Direct Cell-cell Interactions Research Articles

Endothelial cells support survival of human intestinal mast cells by a direct cell-cell interaction

Endothelial cells support survival of human intestinal mast cells by a direct cell-cell interaction

Ectopic haematopoiesis in the mouse: roles of stroma and cytokines in granulocytopoiesis in in vivo diffusion chamber cultures.

We have examined a possible role of two different types of irradiated stromal cells, i.e. murine bone marrow (BM) stromal cells and stromal cell line MS-5R, when cocultured with murine blood-borne progenitors or sorted Lin- Sca-1+ bone marrow cells in vivo in peritoneal diffusion chambers (DC). Retrieval and quantification of the cultured cells were performed after 4, 7, and 14 d. Granulocyte and/or macrophage colony-forming cells (G/M-CFC) were enumerated in subcultures from the DC. G/M-CFC production was not enhanced in the stroma-contact cultures, in comparison with the standard stroma-non-contact cultures, but early granulocytopoiesis was stimulated. Perturbation of the humoral environment of DC was investigated in a number of ways, for example with continuous infusion of rhG-CSF from a subcutaneous implanted minipump to DC host mice, with DC host mice carrying a transplantable leukaemia, secreting interleukin 3 (IL-3), and with injections of various cytokines. None of these interventions sustained the expansion of the G/M-CFC population. In conclusion, for ectopic haematopoiesis to take place, several requirements must be met. Relevant stromal cells apparently affect haematopoiesis both via direct cell-cell interactions and via humoral mediators (viz. cytokines) which they secrete.

Cadherin-6 mediates the heterotypic interactions between the hemopoietic osteoclast cell lineage and stromal cells in a murine model of osteoclast differentiation.

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells of hemopoietic origin that are responsible for bone resorption during physiological bone remodeling and in a variety of bone diseases. Osteoclast development requires direct heterotypic cell-cell interactions of the hemopoietic osteoclast precursors with the neighboring osteoblast/stromal cells. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these heterotypic interactions are poorly understood. We isolated cadherin-6 isoform, denoted cadherin-6/2 from a cDNA library of human osteoclast-like cells. The isolated cadherin-6/2 is 3,423 bp in size consisting of an open reading frame of 2,115 bp, which encodes 705 amino acids. This isoform lacks 85 amino acids between positions 333 and 418 and contains 9 different amino acids in the extracellular domain compared with the previously described cadherin-6. The human osteoclast-like cells also expressed another isoform denoted cadherin-6/1 together with the cadherin-6. Introduction of cadherin-6/2 into L-cells that showed no cell-cell contact caused evident morphological changes accompanied with tight cell-cell association, indicating the cadherin-6/2 we isolated here is functional. Moreover, expression of dominant-negative or antisense cadherin-6/2 construct in bone marrow-derived mouse stromal ST2 cells, which express only cadherin-6/2, markedly impaired their ability to support osteoclast formation in a mouse coculture model of osteoclastogenesis. Our results suggest that cadherin-6 may be a contributory molecule to the heterotypic interactions between the hemopoietic osteoclast cell lineage and osteoblast/bone marrow stromal cells required for the osteoclast differentiation. Since both osteoclasts and osteoblasts/bone marrow stromal cells are the primary cells controlling physiological bone remodeling, expression of cadherin-6 isoforms in these two cell types of different origin suggests a critical role of these molecules in the relationship of osteoclast precursors and cells of osteoblastic lineage within the bone microenvironment.

