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Overlapping palindromic sequences associated with somatic deletion and meiotic recombination of MHC class I genes.

H-2L-null variants were immunoselected from a transfected murine fibroblast cell line carrying a single copy H-2L gene, and were characterized to determine the basis for the loss of this MHC class I cell surface product. Molecular analysis indicated that inactivation of H-2L expression in nearly every null clone resulted from an apparent deletion or rearrangement of 5'-flanking and 5'-coding H-2L sequences, with breakpoints consistently mapping to within a 550 bp GC-rich region between exon 1 and the middle of intron 2. Notably, this region of the H-2L gene contains a large number of overlapping, inverted repeat sequences as well as potential topoisomerase I cleavage sites. Examination of several in vivo mutant class I genes, believed to have been generated by recombination, has revealed that each of these genes bears similar palindromic structures overlapping or adjacent to the regions of sequence exchange. These findings suggest that inverted repeat sequences may play a role in recombination and deletion within the MHC class I multigene family.

Animals↗

[Variant Frequency of Erythrocyte Glycophorin A in Persons Accidentally Irradiated by (60)Co Source]

Glycophorin A (GPA) is one of the important molecular markers in studies of somatic cell mutations. To investigate the relationship between the gamma-irradiation and the frequency of GPA variation, the frequency of variant erythrocytes at the GPA locus was determined in peripheral blood of 3 subjects with accidental whole-body gamma-irradiation. The biological dose of individuals was 2.5, 2.9 and 1.9 Gy estimated by the chromosome aberration assay, respectively, and the frequency of GPA variation was 3.9, 4.3 and 4.1 times greater than that from normal controls, respectively. Our results suggest that the variant frequency of erythrocyte GPA was increased. On account of the GPA gene mutations are preserved in hematopoietic stem cells during all irradiated individual's life, the frequency of GPA variation could be used as a permanent marker for mutagenesis of radiation.

Journal Article↗

Isolation of potent human Fab fragments against a novel highly immunogenic region on human muscle acetylcholine receptor which protect the receptor from myasthenic autoantibodies.

In the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis (MG), antibodies against the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) cause loss of functional AChR in the neuromuscular junction. To isolate AChR-specific human antibody fragments (Fab), a phage-display library was constructed from an MG patient's thymic B lymphocytes. The first Fab isolated had a low affinity for human AChR, but two sequential antibody chain shufflings using the MG donor heavy and light chain gene repertoires resulted in isolating two new Fab with an approximately 30-fold higher binding ability. The selected Fab contained extensively mutated heavy and light chains and probably represent intraclonal variants of a common progenitor having diverged in vivo by somatic hypermutation. Interestingly, the isolated Fab bound to an extracellular highly immunogenic region located either on an alpha-subunit site affected by the gamma/epsilon-subunits or on the interface between alpha- and gamma/epsilon-subunits. This region is not the previously described "main immunogenic region" (MIR), although it seems to be close to it, as one improved Fab and an anti-MIR mAb competed for AChR binding with distinctly different subpopulations of MG sera. Furthermore, this Fab protected surface AChR in cell cultures against MG autoantibody-induced antigenic modulation, suggesting a potential therapeutic use in MG, especially in combination with a human anti-MIR Fab.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Induction of 19S IgM secretion in a murine pre-B cell line, 70Z/3, by cell hybridization with non-secreting myeloma cells.

Somatic cell hybrids were prepared between the TK-deficient variant of murine pre-B cell line, 70Z/3, cells and the HGPRT-deficient variant of non-secreting myeloma cells. Several hybrid clones which secreted IgM but did not express surface IgM were isolated. LPS stimulation did not induce the expression of surface IgM. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the IgM secreted by one of the hybrid clones was a 19S pentamer and that the size of its mu-chains was the same as that of mu-chains from MOPC 104E myeloma IgM. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of biosynthetically labeled immunoglobulin showed that the same pattern was obtained with kappa-chains from two hybrid clones and from the LPS-induced 70Z/3 cells. The result showed that cell hybridization could induce L-chain synthesis in the pre-B cell line. Anti-idiotypic antibody against the secreted IgM was prepared and it was shown that the surface IgM expressed on all LPS-stimulated 70Z/3 cells bore the same idiotype. Those results indicated that the specificity commitment has already occurred in 70Z/3 cells.

Animals↗

IgA polymorphism in mice: NZB and BALB/c mice produce two forms of IgA.

There are two different forms of mouse IgA immunoglobulins, one in which light chains are disulfide-linked to each other (IgAL-L) and the second where light chains are linked to heavy chains (IgAH-L). IgA myeloma proteins from BALB/c mice are IgAL-L and those from NZB are IgAH-L. To determine whether these two forms of IgA represent allotypic or isotypic variants, we purified serum IgA and prepared IgA-secreting somatic cell hybrids from mitogen-stimulated BALB/c and NZB mice and determined the pattern of light chain linkage. It was found that each strain produces both forms of IgA and that both forms share the allotypic determinants characteristic of the mouse strain.

Animals↗

Consolidation Therapy Based on Mutation Clearance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Optimal consolidation therapy for patients with intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1) is controversial. Retrospective studies have suggested that the clearance of leukemia-associated mutations (LAMs) in CR1 may predict lower relapse risk and better outcomes with high-dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation. We tested this hypothesis prospectively. METHODS: We performed a phase II, multicenter study of intermediate-risk, transplant-eligible, de novo AML in patients 18-60 years of age who achieved a complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete count recovery (CRi) after induction therapy. Tumor and normal whole-exome sequencing was performed at presentation to identify somatic LAMs (median ∼30 LAMs/patient). In remission marrow samples, LAM variant allele frequencies (VAFs) were then remeasured using a VAF cutoff of less than 2.5% to define clearance. Patients who met this LAM clearance threshold received HiDAC consolidation, whereas those with persistent LAMs (VAF ≥2.5%) were recommended to undergo allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. The primary endpoint compared relapse-free survival (RFS) of intermediate-risk patients with complete LAM clearance to historical cohorts with intermediate-risk AML who received HiDAC-based regimens in CR1. To account for an unplanned interim assessment, the significance threshold for the primary analysis was 0.01. RESULTS: Among 100 patients who were evaluated, intermediate-risk patients who cleared all LAMs in CR1 (n=33) had a median RFS of 33.1 months (95% confidence interval, 11.7-NA) compared to a median RFS of 11.7 months in the historical cohort (n=239; 95% confidence interval, 9.9-15.6, P=0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with intermediate-risk AML, clearance of LAMs after induction, followed by HiDAC consolidation in CR1, was associated with longer RFS compared with similarly treated historical controls. Although this result did not meet the prespecified threshold for statistical significance, the reported association sets the stage for a randomized trial to further evaluate this strategy. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02756962.).

Humans↗

Point mutation in essential genes with loss or mutation of the second allele: relevance to the retention of tumor-specific antigens.

Antigens that are tumor specific yet retained by tumor cells despite tumor progression offer stable and specific targets for immunologic and possibly other therapeutic interventions. Therefore, we have studied two CD4(+) T cell-recognized tumor-specific antigens that were retained during evolution of two ultraviolet-light-induced murine cancers to more aggressive growth. The antigens are ribosomal proteins altered by somatic tumor-specific point mutations, and the progressor (PRO) variants lack the corresponding normal alleles. In the first tumor, 6132A-PRO, the antigen is encoded by a point-mutated L9 ribosomal protein gene. The tumor lacks the normal L9 allele because of an interstitial deletion from chromosome 5. In the second tumor, 6139B-PRO, both alleles of the L26 gene have point mutations, and each encodes a different tumor-specific CD4(+) T cell-recognized antigen. Thus, for both L9 and L26 genes, we observe "two hit" kinetics commonly observed in genes suppressing tumor growth. Indeed, reintroduction of the lost wild-type L9 allele into the 6132A-PRO variant suppressed the growth of the tumor cells in vivo. Since both L9 and L26 encode proteins essential for ribosomal biogenesis, complete loss of the tumor-specific target antigens in the absence of a normal allele would abrogate tumor growth.

Alleles↗

Mechanism of histone H1-stimulated glucocorticoid receptor DNA binding in vivo.

Xenopus oocytes lack somatic linker histone H1 but contain an oocyte-specific variant, B4. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) inducible mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter was reconstituted in Xenopus oocytes to address the effects of histone H1. The expression of Xenopus H1o [corrected] (H1) via cytoplasmic mRNA injection resulted in H1 incorporation into in vivo assembled chromatin based on (i) the appearance of a chromatosome stop, (ii) the increased nucleosome repeat length (NRL), and (iii) H1-DNA binding assayed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). The H1 effect on the NRL was saturable and hence represents H1-binding to a specific site. A subsaturating level of H1 enhanced the hormone-dependent binding of GR to the glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) and the hormone-dependent MMTV transcription while it reduced the access to DNA as revealed by micrococcal nuclease (MNase) analysis. These H1 effects were lost at higher levels of H1. ChIP and MNase analysis revealed a hormone-dependent dissociation of H1 from the activated chromatin domain. The proposed mechanism of H1-induced GR binding is based on two effects: (i) a GR-induced asymmetric distribution of H1 in favor of inactive chromatin and (ii) an H1-induced reduction in DNA access. These effects results in increased concentration of free GR and, hence, in increased GR-GRE binding.

