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Biomedical subjects

T Tabira

Publications and source records attributed to T Tabira.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Determination of a cleavage site of presenilin 2 protein in stably transfected SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell lines.

Mutations in the presenilin 1 (PS1) and presenilin 2 (PS2) genes are associated with early-onset autosomal dominant familial Alzheimer's disease, and the gene products are endoproteolytically processed to yield N-terminal fragments (NTF) and C-terminal fragments (CTF). We have studied the cleavage site of the PS2 protein in stably transfected human neuroblastoma cells. The 23 kD PS2-CTF was isolated by a combination of anion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography and directly sequenced. The N-terminus of the PS2-CTF started at residue 307, which indicated that the cleavage occurs between Lys306 and Leu307 in the proximal portion of the large hydrophilic loop. This site is close to the cleavage positions observed in the PS1 protein.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1997

Regulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by natural killer (NK) cells.

In this report, we establish a regulatory role of natural killer (NK) cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a prototype T helper cell type 1 (Th1)-mediated disease. Active sensitization of C57BL/6 (B6) mice with the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)35-55 peptide induces a mild form of monophasic EAE. When mice were deprived of NK cells by antibody treatment before immunization, they developed a more serious form of EAE associated with relapse. Aggravation of EAE by NK cell deletion was also seen in beta 2-microglobulin-/- (beta 2m-/-) mice, indicating that NK cells can play a regulatory role in a manner independent of CD8+ T cells or NK1.1+ T cells (NK-T cells). The disease enhancement was associated with augmentation of T cell proliferation and production of Th1 cytokines in response to MOG35-55. EAE passively induced by the MOG35-55-specific T cell line was also enhanced by NK cell deletion in B6, beta 2m-/-, and recombination activation gene 2 (RAG-2)-/- mice, indicating that the regulation by NK cells can be independent of T, B, or NK-T cells. We further showed that NK cells inhibit T cell proliferation triggered by antigen or cytokine stimulation. Taken together, we conclude that NK cells are an important regulator for EAE in both induction and effector phases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Identifying monoaminergic, GABAergic, and cholinergic characteristics in immortalized neuronal cell lines.

We measured the concentration of neurotransmitters in immortalized neural cell lines of hippocampal, septal, brainstem and cerebellar origin. While in most of the cell lines, concentrations of monoamines, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholine were low, in some they were markedly higher. This made it quite easy to identify possible monoaminergic, GABAergic or cholinergic cell lines. However all the cell lines contained glutamate and aspartate and there were no outstanding differences in levels of these amino acids differences between the cell lines. Deprivation of serum, which made the cells acquire a more differentiated morphology, caused an increase in the intracellular concentrations of some compounds and a switch from multiple to a single transmitter in the case of some cell lines. It suggested that measurement of transmitter concentrations combined with serum deprivation studies, may provide an indication of the neurochemical characteristics of immortalised neuronal cell lines.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1997

[Molecular genetics of Alzheimer's disease--presenilin and other genes].

We examined mutations of presenilin 1 (PS1), presenilin 2 (PS2) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) in 30 Japanese familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) and 34 isolated cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found mutations of PS1 in 17% of early onset FAD (H163R, H163R, R269H, E273A, G384A) and in a case (H163R) of isolated AD. The remaining cases were free from mutations in PS1, PS2 and APP. Since only a part of them could he explained by ApoE epsilon 4, we concluded that important genes are missing. We also examined association of apolipoprotein E (ApoE)epsilon 4, allele A of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (ACT), 5 repeat allele of very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) and Alzheimer's disease. We confirmed that ApoE espilon 4 is significantly more frequent in both FAD and isolated AD cases than controls. We could not see any significant association in the ACT polymorphism. The 5 repeat allele of VLDLR was slightly but significantly more frequent in AD cases than controls. However, association with ApoE epsilon 4 was not seen in our study.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Sequence analysis of presenilin-1 gene mutation in Japanese Alzheimer's disease patients.