Human Osteoblasts Express a Repertoire of Cadherins, Which Are Critical for BMP-2–Induced Osteogenic Differentiation

Direct cell-cell interactions are fundamental for tissue development and differentiation. We have studied the expression and function of cadherins in human osteoblasts during in vitro differentiation. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and mRNA hybridization, we found that human trabecular bone osteoblasts (HOBs), osteoprogenitor marrow stromal cells (BMCs), and the osteogenic sarcoma lines, SaOS-2 and MG-63, expressed mRNA for cadherin-11 (C11) and N-cadherin (N-cad). HOBs and BMCs also expressed low levels of cadherin-4 (C4) mRNA. C11 was the most abundant cadherin protein present in human osteoblasts, and its expression was unaffected by bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) treatment of either BMCs or HOBs. Likewise, N-cad mRNA did not change during BMP-2 incubation. Conversely, C4 protein, undetectable in transformed cell lines, was down-regulated by BMP-2 treatment of normal cells. Both C11 and C4 were localized to sites of cell-cell contact in both HOBs and BMCs, colocalized with beta-catenin, and bands corresponding to cadherins were coimmunoprecipitated by a beta-catenin antibody, findings indicative of functional cadherins. A decapeptide containing the HAV motif of human N-cad partially inhibited Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion and completely prevented BMP-2-induced stimulation of alkaline phosphatase activity by BMCs. Thus, human osteoblasts and their progenitor cells express a repertoire of multiple cadherins. Cadherin-mediated cell-to-cell adhesion is critical for normal human osteoblast differentiation.

Monocyte-endothelial cell interaction in atherogenesis and thrombosis.

Cellular interactions between leukocytes and the endothelium are critical events in vascular biology, such as atherosclerosis and acute coronary syndrome. When monocytes and endothelial cells are activated via direct cell-cell interaction, both types of cells express several biologically active molecules such as adhesion molecules, cytokines, coagulation and fibrinolytic factors, metalloproteinases, and vasoactive substances. All of these molecules could contribute to atherogenesis and thrombosis.

Retinal patterning in the zebrafish mutantCyclops

Determination of cell fate in the vertebrate retina has been shown to be largely independent of lineage. After cell fates are determined, retinal neurons become organized in a precise laminar pattern. The mechanisms for this patterning could involve morphogens distributed in gradients or, alternatively, direct cell-cell interactions. In the zebrafish mutant cyclops (Cyc(b16)), most embryos have two partial retinas joined in the ventral midline. This presents developing retinal cells near the midline with abnormal cellular environments, whereas laterally the pattern of developing cells is normal. We examined the consequences of this for patterning in the mutant's retina. We found that the retinas are joined in the midline at the apical surfaces of the photoreceptor layers. A laminar pattern emerges in the midline that preserves normal positional relationships between retinal cell types locally but is abnormal with respect to patterning over the entire retina. Lateral to the midline, retinal patterning appears normal. Metabolic labeling experiments showed that late rounds of DNA synthesis precede the emergence of the novel pattern in this midline region. We conclude that these observations in the cyclops mutant are compatible with mechanisms of pattern formation in the retina involving local cell interactions.

Retinal patterning in the zebrafish mutant Cyclops

Determination of cell fate in the vertebrate retina has been shown to be largely independent of lineage. After cell fates are determined, retinal neurons become organized in a precise laminar pattern. The mechanisms for this patterning could involve morphogens distributed in gradients or, alternatively, direct cell-cell interactions. In the zebrafish mutant cyclops (cycb16), most embryos have two partial retinas joined in the ventral midline. This presents developing retinal cells near the midline with abnormal cellular environments, whereas laterally the pattern of developing cells is normal. We examined the consequences of this for patterning in the mutant's retina. We found that the retinas are joined in the midline at the apical surfaces of the photoreceptor layers. A laminar pattern emerges in the midline that preserves normal positional relationships between retinal cell types locally but is abnormal with respect to patterning over the entire retina. Lateral to the midline, retinal patterning appears normal. Metabolic labeling experiments showed that late rounds of DNA synthesis precede the emergence of the novel pattern in this midline region. We conclude that these observations in the cyclops mutant are compatible with mechanisms of pattern formation in the retina involving local cell interactions. J. Comp. Neurol. 381:449-460, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Altered differentiation of cns neural progenitor cells after transplantation into the injured adult rat spinal cord

