Decreased glycolytic metabolism contributes to but is not the inducer of apoptosis following IL-3-starvation.

IL-3 regulates the glycolytic pathway. In Baf-3 cells IL-3 starvation leads to a decrease in glucose uptake and in lactate production. To determine if there is a link between the decreased metabolism induced by growth factor-starvation and the induction of cell death, we have compared the cell death characteristics and the metabolic modifications induced by IL-3-deprivation or glucose-deprivation in Baf-3 cells. We show that in both conditions cells die by an apoptotic process which involves the activation of similar Caspases. Different metabolic parameters (i.e. intracellular ATP levels and lactate accumulation in the culture medium) were measured. We show that IL-3 deprivation leads to a partial decrease in lactate production in contrast to glucose deprivation that completely inhibits lactate production. Similarly following IL-3-starvation a significant drop in the intracellular ATP levels in live cells is observed only after 16 h when a large fraction, more than 50 per cent of cells, is already apoptotic. On the contrary, glucose deprivation is followed by an abrupt decrease in ATP levels in the first 2 h of treatment. However, in the presence of IL-3, cells are able to survive for an extended time in these conditions since 70% of cells survived with low ATP levels for up to 16 h. This was not due to partial inhibition of the apoptotic process by the low level of ATP as glucose-deprivation in the absence of IL-3 led to faster death kinetics of Baf-3 cells compared with IL-3 starvation only. These results indicate that the drop in ATP levels and the triggering of apoptosis can be dissociated in time and that when the glycolytic pathway is strongly inhibited, cells are able to survive with relatively low ATP levels if IL-3 is present. Finally we show that induction of bcl-x by IL-3 protects cells from glucose-deprivation induced cell death.

Characterization at the single-cell level of naive and primed CD8 T cell cytokine responses.

The aim of this study was to characterize differences between naive and primed CD8 T cells. Our results show that (i) naive and primed CD8 T cells display similar activation thresholds, with no direct evidence for a difference in their TCR signals, and (ii) primed cells differ mainly in their capacity to secrete IFN-gamma. A comparison of the two populations at the single-cell level demonstrated that the increased production of IFN-gamma by the primed cell subset is due to a larger proportion of single cells that are able to synthesize this cytokine early following activation. These results indicate that the intrinsic effector capabilities of individual CD8 T cells expressing the same TCR are heterogeneous and that cells with identical antigen specificity but increased effector capacities are generated or selected during the primary response.

Memory CD44(int) CD8 T cells show increased proliferative responses and IFN-gamma production following antigenic challenge in vitro.

F5 TCR transgenic mice challenged in vivo with peptide generate long-lived primed CD8 T cells that hyper-proliferate in response to peptide in vitro. These primed CD8 T cells can be subdivided into three distinct populations on the basis of CD44 cell surface expression. In this report, we show that among primed CD8 T cells, those expressing intermediate levels of CD44 appear to be true memory T cells by the measurement of a variety of characteristics. Indeed, these cells hyper-proliferate in response to peptide re-stimulation in vitro, and produce IFN-gamma with faster kinetics and at higher levels than naive populations in vitro. We also show that CD8 T cells expressing high levels of CD44 express several activation markers and cycle in vivo in the absence of antigen. However, this population is unable to respond to peptide stimulation in vitro as measured by both proliferation and IFN-gamma secretion. The origin and specificity of these cells is unknown. These results provide evidence that memory CD8 T cells are functionally different from naive CD8 T cells both in terms of proliferation and cytokine secretion. They identify the CD8/CD44(int) T cells as the population responsible for hyper-reactivity in vitro.

Tolerant CD8 T cells induced by multiple injections of peptide antigen show impaired TCR signaling and altered proliferative responses in vitro and in vivo.

The mechanisms responsible for peripheral CD8 T cell tolerance to foreign Ags remain poorly understood. In this study we have characterized the state of CD8 T cell tolerance induced in F5 TCR transgenic mice by multiple peptide injections in vivo. The tolerant state of CD8 T cells is characterized by impaired proliferative responses, increased sensitivity to cell death, and failure to acquire cytotoxic effector function after in vitro antigenic challenge. In vivo monitoring of CD8 T cell proliferation using 5-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester showed that a large subset of the tolerant T cell population failed to divide in response to peptide. TCR down-regulation could not account for this loss of responsiveness to Ag since recombination-activating gene-1 (RAG-1)-/-F5 CD8 T cell responses were similar to those of RAG-1(-/-)F5 x RAG-1(-/-)F1 T lymphocytes, which express lower levels of the transgenic TCR. Analysis of early signal transduction in tolerant CD8 T cells revealed high basal levels of cytoplasmic calcium as well as impaired calcium mobilization and tyrosine phosphorylation after cross-linking of CD3epsilon and CD8alpha. Together these data indicate that repeated exposure to soluble antigenic peptide in vivo can induce a state of functional tolerance characterized by defective TCR signaling, impaired proliferation, and increased sensitivity to cell death.

Meiosis reinitiation of mussel oocytes involves L-type voltage-gated calcium channel.

