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R B Corley

Publications and source records attributed to R B Corley.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Major histocompatibility complex-restricted recognition of retroviral superantigens by V beta 17+ T cells.

It has been established that at least some V beta 17+ T cells interact with an endogenous superantigen encoded by the murine retrovirus, Mtv-9. To analyze the role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules in presenting the Mtv-9 encoded superantigen, vSAG-9 to V beta 17+ hybridomas, a panel of nine hybridomas was tested for their ability to respond to A20/2J (H-2d) and LBK (H-2a) cells which had been transfected with the vSAG-9 gene. Whereas some of the hybridomas recognized vSAG-9 exclusively in the context of H-2a, other hybridomas recognized vSAG-9 exclusively in the context of H-2d or in the context of both H-2d and H-2a. These results suggest that: (a) the class II MHC molecule plays a direct role in the recognition of retroviral superantigen by T cells, rather than serving simply as a platform for presentation; and, (b) it is likely that components of the TCR other than V beta are involved in the vSAG-9/TCR/class II interaction.

Animals↗

J chain synthesis and secretion of hexameric IgM is differentially regulated by lipopolysaccharide and interleukin 5.

Two functional polymeric forms of IgM can be produced by antibody-secreting B cells. Hexameric IgM lacks detectable J (joining) chain and activates complement 17-fold better than pentameric IgM, which usually contains one J chain per pentamer. Using the inducible B-cell lymphoma CH12, we determined if the synthesis of a particular polymeric form of IgM is a fixed property of B cells or can be altered. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated CH12 cells produced mixtures of IgM hexamers and pentamers, resulting in antibody with high complement-fixing activity. In contrast, interleukin-5-stimulated CH12 cells secreted predominantly pentameric IgM, with a correspondingly lower lytic activity. Differences in lytic activity were due only to the amount of hexameric IgM in the secreted antibody. Interleukin 5 stimulated higher production of J chain RNA and protein than LPS, while LPS induced the highest levels of the secretory form of mu protein. The amount of hexameric IgM secreted was therefore inversely proportional to the level of intracellular J chain protein in the responding B cells. We conclude that the biologic function of IgM produced by B cells differs depending on how they are stimulated and that this difference may be regulated by the relative availabilities of J chain and secretory mu proteins during IgM polymerization.

Animals↗

Correlation of antibody multireactivity with variable region primary structure among murine anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies.

A high proportion of the antibodies in the preimmune repertoire bind to several unrelated antigens and are considered to be multireactive. This property is reportedly associated with the antibodies produced by CD5+ B lymphocytes. Because many antibodies specific for bromelain-treated mouse red blood cells (BrMRBC) derive from CD5+ B cells, we tested monoclonal antibodies of this specificity for multireactivity. Two variable region combinations, VH11/V kappa 9 and VH12/V kappa 4, account for greater than 80% of this repertoire, but none of these antibodies exhibited a multireactive phenotype. In contrast, three anti-BrMRBC binding antibodies belonging to the J558 family (BrM1, BrM8, and CH12) showed varying degrees of multireactivity, and bound both highly negatively and positively charged antigens. The amino acid sequences of the VH regions of these antibodies are highly homologous (greater than 85% identical) and they possess large VH-D-J junctions with extensive N-region insertions. The kappa chains of two of these antibodies utilize an identical V kappa gene segment, while the third uses a very different V kappa with only 50% homology. The entire H chain V regions of these antibodies are unusually basic, with isoelectric points of 9.5-10, a feature which might be important in promoting interactions with acidic epitopes. The multireactive antibodies also contain regions with a high concentration of hydroxylside chain amino acids, especially in their VH-D-J junctions. This region also contains acidic amino acid residues, which may be important in binding of positively charged epitopes. We propose that an open, accessible binding site and a charge polarity may be features which facilitate the binding of charged epitopes, providing a structural basis for multireactivity of at least some antibodies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mouse mammary tumor proviral gene expression in cells of the B lineage.

