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Biomedical subjects

G A Currie

Publications and source records attributed to G A Currie.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1985

Activation of N-ras in a human melanoma cell line.

DNA isolated from cell line Mel Swift, a human melanoma cell line, transforms NIH3T3 cells. Southern blot analysis of DNA from secondary foci revealed conserved 8.8- and 7.8-kilobase EcoRI fragments which hybridized with a human repetitive sequence clone, blur 8. The activated transforming gene was identified as N-ras, and the 8.8-kilobase EcoRI fragment from a secondary transformant was cloned. Synthetic 17-mer oligonucleotides which spanned either the normal codon 61 (CAA) or a mutant codon 61 (AAA) were used for hybridization. Cloned N-ras from melanoma cell line Mel Swift hybridized to the mutant (AAA) oligonucleotide. From this we predicted a glutamine-to-lysine substitution in amino acid 61, a change confirmed by conventional sequencing of the first and second exons of N-ras from cell line Mel Swift. Transfection experiments showed that only those recombinant clones with the mutation in position 61 were biologically active.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1981

Promotion of fibrosarcoma cell growth by products of syngeneic host macrophages.

Cells from a C57BL/cbi chemically induced fibrosarcoma (FS6) require exogenous platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) for in vitro proliferation (as do normal "untransformed" fibroblasts) whereas cells obtained from the FS6M1 tumour, a spontaneous metastasizing subline, show autonomy from PDGF in vitro. Furthermore, the FS6 cells exhibit very low colony formation in an anchorage-independent growth assay. In vivo, this tumour is immunogenic, rarely metastasizes and is heavily infiltrated by host macrophages. Studies of in vitro cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth show that syngeneic host macrophages from the peritoneal cavity or from the growing tumour release a diffusible factor(s) which has (1) growth-stimulating activity on FS6 cells in monolayer cultures in PDGF-poor medium and (2) potent colony-stimulating activity on FS6 cell cultured in methyl-cellulose-containing medium. These macrophage supernatants stimulate proliferation of quiescent normal fibroblasts in monolayer culture as well as FS6 sarcoma cells, but do not stimulate anchorage-independent growth of normal cells. Supernatants from BCG-elicited macrophages were shown to contain abundant arginase, and were cytolytic to FS6 cells but not to normal cells. Heat inactivation abrogated the arginase and cytotoxicity, revealing heat-stable mitogenicity for FS6 cells and normal fibroblasts. The stimulatory effect of macrophages on FS6 sarcoma cells can be mimicked by the addition of the tumour promoter 12-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and supports the hypothesis that macrophages could play a significant role in multistage carcinogenesis by providing a source of endogenous promoter.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Platelet-derived growth-factor requirements for in vitro proliferation of normal and malignant mesenchymal cells.

Serum obtained by clotting whole blood contains a potent mitogen with apparent specificity for mesenchymal cells. This peptide wound-healing hormone, derived from platelets, is known as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Serum obtained by clotting plasma contains no detectable growth-promoting activity for fibroblasts, and is therefore a valuable additive to culture medium for an examination of the autonomy of cells from exogenous PDGF. Fibroblasts from man, mouse and hamster remain mitotically quiescent in plasma-derived serum and proliferate only when a source of PDGF is added. Normal human kidney epithelial cells and human T-cells proliferate normally in plasma-derived serum, and are unaffected by the addition of PDGF. A range of virally transformed cells and malignant cells from chemically induced rodent sarcomas was tested for their proliferative capacity in plasma-derived serum and their response to exogenous PDGF. A complete spectrum of PDGF-dependence was revealed. Polyoma-transformed BHK21 cells and SV40-transformed 3T3 cells showed complete PDGF independence. Cells from 7 chemically induced rat or mouse sarcomas provided results which ranged from the FS6 (a C57BL Cbi mouse sarcoma which was completely PDGF dependent) to MC28 (a hooded rat sarcoma) which was completely PDGF independent. The dependence of proliferation of these cells on PDGF showed a close correlation with several features of their in vivo behaviour. Tumours which were non-immunogenic in syngeneic hosts, contained few host macrophages and produced a high incidence of spontaneous distant metastases provided PDGF-independent cells. Cells from highly immunogenic, macrophage-rich "non-metastasizing" tumours were on the other hand PDGF dependent and tumours of intermediate "malignancy" provided cells with partial autonomy from PDGF. An assay for anchorage-independent growth provided data which also correlated with autonomy from PDGF. However, daily addition of large amounts of PDGF to BHK21 C13 cells induced reversible anchorage independent growth. The value of plasma-derived serum for the investigation of the proliferative autonomy of malignant cells is emphasized.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Monocytes and macrophages in malignant melanoma IV. Effects of C. parvum on monocyte function.

