Tag Expression Research Articles

Immunosuppression via Tenascin-C.

Immunosuppression via Tenascin-C.

Abstract 4054: Mast cells contribute to T cell tolerance against prostate cancer- associated antigens favoring tumor growth

Abstract Treatments for hormone refractory and metastatic prostate cancer (PC) still remain palliative. Also tumor specific vaccinations when tested in the clinical setting showed results lower than expected. A major limitation to active immunotherapy relies on mechanisms of tolerance adopted by the tumor. Indeed, an immunosuppressive environment is established in PC patients, as well as in the TRAMP mouse model of PC, in which peripheral T cell tolerance to the tumor-associated antigen Tag is acquired early during neoplastic transformation, with mechanisms that still need to be fully clarified. Mast cells (MCs) have been described to mediate immunological tolerance in transplantation and in several disease models, including cancer. We have demonstrated their involvement in early stage of PC development. Therefore, we investigated whether immunosuppression is part of their supporting adenocarcinoma outgrowth in TRAMP mice. We crossed TRAMP mice with KitWsh mice, genetically lacking MCs, and followed tumor growth and Tag-specific CD8+ T cells response after immunization, measured as in vivo lytic activity or ex vivo cytokine production. MCs depletion restrained adenocarcinoma growth in about 70% of mice that at 30 weeks of age only showed evidences of intraepithelial neoplasia or local in situ well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. These lesions were much different from those raised in MCs-sufficient age-matched TRAMP counterparts that developed poor-differentiated multifocal invasive carcinoma. Notably, reduced tumor onset and aggressiveness correlated with improved immune surveillance. Indeed, 16 weeks old KitWsh-TRAMP mice matched for the size of prostatic lesions and for Tag expression, were able to mount a Tag-specific CTL response, whereas their TRAMP counterparts were tolerant. Reconstitution of KitWsh-TRAMP with bone marrow-derived MCs restored complete T cell tolerance. Interestingly, treatment of TRAMP mice with Cromolyn, a compound that inhibit MCs degranulation, had no effect on Tag-specific immune response while partially inhibited tumor growth. These results suggest that independent mechanisms may regulate local immunosuppression and tumor promotion by MCs. They also hint that surface receptors, rather than soluble mediators, are involved in MCs-mediated T cell tolerance. MCs contribute to the maintenance of an immunosuppressive environment, favoring the growth of well-differentiated prostate adenocarcinoma. This open the way for the identification of new therapeutic approaches in PC, aimed at coupling MCs targeting with other immunotherapeutic strategies. Citation Format: Elena Jachetti, Alice Rigoni, Lucia Bongiovanni, Claudio Tripodo, Mario P. Colombo. Mast cells contribute to T cell tolerance against prostate cancer- associated antigens favoring tumor growth. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4054. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4054

New shuttle vector-based expression system to generate polyhistidine-tagged fusion proteins in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Four Staphylococcus aureus-Escherichia coli shuttle vectors were constructed for gene expression and production of tagged fusion proteins. Vectors pBUS1-HC and pTSSCm have no promoter upstream of the multiple cloning site (MCS), and this allows study of genes under the control of their native promoters, and pBUS1-Pcap-HC and pTSSCm-Pcap contain the strong constitutive promoter of S. aureus type 1 capsule gene 1A (Pcap) upstream of a novel MCS harboring codons for the peptide tag Arg-Gly-Ser-hexa-His (rgs-his6). All plasmids contained the backbone derived from pBUS1, including the E. coli origin ColE1, five copies of terminator rrnB T1, and tetracycline resistance marker tet(L) for S. aureus and E. coli. The minimum pAMα1 replicon from pBUS1 was improved through either complementation with the single-strand origin oriL from pUB110 (pBUS1-HC and pBUS1-Pcap-HC) or substitution with a pT181-family replicon (pTSSCm and pTSSCm-Pcap). The new constructs displayed increased plasmid yield and segregational stability in S. aureus. Furthermore, pBUS1-Pcap-HC and pTSSCm-Pcap offer the potential to generate C-terminal RGS-His6 translational fusions of cloned genes using simple molecular manipulation. BcgI-induced DNA excision followed by religation converts the TGA stop codon of the MCS into a TGC codon and links the rgs-his6 codons to the 3' end of the target gene. The generation of the rgs-his6 codon-fusion, gene expression, and protein purification were demonstrated in both S. aureus and E. coli using the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance gene erm(44) inserted downstream of Pcap. The new His tag expression system represents a helpful tool for the direct analysis of target gene function in staphylococcal cells.

