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C Toniatti

Publications and source records attributed to C Toniatti.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Interleukin (IL)-6 gene expression in the central nervous system is necessary for fever response to lipopolysaccharide or IL-1 beta: a study on IL-6-deficient mice.

Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1 beta, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) are considered to act as endogenous pyrogens. Because of the complex pattern of cross-inductions between these cytokines, the relative role of the central and peripheral production of these cytokines in eliciting the fever response has not yet been clarified. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of IL-6 in the fever response by making use of mice carrying a null mutation in the IL-6 gene. The intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (50 micrograms/kg) and recombinant murine (rm) IL-1 beta (10 micrograms/kg), respectively, failed to evoke fever response in IL-6-deficient mice, whereas the same doses of LPS and rmIL-1 beta caused fever response in wild-type mice. The fever response could be induced in the IL-6-deficient mice by intracerebroventricular injection of recombinant human (rh) IL-6 (500 ng/mouse), whereas intracerebroventricular injection of rmIL-1 beta (100 ng/mouse) failed to produce fever response in the IL-6-deficient mice. These results suggest that central IL-6 is a necessary component of the fever response to both endogenous (IL-1 beta) and exogenous (LPS) pyrogens in mice and that IL-6 acts downstream from both peripheral and central IL-1 beta.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Monovalent phage display of human interleukin (hIL)-6: selection of superbinder variants from a complex molecular repertoire in the hIL-6 D-helix.

Phage display of proteins can be used to study ligand-receptor interaction and for the affinity-maturation of binding sites in polypeptide hormones and/or cytokines. We have expressed human interleukin-6 (hIL-6) on M13 phage in a monovalent fashion as a fusion protein with the phage coat protein, pIII. Phage-displayed hIL-6 is correctly folded, as judged by its ability to interact with conformation-specific anti-hIL-6 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and with the hIL-6 receptor complex in vitro. We set up an experimental protocol for the efficient affinity selection of hIL-6 phage using the extracellular portion of the hIL-6 receptor alpha (hIL-6R alpha) fixed on a solid phase. This system was used to affinity-purify from a library of hIL-6 variants, in which four residues in the predicted D-helix of the cytokine were fully randomized, mutants binding hIL-6R alpha with higher efficiency than the wild type. When the best-binder variant Q175I/Q183A was combined with a previously identified superbinder S176R [Savino et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 90 (1993) 4067-4071], a triple-substitution mutant Q175I/S176R/Q183A (hIL-6IRA) was obtained with a fivefold increased hIL-6R alpha binding and a 2.5-fold enhanced biological activity.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1995

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) antagonism by soluble IL-6 receptor alpha mutated in the predicted gp130-binding interface.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) triggers the formation of a high affinity receptor complex constituted by the ligand-binding subunit IL-6 receptor alpha (IL-6R alpha) and the signal-transducing beta chain gp130. Since the cytoplasmic region of IL-6R alpha is not required for signal transduction, soluble forms of IL-6R alpha (sIL-6R alpha) show agonistic properties because they are still able to originate IL-6.sIL-6R alpha complexes, which in turn associate with gp130. A three-dimensional model of the human IL-6.IL-6R alpha.gp130 complex has been constructed and verified by site-directed mutagenesis of regions in shIL-6R alpha (where "h" is human) anticipated to contact hgp130, with the final goal of generating receptor variants with antagonistic properties. In good agreement with our structural model, substitutions at Asn-230, His-280, and Asp-281 selectively impaired the capability of shIL-6R alpha to associate with hgp130 both in vitro and on the cell surface, without affecting its affinity for hIL-6. Moreover, the multiple substitution mutant A228D/N230D/H280S/D281V expressed as a soluble protein partially antagonized hIL-6 bioactivity on hepatoma cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Down-regulation of interleukin 6 receptor alpha chain in interleukin 6 transduced melanoma cells causes selective resistance to interleukin 6 but not to oncostatin M.

The cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6) and oncostatin M are able to inhibit the growth of cell lines obtained from early but not advanced melanomas. Resistant cell lines have frequently been found to produce IL-6. Acquisition of IL-6 resistance and the relationship between resistance and endogenous IL-6 production are poorly defined phenomena. We have characterized a panel of melanoma cell lines for susceptibility to IL-6 and oncostatin M and have generated lines that acquired resistance to IL-6 by IL-6 cDNA transduction. These lines retained the previous oncostatin M sensitivity, suggesting that the alpha chain of IL-6 receptor (IL-6R alpha) is involved in the acquisition of resistance. In fact transduced cells lost the ability to bind 125I-IL-6 and to release soluble IL-6R alpha in culture. Moreover, addition of soluble recombinant IL-6R alpha were able to restore IL-6 sensitivity in association with IL-6 production. On the contrary, naturally IL-6 resistant melanoma cell lines were not inhibited by treatment with recombinant soluble IL-6R alpha in association with endogenously produced or recombinant IL-6. These results demonstrate that down-regulation of IL-6 receptor is only one of different mechanisms that are responsible of IL-6 resistance in melanoma cells.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1995

Two distinct and independent sites on IL-6 trigger gp 130 dimer formation and signalling.

The helical cytokine interleukin (IL) 6 and its specific binding subunit IL-6R alpha form a 1:1 complex which, by promoting homodimerization of the signalling subunit gp130 on the surface of target cells, triggers intracellular responses. We expressed differently tagged forms of gp130 and used them in solution-phase binding assays to show that the soluble extracellular domains of gp130 undergo dimerization in the absence of membranes. In vitro receptor assembly reactions were also performed in the presence of two sets of IL-6 variants carrying amino acid substitutions in two distinct areas of the cytokine surface (site 2, comprising exposed residues in the A and C helices, and site 3, in the terminal part of the CD loop). The binding affinity to IL-6R alpha of these variants is normal but their biological activity is poor or absent. We demonstrate here that both the site 2 and site 3 IL-6 variants complexed with IL-6R alpha bind a single gp130 molecule but are unable to dimerize it, whereas the combined site 2/3 variants lose the ability to interact with gp130. The binding properties of these variants in vitro, and the result of using a neutralizing monoclonal antibody directed against site 3, lead to the conclusion that gp130 dimer is formed through direct binding at two independent and differently oriented sites on IL-6. Immunoprecipitation experiments further reveal that the fully assembled receptor complex is composed of two IL-6, two IL-6R alpha and two gp130 molecules. We propose here a model representing the IL-6 receptor complex as hexameric, which might be common to other helical cytokines.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Rational design of a receptor super-antagonist of human interleukin-6.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a differentiation and growth factor for a variety of cell types and its excessive production plays a major role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma and post-menopausal osteoporosis. IL-6, a four-helix bundle cytokine, is believed to interact sequentially with two transmembrane receptors, the low-affinity IL-6 receptor (IL-6R alpha) and the signal transducer gp130, via distinct binding sites. In this paper we show that combined mutations in the predicted A and C helices, previously suggested to establish contacts with gp130, give rise to variants with no bioactivity but unimpaired binding to IL-6R alpha. These mutants behave as full and selective IL-6 receptor antagonists on a variety of human cell lines. Furthermore, a bifacial mutant was generated (called IL-6 super-antagonist) in which the antagonist mutations were combined with amino acid substitutions in the predicted D helix that increase binding for IL-6R alpha. The IL-6 super-antagonist has no bioactivity, but improved first receptor occupancy and, therefore, fully inhibits the wild-type cytokine at low dosage. The demonstration of functionally independent receptor binding sites on IL-6 suggests that it could be possible to design super-antagonists of other helical cytokines which drive the assembly of structurally related multisubunit receptor complexes.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed1994

The affinity-selection of a minibody polypeptide inhibitor of human interleukin-6.