Assays for the capacity of peripheral-blood monocytes (a) to mature in vitro into macrophages, (b) to reduce nitro-blue tetrazolium (NBT) and (c) to lyse antibody-coated human Group A red cells, were applied to a group of 82 patients with histologically proven malignant melanoma. In patients with micrometastatic disease there was an enhancement of red-cell lysis and NBT reduction, suggesting that their monocytes are in some way "activated", whereas NBT reduction was suppressed in those with overt dissemination. Monocyte maturation in vitro was impaired in all patient groups to an extent which correlated with overall tumour burden. Corynebacterium parvum was administered i.v. to 12 patients with disseminated disease and by the intradermal route to 24 patients with micrometastatic disease. The 3 monocyte functions were significantly enhanced by C. parvum.

Bacterial Vaccines↗
PubMed1979

Microenvironmental arginine depletion by macrophages in vivo.

Since the tumour-selective cytotoxic activity of activated macrophages in vitro can be attributed to depletion of the culture medium of L-arginine by macrophage arginase, a series of experiments was designed to determine whether such a mechanism could operate in vivo. Extracellular fluid obtained from Gullino chambers within established tumours contained high levels of arginase, no detectable arginine and high levels of ornithine. When tumours were disaggregated into single-cell suspensions, arginase was readily detected within tumour macrophages but not within malignant cells. Inflammatory ascites induced in mice by Corynebacterium parvum was rich in arginase, depleted of L-arginine and cytotoxic in vitro to L5178Y and V79 cells. High levels of arginase in the ascites fluid were associated with resistance to challenge with syngeneic L5178Y cells. Lymph collected from the cisterna chyli in rats bearing a macrophage-rich sarcoma on the small bowel contained elevated levels of arginase, was depleted of arginine and contained increased concentrations of ornithine. We conclude that in sites of macrophage infiltration there is microenvironmental arginine depletion due to the action of arginase, and that arginase release could represent an important macrophage effector mechanism against a variety of targets, including malignant cells, virus-infected cells, fungi and parasites.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Immunity as the predominant factor determining metastasis by murine lymphomas.

The metastatic behaviour of the L5178E (non-M) lymphoma and a highly metastatic subline L51787ES (M) were studied in syngeneic DBA2 mice. The non-M tumour rarely metastasizes in intact syngeneic mice, but produces extensive and rapidly lethal metastases when implanted into irradiated recipients. The metastatic behaviour of the M subline is unaffected by irradiation of the host. By conventional transplantation criteria, the non-M tumour is more immunogenic than the M subline. Both tumours, however, produce similar responses in a lymphnode weight-gain assay. Host-cell infiltration of the tumours growing s.c. is much greater in the non-M than the M, the infiltrating cells being Fc-receptor-positive and maturing into macrophages after 2 days in vitro. Although spontaneous in vitro motility of the M cells is much greater than that of the non-M, the metastatic behaviour of the tumours is clearly determined by host immunological responses.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Monocytes and macrophages in malignant melanoma. III. Reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium by peripheral blood monocytes.

Peripheral-blood monocytes from normal individuals and from patients with malignant melanoma reduce nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT). A quantitative assay for dye reduction was applied to 25 healthy donors and 31 patients with malignant melanoma. NBT reduction expressed as dye reduction per monocyte was significantly impaired in patients with disseminated disease, and they responded poorly to a phagocytic stimulus. Monocytes from patients with micrometastatic disease, however, showed normal resting NBT reduction but, following exposure to a suspension of latex-polystyrene, showed significantly greater NBT reduction than those from normal individuals. Since NBT reduction is an indirect measure of intracellular hexose-monophosphate-shunt activity we conclude that the monocytes from patients with minimal disease are in some way activated.

Adolescent↗