Mouse mammary tumor proviruses (MMTV) use a common enhancer/promoter region to accommodate their transcription in two different cellular environments. In mammary tissue, transcription is regulated through the hormone response element located in the 5' LTR. In B cells, transcription is hormone independent, can be stimulated following B cell activation, and is distinct from the transcription of other known inducible genes, including immunoglobulin. The open reading frame (ORF) in the viral 3' LTR has at least two functions. Its gene product(s) acts as a viral superantigen, but also has autoregulatory properties, leading to MMTV transactivation. We propose a scheme suggesting that MMTV evolved to use the B cell as an intermediary in its viral life cycle.

Animals↗

Regulated expression of mouse mammary tumor proviral genes in cells of the B lineage.

We evaluated the expression of mouse mammary tumor proviral (MMTV) transcripts during B cell ontogeny and compared levels of RNA in B lymphocytes and B cell lines with levels in other cells of the hematopoietic lineage and in a mammary cell line. We demonstrate that MMTV transcripts are expressed as early as the pro-B cell stage in ontogeny and are expressed at basal constitutive levels throughout most of the B cell developmental pathway. The level of MMTV expression in B cells is similar to constitutive levels in mammary tissues and two to three orders of magnitude greater than in activated T cells. Levels of MMTV transcripts in B cells are not solely due to positional effects. Transient transfection assays showed that MMTV upregulation resulted from transcriptional activation of the viral LTR, indicating that there are specific and inducible transcription factors that regulate MMTV expression in B cells. MMTV transcripts could not be upregulated in pre-B cell lines but could be induced in some mature B cell lines. There was a correlation between the ability to stimulate B cells to secrete antibody and the ability to induce upregulated MMTV expression. Evidence is presented that suggests that the principal transcription factors involved in MMTV expression do not include the B cell factors OTF-2 or NF-kappa B, but rather are likely to be novel factors that are induced during differentiation to antibody secretion. A hypothesis for why mammary tumor viruses are well adapted for expression in cells of the B lineage is proposed, and the implications of this for the documented influence of MMTV gene products on the T cell repertoire are discussed.

Animals↗

Endogenous superantigen expression is controlled by mouse mammary tumor proviral loci.

Superantigens are defined by their ability to stimulate T cells based predominantly on their V beta expression and ability to delete T cells in the thymus when expressed endogenously. We show here that the expression of one endogenous superantigen, Etc-1, is controlled by the expression of the open reading frame region of the 3' long terminal repeat of the mouse mammary tumor proviral gene, Mtv-9. We show that Mtv-8 controls a superantigen with similar specificity, and that both Mtv-8 and Mtv-9 stimulate some V beta 17+ T cells. A third provirus, Mtv-6, controls a superantigen with specificity for V beta 3. Data presented raise the possibility that endogenous superantigens may compete for class II molecules in a single B cell.

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Properties of murine antibodies from different V region families specific for bromelain-treated mouse erythrocytes.

We have analyzed the combining site diversity of murine antibodies reactive with bromelain-treated mouse RBC (BrMRBC) in B10.A mice. Although several VH and V kappa genes are used to generate antibodies of this specificity, two combinations account for more than 80% of the repertoire from the spleen: VH11/V kappa 9 and VH12/V kappa 4. Antibodies representing these two predominant groups were found to correspond to two previously reported distinct cross-reactive Id families accounting for most of the anti-BrMRBC reactivity in several strains of mice. mAb of the VH11/V kappa 9 type bound the haptens trimethyl-ammonium and phosphorylcholine much more avidly (approximately 1000 fold) than did the VH12/V kappa 4 type antibodies. Both of these haptens represent constituents of phosphatidylcholine, which BrMRBC-specific antibodies are reported to bind. Despite this differential reactivity, members of both the VH11/V kappa 9 and VH12/V kappa 4 antibody groups lysed BrMRBC with similar efficiencies. These data suggest that the two major classes of BrMRBC-specific antibodies have at least partially different specificities and imply that the events that lead to their high frequencies in the CD5+ repertoire may result from different selective forces.

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Journal Article↗

Molecular events in B lymphocyte differentiation. Inducible expression of the endogenous mouse mammary tumor proviral gene, Mtv-9.

We have previously shown that the steady state levels of transcripts encoded by an endogenous mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) increase during LPS-induced differentiation of both normal B lymphocytes and an inducible B cell lymphoma, CH12. A large body of evidence suggests that MMTV expression is primarily limited to mammary tissues and that expression in cell lines from nonmammary tissues is accompanied by viral amplification and alterations in the transcriptional control regions of the viral long terminal repeat. We have, therefore, carefully characterized MMTV expression in CH12 cells and in other cells of the B lineage in order to determine if the expression of MMTV transcripts in differentiating B cells results from the "abnormal" transcriptional regulation seen in other nonmammary tissue. In this manuscript, we present evidence that MMTV transcripts are expressed in a variety of cells of the B lineage and that the levels of constitutive expression vary among the different cells. On the other hand, T cell lymphomas lacking amplified MMTV do not contain proviral transcripts, suggesting that MMTV transcription may be preferentially expressed in B lymphocytes. We demonstrate that MMTV transcripts are up-regulated during cytokine-mediated as well as LPS-mediated differentiation, and that most, if not all, expression is due to the activity of a single proviral gene, Mtv-9, in CH12 cells. Furthermore, the expression of MMTV transcripts in CH12 cells neither requires nor is accompanied by amplification of the provirus. Sequence analysis demonstrates that the U3 region of the expressed Mtv-9 long terminal repeat contains neither deletions nor insertions, and the well-characterized enhancer and promoter sites in the glucocorticoid response element which are known to be involved in transcriptional regulation of MMTV in mammary tissues have not been disrupted. These data suggest that the Mtv-9 locus behaves as a normal somatic gene which is differentially regulated during B cell development and differentiation. Unlike the events which lead to MMTV expression in other nonmammary tissues, B cells may express transcription factor(s) which are capable of inducing expression of endogenous MMTV proviral genes during the natural course of differentiation. Analysis of the mechanisms which control the expression of this gene should be useful in characterizing the molecular events which govern B cell differentiation.

Animals↗

The biological effects of IgM hexamer formation.

The inducible B cell lymphoma, CH12, and its in vitro adapted subclone, CH12-LBK, produce immunoglobulins of identical sequence, specificity and isotype, with equivalent affinities for the hapten trimethyl ammonium. However, the hemolytic efficiencies of the antibody secreted by the two cell lines are quite different. Antibody preparations from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated CH12 cells lyse erythrocytes six- to ten times more effectively than antibody preparations of the same concentration from CH12-LBK cells. Both cell lines secrete polymeric IgM, but while CH12-LBK cells secrete predominantly the canonical pentameric IgM, CH12 cells secrete a mixture of pentamers and hexamers. High-efficiency complement-dependent cytolysis is associated with hexameric IgM, which has a specific activity that is approximately twenty times higher than that of the pentameric form. J chain protein is found in the secreted IgM of both cell lines, but is associated only with the pentameric IgM and not with the hexameric form, nor with any intermediate polymers smaller than a pentamer. A deficit in, or the inaccessibility of, J chain protein appears to facilitate hexamer formation. These experiments confirm previously published data showing that J chain is not necessary either for assembly or secretion of polymeric IgM, and suggest instead that J chain may be important in regulating the lytic efficiency of polymeric IgM by controlling the IgM pentamer/hexamer ratio. The experiments further suggest a mechanism, in addition to isotype switching and somatic mutation, by which the biological efficiency of antibodies from a single clone of B cells can be regulated.

Hemolysis↗

Lipopolysaccharide and dexamethasone induce mouse mammary tumor proviral gene expression and differentiation in B lymphocytes through distinct regulatory pathways.

