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Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction of antigen presentation of a single mucin1 (MUC1) variable number of tandem repeats peptide (VNTR1) was examined by generating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with a single repeat MUC1 peptide presented by allogeneic (MHC-independent) or autologous (MHC-dependent) Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) immortalized B lymphocytes. The ability to generate greater CTL activity against MUC1-expressing tumor cells by stimulation with autologous versus allogeneic EBV-B supports the hypothesis that presentation of a single repeat of MUC1 peptide is MHC-restricted (MHC-dependent).

Extracellular ATP and other nucleotides transmit signals to cells via surface-associated molecules whose binding sites face the extracellular milieu. Ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase is such an ATP-binding enzyme that is expressed by activated lymphocytes. We have previously shown that nonhydrolyzable ATP analogs block the lytic activity of NK cells and CD8+ T cells as well as their E-NTPDase activity. These results suggest that the hydrolysis of ATP may play a role in lymphocyte function. Here we report that E-NTPDase activity is up-regulated within 15 min of T cell stimulation and that reversible and irreversible enzyme inhibitors profoundly reduce secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ, but not IL-4. TNF-α, IL-10, and IL-5 production showed intermediate sensitivity to these ATP analogs. Depletion of extracellular ATP also inhibited secretion of IFN-γ, but not IL-4, supporting the interpretation that extracellular ATP is required for secretion of some, but not all, cytokines. E-NTPDase antagonists reduced transcription of IL-2 mRNA and inhibited TCR-mediated intracellular calcium flux. These results suggest that extracellular ATP plays an essential role in the TCR-mediated signal transduction cascade for expression of certain cytokine genes.

Adenocarcinomas of glandular tissues produce a hypoglycosylated form of a normal glycoprotein (mucin) that elicits an immune response. A tumor-specific epitope of mucin occurs in a 20-amino-acid, tandemly repeated domain of human MUC1 mucin. A synthetic gene encoding five tandem repeats of the tumor-specific epitope of human mucin (m5tr) was designed for efficient cloning and expression in Escherichia coli for subsequent use in preparing reagent quantities of the mucin 5 tandem repeat (mtr5) polypeptide. The synthetic gene was cloned in the correct reading frame into the maltose-binding protein (MBP) fusion expression vector pMAL-p2. Bacterial clones containing the mucin synthetic gene (m5tr) were shown to produce the intended recombinant fusion protein, MBP–mtr5. The fusion protein represents a significant fraction of the cell protein, 50% or more of which is secreted into the periplasm. The MBP–mtr5 protein is largely intact and easily prepared in sufficient quantity and purity for preliminary structure–function studies.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a surface sensitive analytical technique that measures the binding energy of electrons in atoms and molecules on the surface of a material. XPS was used to determine the distribution of the oligosaccharide side chains in the glycoprotein, MUC1 mucin. Low-resolution XPS spectra provided elemental composition of MUC1 mucin (fully glycosylated), mucin polypeptide (nonglycosylated), and carbohydrates found in mucin. The nitrogen content of MUC1 mucin was determined to be intermediate between the mucin polypeptide and the carbohydrates. Assuming a uniform distribution of carbohydrate on MUC1 mucin, the average thickness of the carbohydrate layer was calculated to be 4.9 nm using the low-resolution N 1s signals. High-resolution XPS spectra give detailed information about the chemical bonding of the surface molecules. Calculations based on the high-resolution O 1s spectra showed a carbohydrate thickness of 6.6 nm. These experimentally determined values agree reasonably well with an estimated 5 nm of carbohydrate thickness from a simple model which assume that the core protein is a rodlike molecule approximately 5 nm in diameter. Although the carbohydrate coating on the MUC1 mucin appears to be thick enough to cover the core protein entirely, fully glycosylated breast milk MUC1 mucin is susceptible to proteolytic digestion without removal of any oligosaccharide side chain, suggesting areas of exposed core protein. A possible explanation is that the oligosaccharide side chains may form patches of carbohydrate along the core protein with regions of exposed core protein.

