Utilization of distinct signaling pathways by receptors for vascular endothelial cell growth factor and other mitogens in the induction of endothelial cell proliferation.

This study was initiated to identify signaling proteins used by the receptors for vascular endothelial cell growth factor KDR/Flk1, and Flt1. Two-hybrid cloning and immunoprecipitation from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) showed that KDR binds to and promotes the tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma). Neither placental growth factor, which activates Flt1, epidermal growth factor (EGF), or fibroblast growth factor (FGF) induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PLCgamma, indicating that KDR is uniquely important to PLCgamma activation in HUVEC. By signaling through KDR, VEGF promoted the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, induced activation of Akt, protein kinase Cepsilon (PKCepsilon), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and promoted thymidine incorporation into DNA. VEGF activates PLCgamma, PKCepsilon, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase independently of one another. MEK, PLCgamma, and to a lesser extent PKC, are in the pathway through which KDR activates MAPK. PLCgamma or PKC inhibitors did not affect FGF- or EGF-mediated MAPK activation. MAPK/ERK kinase inhibition diminished VEGF-, FGF-, and EGF-promoted thymidine incorporation into DNA. However, blockade of PKC diminished thymidine incorporation into DNA induced by VEGF but not FGF or EGF. Signaling through KDR/Flk1 activates signaling pathways not utilized by other mitogens to induce proliferation of HUVEC.

VRAP is an adaptor protein that binds KDR, a receptor for vascular endothelial cell growth factor.

A protein that binds the intracellular domain of KDR (KDR-IC), a receptor for vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), was identified by two-hybrid screening. Two-hybrid mapping showed that the VEGF receptor-associated protein (VRAP) interacted with tyrosine 951 in the kinase insert domain of KDR. Northern blot analysis identified multiple VRAP transcripts in peripheral leukocytes, spleen, thymus, heart, lung, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The predominant VRAP mRNA encodes a 389-amino acid protein that contains an SH2 domain and a C-terminal proline-rich motif. In HUVEC, VEGF promotes association of VRAP with KDR. Phospholipase C gamma and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, effector proteins that are downstream of KDR and important to VEGF-induced endothelial cell survival and proliferative responses, associate constitutively with VRAP. These observations identify VRAP as an adaptor that recruits cytoplasmic signaling proteins to KDR, which plays an important role in normal and pathological angiogenesis.

Tumor necrosis factor employs a protein-tyrosine phosphatase to inhibit activation of KDR and vascular endothelial cell growth factor-induced endothelial cell proliferation.

Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) binds to and promotes the activation of one of its receptors, KDR. Once activated, KDR induces the tyrosine phosphorylation of cytoplasmic signaling proteins that are important to endothelial cell proliferation. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibits the phosphorylation and activation of KDR. The ability of TNF to diminish VEGF-stimulated KDR activity was impaired by sodium orthovanadate, suggesting that the inhibitory activity of TNF was mediated by a protein-tyrosine phosphatase. KDR-initiated responses specifically associated with endothelial cell proliferation, mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and DNA synthesis, were also inhibited by TNF, and this was reversed by sodium orthovanadate. Stimulation of HUVECs with TNF induced association of the SHP-1 protein-tyrosine phosphatase with KDR, identifying this phosphatase as a candidate negative regulator of VEGF signal transduction. Heterologous receptor inactivation mediated by a protein-tyrosine phosphatase provides insight into how TNF may inhibit endothelial cell proliferative responses and modulate angiogenesis in pathological settings.

Induction of Jak/STAT signaling by activation of the type 1 TNF receptor.

