Biomedical subjects

B Rapoport

Publications and source records attributed to B Rapoport.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed1991

Overexpression of an immunologically-intact, secreted form of human thyroid peroxidase in eukaryotic cells.

Recombinant human thyroid peroxidase (hTPO) has been expressed in eukaryotic cells as both the membrane-associated enzyme and as a secreted protein. We now report overexpression of the secreted form of recombinant hTPO in eukaryotic cells. For hTPO gene amplification we used a vector containing the mouse dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene. Stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were grown in the presence of increasing concentrations of methotrexate (MTX) and hTPO expression was measured immunologically in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Progressive overexpression of secreted hTPO occurred up to a final MTX concentration of 10,000 nM. Slot-blot analysis of genomic DNA from CHO cells expressing truncated hTPO revealed amplification profiles of the DHFR and hTPO genes to be similar, in parallel with hTPO protein production. High-level expression of secreted hTPO offers the potential for obtaining large amounts of biologically and immunologically active protein for future study.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Thyroid-specific antigens in Basedow's disease.

All three major thyroid-specific auto-antigens, namely Tg, TPO and the TSH receptor, have now been cloned. Of greatest significance in the pathogenesis of Basedow's disease is the TSH receptor. It is anticipated that in the coming years this accomplishment by a number of laboratories will lead to major advances in our understanding of this disease. Opportunities are now available to study the molecular mechanisms underlying Basedow's disease, and we will emerge from a phase of descriptive investigation. It is quite possible that before the 200th anniversary of Basedow's description of this disease, specific immunotherapy will permit the treatment or prevention of Basedow's disease, without requiring ablation of the thyroid, or medicinal blockade of thyroid hormone synthesis while hoping that the disease will remit spontaneously.

Autoantigens↗

PubMed1991

Pathophysiology of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism.

Autoimmune Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the most common endocrine disorder, is primarily a subclinical disease. Whether or not subclinical hypothyroidism should be treated remains controversial. Recent advances have been made in understanding the molecular nature of the antigens that are the target of the immune system in Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The "microsomal antigen" is now recognized to be thyroid peroxidase.

Humans↗

PubMed1991

Binding domains of stimulatory and inhibitory thyrotropin (TSH) receptor autoantibodies determined with chimeric TSH-lutropin/chorionic gonadotropin receptors.

We examined the relative effects of thyrotropin (TSH) and TSH receptor autoantibodies in the sera of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease on three TSH-lutropin/chorionic gonadotropin (LH/CG) receptor extracellular domain chimeras. Each chimera binds TSH with high affinity. Only the chimera with TSH receptor extracellular domains ABC (amino acids 1-260) had a functional (cAMP) response to thyroid stimulatory IgG. The chimeras with TSH receptor domains CD (amino acids 171-360) and DE (amino acids 261-418) were unresponsive. The lack of response of the chimera with TSH receptor domains DE was anticipated because it fails to transduce a signal with TSH stimulation, unlike the other two chimeras. A different spectrum of responses occurred when the TSH-LH/CG chimeras were examined in terms of autoantibody competition for TSH binding. IgG with TSH binding-inhibitory activity when tested with the wild-type TSH receptor also inhibited TSH binding to the chimera with TSH receptor domains DE. Dramatically, however, these IgG did not inhibit TSH binding to the chimera with TSH receptor domains CD, and had weak or absent activity with the chimera with TSH receptor domains ABC. Chimeras with TSH receptor domains ABC and DE were equally effective in affinity-purifying IgG with thyroid-stimulatory and TSH binding-inhibitory activities. Nonstimulatory IgG with TSH binding-inhibitory activity inhibited the action of stimulatory IgG on the wild-type TSH receptor, but not with the chimera containing TSH receptor domains ABC. In summary, TSH receptor autoantibodies and TSH bind to regions in both domains ABC and DE of the TSH receptor extracellular region. Stimulatory and inhibitory TSH receptor autoantibodies, as well as TSH, appear to bind to different sites in domains ABC, but similar sites in domains DE, of the receptor. Alternatively, TSH and the different TSH receptor antibodies bind with differing affinities to the same site in the ABC region.

Autoantibodies↗

PubMed1991

Recombinant human thyrotropin (TSH) receptor in a radioreceptor assay for the measurement of TSH receptor autoantibodies.

