Biomedical subjects

T Baumruker

Publications and source records attributed to T Baumruker.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

p21ras links Fc epsilon RI to NF-AT family member in mast cells. The AP3-like factor in this cell type is an NF-AT family member.

Very recently, an AP3-like transcription factor regulating the chemokine gene MARC and an NF-AT family member regulating IL-5 were the first components of the transcription factor repertoire to be described as activated in mast cells after an allergic triggering. In this study, we show that with respect to cross-competition in a gel shift analysis using an NF-AT consensus oligonucleotide binding site, the antigenicity to a recently generated serum against T cell NF-AT, and the sensitivity to macrolide immunosuppressants, the AP3-like activity on the MARC promoter is indistinguishable from that described for NF-AT in T cells. Additionally, we show that this factor functions on the MARC chemokine promoter without the AP1 cofactor, a situation reminiscent of the function of NF-AT in Th2-type T cells. In all of these aspects, and strengthened further by a gel shift competition analysis, the AP3-like transcription factor is identical to the NF-AT family member recently described by an analogous set of experiments as regulating IL-5 in mast cells. Our finding that p21ras, but probably not protein kinase C, is necessary to activate this factor after Fc epsilon RI triggering indicates a situation in which a common transcription factor denominator in mast cells induces chemokine (MARC) and lymphokine (IL-5) gene expression in a manner closely similar to Th2-type T cells, which are induced along the ras/raf signal pathway.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

A nuclear factor of activated T cell-like transcription factor in mast cells is involved in IL-5 gene regulation after IgE plus antigen stimulation.

IL-5, which is produced mainly by activated T cells and allergically triggered mast cells, is a major survival and differentiation factor for eosinophils, and therefore, is of relevance to diseases associated with this type of cell infiltration, most importantly asthma. In this study, we have examined the transcriptional regulation of human IL-5 in a mouse mast cell line, CPII, stimulated with IgE and Ag. We report that an inducible activity in the region between -177 and -80, and a constitutive activity between -80 and -70, in the promoter of the human gene, are both necessary for the allergically triggered activation. A computer-assisted search for transcription factor binding motifs revealed a nuclear factor of activated T cell (NF-AT) and a GATA consensus site in the two regions. Corresponding binding activities were detected to be present in nuclear extracts from the mouse mast cell line by defined NF-AT and GATA binding sites as probes for a gel shift analysis. Competition analysis, in combination with probes from the human IL-5 promoter, confirmed that these factors indeed bind to the consensus sequences identified by computer analysis. An oligonucleotide spanning the IL-5 NF-AT consensus site is shown to confer allergic stimulation to a basal IL-5 promoter only in conjunction with the GATA site downstream, indicating that an inducible NF-AT-like factor cooperates with a constitutive member of the GATA transcription factor family in mediating the allergic stimulation of the human IL-5 gene.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

The nomenclature of chemokines.

Migration of leukocytes to injured tissues is a hallmark of inflammation. The recruitment phase of cells can be subdivided into three steps: the rolling phase, the firm adhesion phase, and the transendothelial migration phase. Each step is mediated by a complex interplay of endothelial/leukocyte surface molecule interactions (mostly of selectin and integrin families) as well as a group of small, secreted peptides, called chemokines. Chemokines activate on the one hand, the leukocytes to express the appropriate adhesion molecules and on the other hand, they lead to transendothelial migration via chemotaxis (migration along a gradient in solution) and haptotaxis (migration along a gradient bound to extracellular martrices or cell membranes). The structure, biology and pathobiology of the more than 22 known members of this group of soluble mediators, with a particular emphasis on their past and present nomenclature, is the topic of this minireview.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

A transcription factor with AP3-like binding specificity mediates gene regulation after an allergic triggering with IgE and Ag in mouse mast cells.

Mast cells are an important source of a number of lymphokines and chemokines primarily those released after challenge with the allergic trigger IgE and Ag. However, the mechanisms of lymphokine and chemokine gene activation in this cell type, as opposed to the mechanisms of activation in T cells, are poorly understood. As a model system, we addressed this issue in mast cells by using the recently cloned chemokine MARC gene, which belongs to the RANTES/sis gene family. After allergic stimulation, MARC induction is pronounced and mast cell specific. Northern blot analysis, in combination with two inhibitors, actinomycin D and cycloheximide, resulted in the formation of our initial hypothesis, which was that both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation are involved after stimulation through the Fc epsilon R. We performed a detailed promoter analysis of the cloned MARC gene by using transient assays of transfected reporter gene constructs. Thereby, two potential promoter regions were identified as being crucial for transcriptional stimulation. Additional fine mapping of the proximal element and subsequent electrophoretic mobility shift assays, combined with competitions of known transcription factor binding sites, identified one of the transcription factors in stimulated mast cells as an AP3 or AP3-like binding activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Induced gene expression of the hypusine-containing protein eukaryotic initiation factor 5A in activated human T lymphocytes.

