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Biomedical subjects

L E Grosso

Publications and source records attributed to L E Grosso.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Peptide sequences selected by BA4, a tropoelastin-specific monoclonal antibody, are ligands for the 67-kilodalton bovine elastin receptor.

A 67-kDa cell-surface elastin/laminin receptor is expressed by fetal bovine ligamentum nuchae fibroblasts and neutrophils. Two hexapeptides, VGVAPG and PGAIPG, contained within hydrophobic domains of tropoelastin are binding sites for this receptor. Studies of recombinant tropoelastin proteins and synthetic peptides demonstrated that a monoclonal antibody, BA4, recognized peptide sequences similar to those recognized by the 67-kDa receptor. Taking advantage of this similarity, an "epitope library" containing random hexapeptides was screened with BA4. Four BA4-selected peptides (VGAMPG, VGMAPG, VGSLPG, and VGLSPG) were synthesized; studies of fibroblast and neutrophil migration support the hypothesis that these peptides are ligands of the 67-kDa receptor present on ligamentum nuchae fibroblasts and neutrophils. Two additional, physically similar tropoelastin peptides,AGAIPG and PGAVGP, were also identified as peptide ligands, and hence potential binding sites within tropoelastin, of the elastin receptor. These data suggest that the 67-kDa elastin/laminin receptor may interact with a wide range of structurally similar peptides containing amino acid substitutions involving small nonpolar and uncharged amino acids.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Extracellular-matrix degradation at acid pH. Avian osteoclast acid collagenase isolation and characterization.

Osteoclasts degrade bone matrix, which is mainly type I collagen and hydroxyapatite, in an acidic extracellular compartment. Thus we reasoned that osteoclasts must produce an acid collagenase. We purified this enzyme, a 31 kDa protein, from avian osteoclast lysates (in 100 mM acetate/1 mM CHAPS/1 mM dithiothreitol, pH 4.4), fractionated by (NH2)2SO4 precipitation, gelatin-affinity, cation exchange, and gel filtration. Fraction activity was measured using diazotized collagen or 3H-labelled cross-linked collagen (decalcified and trypsin-treated metabolically L-[4,5-3H]proline-labelled bone) as substrates. Iodoacetate, leupeptin, antipain, pepstatin and mercurials inhibited collagenolysis by the isolated proteinase; mercurial derivatives could not be re-activated by dithiothreitol. Collagen degradation was maximal at pH 4.4; purified proteinase reproduced the collagenolytic activity of cell lysates. The N-terminal amino acid sequence from the isolated protein and its CNBr degradation fragments showed sequence similarity to mammalian cathepsin Bs, and near-identity with avian liver cathepsin B. Peptide substrate specificity of the osteoclastic enzyme resembled those of mammalian cathepsin B and its avian liver counterpart, but degradation of low-molecular-mass substrates by the osteoclastic enzyme was slower, reflecting generally lower kcat. values. Further, kcat/Km varied less between arginine-containing substrates than for previously reported cathepsin Bs, indicating different substrate specificity of the osteoclast enzyme. Polyclonal antibody raised to a 25 kDa fragment of the enzyme recognized a single 31 kDa band in SDS/PAGE of osteoclast lysates blotted to poly(vinylidene difluoride), adsorbed collagenolytic activity of osteoclast lysates, and stained avian osteoclasts in tissue sections. Degenerate sense- and antisense-oligonucleotide primers, predicted from segments of primary amino acid sequence, amplified a 486 bp DNA fragment; this was cloned and sequenced. Of 162 amino acids encoded, 77% are identical with those of human cathepsin B; hybridization identified a 2.4 kb RNA in osteoclast lysates. We conclude that the major avian osteoclast collagenolytic enzyme is a cathepsin B, whose activity varies from other enzymes of its class.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

PGAIPG, a repeated hexapeptide of bovine and human tropoelastin, is chemotactic for neutrophils and Lewis lung carcinoma cells.

Fetal bovine ligamentum nuchae fibroblasts express a 67-kDa, lactose-sensitive receptor that binds to VGVAPG, a repeated hexapeptide, of bovine and human tropoelastin. Recently, studies utilizing recombinant tropoelastin deletion proteins in conjunction with synthetic peptides identified a second fibroblast receptor binding site, PGAIPG. To evaluate whether PGAIPG is a ligand for elastin receptors of other cells, the chemotactic response of neutrophils and Lewis lung carcinoma tumor cells (M27) was studied. PGAIPG was chemotactic for both of these cells. The maximal response was seen at 10(-9) M. VGVAPG desensitized neutrophils to migration induced by PGAIPG confirming that PGAIPG was binding to the 67-kDa receptor. GAIPG, a chemokinetic peptide for fibroblasts, did not induce neutrophil migration. This corroborates the conclusion that GAIPG's mechanism of action in fibroblasts was independent of the 67-kDa receptor. Unlike fibroblasts and neutrophils, GAIPG was chemotactic for M27 tumor cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

PGAIPG, a repeated hexapeptide of bovine tropoelastin, is a ligand for the 67-kDa bovine elastin receptor.

