Development and analysis of recombinant adenoviruses for gene therapy of cystic fibrosis.

A new adenovirus-based vector (Ad2/CFTR-1) has been constructed in which the cDNA encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the cystic fibrosis (CF) gene product, replaces the early region 1 coding sequences, E1a and E1b. The virus retains the E3 region. Ad2/CFTR-1 and a related construct encoding beta-galactosidase replicate in human 293 cells which provide E1 gene functions in trans. Replication of these recombinant viruses was not detected in a variety of other cells, although very limited viral DNA synthesis and transcription from the E4 and L5 regions could be measured. These E1-deletion vectors were also deficient in cellular transformation, shut-off of host cell protein synthesis, and production of cytopathic effects, even at high multiplicities of infection. Ad2/CFTR-1 produced CFTR protein in a variety of cells including airway epithelia from CF patients. Expression of functional CFTR protein in a CF airway epithelial monolayer was detected by correction of the Cl- transport defect characteristic of CF. Surprisingly low multiplicities of infection (0.1 moi) were sufficient to generate CFTR Cl- current across a CF epithelial monolayer in vitro. These data, together with the lack of obvious toxicity, suggest that Ad2/CFTR-1 should be suitable for CF gene therapy.

The amino-terminal half of pp59c-fyn contains sequences necessary for formation of a 75 kDa form and also repressive elements absent in pp60c-src.

Members of the src family of tyrosine kinases are composed of amino acid sequences which can be divided into three regions: the unique amino-terminal 80 residues; the next 180 residues of conserved but non-catalytic sequence; and the catalytic carboxy-terminal half of the molecule. To characterize the elements that regulate the catalytic and transforming activities of two members of this family, pp59c-fyn and pp60c-src, we generated six chimeric proteins by interchanging the three regions of the 531F mutant of pp59c-fyn and of the 527F mutant of pp60c-src. Our data indicate that substituting all or part of the amino-terminal 263 residues of pp59c-fyn for those of 527F inhibited the kinase and transforming activities of 527F. Conversely, substituting the amino-terminal half of pp60c-src for that of 531F resulted in an increase in the transforming potential of 531F. These results suggest that the amino-terminal half of pp59c-fyn contains elements which act to suppress the catalytic and transforming activities of the enzyme and that these suppressive elements are either absent or inactive in pp60c-src. These differences argue that the src family of tyrosine kinases are regulated differently in the cell. In vitro translation of some of the chimeras in rabbit reticulocyte lysates generated a 75 kDa protein in addition to the expected 59 kDa product. This 75 kDa species is analogous to the p75 protein previously detected in wild-type pp59c-fyn translation products. Interestingly, formation of p75 required the presence of DNA sequences encoding the unique amino-terminal residues of pp59c-fyn.

Structural elements that regulate pp59c-fyn catalytic activity, transforming potential, and ability to associate with polyomavirus middle-T antigen.

Except for its unique amino-terminal region (residues 1 through 83), which possibly dictates substrate recognition, pp59c-fyn bears a high degree of homology with other members of the src family of tyrosine kinases. Here we show that the carboxy terminus of pp59c-fyn is necessary for stable middle-T-antigen association, that pp59c-fyn is normally phosphorylated on both serine and tyrosine residues, and that Tyr-531 and Tyr-420 are phosphorylation sites in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Analysis of a spontaneously generated mutant encoding a truncated form of pp59c-fyn and of variants specifically mutated at the Tyr-531 and Tyr-420 phosphorylation sites indicates that pp59c-fyn has regulatory elements analogous to those that have already been identified for other src-like tyrosine kinases. However, further examination of the pp59c-fyn variants suggests the likelihood of additional means by which its activities might be regulated. Although alteration of Tyr-531 to phenylalanine (531F) in pp59c-fyn results in a protein which is more active enzymatically that the wild type, the enhancement is much less than that for the analogous variant of pp60c-src. Furthermore, contrary to results of similar experiments on other src-like proto-oncogene products, 531F did not induce transformation of NIH 3T3 cells. Studies involving pp59c-fyn-pp60c-src chimeras in which the unique amino-terminal sequences (residues 1 through 83) of the two kinases were precisely interchanged implied that the inability of 531F to induce transformation is probably not caused by the absence of substrates for pp59c-fyn in NIH 3T3 cells but rather by the insufficient enhancement of pp59c-fyn kinase activity. It is therefore probable that the kinase and transforming activities of pp59c-fyn are repressed by additional regulatory elements possibly located in the amino-terminal half of the molecule.