A major challenge in basic and applied biological research is the engineering of small proteins with pre-determined structures and novel functions. In a limited number of cases, this has been achieved by de novo design. An alternative combinatorial approach is based on the construction of large libraries of random peptides and on methods for the selection of the desired molecules. Here we describe a successful combination of both the rational design and the combinatorial approaches for developing proteins with useful biological functions, in this case the construction of a specific inhibitor of the cytokine human interleukin-6. In previous work, the 'minibody', a 61 residue polypeptide consisting of a beta-pleated framework and two hypervariable regions, was designed, synthesized and expressed on f1 phage surface. We report the construction of a repertoire of 50 million minibodies displayed on phage in which the hypervariable regions have been randomized. One polypeptide which binds tightly and specifically to human interleukin-6 was isolated from this collection of minibody mutants. This particular minibody is an effective inhibitor of the cytokine's biological activity. The approach described here could in principle be applied to other molecular targets.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

LFB1/HNF1 acts as a repressor of its own transcription.

LFB1/HNF1 is a hepatocyte-enriched trans-activator involved in the regulation of many liver-specific genes. We report the cloning and characterization of a rat genomic DNA fragment containing about 3.5 kb of the LFB1/HNF1 gene 5'-flanking region. This DNA segment is capable of directing the liver-specific expression of a reporter gene in transfection assays. More interestingly, the basal activity of the LFB1/HNF1 promoter in cultured hepatoma cell lines is down-regulated by exogenously added LFB1/HNF1 protein itself. The ability to repress transcription starting from its own promoter requires the integrity of the N-terminal LFB1/HNF1 DNA-binding domain. Contrary to the expectations, in vitro binding experiments failed to demonstrate any specific and functional interaction of purified LFB1/HNF1 with the -3.5 kb promoter sequence. In addition to the DNA-binding domain, a 60 aa region contained in the C-terminus of the protein and distinct from the previously characterized activation domains, is also required for the repressing function.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Oncostatin M binds directly to gp130 and behaves as interleukin-6 antagonist on a cell line expressing gp130 but lacking functional oncostatin M receptors.

Oncostatin M (OM) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) are functionally related cytokines, which trigger similar biological responses because they share gp130 as a common signal transducing transmembrane receptor. While IL-6 recruits gp130 only upon binding to its specific receptor subunit (IL-6R alpha), reconstitution and cross-linking experiments on cell membranes suggest that OM can directly interact with gp130 and that this interaction is necessary but not sufficient to stimulate cells. However, the issue of the direct binding between gp130 and OM, in the absence of any additional membrane component, remained essentially unclarified. In this paper we show that, uniquely among the family of cytokines that transduce through gp130, OM directly binds in vitro with a 10(-8) M affinity sgp130, a soluble form of gp130. Moreover, titration of sgp130 with OM inhibits the formation of a ternary complex comprising IL-6, sIL-6R alpha, and sgp130. These in vitro properties of OM are consistent with the additional finding that on human hepatoma Hep3B cells, which express gp130 but not functional OM receptors, OM does not mimic IL-6 activity, but rather behaves, at high doses, as an IL-6 antagonist.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Generation of interleukin-6 receptor antagonists by molecular-modeling guided mutagenesis of residues important for gp130 activation.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) drives the sequential assembly of a receptor complex formed by the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R alpha) and the signal transducing subunit, gp130. A model of human IL-6 (hIL-6) was constructed by homology using the structure of bovine granulocyte colony stimulating factor. The modeled cytokine was predicted to interact sequentially with the cytokine binding domains of IL-6R alpha and gp130 bridging them in a way similar to that of the interaction between growth hormone and its homodimeric receptor. Several residues on helices A and C which were predicted as contact points between IL-6 and gp130 and therefore essential for IL-6 signal transduction, were subjected to site-directed mutagenesis individually or in combined form. Interestingly, while single amino acid changes never produced major alterations in IL-6 bioactivity, a subset of double mutants of Y31 and G35 showed a considerable reduction of biological activity and were selectively impaired from associating with gp130 in binding assays in vitro, while they maintained wild-type affinity towards hIL-6-R alpha. More importantly, we demonstrated the antagonistic effect of mutant Y31D/G35F versus wild-type IL-6.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

A bipartite activation domain is responsible for the activity of transcription factor HNF1/LFB1 in cells of hepatic and nonhepatic origin.