Tropoelastin is composed of alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains. A hydrophobic peptide, VGVAPG, has been shown to be a ligand for a 67-kDa elastin cell surface receptor expressed on fetal bovine auricular chondrocytes and ligamentum nuchae fibroblasts. To explore the possibility that tropoelastin contains additional peptide ligands for this elastin receptor, we have constructed two deletion proteins that are expressed in E. coli and lack the repeated VGVAPG sequence. These proteins supported bovine fibroblast attachment implying the presence of a receptor binding site. Experiments using synthetic peptides contained within these proteins identify a chemotactic peptide, PGAIPG, and a chemokinetic peptide, GAIPG, PGAIPG was identified as a ligand for the bovine elastin receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

IL-1-induced murine osteoblast IL-6 production is mediated by the type 1 IL-1 receptor and is increased by 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3.

IL-1-induced osteoblast IL-6 production represents one possible mechanism by which IL-1 augments bone resorption. In this report, we show that the murine osteoblastic cell line (MC3T3-E1) expresses type 1 IL-1 receptors based on 125I-HrIL1 alpha binding, blocked by type 1 IL-1R antibodies (35F5), and analysis of MC3T3 RNA by reverse transcription (RT)-DNA amplification and Northern analysis. MC3T3 cells do not express detectable type 2 IL-1R mRNA by RT-DNA amplification. IL-1 induces (IL-1 ED50, 0.1 pM) IL-6 production through the type 1 IL-1R as 35F5 antibodies block IL-1-stimulated IL-6 production. Vitamin D3 increases IL-1R expression dose- and metabolite-dependently, with 1,25-(OH)2D3 having the greatest potency, and also enhances IL-1's capacity to stimulate IL-6 production at low IL-1 levels. Both IL-1 and 1,25-(OH)2D3 induce type 1 IL-1R and not type 2 IL-1R upregulation based on ligand binding and RT-DNA amplification. Increased IL-1R expression requires a 5-7-h treatment and is protein/RNA synthesis dependent. These observations imply that IL-1-induced IL-6 production in osteoblasts is mediated by type 1 IL-1Rs and that increased IL-1R expression could play a role in mediating IL-1-induced skeletal responses.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1993

Expression of parathyroidlike protein in normal, proliferative, and neoplastic human breast tissues.

Parathyroidlike peptide (PLP), or parathyroid hormone-related protein, is a protein of uncertain biological function that is structurally homologous to parathyroid hormone. Immunohistochemical studies have identified aminoterminal epitopes of PLP in breast carcinomas, but not in normal breast. In the present studies, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization were performed to evaluate further expression of PLP in normal, proliferative, and neoplastic breast tissues. Using a polyclonal antibody that recognizes epitopes within the middle and carboxyl-terminal domains of PLP, immunoreactive protein was detected within the cytoplasm of lobular and ductal epithelial cells in all normal and fibrocystic breast tissues from 74 patients. The intensity of cytoplasmic staining was increased in association with lactation, adenosis, and simple or atypical ductal hyperplasia and decreased in atrophic lobules. Cytoplasmic reactivity was also observed in 69% (56 of 81) of breast adenocarcinomas. Expression of immunoreactive PLP was inversely correlated with tumor stage and extent of nodal involvement at the time of diagnosis. However, there was no significant correlation with tumor grade, patient age, or hormone receptor status. In situ hybridization studies confirmed the epithelial expression of PLP messenger RNA in PLP-positive normal and neoplastic breast tissue. Interestingly, tumor-associated calcifications were identified in 43% of PLP-positive carcinomas, but in only 12% of PLP-negative carcinomas (P < 0.007). Our results suggest that PLP plays some role in the normal differentiated function of mammary epithelial cells and are consistent with the hypothesis that expression of this protein influences local calcium metabolism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Stromal osteoclast-like giant cells in an adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder.

We report a case an adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder that extended to the proximal transverse colon. Metastatic tumor was present in regional lymph nodes and the liver. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of malignant epithelial cells that were cytokeratin-, epithelial membrane antigen-, and carcinoembryonic antigen-positive. The adjacent desmoplastic stroma of the primary tumor, as well as the metastasis, contained giant cells that morphologically resembled osteoclasts. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the giant cells were cytokeratin-, epithelial membrane antigen-, and carcinoembryonic antigen-negative but weakly alpha 1-antichymotrypsin-positive. While tumors containing osteoclast-like giant cells have been described in the breast, lung, liver, and thyroid, this is the first report of a tumor with this morphology originating in the gallbladder. The presence of the giant cells adjacent to both the primary and metastatic tumor and not at any other location suggests that the tumor cells are producing a substance that induces the formation of the nontumoral giant cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Cellular expression of tropoelastin mRNA splice variants.