Stoichiometry of cellular and viral components in the polyomavirus middle-T antigen-tyrosine kinase complex.

Our results indicate that only one type of tyrosine kinase is present within each middle-T antigen-tyrosine kinase complex, suggesting that middle-T antigen forms separate complexes with different tyrosine kinases. Furthermore, we determined that there is only one molecule of middle-T antigen within any one of these complexes. We interpret this to mean that in any given cell, polyomavirus transformation involves, at least in part, the simultaneous deregulation of a number of separate pathways controlling cellular proliferation. Finally, we also demonstrate that the separate middle-T:pp60c-src and middle-T:pp59c-fyn complexes are each able to interact with the same cellular p81/85-kDa phosphoprotein, a possible component of the phosphatidylinositol kinase.

The amino-terminal region of pp60c-src has a modulatory role and contains multiple sites of tyrosine phosphorylation.

The c-src gene product from either platelet-derived growth factor treated cells or from polyomavirus-infected cells migrates anomalously on gels, displays enhanced kinase activity, and contains additional sites of tyrosine phosphorylation within its amino-terminus. To probe the importance of these post-translational modifications, each of the five amino-terminal tyrosine residues (residues 90, 92, 131, 136, and 149) was altered to phenylalanine using site-directed mutagenesis. Except for the 136F variant, the mutants displayed enhanced kinase activity, albeit at a low level shown insufficient to induce focus formation in NIH3T3 cells. Mutagenesis of residues adjacent to tyrosines 90 and 92 also resulted in variants with enhanced kinase activity indicating that the region and not the tyrosines per se, may be involved in regulating this activity. Fingerprinting analysis demonstrated that the enhanced kinase activity brought about by these mutations occurred through a mechanism which appears to be independent of the phosphorylation state of Tyr 416 and possibly Tyr 527. Upon treatment of cells with vanadate both amino-terminal variants and transforming mutants of pp60c-src displayed a slower migrating form, designated p60+. Hence, the appearance of these p60+ proteins may be elicited either by mutations that enhance the transforming activity of pp60c-src or by perturbations within the amino-terminal region of the enzyme. The retarded mobility of p60+ was shown to be due in part to additional tyrosine phosphorylations residing at its amino-terminus. The demonstration that p60+ could be resolved into multiple bands and that amino-terminal fragments containing phosphorylated tyrosine residues were obtained regardless of which of the five tyrosines in the region was altered to phenylalanine indicates that there are multiple sites of tyrosine phosphorylation within the amino-terminal region of pp60c-src.

Peptide antibodies to the human c-fyn gene product demonstrate pp59c-fyn is capable of complex formation with the middle-T antigen of polyomavirus.

The c-fyn proto-oncogene is a member of a family of closely related genes of which c-src is the prototype. Using peptide antibodies which had been raised against sequences predicted to be specific for the human c-fyn gene product, the c-fyn protein was identified. It is a tyrosine kinase with apparent mol. wt of 59 kd that is also phosphorylated and myristylated. Like pp60c-src and pp62c-yes, pp59c-fyn is able to form a stable complex with middle-T antigen, the transforming protein of polyomavirus. The transformation-defective middle-T mutant NG59, which is unable to associate stably with pp60c-src does not associate with pp59c-fyn. In contrast to pp60c-src, complex formation with middle-T antigen does not lead to a significant increase in the tyrosine kinase activity of pp59c-fyn. These findings lead us to suggest that middle-T mediated transformation may be a consequence of the deregulation of several members of the src-family of protein tyrosine kinases.

In vitro inhibition of the metabolism and mutagenicity of benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol by naphthazarin and other naphthol derivatives.

Among naphthol derivatives tested in the Ames assay, 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone or naphthazarin was found to be the most effective inhibitor of benzo(a)pyrene mutagenicity. The inhibitory activity is due in part to the redox cycling of naphthazarin with the concommitant transfer of reducing equivalents from NADPH to molecular oxygen, thus diverting electrons from cytochrome P-450 enzymes. Metabolite separations showed a decrease in microsomal metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene and of benzo(a)pyrene-7,8-dihydrodoil upon addition of naphthazarin. Since both NADP and dicoumarol inhibited the naphthazarin-stimulated non-stoichiometric consumption of NADPH and oxygen then naphthazarin redox cycling probably involves both DT-diaphorase and NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase.