Direct visualization of HIV-1 entry: mechanisms and role of cell surface receptors.

Highly fluorescent virions of T- and M-tropic HIV-1 strains were obtained by incorporation of the viral accessory protein Vpr, fused to the green fluorescent protein, in trans. The fluorescent virions displayed normal morphology, were infectious, and could be used for direct visualization of HIV-1 attachment and trafficking in various cell lines. More than 90% of the viral particles were found to enter the cells by direct membrane fusion in T-cells, CD4+ HeLa cells, and macrophages. Visualizing HIV-1 attachment and entry in the absence or presence of CD4 and/or the appropriate coreceptors indicated that CD4 is the major receptor for virus attachment in the case of JR-CSF and NL-4-3 HIV-1 isolates; however, the coreceptors are required for membrane fusion. Internalization of the coreceptor CXCR4 inhibited entry, but did not prevent virus binding suggesting that transient downregulation of the coreceptor(s) may not be the most efficient way of blocking HIV infection in vivo.

Altered expression of transforming growth factor betas during urethral and bulbourethral gland tumor progression in transgenic mice carrying the androgen-responsive C3(1) 5' flanking region fused to SV40 large T antigen.

We demonstrate that targeted expression of SV40 large T antigen (TAg) to the urethral (periurethral) and bulbourethral gland epithelium leads to adenocarcinoma formation in these tissues after 7 months of age, which are extremely rare sites for spontaneous tumor formation in humans. The development of proliferative lesions in the urethral gland predictably follows a temporal course of progression with approximately one third of male animals developing urethral tumors by 1 year of age. Tumor progression in these organs correlates to the level of TAg and p53 expression. Immunoprecipitation confirmed that SV40 TAg protein was bound to p53 and Rb p110 in vivo. Expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbetas) was evaluated during tumor progression of urethral gland carcinomas. Elevations of intracellular and extracellular TGFbeta1 and extracellular TGFbeta3 were found in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions, suggesting that increased TGFbetas may augment tumor growth. c-Met expression showed a tendency for increased expression in the urethral gland carcinomas. We speculate that the directed expression of SV40 TAg by the hormone responsive C3(1) gene and subsequent tumor formation in these organs is influenced by androgens, since these tissues and carcinomas express androgen receptor (AR) and arise only in male transgenic mice. Several cell lines established from the urethral carcinomas were also shown to express AR, but are not androgen dependent in culture. To our knowledge, this is the first transgenic animal model for urethral and bulbourethral carcinomas. This transgenic mouse model and the cell lines derived from it may provide a unique opportunity for dissecting molecular mechanisms involved in the tumorigenesis of these organs which otherwise rarely develop cancer.

Met and hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor expression in human gliomas.

Using double immunofluorescence staining and quantitative confocal laser scan microscopy, we show that the intensity of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and Met staining in human primary brain tumors increases with the grade of malignancy and is prevalent in both the infiltrating tumor cells and endothelial hyperplastic areas. HGF/SF and Met also are expressed in vitro in glioblastoma multiforme cell lines as well as in normal human astrocyte (NHA) cells. Moreover, HGF/SF stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of Met in both glioma cell lines and NHA cells, but only the glioma cell lines proliferate and become motile and invasive in response to HGF/SF, whereas the NHA cells are nonresponsive. These results implicate autocrine/paracrine Met-HGF/SF signaling in glioma tumorigenesis and suggest that HGF/SF signaling through Met is negatively regulated in NHA cells.

The inducibly expressed GTPase localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum, independently of GTP binding.

The inducibly expressed GTPase (IGTP) is representative of a newly identified group of interferon gamma-inducible GTPases, whose functions are currently unknown. We have begun to address the cellular function of IGTP by examining its subcellular distribution and its guanine nucleotide binding status. Using immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, and subcellular fractionation, IGTP was localized predominantly to the endoplasmic reticulum of both RAW 264. 7 macrophages and C127 fibroblasts. In the immunostaining experiments, staining of discrete cytoplasmic structures on the periphery of the endoplasmic reticulum was also evident. Using polyethyleneimine-cellulose thin layer chromatography, the guanine nucleotides that complexed to immunoprecipitated IGTP, in both control and interferon gamma-stimulated cells, were 90-95% GTP and 5-10% GDP, suggesting that the protein was in an active state. A mutant IGTP protein was created that had no detectable complexed GTP, and in both subcellular fractionation and IGTP-green fluorescent protein fusion studies, this mutant also localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. These results suggested that the GTP binding status of IGTP is independent of its capacity to localize to the endoplasmic reticulum. Given these results, we propose that IGTP is representative of a new family of endoplasmic reticulum GTPases that may be involved in protein processing or trafficking.