EctoATPases are extracellular membrane-bound enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of the gamma phosphate from ATP. EctoATPase is expressed by activated and immortalized Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human peripheral blood B lymphocytes and murine B cell hybridomas. By contrast, ectoATPase activity is not expressed on nontransformed human peripheral blood B lymphocytes, murine spleen cells, or murine myeloma cells. The K(m) for ATP for the B cell ectoATPases ranged from 5 to 77 microM; the Vmax ranged from 48 to 129 pmol/ min/10(4) cells. The enzyme required Mg2+ for maximal activity with little dependence on Ca2+. ADP and purine and pyrimidine nucleoside triphosphates were competitive inhibitors of the catalytic reaction. A putative ectoATPase protein has been identified by Western blot analysis of membrane proteins from the immortalized B cells. Under reducing conditions, antiectoATPase antibodies cross-reacted with a 66-kDa protein from murine B cell hybridoma membranes. By contrast a 200-kDa protein from the B cell hybridoma membranes cross-reacted with the antibodies under nonreducing conditions, suggesting a disulfide-linked trimer. The antibodies also cross-reacted with a 66-kDa protein from human B cell membranes under reducing conditions, but did not cross-react with membrane proteins under nonreducing conditions. This suggests that the antibody epitope(s) recognized on the reduced human protein is masked under nonreducing conditions. Thus, this work demonstrates: (1) that ectoATPase may serve as a marker for B cell activation; and (2) mammalian and avian ectoATPases have conserved interspecies immunological epitopes and kinetic properties.

An extracellular membrane-associated ectoATPase has been identified on the human natural killer cell line NK3.3. The enzyme is distinct from other classes of ATPases, kinases, and phosphatases. NK3.3 ectoATPase demonstrated a Km for ATP of 41 microM and a Vmax of 0.2 mumol/min and required both Ca2+ and Mg2+ for maximal activity. Purine and pyrimidine nucleotides were competitive inhibitors of the catalytic reaction. Inhibition increased with the addition of increasing negative charge of the phosphate side chain and was also dependent on contributions from the nucleoside. NK3.3 ectoATPase activity was inhibited by reaction with the affinity label [p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl]-5'-adenosine (5'-FSBA), which is shown to modify the enzyme at or near the ATP-binding domain. Photoaffinity labeling of intact NK3.3 cells with [alpha-32P]-8-azidoATP demonstrated an ATP-binding protein of 68-80 kDa unique to NK3.3 cells. A positive correlation was observed between the ability of the various nucleotides to block photoincorporation into the 68-80-kDa protein and their ability to inhibit ectoATPase activity. NK3.3 cells which were made ectoATPase-deficient by reaction with 5'-FSBA demonstrated that this enzyme does not have a major role in the protection of this cytolytic effector cell from the possible lytic effects of extracellular ATP.

Bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase reacts with the bifunctional affinity label 5'-(p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl)-8-azidoadenosine (5'-FSBAzA) in a two-step process: a dark reaction yielding about 0.5 mol of -SBAzA/mol of subunit by reaction through the fluorosulfonyl moiety, followed by photoactivation of the azido group whereby covalently bound -SBAzA becomes cross-linked to the enzyme [Dombrowski, K. E., & Colman, R. F. (1989) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 275, 302-308]. We now report that the rate constant for the dark reaction is not reduced by ADP or GTP, but it is decreased 7-fold by 2 mM NADH and 40-fold by 2 mM NADH + 0.2 mM GTP, suggesting that 5'-FSBAzA reacts at the GTP-dependent NADH inhibitory site. The amino acid residues modified in each phase of the reaction have been identified. Modified enzyme was isolated after each reaction phase, carboxymethylated, and digested with trypsin, chymotrypsin, or thermolysin. The digests were fractionated by chromatography on a phenylboronate agarose column followed by HPLC. Gas-phase sequencing of the labeled peptides identified Tyr190 as the major amino acid which reacts with the fluorosulfonyl group; Lys143 was also modified but to a lesser extent. The predominant cross-link formed during photolysis is between modified Tyr190 and the peptide Leu475-Asp476-Leu477-Arg478, which is located near the C-terminus of the enzyme. Thus, 5'-FSBAzA is effective in identifying critical residues distant in the linear sequence, but close within the regulatory nucleotide site of glutamate dehydrogenase.