Animals↗

Reproducible and variable genomic rearrangements occur in the developing somatic nucleus of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila.

We analyzed the extent, reproducibility, and developmental control of genomic rearrangements in the somatic macronucleus of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. To exclude differences caused by genetic polymorphisms, we constructed whole-genome homozygotes, and we compared the homozygous progeny derived from single macronuclear differentiation events. This strategy enabled us to identify a novel form of variable rearrangement and to confirm previous findings that rearranged sequences occur at a high frequency in the Tetrahymena genome. Rearrangements studied here were deletions of both unique and interchromosomally dispersed repetitive DNA sequences involving DNA rejoining of internal, nontelomeric regions of macronuclear DNAs. We showed that although rearrangements of some sequence classes are reproducible among independently developed macronuclei, other specific sequence classes are variably rearranged in macronuclear development. The variable somatic genomes so produced may be the source of phenotypically variant cell lines.

Animals↗

Germ-line mutation of NKX3.1 cosegregates with hereditary prostate cancer and alters the homeodomain structure and function.

NKX3.1, a gene mapped to 8p21, is a member of the NK class of homeodomain proteins and is expressed primarily in the prostate. NKX3.1 exerts a growth-suppressive and differentiating effect on prostate epithelial cells. Because of its known functions and its location within a chromosomal region where evidence for prostate cancer linkage and somatic loss of heterozygosity is found, we hypothesize that sequence variants in the NKX3.1 gene increase prostate cancer risk. To address this, we first resequenced the NKX3.1 gene in 159 probands of hereditary prostate cancer families recruited at Johns Hopkins Hospital; each family has at least three first-degree relatives affected with prostate cancer. Twenty-one germ-line variants were identified in this analysis, including one previously described common nonsynonymous change (R52C), two novel rare nonsynonymous changes (A17T and T164A), and a novel common 18-bp deletion in the promoter. Overall, the germ-line variants were significantly linked to prostate cancer, with a peak heterogeneity logarithm of odds of 2.04 (P = 0.002) at the NKX3.1 gene. The rare nonsynonymous change, T164A, located in the homeobox domain of the gene, segregated with prostate cancer in a family with three affected brothers and one unaffected brother. Importantly, nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure analysis and circular dichroism studies showed this specific mutation to affect the stability of the homeodomain of the NKX3.1 protein and decreased binding to its cognate DNA recognition sequence. These results suggest that germ-line sequence variants in NKX3.1 may play a role in susceptibility to hereditary prostate cancer and underscore a role for NKX3.1 as a prostate cancer gatekeeper.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Chromosomal aberrations in humans induced by urban air pollution: influence of DNA repair and polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase M1 and N-acetyltransferase 2.

We have studied the influence of individual susceptibility factors on the genotoxic effects of urban air pollution in 106 nonsmoking bus drivers and 101 postal workers in the Copenhagen metropolitan area. We used the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes as a biomarker of genotoxic damage and dimethylsulfate-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis in mononuclear WBCs, the glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) genotype, and the N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) genotype as biomarkers of susceptibility. The bus drivers, who had previously been observed to have elevated levels of aromatic DNA adducts in their peripheral mononuclear cells, showed a significantly higher frequency of cells with chromosomal aberrations as compared with the postal workers. In the bus drivers, unscheduled DNA synthesis correlated negatively with the number of cells with gaps, indicating a protective effect of DNA repair toward chromosome damage. Bus drivers with the GSTM1 null and slow acetylator NAT2 genotype had an increased frequency of cells with chromosomal aberrations. NAT2 slow acetylators also showed elevated chromosomal aberration counts among the postal workers. Our results suggest that long-term exposure to urban air pollution (with traffic as the main contributor) induces chromosome damage in human somatic cells. Low DNA repair capacity and GSTM1 and NAT2 variants associated with reduced detoxification ability increase susceptibility to such damage. The effect of the GSTM1 genotype, which was observed only in the bus drivers, appears to be associated with air pollution, whereas the NAT2 genotype effect, which affected all subjects, may influence the individual response to some other common exposure or the baseline level of chromosomal aberrations.

