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Biomedical subjects

L T Williams

Publications and source records attributed to L T Williams.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Direct activation of the serine/threonine kinase activity of Raf-1 through tyrosine phosphorylation by the PDGF beta-receptor.

We have examined the interaction between the serine/threonine kinase proto-oncogene product Raf-1 and the tyrosine kinase PDGF beta-receptor. Raf-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and kinase activity were increased by PDGF treatment of 3T3 cells or CHO cells expressing wild-type PDGF receptors but not mutant receptors defective in transmitting mitogenic signals, suggesting that the increase in Raf-1 kinase activity is a significant event in PDGF-induced mitogenesis. Concurrent with these increases, Raf-1 associated with the ligand-activated PDGF receptor. Furthermore, both mammalian Raf-1 and Raf-1 expressed using a recombinant baculoviral vector, associated in vitro with baculoviral-expressed PDGF receptor. This association was markedly decreased by prior phosphatase treatment of the receptor. Following incubation of partially purified baculoviral-expressed PDGF receptor with partially purified Raf-1, Raf-1 became phosphorylated on tyrosine and its serine/threonine kinase activity increased 4- to 6-fold. This is the first demonstration of the direct modulation of a protein activity by a growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Purification and complementary DNA cloning of a receptor for basic fibroblast growth factor.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) participates in many processes including early developmental events, angiogenesis, wound healing, and maintenance of neuronal cell viability. A 130-kilodalton protein was isolated on the basis of its ability to specifically bind to bFGF. A complementary DNA clone was isolated with an oligonucleotide probe corresponding to determined amino acid sequences of tryptic peptide fragments of the purified protein. The putative bFGF receptor encoded by this complementary DNA is a transmembrane protein that contains three extracellular immunoglobulin-like domains, an unusual acidic region, and an intracellular tyrosine kinase domain. These domains are arranged in a pattern that is different from that of any growth factor receptor described.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor inducibility is acquired immediately after translation and does not require glycosylation.

Antibodies to phosphotyrosine were used in immunoprecipitation experiments to determine if post-translational modification of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor was required for the acquisition of ligand-induced tyrosine kinase activity. In intact Balb/c 3T3 fibroblasts, only the fully processed 180-kDa receptor was activated (tyrosine-phosphorylated) by PDGF. In a cell-free assay, however, the tyrosine-phosphorylated forms of the 160- and 145-kDa PDGF receptor precursors were also detected. These activated precursors were immunoprecipitated after brief (5-15 min) metabolic labeling periods. Thus the receptor could bind PDGF and induce tyrosine kinase activity shortly after translation. Unlike the mature form of the receptor, the 160-kDa receptor precursor was resistant to digestion with endo-alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase and thus did not contain O-linked oligosaccharides. Since this receptor precursor was activated by PDGF in the cell-free assay, the addition of O-linked sugars must not be necessary for ligand binding activity. Incubation of cells with tunicamycin completely inhibited N-linked glycosylation of the PDGF receptor. Nevertheless, PDGF still induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the 130-kDa aglycoreceptor in lysates of tunicamycin-treated cells. Thus, the addition of N-linked oligosaccharides was also not required for receptor activation. These findings show that the PDGF receptor acquired the ability to be activated by ligand cotranslationally or immediately after translation and that the addition of N- or O-linked oligosaccharides was not required for ligand binding and tyrosine kinase activities.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Signal transduction by the platelet-derived growth factor receptor.

When platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) binds to its receptor on a quiescent fibroblast or smooth muscle cell, it stimulates a remarkably diverse group of biochemical responses, including changes in ion fluxes, activation of several kinases, alterations in cell shape, increased transcription of a number of genes, and stimulation of enzymes that regulate phospholipid metabolism. These and other reactions culminate, hours later, in DNA replication and cell division. How does the receptor for PDGF recognize and bind its specific ligand and then transduce this signal across the cell membrane via a single membrane-spanning region? Which of the immediate cellular responses are directly involved in the biochemical pathways that lead to DNA synthesis? How does the PDGF receptor trigger a diverse group of responses? Recent studies of the PDGF receptor have provided insight into these issues.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Role of phosphatidylinositol kinase in PDGF receptor signal transduction.