We studied the suitability of using the recombinant human TSH receptor expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells in a TSH binding inhibition (TBI) assay for autoantibodies against the TSH receptor. Purified immunoglobulin G (IgG) containing potent thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin bioactivity competed for radiolabeled TSH binding to recombinant TSH receptor in parallel to inhibition by unlabeled TSH. Using polyethylene glycol-prepared IgG, this assay discriminated very well between sera from normal individuals [TBI, 0.98 +/- 0.04 (+/- SD); range, 0.92-1.08; n = 35] and patients with untreated Graves' disease (TBI, 0.49 +/- 0.23; range, 0.06-0.98; n = 93). Only four of the sera from the untreated Graves' patients were TBI negative (greater than or equal to 0.92), providing a sensitivity of 96%. In sera from patients with Graves' disease receiving antithyroid drug therapy, TBI was 0.63 +/- 0.18 (range, 0.19-0.97; n = 75). In this group of treated patients, 2 of 75 were TBI negative. Four of 12 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (33%) were positive for TBI activity. All 18 patients with nonautoimmune thyroid diseases (toxic nodular goiter, single toxic adenoma, subacute thyroiditis, or thyroid cancer) were TBI negative. Correlation of the TBI values with thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin bioactivity revealed a generally positive correlation (r = 0.31; P less than 0.05); however, there were many discrepancies among individual sera. TSI bioactivity was undetectable in all 4 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis who were TBI positive. These data indicate that the recombinant TSH receptor in Chinese hamster ovary cells is a suitable system for detecting TBI activity in the sera of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Determination at the molecular level of a B-cell epitope on thyroid peroxidase likely to be associated with autoimmune thyroid disease.

In a panel of 13 mouse monoclonal antibodies generated against native (nondenatured) human thyroid peroxidase (TPO), only 1 (monoclonal antibody 47) recognized TPO protein fragments expressed in a human TPO cDNA sublibrary. Determination of the nucleotide sequences of 18 clones recognized by monoclonal antibody 47 localized its epitope to 9 amino acids (residues 713-721) in the human TPO protein. On Western blot analysis, only TPO monoclonal antibody 47 recognized the 933-amino acid TPO molecule after denaturation and reduction of the latter, supporting the concept that the major part of the epitope is represented by a continuous portion of the TPO sequence. The binding of TPO monoclonal antibody 47 to native TPO is inhibited by immunoglobulin G in the serum of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. The epitope for monoclonal antibody 47 defined in the present study is, therefore, part of or in the vicinity of an epitope for autoimmune thyroid disease-associated TPO antibodies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

Site-directed mutagenesis of the human thyrotropin receptor: role of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides in the expression of a functional receptor.

We studied the role of glycosylation in the expression of a functional human TSH receptor. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was used to replace, separately or together, the Asn codons with Gln in each of the six potential glycosylation sites in the receptor. Recombinant wild-type and mutated TSH receptors were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. High affinity TSH binding and the cAMP response to TSH stimulation were abolished in the receptor mutated at Asn77 as well as in the receptor mutated at all six potential glycosylation sites. In the receptor mutated at Asn113, the affinity of TSH binding was markedly decreased (Kd, 2.6 x 10(-8) 3.3 x 10(-10) M in the wild-type receptor). This affinity was too low to permit the transduction of a signal, as measured by an increase in intracellular cAMP generation. Substitution of Asn at positions 99, 177, 198, and 302 did not appreciably affect the affinity of the TSH receptor for TSH binding or its ability to mediate an increase in intracellular cAMP levels. Therefore, either these four potential glycosylation sites are not glycolysated, or alternatively, oligosaccharide chains at these positions do not play a major role in the folding, intracellular trafficking, stability, or expression of a functional receptor on the cell surface. Conversely, our data suggest that N-linked glycosylation of Asn77 and Asn113 does play a role in the expression of a biologically active TSH receptor on the cell surface.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Signal transduction by the human thyrotropin receptor: studies on the role of individual amino acid residues in the carboxyl terminal region of the third cytoplasmic loop.

We observed previously that the carboxyl-terminal region of the third loop of the TSH receptor (amino acid residues 617-625) is important in signal transduction. To analyze this region in more detail, in the present study we used site-directed mutagenesis to substitute, on an individual basis, the seven amino acids previously mutated as a group. These amino acids are either charged residues or potential phosphorylation sites. Six of the mutant TSH receptors with individual amino acid substitutions bound TSH with high affinity and displayed a cAMP response to TSH stimulation similar to the wild-type TSH receptor. The mutant receptor TSH-R-Gly625 (Arg----Gly) did not transduce a signal, but these results are noninformative because of the loss of high affinity TSH binding. The present data indicate that for each of the six informative amino acid substitutions, the individual residues are not critical for signal transduction. A corollary of this conclusion is that in the important carboxyl-terminal region of the third cytoplasmic loop of the TSH receptor multiple amino acid residues function as a unit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

A new structural model for the thyrotropin (TSH) receptor, as determined by covalent cross-linking of TSH to the recombinant receptor in intact cells: evidence for a single polypeptide chain.