Cellular responses to TNF are initiated by either of two cell surface receptors, the type 1 TNF receptor (TNFR1) and the type 2 TNF receptor (TNFR2). Although neither receptor contains an intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase, such activity has been implicated in TNF action. In this study, we show that murine TNF induces the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of the intracellular Janus tyrosine kinases Jak1, Jak2, and Tyk2 in murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Activation of Jak kinases by TNF was associated with tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and STAT6, but not STAT2 or STAT4, showing that TNF acts on a specific subset of these latent cytoplasmic transcription factors in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Agonist antiserum to TNFR1 induced Jak kinase and STAT protein phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of Jak proteins was also induced by human TNF, which selectively binds to TNFR1 on murine cells. 35S-labeled Jak kinases were precipitated from a cell-free system and from lysates of 3T3-L1 adipocytes by a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing the cytoplasmic domain of TNFR1. These results suggest that the cytoplasmic domain of TNFR1 can directly interact with and form signaling complexes with Jak kinases. Jak2 was precipitated from HeLa cells by antiserum to TNFR1, directly demonstrating their association in vivo. Thus, TNF activates a Jak/STAT signal-transduction cascade by acting through TNFR1.

Two-hybrid cloning of a gene encoding TNF receptor-associated protein 2, a protein that interacts with the intracellular domain of the type 1 TNF receptor: identity with subunit 2 of the 26S protease.

A protein that binds the intracellular domain of the type 1 TNFR (TNFR-1IC) has been identified by two-hybrid cloning. The 97-kDa TNFR-associated protein, TRAP2, shows sequence identity with internal amino acid sequences from subunit 2 of the 26S protease. TRAP2 antiserum recognizes subunit 2 of the 26S protease, which is consistent with the identity of these proteins. TRAP2 antiserum interacted with the 97-kDa protein in HeLa cell lysates and cytosol, the latter observation showing that TRAP2 resides in the same cellular compartment as TNFR-1IC. A fusion of glutathione-S-transferase and TNFR-1IC (GST-TNFR-1IC) precipitated TRAP2 from a HeLa cell lysate; conversely, GST-TRAP2 precipitated TNFR-1 from such a lysate. These observations show that the proteins interact in the cellular milieu. After in vitro transcription/translation and 35S labeling, TRAP2 was precipitated from a cellfree system by GST-TNFR-1IC, showing that TNFR-1IC and TRAP2 interact directly. TRAP2 was also precipitated from the cellfree translation system by a GST fusion containing the N-terminal half of TNFR-1IC, but not by a GST fusion containing the C-terminal half of TNFR-1IC that contains a "death domain" that plays an obligatory role in signaling cytotoxicity. The ability of deletion mutants of TNFR-1IC to interact with TRAP2 was tested using the two-hybrid system. This also showed that the amino acid sequences that mediate binding reside outside of the death domain in TNFR-1IC. The demonstration that a subunit of the 26S protease binds TNFR-1 may identify a novel TNF-signaling pathway.

Inhibition of tumor necrosis factor signal transduction in endothelial cells by dimethylaminopurine.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) promotes diverse responses in endothelial cells that are important to the host response to infections and malignancies; however, less is known of the postreceptor events important to TNF action in endothelial cells than in many other cell types. Since phosphorylation cascades are implicated in cytokine signaling, the effects of the protein kinase inhibitor dimethylaminopurine (DMAP) on TNF action in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) were investigated. In BAEC, TNF promotes phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF-4E), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and ceramide-activated protein kinase activities, Jun-b expression, prostacyclin production, and, when protein synthesis is inhibited, cytotoxicity. DMAP abrogated or significantly attenuated each of these responses to TNF, without affecting the specific binding of TNF to its receptors. Histamine, another agent active in the endothelium, promotes phosphorylation of elongation factor-2 (EF-2) and prostacyclin production, but not phosphorylation of eIF-4E in BAEC. Histamine-stimulated EF-2 phosphorylation was not inhibited and prostacyclin production was unaffected by DMAP. These observations demonstrate that a distinct signal transduction cascade, which can be selectively inhibited by DMAP, promotes the response of BAEC to TNF. Thus, we have identified a reagent, DMAP, that may be useful for characterizing the TNF signal transduction pathway.

Hip pathology in the trichorhinophalangeal syndrome.