The molecules with which the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor interacts to elicit the biochemical reactions responsible for cell proliferation have not been identified. Antisera directed against specific PDGF receptor peptides coprecipitated a phosphatidylinositol (PI) kinase and the PDGF receptor. Immunoprecipitates from PDGF-stimulated cells contained 10 to 50 times as much PI kinase as those from unstimulated cells. Mutation of the PDGF receptor by deletion of its kinase insert region resulted in a receptor markedly less effective than the wild type in eliciting cell proliferation and defective in PDGF-stimulated PI kinase, but still capable of PDGF-induced receptor autophosphorylation and phosphoinositide hydrolysis. These data show that the PDGF receptor is physically associated with a PDGF-sensitive PI kinase that is distinct from tyrosine kinase and is not required for PDGF-induced PI hydrolysis. The finding that the mutant PDGF receptor missing the kinase insert domain elicited known early biochemical responses to PDGF, but did not associate with or regulate PI kinase, suggests a novel role for the receptor-associated PI kinase in the transmission of mitogenic signals.

1-Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase↗
PubMed1989

Oncogene-related growth factors and growth factor receptors in human malignant glioma-derived cell lines.

Oncogenes induce malignant transformation of cells. Two oncogenes are closely related to genes coding for a mitogenic growth factor (v-sis to the PDGF gene) and a receptor for a mitogenic growth factor (v-erb B to the EGF receptor gene). We studied the possibility that cells derived from malignant gliomas produce mitogenic factors that bind to cell surface receptors, the activation of which could lead to excessive stimulation of cell proliferation. All six cell lines tested secrete into their medium factors that stimulate DNA synthesis. The factor secreted by one cell line was characterized and found to resemble PDGF. Six of 11 cell lines had receptors for PDGF demonstrable by binding and receptor autophosphorylation assays. Six of six cell lines tested had EGF receptors demonstrable by binding and receptor autophosphorylation experiments. The extremely high levels of EGF receptor in one cell line may reflect excessive expression of the erb B oncogene associated with abnormalities of chromosome 7 that occur in this cell line.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1989

Periodontal disease and oral microbial successions during myelosuppressive cancer chemotherapy.

Factors contributing to the succession of opportunistic pathogens at oral sites, including the periodontium, during myelosuppressive chemotherapy are poorly understood. This study examined the relation of periodontal disease to qualitative and proportional shifts in the oral microflora of 21 acute nonlymphocytic leukemia patients (7 male and 14 female, mean age (range) = 51.0 (25-81 years) observed during standardized myelosuppressive regimens. Supra- and subgingival microbial plaque specimens were individually collected from 2 contralateral oral sites (distobuccal of teeth 1-6 and 3-6) in each participant at hospital admission (day 1) and during point of maximal myelosuppression (day 14). Periodontal disease indices obtained at day 1 included site-specific measures of attachment loss and clinical assessment of disease status. Using a residualized change score analysis, periodontal disease status and attachment loss were positively correlated with increases in the proportional recovery of Staphylococcus sp. from supragingival sites and total yeast from supra- and subgingival sites. When age-related covariation in the microbial shifts was controlled in the analysis, periodontal disease status and attachment loss demonstrated no significant correlation with increases in total yeast at supragingival sites. These findings suggest that host factors such as periodontal disease may contribute to patterns of oral microbial successions during cancer chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Mutations of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor that cause a loss of ligand-induced conformational change, subtle changes in kinase activity, and impaired ability to stimulate DNA synthesis.

The wild-type and two mitogenic-defective mutants of the type beta receptor for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. In the first mutant, delta Ki, 82 of 104 amino acids in the kinase insert region were deleted. This mutant was recently reported to be defective in mediating DNA synthesis. In the second mutant, Y825F, tyrosine 825 was converted to phenylalanine by a point mutation. We report here that this mutant is also defective in mediating PDGF-stimulated DNA synthesis. Both mutants were capable of eliciting many of the early responses to PDGF, including receptor autophosphorylation. However, neither mutant was capable of undergoing PDGF-stimulated change in receptor conformation or of phosphorylating exogenous substrate in an in vitro assay. These data suggest that changes in receptor conformation and efficient utilization of specific tyrosine kinase substrates are important for the stimulation of cell proliferation of PDGF and that phosphorylation of tyrosine 825 may be involved in signal transduction.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Developmentally regulated use of alternative promoters creates a novel platelet-derived growth factor receptor transcript in mouse teratocarcinoma and embryonic stem cells.

Embryonal carcinoma and embryonic stem cells expressed a novel form of platelet-derived growth factor receptor mRNA which was approximately 1,100 base pairs shorter than the 5.3-kilobase (kb) transcript expressed in fibroblasts and other cell types. The 4.2-kb stem cell transcript was initiated within the genomic region immediately upstream of exon 6 of the 5.3-kb transcript and therefore lacked the first five exons, which encode much of the extracellular domain of the receptor expressed in fibroblasts. In stem cells, the short form was predominant, although both forms were present at low levels. Following differentiation in vitro, expression levels of the long form increased dramatically. These findings suggest that during early embryogenesis, a stem cell-specific promoter is used in a stage- and cell type-specific manner to express a form of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor that lacks much of the extracellular domain and may function independently of ligand.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Cyclic AMP blocks expression of the c-sis gene in tumor cells.

Some human tumor cell lines express the c-sis gene, the proto-oncogene of the transforming gene v-sis, and produce platelet-derived growth factor, which may contribute to carcinogenesis by autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. Here we demonstrate that c-sis expression in some human glioma and osteosarcoma cell lines can be blocked by agents that increase cellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Forskolin, 8-bromocyclic AMP, cholera toxin, and prostaglandin E1 reduced c-sis mRNA in these cells by up to 90%. c-sis transcription rates were reduced by agents that increase cAMP; the stability of c-sis mRNA was unaffected. The possible therapeutic value of blocking the expression of tumor growth factor genes pharmacologically warrants further study.

Colforsin↗
PubMed1988

Phosphatidylinositol linkage of a truncated form of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor.

The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor is usually anchored to the plasma membrane through a membrane-spanning hydrophobic amino acid sequence that splits the molecule into two approximately equal pieces, an amino-terminal external domain that contains the binding site for PDGF and a carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic domain that includes the tyrosine kinase coding sequences. Here we report the expression of a truncated PDGF receptor that consists of the extracellular domain without the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. Unexpectedly, this form of the receptor that lacks a hydrophobic membrane-anchoring sequence was bound to the membrane and was not secreted into the culture media. Conventional methods to dissociate noncovalent protein-protein interactions failed to release the protein from the membrane. When the transmembrane and cytoplasmic sequences were artificially deleted from the PDGF receptor, the truncated extracellular domain was anchored to the membrane through phospholipids and could be released by phospholipase C treatment. This truncated form of the receptor bound PDGF with an affinity 5-20-fold lower than the full-length receptor.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Ligand activation causes a phosphorylation-dependent change in platelet-derived growth factor receptor conformation.

The effect of ligand binding on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor conformation was examined using peptide antibodies directed against specific receptor domains. Antiserum 83, which was directed to the receptor's carboxyl terminus (residues 934-951), preferentially immunoprecipitated the ligand-activated form of the PDGF receptor from 35S-labeled BALB/c 3T3 cells. By contrast, two antisera directed against other receptor sequences precipitated unactivated and activated receptors equally well. Denatured receptors were recognized equally by all antisera, even 83. Thus, ligand activation caused a change in PDGF receptor conformation that enhanced accessibility of the antibody to the carboxyl terminus. The activated receptor conformation was induced by three different forms of PDGF (AA and BB homodimers and AB heterodimers) and was reversed by suramin, a polyanionic compound that dissociates PDGF from the receptor. The inhibitory effect of suramin on receptor conformation was abolished by the phosphatase inhibitor, sodium orthovanadate, suggesting that receptor phosphorylation mediated the conformational change. In a cell-free assay, the change in receptor conformation was induced by PDGF only in the presence of ATP and was inhibited by adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate, a nonhydrolyzable analog of ATP. The functional significance of receptor conformation was examined in Chinese hamster ovary fibroblasts transfected with wild-type or mutated forms of the PDGF receptor. When receptor tyrosine kinase activity was abolished by a mutation of the ATP binding site the receptor no longer underwent PDGF-induced conformational change and did not mediate PDGF-induced mitogenesis even though 125I-PDGF binding was normal. These findings show that ligand binding elicits a phosphorylation-dependent change in PDGF receptor conformation that may be important for receptor function.

Adenylyl Imidodiphosphate↗
PubMed1988

A PDGF receptor domain essential for mitogenesis but not for many other responses to PDGF.