Abstract A16: Overexpression and ubiquitination of kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) in human colon tumor cells

Abstract Kinase Suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) is required for oncogenic Ras-induced transformation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and human colon tumor cells, but is dispensable for normal cellular development. It is also overexpressed in a variety of human tumors, including human colon tumor cells. Seven human colon tumor cell lines with mutated and activated Ras (GEO, CBS, FET, SW480, HCT15, DLD1, and HCT116), one with wild type Ras (CaCo2), and non-transformed human colonic epithelial cells (HCECs) were assessed for KSR1 by western blot. Compared to HCECs, all eight tumor cell lines showed a marked decrease in electrophoretic motility. Seven of eight cell lines had a clear increase in KSR1 expression regardless of Ras mutation status. The purpose of the study is to examine the mechanism by which KSR1 is up-regulated in cancer cells. Previous studies indicate that KSR proteins interact with multiple E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes including members homologous to the E6AP carboxyl terminus (HECT) domain family and the really interesting new gene (RING) family, including Cullin (Cul) 1, Cul4A, Cul4B, Cul7, damage-specific DNA binding protein 1 (DDB1), and DDB1-Cullin associating factor 1 (DCAF1), and ubiquitin protein ligase E3 component N-recognin 5 (UBR5/EDD1). Using tagged expression vectors and immunoprecipitation techniques, we investigated whether KSR1 is a substrate or a component of E3 ligase complexes. Both FLAG-tagged and endogenous KSR1 are ubiquitinated in the human colon tumor cell line, HCT-116. In HEK 293T cells, truncated KSR1 constructs were used to determine that KSR1 ubiquitination is dependent on the presence of the putative kinase domain in the C-terminal region. Furthermore, the kinase domain is sufficient for KSR1 ubiquitination by Cul4A/4B RING ligases (CRLs); however, silencing of Cul4A/4B by RNAi does not inhibit KSR1 ubiquitination. These data indicate that multiple Cullin family members may function to ubiquitinate KSR1. Additionally, KSR1 does not exclusively bind to Cullins, but also interacts with other components of the multi-subunit CRLs, including DDB1 and DCAF1. Therefore, KSR1 may not only be a direct substrate but also a member of the large complex helping to modulate activity of the CRL. Overall, these data suggest that Cul4A/4B-dependent ubiquitination of the KSR1 putative kinase may function to modulate KSR1-dependent signaling. Citation Format: Jamie L. McCall, Ken Kono, Kurt W. Fisher, Manabu Furukawa, Robert E. Lewis. Overexpression and ubiquitination of kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) in human colon tumor cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on RAS Oncogenes: From Biology to Therapy; Feb 24-27, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2014;12(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A16. doi: 10.1158/1557-3125.RASONC14-A16

HGF/Met Signaling Is a Key Player in Malignant Mesothelioma Carcinogenesis.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a highly aggressive cancer related to asbestos or erionite exposure and resistant to current therapies. Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) and its tyrosine kinase receptor Met regulate cell growth, survival, motility/migration, and invasion. HGF and Met are expressed in MM cells, suggesting that the HGF/Met signaling plays a role in development and progression of this tumor, by autocrine and/or paracrine mechanisms. Upregulation and ligand-independent activation of Met, which is under suppressive control of miR-34 family members, correlate with enhanced invasion, migration and metastatic potential in several cancers, including MM. Moreover, Simian Virus 40 (SV40) Tag expression also induces a HGF autocrine circuit in an Rb-dependent manner in human mesothelial cells (HM) and possibly other cell types, enhancing cell adhesion, invasion and angiogenesis. The resulting activation of Met causes HM transformation and cell cycle progression, and contributes to virus particle assembling and infection of adjacent cells. The constitutive activation of Met, frequently occurring in MM, has been successfully targeted in preclinical models of MM. In conclusion, Met expression, activation state, subcellular localization and also HGF co-receptors expression, such as CD44, have clinical relevance for novel targeted therapies in a cancer for which no effective treatment is currently available.

