Biomedical subjects

K D Fischer

Publications and source records attributed to K D Fischer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

Stress-signalling kinase Sek1 protects thymocytes from apoptosis mediated by CD95 and CD3.

Distinct and evolutionarily conserved signal transduction cascades mediate survival or death in response to developmental and environmental cues. The stress-activated protein kinases, or Jun N-terminal kinases (SAPKs/JNKs), are activated in response to a variety of cellular stresses such as changes in osmolarity and metabolism, DNA damage, heat shock, ischaemia, or inflammatory cytokines. Sek1 (JNKK/MKK4) is a direct activator of SAPKs/JNKs in response to environmental stresses or mitogenic factors. Here we investigate the role of Sek1 in development and apoptosis by deleting sek1 in embryonic stem (ES) cells by homologous recombination. We provide genetic evidence that different stresses utilize distinct signalling pathways for SAPK/JNK activation. sek1(-/-) rag2(-/-) chimaeric mice have normal numbers of mature T cells but fewer immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. The sek1 mutation did not affect the induction of apoptosis in response to environmental stresses in ES and T cells: instead, sek1 protected thymocytes from CD95 (Fas)- and CD3-mediated apoptosis. These data indicate that SEK1 mediates survival signals in T-cell development.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Intestinal growth is associated with elevated levels of glucagon-like peptide 2 in diabetic rats.

Glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) has recently been identified as a novel intestinal growth factor. Because experimental diabetes is associated with bowel growth, we examined the relationship between GLP-2 and intestinal growth in rats made diabetic by streptozotocin (STZ) injection and treated with or without insulin for 3 wk. Ileal concentrations of the intestinal proglucagon-derived peptides, i.e., glicentin + oxyntomodulin, and GLPs 1 and 2, were increased by 57 +/- 20% above those of controls in untreated STZ diabetes (P < 0.05-0.001). Similar increases in plasma concentrations of glicentin + oxyntomodulin (77 +/- 15% above controls, P < 0.01) and GLP-2 (91 +/- 32% above controls, P < 0.05) were seen in untreated STZ diabetes. Both wet and dry small intestinal weight increased by 74 +/- 20% above controls (P < 0.01) in STZ diabetes, and macromolecular analysis indicated parallel increases in both protein (P < 0.001) and lipid (P < 0.05) content. Villus height (P < 0.001) and crypt depth (P < 0.01) were also increased in untreated diabetic rat intestine. Insulin therapy prevented the changes in plasma GLP-2 and intestinal mass seen in untreated STZ diabetes. Thus STZ diabetes is associated with both increased production of GLP-2 and enhanced bowel weight, thereby suggesting a role for GLP-2 in diabetes-associated bowel growth.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Signaling capacity of the T cell antigen receptor is negatively regulated by the PTP1C tyrosine phosphatase.

The association of PTP1C deficiency with the multiplicity of lymphoid cell abnormalities manifested by motheaten (me) and viable motheaten (me(v)) mice suggests a pivotal role for this tyrosine phosphatase in the regulation of lymphocyte differentiation and function. To delineate the relevance of PTP1C to T cell physiology, we have examined me and me(v) T cells with regards to their capacity to transduce activating signals through the T cell antigen receptor (TCR). Although thymocyte maturation appeared normal in the mutant mice, both thymocytes and peripheral T cells from these animals exhibited proliferative response to TCR stimulation that were markedly increased relative to those elicited in normal cells. Compared to normal thymocytes, PTP1C-deficient thymocytes also showed increased constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation of the TCR complex and enhanced and prolonged TCR-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the TCR-zeta and CD3-epsilon, as well as a number of cytosolic proteins, most notably a 38-kD phosphoprotein found to associate with the Grb2 adaptor SH2 domain in activated thymocytes. These latter phosphoproteins also associated with the Vav guanine nucleotide exchange factor upon TCR ligation, and were dephosphorylated by recombinant PTP1C in vitro. In conjunction with the finding of PTP1C-TCR association in unstimulated normal thymocytes, these results reveal the capacity of PTP1C to interact with and likely dephosphorylate resting and activated TCR complex components, as well as more distal signaling effectors that are normally recruited to the Vav and Grb2 SH2 domains after TCR stimulation. These data therefore strongly implicate PTP1C in the downregulation of TCR signaling capacity and, taken together with the aberrant prolongation of TCR-induced, mitogen-associated kinase (MAPK) activation observed in PTP1C-deficient thymocytes, these findings suggest that the inhibitory influence of PTP1C on TCR signal relay is realized through its effects on both the TCR complex and downstream signaling elements that couple the activated antigen receptor to the Ras/MAPK response pathway.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Cell autonomous functions of the receptor tyrosine kinase TIE in a late phase of angiogenic capillary growth and endothelial cell survival during murine development.