The receptors for mesenchymal growth factors contain tyrosine kinase coding sequences and exhibit ligand-activated tyrosine kinase activity. A variety of mutations of the epidermal growth factor, insulin and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) (manuscript in preparation) receptors that have resulted in a loss of tyrosine kinase activity have produced a concomitant loss of growth factor-stimulated DNA synthesis. Comparison of amino acid sequences of tyrosine kinases shows that these regions in the PDGF receptors in mouse and human contain an insert of unknown function. We have deleted this region, and expressed the altered form of the receptor in fibroblasts which lack PDGF receptors. This had no effect on a number of responses to PDGF, but cells bearing the mutant receptor did not proliferate or synthesize DNA in response to PDGF. This demonstrates that the insert is essential in PDGF-induced mitogenesis, and that PDGF stimulation of the mutant receptor tyrosine kinase and phosphatidylinositol turnover are not sufficient to elicit a mitogenic response to PDGF.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Transcriptional regulation of the A and B chain genes of platelet-derived growth factor in microvascular endothelial cells.

Platelet-derived growth factor is expressed as dimers of two homologous polypeptide chains, termed A and B, encoded by different genes. A and B chain mRNA levels in microvascular endothelial cells are increased by phorbol ester, thrombin, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and are reduced by agents that elevate cyclic AMP. In this report, we investigated the effects of these regulatory agents on A and B chain transcription rates. By nuclear run-on analysis, TGF-beta stimulated transcription of both A and B chain genes. Thrombin and phorbol ester stimulated B chain transcription and had little or no detectable effect on A chain transcription. Pretreatment of cultures with 50 microM forskolin, a potent activator of adenylyl cyclase, completely blocked B chain transcription by thrombin and TGF-beta, but did not inhibit A chain transcription induced by TGF-beta. These results show that expression of platelet-derived growth factor mRNA involves both positive and negative transcriptional regulation and that there are differences in the transcriptional control of the A and B chain genes.

Endothelium, Vascular↗
PubMed1988

A common PDGF receptor is activated by homodimeric A and B forms of PDGF.

The human platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor complementary DNA was cloned and expressed by transfection of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblasts. The ability of CHO cells expressing the human receptor complementary DNA (CHO-HR5) to interact with different recombinant forms of PDGF (AA and BB homodimers) was tested. Both forms of PDGF bind to the transfected receptor, stimulate the receptor tyrosine kinase activity, and elicit a mitogenic response in a manner that was indistinguishable from the responses of Balb/c 3T3 cells to AA and BB forms of PDGF can be attributed to a single type of receptor and show that the AA form, like the BB form, is a true mitogen.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Autocrine stimulation of intracellular PDGF receptors in v-sis-transformed cells.

Autocrine activation of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors is the mechanism of transformation by the v-sis oncogene. Since the addition of PDGF does not transform normal cells, autocrine mechanisms may involve unique pathways of receptor activation. In this study autocrine stimulation of the PDGF receptor was observed in v-sis-transformed normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. In contrast to receptor activation in normal cells, autocrine activation of PDGF receptors in v-sis-transformed cells occurred in intracellular compartments, disrupting receptor processing and diverting receptors and their precursors to a chloroquine-sensitive degradation pathway. These findings show that intracellular activation of receptors by autocrine mechanisms may play a role in cell transformation.

Ammonium Chloride↗
PubMed1988

Platelet-derived growth factor receptors expressed by cDNA transfection couple to a diverse group of cellular responses associated with cell proliferation.

We have expressed the mouse platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor cDNA under transcriptional control of simian virus 40 promoter in Chinese hamster ovary cells, a cell type that lacks PDGF receptors. Stable transfectants expressed receptor protein that was recognized by antireceptor antibodies. PDGF stimulated a diverse group of responses in the transfected cells including tyrosine phosphorylation of the receptor and a 32-kDa cellular substrate, receptor internalization, phosphoinositide turnover, cytoplasmic alkalinization, changes in the intracellular calcium concentration, thymidine uptake into DNA, and cell division. There were no responses to PDGF in the control Chinese hamster ovary cells. After prolonged exposure to PDGF, the transfectants became refractory to subsequent PDGF stimulation and the receptor protein was no longer detectable. These data validate the authenticity of the PDGF receptor cDNA, show that transfection of a single type of receptor cDNA sequence confers PDGF sensitivity to a diverse group of cellular responses, and demonstrate that effector molecules that mediate the PDGF responses are present in cells that lack PDGF receptors.

Animals↗