scholarly journals Recombinant fish neurotrophin-6 is a heparin-binding glycoprotein: implications for a role in axonal guidance

1997 ◽  
Vol 324 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoling LI ◽  
Juliane FRANZ ◽  
Friedrich LOTTSPEICH ◽  
Rudolf GÖTZ

Neurotrophin-6 (NT-6) was identified in the teleost fish Xiphophorus as a new member of the neurotrophin gene family. NT-6 binds specifically the glycosaminoglycan heparin. In this study NT-6 was expressed in a stably transfected mammalian cell line, and in insect cells via a recombinant baculovirus. It was purified to homogeneity and characterized by MS and N-terminal sequencing. NT-6 from both expression systems was proteolytically processed at one of two protease cleavage motifs and was found to be glycosylated. It supported the survival of embryonic chick sensory neurons; half-maximal survival was observed at 100 ng/ml. Furthermore, NT-6 elicited neurite outgrowth in explanted embryonic dorsal root ganglia. Addition of heparin into the medium did not potentiate the activity of NT-6 in survival assays. However, when a sensory ganglion explant was cultured in a collagen gel matrix assay adjacent to a heparin bead coated with NT-6, neurite outgrowth directed towards the bead was observed. This indicated that NT-6 was slowly released from the heparin bead generating a concentration gradient of NT-6 instrumental for axonal guidance in vitro. Thus the interaction of NT-6 with heparin might not be required for the activation of the cellular receptor for NT-6 on responsive cells but rather may serve to control, in vivo, the distribution of NT-6.

2012 ◽  
Vol 506 ◽  
pp. 31-34
Author(s):  
W. Janvikul ◽  
P. Ngamviriyavong ◽  
P. Uppanun ◽  
P. Tanjak ◽  
N. Sangjun

Oligochitosan salt-based antibacterial wound gels were developed and evaluated in both in vitro and in vivo models. The antibacterial activities of the oligochitosan salts and the wound gels were investigated against Staphylococcus epidermidis RP625 and Escherichia coli ATCC 11775. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the oligochitosan salts were found in the range of 16-256 μg/mL. The wound gels demonstrated their in vitro activities on inhibiting the growth of bacteria. The 3-D collagen gel matrix containing human dermal fibroblasts cultured with each test gel was used as an in vitro model for the examination of cell proliferation and secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8). The gels appeared to promote the proliferation and formation of cellular process of the fibroblasts in the 3-D collagen gels and stimulate the fibroblasts to produce more IL-8. In the in vivo model, it was noted that the gels could accelerate the wound closure process. The wounds were completely closed within 14 days.


1994 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikki Rauvala ◽  
Anu Vanhala ◽  
Eero Castre´n ◽  
Riitta Nolo ◽  
Erkki Raulo ◽  
...  

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 1356-1363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara P. Schick ◽  
David Maslow ◽  
Adrianna Moshinski ◽  
James D. San Antonio

Abstract Patients given unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for prophylaxis or treatment of thrombosis sometimes suffer serious bleeding. We showed previously that peptides containing 3 or more tandem repeats of heparin-binding consensus sequences have high affinity for LMWH and neutralize LMWH (enoxaparin) in vivo in rats and in vitro in citrate. We have now modified the (ARKKAAKA)n tandem repeat peptides by cyclization or by inclusion of hydrophobic tails or cysteines to promote multimerization. These peptides exhibit high-affinity binding to LMWH (dissociation constant [Kd], ≈ 50 nM), similar potencies in neutralizing anti–Factor Xa activity of UFH and enoxaparin added to normal plasma in vitro, and efficacy equivalent to or greater than protamine. Peptide (ARKKAAKA)3VLVLVLVL was most effective in all plasmas from enoxaparin-treated patients, and was 4- to 20-fold more effective than protamine. Several other peptide structures were effective in some patients' plasmas. All high-affinity peptides reversed inhibition of thrombin-induced clot formation by UFH. These peptides (1 mg/300 g rat) neutralized 1 U/mL anti–Factor Xa activity of enoxaparin in rats within 1 to 2 minutes. Direct blood pressure and heart rate measurements showed little or no hemodynamic effect. These heparin-binding peptides, singly or in combination, are potential candidates for clinical reversal of UFH and LMWH in humans.


1994 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Matsuda ◽  
Keiichi Kawamoto ◽  
Katsuzo Kiya ◽  
Kaoru Kurisu ◽  
Kazuhiko Sugiyama ◽  
...  