The mutations of presenilins (PSs) gene and their clinicopathological correlations to Alzheimer's disease (AD) have lately attracted considerable attention. In this report we analyzed fifteen Japanese familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) including 12 early-onset FAD and 13 sporadic AD patients for the mutation of PS-1 gene by direct sequence analysis. We found the mutations, G384A, E280A in two FAD and H163R in one sporadic AD patient, and no N1411 or M239V mutation in PS-2 gene, and no mutation in exons 16 and 17 in amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene. Families in which we failed to find the mutation by this screening may have mutations elsewhere in PSs or in APP gene, or yet unidentified other AD loci may exist. This is the first report to find a sporadic AD patient having PS-1 mutation.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

An alpha-chain TCR CDR3 peptide can enhance EAE induced by myelin basic protein or proteolipid protein.

Regulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) can be induced by anti-idiotype immunity against T cell receptor (TCR) fragments associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. However, we have recently found that preimmunization with an alpha-chain TCR CDR3 peptide (LYFCAARSNYQL) derived from myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific clones did not suppress but rather augmented the severity of EAE induced by MBP-specific T cells in SJL/J mice. To test whether CDR3 vaccination could control only a highly restricted T cell population, we studied the effect of the peptide against EAE induced by T cells specific for different Ag/MHC ligands and autoimmune diseases affecting non-neural tissues. In contrast to expectations, the peptide was found to augment not only EAE induced by MBP-specific T cells, but also proteolipid protein (PLP)-specific T cell- or PLP peptide-induced EAE in SJL/J mice, and MBP-induced EAE and adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats. The CDR3 peptide was neither inhibitory nor supportive for Ag-induced activation of an encephalitogenic clone in vitro. In addition, the peptide treatment neither inhibited the induction of Ag-specific T cells nor altered the APC function of spleen cells. These findings, on the one hand, confirm previous results showing TCR peptide-induced enhancement of the disease and, on the other hand, indicate that the TCR CDR3 peptide may control T cells with broader Ag/MHC specificities than could be expected. Structural similarity among TCR idiotypes of autoimmune T cells may partly account for these results.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

T-T cellular interaction between CD4-CD8- regulatory T cells and T cell clones presenting TCR peptide. Its implication for TCR vaccination against experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Regulatory T cells recognizing TCR determinants presumably play a critical role in the control of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a prototype tissue-specific autoimmune disease. This study was initiated to determine whether regulatory T cells can be induced against a V beta 17a CDR2 peptide (residues 50-68) in SJL/J mice. Although the TCR peptide showed regulatory effects in vivo, the presence of T cells specific for the peptide could not be proven with conventional proliferation assays. Unexpectedly, in the presence of myelin basic protein-specific T clone cells (Tcc), the sensitized spleen cells vigorously proliferated in response to the TCR peptide. The subsequent experiment showed that this was due to the outstanding capability of the Tcc as APC for the exogenous TCR peptide. Using the Tcc as APC, we were able to establish V beta 17a50-68-specific T cell lines from in vivo primed spleen cells. The line cells were MHC class I restricted and dominated by T cells with a distinct surface phenotype (CD4-CD8-V beta 17a+). Presentation of the peptide by the Tcc was inhibited by treatment with gelonin that could block a MHC class I presentation pathway. The ability of T cells to present the TCR peptide was not related to their Ag specificity, but correlated with the expression levels of MHC class I molecules and adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and B7-1 on their surface. The TCR peptide-specific T cells produced a soluble mediator(s) that is inhibitory for T cell activation and were protective against actively induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. These results show that V beta 17a50-68 vaccination induces regulatory CD4-CD8- T cells that could interact with T cells presenting relevant TCR fragments.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Significantly increased frequency of the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele in elderly non-demented leprosy patients.

Apolipoprotein E (apo E) genotypes in 350 leprosy patients were examined and compared with those of 870 age-matched controls. The allelic frequencies of the apo E gene did not differ between demented patients with leprosy and controls. However, the frequency of apo E epsilon 4 allele was significantly higher in non-demented leprosy patients than in controls (P < 0.001). Of special interest is that the prevalence of E3/4 genotype in non-demented leprosy patients increased significantly with age, being 14.1%, 24.4%, and 28.3% in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, respectively (P < 0.05). These data suggest that apo E epsilon 4 is not a risk factor for senile dementia in elderly leprosy patients, and there exist factors to overcome the risk of apo E4 in leprosy patients.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1996

Evidence that brain capillary endothelial cells can be infected with murine leukaemia retrovirus, LP-BM5.