Adult↗

Efficient screening of p53 mutations by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis in colorectal tumors.

Alterations in exons 5-8 of the p53 gene have been found in the vast majority of human tumors. Although some specific codons have been revealed as preferential mutational sites in defined tumor types, mutations are generally so scattered within this region that various screening methods for their detection have been widely used. However, the capacity of these techniques to detect exhaustively all mutations has not been evaluated. In this report, conditions for analysing exons 5-8 of the p53 gene by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) have been elaborated using the Melt87 and SQHTX computer programs. The procedure requires five different amplifications. The screening of 90 colorectal tumors revealed 56 amplification products demonstrating abnormal DGGE behavior. Direct sequencing of these amplification products after asymmetric polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed, besides polymorphism, 49 somatically mutated DNA samples (54.4%) corresponding to 38 different p53 variants. Moreover, 25 additional p53 variants identified in other tumor types were also detectable with our conditions. Thus, altogether the procedure has been successfully used in the detection of 63 different p53 variants. The experimental differences in migration between the wild-type homoduplex DNA molecule and the heteroduplex(es) containing one mismatch were systematically compared with those calculated by the SQHTX program. The computer program was found to be reliably predictive. This DGGE procedure appears thus to be effective and reliable for detecting mutations in exons 5-8 of the p53 gene.

Base Sequence↗

[Various aspects of the clinical picture and differential treatment of patients with alcoholic delirium].

A total of 775 patients with alcoholic delirium were examined. Alcoholic delirium was found to have undergone a certain pathomorphosis, manifesting in a more pronounced somatic pathology and less representative hallucinational symptomatology. A number of new variants of alcoholic delirium are presented along with the typical and previously described ones. These include: (a) short-term (within 24 hours) gross neurological symptomatology due to a transient impairment of the cerebral blood circulation following the toxic impact of alcohol on the cerebral vessels; (b) alcoholic delirium with a longer transient impairment of the cerebral blood circulation for as long as three months; (c) alcoholic delirium with prolonged subclinical symptomatology and a negligible effect on the patients' behaviour which is subsequently transformed into a sharp psychomotor excitement, epileptiform paroxysm, etc., and finally into a comatose state caused by brain edema. Treatment should be differential, with due regard for the severity of the disease, and aimed at the recovery of the normal sleep pattern, detoxification as well as prevention and control of grave somatic complications.

Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium↗

Immunoglobulins D and M multiple myeloma variants are heavily mutated.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B-cell malignancy characterized by the expansion of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow. Previous studies that have examined the Ig VH genes of IgG and IgA MMs have shown the presence of somatic mutations, suggesting that in these cases, the myeloma precursor cell passed through the phase of antigenic selection within the germinal center but is no longer exposed to the somatic mutation process. However, no information about this matter is available in the rare IgD and IgM MM variants. Therefore, we have analyzed the Ig VH genes of three IgD, one IgM, and one biclonal (IgG and IgM) MM for the presence of somatic mutations. Our study demonstrates that all of these myeloma clones have accumulated a high number of somatic mutations within their Ig VH genes but show no intraclonal variation. Moreover, proof that the clone sustained a strong antigenic selection pressure could be provided in three cases (one IgD and two IgMs). Therefore, this study strongly implies that IgD and IgM MMs emerge from a postgerminal center preswitched B cell that is no longer exposed to the somatic mutation process or able to undergo further isotype switching in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Analysis of erythrocyte glycophorin-A variants by flow cytometry in lung disease patients detects the effect of tobacco smoke.

The glycophoryn A (GPA) assay evaluates somatic in vivo mutations. It is considered a cumulative biodosimeter for genotoxic exposures and is under evaluation in cancer risk assessment. GPA, a polymorphic membrane protein of the erythrocytes, determines the MN blood groups. The NO and NN variant frequencies (VF) may be detected in MN subjects (about 50% of the population) by flow cytometry using two differently labelled antibodies. We explored if GPA NO and NN VF might be relevant to the assessment of individual lung cancer risk and susceptibility, in a small population with a high prevalence of heavy tobacco smokers: 8 lung cancer patients and 16 subjects with non-malignant lung diseases associated with increased risk of lung cancer. There was a wide interindividual variability and complete overlap between non-neoplastic and neoplastic patients. A significant positive correlation was seen with smoking duration in NO VF (p = 0.04, age-adjusted). Current smokers (n = 12) displayed higher NO values than never (n = 1) or ex-smokers (n = 11), 36.3 +/- 18.2 and 21.0 +/- 13.2, respectively (p < 0.01). No association was shown with occupational exposure. The present exploratory study suggests that assessment of individual lung cancer risk and susceptibility by the GPA assay does not seem to be feasible. The assay appears to provide a biomarker of longterm exposure to tobacco smoke.

