Control of cell growth and differentiation during early B-cell development by stromal cell molecules.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Kunisada.
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B lymphopoiesis supporting activities of two stromal cell clones, MC3T3-G2/PA6 (PA6) and ST2, were compared. When normal bone marrow cells were cultured in these clones under Whitlock-Witte-type condition, mature B cells were generated only in the culture with the ST2 layer. The cells maintained on the PA6 layer, however, contained the precursor cells giving rise to mature B cells when transferred to the ST2 layer. Thus, PA6 is a stromal cell clone capable of supporting the early B progenitors but cannot support a further maturation step into pre-B cells. The immunoglobulin heavy chain gene configuration of B progenitors maintained on the PA6 layer diversified after their transfer onto ST2 layer. This suggests that they are actually the earliest progenitors. This marked difference in the stromal cell activities between PA6 and ST2 could also be distinguished by stromal cell-dependent pre-B cell lines. Among four ST2-dependent pre-B cell lines tested, two grew only on the ST2 layer, which is capable of supporting B lymphopoiesis, while the others grew both on the ST2 and PA6 layers. These results strongly suggest that the process of intra-marrow B cell development is controlled by more than one signal acting on different stages of B cell differentiation.
A total of 36 clones were randomly selected from a recombinant DNA library of small polydisperse circular DNA (spcDNA) molecules from HeLa cells and were shown to contain repetitive sequences of different reiteration frequencies that ranged from several hundred to several hundred thousand per genome. Sequencing of representative clones revealed tandem repeats of alphoid (alpha) satellite DNA, clustered repeats of the Alu family, KpnI family sequences, tandem repeats of an alpha satellite DNA specific to the X chromosome (alpha X), and A + T-rich segments carrying short stretches of poly(A) or poly(T). DNA rearrangement was frequently found in the repetitive sequences enriched in these spcDNA clones. Short regions of homology that were patchy and inverted were often found, especially at the novel joint where spcDNA sequences are circularized. The presence of these inverted repeats suggests that HeLa spcDNAs are formed by a mechanism that involves looping out of the spcDNA region and joining of the flanking DNA by illegitimate recombination.
cDNA clones encoding the murine senile amyloid protein (ASSAM) have been isolated from animal models of accelerated senescence (SAM-P/1) and from normal aging (SAM-R/1). Immunochemical and protein sequence studies revealed that apolipoprotein (apo) A-II is a serum precursor of ASSAM. A 17-base synthetic oligonucleotide based on residues 39-44 of ASSAM was used as a hybridization probe for screening newly constructed SAM-P/1 and SAM-R/1 liver cDNA libraries. The structure of murine apo A-II cDNA is of interest because of the amino acid substitution found in ASSAM and serum apo A-II of SAM-P; in SAM-R or other random bred slc:ICR mice, amino acid residue 5 of mature apo A-II is proline but, in SAM-P, this amino acid is changed to glutamine. This amino acid replacement is caused by two nucleotide substitutions (CCA for proline codon to CAG for glutamine codon). The third base mutation may not be relevant to the substitution of amino acid. Attention is directed to the relation of this amino acid substitution to the specific deposition of apo A-II, as a tissue amyloid fibril.
Appearance of extrachromosomal circular DNAs with in vivo and in vitro cellular ageing was examined by using a new technique of mica-press-adsorption for electron microscopy. The size distribution and the copy number of circular DNA complexes varied, depending on the cellular age. Extrachromosomal circular DNA complexes of variable length of more than 0.5 microns or 1.5 kilobase (kb) appeared during in vivo ageing of rat lymphocytes and in vitro ageing of cultured human lung fibroblasts. A restricted size class of circular forms of less than 0.5 microns in contour length was amplified in human skin fibroblasts from aged normal or Werner's syndrome subjects. These circular DNA molecules are suggested to be products of DNA rearrangements or gene amplification occurring in the chromosome.
Extrachromosomal circular DNA complexes from peripheral blood lymphocytes from inbred mice of accelerated senescence, were detected by mica-press-adsorption method. In senescence-resistant series (SAM-R), polydisperse circular DNAs were observed at 7 weeks of age and a restricted size class of small circular forms of 0.4-0.8 microns in contour length was amplified several-fold at 26 months of age. In senescence-prone series (SAM-P), a similar amplification of small circular DNAs was observed at young age of 10 weeks and more progressive at 17 months of age.
Covalently closed circular DNA molecules (cccDNA) from the human HeLa cell line were purified (96% pure by weight) by use of ATP-dependent deoxyribonuclease, and cloned into the HindIII site of phage lambda vector Charon 7. From the cccDNA library thus obtained, nine recombinants carrying mitochondrial DNA and 36 recombinants carrying small polydisperse circular (spc) DNA were picked at random for subsequent tests. The inserted fragments of spcDNA ranged in size from 0.6 to 7.6 kb with a mean length of 1.9 kb, a value which is the same as the average length of spcDNA. Analysis of the cloned spcDNA fragments revealed that (a) all the spcDNA clones investigated shared homologies with chromosomal DNA sequences, (b) all but one cloned DNA contained repetitive sequences, (c) the sequence organization could be roughly classified according to the reiteration frequency as greater than 10(5) (Alu family class), 10(4) to 10(5) (KpnI family class), 10(3) to 10(4) (mitochondrial DNA class) and less than 10(3) times per haploid genome, and (d) most of the repetitive sequences were dispersed in the genome, although some appeared clustered.
Several clones of reconstituted cells were isolated by fusion of karyoplasts of mouse melanoma B16 cells with cytoplasts of rat myoblastic L6 cells and processed by the mica-press-adsorption method for electron microscopy. Extrachromosomal small circular DNAs of less than 1 micron in contour length (smaller circular DNA) were present in both parental cells, and circles larger than 1 micron (larger circular DNA) were found more frequently in reconstituted cells at an early stage after the clonal isolation. Mitochondrial DNA was not released from mitochondria by this method. The new phenotypes of reconstituted cells were stable, but larger circles were lost after prolonged cultivation of the cells. The possibility that the larger circular DNAs result from intrachromosomal DNA rearrangement induced by rat cytoplasts is discussed.
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For determination of the cellular location of small polydisperse circular DNA complexes, rat myoblastic L6 cells, HeLa cells, and mouse L cells were enucleated and processed by the micapress-adsorption method for electron microscopy (H. Yamagishi, T. Kunisada, and T. Tsuda, 1982, Plasmid 8, 299-306). Small circular DNA complexes from intact cells showed a heterogeneous size distribution of from 0.1 to more than 2 micron with a mean contour length of 0.6 to 0.8 micron, like that of covalently closed circular DNAs. Cells contained 400 to 1200 copies. The size distribution in the cytoplasts was narrow and the number-average length was 0.3 to 0.4 micron, whereas that in L6 karyoplasts was wide and the average length was 0.9 micron. The longer circular complexes appeared to be absent from the cytoplasts. The origin and biological functions of these complexes are discussed in relation to the cellular locations of the complexes.
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We have previously reported the potent stimulation effect of lignin on the iodination of myeloperoxidase (MPO)-positive cells. We investigated here the anti-HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) activity of lignins in the MPO-positive (HL-60) and -negative (U-937) human myelogenous leukemic cell lines. Natural lignified material and dehydrogenation polymers, but not their precursors, effectively inhibited the cytopathic effect of HIV infection in both these cells as well as in MT-4 and MOLT-4 cells. HIV infection caused significant reduction of MPO activity in HL-60 cells, regardless of the presence or absence of lignins. These data suggest that MPO might not be involved in the anti-HIV activity induction by lignins.