✓ The presence of the progesterone receptor (PR) in meningioma tissue has been confirmed by previous investigations. Studies have shown that the antiprogesterone drug, mifepristone, is a potent agent that inhibits the growth of cultured meningioma cells and reduces the size of meningiomas in experimental animal models and humans. However, these studies have not fully examined the relationship between the antitumor effects of an antiprogesterone agent and the expression of the PR. The present study examined the antitumor effects of mifepristone and a new potent antiprogesterone agent, onapristone; a correlation between the antitumor effects of these antiprogesterones and the presence of PR's in meningiomas in vitro and in vivo was also investigated. Meningioma tissue surgically removed from 13 patients was used in this study. In the in vitro arm of the study, mifepristone and onapristone exhibited cytostatic and cytocidal effects against cultured meningioma cells, regardless of the presence or absence of PR's; however, three PR-negative meningiomas showed no response to any dose of mifepristone and/or onapristone. In the in vivo arm, meningioma cells, embedded in a collagen gel, were implanted into the renal capsules of nude mice. Antiprogesterone treatment resulted in a marked reduction of the tumor volume regardless of the presence or absence of PR's. No histological changes in the meningioma cells suggestive of necrosis or apoptosis were detected in any of the mice treated with antiprogesterones. These findings suggest that mifepristone and onapristone have an antitumor effect against meningioma cells via the PR's and/or another receptor, such as the glucocorticoid receptor.


1988 ◽  
Vol 168 (5) ◽  
pp. 1865-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
N A Pawlowski ◽  
G Kaplan ◽  
E Abraham ◽  
Z A Cohn

Human monocytes show a high affinity for vascular endothelium both in vitro and in vivo. To explore monocyte-endothelial interaction in greater detail, we have developed a new in vitro model for growth of human endothelial cells (EC). Human umbilical vein EC (HUVEC) cultured upon collagen gels form confluent monolayers of EC that bind silver at their intercellular border similar to cells in situ. Intercellular junctional structures, both adherens and tight junctions, were identified. In contrast, HUVEC grown on plastic surfaces did not stain with silver. The silver-staining characteristic of EC-collagen monolayers was reversible and related to their in vitro maturation and senescence. Silver staining of EC borders provided a grid by which the location of monocyte binding to the luminal surface of individual EC could be assessed. Using this technique, we found that monocytes preferentially bound to the margins of EC, in approximation to the silver-staining junctions. These results suggest that EC determinants recognized by monocytes occur in a unique topographical distribution on the apical face of EC. After binding, monocytes migrated through the EC monolayers at high basal rates. The lack of penetration of collagen gels in the absence of an EC monolayer suggested the generation of EC-specific chemotactic signal(s). Monocytes were observed to pass between EC without evidence of disruption of the monolayer. Silver stain remained present during all phases of migration, and under transmission electron microscopy, junctional complexes were found proximal to monocytes that had just completed their passage through the monolayer. After orientation to the basal surface of the EC monolayer, monocytes migrated randomly into the underlying collagen gel. Monocyte adherence, penetration, migration, and long term survival can be studied under these conditions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (21) ◽  
pp. 7217-7225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. MacEachran ◽  
M. E. Prophete ◽  
A. J. Sinskey

ABSTRACT Generally, prokaryotes store carbon as polyhydroxyalkanoate, starch, or glycogen. The Gram-positive actinomycete Rhodococcus opacus strain PD630 is noteworthy in that it stores carbon in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG). Several studies have demonstrated that R. opacus PD630 can accumulate up to 76% of its cell dry weight as TAG when grown under nitrogen-limiting conditions. While this process is well studied, the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms leading to TAG biosynthesis and subsequent storage are poorly understood. We designed a high-throughput genetic screening to identify genes and their products required for TAG biosynthesis and storage in R. opacus PD630. We identified a gene predicted to encode a putative heparin-binding hemagglutinin homolog, which we have termed tadA (triacylglycerol accumulation deficient), as being important for TAG accumulation. Kinetic studies of TAG accumulation in both the wild-type (WT) and mutant strains demonstrated that the tadA mutant accumulates 30 to 40% less TAG than the parental strain (WT). We observed that lipid bodies formed by the mutant strain were of a different size and shape than those of the WT. Characterization of TadA demonstrated that the protein is capable of binding heparin and of agglutinating purified lipid bodies. Finally, we observed that the TadA protein localizes to lipid bodies in R. opacus PD630 both in vivo and in vitro. Based on these data, we hypothesize that the TadA protein acts to aggregate small lipid bodies, found in cells during early stages of lipid storage, into larger lipid bodies and thus plays a key role in lipid body maturation in R. opacus PD630.


Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 877-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Kanakura ◽  
H Thompson ◽  
T Nakano ◽  
T Yamamura ◽  
H Asai ◽  
...  

Mouse peritoneal mast cells (PMC) express a connective tissue-type mast cell (CTMC) phenotype, including reactivity with the heparin-binding fluorescent dye berberine sulfate and incorporation of [35S] sulfate predominantly into heparin proteoglycans. When PMC purified to greater than 99% purity were cultured in methylcellulose with IL-3 and IL-4, approximately 25% of the PMC formed colonies, all of which contained both berberine sulfate-positive and berberine sulfate-negative mast cells. When these mast cells were transferred to suspension culture, they generated populations that were 100% berberine sulfate-negative, a characteristic similar to that of mucosal mast cells (MMC), and that synthesized predominantly chondroitin sulfate [35S] proteoglycans. When “MMC-like” cultured mast cells derived from WBB6F1-+/+ PMC were injected into the peritoneal cavities of mast cell-deficient WBB6F1- W/Wv mice, the adoptively transferred mast cell population became 100% berberine sulfate-positive. In methylcellulose culture, these “second generation PMC” formed clonal colonies containing both berberine sulfate-positive and berberine sulfate-negative cells, but exhibited significantly less proliferative ability than did normal +/+ PMC. Thus, clonal mast cell populations initially derived from single PMC exhibited multiple and bidirectional alterations between CTMC-like and MMC-like phenotypes. However, this process was associated with a progressive diminution of the mast cells' proliferative ability.


2013 ◽  
Vol 451 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackwee Lim ◽  
Sheng Yao ◽  
Martin Graf ◽  
Christoph Winkler ◽  
Daiwen Yang

Midkine is a heparin-binding di-domain growth factor, implicated in many biological processes as diverse as angiogenesis, neurogenesis and tumorigenesis. Elevated midkine levels reflect poor prognosis for many carcinomas, yet the molecular and cellular mechanisms orchestrating its activity remain unclear. At the present time, the individual structures of isolated half domains of human midkine are known and its functionally active C-terminal half domain remains a popular therapeutic target. In the present study, we determined the structure of full-length zebrafish midkine and show that it interacts with fondaparinux (a synthetic highly sulfated pentasaccharide) and natural heparin through a previously uncharacterized, but highly conserved, hinge region. Mutating six consecutive residues in the conserved hinge to glycine strongly abates heparin binding and midkine embryogenic activity. In contrast with previous in vitro studies, we found that the isolated C-terminal half domain is not active in vivo in embryos. Instead, we have demonstrated that the N-terminal half domain is needed to enhance heparin binding and mediate midkine embryogenic activity surprisingly in both heparin-dependent and -independent manners. Our findings provide new insights into the structural features of full-length midkine relevant for embryogenesis, and unravel additional therapeutic routes targeting the N-terminal half domain and conserved hinge.


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei-ichi Shimazaki ◽  
Kazuhiro Kawai

Lactoferrin is a multifunctional, iron-binding glycoprotein found in milk and other exocrine secretions. Lactoferrin in milk plays vital roles in the healthy development of newborn mammals, and is also an innate resistance factor involved in the prevention of mammary gland infection by microorganisms. Inflammation of the udder because of bacterial infection is referred to as mastitis. There have been many investigations into the relationships between lactoferrin and mastitis, which fall into several categories. The main categories are fluctuations in the lactoferrin concentration of milk, lactoferrin activity against mastitis pathogens, elucidation of the processes underlying the onset of mastitis, participation of lactoferrin in the immune system, and utilization of lactoferrin in mastitis treatment and prevention. This minireview describes lactoferrin research concerning bovine mastitis. In the 1970s, many researchers reported that the lactoferrin concentration fluctuates in milk from cows with mastitis. From the late 1980s, many studies clarified the infection-defense mechanism in the udder and the contribution of lactoferrin to the immune system. After the year 2000, the processes underlying the onset of mastitis were elucidated in vivo and in vitro, and lactoferrin was applied for the treatment and prevention of mastitis.


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