Denervation of CNS neurons and peripheral organs is a consequence of traumatic SCI. Intraspinal transplantation of embryonic CNS neurons is a potential strategy for reinnervating these targets. Neural progenitor cell lines are being investigated as alternates to embryonic CNS neurons. RN33B is an immortalized neural progenitor cell line derived from embryonic rat raphé nuclei following infection with a retrovirus encoding the temperaturesensitive mutant of SV40 large T-antigen. Transplantation studies have shown that local epigenetic signals in intact or partially neuron-depleted adult rat hippocampal formation or striatum direct RN33B cell differentiation to complex multipolar morphologies resembling endogenous neurons. After transplantation into neuron-depleted regions of the hippocampal formation or striatum, RN33B cells were relatively undifferentiated or differentiated with bipolar morphologies. The present study examines RN33B cell differentiation after transplantation into normal spinal cord and under different lesion conditions. Adult rats underwent either unilateral lesion of lumbar spinal neurons by intraspinal injection of kainic acid or complete transection at the T10 spinal segment. Neonatal rats underwent either unilateral lesion of lumbar motoneurons by sciatic nerve crush or complete transection at the T10 segment. At 2 or 6–7 wk postinjury, lacZ-labeled RN33B cells were transplanted into the lumbar enlargement of injured and age-matched normal rats. At 2 wk posttransplantation, bipolar and some multipolar RN33B cells were found throughout normal rat gray matter. In contrast, only bipolar RN33B cells were seen in gray matter of kainic acid lesioned, sciatic nerve crush, or transection rats. These observations suggest that RN33B cell multipolar morphological differentiation in normal adult spinal cord is mediated by direct cell-cell interaction through surface molecules on endogenous neurons and may be suppressed by molecules released after SCI. They also indicate that the fate of immortalized neural progenitor cell lines in injured CNS must be stringently characterized.

Altered differentiation of CNS neural progenitor cells after transplantation into the injured adult rat spinal cord.

Denervation of CNS neurons and peripheral organs is a consequence of traumatic SCI. Intraspinal transplantation of embryonic CNS neurons is a potential strategy for reinnervating these targets. Neural progenitor cell lines are being investigated as alternates to embryonic CNS neurons. RN33B is an immortalized neural progenitor cell line derived from embryonic rat raphe nuclei following infection with a retrovirus encoding the temperature-sensitive mutant of SV40 large T-antigen. Transplantation studies have shown that local epigenetic signals in intact or partially neuron-depleted adult rat hippocampal formation or striatum direct RN33B cell differentiation to complex multipolar morphologies resembling endogenous neurons. After transplantation into neuron-depleted regions of the hippocampal formation or striatum, RN33B cells were relatively undifferentiated or differentiated with bipolar morphologies. The present study examines RN33B cell differentiation after transplantation into normal spinal cord and under different lesion conditions. Adult rats underwent either unilateral lesion of lumbar spinal neurons by intraspinal injection of kainic acid or complete transection at the T10 spinal segment. Neonatal rats underwent either unilateral lesion of lumbar motoneurons by sciatic nerve crush or complete transection at the T10 segment. At 2 or 6-7 wk postinjury, lacZ-labeled RN33B cells were transplanted into the lumbar enlargement of injured and age-matched normal rats. At 2 wk posttransplantation, bipolar and some multipolar RN33B cells were found throughout normal rat gray matter. In contrast, only bipolar RN33B cells were seen in gray matter of kainic acid lesioned, sciatic nerve crush, or transection rats. These observations suggest that RN33B cell multipolar morphological differentiation in normal adult spinal cord is mediated by direct cell-cell interaction through surface molecules on endogenous neurons and may be suppressed by molecules released after SCI. They also indicate that the fate of immortalized neural progenitor cell lines in injured CNS must be stringently characterized.

Bidirectional signalling through the EPH-family receptor Nuk and its transmembrane ligands.

Receptor tyrosine kinases of the EPH class have been implicated in the control of axon guidance and fasciculation, in regulating cell migration, and in defining compartments in the developing embryo. Efficient activation of EPH receptors generally requires that their ligands be anchored to the cell surface, either through a transmembrane (TM) region or a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) group. These observations have suggested that EPH receptors can transduce signals initiated by direct cell-cell interaction. Genetic analysis of Nuk, a murine EPH receptor that binds TM ligands, has raised the possibility that these ligands might themselves have a signalling function. Consistent with this, the three known TM ligands have a highly conserved cytoplasmic region, with multiple potential sites for tyrosine phosphorylation. Here we show that challenging cells that express the TM ligands Elk-L or Htk-L with the clustered ectodomain of Nuk induces phosphorylation of the ligands on tyrosine, a process that can be mimicked both in vitro and in vivo by an activated Src tyrosine kinase. Co-culture of cells expressing a TM ligand with cells expressing Nuk leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of both the ligand and Nuk. These results suggest that the TM ligands are associated with a tyrosine kinase, and are inducibly phosphorylated upon binding Nuk, in a fashion reminiscent of cytokine receptors. Furthermore, we show that TM ligands, as well as Nuk, are phosphorylated on tyrosine in mouse embryos, indicating that this is a physiological process. EPH receptors and their TM ligands therefore mediate bidirectional cell signalling.

Establishment and characterization of a novel human myoepithelial cell line and matrix-producing xenograft from a parotid basal cell adenocarcinoma.

Myoepithelial cells exert important paracrine effects on epithelial morphogenesis and mitogenesis through direct cell-cell interactions and through synthesis of a basement membrane extracellular matrix. To study these effects further, this study established the first immortalized human myoepithelial cell line, HMS-1, and transplantable xenograft, HMS-X, from the rare parotid basal cell adenocarcinoma. The cell line exhibited a fully differentiated myoepithelial phenotype and the xenograft exhibited the rare property of accumulating an abundant extracellular matrix composed of both basement membrane and nonbasement membrane components with the latter predominating. With HMS-1 as a feeder layer, dramatic and specific induction of epithelial morphogenesis (spheroid formation) occurred with selected normal epithelial and primary carcinoma target cells. HMS-1 and HMS-X provide distinct advantages over the conventional murine matrices in existence. They will be invaluable in future studies of human tumor-myoepithelial and matrix interactions important for tumor cell growth, invasion, and metastasis.

Models to study enteropathogenic bacteria: lessons learned from Shigella

T he study of interactions between enteric bacterial pathogens and host cells has relied substantially on model systems. This is especially true for human pathogens, such as Salmonella typhi or Shigella species, as experimental studies on human volunteers are restricted and clinical samples are rare. The reductionist approach has been used successfully to dissect the complex phenomenon of disease into single processes, which can be examined in simple model systems. Work on shigellosis, caused by Shigella species’, has provided an instructive example of how using model systems of increasing complexity has furthered the understanding of an enteric disease. The fundamental in vitro model of enteropathogenesis uses semiconfluent monolayers of cultured epithelial cells (such as HeLa or Henle) infected with bacteria. For shigellosis, the entire sequence of key events accompanying the infection process (see Fig. 1) can be reproduced in this system, including bacterial entry, escape from the vacuole, intracellular replication, intraand intercellular movement, and host-cell killing’. The basic in vitro technique of infected monolayers has been refined further to quantitate infection-related events, such as bacterial uptake (by the gentamicin-killing assay2) and cellto-cell spread (by the infectious-foci assay3). However, the two-dimensional cell model system is a poor representation of the intestinal barrier, as it lacks impermeability and polarity. The next step in complexity is an in vitro model consisting of polarized epithelial monolayers4. Cell lines of colonic origin (such as Caco-2 and T-84), grown to confluency on permeable filters, mimic a columnar intestinal barrier. Tight junctions separate an apical (luminal) surface, organized as a brush border, from a basolateral domain. A commonly used experimental system uses a two-chamber device with differential exposure of the apical and basolateral surfaces so that vectorial bacterial infection from either side is possible. The study of invasion by Shigella in this system has revealed an apparent paradoxj. Shigella do not invade a polarized tight epithelium from the apical side, although this is the surface exposed to the gut lumen from which natural infection occurs. Unlike Salmonella species, Shigella need access to the basolateral surface to invade, a property that is shared by some other enteroinvasive bacteria, such as Yersinia and Listeria. A further refinement of this threedimensional, polarized cell model system is the addition of motile immune cells: polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs)~. An experimental system consisting of epithelial cells, bacteria and PMNs enables the examination of the complex interplay between these three cell types, involving direct cell-cell interactions and cell-cell communication via signaling molecules (such as secreted bacterial products and cytokines). Application of this elaborate model to the study of shigellosis has provided one explanation for the paradox of Shigella in-