HNF1/LFB1 is a transcription factor that controls the expression of several liver-specific genes. Previous in vitro experiments allowed us to identify two different regions in the carboxy-terminal portion of the protein responsible for most of the transcription activation potential: the first, ADI, between amino acids 546 and 628 and the second, ADII, between amino acids 281 and 318. To characterize the molecular anatomy of HNF1/LFB1 better, we have analyzed its trans-activating properties in vivo. Several HNF1/LFB1 deletion mutants were tested for their ability to induce transcription from HNF1/LFB1-dependent synthetic promoters in cells of hepatic and nonhepatic origin. These last recipient cells provide an HNF1/LFB1-deficient environment that is useful for a precise quantification of the recombinant protein. Our results confirm the importance of ADI and indicate that no activating property can be assigned to ADII in vivo. Moreover, a novel glutamine/proline-rich activation domain (ADIII) has been identified between amino acids 440 and 506. These findings are confirmed by domain-swapping experiments, carried out with the heterologous GAL4 DNA-binding domain, which also show that the activity of each individual activation domain is influenced by combining adjacent HNF1/LFB1 sequences. The data presented indicate that HNF1/LFB1 transcription activating potential relies on a complex structure and also provide important clues to understanding the different functions exerted by transcription factors of this family.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Expression of the murine interleukin 6 receptor in hepatoma cells: the intracytoplasmic domain is not required for interleukin 6 signal transduction.

This paper reports on cDNA coding for the 80-kDa murine IL6 receptor (mIL6R) that was cloned from a mouse liver cDNA library. Human hepatoma Hep3B cells transfected transiently or stably with an expression vector carrying the entire coding region for mIL6R become responsive to mouse IL6 (mIL6). We monitored response to the cytokine through the transcriptional activation of a co-transfected IL6-inducible human C-reactive protein (CRP) promoter; response to mIL6 is lost upon treatment of the cells with increasing amounts of a monoclonal antibody to mIL6R. mIL6R mutants have been generated in the carboxy-terminal portion of the molecule. Their functional analysis in hepatoma cells shows that the intracytoplasmic domain of the receptor is not absolutely essential to IL6 signal transduction (i.e. CRP promoter activation), but that the last 40 amino acids contribute to maximal IL6 response in these cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Synergistic trans-activation of the human C-reactive protein promoter by transcription factor HNF-1 binding at two distinct sites.

The promoter region of the human C-reactive protein (CRP) gene comprises two distinct regions (APREs, for Acute Phase Responsive Elements) each one containing information necessary and sufficient for liver specific and IL-6 inducible expression in human hepatoma Hep3B cells. In this paper we show that both APREs contain a low affinity binding site for the liver specific transcription factor HNF-1/LF-B1. The two sites are separated by approximately 80 bp. Mutations in either of the two sites abolish inducible expression. The same effect is specifically obtained in cotransfection competition experiments when the human albumin HNF-1 site is used as competitor. However, HNF-1 is not the intranuclear mediator of IL-6 because synthetic promoters formed by multimerized copies of different HNF-1 binding sites are not transcriptionally activated by this cytokine. An expression vector encoding full length HNF-1 is capable of trans-activating transcription from the wild-type CRP promoter but not from mutants which have lost the ability to bind HNF-1. Moreover, the level of trans-activation observed with the natural promoter containing both HNF-1 binding sites is far greater than the level of mutated variants containing only one of the two sites. This result strongly suggests that two HNF-1 molecules bound simultaneously to sites distant from each other can act synergistically to activate gene expression.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Constitutive and IL-6-induced nuclear factors that interact with the human C-reactive protein promoter.