The hypusine-containing protein eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) is a cellular cofactor critically required for the function of the Rev transactivator protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). eIF-5A localizes in the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments of mammalian cells, suggesting possible activities on the level of regulated mRNA transport and/or protein translation. In this report we show that eIF-5A gene expression is constitutively low but inducible with T-lymphocyte-specific stimuli in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy individuals. In contrast, eIF-5A is constitutively expressed at high levels in human cell lines as well as in various human organs. Comparison of eIF-5A levels in the PBMCs of uninfected and HIV-1-infected donors shows a significant upregulation of eIF-5A gene expression in the PBMCs of HIV-1 patients, compatible with a possible role of eIF-5A in HIV-1 replication during T-cell activation.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1994

The genomic structure encoding human initiation factor eIF-5A.

A genomic clone encoding the human eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) was isolated and its entire nucleotide sequence was determined. The whole eIF-5A coding region is not interrupted by introns. The functional eIF-5A gene is highly homologous to the corresponding complementary DNA. One single 1.4-kb transcript thereof is expressed in human cell lines. Furthermore, we also isolated and sequenced two additional eIF-5A-related sequences which are, by expression and sequence analyses, identified as pseudogenes of the functional eIF-5A. The sequence homology between these pseudogenes and the functional eIF-5A is 71 and 87%.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1993

CD1 molecule expression on human monocytes induced by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

In this paper we demonstrate that granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) specifically induces the expression of CD1 molecules, CD1a, CD1b and CD1c, upon human monocytes. CD1 molecules appeared upon monocytes on day 1 of stimulation with rGM-CSF, and expression was up-regulated until day 3. Monocytes cultured in the presence of LPS, FMLP, PMA, recombinant granulocyte-CSF, rIFN-gamma, rTNF-alpha, rIL-1 alpha, rIL-1 beta, and rIL-6 remained negative. The induction of CD1 molecules by rGM-CSF was restricted to monocytes, since no such effect was observed upon peripheral blood granulocytes, PBL, and the myeloid cell lines Monomac1, Monomac6, MV4/11, HL60, U937, THP1, KG1, and KG1A. CD1a mRNA was detectable in rGM-CSF-induced monocytes but not in those freshly isolated. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analyses of CD1a mAb VIT6 immunoprecipitate from lysate of rGM-CSF-activated monocytes revealed an appropriate CD1a polypeptide band of 49 kDa associated with beta 2-microglobulin. Expression of CD1 molecules on monocytes complements the distribution of these structures on accessory cells, and their specific induction by GM-CSF strengthens the suggestion that CD1 is a family of crucial structures required for interaction between accessory cells and T cells.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed1992

Immunoglobulin E plus antigen challenge induces a novel intercrine/chemokine in mouse mast cells.

In an attempt to characterize genes participating in the allergic late phase reaction, we have isolated a novel intercrine/chemokine (called MARC) from a cDNA library of the stimulated mouse mast cell line, CPII. As measured by Northern blotting, it is strongly upregulated at the mRNA level after the physiological challenge of the cells with immunoglobulin (Ig)E plus antigen. Unstimulated cells completely lack significant, stable expression, as do a number of other, different cell lines (uninduced and induced) and mouse tissues. In contrast to the Northern blot analysis, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, performed on CPII cells and on Percoll gradient purified mouse peritoneal mast cells, revealed a basal level of transcription in the uninduced stage. After 2 h of IgE plus antigen challenge, a quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR, using a spiked in MIMIC, showed a level of transcripts more than 100-fold higher in the CPII cells and 5-20-fold higher in purified mouse peritoneal cavity mast cells. This rapid induction after the Fc epsilon RI challenge, the identification of the gene as a member of the chemokine family, and its upregulated expression in peritoneal mast cells, all suggest an involvement in certain acute and chronic pathological mast cell-driven diseases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Human leukocyte activation antigen M6, a member of the Ig superfamily, is the species homologue of rat OX-47, mouse basigin, and chicken HT7 molecule.