TIE is a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in both mature endothelial cells and their precursors, as well as in some hematopoietic cells. Mouse embryos homozygous for a disrupted Tie allele die at midgestation due to impaired endothelial cell integrity and resulting hemorrhage. Here we have performed chimeric analysis to study further the function of the murine TIE in the development of embryonic vasculature and in the hematopoietic system. Cells lacking a functional Tie gene (tie(lcz)/tie(lczn-) cells) contributed to the embryonic vasculature at E10.5 as efficiently as cells heterozygous for a targeted Tie allele (tie(lcz)/+ cells). Thus, TIE does not play a significant role in vasculogenesis or in early angiogenic processes, such as formation of the intersomitic arteries and limb bud vascularization. At E15.5 tie(lcz)/tie(lczn-) cells still readily contributed to major blood vessels and to endothelial cells of organs such as lung and heart, which have been suggested to be vascularized by angioblast differentiation. In contrast, the tie(lcz)/tie(lczn-) cells were selected against in the capillary plexuses of several angiogenically vascularized tissues, such as brain and kidney. Our results thus support a role for TIE in late phases of angiogenesis but not vasculogenesis. Furthermore, the results suggest that different mechanisms regulate early and late angiogenesis and provide support for a model of differential organ vascularization by vasculogenic or angiogenic processes. Analysis of adult chimeras suggested that TIE is required to support the survival or proliferation of certain types of endothelial cells demonstrating heterogeneity in the growth/survival factor requirements in various endothelial cell populations. Chimeric analysis of adult hematopoietic cell populations, including peripheral platelets and bone marrow progenitor cells, revealed that tie(lcz)/tie(lczn-) cells were able to contribute to these cell types in a way indistinguishable from tie(lcz)/+ or wild-type cells. Thus, the primary function of TIE appears to be restricted to the endothelial cell lineage.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

[An apparent letter by Herophilos to King Antiochos, from a Brussels handwritten collection published for the first time].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Anatomy↗

PubMed1995

Defective T-cell receptor signalling and positive selection of Vav-deficient CD4+ CD8+ thymocytes.

During lymphocyte development, cellular proliferation and positive and negative selection events ensure the production of T and B lymphocytes bearing highly diverse, but self-tolerant, repertoires of antigen receptors. These processes are initiated when engagement of growth-factor receptors, or the T and B lymphocyte antigen receptors, induces tyrosine phosphorylation of specific SH2- and SH3-domain-containing cytoplasmic proteins, including Vav. Here we show that vav-/- embryonic stem cells generate only limited numbers of immature and mature T and B lymphocytes in the RAG-2 blastocyst complementation assay. Furthermore, Vav-deficient T lymphocytes showed severely impaired antigen receptor signalling. Finally, we demonstrate that Vav-dependent signalling pathways regulate maturation, but not CD4/CD8 lineage commitment, during T-cell-receptor-mediated positive selection of immature CD4+ CD8+ precursors into mature CD4+ CD8- or CD4- CD8+ T cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

The vav proto-oncogene is required early in embryogenesis but not for hematopoietic development in vitro.

Previous studies have suggested that the vav protooncogene plays an important role in hematopoiesis. To study this further, we have ablated the vav protooncogene by homologous recombination in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Homozygous vav (-/-) ES clones differentiate normally in culture and generate cells of erythroid, myeloid and mast cell lineages. Mice heterozygous for the targeted vav allele do not display any obvious abnormalities. However, homozygous embryos die very early during development. Crosses of vav (+/-) heterozygous mice yield apparently normal vav (-/-) E3.5 embryos but not post-implantation embryos (> or = E7.5). Furthermore, homozygous vav (-/-) blastocysts do not hatch in vitro. These results indicate that vav is essential for an early developmental step(s) that precedes the onset of hematopoiesis. Consistent with the phenotypic analysis of vav (-/-) embryos, we have identified Vav immunoreactivity in the extra-embryonic trophoblastic cell layer but not in the inner embryonic cell mass of E3.5 preimplantation embryos or in the egg cylinder of E6.5 and E7.5 post-implantation embryos. These results suggest that the vav gene is essential for normal trophoblast development and for implantation of the developing embryo.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

[Not Available].

In most instances, knowledge is passed on through the medium of language. The author tries to demonstrate to what extent the Latin present in early medieval Latin medical treatises failed to fulfill its role as an efficient medium of communication, which factors may account for this failure and how scholars in the middle ages strove to restore sense in texts in various stages of corruption, an attempt that was bound to be unsuccessful in many cases owing to a lack of reliable dictionaries.

Europe↗

PubMed1993

Cooperation of GATA-1 and Sp1 can result in synergistic transcriptional activation or interference.