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor-Met signaling induces proliferation, migration, and morphogenesis of pancreatic oval cells.

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) is a pleiotropic effector for cells expressing the Met tyrosine kinase receptor. In this investigation, we show that pancreatic oval cells express Met and exhibit a proliferative response to HGF/SF. Additionally, we found that oval cells treated transiently with this factor become "scattered," whereas those exposed to HGF/ SF for extended periods of time form branching tubular structures. These structures possess true lumens, which are lined by cells with ductal features, including apical microvilli, well-developed intercellular junctions, interdigitation of plasma membranes, and abundant cytoplasmic organelles. Interestingly, these ductal structures are formed by HGF/SF-treated cells cultured on plastic dishes in the absence of exogenous extracellular matrix components. Consistent with their ability to form ductal structures in vitro, we found that pancreatic oval cells form ductal adenocarcinomas in nude mice. This study supports the involvement of HGF/SF-Met signaling in the growth, migration, and morphogenesis of pancreatic oval cells and may have important implications for the expansion and morphogenic differentiation of these cells during developmental, regenerative, and neoplastic growth.

Mos/mitogen-activated protein kinase can induce early meiotic phenotypes in the absence of maturation-promoting factor: a novel system for analyzing spindle formation during meiosis I.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is selectively activated by injecting either mos or MAPK kinase (mek) RNA into immature mouse oocytes maintained in the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX). IBMX arrests oocyte maturation, but Mos (or MEK) overexpression overrides this block. Under these conditions, meiosis I is significantly prolonged, and MAPK becomes fully activated in the absence of p34cdc2 kinase or maturation-promoting factor. In these oocytes, large openings form in the germinal vesicle adjacent to condensing chromatin, and microtubule arrays, which stain for both MAPK and centrosomal proteins, nucleate from these regions. Maturation-promoting factor activation occurs later, concomitant with germinal vesicle breakdown, the contraction of the microtubule arrays into a precursor of the spindle, and the redistribution of the centrosomal proteins into the newly forming spindle poles. These studies define important new functions for the Mos/MAPK cascade in mouse oocyte maturation and, under these conditions, reveal novel detail of the early stages of oocyte meiosis I.

Abnormal centrosome amplification in the absence of p53.

The centrosome plays a vital role in mitotic fidelity, ensuring establishment of bipolar spindles and balanced chromosome segregation. Centrosome duplication occurs only once during the cell cycle and is therefore highly regulated. Here, it is shown that in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking the p53 tumor suppressor protein, multiple copies of functionally competent centrosomes are generated during a single cell cycle. In contrast, MEFs prepared from normal mice or mice deficient in the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene product do not display these abnormalities. The abnormally amplified centrosomes profoundly affect mitotic fidelity, resulting in unequal segregation of chromosomes. These observations implicate p53 in the regulation of centrosome duplication and suggest one possible mechanism by which the loss of p53 may cause genetic instability.

Overexpression of human p21waf1/cip1 arrests the growth of chicken embryo fibroblasts transformed by individual oncogenes.

In normal cells, cell growth and division is controlled by the interplay between proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Cancer cells usually have both activated an oncogene and have lost a functional tumor suppressor gene. High level expression of a tumor suppressor, p53, can block the growth of cancer cells. waf1/cip1 is transactivated by the tumor suppressor p53 and the p21waf1/cip1 protein is itself a suppressor of cell growth. To test the effect of growth suppression genes on the growth of cells transformed by individual oncogenes, we have used replication-competent retroviral vectors to induce high level expression of p53 and p21waf1/cip1. Overexpression of p21waf1/cip1 arrests the growth of chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) transformed by v-Src, tf-Ras, c-Mos and c-Myc. These data suggest that p21waf1/cip1 might be a useful tool in gene therapy for human cancer.

Immunogold labeling of oncogenic and tumor related proteins.

