plant antibody technology is still in its infancy. However, it offers enormous potential in "mix-and-match" antibody engineering, and the construction of multimeric immunoglobulin complexes may be feasible relatively easily, for the first time. Furthermore, as there is an enduring interest in using antibodies for therapeutic purposes, agricultural production and distribution offers a means of obtaining large quantities of antibodies at a relatively low cost.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Monoclonal antibody engineering in plants.

Techniques for plant transformation have been developed to such an extent that a number of foreign genes are currently being introduced into transgenic plants. Tobacco plants that produce monoclonal antibodies are of interest, because in addition to synthesis of two gene products (i.e. the heavy and light chains), the two polypeptides need to be assembled correctly, in order to result in a functional antibody. The studies on a catalytic antibody suggest that this is the case, and that the antibody functions identically to the native murine-derived antibody. The only difference observed was in the glycosylation of the heavy chain. Further transgenic plants are being generated to produce monoclonal antibodies that may be used therapeutically (and are therefore required in large quantities), or to provide disease resistance in plants. In addition, the ability of plants to assemble antibody complexes is being investigated further, to study the possibility of generating secretory IgA, which consists of heavy and light chains as well as two additional polypeptide units.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Production of antibodies in transgenic plants.

Complementary DNAs derived from a mouse hybridoma messenger RNA were used to transform tobacco leaf segments followed by regeneration of mature plants. Plants expressing single gamma or kappa immunoglobulin chains were crossed to yield progeny in which both chains were expressed simultaneously. A functional antibody accumulated to 1.3% of total leaf protein in plants expressing full-length cDNAs containing leader sequences. Specific binding of the antigen recognized by these antibodies was similar to the hybridoma-derived antibody. Transformants having gamma- or kappa-chain cDNAs without leader sequences gave poor expression of the proteins. The increased abundance of both gamma- and kappa-chains in transformants expressing assembled gamma-kappa complexes was not reflected in increased mRNA levels. The results demonstrate that production of immunoglobulins and assembly of functional antibodies occurs very efficiently in tobacco. Assembly of subunits by sexual cross might be a generally applicable method for expression of heterologous multimers in plants.

Animals↗

Polyamine synthesis in maize cell lines.

Uptake of [(14)C]putrescine, [(14)C]arginine, and [(14)C]ornithine was measured in five separate callus cell lines of Zea mays. Each precursor was rapidly taken into the intracellular pool in each culture where, on the average, 25 to 50% of the total putrescine was found in a conjugated form, detected after acid hydrolysis. Half-maximal labeling of each culture was achieved in less than 1 minute. Within this time frame of precursor incorporation, only putrescine derived from arginine was conjugated, indicating that putrescine pools derived from arginine may initially be sequestered from ornithine-derived putrescine. The decarboxylase activities were measured in each culture after addition of exogenous polyamine to the growth medium to assess differential regulation of the decarboxylases. Arginine and ornithine decarboxylase activities were augmented by added polyamine, the effect on arginine decarboxylase being eightfold greater than on ornithine decarboxylase. Levels of extractable ornithine decarboxylase were consistently 15- to 100-fold higher than arginine decarboxylase, depending on the titer of extracellular polyamine. Taken as whole the results support the idea that there are distinct populations of polyamine that are initially sequestered after the decarboxylase reactions and that give rise to separate end products and possibly have separate functions.

Journal Article↗

Utilization of putrescine in tobacco cell lines resistant to inhibitors of polyamine synthesis.