Some mice infected with murine leukaemia retrovirus, LP-BM5 including ecotropic, mink cell focus-inducing murine leukaemia virus, and a replication-defective genome, have been reported to show weakness, ataxia, or selective deficits in spatial learning after developing an immunodeficiency syndrome similar to human AIDS. In the central nervous system, astrocytes and microglial cells have been shown to be infected by this virus. We present here findings that the ecotropic virus and defective genome can infect murine brain capillary endothelial cells, and infected endothelial cells show an impaired function as target cells against myelin basic protein (MBP) specific T cell clone.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

TCR repertoire to proteolipid protein (PLP) in multiple sclerosis (MS): homologies between PLP-specific T cells and MS-associated T cells in TCR junctional sequences.

In the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), autoimmune T cells reactive with proteolipid protein (PLP) may play a crucial role. We determined 23 TCR beta-chain sequences of limiting dilution T cel lines (TCL) selected against a synthetic peptide, PLP 95-116, 105-124 or 139-155, from the peripheral blood of three Japanese MS patients with the DR2,w15 haplotype (TI, SK and OK). Fourteen sequences were originated from TI, seven from SK and two from OK. The PLP-reactive TCL utilized various Vbeta and Jbeta gene segments, but there was significant bias in the Vbeta and Jbeta usage. Overutilization of the Vbeta2 family and dominant usage of the Jbeta2.5 subfamily was seen in PLP 105-124-reactive and 95-116-reactive TCL respectively. More remarkably, a majority of the TCL were found to express beta-chain CDR3 motifs that appear to be unique to MS brain infiltrates. In contrast, these motifs were only rarely seen in control TCR sequences from peripheral blood or from a TCL selected against tetanus toxoid. In several cases, the betaCDR3 homologies between the PLP-reactive T cells and MS brain T cells were extensive, owing to the shared motifs in combination with the surrounding amino acid identities. These results indicate that PLP-specific T cells may be involved in the immunopathology of MS.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Neurotransmitter synthesis by SN6 cell lines, a family of hybrid cell lines of embryonic septal origin.

Previously, we reported the presence of multiple neurotransmitters in subclones of SN6, a septal cholinergic hybrid cell line. To obtain information concerning the functionality of these transmitters, we measured transmitter contents, activities of transmitter-producing enzymes, and the effect of serum-free culture medium in two different batches (SN6.1.6 and SN6.10.2.2) and two subclones of the SN6 cell line (SN6.2a and SN6.1b). Except for SN6.1b, SN6 cell lines and subclones had basically the same neurotransmitter characteristics. Among the transmitters, only acetylcholine seemed to be functional. Monoamine oxidase was missing and activity of aromatic amino acid decarboxylase was diminished in SN6 cell lines. Even in serum-containing medium, SN6.1b had a more mature morphology than the other cell lines, and it contained choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholine but not tyrosine hydroxylase or catecholamines. Similar characteristics were acquired by the mother cell line in response to serum-free conditions. Thus, SN6.1b is the most mature of these central cholinergic neuronal cell lines, at least with regard to neurotransmitter profiles.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Secretion kinetics of Alzheimer's amyloid beta-protein differs from secreted beta-amyloid precursor protein.

Amyloid beta-protein (A beta) and secreted beta-amyloid precursor protein (sAPP), derived from beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP), are normally released by cultured mammalian cells. We investigated by pulse-chase analysis the secretion kinetics of these two APP derivatives using mouse cholinergic SN49 cell lines stably transfected with mouse APP695 cDNA. After both A beta and sAPP peaked at about the second hour, sAPP decreased with a half-life of approximately 5 hours, but A beta remained almost unchanged for at least 14 hours. These results indicate that A beta is more stable than sAPP in the SN49 conditioned medium.

Amyloid beta-Peptides↗
PubMed1995

Demonstration of interleukin-3 receptor-associated antigen in the central nervous system.