Immunogold labeling electron microscopy technique has been used to study the ultrastructural localization of oncogenic proteins: Mos, Met, Ski, and the tumor-associated protein, Muc1, as well as their relationship with other tumor-related proteins. By pre- and postembedding immunogold labeling electron microscopy techniques, we showed that the Mos protein pp39mos colocalized with microtubule bundles, suggesting that microtubulin or microtubule-associated protein(s) may be the substrate of Mos. Met protein was labeled at the microvilli of the lumen that are formed in cultured T47D cells, implying its potential involvement in lumen formation. Ski localization experiments revealed a unique globular structure "Ski body" that is present inside the nucleus of interphase chicken embryo fibroblast infected with Ski cDNA FB29 and FB2-29. Ski bodies were also found scattered in the cytoplasm of metaphase FB29 and FB2-29 Ski expressing chicken embryo fibroblasts. In T47D cells, tumor-associated protein Muc1 was associated with both the plasma membrane and the membranes of secretory vesicles in the cytoplasm. In MUC1 infected NIH3T3 cells, however, labeling showed that in addition to the plasma membrane and the membranes of secretory vesicles, some Muc1 gold spheres were seen inside the secretory vesicles, suggesting that the subcellular localization of the protein may vary in different cell types.

Overexpression of mos oncogene product in Swiss 3T3 cells induces apoptosis preferentially during S-phase.

When Swiss 3T3 cells are acutely infected with Moloney murine sarcoma virus containing the v-mos oncogene, 90% of the cells round up and detach from the monolayer (floating cells) and express high levels of v-Mos. The majority of the floating cells are generated between 30 and 70 h post infection when the cellular level of Mos reaches approximately 0.1% of the total protein. Seventy percent of the floating cells exclude trypan blue but are growth arrested with 2C or 4C DNA content, whereas the remaining floating cells with < 2C DNA content, are dead or dying, and show characteristic apoptotic phenotypes. The apoptotic cells are most likely generated from cells in S-phase since these cells are absent from the viable floating cell population and the percentage of cells with < 2C DNA approximated the expected S-phase fraction of logarithmically growing cells. In addition, 5'-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-labeling studies showed that approximately 50% of the floating cells with typical apoptotic phenotypes were metabolically-labelled with the drug. These analyses show that cell populations in different stages of the cell cycle are differently affected by high levels of v-Mos expression and cells in S-phase appear to be uniquely sensitive and undergo apoptosis.

Double-stranded RNA virus in the human pathogenic fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis.

Double-stranded RNA viruses were detected in a strain of Blastomyces dermatitidis isolated from a patient in Uganda. The viral particles are spherical (mostly 44 to 50 nm in diameter) and consist of about 25% double-stranded RNA (5 kb) and 75% protein (90 kDa). The virus contains transcriptional RNA polymerase activity; it synthesized single-stranded RNA in vitro in a conservative manner. The newly synthesized single-stranded RNA was a full-length strand, and the rate of chain elongation was approximately 170 nucleotides per min. The virus-containing strain shows no morphological difference from virus-free strains in the mycelial phase. Although the association with the presence of the virus is unclear, the virus-infected strain converts to the yeast form at 37 degrees C, but the yeast cells fail to multiply at that temperature.

HYP1, a hydrophobin gene from Aspergillus fumigatus, complements the rodletless phenotype in Aspergillus nidulans.

Aspergillus fumigatus produces conidia that are highly dispersable and resistant to degradation. We have sought to analyze these properties by studying the rodlets which form the outer spore coat protein. Degenerate primers based on hydrophobins in other fungi were applied to genomic DNA from A. fumigatus in PCR. A product of this reaction with similarity to an Aspergillus nidulans gene as judged by Southern hybridization was chosen for further study. Cloning and sequencing revealed a gene with two introns which encodes a protein of 159 amino acids. Structural characteristics consistent with those of other fungal hydrophobin genes, especially conserved cysteine residues, are present. The expression of the gene is limited to the developmental stages in which maturing conidiophores are present. This A. fumigatus gene, HYP1, was used to transform a mutant strain of A. nidulans that lacks rodlets. Transformants with a single copy of HYP1 expressed a rodlet layer on their conidia as observed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy.

Bcl-2 expressed using a retroviral vector is localized primarily in the nuclear membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum of chicken embryo fibroblasts.

A complementary DNA for human bcl-2 was cloned into the replication competent avian retrovirus vector RCASBP, and the resulting virus was used to express human Bcl-2 protein at high levels in chicken embryo fibroblasts. The expression of Bcl-2 did not transform or significantly alter the longevity of the chicken embryo fibroblasts in the presence of normal amounts of serum. However, the expression of Bcl-2 blocked c-Myc-induced apoptosis in these cells. Fractionation of the infected chicken embryo fibroblasts indicated that the protein was distributed equally between nuclear and high density cytoplasmic membranes. Immunofluorescence analysis by confocal microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy showed that the Bcl-2 protein was primarily associated with the nuclear membrane and with the endoplasmic reticulum. Reduced amounts of the protein were associated with other membranes in the cytoplasm. These data show that, in this system, the Bcl-2 protein associates with the nuclear membrane and intracytoplasmic membranes but is not preferentially associated with mitochondria.

The Met proto-oncogene mesenchymal to epithelial cell conversion.

Coexpression of the human Met receptor and its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts causes the cells to become tumorigenic in nude mice. The resultant tumors display lumen-like morphology, contain carcinoma-like focal areas with intercellular junctions resembling desmosomes, and coexpress epithelial (cytokeratin) and mesenchymal (vimentin) cytoskeletal markers. The tumor cells also display enhanced expression of desmosomal and tight-junction proteins. The apparent mesenchymal to epithelial conversion of the tumor cells mimics the conversion that occurs during embryonic kidney development, suggesting that Met-HGF/SF signaling plays a role in this process as well as in tumors that express both epithelial and mesenchymal markers.

The met proto-oncogene receptor and lumen formation.

The met proto-oncogene product (Met) and its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), have been implicated in cell mitogenic response, cell motility, and the promotion of the ordered spatial arrangement of tissue. By means of confocal laser-scanning microscopy, it was shown that Met is expressed in cells bordering lumen-like structures that resemble ducts in the human mammary cell line T47D. In human breast tissue biopsies, Met staining was intense in normal cells bordering mammary ducts but was reduced in adjacent tumor tissue. Met staining in lumen-forming organs colocalizes with staining of antibody to phosphotyrosine, which suggests that the Met receptor and its substrates may be activated in lumen structures or ducts. HGF/SF treatment of human epithelial carcinoma cell lines resulted in the formation of lumen-like structures in vitro. Reduced expression of Met could be related to the extent of tumor cell differentiation.

Intramacrophagic Mycobacterium avium bacilli are coated by a multiple lamellar structure: freeze fracture analysis of infected mouse liver.

We used freeze fracture electron microscopy to study the fine structure of Mycobacterium avium inside phagosomes of murine macrophages. M. avium-susceptible C57BL/6 mice were infected with M. avium by intraperitoneal inoculation of 10(8) viable bacilli. We studied the microanatomy of the mycobacteria in 3-month infections of mice, a situation in which bacillary multiplication is extensive. In these samples, freeze fracture revealed that intraphagosomal bacilli were surrounded by a multilamellar coat that was apposed to the cell wall. In thin sections, in contrast, the area corresponding to the coat showed no substructure and was electron transparent (the so-called electron-transparent zone that has been previously reported by others). The multiple lamellae resembled an onionlike assembly that was inserted in between the mycobacterial wall outer surface and the phagosomal membrane. Each lamella of the M. avium coat was made up of parallel straight fibrils with a width of 5 nm. A variable number of lamellae, sometimes up to 10 or more elements, coated individual bacilli. The multilamellar coat was absent around both extracellular M. avium and intramacrophagic M. avium after short-term (45-min) inoculation of mice. The supramolecular organization of the M. avium lamellar coat as viewed here by freeze fracture is similar to that of purified mycoside C (P. Draper, J. Gen. Microbiol. 83:431-433, 1974; K.-S. Kim, M.R.J. Salton, and L. Barksdale, J. Bacteriol. 125:739-743, 1976), a mycobacterial component currently known as glycopeptidolipid (W.W. Barrow and P.J. Brennan, J. Bacteriol. 150:381-384, 1982). We conclude that M. avium bacilli growing in macrophages are surrounded by multilamellar capsulelike structures that contain glycopeptidolipid molecules.