The most widely held model for the human TSH receptor is of holoreceptor of 80 kDa with two subunits of approximately 50 and 30 kDa linked by disulfide bridges, with the former subunit containing the major hormone-binding site. We reexamined this model by covalently cross-linking radiolabeled TSH to the recombinant human TSH receptor stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. When cross-linking was performed after the preparation of CHO membranes, analysis of hormone-receptor complexes under reducing and nonreducing conditions provided results supporting the two-subunit TSH receptor model. In contrast, however, cross-linking of TSH to the TSH receptor in intact CHO cells before membrane preparation revealed, even under reducing conditions, an approximately 100-kDa receptor as well as an approximately 54-kDa hormone-binding subunit. The approximately 100-kDa holoreceptor size is consistent with the size of the TSH receptor, as predicted from its derived amino acid sequence. The proportions of the approximately 100-kDa TSH receptor and the 54-kDa fragment varied in different experiments, suggesting the occurrence of proteolytic cleavage. Cross-linking of radiolabeled TSH to intact cells expressing a mutant TSH receptor (TSHR-D1) lacking amino acids 317-366 localized the proteolytic cleavage site to just up-stream of amino acid residue 317. In summary, the present data obtained by cross-linking TSH to recombinant human TSH receptors in intact cells provides evidence that the receptor exists in vivo as an approximately 100-kDa glycoprotein with a single polypeptide chain with intramolecular disulfide bridges.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Extracellular domain chimeras of the TSH and LH/CG receptors reveal the mid-region (amino acids 171-260) to play a vital role in high affinity TSH binding.

We constructed a series of TSH-LH/CG receptor chimeras by homologous substitution of relatively small regions of the TSH receptor extracellular domain for the corresponding region of the extracellular domain of the LH/CG receptor. Constructs were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Of the five chimeric receptors, only TSH-LHR-14, which contains mid-region domain C (amino acid residues 171-260) of the extracellular component of the TSH receptor, exhibited TSH binding of relatively high affinity. Consistent with this TSH binding, chimera TSH-LHR-14 was the only one that demonstrated a functional response to TSH stimulation in terms of intracellular cAMP generation. These data indicate that domain C plays a vital role in TSH receptor function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1990

Functional analysis of the cytoplasmic domains of the human thyrotropin receptor by site-directed mutagenesis.

The thyrotropin (TSH) receptor belongs to a family of guanine nucleotide protein-coupled receptors with seven transmembrane-spanning regions joined regulatory together by extracellular and intracellular loops. The cytoplasmic domain comprises three cytoplasmic loops and a cytoplasmic tail that are likely to be important in coupling of the receptor to the guanine nucleotide proteins. To address the question of which portions of the cytoplasmic domain of the TSH receptor are important in this process, we have altered groups of amino acids in the region of the TSH receptor by site-directed mutagenesis. Because of the low affinity of TSH binding to the TSH receptor mutated in the amino terminus of the second cytoplasmic loop and the amino terminus of the cytoplasmic tail, definitive conclusions cannot be made regarding the roles of these regions in signal transduction. However, our data indicate that the first cytoplasmic loop (residues 441-450), the carboxyl-terminal region of the second cytoplasmic loop (residues 528-537), and the carboxyl-terminal (but not the amino-terminal) region of the third cytoplasmic loop (residues 617-625) are important in the ability of the TSH receptor to mediate an increase in intracellular cAMP production. Furthermore, two-thirds of the carboxyl-terminal end of the cytoplasmic tail (residues 709-764; corresponding to the region not conserved between the TSH and lutropin/chorionic gonadotropin receptors) can be removed without functional impairment of the TSH receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1990

An insertion in the human thyrotropin receptor critical for high affinity hormone binding.