Aged↗

Association of CYP1B1 codon 432 mutant allele in head and neck squamous cell cancer is reflected by somatic mutations of p53 in tumor tissue.

Tobacco use is causally associated with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). Here, we present the results of a case-control study that investigated the effects that the genetic variants of the cytochrome (CYP)1A1, CYP1B1, glutathione-S-transferase (GST)M1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 genes have on modifying the risk of smoking-related HNSCC. Allelisms of the CYP1A1, GSTT1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 genes alone were not associated with an increased risk. CYP1B1 codon 432 polymorphism was found to be a putative susceptibility factor in smoking-related HNSCC. The frequency of CYP1B1 polymorphism was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the group of smoking cases when compared with smoking controls. Additionally, an odds ratio (OR) of 4.53 (2.62-7.98) was discovered when investigating smoking and nonsmoking cases for the susceptible genotype CYP1B1*2/*2, when compared with the presence of the genotype wild type. In combination with polymorphic variants of the GST genes, a synergistic-effect OR was observed. The calculated OR for the combined genotype CYP1B1*2/*2 and GSTM1*2/*2 was 12.8 (4.09-49.7). The calculated OR for the combined genotype was 13.4 (2.92-97.7) for CYP1B1*2/*2 and GSTT1*2/*2, and 24.1 (9.36-70.5) for the combination of CYP1B1*2/*2 and GSTT1-expressors. The impact of the polymorphic variants of the CYP1B1 gene on HNSCC risk is reflected by the strong association with the frequency of somatic mutations of the p53 gene. Smokers with susceptible genotype CYP1B1*2/*2 were 20 times more likely to show evidence of p53 mutations than were those with CYP1B1 wild type. Combined genotype analysis of CYP1B1 and GSTM1 or GSTT1 revealed interactive effects on the occurrence of p53 gene mutations. The results of the present study indicate that polymorphic variants of CYP1B1 relate significantly to the individual susceptibility of smokers to HNSCC.

Alleles↗

The human prohibitin (PHB) gene family and its somatic mutations in human tumors.

Five cosmid clones, isolated by procedures to screen genomic libraries for homologous variants of the human prohibitin gene (PHB), were analyzed to determine their genomic structures. Four of these (PHBP1-4) were found to be processed pseudogenes, each located on a different chromosome from their counterparts on chromosome 17q21. The DNA sequence of one clone (PHBP1, on chromosome 6q25) shared a 91.3% identity at the nucleotide level with the cDNA of functional prohibitin. A large number of human tumors of the breast, ovary, liver, and lung were examined for somatic mutations in the PHB gene. Although mutations were observed in a few sporadic breast cancers, none were identified in any of the other cancers.

Base Sequence↗

Estimation of mutation rates based on the analysis of polypeptide constituents of cultured human lymphoblastoid cells.

A subclone of a human diploid lymphoblastoid cell line, TK-6, with consistently high cloning efficiency has been used to estimate the rates of somatic mutations on the basis of protein variation detected by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A panel of 267 polypeptide spots per gel was screened, representing the products of approximately 263 unselected loci. The rate of human somatic mutation in vitro was estimated by measuring the proportion of protein variants among cell clones isolated at various times during continuous exponential growth of a TK-6 cell population. Three mutants of spontaneous origin were observed, giving an estimated spontaneous rate of 6 x 10(-8) electrophoretic mutations per allele per cell generation (i.e., 1.2 x 10(-7) per locus per cell generation). Following treatment of cells with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea, a total of 74 confirmed variants at 54 loci were identified among 1143 clones analyzed (approximately 601,000 allele tests). The induced variants include 65 electromorphs which exhibit altered isoelectric charge and/or apparent molecular weight and nine nullimorphs for each of which a gene product was not detected at its usual location on the gel. The induced frequency for these 65 structural gene mutants is 1.1 x 10(-4) per allele. An excess of structural gene mutations at ten known polymorphic loci and repeat mutations at these and other loci suggest nonrandomness of mutation in human somatic cells. Nullimorphs occurring at three heterozygous loci in TK-6 cells may be caused by genetic processes other than structural gene mutation.

Cell Line↗