High-frequency aberrantly methylated targets in pancreatic adenocarcinoma identified via global DNA methylation analysis using methylCap-seq.

BackgroundExtensive reprogramming and dysregulation of DNA methylation is an important characteristic of pancreatic cancer (PC). Our study aimed to characterize the genomic methylation patterns in various genomic contexts of PC. The methyl capture sequencing (methylCap-seq) method was used to map differently methylated regions (DMRs) in pooled samples from ten PC tissues and ten adjacent non-tumor (PN) tissues. A selection of DMRs was validated in an independent set of PC and PN samples using methylation-specific PCR (MSP), bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP), and methylation sensitive restriction enzyme-based qPCR (MSRE-qPCR). The mRNA and expressed sequence tag (EST) expression of the corresponding genes was investigated using RT-qPCR.ResultsA total of 1,131 PC-specific and 727 PN-specific hypermethylated DMRs were identified in association with CpG islands (CGIs), including gene-associated CGIs and orphan CGIs; 2,955 PC-specific and 2,386 PN-specific hypermethylated DMRs were associated with gene promoters, including promoters containing or lacking CGIs. Moreover, 1,744 PC-specific and 1,488 PN-specific hypermethylated DMRs were found to be associated with CGIs or CGI shores. These results suggested that aberrant hypermethylation in PC typically occurs in regions surrounding the transcription start site (TSS). The BSP, MSP, MSRE-qPCR, and RT-qPCR data indicated that the aberrant DNA methylation in PC tissue and in PC cell lines was associated with gene (or corresponding EST) expression.ConclusionsOur study characterized the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in PC and identified DMRs that were distributed among various genomic contexts that might influence the expression of corresponding genes or transcripts to promote PC. These DMRs might serve as diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets for PC.

Aberrant Proliferation of Differentiating Alveolar Cells Induces Hyperplasia in Resting Mammary Glands of SV40-TAg Transgenic Mice.

WAP-T1 transgenic mice express SV40-TAg under control of the whey acidic protein (WAP) promoter, which directs activity of this strong viral oncogene to luminal cells of the mammary gland. Resting uniparous WAP-T1 glands develop hyperplasia composed of TAg positive cells prior to appearance of advanced tumor stages. We show that cells in hyperplasia display markers of alveolar differentiation, suggesting that TAg targets differentiating cells of the alveolar compartment. The glands show significant expression of Elf5 and milk genes (Lalba, Csn2, and Wap). TAg expressing cells largely co-stain with antibodies to Elf5, lack the epithelial marker Sca1, and are hormone receptor negative. High expression levels of Elf5 but not of milk genes are also seen in resting glands of normal BALB/c mice. This indicates that expression of Elf5 in resting WAP-T1 glands is not specifically induced by TAg. CK6a positive luminal cells lack TAg. These cells co-express the markers prominin-1, CK6a, and Sca1, and are positive for hormone receptors. These hormone sensitive cells localize to ducts and seem not to be targeted by TAg. Despite reaching an advanced stage in alveolar differentiation, the cells in hyperplasia do not exit the cell cycle. Thus, expression of TAg in conjunction with regular morphogenetic processes of alveologenesis seem to provide the basis for a hormone independent, unscheduled proliferation of differentiating cells in resting glands of WAP-T1 transgenic mice, leading to the formation of hyperplastic lesions.

