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DC-HIL/glycoprotein nmb (Gpnmb) expressed on antigen-presenting cells attenuates T-cell activation by binding to syndecan-4 (SD-4) on activated T cells. Because DC-HIL/Gpnmb is expressed abundantly by mouse and human melanoma lines, we posited that melanoma-associated DC-HIL/Gpnmb exerts similar inhibitory function on melanoma-reactive T cells. We generated small interfering RNA-transfected B16F10 melanoma cells to completely knock down DC-HIL/Gpnmb expression, with no alteration in cell morphology, melanin synthesis, or MHC class I expression. This knockdown had no effect on B16F10 proliferation in vitro or entry into the cell cycle following growth stimulation, but it markedly reduced the growth of these cells in vivo following their s.c. injection into syngeneic immunocompetent (but not immunodeficient) mice. This reduction in tumor growth was due most likely to an augmented capacity of DC-HIL-knocked down B16F10 cells (compared with controls) to activate melanoma-reactive T cells as documented in vitro and in mice. Whereas DC-HIL knockdown had no effect on susceptibility of melanoma to killing by cytotoxic T cells, blocking SD-4 function enhanced the reactivity of CD8(+) T cells to melanoma-associated antigens on parental B16F10 cells. Using an assay examining the spread to the lung following i.v. injection, DC-HIL-knocked down cells produced lung foci at similar numbers compared with that produced by control cells, but the size of the former foci was significantly smaller than the latter. We conclude that DC-HIL/Gpnmb confers upon melanoma the ability to downregulate the activation of melanoma-reactive T cells, thereby allowing melanoma to evade immunologic recognition and destruction. As such, the DC-HIL/SD-4 pathway is a potentially useful target for antimelanoma immunotherapy., ((c)2010 AACR.)

A magnesium-independent deoxyuridine-5'-triphosphatase was found in Yoshida sarcoma cells but not in normal rat liver. The phosphatase is specific for deoxyuridine 5'-diphosphate and deoxyuridine triphosphate, and its Km for deoxyuridine triphosphate is 2.7 X 10(-7) M. The enzyme was not inhibited by fluoride and required no divalent cations. Thus it differs from known nucleotide phosphatases. Deoxyuridine monophosphokinase, which is detectable in a crude extract of normal rat liver, could not be detected in an extract of Yoshida sarcoma cells. However, with hydroxylapatite column chromatography of the extract, a deoxyuridine 5'-monophosphate kinase activity as high as that in normal rat liver was found in fractions separated from the phosphatase activity. Thus the absence of detectable deoxyuridine 5'-monophosphate kinase activity in the crude extract of Yoshida sarcoma cells is due to the presence of this nucleotide phosphatase.

It was found that there are two kinds of pyrimidine nucleoside, monophosphokinase deoxythymidine 5'-monophosphate-deoxyuridine 5'-monophosphate (dTMP-dUMP) kinase and cytidine 5'-monophosphate-deoxycytidine 5'-monophosphate-uridine 5'-monophosphate-doexyuridine 5'-monophosphate (CMP-dCMP-UMP-dUMP) kinase, and their molecular weights were calculated to be 46,000 and 26,000, respectively, by gel filtration. dTMP-dUMP kinase phosphorylated dTMP with a Km of 3.1 X 10(-5)M and dUMP with a Km of 7.7 X 10(-4) M. dTMP phosphorylation catalyzed by dTMP-dUMP kinase was inhibited competively by dUMP with a Ki of 2.0 X 10(-3) M. Similarly, phosphorylation of dUMP by this enzyme was inhibited competively by dTMP with a Ki of 2.5 X 10 (-5) M. CMP-dCMP-UMP-dUMP kinase of Yoshida sarcoma phosphorylated dUMP with a Km of 3.1 X 10(-3) M and dCMP with a Km of 7.1 X 10 (-4) M, but it did not phosphorylate dTMP. Phosphorylation of dUMP BY CMP-dCMP-UMP-dUMP kinase was inhibited competitively by DCMP and dTMP with Ki's of 6.9 X 10(-4) and 3.0 X 10(-3) M, respectively, and phosphorylation of dCMP was inhibited completely by dUMP a Ki of 2.2 X 10(-3) M. Relative Vmax activity of this enzyme was 345 nmoles/mg protein with dCMP and 127 nmoles/mg protein with dUMP.