Peripheral granulocytes from rheumatoid arthritis and reactive arthritis patients were recently found to express higher levels of a newly defined Ag, termed M6, in comparison to granulocytes from healthy subjects. We present here the molecular characterization of M6 Ag and show that it is a novel human leukocyte activation-associated cell surface glycoprotein. Peripheral lymphocytes do not significantly express M6 Ag, however, it appears upon 3-day PHA-activated T blasts. On monocytes, which constitutively express M6 Ag, it is down-regulated on day 1 but re-induced on day 3 of granulocyte-macrophage CSF stimulation. SDS-PAGE analysis of M6 immunoprecipitates shows a single band of 54 kDa under nonreducing conditions that shifts to 65 kDa under reducing conditions. Endoglycosidase F treatment of M6 immunoprecipitate reveals that 50% of the M6 molecule is composed of N-linked carbohydrates. By modifying the COS cell cloning strategy, we have isolated cDNA clones encoding M6 Ag. M6 cDNA hybridizes with a single mRNA transcript of approximately 1.7 kb in Northern blotting. Comparison analysis of the M6 sequence indicates that M6 Ag is a member of the Ig superfamily and the species homologue of rat OX-47 Ag, mouse basigin (gp42), and chicken HT7 molecule. The highly conserved remarkable transmembrane domain suggests that the M6 Ag may be a component of a multichain complex in the plasma membrane.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

A novel transiently expressed, integral membrane protein linked to cell activation. Molecular cloning via the rapid degradation signal AUUUA.

A novel cDNA clone termed E16 which codes for an integral membrane protein of 241 amino acids with six transmembrane domains was isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes. The cDNA clone is 4000 base pairs in length and exhibits an unusually long 3'-untranslated region of about 3000 nucleotides. Its expression at the mRNA level is closely linked to cellular activation and division. In all myeloid and lymphoid cells, as well as in primary lymphocytes from peripheral blood, E16 transcripts are rapidly induced and rapidly degraded after stimulation. This pattern of expression is unusual for an integral membrane protein and resembles more closely the kinetic seen for protooncogenes and lymphokines in the T cell system. Its isolation was made possible by a novel approach especially designed to selectively clone cDNAs which exhibit such an expression kinetic. It is based on a combination of the differential screening of a subtracted cDNA library and the subsequent hybridization of the resulting phages to a short oligonucleotide (5'-TAAATAAA-TAAATA-3'). This oligonucleotide is complementary to a trimer of the rapid degradation signal (AUUUA) which is present as a single or reiterated motif in the 3'-untranslated region of many short-lived transcripts.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

A new superfamily of lymphoid and melanoma cell proteins with extensive homology to Schistosoma mansoni antigen Sm23.

A novel cDNA clone termed R2 was isolated by subtractive hybridization of a cDNA library of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)/phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated Jurkat cells and by rescreening a cDNA library of PHA-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes. It hybridizes to a single mRNA species of about 2.2 kb, which is inducible in lymphoid cells and codes for a protein of 267 amino acids which contains four potential transmembrane domains. A computer-aided comparison showed strong homology to four other membrane proteins, the pan B cell marker CD37, the pan leukocyte marker CD53, the melanoma antigen ME491 and, surprisingly, the Schistosoma mansoni antigen Sm23. The four human proteins share a number of additional similarities in their overall structure. These include identical spacing of the transmembrane domains, similar hydrophobicity plots, possible N-linked glycosylation sites of similar number and position as well as similar distribution of the cysteine residues. The majority of these characteristics are still conserved in the evolutionary most distant member of this family, the Schistosoma mansoni antigen Sm23. Here we introduce this new protein superfamily and characterize the inducible, lymphoid-specific member R2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1988

Insertion of a retrotransposon within the 3' end of a mouse gene provides a new functional polyadenylation signal.

A site of genomic insertion of the mouse retrotransposon LTR-IS/MuRRS was analysed. The comparison of the genomic and the cDNA clones indicates the insertion of the LTR-IS element into the 3' untranslated region of a mouse gene. The fact that the isolated cDNA clone ends with a poly A tail 20 nucleotides downstream from the LTR-IS AATAAA box and the result of the S1-nuclease mapping provides evidence that the 3' end of the mouse gene transcript was generated under the control of the LTR-IS polyadenylation signal.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

OBP100 binds remarkably degenerate octamer motifs through specific interactions with flanking sequences.