GATA-1 is a lineage-restricted transcription factor. Virtually all erythroid-expressed genes contain GATA recognition sites in their regulatory elements. Cotransfection/transactivation assays have revealed that, although GATA-1 as the only cell-restricted transcription factor is sufficient to activate some of the erythroid-specific promoters, not all such promoters are responsive, suggesting a requirement for cooperation with other factors. To study the interaction of GATA-1 with other transactivators, we analyzed sequence motifs of the human gamma-globin promoter as response system by in vitro transcription and by transfections into erythroid K562 cells or into heterologous Drosophila SL2 cells. GATA-1 alone did not activate the promoter. However, GATA-1 exerted an effect in concert with the ubiquitous transactivator Sp1. Depending on the factor concentrations and the sequence context of the cognate binding sites, this interaction could result in synergistic transcriptional activation or in interference. GATA-1 and Sp1 did not cooperate in DNA binding when tested in vitro. This suggests that the functional cooperation is mediated by protein interactions with additional factor(s) which transmit the activator signal. The Sp1-binding CCACCC motif was found to be critical for high activity of the gamma-globin promoter. This site overlaps with a recognition sequence for members of the NFI/CTF family. NFI did not transactivate, but it interfered with Sp1-mediated stimulation and hence with Sp1/GATA-1 cooperation. These data, together with phylogenetic evidence, suggest that the CCACCC region is likely to represent a regulatory switch element.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

The gene for erythropoietin receptor is expressed in multipotential hematopoietic and embryonal stem cells: evidence for differentiation stage-specific regulation.

The principal regulator of erythropoiesis is the glycoprotein erythropoietin, which interacts with a specific cell surface receptor (EpoR). A study aimed at analyzing EpoR gene regulation has shown that both pluripotent embryonal stem cells and early multipotent hematopoietic cells express EpoR transcripts. Commitment to nonerythroid lineages (e.g., macrophage or lymphocytic) results in the shutdown of EpoR gene expression, whereas commitment to the erythroid lineage is concurrent with or followed by dramatic increases in EpoR transcription. To determine whether gene activity could be correlated with chromatin alterations, DNase-hypersensitive sites (HSS) were mapped. Two major HSS located in the promoter region and within the first intron of the EpoR gene are present in all embryonal stem and hematopoietic cells tested, the intensities of which correlate well with EpoR expression levels. In addition, a third major HSS also located within the first intron of the EpoR gene is uniquely present in erythroid cells that express high levels of EpoR. Transfection assays show that sequences surrounding this major HSS impart erythroid cell-specific enhancer activity to a heterologous promoter and that this activity is at least in part mediated by GATA-1. These data, together with concordant expression levels of GATA-1 and EpoR in both early multipotent hematopoietic and committed erythroid cells, support a regulatory role of the erythroid cell-specific transcription factor GATA-1 in EpoR transcription in these cells. However, the lack of significant levels of GATA-1 expression in embryonal stem cells implies an alternative regulatory mechanism of EpoR transcription in cells not committed to the hematopoietic lineage.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

The T----C substitution at -198 of the A gamma-globin gene associated with the British form of HPFH generates overlapping recognition sites for two DNA-binding proteins.

Defects in the developmental changes of human hemoglobin production characterized by the continued expression of fetal globin during adult life are classified as hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). Among the various molecular lesions associated with this phenotype, the non-deletion forms with point mutations in the promoter region are thought to provide mechanistic clues for gamma-globin gene regulation. The natural occurrence of four different base substitutions mapping within six nucleotides of a homopurine.homopyrimidine motif in the upstream promoter region demarcate a potential control element. To assess its importance for transcriptional activity, we compared the -202 (C----G), -198 (T----C) and -196 (C----T) HPFH mutations with the normal sequence in binding studies with nuclear proteins from erythroid and non-erythroid cells. Wildtype DNA and HPFH mutations at -202 or -196 showed only a weak protein interaction of unclear functional significance. In contrast, -198 (T----C) generated overlapping, high-affinity binding sites for two ubiquitous nuclear proteins. One cognate protein was identified as the transcription factor Sp1. The second one was termed NF-G.C as it interacted strongly with the homopolymer poly(dG).poly(dC). The generation of additional recognition sites for trans-acting factors by the -198 HPFH mutation correlated with a modest increase in promoter activity in vitro specifically with nuclear extracts from erythroid cells. The activation appears to be mediated by binding of Sp1, but it requires interaction with an erythroid-specific factor, most likely GF-1. Templates containing the -196 HPFH mutation showed a transcriptional activity identical to wildtype. This suggests that despite the topological proximity of the mutations, the HPFH phenotype may be established by different mechanisms.

Base Composition↗

PubMed1988