All of the type I collagen in connective tissue is the product of one structural gene for the pro alpha 1(I) chain and another for the pro alpha 2(I) chain of type I procollagen. An intriguing question therefore is how the expression of the two genes differs in mineralizing and non-mineralizing tissues. One approach that our laboratory has pursued to answer this and related questions is to develop a new system whereby one can examine the self-assembly of collagen fibrils de novo by controlled enzymic cleavage of procollagen to collagen under physiological conditions. The system has made it possible for the first time to define thermodynamic parameters for the self-assembly process. We are now using the system to define the normal kinetics for fibril formation. The results should make it possible to study the effects of other components of extracellular matrix on fibril assembly, including the effects of bone-specific components that initiate mineralization. A second approach has been to define mutations in type I procollagen genes that cause increased brittleness of bone. Over a dozen mutations in type I procollagen genes have been found in probands with osteogenesis imperfecta. One of the surprises has been that at least 25% of the probands with lethal variants of osteogenesis imperfecta have mutations in type I procollagen genes. Another surprise has been the observation that a number of the mutations are tissue specific in terms of their phenotypic manifestations even though the same abnormal pro alpha chains are being synthesized in a variety of tissues.

Prostate cancers express MUC1, but nearly all metastatic cells lack HLA class I molecules. Thus, a lymphocyte population that can sense its antigenic environment, while also able to react to stimuli of natural killer (NK) cells, may be a more versatile effector cell population for antitumor immune responses. Herein, we report that tumor-specific MUC1 peptide, interleukin 2, and interleukin 12 act synergistically to stimulate the ex vivo expansion of CD8+CD56− T cells and CD8+CD56+ natural killer T (NKT) cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of prostate cancer patients, as well as healthy male and female donors. Both the CD56+ NKT cells and CD56− T cells lysed allogeneic mucin-bearing target cells, as well as NK target cells, but not lymphokine-activated killer target cells. However, the CD56+ NKT cells displayed a 2-fold greater cytolytic activity than the CD56− T cells. The mucin-specific cytolytic activity and NK cytolytic activities for both lymphocyte populations were independent of HLA class I and CD1 molecules. The CD56− T cells up-regulated CD56 with continued antigenic stimulation in the presence of interleukin 12, suggesting that CD8+CD56− T cells are NKT cells. However, CD56+ NKT cells expand poorly to continued stimulation. All mucin-stimulated NKT cells exhibited the activated/memory CD45RO phenotype. The NKT cell lines express the α/β T-cell receptor (TCR). The TCR repertoire was limited and varied with cell line, but was not the Vα24Vβ11 TCR typically associated with NKT cells. Whereas CD161 is generally considered a marker of NKT cells, the mucin-stimulated NKT cells did not express this marker. Thus, we have described two phenotypically distinct NKT types that do not display a biased TCR repertoire, but do display specificity for a tumor-specific peptide antigen (CTL-like activity), as well as HLA class I-deficient target cells (NK-like activity).

MUC1 mucin peptides stimulated cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) from humans with adenocarcinomas. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells, tumor-draining lymph node cells, or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were stimulated using mono-nuclear cells from humans with adenocarcinomas of breast or ovary, respectively, using (a) a native MUC1 mucin tandem repeat peptide of 20 amino acids (MUC1-mtr1) plus recombinant human interleukin-2 (IL-2), (b) the mutated (T3N) MUC1-mtr1 plus IL-2, or (c) immobilized anti-CD3 plus IL-2, or (d) IL-2 alone. The CTL stimulated by each of these four conditions were predominately CD4+. However, the CTL stimulated by either the native MUC1-mtr1 or (T3N) MUC1-mtr1 showed 5-10 times greater cytotoxicity of a breast cancer cell line that expresses MUC1 compared to CTL stimulated by either anti-CD3 + IL-2 or IL-2 alone. Each incubation condition generated CTL with different variable beta gene families of T-cell receptors, implying an oligoclonal expansion of a limited CTL repertoire for each. Thus, peptide-stimulated T cells showed expression of cytotoxic cells, which was not induced by nonspecific (anti-CD3 or IL-2) stimulation.

Summary: Ecto-ATPase, a transmembrane enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of extracellular ATP (ATPJ to ADP and inorganic phosphate, is expressed upon cell activation, Ecto-ATPase is inhibited by non-hydrolyzable ATP analogues, which are competitive inhibitors of the catalytic reaction, and the ATP analogue affinity label, 5′-p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl adenosine (5′-FSBA), which irreversibly inhibits the catalytic activity. These nucleotide antagonists do not cross the cell membrane and are specific for ecto-ATPase in T cells, B cells and NK cells. Inhibition of ecto-ATPase by both reversible and irreversible nucleotide ant agonists results in the inhibition of antigen induced cytokine secretion and cytolytic activity of T cells. Likewise, granule release and cytolytic activity of NK cells as well as antibody secretion and spontaneous proliferation by B-cell hybridomas are inhibited. Inhibition of ecto-ATPase does not influence effector cell-target cell conjugate formation, but acts, in part, by regulating the influx of extracellular calcium that is necessary to maintain cellular activation. Thus, further elucidation of ecto-ATPase regulation and expression and its interaction with intracellular signal transduction events will provide a basis for understanding the role of the hydrolysis of ATPe by ecto-ATPase in lymphocyte effector function.