We previously reported that interleukin-3 (IL-3) acts as a neurotrophic factor for cholinergic neurons. However, it has not yet been determined whether the action is derived from the interaction of IL-3 with IL-3 receptors. As the first step to study IL-3 receptors in the central nervous system, we examined the presence and localization of IL-3 receptor-associated antigen (IL-3RAA) in mouse and rat brain. Immunohistochemically, IL-3RAA, which is closely involved both in the IL-3 binding to IL-3 receptors and the tyrosine phosphorylation in the signal transduction for IL-3 in hematopoietic cells, was demonstrated in neurons throughout the brain. This was confirmed in primary cultured neurons and neuronal cell lines by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. The staining intensity varied among regions and the most intense immunoreactivity for IL-3RAA was found in large neurons in the magnocellular basal nuclei, pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortex, and neuronal cells in some nuclei of the brainstem. Not only cholinergic cell lines derived from the septal region but also other neuronal cell lines exhibited IL-3RAA immunoreactivity by flow cytometry. Therefore, we conclude that IL-3RAA is present in a wide variety of neurons in the brain including cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain. Western blot analysis revealed that the candidates for IL-3RAA are 145, 100, and 50 kDa proteins both in neuronal and IL-3-dependent cell lines.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Analysis of proteolipid protein (PLP)-specific T cells in multiple sclerosis: identification of PLP 95-116 as an HLA-DR2,w15-associated determinant.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a putative autoimmune disease that is linked with HLA-DR2,w15. Proteolipid protein (PLP) is a candidate autoantigen in MS, but the disease-associated epitopes have not been determined. Using overlapping and non-overlapping PLP peptides, we have studied the T cell response to the major hydrophilic domain PLP 85-159 in the peripheral blood of MS and healthy subjects (HS). Short-term T cell lines (TCL) were selected against each peptide using microwell plates and the frequency of peptide-specific TCL was estimated. PLP 95-116-specific TCL were most efficiently generated and the frequency was significantly higher in MS compared with HS (P < 0.05). When compared between DR2,w15+ and DR2,w15- MS, TCL frequency to PLP 95-116 was significantly higher in DR2,w15+ MS (P < 0.005) and TCL reactive to the overlapping peptide 105-124 were also increased in DR2,w15+ MS (P < 0.025). Using DR gene-transfected L cells, we could show that the DRB1*1501 product of the DR2 haplotype presents PLP 95-116 to TCL selected against the peptide. These results imply that PLP 95-116 represents a major epitope for the DR2,w15+ MS.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[A view for understanding the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis].

There are 2 hypotheses for understanding the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), viral and autoimmune ones. Although antibodies to many viruses are elevated, an MS-specific virus has not been found and none of conventional viruses has been definitely located in MS lesions. Thus, viruses, if involved, seem to be indirect. Autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) has represented main aspects of MS such as inflammatory demyelinating plaques, spontaneous onset, remission and relapse. This was proven by transgenic mice that express T cell receptor genes of myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific encephalitogenic T cells (Goverman et al, 1993). The animals developed spontaneous EAE and relapsed when kept in the conventional condition. Otherwise, it was necessary to inject bacterial antigens, when they were kept in an SPF condition. We have shown that MBP89-101 specific encephalitogenic T cell clones are polyreactive (Kozovska et al, submitted). In MS, T cell responses to MBP and proteolipid protein (PLP) have been studied and certain T cell immunodominant regions are suggested. Some of the MHC-class II-restricted and MBP peptide-specific T cell clones responded to several viral antigens (Wucherpfenning and Strominger, 1995). Thus, it is highly probable that autoaggressive T cells are polyreactive and activated by viral and other antigens. I believe that this is the central mechanism operating in MS. Before reaching this conclusion, we must show that the MBP- or PLP-specific polyreactive T cells are indeed encephalitogenic. In order to prove this, we must establish an animal model, humanized mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Production of interleukin-3 by murine central nervous system neurons.

We examined expression and production of interleukin-3 (IL-3) mRNA and IL-3 protein in mouse primary cultured neurons and glia by the reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction and a bioassay using an IL-3-dependent cell line. IL-3 mRNA was demonstrated mainly in hippocampal neurons but not in glia, while a small but definite production of bioactive IL-3 was detected in septal and hippocampal neuronal cultures. Thus, endogenous IL-3 might be produced by certain neurons in situ.

Animals↗