Polyomavirus BK-encoded microRNA suppresses autoregulation of viral replication

Polyomavirus BK (BKV) infection is an important cause of renal allograft failure. Viral microRNAs are known to play a crucial role in viral replication. This study investigated the expression of BKV-encoded microRNAs (miR-B1) in patients with polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN) and their role in viral replication. Following BKV infection in renal proximal tubular cells, the 3p and 5p miR-B1 levels were significantly increased. Cells transfected with the vector containing the miR-B1 precursor (the miR-B1 vector) showed a significant increase in expression of 3p and 5p miR-B1 and decrease in luciferase activity of a reporter containing the 3p and 5p miR-B1 binding sites, compared to cells transfected with the miR-B1-mutated vector. Transfection of the miR-B1 expression vector or the 3p and 5p miR-B1 oligonucleotides inhibited expression of TAg. TAg-enhanced promoter activity and BKV replication were inhibited by miR-B1. In contrast, inhibition of miR-B1 expression by addition of miR-B1 antagomirs or silencing of Dicer upregulated the expression of TAg and VP1 proteins in BKV-infected cells. Importantly, patients with PVAN had significantly higher levels of 3p and 5p miR-B1 compared to renal transplant patients without PVAN. In conclusion, we demonstrated that (1) miR-B1 expression was upregulated during BKV infection and (2) miR-B1 suppressed TAg-mediated autoregulation of BKV replication. Use of miR-B1 can be evaluated as a potential treatment strategy against BKV infection.

An influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) epitope inserted in and expressed from several loci of the infectious bursal disease virus genome induces HA-specific antibodies

The N-terminus of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) VP5 has been shown to be capable of tolerating the insertion of small epitopes. The objective of the present study was to determine if IBDV genomic sites, including the 5' end of vp5, could carry an influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) epitope. HA-expressing IBDVs were generated when the HA epitope was fused to the N-terminus of VP5 (HA5-IBDV) or VP4 (HA4-IBDV) or the C-terminus of VP1 (1HA-IBDV). Viral titers obtained after co-transfection with cDNA from the ha-containing segment and the complementary genomic segment were 1.3 × 10(4), 3.7 × 10(3) and 3.8 × 10(4) pfu/ml for HA5-IBDV, HA4-IBDV and 1HA-IBDV, respectively. The HA tag expression remained stable after 10 passages when the tag gene was inserted into the vp4 and vp1 genes. HA-IBDVs did not cause pathogenicity in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. However, only HA4-IBDV and 1HA-IBDV induced HA-specific antibodies, which were measured by ELISA with a maximum optical density (OD) value of 0.701 and 0.769, respectively, at 24 days after infection. Thus, IBDV can potentially be employed as a bivalent viral vector when the epitope is fused with VP4 or VP1.

A novel approach for separating bacteriophages from other bacteriophages using affinity chromatography and phage display

Practical applications of bacteriophages in medicine and biotechnology induce a great need for technologies of phage purification. None of the popular methods offer solutions for separation of a phage from another similar phage. We used affinity chromatography combined with competitive phage display (i) to purify T4 bacteriophage from bacterial debris and (ii) to separate T4 from other contaminating bacteriophages. In ‘competitive phage display’ bacterial cells produced both wild types of the proteins (expression from the phage genome) and the protein fusions with affinity tags (expression from the expression vectors). Fusion proteins were competitively incorporated into the phage capsid. It allowed effective separation of T4 from a contaminating phage on standard affinity resins.

Abstract A11: Insulin-like growth factor vaccine for the global prevention of adult cancers

