Dynamin inhibits phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in hematopoietic cells.

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) plays a role in late stages of endocytosis as well as in cellular proliferation and transformation. The SH3 domain of its regulatory p85 subunit stimulates the GTPase activity of dynamin in vitro. Dynamin is a GTPase enzyme required for endocytosis of activated growth factor receptors. An interaction between these proteins has not been demonstrated in vivo. Here, we report that dynamin associates with PI 3-kinase in hematopoietic cells. We detected both p85 and PI 3-kinase activity in dynamin immune complexes from IL-3-dependent BaF3 cells. However, this association was significantly reduced in BaF3 cells transformed with the BCR/abl oncogene. After transformation only a 4-fold increase in PI 3-kinase activity was detected in dynamin immune complexes, whereas grb2 associated activity was elevated 20-fold. Furthermore, dynamin inhibited the activity of both purified recombinant and immunoprecipitated PI 3-kinase. In BaF3 cells expressing a temperature-sensitive mutant of BCR/abl, a significant decrease in p85 and dynamin association was observed 4 h after the induction of BCR/abl activity. In contrast, in IL-3-stimulated parental BaF3 cells, this association was increased. Our results demonstrate an in vivo association of PI 3-kinase with dynamin and this interaction regulates the activity of PI 3-kinase.

Does strategy knowledge influence working memory in children with mathematical disabilities?

This study investigated the relationship between working memory (WM), declarative strategy knowledge, and math achievement in children with and without mathematical disabilities (MD). Experiment 1 examined the relationship between strategy knowledge, verbal WM, and visual-spatial WM in children with MD as a function of initial, gain, and maintenance conditions. The results showed that after partialing the influence of reading, stable strategy choices rather than specific strategy knowledge was related to verbal and visual-spatial WM span in high demand (maintenance) conditions. Experiment 2 compared children with MD to a group of chronological age-matched children and a group of math ability-matched children on the same conditions as Experiment 1. Age-matched children's verbal and visual-spatial WM performance was superior to that of children with MD, whereas WM performance was statistically comparable between children with MD and younger children matched on math ability. The selection of expert strategies was related to high WM span scores in the initial conditions. After controlling for reading achievement in a regression analysis, verbal and visual-spatial WM, stable verbal strategy choices, and expert strategy choices related to visual-spatial processing all contributed independent variance to math achievement. Overall, these results suggest that WM and math achievement are related to strategy knowledge.

PI 3-kinase activation in BCR/abl-transformed hematopoietic cells does not require interaction of p85 SH2 domains with p210 BCR/abl.

BCR/abl is a chimeric oncogene implicated in the pathogenesis of human chronic myelogenous leukemia. Expression of the BCR/abl gene induces hematologic malignancies in transgenic mice and transformation of interleukin-3-dependent hematopoietic cells. The mechanism of BCR/abl-mediated transformation of hematopoietic cells is poorly understood and involves activation of at least two signaling pathways, p21ras and PI 3-kinase. Here we report that PI 3,4-P2 and PI 3,4,5-P3, the enzymatic products of PI 3-kinase, accumulate in metabolically labeled transformed hematopoietic cells, in contrast to our previous report on the lack of accumulation of PI 3-kinase products in nontransformed NIH 3T3 fibroblasts that express p210 BCR/abl. Transformed cells also have increased PI 3-kinase activity in total cell extracts and membrane fractions. Activation of PI 3-kinase occurs by occupancy of SH2 domains of PI 3-kinase regulatory subunit, p85, by phosphorylated YXXM motifs. Therefore, we investigated whether BCR/abl binds to p85 and whether this binding is mediated by interaction of p85 SH2 domains with YXXM motif of BCR/abl. Association of p210 BCR/abl with p85 in immune complexes and with p85 SH2 domains was evident in hematopoietic cells that express the wt p210 BCR/abl. However, the binding of BCR/abl to p85 SH2 domains was abolished in cells expressing mutant, temperature-sensitive (ts) p210 BCR/abl in which the tyrosine in the YXXM motif of p210 BCR/abl was replaced by histidine. Despite lack of direct interaction with p85 SH2 domains, expression of ts p210 BCR/abl resulted in rapid, time-dependent activation of total and membrane-associated PI 3-kinase and increased PI 3-kinase activity in anti-P-tyr and anti-abl immunoprecipitates. These data suggest that BCR/abl-induced activation of PI 3-kinase in hematopoietic cells does not require binding of p85 SH2 domains to BCR/abl gene product and involves interaction with other tyrosine phosphorylated intermediate proteins.

Serine-rich region of the IL-2 receptor beta-chain is required for activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.

The intracellular portion of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) signal transducing beta-chain contains a distinct region, designated "serine-rich," which encompasses sequences required for IL-2-mediated cell growth. Although the receptor does not possess intrinsic protein-tyrosine kinase activity, IL-2 binding induces activation of intracellular protein-tyrosine kinases. Activation of many protein-tyrosine kinases leads to activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase). IL-2 binding also induces activation of PI 3-kinase. To study the interaction of PI 3-kinase with the IL-2 receptor beta-chain we analyzed PI 3-kinase activity in cells which express the wild type and mutant beta-chain. IL-2 mediated an increase in association with PI 3-kinase activity and protein in immunoprecipitates from cells expressing mitogenically competent receptors. PI 3-kinase products also increased in response to IL-2 in these cells. Deletion of the beta-chain serine-rich region abolished IL-2-mediated mitogenesis and cells expressing this mutant failed to activate PI 3-kinase. The interaction of the IL-2 receptor with an intracellular tyrosine kinase, lck, has been mapped to the acidic-rich region of the beta-chain. Cells which express the beta-chain lacking the acidic-rich region grow in the presence of IL-2 and had IL-2-dependent activation of PI 3-kinase. Activation of PI 3-kinase in response to IL-2 was not abolished by treatment of cells with rapamicin and occurred only in cells which express mitogenically competent receptors. The results presented in this study suggest that IL-2-mediated PI 3-kinase activation occurs by a mechanism distinct from interaction with the lck protein-tyrosine kinase.

Human parvovirus B-19: not just a pediatric problem.

Parvoviruses have long been associated with disabling and even fatal illnesses in animals. The discovery of the human parvovirus B-19 in 1975 (1) and subsequent studies of its effects in humans identified this virus as the causative agent of erythema infectiosum ("fifth disease") in children. (2). Erythema infectiosum (EI) is a common, self-limited infectious disorder in children, easily recognized by the classic "slapped cheek" facial erythema and fine reticular rash. Only in the 1980s have further investigations linked HPV B-19 infection with more significant clinical syndromes, among which is an adult polyarthropathy. This presentation in adults is more common than is currently understood and is easily confused with other symmetric polyarthropathies. Recognition and conservative treatment of this disorder are important for the emergency physician, to whom these patients may present.

Nitrogen catabolite repression in a glutamate auxotroph of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The biosynthesis of asparaginase II in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is subject to nitrogen catabolite repression. In the present study we examined the physiological effects of glutamate auxotrophy on cellular metabolism and on the nitrogen catabolite repression of asparaginase II. Glutamate auxotrophic cells, incubated without a glutamate supplement, had a diminished internal pool of alpha-ketoglutarate and a concomitant inability to equilibrate ammonium ion with alpha-amino nitrogen. In the glutamate auxotroph, asparaginase II biosynthesis exhibited a decreased sensitivity to nitrogen catabolite repression by ammonium ion but normal sensitivity to nitrogen catabolite repression by all amino acids tested.