Extracellular nucleotides are now recognized as mediators of immune and non-immune cell function. The effects of extracellular nucleotides also vary with tissue. For example, extracellular ATP in micromolar concentrations can form pores in cell membranes, resulting in osmotic changes that are detrimental to the cell1. In bone marrow and thymocytes, extracellular ATP stimulates DNA synthesis, but it inhibits DNA synthesis in spleen, lymph nodes and peripheral blood lymphocytes2. The nucleotide also has cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on some tumor cells3, but the mechanism is unknown. In addition, ATP triggers histamine secretion from mast cells4–6 and the secretion of granules from neutrophils and monocytes7, 8, but inhibits macrophage-9, 10, NK cell-11–13 mediated cytotoxicities. Furthermore, extracellular ATP may serve as a substrate for ectoprotein kinases14 which have been identified on neutrophils13, erythrocytes16, neuronal cells17 and fibroblasts18.

Extracellular adenine nucleotides are inhibitors of the human natural killer cell line NK3.3 natural cytotoxicity activity. Natural cytotoxicity was inhibited approximately 26% by 1 m M ATP and 21% by 1 m M ADP. 5′-Adenylyl imidodiphosphate, a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, inhibited natural cytotoxicity by 41% at a concentration of 1 m M and > 97% at a concentration of 10 m M . In contrast, AMP was not inhibitory. Adenosine was a weak inhibitor of natural cytotoxicity and may represent an alternate regulatory pathway. Removal of the nucleotides resulted in the restoration of control levels of natural cytotoxicity activity. The affinity label 5′- p -(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyladenosine (5′-FSBA) is a synthetic analog of ATP or ADP containing an electrophilic fluorosulfonyl group capable of covalently modifying proteins at adenine di- and triphosphate nucleotide-binding sites. Natural cytotoxicity was irreversibly inhibited by modification of the extracellular membrane of NK3.3 cells by 5′-FSBA. This inhibition was concentration dependent with an I 50 ∼ 100 μ M and complete inhibition at 1 m M . Modification of NK3.3 by 5′-FSBA did not affect the formation of effector—target cell conjugates; however, granule release was inhibited. This targets the site of inhibition by 5′-FSBA modification to a pathway preceding granule release. Irreversible, covalent modification of surface adenine nucleotide-binding proteins by 5′-FSBA provides a probe to study the role of specific adenine nucleotide-binding proteins in the extracellular regulation of natural killer cytolytic activity by adenine nucleotides.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a surface sensitive analytical technique which measures the binding energy of electrons in atoms and molecules. The binding energy can be related to the molecular bonding or oxidation state of an element in the outermost layer of a material, that is 100 A. Thus, XPS is able to identify chemical species present on the surface of a molecule. In this paper XPS is briefly described. Spectra demonstrating its potential use for probing the surface properties of amino acids, polypeptides, proteins, carbohydrates and glycoproteins are discussed.