Thyrotropin (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and chorionic gonadotropin (CG) are structurally related glycoprotein hormones, which bind to receptors that share a high degree of sequence similarity. However, comparison of the primary amino acid sequences of the TSH and LH-CG receptors reveals two unique insertions of 8 and 50 amino acids in the extracellular domain of the TSH receptor. The functional significance of these insertions were determined by site-directed mutagenesis. Deletion of the 50-amino acid tract (residues 317 to 366) had no effect on TSH binding or on TSH and thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) biological activities. In contrast, either deletion or substitution of the eight-amino acid region (residues 38 to 45) abolished these activities. This eight-amino acid tract near the amino terminus of the TSH receptor appears to be an important site of interaction for both TSH and TSI.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Studies on the functional activity of the promoter for the human thyroid peroxidase gene.

We isolated the initial 1.3 kb of the 5'-flanking region of the human thyroid peroxidase (hTPO) gene, and sub-cloned this fragment into the luciferase reporter gene expression plasmid pA3-LUC. This plasmid contruct (p1.3HTPO-LUC) was stably transfected into FRTL5 rat thyroid cells and NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. Promoter activity was detected in 3 of 8 FRTL5 stable cell lines obtained. TSH, dBcAMP and phorbol ester did not alter TPO promoter activity. TPO promoter activity was also expressed in 4 of 5 NIH-3T3 stably-transfected cell lines, and this activity was also not altered by dBcAMP and phorbol ester. These data support the emerging concept that the TPO gene is not transcriptionally regulated by TSH and cAMP.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Transcriptional regulation of ferritin H messenger RNA levels in FRTL5 rat thyroid cells by thyrotropin.

We examined the effect of thyrotropin (TSH) stimulation of FRTL5 rat thyroid cells on ferritin H mRNA levels. On Northern blot analysis, TSH (in the presence of serum and insulin) increased ferritin H mRNA levels, with an initial response evident after 1 h of stimulation. Ferritin H mRNA levels increased approximately 4-fold over basal levels after 4 h of TSH stimulation and showed little increase thereafter, maintaining a plateau for up to 48 h of TSH stimulation. Inducers of cAMP also increased ferritin H mRNA levels in FRTL5 cells to about the same extent, but the rate of response was not as rapid as with TSH stimulation. In serum-poor medium without insulin, the TSH effect was considerably weaker, increasing only about 2-fold after 24 h of stimulation. Also in serum-poor medium, insulin-like growth factor-I alone had a weak stimulatory effect on ferritin H mRNA levels. TSH and insulin-like growth factor-I had additive effects under these conditions. Nuclear run-on transcription assays were performed using nuclei prepared from FRTL5 cells. In serum-containing medium, TSH increased the transcriptional activity of ferritin H mRNA 3-4-fold without an increase in beta-actin transcriptional activity. The kinetics of TSH stimulation of ferritin H transcriptional activity were similar to the cellular ferritin H mRNA response to TSH stimulation. Dibutyryl-cAMP (dB-cAMP) increased ferritin H transcriptional activity about 4-fold, but not as rapidly as did TSH stimulation. In summary, our data indicate that ferritin H mRNA levels in FRTL5 thyroid cells are transcriptionally regulated by both TSH and dBcAMP stimulation. These data contrast with the predominantly nontranscriptional regulation of ferritin H mRNA levels observed in other tissues. The difference in the kinetics of the response to TSH and dBcAMP is consistent with the concept that not all effects induced by TSH stimulation of thyroid cells are mediated by cAMP as a second messenger.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Thyrotropin-induced expression of a gene for a ribosomal protein related to the trk oncogene.

By differential screening of an FRTL5 rat thyroid cell cDNA library, we isolated a clone (G7) corresponding to an mRNA transcript whose steady-state level is increased by thyrotropin (TSH) stimulation by a non-transcriptional mechanism. The nucleotide sequence of the G7 cDNA (0.85 kb) revealed homology with two other genes. First, there was 89% homology with the cDNA for a protein whose amino-terminal end forms the amino terminus of the chimeric tyrosine kinase human oncogene, trk-2h. Second, TSH-responsive G7 is 95% homologous with the 'surf-3' gene within the mouse surfeit locus which codes for the mouse L7a ribosomal protein. These findings are of interest in view of the frequent occurrence in thyroid cancers of an oncogene (PTC) that consists of an unidentified amino terminus linked to a downstream tyrosine kinase moiety.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1990

Thyroid autoantigens and human T cell responses.