Modulation of the MHC class I and II molecules by bacterial products on intestinal epithelial cells.

Communicating signals between different cells of the immune system involve both direct cell-cell interactions and soluble factors. In the intraepithelial compartment, enterocytes and lymphocytes are closely associated and can interact through both mechanisms. An example of such interactions is the ability of epithelial cells to present antigen to specific T lymphocytes in vitro.1,2 Class I and Class II major histocompatibility complex molecules displaying antigenic peptides are recognized by specific T cell subsets.3 MHC class II molecules on antigen presenting cells interact with CD4+ helper T cells while MHC class I molecules interact with CD8+ suppressor cytotoxic lymphocytes. Enterocytes constitutively express Class I and II molecules whose levels are modulated by environmental factors. Since epithelial cells of the gut are in permanent contact with food and bacterial products we examined the modulation of MHC molecules expression on these cells by bacterial products.KeywordsCholera ToxinBacterial ProductHuman Colon Adenocarcinoma CellColon Adenocarcinoma Cell LinePermanent ContactThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Interactions Between the Flk-1 Receptor, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, and Cell Surface Proteoglycan Identified with a Soluble Receptor Reagent

Fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1) is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase that was identified in endothelial cells and populations of cells enriched in hematopoietic progenitors. To characterize the interaction of Flk-1 with potential ligands the receptor extracellular domain was genetically fused to an alkaline phosphatase (AP) tag. A soluble ligand for Flk-1 was identified in the supernatants of numerous mesenchymal cell lines by co-immunoprecipitation with the Flk1-AP fusion protein. This polypeptide was shown by N-terminal sequencing to be vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Receptor-AP fusion proteins can thus be used to identify soluble ligands as well as transmembrane ligands, and this approach is therefore likely to be widely applicable to many types of orphan receptor. The Flk1-AP soluble receptor was also found to bind to cell surfaces, showing two apparent classes of binding site with different affinities. This interaction could be reconstructed by introducing a VEGF expression plasmid into cells. These results indicate that VEGF presented at the cell surface can bind to the Flk-1 receptor, and could mediate a direct cell-cell interaction. The Flk1-AP fusion protein was also found to bind heparin, implying that ligand binding by the Flk-1 receptor may involve a three way interaction between the Flk-1 receptor, VEGF, and heparin-like cell surface proteoglycans.

Effects of alloimmune injury on contraction and relaxation in cultured myocytes and intact cardiac allografts