Abstract The purpose of this study is to develop a single vaccine that will prevent a variety of different cancers. It functions by reducing the supply of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) required for carcinogenesis. A safe, widely applicable preemptive treatment can greatly curtail cancer deaths. Primary prevention precludes the confounding problems associated with advanced cancer such as its resistance to treatment, its eventual recurrence and the progression to metastatic disease. This novel prevention strategy is based on studies of a small population of individuals in Ecuador who are cancer free their entire lifetime due to genetically low IGF levels. In contrast, 14% of their IGF-replete relatives succumbed to 20 different types of malignancy. That compelling human example of the benefit of reduced IGF activity suggests that the initiation or early progression of many cancers requires IGF. Thus, the objective is to develop protective vaccines to neutralize the multiple activities of IGF that promote oncogenesis. The ultimate goal is to vaccinate at risk adults and achieve the same protection from cancer experienced by the IGF-deficient Ecuadorians. The concept is predicated on the hypothesis that a lingering high level of IGF stimulation is superfluous after adolescence and, in later years, becomes detrimental to health. There are strong survival benefits for its simultaneous mitogenic, hypertrophic and antiapoptotic activities to operate during growth and development. Alas, there is no evolutionary pressure to develop a post-reproductive IGF shutoff mechanism. So, as science and medicine steadily extend the human lifespan, we find ourselves in the dilemma of having to accommodate a persistent pro-cancer hormone with little or no other purpose. This hypothesis fits with the age dependent increase of cancer incidence. Conventional and cutting-edge, nanofiber-based epitope vaccines have been produced to test this idea. They are designed to actively induce antibodies that either neutralize IGF directly or block a key enzyme that regulates IGF bioavailability. The continuous presence of such inhibitory antibodies would keep IGF activity at a constantly low level and thereby preemptively block the development of incipient cancers later in life. Antisera from mice immunized with those vaccines contained epitope-specific IgG antibodies that were reactive with recombinant IGF in ELISA studies. An ultrafiltration method was also used to demonstrate specific binding of recombinant 125I-IGF after incubation with undiluted antiserum versus non-immune control sera (conditions that mimic in vivo therapy). Exploratory tests indicated that the vaccine delayed the appearance of tumors in mice that develop sarcomas due to SV40 Tag expression. Safety is undeniably paramount for any new cancer prevention therapy and apprehension about targeting the ubiquitously expressed IGF is understandable. In terms of human health consequences however, the IGF-deficient Ecuadorians represent a worst-case scenario since they are severely depleted from birth onwards. Although very short due to their life-long IGF deficit, this cancer-free population is surprisingly healthy and long-lived (some >80 years old). Nevertheless, to further ensure safety the IGF-suppressive vaccines will be administered exclusively to fully grown and developed adults. Preemptive vaccination at 40-50 years old would be most effective since a majority of human malignancies occur beyond the age of 60 and because this postponement will circumvent impairment of normal growth or other juvenile functions. The prevention vaccines could be used; 1) for people with a genetic likelihood to develop familial cancer, 2) as an adjuvant following precancerous growth removal, 3) to inhibit relapse for patients in remission, and 4) as a general prophylactic to curtail sporadic, age-dependent cancers. Citation Format: Victor Raso. Insulin-like growth factor vaccine for the global prevention of adult cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr A11.

Gene Trapping Using Gal4 in Zebrafish

Large clutch size and external development of optically transparent embryos make zebrafish an exceptional vertebrate model system for in vivo insertional mutagenesis using fluorescent reporters to tag expression of mutated genes. Several laboratories have constructed and tested enhancer- and gene-trap vectors in zebrafish, using fluorescent proteins, Gal4- and lexA- based transcriptional activators as reporters 1-7. These vectors had two potential drawbacks: suboptimal stringency (e.g. lack of ability to differentiate between enhancer- and gene-trap events) and low mutagenicity (e.g. integrations into genes rarely produced null alleles). Gene Breaking Transposon (GBTs) were developed to address these drawbacks 8-10. We have modified one of the first GBT vectors, GBT-R15, for use with Gal4-VP16 as the primary gene trap reporter and added UAS:eGFP as the secondary reporter for direct detection of gene trap events. Application of Gal4-VP16 as the primary gene trap reporter provides two main advantages. First, it increases sensitivity for genes expressed at low expression levels. Second, it enables researchers to use gene trap lines as Gal4 drivers to direct expression of other transgenes in very specific tissues. This is especially pertinent for genes with non-essential or redundant functions, where gene trap integration may not result in overt phenotypes. The disadvantage of using Gal4-VP16 as the primary gene trap reporter is that genes coding for proteins with N-terminal signal sequences are not amenable to trapping, as the resulting Gal4-VP16 fusion proteins are unlikely to be able to enter the nucleus and activate transcription. Importantly, the use of Gal4-VP16 does not pre-select for nuclear proteins: we recovered gene trap mutations in genes encoding proteins which function in the nucleus, the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane.