We investigated the ability of T cells from patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and with Graves' disease as well as control donors to proliferate in response to thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin using (i) lymphoid cells from different lymphoid organs; (ii) unfractionated or CD8- depleted lymphoid suspensions or T cells + autologous low density cells (LDC); (iii) 200-microliters well cultures and 20-microliters hanging-drop microcultures; and (iv) intact TPO and thyroglobulin, denatured thyroglobulin and 12 synthetic peptides predicted on the basis of the amino acid sequence of TPO to be T cell epitopes. In 200-microliters well cultures, proliferative responses (assessed in terms of 3H-thymidine uptake) to intact TPO or thyroglobulin, digested thyroglobulin or synthetic TPO peptides were not significantly different in unfractionated or CD8-depleted lymphoid suspensions from blood, thyroid or lymph nodes of TPO/thyroglobulin autoantibody-positive patients, autoantibody-negative patients or control donors. In contrast, blood T cells from some high titre patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (but not from healthy individuals) proliferated in response to intact thyroglobulin or TPO presented by autologous LDC in hanging-drop microcultures. Heat denatured thyroglobulin (with which thyroglobulin autoantibodies do not interact) did not stimulate proliferation and this observation, together with the ability of T cells from some patients to respond to intact thyroglobulin in the absence of LDC, indicated that thyroglobulin-specific B cells may be involved in antigen presentation. As we were unable to demonstrate proliferation by blood T cells + LDC from all thyroglobulin antibody-positive patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, our studies suggest that the presence of sufficient precursor T cells, as well as the number and type of antigen-presenting cells, are critical for T cell proliferative responses to human TPO and thyroglobulin.

Antigen-Presenting Cells↗

PubMed1990

Carbohydrate moieties in recombinant human thyroid peroxidase: role in recognition by antithyroid peroxidase antibodies in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

We studied the oligosaccharide moieties of recombinant human thyroid peroxidase (hTPO) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and the role of these glycans in hTPO antigenicity in Hashimoto's thyroiditis. To determine whether hTPO carbohydrate moieties were N-linked, O-linked, or both, and to obtain information about the characteristics of the carbohydrate component(s), we digested hTPO with deglycosylating enzymes of varying specificity. Proteins in CHO-TPO cells were labeled with [35S]methionine, and hTPO was immunoprecipitated with anti-hTPO antibodies present in Hashimoto's thyroiditis serum. Digestion with endoglycosidase (endo) F, which removes both complex and polymannose N-linked glycans, increased the electrophoretic mobility of the hTPO doublet from approximately 115 kD and 110 kD to 110 kD and 105 kD. Endo H, which acts similarly to endo F, but only on polymannose, and not complex, glycans, had a similar effect. In contrast, O-glycanase and neuraminidase, which remove O-linked glycans and terminal neuraminic acid, respectively, did not alter the mobility of radiolabeled hTPO. Radiolabeled recombinant hTPO was retained by concanavalin A, but not by wheat germ agglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinin 1, peanut agglutinin and Ulex europaeus lectins. To determine whether or not the glycan moieties in hTPO play a role in the disease-associated epitopes in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, radiolabeled recombinant hTPO was immunoprecipitated after digestion with N-glycanase. Removal of the N-linked carbohydrate chains with endo F and endo H did not prevent antibody binding. In summary, the present data indicate that: i) hTPO expressed in CHO cells contains N-linked, but not O-linked glycan moieties; ii) the N-linked carbohydrate is primarily of the polymannose variety; and, iii) the glycan moieties do not contribute to the hTPO epitopes in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

PubMed1990

Thyrotropin can increase the steady state level of a messenger ribonucleic acid species (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) in thyroid cells by decreasing its rate of disappearance.

A cDNA clone (G18) was selected from an FRTL5 rat thyroid cell cDNA library by a differential screening procedure designed to identify TSH-responsive genes in thyroid cells. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that G18 was rat alpha-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPD). On Northern blot analysis, TSH increased GAPD mRNA levels in FRTL5 cells, reaching a maximum (4- to 10-fold above basal in different experiments) after approximately 24 h of TSH stimulation. Run-on transcription assays with nuclei prepared from quiescent and TSH-stimulated FRTL5 cells indicated that the action of TSH to increase GAPD mRNA levels was not associated with an increase in the transcriptional activity of this gene. Examination of the rate of disappearance of GAPD mRNA levels after inhibition of mRNA transcription by actinomycin-D revealed that TSH stimulation of FRTL5 cells stabilized the GAPD mRNA (t 1/2 extended from 9 to 56 h). In summary, the present data provide the first demonstration that TSH can increase the level of a mRNA transcript in thyroid cells by reducing its rate of degradation. GAPD is a useful model for future studies on the mechanism by which TSH alters gene expression at a posttranscriptional level.

Animals↗