Objectives. This study was performed to determine the mechanisms by which allosensitized lymphocytes cause contractile dysfunction in cultured ventricular myocytes and to compare the effects on isolated myocytes with those observed in an intact heart preparation during allograft rejection.Background. Allograft rejection may be associated with reversible abnormalities of both systolic and diastolic function. The immunologic mechanisms that cause ventricular dysfunction are poorly understood.Methods. Vascularized heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation was performed in mice. Contractile function of excised allografts undergoing rejection was assessed using a Langendorff perfusion apparatus and a strain gauge. Spontaneously beating monolayers of cultured ventricular myocytes from donor strain fetal mice were exposed to the allosensitizcd cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and the effects on myocyte motion, intracellular calcium transients, relaxation half-time, membrane potential and myocyte lysis (chromium-51 release) were measured.Results. In intact hearts, histologically mild rejection without myocyte necrosis was associated with decreased systolic function without slowing of relaxation. In cultured fetal myocytes, sensitized lymphocytes induced a progressive decrease in the amplitudes of myocyte motion and calcium transients, with cessation of beating within 40 min. Also, the diastolic membrane potential and amplitude of the action potential decreased. Relaxation half-time, as estimated by measurement of cell motion, was unchanged. The effect was allospecific and was reversible with early removal of lymphocytes from the myocyte monolayer. Pretreatment of lymphocytes with the degranulation inhibitor 4,4′-diisothiocyano-2,2′-disulfonic acid stilbene blocked both the negative inotropic effect and myocyte lysis.Conclusions. We conclude that impaired relaxation is not a prominent feature of contractile dysfunction caused directly in myocytes by alloimmune injury from cytotoxic lymphocytes. Allosensitized lymphocytes can cause reversible systolic dysfunction in myocytes by means of a direct cell-cell interaction. This effect may be in part responsible for the reversible systolic dysfunction associated with allograft rejection.

A molecule expressed on accessory cells, activated T cells, and thymic epithelium is a marker and promoter of T cell activation.

T cell maturation results in part from direct cell-cell interactions between developing thymocytes and thymic stromal cells. Identification of the cell surface molecules involved in these interactions has been approached by production of mAbs reactive to thymic stromal cell surface Ags. A mAb against one such Ag, mouse thymic stroma (MTS) mAb MTS 23, stains a subset of thymic medullary epithelium by immunohistology. In addition, it was found to detect, by flow cytometry, an Ag constitutively expressed on peripheral B cells and macrophages as well as thymic and splenic dendritic cells. This Ag was also up-regulated on T cells and thymocytes within 24 to 48 h after activation. We then investigated whether the Ag identified by MTS 23 may represent a functional accessory molecule. MTS 23 was able to block up to 75% of T cell proliferation in soluble anti-CD3 and Ag-induced responses in a dose-dependent manner, but not under conditions in which no APCs were required. The molecule detected by this mAb has an apparent molecular mass of 120 kDa under reducing and nonreducing conditions. On the basis of these molecular properties and expression pattern, it is therefore postulated that MTS 23 may detect a novel accessory molecule important for T cell activation. Its expression on thymic epithelium is consistent with the notion that T cell development is not solely a consequence of unique molecular interactions, but also of signals arising from combinations of interactions involving molecules also expressed extrathymically.

Human thymic epithelial cells: adhesion molecules and cytokine production.

The ability to culture human thymic epithelial cells has greatly facilitated studies of direct cell-cell interaction between thymic epithelial cells and T lymphocytes in vitro, as well as cytokine production and regulation of cytokine production. In vitro, human thymic epithelial cells bind to T lymphocytes via two adhesion pathways: CD2-lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3 and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1-intercellular adhesion molecule-1. Cultured human thymic epithelial cells produce interleukins-1 alpha, -1 beta, -3, -6 and -8, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, leukemia inhibitory factor and transforming growth factor-alpha. Production of thymic epithelial cell-derived cytokines is regulated by both adhesion molecules (lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3) and soluble factors via both autocrine (interleukin-1 alpha, transforming growth factor-alpha) and paracrine (interleukin-4, interferon-gamma) pathways. Transforming growth factor-alpha and epidermal growth factor regulate various cytokine mRNA at a post-transcriptional level by increasing cytokine mRNA stability.

INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTORS (IGFs) STIMULATE VLA-4 INTEGRIN GENE EXPRESSION IN DIFFERENTIATING MOUSE SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS

Muscle cell differentiation is regulated not only by soluble growth factors, but also by cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) and direct cell-cell interactions. VLA-4, a member of the integrin family of cell surface molecules involved in cell-ECM and cell-cell interactions, is expressed in skeletal myocytes and plays an important role in differentiation; antibodies to this integrin inhibit myogenesis. Interactions between growth factor signalling and integrin function, however, are not well understood. To explore potential interactions between the IGFs, known stimulators of myogenesis, and integrin expression in muscle cell differentiation, we examined the effects of IGFs on VLA-4 gene expression In mouse C2C12 and BC3H-1 skeletal muscle cells. Myoblasts were placed in serum-free medium and studied for up to 4 days In the absence or presence of 3-12 nM IGF-I, IGF-II, and [Leu27] IGF-II, an IGF-II analog with markedly reduced affinity for the IGF-I receptor but normal affinity for the IGF-II receptor. IGF-I caused a 3-4 fold increase in VLA-4 mRNA in comparison to untreated cells while IGF-II resulted in a 2-3 fold increase. [Leu27]IGF-II was 25-50% as potent as IGF-II in stimulating VLA-4 mRNA. When comparing the relative temporal expression of IGF-II (the principal IGF peptide expressed by muscle cells) with that of VLA-4 during differentiation, an increase in IGF-II mRNA preceded that of VLA-4 by approximately 24 h. These data suggest that IGFs, acting principally through the IGF-I receptor, stimulate muscle cell differentiation, at least in part, by Increasing expression of the VLA-4 integrin.

Non-MHC-restricted T-cell interaction with B cells: role of the T-cell receptor.

Non-specific antibody production usually accompanies the T-cell-regulated B-cell response. In this paper the mechanisms involved in non-MHC-restricted T-B-cell interaction were studied. As previously shown for NK cells, activated B cells induce IFN-gamma and TNF alpha production in non-MHC-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (NrCTL). Using an in vitro model system, we demonstrate that direct cell-cell interactions are required to induce these cytokines in NrCTL. Receptor ligand systems involved are leucocyte function antigen-1/intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (LFA-1/ICAM-1)(CD11a, CD18/CD54), T11/LFA-3 (CD2/CD58), and the clonotypic T-cell receptor (TCR) structure NKTa of JT9/JT10 with its non-MHC-related target antigen TNKtar (4F2). Cytokine production can be induced by activating monoclonal antibodies against CD2R. Antibodies against the clonotypic TCR (NKTa) or CD3 had no cytokine-inducing effect on NrCTL cultured alone, but were able to retrieve the effect of blocking the target antigen on co-cultured B cells. We could further demonstrate that the inhibition of the TCR/target antigen interaction could be overcome by close cell-cell contact culture conditions. From these findings it is concluded that the role of the TCR in non-MHC-restricted cell-cell interaction is to facilitate LFA-1/ICAM-1-mediated effector target adhesion in a specific way rather than to mediate direct activating signals upon lymphokine production or cytotoxicity.

Growth and branching morphogenesis of rat collecting duct anlagen in the absence of metanephrogenic mesenchyme

Abstract The growth and differentiation of the epithelium in many tissues is mediated by interactions with the adjacent mesenchyme, but the mechanisms responsible remain undefined. To identify the factors involved in the growth and branching morphogenesis of ureteric bud, which is the collecting duct anlagen, buds from 13-gestation-day rat embryos were separated from the metanephrogenic mesenchyme and explanted to culture dishes coated with gelled type I collagen in a defined medium. Under these conditions buds attached to the substrate and grew out without indication of cell senescence. When buds were instead suspended in gelled type I collagen, branching morphogenesis was observed despite the absence of mesenchyme although it was not as extensive as in vivo. Since growth occurred much more slowly in culture than expected, culture conditions were varied in attempts to accelerate the process. Despite extensive screening of matrices and growth factors, only epidermal and endothelial cell growth factors stimulated growth to a significant extent. Transforming growth factor-β, on the other hand, was a potent inhibitor of growth. Homogenates from tumors that caricature metanephrogenic mesenchyme were highly mitogenic for bud cells and, thus, will be a source of material for characterizing regulatory factors involved in renal growth. These studies show that growth and branching morphogenesis of the ureteric bud can occur without direct cell-cell interactions with the metanephrogenic mesenchyme and that matrices and factors secreted by the mesenchyme may mediated these activities in vivo.