Three tobacco cell lines have been analyzed which are resistant to lethal inhibitors of either putrescine production or conversion of putrescine into polyamines. Free and conjugated putrescine pools, the enzymic activities (arginine, ornithine, and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylases), and the growth characteristics during acidic stress were measured in suspension cultures of each cell line. One cell line, resistant to difluoromethylornithine (Dfr1) had a very low level of ornithine decarboxylase activity which was half insensitive to the inhibitor in vitro. Intracellular free putrescine in Dfr1 was elevated 10-fold which was apparently due to a 20-fold increase in the arginine decarboxylase activity. The increased free putrescine titer was not reflected in an increased level of spermidine, spermine, or putrescine conjugation. Dfr1 cultures survived acidic stress at molarities which were lethal to wild type cultures. Two other mutants, resistant to methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (Mgr3, Mgr12), had near normal levels of the three decarboxylases and normal titers of free putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. Both mutants however had elevated levels of conjugated putrescine. Mgr12 had an increased sensitivity to acidic medium. These results suggest that increased levels of free putrescine production may enhance the ability of tobacco cells to survive acid stress. This was supported by the observation that cytotoxic effects of inhibiting arginine decarboxylase in wild type cell lines were dependent on the acidity of the medium.

Journal Article↗

Assembly of the (Na+ + K+)-adenosine triphosphatase. Post-translational membrane integration of the alpha subunit.

Guinea pig kidney poly(A+) RNA was translated in reticulocyte lysates and wheat germ extracts. Antibodies to the holoenzyme (Na/K-ATPase) immunoprecipitated only a 96,000-dalton product which was identified as the alpha subunit with a molecular weight that was indistinguishable from that of mature alpha subunit. To explore the possibility that the primary translational product is integrated as such into membranes, guinea pig kidney poly(A+) RNA was translated in reticulocyte lysates in the presence of dog pancreas microsomes; two immunoprecipitated products were detected, the 96,000-dalton alpha subunit and a 135,000-dalton new component that was integrated into the microsomal membrane since it was completely resistant to extraction with alkali. Addition of purified alpha subunit inhibited the binding of antibody to the 135,000-dalton product and extraction with urea-sodium dodecyl sulfate recovered the 96,000-dalton product, implying that the 135,000-dalton product was an alpha-chi dimer. Translation of size-fractionated poly(A+) RNA yielded evidence that the 135,000-dalton product is encoded in two separate mRNAs. The integration in vitro of the alpha subunit is, therefore, dependent on the co-translational integration into the membranes of a smaller peptide (35,000 to 40,000 daltons) which is presumably the beta subunit. Evidence was also obtained that this mechanism is present in vivo by isolation of mRNA alpha from free polysomes, as well as detection of the cytosolic form of the alpha subunit in pulse-chase experiments in MDCK cells.

Animals↗

Characteristics of antibodies to guinea pig (Na+ + K+)-adenosine triphosphatase and their use in cell-free synthesis studies.

Antibodies have been produced, in three rabbits, to Na/K-ATPase purified from guinea pig renal outer medulla. Each rabbit produced antibodies to both the alpha (catalytic) and the beta (glycoprotein) subunits of Na/K-ATPase. The titers of the anti-alpha and anti-beta antibodies varied with time and between rabbits. None of the antisera inhibited Na/K-ATPase activity under various preincubation conditions. A method is presented for separating small amounts of anti-alpha subunit from anti-beta subunit antibodies. There was no cross-reactivity of antibodies to one subunit with the other subunit. The alpha subunit of the Na/K-ATPase was cleaved into a 41,000-dalton peptide (that contains the ATP phosphorylating site) and a 58,000-dalton hydrophobic peptide as described by Castro and Farley (Castro, J., Farley, R.A., 1979, J. Biol. Chem. 254: 2221-2228). Anti-alpha antibodies from all of the rabbits reacted with both proteolytic fragments. The anti-guinea pig Na/K-ATPase antisera (pooled) cross-reacted with the alpha subunit of Na/K-ATPase from human, cow, dog, rabbit, rat, mouse, turtle, and toad; and with the beta subunit from human, rat, and mouse. The loci of cross-reactivity were investigated using partially purified canine kidney Na/K-ATPase cleaved with trypsin as described above. The anti-sera from rabbits 1 and 2 cross-reacted with the 41,000-dalton peptide from the dog but very little with the 58,000-dalton peptide. No cross-reactivity was observed with antiserum from rabbit 3 to either fragment. Guinea pig kidney RNA was translated in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system followed by immunoprecipitation with the antisera. The molecular weight of the cell-free synthesized alpha chain was 96,000 daltons. Its identity was established with purified anti-alpha antibodies and by immunocompetition with purified Na/K-ATPase and Ca-ATPase. Translation of the beta subunit was not detected in this system.