The primary transcript of tropoelastin is alternatively spliced into multiple mRNAs. The pattern and frequency of exon splicing is developmentally regulated, but the cellular profile of isoform expression within and among elastic tissues is not known. We used splice-variant specific antisense oligomeric deoxyribonucleotide probes in an in situ hybridization assay to assess the distribution of cells undergoing specific alternative splicing of tropoelastin pre-mRNA in developing bovine elastic tissues. Antisense oligomers were synthesized to exon sequences that are not alternatively spliced (exon 36) and to sequences that become abutted after high frequency (exon 33) and low frequency (exons 13 and 14) alternative splicing. The specificity of these probes for tropoelastin splice variants was verified by Southern hybridization to tropoelastin cDNAs with known exon deletions, and their specificity for tropoelastin mRNA was demonstrated by Northern hybridization. In situ hybridization with [35S]-labeled oligomers on sections of bovine lobar pulmonary artery and other elastic tissues showed that all elastogenic cells produce multiple forms of tropoelastin mRNA. These observations suggest that the production of tropoelastin isoforms is common to all cells within an elastin tissue and that this multiplicity may not be involved in regional differences in elastic tissue architecture.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Binding of elastin to Staphylococcus aureus.

Many pathogenic bacteria specifically bind to components of the extracellular matrix. In this study, we report the specific association of Staphylococcus aureus with elastin, a major structural component of elastic tissue. Competition assays in which the binding of radiolabeled tropoelastin was inhibited by excess unlabeled elastin peptides, but not by other proteins, established the specificity of the interaction. Kinetic studies showed that tropoelastin binding to the bacteria was rapid and saturable. Scatchard analysis of the equilibrium binding data indicated the presence of a single class of high affinity binding sites (KD approximately 4-7 nM) with approximately 1000 sites per organism. Protease susceptibility suggested that the elastin binding moiety on S. aureus was a protein, which was confirmed by the isolation of a 25-kDa elastin-binding protein from S. aureus extracts through affinity chromatography. Using a truncated form of tropoelastin, the bacterial binding domain on elastin was mapped to a 30-kDa fragment at the amino end of the molecule. Although the precise amino acid sequence recognized by the staphylococcal elastin receptor has not been characterized, it is clearly different from the region of tropoelastin that specifies binding to mammalian elastin receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Complementary DNA cloning establishes microfibril-associated glycoprotein (MAGP) to be a discrete component of the elastin-associated microfibrils.

Affinity-purified antibodies to microfibril-associated glycoprotein (MAGP) were used to screen a random-primed, bovine nuchal ligament cDNA library in lambda gt11. A 303-base pair clone, cM5, was isolated which encoded an amino acid sequence homologous with that determined directly from a Lys-C peptide of MAGP. A 936-base pair cDNA clone, cM32, was identified in an oligo(dT)-primed cDNA library using plaque hybridization with clone cM5. Clone cM32 encoded amino acid sequences corresponding to sequences obtained from three Lys-C peptides of MAGP, indicating that the clone was an authentic cDNA for the glycoprotein. The cDNA coded for the entire MAGP polypeptide (21 kDa) of 183 amino acids including a putative signal peptide of 17-19 amino acids. This was confirmed by in vitro translation of synthetic mRNAs transcribed from cM32. The amino acid composition of the encoded protein was virtually identical to that previously published for MAGP. DNA sequence analysis of cM32 indicated that MAGP contains two structurally dissimilar regions, an amino-terminal domain containing high levels of glutamine, proline, and acidic amino acids and a carboxyl-terminal domain containing all 13 of the cysteine residues and most of the basic amino acids. Northern blot hybridization of poly(A+) RNA from fetal nuchal ligament with clone cM32 identified a single mRNA species for MAGP of approximately 1.1 kilobases. The evidence indicates that MAGP is a distinct component of 12-nm microfibrils and that it is not derived from a larger microfibrillar glycopolypeptide.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed1991

Characterization of a putative clone for the 67-kilodalton elastin/laminin receptor suggests that it encodes a cytoplasmic protein rather than a cell surface receptor.

The 67-kDa elastin binding protein shares many immunological and structural properties with the high-affinity 67-kDa tumor cell laminin receptor. Taking advantage of these similarities, we have screened a bovine cDNA library with a partial cDNA probe for the laminin receptor and have isolated and characterized a cDNA clone of 1038 bp that hybridizes to a single-size mRNA of 1.3 kb. The clone encodes a protein with a predicted molecular weight of 33K that lacks an N-terminal leader sequence, shows no posttranslational processing when translated in vitro in the presence of microsomes, and does not bind to elastin affinity columns. Although the bovine clone is nearly identical with clones encoding human and mouse proteins proported to be 67-kDa laminin receptor, physical and functional characteristics of the encoded protein suggest that it is a cytoplasmic protein that does not bind elastin. This finding calls into question the earlier conclusion that the clone encodes the 67-kDa receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Fibroblast adhesion to recombinant tropoelastin expressed as a protein A-fusion protein.