Endogenous mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) proviral transcripts are up regulated during the normal course of B-lymphocyte differentiation. We report here that the regulatory mechanisms which lead to increased levels of MMTV transcripts in differentiating, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated normal B cells and in the inducible B-cell lymphoma line CH12 are at least partially distinct from those controlling increases in immunoglobulin and J-chain gene expression. In studies designed to characterize the stimulatory pathways leading to MMTV expression in CH12 cells, we found that stimulation with either LPS or dexamethasone (Dex), a transcriptional activator of MMTV genes, induced not only MMTV expression but also differentiation to antibody secretion. Only Dex-induced and not LPS-induced MMTV expression and differentiation were inhibited by the glucocorticoid antagonist RU486, demonstrating that Dex and LPS stimulate B cells by distinct molecular pathways. Therefore, in B cells, MMTV expression can be regulated via either the conventional hormone receptor-dependent pathway or a hormone receptor-independent pathway. Furthermore, these results suggest that steroid stimulation of B cells can lead to alterations in the expression of other results suggest that steroid stimulation of B cells can lead to alterations in the expression of other steroid-responsive genes that can become involved in the process of B-cell differentiation.

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Diversity in the available repertoire of murine antibodies reactive with bromelain-treated isologous erythrocytes.

Antibodies specific for bromelain-treated mouse RBC (BrMRBC) are of interest as models of "natural autoantibodies" and because of their primary source is Ly-1+ (CD5+) B cells. In earlier work by others, anti-BrMRBC hybridomas prepared by using CBA or NZB "spontaneously activating" peritoneal B cells were all found to produce mAb with a single common H chain V region sequence, by using a novel gene (VH11p), and a single common L chain V region sequence, a member of the Vk9 group (VkBrMp). We prepared anti-BrMRBC hybridomas by using LPS-activated B10.A splenic B cells in order to reveal the maximum available diversity in this repertoire. Data based on binding studies, Northern blot analyses with V region-specific probes, and mRNA nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that there is combining-site diversity in the repertoire of anti-BrMRBC hybridomas. There was considerable variation in trimethylammonium (a constituent of phosphatidyl choline) binding efficiency, and one of the anti-BrMRBC mAb showed no detectable binding. Northern blot analyses indicated 6 of 11 mAb to be of the VH11p/VkBrMp type, including one dual reactive anti-[BrMRBC + SRBC] mAb. Sequence analyses of the H chain V regions of four of the non-VH11p mAb revealed utilization of four distinct VH, three of which are very similar to the VH expressed by Ly-1+ B cell clones or lymphomas, as reported by others. However, because the VH11p/VkBrMp-type mAb were all relatively efficient at lysing BrMRBC and binding trimethylammonium, we suggest that affinity considerations may determine the selective predominance of B cells with this V region configuration from an available repertoire of considerable diversity.

Animals↗

Characterization of a presecretory phase in B-cell differentiation.

We have identified and characterized an inducible in vitro subclone of the CH12 B-cell lymphoma, CH12-LBK, which appears to represent a transitional phase in the B-cell differentiation pathway. This phase, which we call the "presecretory" phase, falls between replicating B cells that are not secreting antibodies and B cells that secrete antibody at a high rate. Presecretory cells are characterized by abundant steady-state levels of immunoglobulin and joining (J) chain transcripts and of protein but low levels of mouse mammary tumor virus envelope transcripts and low rates of immunoglobulin secretion. Additional stimulation is required for presecretory cells to differentiate into cells that secrete antibodies at a high rate. The existence of cells with this phenotype suggests that high-level expression of immunoglobulin and J-chain protein does not necessarily commit a B cell to polymerize and secrete multimeric immunoglobulin. Rather, other gene products, expressed after immunoglobulin and J-chain transcripts have been upregulated late in B-cell differentiation, appear responsible for inducing high rates of antibody secretion.

Animals↗

Molecular events during B lymphocyte differentiation. Induction of endogenous mouse mammary tumor proviral envelope transcripts after B cell stimulation.