In the present work we assessed the involvement of L-type voltage opening Ca2+ channels in KCl-induced meiosis reinitiation of metaphase-arrested blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) oocytes by performing binding assays with a tritiated dihydropyridine analog (+)PN 200110. Our data reveal the existence of a single class of dihydropyridine receptors in plasma membrane-enriched rough microsome preparations of mussel oocytes. The apparent affinity (Kd) of characterized receptors equals 1.32 +/- 0.21 microM while their maximal binding capacity (Bmax) is 620 +/- 150 pmol/mg protein. The comparison of the rank order of potency of analogs tested to: 1) inhibit [(+)-[3H]PN 200110 specific binding and 2) block KCl-induced meiosis reinitiation pointed to the pharmacological profile similar to but not identical with those previously described for mammalian dihydropyridine receptors. The efficiencies of all antagonists tested are linearly related (r = 0.995) in binding-(inhibition of [(+)-[3H]PN 200110 specific binding) and biological (inhibition of meiosis reinitiation) assays thus arguing for functional involvement of L-type Ca2+ channels in oocyte activation. Reversibility of antagonist actions on meiosis reinitiation and dependence of receptor binding characteristics on a membrane polarization state further suggested such a role.

Resting memory CD8+ T cells are hyperreactive to antigenic challenge in vitro.

The characteristics of CD8+ T cells responsible for memory responses are still largely unknown. Particularly, it has not been determined whether different activation thresholds distinguish naive from memory CD8+ T cell populations. In most experimental systems, heterogeneous populations of primed CD8+ T cells can be identified in vivo after immunization. These cells differ in terms of cell cycle status, surface phenotype, and/or effector function. This heterogeneity has made it difficult to assess the activation threshold and the relative role of these subpopulations in memory responses. In this study we have used F5 T cell receptor transgenic mice to generate a homogeneous population of primed CD8+ T cells. In the F5 transgenic mice, peptide injection in vivo leads to activation of most peripheral CD8+ T cells. In vivo BrdU labeling has been used to follow primed T cells over time periods spanning several weeks after peptide immunization. Our results show that the majority of primed CD8+ T cells generated in this system are not cycling and express increased levels of CD44 and Ly6C. These cells remain responsive to secondary peptide challenge in vivo as evidenced by short term upregulation of activation markers such as CD69 and CD44. The activation thresholds of naive and primed CD8+ T cells were compared in vitro. We found that CD8+ T cells from primed mice are activated by peptide concentrations 10-50-fold lower than naive mice. In addition, the kinetics of interleukin 2R alpha chain upregulation by primed CD8+ T cells differ from naive CD8+ T cells. These primed hyperresponsive CD8+ T cells might play an important role in the memory response.

4-aminopyridine acts as a weak base and a Ca2+ mobilizing agent in triggering oocyte meiosis reinitiation and activation in the Japanese clam Ruditapes philippinarum.

Ovarian oocytes of the prosobranch mollusc Patella vulgata and the pelecypod Ruditapes philippinarum are arrested during prophase of the first maturation division. Release from this blockade, which is revealed by germinal vesicle breakdown, drives these oocytes to a second arrest in metaphase I, at which time the oocytes become fertilizable. The respective roles of Ca2+ and H+ ion movements during this early step in meiosis reinitiation has not been fully established yet. In this work we reveal the presence of acidic vesicles and report that bafilomycin A1 and N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, two inhibitors of the vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase, applied to Ruditapes oocytes, produce a significant inhibition of their response to the natural neurohormone serotonin. Since sodium deprivation did not affect this response, this suggests that a v-type ATPase pump, possibly located in the membrane of these acidic vesicles, may play a subtle role in the cascade of events that releases oocytes from their prophase block. We then describe how 4-aminopyridine, a drug reputed to be a K+ channel antagonist, triggers both meiosis reinitiation and activation of Patella and Ruditapes oocytes. This agent acts as a weak base, its effect depending on external pH. Moreover, using the fluorescent probes BCECF and Fluo-3/AM, we observe that this drug both alkalinizes the endoplasm and promotes an intracellular Ca2+ surge. This dual effect may explain why Ruditapes oocytes no longer stop in metaphase under these conditions and behave like other bivalve species which are directly fertilizable at the germinal vesicle stage.

Thimerosal triggers meiosis reinitiation in oocytes of the Japanese clam Ruditapes philippinarum by eliciting an intracellular Ca2+ surge.

Ovarian oocytes of the bivalve mollusc Ruditapes philippinarum are arrested during first meiotic prophase. Release from this blockade is triggered by the neurohormone serotonin (5HT or 5-hydroxytryptamine), which promotes germinal vesicle breakdown and drives these oocytes to a second arrest in metaphase I. 5HT action involves binding to a specific G protein-coupled receptor which results in a transient rise in IP3 and in the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration. Here we analyze the cytological effects and mode of action of the sulphydryl reagent thimerosal which could also trigger meiosis reinitiation in Ruditapes. No metaphase I spindle formed under these conditions since thimerosal was found to be able to preclude or reverse tubulin polymerization when applied to prophase- or to metaphase-arrested oocytes, respectively. Our results strongly suggest that the common final target for 5HT and thimerosal actions consists in a transient rise in internal free Ca2+ level that we could follow using Fluo3/AM as a probe. The effect of thimerosal in promoting oocyte maturation and increasing intracellular free Ca2+ concentration was improved by excess KCI. In addition, thimerosal, but not KCI, was found to facilitate 5HT-induced maturation at subthreshold hormone concentrations which, by themselves, did not produce an intracellular Ca2+ surge. These data suggest that thimerosal may inhibit Ca2+ pumps of the endoplasmic reticulum and unmask the plasma membrane voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels which also appear after 5HT-induced GVBD.