Gene Trapping Using Gal4 in Zebrafish

Large clutch size and external development of optically transparent embryos make zebrafish an exceptional vertebrate model system for in vivo insertional mutagenesis using fluorescent reporters to tag expression of mutated genes. Several laboratories have constructed and tested enhancer- and gene-trap vectors in zebrafish, using fluorescent proteins, Gal4- and lexA- based transcriptional activators as reporters 1-7. These vectors had two potential drawbacks: suboptimal stringency (e.g. lack of ability to differentiate between enhancer- and gene-trap events) and low mutagenicity (e.g. integrations into genes rarely produced null alleles). Gene Breaking Transposon (GBTs) were developed to address these drawbacks 8-10. We have modified one of the first GBT vectors, GBT-R15, for use with Gal4-VP16 as the primary gene trap reporter and added UAS:eGFP as the secondary reporter for direct detection of gene trap events. Application of Gal4-VP16 as the primary gene trap reporter provides two main advantages. First, it increases sensitivity for genes expressed at low expression levels. Second, it enables researchers to use gene trap lines as Gal4 drivers to direct expression of other transgenes in very specific tissues. This is especially pertinent for genes with non-essential or redundant functions, where gene trap integration may not result in overt phenotypes. The disadvantage of using Gal4-VP16 as the primary gene trap reporter is that genes coding for proteins with N-terminal signal sequences are not amenable to trapping, as the resulting Gal4-VP16 fusion proteins are unlikely to be able to enter the nucleus and activate transcription. Importantly, the use of Gal4-VP16 does not pre-select for nuclear proteins: we recovered gene trap mutations in genes encoding proteins which function in the nucleus, the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane.

Ligation-independent cloning and self-cleaving intein as a tool for high-throughput protein purification

The rapid production of purified recombinant proteins has become increasingly important for countless applications. Many purification methods involve expression of target proteins in fusion to purification tags, which often must be removed from the target proteins after purification. Recently, engineered inteins have been used to create convenient self-cleaving tags for tag removal. Although intein methods can greatly simplify protein purification, commercially available expression vectors still rely on conventional restriction/ligation cloning methods for target gene insertion. We have streamlined this process by introducing Ligation-Independent Cloning (LIC) capability to our intein expression plasmids, which provides a simple method for constructing self-cleaving tag-target gene fusions. In this work, we demonstrate efficient gene insertion via this system, as well as target protein expression and purification consistent with previously reported results. Through this newly developed system, arbitrary protein genes can be rapidly incorporated into self-cleaving tag expression vectors, and their products purified using convenient platform methods.

Abstract LB-322: Synergistic effects of FOXO3 and AR to increase tolerogenicity of tumor associated dendritic cells.