Animals↗

Evaluation of immunoglobulins from plant cells.

Expression of cDNA constructs encoding full-length mouse immunoglobulin chains with their native leader sequences or fusion constructs substituting the native leader with a pre-pro sequence derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae yielded blocked N-termini on the gamma chain or the correct amino terminal sequence on the mature kappa chain. Lectin binding assays revealed that assembled immunoglobulin complexes contained a glycosylated heavy chain. The attached glycan was resistant to digestion by endoglycosidase H and its lectin binding pattern was distinguishable from that of the mammalian glycan. The results indicated processing of the immunoglobulin carbohydrate in the tobacco Golgi to yield a complex oligosaccharide. Secretion of antibody by protoplasts isolated from regenerated transgenic plants or from suspension callus cells was demonstrated by pulse-chase labeling experiments. When purified, the tobacco-produced antibody was found to possess the antigen binding and catalytic properties of the murine monoclonal antibody. Kinetic parameters (Km, Ki, Vmax, and kcat) of the tobacco-derived antibody were comparable to those of the mouse-derived antibody. The results in general show that the endomembrane system of tobacco cells possesses cognate mechanisms for the recognition of diverse leader sequences. These signals can be used to initiate the assembly, processing, and secretion by plant cells of complex foreign proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Building corporate character. Interview by Nan Stone.

Stride Rite is a good company by any definition: Keds, Sperry Top-Siders, and Stride Rite children's shoes are consumer favorites for their fit, quality, and comfort. Wall Street analysts praise the company's outstanding financial performance. Innovative programs such as the first corporate child-care center and public service scholarships support Stride Rite's reputation as one of the most responsible employers and corporate citizens in the United States. Behind Stride Rite's good performance are the building blocks of corporate character: a legacy of quality and service and a leader committed to keeping that legacy lively. When Stride Rite shipped its first children's shoes in 1919, they came with the company's commitment "to produce an honest quality product in an honest way and deliver it as promised." For Arnold Hiatt, that commitment has been the driving force behind the company's evolution from manufacturing into marketing and product development as well as the guiding principle in its relations with consumers, dealers, suppliers, and employees. But Stride Rite's corporate character is also a reflection of Hiatt himself. In his early 20s, Hiatt fled a management training program "designed to make carnivores" out of its new employees and bought Blue Star Shoes, a small manufacturing company that had gone into Chapter 11. Through experience and "stumbling around," he built Blue Star's sales to $5 million-and got a practical education in management, markets, and human nature that has proved equally useful in running Stride Rite.

Child↗

Fishbein's model of reasoned action and compliance behavior of hypertensive patients.

A causal model based on Fishbein's Model of Reasoned Action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) was tested in a hypertensive population. Intention was hypothesized to affect compliance behavior of hypertensive patients directly and to mediate the effect of the other variables. Attitude, perceived beliefs of others, and motivation to comply were hypothesized to directly affect intentions and indirectly affect compliance behavior as mediated by intention. Fifty-six newly diagnosed hypertensive patients completed the variable measures 6 months after receiving outpatient instructions. Path analysis demonstrated the Fishbein Model was found sufficient for the prescriptions of diet, smoking, activity and stress, but not for medication. Findings indicated that compliance behavior was directly influenced by intention which, in turn, was influenced directly by attitude and motivation to comply and indirectly by the perceived beliefs of others mediated by motivation to comply for the prescriptions of diet, activity, smoking, and stress prescriptions. For the medication prescription, attitude and motivation to comply directly influenced regimen compliance.

Adult↗