We have identified a gene whose expression appears to be associated with a late stage in the differentiation of B lymphocytes into antibody secreting cells, as shown by using the inducible B cell lymphoma, CH12. Restriction mapping and partial sequencing of a cDNA clone isolated by subtraction analysis demonstrated that the clone, SC34, represents an envelope (env) gene transcript of a mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV). In CH12 cells and in normal B cells, levels of MMTV RNA were increased after stimulation with LPS. The env transcript was the predominant MMTV RNA species and increased more dramatically than did levels of the genomic transcript. In differentiating CH12 cells, env transcripts increased as much as 20-fold above levels found in replicating, antibody nonsecreting CH12 cells. The major increase in expression appeared to be associated with B cell differentiation and not replication. By Southern blot analysis, only bands characteristic of endogenous proviruses were found in CH12, indicating that viral sequences were not amplified in this cell line. Restriction mapping indicated that the SC34 cDNA clone was a product of the Mtv-9 locus. Mtv-9 previously was shown to encode a complete MMTV provirus on chromosome 12, on which Ig heavy chain genes also are located. Increases in MMTV transcripts followed distinct kinetics and were quantitatively different from changes in immunoglobulin gene products. The expression of env RNA appears to more accurately reflect differentiation to antibody secretion in CH12 cells than does the expression of immunoglobulin gene transcripts.

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Complete coding region sequence of E beta k cDNA clones: lack of polymorphism in the NH2-terminus between E beta k and E beta b molecules.

Sequence analysis of two independently isolated E beta k cDNA clones revealed that the E beta k molecule is identical to the E beta b molecule at the NH2-terminus. These data resolve a discrepancy between previously published amino acid and nucleotide sequences and indicate that the E beta NH2-terminus is not as polymorphic as was once believed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Quantitation of cell surface molecules on a differentiating, Ly-1+ B cell lymphoma.

The number of molecules expressed on the B cell membrane is known to influence the level of immune responses. However, a careful study of the changes in numbers of cell surface molecules during B cell differentiation has not been undertaken. We have addressed this question by using an inducible B cell lymphoma, CH12. Scatchard analysis was used to quantitate the levels of expression of surface immunoglobulin, major histocompatibility complex-encoded class I and class II molecules, and Ly-1 molecules on these cells during their differentiation in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that the density of most molecules on the initial population of CH12 cells was comparable to their densities on small splenic B cells. Upon culture, we could classify the molecules into two groups based on their change in expression. One group, represented by surface immunoglobulin and class II molecules, decreased (surface immunoglobulin) or did not change (class II) in number after LPS stimulation, but increased during culture in the absence of LPS. The second set, represented by class I and Ly-1 molecules, increased after LPS stimulation, but did not change as a result of culture. Although the characteristic behavior of class I and class II molecules was different, concomitant changes were observed in both class I (K and D) molecules, and in both class II (I-A and I-E) molecules.

Animals↗

Expression of the Fc gamma receptor on Ly-1+ B lymphocytes.

The expression of IgG Fc receptor (FcR) molecules was examined on Ly-1+ B cells and B cells tumors. FcR molecules were found on a representative Ly-1+ B cell lymphoma of the pre-B and as well as of the mature cell B phenotypes. The expression of the FcR did not change on these cells during their differentiation to B cells or to antibody-secreting cells, respectively. Ly-1+ B cells were found at low frequency (approximately 2%) in the spleens of normal mice, and in the peritoneal cavity where their representation was greater. The frequency of Ly-1+ B cells declined after birth, although their numbers increased in both organs. These Ly-1+ B cells expressed the FcR molecule throughout ontogeny. Furthermore, the amount of FcR expressed on Ly-1+ B cells was similar to the levels expressed on their "conventional" (Ly-1-) B cell counterparts. The FcR was also found on Ly-1+ B cells from autoimmune mice. The significance of the expression of FcR molecules on Ly-1+ B cells is discussed.

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Comparative sequence analysis of cDNA clones encoding I-A molecules of the CH12 B cell lymphoma: nucleotide differences do not account for their "defective" function in B cell stimulation.

The CH12 B cell lymphoma can be stimulated to secrete antibody by helper T cells that interact with I-EK but not I-AK molecules expressed on its membrane. Both molecules present antigen to the appropriate T cells. We have analyzed the mRNA by Northern blot analysis and obtained partial sequences of cDNA clones encoding A alpha and A beta of the I-A molecule to determine if deletions or mutations in the cytoplasmic or transmembrane domains account for the "defect" in triggering following interaction with I-A restricted helper T cells. The results provide no evidence for structural alterations in either A alpha or A beta which could account for these observations. The implications of these findings on the role of class II molecules in B cell activation is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