Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitope immunodominance in the control of choroid plexus tumors in simian virus 40 large T antigen transgenic mice.

The simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor antigen (Tag) is a virus-encoded oncoprotein which is the target of a strong cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response. Three immunodominant H-2(b)-restricted epitopes, designated epitopes I, II/III, and IV, have been defined. We investigated whether induction of CTLs directed against these Tag epitopes might control Tag-induced tumors in SV11(+) (H-2(b)) mice.

Methylxanthines and calcium-mobilizing agents inhibit the expression of cytokine-inducible nitric oxide synthase and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in murine microvascular endothelial cells.

In response to exposure to the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), murine brain microvascular endothelial cells (MME) synthesize the cell surface molecule, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and the intracellular enzyme, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). However, iNOS synthesis requires the presence of both TNF and IFN-gamma, while VCAM-1 can be induced by either cytokine alone. We examined the induction of VCAM-1 and iNOS under a variety of conditions to better define the regulation of TNF and IFN-gamma signal transduction pathways in MME.

In vitro replication of plasmids containing human ribosomal gene sequences: origin localization and dependence on an aprotinin-binding cytosolic protein.

We previously investigated the role of an aprotinin-binding protein (ADR) in the initiation of DNA replication in isolated quiescent nuclei. In the present study, we have used a cell-free DNA replication system to test the ability of plasmid vectors which contain sequences from the human ribosomal RNA gene to serve as replicative templates in vitro when exposed to ADR-containing preparations. Significant dTTP incorporation was seen using DNA from either a 7-kb sequence in the 5' spacer region (CHE) or a 7-kb sequence which begins near the end of the 28S coding region and extends into the 3' spacer region (ADBB), while sequences from other regions of the rRNA gene mediated little or no dTTP incorporation.

The mechanism of epipodophyllotoxin-induced thymocyte apoptosis: possible role of a novel Ca(2+)-independent protein kinase.

The epipodophyllotoxins, etoposide (VP-16) and teniposide (VM-26), inhibit topoisomerase II activity by stabilization of the cleavable complex between the enzyme and DNA and formation of protein-bound double-stranded DNA breaks. While it is thought that these agents are cytotoxic by preventing cells from completing the S phase or undergoing mitosis, recent evidence suggests that these agents are also potent inducers of programmed cell death or apoptosis in both normal and malignant cells. We have examined the intracellular pathway leading to epipodophyllotoxin-induced apoptosis in normal mouse thymocytes.

A cytosolic activator of DNA replication is tyrosine phosphorylated in its active form.

Cytosolic extracts from actively dividing lymphoid cells have been shown to induce DNA synthesis in isolated, quiescent nuclei. An initiating factor in such extracts (activator of DNA replication; ADR) is a > 90-kDa aprotinin-binding protein whose activity is inhibitable not only by aprotinin, but also by several other protease inhibitors as well. Although cytosol from non-proliferating lymphocytes is devoid of ADR activity, we have shown that these preparations can be induced to express ADR activity by brief exposure to a membrane-enriched fraction of spontaneously proliferating MOLT-4 cells via a kinase-dependent mechanism.