Up to 50% of individuals with trichorhinophalangeal syndrome may have Perthes-like hip changes. Thirteen hips in nine skeletally immature patients were studied. Follow-up averaged 4.7 years. The patients were categorized as juvenile (4-8 years) and adolescent (12-14 years) according to their age at presentation. The universal severity of involvement, often older age at presentation, and disproportionate number developing severe deformity with hinge abduction and pain in adolescence distinguished these patients from those with true Perthes' disease. Whether the process can be modified significantly to produce a better outcome is unclear, but management must be directed at avoiding the development of hinge abduction.

Identification of a protein with homology to hsp90 that binds the type 1 tumor necrosis factor receptor.

The yeast-based two hybrid has been used to identify a novel protein that binds to the intracellular domain of the type 1 receptor for tumor necrosis factor (TNFR-1IC). The TNF receptor-associated protein, TRAP-1, shows strong homology to members of the 90-kDa family of heat shock proteins. After in vitro transcription/translation and 35S labeling, TRAP-1 was precipitated using a fusion protein consisting of glutathione S-transferase and TNFR-1IC, showing that the two proteins directly interact. The ability of deletion mutants of TNFR-1 to interact with TRAP-1 was tested using the two hybrid system. This showed that the amino acid sequences that mediate binding are diffusely distributed outside of the domain in the C terminus of TNFR-1IC that signals cytotoxicity. The 2.4-kilobase TRAP-1 mRNA was variably expressed in skeletal muscle, liver, heart, brain, kidney, pancreas, lung, and placenta. TRAP-1 mRNA was also detected in each of eight different transformed cell lines. Identification of TRAP-1 may be an important step toward defining how TNFR-1, which does not contain protein tyrosine kinase activity, transmits its message to signal transduction pathways.

Aggregation of the intracellular domain of the type 1 tumor necrosis factor receptor defined by the two-hybrid system.

The yeast-based two hybrid system has been used to determine whether oligomerization of the intracellular domain of the 55-kDa type 1 tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor may occur during TNF action. This assay depends upon reconstitution of the function of the GAL4 transcriptional activator through interaction of a protein fused to the GAL4 DNA binding domain with a protein fused to the transcriptional activation domain of GAL4. Fusion of the type 1 TNF receptor intracellular domain with the DNA binding domain and the transactivation domain of GAL4 led to activation of the lacZ indicator gene, demonstrating interaction of the receptor intracellular domain with itself. A HeLa cell cDNA library was searched for proteins that interact with the intracellular domain of the type 1 TNF receptor. A protein corresponding to amino acids 329-426 in the type 1 TNF receptor intracellular domain was identified by this screen. The aggregation domain was further defined by testing the ability of deletion mutants of the type 1 TNF receptor intracellular region to interact with the complete intracellular domain. These experiments map the aggregation domain to a sequence of amino acids previously shown to be responsible for mediating TNF-induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that aggregation of type 1 TNF receptor intracellular domains may be important in TNF signal transduction.

Successive dislocations of a total hip arthroplasty complicated by acrylic cement interposition.

A case of two successive dislocations of a total hip arthroplasty in a single patient, complicated by acrylic cement interposition, is reported. Open reduction and removal of the cement was necessary in each case. This illustrates the importance of removing all cement debris at the time of prosthesis implantation.

Serious infection following wounds and bites of the hand.

The case notes of 56 patients with severe hand infections requiring hospital admission were reviewed. Most followed injury. The outcome, particularly in mammalian bites, was often poor and approximately one third suffered residual disability. Those with poor outcome generally had infection in tendon sheath, joint or bone. Forty-four patients presenting to the emergency department at Christchurch Hospital with mammalian bites were also reviewed. Dog bites were common and most were well treated as outpatients. Human bites, while less common, had a higher incidence of infection requiring admission. Thorough exploration, debridement and drainage of wounds of the hand are necessary in all cases, but particularly in mammalian bites, for which a suggested management protocol is provided.