Derivatives of ferrocene (dicyclopentadienyliron) (Fc) were examined as active site directed inhibitors of type I procollagen N-proteinase, the enzyme that cleaves the NH2-terminal propeptides from type I procollagen. The compounds were shown here to be reversible, competitive inhibitors of the enzyme. The effectiveness of the Fc inhibitors varied with modification of the cyclopentadienyl (cp) rings. The monocarboxylic acid (I) and the 1,1'-dicarboxylic acid (II) derivatives of Fc inhibited 50% of the enzymic activity (I50) at concentrations of 1.0 and 0.5 mM, respectively. The Ki values were 0.3 mM for both I and II. Derivatization of the carbonyl alpha to the cp ring of compound I (FcCOCH2CH2COOH, III) increased the inhibitory activity (I50 = 0.100 mM; Ki = 0.065 mM). Removal of the carbonyl alpha to the cp ring of III did not improve inhibitory activity: FcCH2CH2COOH, I50 = 2 mM; FcCH = CHCOOH, I50 = 1.5 mM. The active inhibitory species apparently contained iron in the 3+ valence state since two ferrocenium derivatives were very effective inhibitors: ferrocenium tetrachloroferrate, IV (I50 = 0.030 mM; Ki = 0.004 mM), and carboxyferrocenium hexafluorophosphate, V (I50 less than 0.1 mM; Ki less than 0.05 mM). In addition, reduction of III with ascorbic acid abolished its inhibitory activity. Compounds I and III stabilized the enzyme to heat denaturation in the absence of exogenous calcium; compound IV did not stabilize the enzyme. Further observations indicated that Fc derivatives were specific inhibitors of procollagen N-proteinase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Recent data from several laboratories have established that most variants of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) are caused by mutations in the 2 structural genes for type I procollagen. There are 2 general reasons for the large number of mutations in type I procollagen in OI. One reason is that most of the structure of the procollagen monomer is essential for normal biological function of the protein. The second reason is that most of the mutations cause synthesis of structurally altered pro alpha chains of type I procollagen. The deleterious effects of the structurally altered pro alpha chains are then amplified by at least 3 mechanisms. One mechanism is a phenomenon referred to as "procollagen suicide" whereby altered pro alpha chains cause degradation of normal pro alpha chains synthesized by the same cell. Another mechanism involves the fact that many of the structurally altered pro alpha chains prevent normal processing of the N-propeptides of procollagen and persistence of the N-propeptide interferes with normal fibril assembly. A third mechanism is a recently discovered phenomenon in which a substitution of a bulkier amino acid for glycine can cause a kink in the triple helix of the molecule. The kinked collagen, in turn, causes formation of abnormally branched fibrils. Because the deleterious effects of abnormal pro alpha chains are amplified by these 3 mechanisms, most of the mutations are dominant and many are dominant lethal. The conclusion that most variants of OI are caused by mutations in the structural genes for type I procollagen has broad implications for other diseases that affect connective tissue, diseases such as chondrodystrophies, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis.

A new bifunctional affinity label, 5'-p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl-8-azidoadenosine (5'-FSBAzA), has been synthesized by condensation of p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl chloride with 8-azidoadenosine. 5'-FSBAzA has been characterized by elemental analysis, thin-layer chromatography, and ultraviolet and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The affinity label contains both an electrophilic fluorosulfonyl moiety and a photoactivatable azido group which are capable of reacting with several classes of amino acids found in enzymes. 5'-FSBAzA reacts with bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase in a two-step process: a dark reaction yielding about 0.5 mol of the sulfonylbenzoyl-8-azidoadenosine (SBAzA) group bound/mol enzyme subunit by reaction of the enzyme at the fluorosulfonyl group, followed by photolysis in which 25% of the covalently bound SBAzA becomes crosslinked to the enzyme. 5'-FSBAzA-modified glutamate dehydrogenase, both before and after photolysis, retains full catalytic activity but is less sensitive to allosteric inhibition by GTP, to activation by ADP, and to inhibition by 1 mM NADH. These results suggest the modification in the dark reaction of a regulatory nucleotide binding site. Photoactivation of the covalently bound reagent may have general applicability in relating modified amino acids which are close to each other in the region of the purine nucleotide binding sites of glutamate dehydrogenase and other proteins.

Type I/II procollagen N-proteinase was partially purified from chick embryos and used to examine the rate of cleavage of a series of purified type I procollagens synthesized by fibroblasts from probands with heritable disorders of connective tissue. The rate of cleavage was normal with procollagen from a proband with osteogenesis imperfecta that was overmodified by posttranslational enzymes. Therefore, posttranslational overmodification of the protein does not in itself alter the rate of cleavage under the conditions of the assay employed. Cleavage of the procollagen, however, was altered in several procollagens with known mutations in primary structure. Two of the procollagens had in-frame deletions of 18 amino acids encoded by exons 11 and 33 of the pro alpha 2(I) gene. In both procollagens, both the pro alpha 1(I) and the pro alpha 2(I) chains were totally resistant to cleavage. With a procollagen in which glycine-907 of the alpha 2(I) chain domain was substituted with aspartate, both pro alpha chains were cleaved but at a markedly decreased rate. The results, therefore, establish that mutations that alter the primary structure of the pro alpha chains of procollagen at sites far removed from the N-proteinase cleavage site can make the protein resistant to cleavage by the enzyme. The long-range effects of in-frame deletions or other changes in amino acid sequence are probably explained by their disruption of the hairpin structure that is formed by each of the three pro alpha chains in the region containing the cleavage site and that is essential for cleavage of the procollagen molecule by N-proteinase.