Abstract The immune system has the ability to recognize and destroy cancerous cells long before they grow, multiply and form tumors. However, once tumors develop they severely suppress anti-tumor immune responses. The underlying causes of immune suppression are complex and not completely understood. Recent studies indicate that tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADC) within the tumor microenvironment (TME) are key regulators of cytotoxic T-cell (CTL)function and may serve as a critical target for immunotherapy. The TADC-T cell interaction results in T-cell tolerance that is regulated by DC expression of the transcription factor Forkhead Box O3 (FOXO3). FOXO3 is a transcriptional regulator of a variety of processes associated with cell cycle progression as well as regulation of nuclear receptors, including the androgen receptor (AR). Androgen stimulation of tumor cells has been shown to promote tumor growth and androgen deprivation therapy is the standard of care to treat aggressively growing prostate cancers. However, less is known regarding the impact of androgen signaling on immune cell function in the TME. In this study we show a potential combined effect of AR signaling and FOXO3 to promote tolerogenic functions in TADC. Our preliminary data, using the TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP), a murine model of spontaneous prostate cancer, showed that prostates in FOXO3−/− TRAMP mice grew at half the rate compared to prostate tumors of the wild type TRAMP mice, in spite of equivalent expression of SV40 TAg. Additionally, TADC that infiltrated the FOXO3−/- tumors had minimal AR expression, were capable of stimulating T cell proliferation, and most importantly, did not promote CTL tolerance. In contrast, DC purified from wild type TRAMP had increased expression of AR and FOXO3 and were highly tolerogenic. However, upon silencing FOXO3 via siRNA, tolerogenicity subsided and AR expression was down regulated. To test the effect of androgen signaling on DC function, normal prostate dendritic cells were treated with increasing doses of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It was observed, that FOXO3 expression and tolerogenicity increased with increased concentrations of DHT and AR stimulation. Furthermore, TRAMP mice had a significant increase, over that of wild type mice, in testosterone levels in the seminal vesicle fluid (measured by ELISA) and prostate tissue (measured by RT-PCR). Surgical castration of TRAMP mice abrogated FOXO3 and AR expression and up-regulated co-stimulatory molecules and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-12 in dendritic cells. These data suggest a synergistic effect between FOXO3 and AR to promote DC mediated immune suppression in the prostate TME and may be critical targets to enhance therapies in the treatment of prostate cancer. Citation Format: Matthew Thompson, Stephanie Watkins, Arthur A. Hurwitz. Synergistic effects of FOXO3 and AR to increase tolerogenicity of tumor associated dendritic cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-322. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-322

Putting a Handle on the Pump: Translational Fusion of an Nterminal TAP tag to the Plasma Membrane Proton Pump AHA1

The Arabidopsis plasma membrane proton P‐type ATPases AHA1 and AHA2 are responsible for generating a proton motive force across the plasma membrane and are essential for successful embryo development. We report the translational fusion of AHA1 to a tandem affinity purification tag and stable expression of the tagged protein in transgenic double aha1/aha2 knockout plants. TAP tagged AHA1 complements the double knockout lethality, Western blots show the protein is targeted to the plasma membrane, and plants grow normally under standard conditions. An affinity purification mass spectrometry (APMS) workflow was used to identify proteins that co‐purify with TAP tagged AHA1 from plasma membrane enriched fractions. We identified two proteins co‐enriched with AHA1 by label free MS and an additional 17 using a metabolically labeled approach. Several of the proteins identified are consistent with previous literature on AHA1 protein interactions, while others are novel. In conclusion, we have generated transgenic Arabidopsis lines in which a TAP tagged AHA1 has complemented all endogenous AHA1 and AHA2 function and have shown that these plants can be used to specifically purify AHA1 and identify in planta interacting proteins by mass spectrometry.