Transcription of the human C-reactive protein (CRP) gene is induced by interleukin-6 (IL-6) during acute inflammation. Important information for inducible CRP expression is located within the 90 bases preceding the transcriptional start site. We show that the CRP promoter contains two adjacent binding sites (beta and alpha) that interact with at least two hepatocyte-specific nuclear proteins, H-APF-1 and H-APF-2. Point mutations that abolish or reduce binding drastically affect the level of CRP gene expression. Binding to beta is identical when extracts from uninduced or IL-6-induced Hep3B cells are used. On the contrary, both quantitative and qualitative changes in the alpha binding can be detected with extracts from uninduced cells or from cells treated with IL-6 or IL-6 + cycloheximide. A synthetic promoter based on the multimerization of the beta-binding domain, but not of the alpha-domain, is highly inducible when transfected in hepatoma cells. These results are discussed in relation to the structure of the promoter region of other acute phase inducible genes.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Regulation of the human C-reactive protein gene, a major marker of inflammation and cancer.

Human C-reactive protein (CRP) is the major acute phase reactant during inflammation. Regulation of CRP gene expression has been studied in two experimental systems: transgenic mice and human hepatoma cells. In the first system the human CRP gene flanked by approximately 10(4) bases of 5' and 3' sequences is expressed in a liver-specific and inducible manner. The chromatin configuration of the CRP transgene is characterized by the presence of constitutive and inducible liver-specific DNase I-hypersensitive sites. Inducible sites map precisely at the level of the CRP promoter region. In hepatoma cells we analysed the expression of the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene driven by various segments of the CRP promoter. This latter approach has led to the identification of promoter elements responsive to interleukin-6 and of hepatocyte-specific nuclear proteins that interact with them.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Dual control of C-reactive protein gene expression by interleukin-1 and interleukin-6.

Human C-reactive protein (CRP) is the major acute phase reactant during acute inflammation. The human CRP promoter is expressed in an inducible and cell-specific manner when linked to the bacterial CAT gene and transfected into human hepatoma cell cultures. In this paper we analyze the effect of several recombinant cytokines or CRP promoter inducibility in human Hep3B cells. When cytokines are tested singly the major inducer of CRP-CAT fusions is interleukin-6 (IL-6). Maximal CAT gene expression, however, is only achieved when both interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and IL-6 are present. The response to the two cytokines is cooperative. Cooperativity is maintained when the CRP promoter is linked to a different coding region, that of the bacterial neomycin phosphotransferase II gene. With a series of 5' and 3' deletions we show the existence of two distinct and independent regions responsive to IL-6 and located upstream to the TATA box. The IL-1 effect is exerted at the level of downstream sequences that are probably important for optimal mRNA translatability or nuclear-cytoplasmic transport. Inducibility is not influenced by the activation of protein kinases C or A and does not require new protein synthesis.

C-Reactive Protein↗
PubMed1986

Synthesis of rat brain DNA during acquisition of an appetitive task.

We have examined the incorporation of [3H-methyl]thymidine into DNA extracted from several brain regions of rats learning a reverse handedness task, of control rats allowed to use their preferred paw, and of control rats left in their home cages. In learning animals, decrements in percent incorporation were observed in the visual cortex, remaining brain, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. In the latter two regions less marked decreases were present in the active control group. No variation occurred in the sensory-motor cortex. In learning rats the specific radioactivity of neuronal DNA was markedly decreased in the hippocampus and remaining brain. In the former region, a less marked decrease was present in active control rats. In subcellular fractionation studies it was observed that decreases in DNA specific radioactivity prevailed in the mitochondrial fraction isolated from the hippocampus and visual cortex of learning rats. Brain radioactive DNA was widely distributed among fractions differing in their degree of repetitiveness. Its pattern of distribution did not coincide with that of bulk DNA and differed significantly among behavioural groups. The results suggest a non random origin of newly-synthesized brain DNA and its involvement in learning.

Animals↗