A bovine tropoelastin cDNA encoding exons 15-36 that includes the elastin-receptor binding site was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. After isolation of the fusion protein by affinity chromatography on Ig-Sepharose, the tropoelastin domain was separated from plasmid-pR1T2T-encoded Protein A (Protein A') by CNBr cleavage. Cell-adhesion assays demonstrated specific adhesion to the recombinant tropoelastin. Furthermore, the data indicate that interactions involving the bovine elastin receptor mediate nuchalligament fibroblast adhesion to the recombinant protein. In agreement with earlier studies of fibroblast chemotaxis to bovine tropoelastin, nuchal-ligament fibroblast adhesion demonstrated developmental regulation of the elastin receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Immunohistochemical detection of intracellular tropoelastin: an assay for elastin production and its use in the detection and assessment of elastogenic factors.

Techniques are described for visualizing intracellular tropoelastin at the light level using immunofluorescence and immunogold techniques. Best results were obtained with B5 fixative on cells permeabilized with acetone. Using either formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde for fixation (instead of B5) resulted in both less reproducible and less intense intracellular staining, and permeabilization of the cells with ethanol resulted in relatively high background staining compared with that obtained with cold (-20 degrees C) acetone. Intracellular tropoelastin was seen most prominently in the perinuclear region, and the intensity of staining agreed with the reported rate of tropoelastin synthesis as assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RNA hybridization studies. The applicability of the intracellular staining technique for studying the elastin phenotype was tested by demonstrating increases in both the number of positive cells and in the intensity of elastin staining in cells treated with smooth muscle elastogenic factor (SMEF), an elastogenic factor known to stimulate elastin production.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

In vitro processing of tropoelastin: investigation of a possible transport function associated with the carboxy-terminal domain.

In vitro translation systems were used to characterize the processing of bovine tropoelastin isoforms and to investigate the possibility that the carboxy-terminal 19 amino acids of tropoelastin encode a molecular domain that directs intracellular transport. Immunoprecipitation with domain-specific antibodies demonstrated that multiple tropoelastin isoforms corresponding to those identified in tissue and cell culture studies were correctly translated and were processed by dog pancreas microsomes. Our results demonstrate that all tropoelastin isoforms are translocated completely into the microsomal vesicle and do not remain associated with the microsomal membrane. These results exclude the possibility that the carboxy-terminal domain of tropoelastin functions as a trafficking signal by effecting an association between tropoelastin and an intracellular membraneous compartment.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Transcriptional regulation of c-myc during chemically induced differentiation of HL-60 cultures.

Previous studies have demonstrated both an elevated level of cellular myc-homologous RNA in HL-60 cultures and a decrease in this messenger RNA following the chemically induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. A nuclear transcription system isolated from HL-60 cells was used to investigate whether an alteration in the rate of transcription of the c-myc gene was associated with this decrease in myc RNA. Five days after the addition of either 180 mM dimethyl sulfoxide or 60 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate to HL-60 cultures, transcription of the c-myc gene was markedly reduced when compared with control cultures. This specific decrease was not accompanied by an alteration in either the bulk rate of transcription of the c-myc copy number. This suggests that the decreased cellular myc RNA levels are due to decreased transcription of the myc protooncogene.

Cell Differentiation↗
PubMed1985

Chromatin structure of the c-myc gene in HL-60 cells during alterations of transcriptional activity.

HL-60 cells have an elevated level of cellular myc RNA due to an amplified c-myc gene. Subsequent to chemically induced differentiation of HL-60 cells, both cellular myc RNA levels (Grosso, L. E., and Pitot, H. C., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 119: 473, 1984) and myc-specific transcription decrease (Grosso, L. E., and Pitot, H. C., Cancer Res., 45: 847-850, 1985). We have compared the primary DNA structure, DNA methylation, and S1 nuclease sensitivity of the myc protooncogene in HL-60 cells before and after chemically induced differentiation. We find no change in the structure or methylation of the c-myc gene. The protooncogene is hypomethylated at CCGG sequences in the 5' region but is extensively methylated at sites detected by sequences homologous to the 3' exon or 3' flanking sequences. Four S1 nuclease-sensitive sites are detected prior to differentiation. After the induction of either myeloid or monocytic differentiation, three of the S1 nuclease-sensitive sites are present. The presence of the fourth S1 nuclease-sensitive site correlates with the transcriptional activity of this gene.

Cell Line↗