We have used the 100-kD HeLa cell octamer-binding protein OBP100 as a model to study flexible DNA sequence recognition by promoter-binding proteins. OBP100 binds to the conserved octamer motif ATGCAAAT found in numerous promoters and additionally to two degenerate octamer motifs (sites I and II) within the SV40 enhancer region. We show here that OBP100 binds the herpes simplex virus immediate early promoter TAATGARAT (R = purine) motif itself, extending the flexibility of OBP100 sequence recognition to sequences that bear very little resemblance (four matches over a 14-bp region). Nevertheless, a progression of OBP100-binding sites can be established that links the sequences of these two apparently unrelated binding sites by incremental steps. Mutational and chemical modification interference analyses of a degenerate octamer binding site (SV40 site II) show that specific sequences, which are not normally conserved but flank the degenerate octamer motif, can compensate for the degeneracy in the octamer core sequence. Thus, different regions of the binding site sequence (core or flanking) can diverge separately but not independently of one another. These results suggest that flexible DNA sequence recognition arises because there are few obligatory contact sites for OBP100 binding, but, rather, specific binding reflects the sum of many independent interactions.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

A 100-kD HeLa cell octamer binding protein (OBP100) interacts differently with two separate octamer-related sequences within the SV40 enhancer.

Numerous eukaryotic upstream promoter and enhancer regions contain a functional octamer sequence ATGCAAAT. We have examined the interactions between an octamer binding protein isolated from HeLa cells and the SV40 and immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) gene enhancers. A partially purified octamer binding activity forms a single complex with the IgH enhancer octamer in a gel retardation assay, but two complexes with a SV40 enhancer fragment containing a single 72-bp element. By using point mutants and both dimethyl sulfate and diethyl pyrocarbonate modification interference assays, we show that the SV40 complexes result from binding of a factor to the octamer-related sequence ATGCAAAG (Octa1) and to an adjacent previously unidentified octamer-related sequence ATGCATCT (Octa2). The base-specific interactions with Octa1 and Octa2 differ; chemical modifications over a 10-bp sequence TATGCAAAGC affect Octa1 binding whereas Octa2 binding is affected by modifications spanning a 13-bp sequence ATGCATCTCAATT in which the octamer-like sequence is not centered. The octamer binding activity has been purified extensively by a DNA affinity precipitation procedure and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified protein, OBP100, has an apparent molecular weight of 100 kD and binds both SV40 Octa1 and Octa2, as well as the IgH enhancer. The distinct interactions of OBP100 with the differently sized Octa1 and Octa2 binding sites suggest remarkably flexible sequence recognition between OBP100 and its binding sites.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1984

Evidence for mobility of a new family of mouse middle repetitive DNA elements (LTR-IS).

Locus variation and sequence conservation of mouse LTR-IS elements, a new family of middle repetitive DNA sequences was studied. It is shown that LTR-IS sequences are present in all the inbred strains and subspecies of M. musculus tested and in M. cooki and M. caroli. Their arrangement in mouse genomes is polymorphic. Southern blot analysis and DNA sequencing revealed the existence of homologous DNA sequences with and without LTR-IS element insertion. LTR-IS sequences therefore appear to have arisen in early mouse ancestors and have, at least at some point, been mobile.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Family of middle repetitive DNA sequences in the mouse genome with structural features of solitary retroviral long terminal repeats.

Screening of a 129/J mouse genomic library under nonstringent hybridization conditions with a xenotropic virus-like long terminal repeat (LTR) probe revealed a family of sequences resembling insertion elements (IS) with structural features of solitary retroviral LTRs; these are called LTR-IS. They are interspersed among variable flanking regions of mouse DNA and lack any viral structural genes. LTR-IS elements start and end with 11-base-pair inverted repeats and contain signals implicated in RNA polymerase II transcriptional regulation: C-C-A-A-T, T-A-T-A-A-A, and A-A-T-A-A-A. The members of the family are homologous, but not identical, approximately equal to 500-base-pair-long elements with 4-base-pair target-site duplications on both sites of the element. There are 500 LTR-IS per mouse haploid genome.

Bacteriophage lambda↗