Ferroportin Q248H Mutation Protects From HIV-1 Infection in Vitro

AbstractAbstract 993Ferroportin is the only iron exporter expressed in mammalian cells, and hepcidin produced by the liver binds to ferroportin leading to its internalization and degradation by lysosomes. We recently reported that expression of ferroportin in 293T cells transfected with HIV-1 LTR-LacZ and Tat expression vector led to decreased HIV transcription, possibly by reducing availability of intracellular iron, and that exposure to hepcidin restored HIV transcription1. The Q248H mutation in ferroportin has an allele frequency of 2.2–13.4% in African populations and is associated with a mild tendency to increased serum ferritin in the general population. The ferroportin Q248H mutation was reported to associate with lower hepcidin levels in HIV-1 infected Rwandese women2. We also recently showed that ferroportin Q248H mutant has reduced sensitivity to physiologic hepcidin concentrations. We expressed WT and Q248H mutant ferroportin in 293T cells that express very low levels of endogenous ferroportin. We also expressed ferroportin C326Y, a mutant that is not sensitive to hepcidin. We analyzed the effect of ferroportin Q248H on cellular Intracellular ferritin levels which reflect the amount of iron stored within the cells. 293T cells were transfected with ferroportin expressing vectors, incubated with ferric ammonium citrate as a source of iron, pretreated with cycloheximide to stop de-novo protein synthesis and then treated with 30 nM hepcidin. Ferritin levels increased significantly in the cells expressing WT ferroportin and treated with hepcidin (Fig.1A). In contrast, ferritin levels remained the same in untreated and hepcidin treated cells expressing ferroportin Q248H or C326Y (Fig.1A). This observation suggests continuing iron export by ferroportin Q248H with low dose hepcidin. HIV-1 transcription can be induced in 293T cells by co-expression of HIV-1 LTR reporter construct and HIV-1 Tat expression vector (Fig.1B, lane 2). HIV-1 Tat binds to TAR RNA located in the beginning of HIV-1 transcript and facilitates a recruitment of a host cell transcription elongation factor, CDK9/cyclin T1, inducing efficient elongation of HIV-1 transcription. Expression of ferroportin WT, Q248H or C326Y mutant inhibited Tat –induced HIV-1 transcription in comparison to non-relevant control (Fig.1B, lanes 3, 4, 6 and 8). Treatment with physiological hepcidin concentrations reversed the inhibition of Tat-induced HIV-1 transcription by WT but not the Q248H or C326Y mutant ferroportin (Fig.1B, lanes 5, 7 and 9). In this experiment, we utilized c-myc tagged ferroportin expression vectors as in our previous study1. We also obtained very similar results with EGFP-fused ferroportin expression, which also allowed an easier detection of reduction in ferroportin expression in the presence of hepcidin. Finally, we also isolated monocytes from two subjects, one with heterozygote and one with homozygote ferroportin Q248H. Monocytes were infected ex-vivo with pseudotyped HIV-1 virus expressing luciferase. HIV-1 replication was reduced in primary monocytes with heterozygote and homozygote ferroportin Q248H as compared to a control. Ferroportin glutamine 248 is located within the intracellular loop (residues 228–307), in close proximity to lysine residues 229–269 which ubiquitination promotes ferroportin internalization3. Future studies should address the details of ubiquitination of human ferroportin Q248H compared to WT ferroportin. An added protection value could be observed lower hepcidin expression levels in HIV-1 infected individuals with the ferroportin Q248H2. Further studies are needed to uncover a mechanism of this reduced hepcidin expression. Further molecular analysis is needed to understand the mechanism of ferroportin Q248H internalization. Taken together, our study shows that the ferroportin Q248H that has a reduced sensitivity to hepcidin may offer an additional protection from HIV-1. [Display omitted] [Display omitted] Acknowledgments.This work was supported NIH Research Grants SC1GM082325, R25 HL003679, 2G12RR003048, 8G12MD007597, K25GM097501 and 1P30HL107253. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Immortalized porcine liver sinusoidal endothelial cells: an in vitro model of xenotransplantation‐induced thrombocytopenia

Xenotransplantation has the potential to solve the critical shortage of human organs available for allotransplantation. The major barrier to porcine liver xenotransplantation is sequestration of human platelets causing thrombocytopenia. Porcine liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) bind and phagocytose human platelets at least in part through binding of the asialoglycoprotein receptor 1 (ASGR1). Our purpose was to generate an immortalized porcine LSEC (iLSEC) line that mimics primary LSEC in ASGR1 expression and phagocytosis of human platelets. Porcine iLSEC would enable continued study of xenotransplantation-induced thrombocytopenia in vitro with fewer animals sacrificed. Primary domestic porcine LSEC were transduced with lentiviral vector expressing the large and small T antigen of SV40 (SV40 TAg). The phenotype and genotype of the immortalized LSEC were compared with primary LSEC. A total of eight clones expressing SV40 TAg were isolated, and one clone was subcultured and analyzed for growth, phenotype, and function during passages 15-40. Expression of the SV40 TAg was confirmed by confocal microscopy and western blot. MTS cell proliferation assay demonstrated that the clone rapidly grew in culture medium with 2-10% fetal bovine serum. iLSEC expressed the endothelial cell marker, CD31, as determined by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Activation of iLSEC by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in upregulation of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin 6 (IL 6) by qPCR and ELISA. iLSEC phagocytosed human serum albumin and latex beads as measured by flow cytometry. Human platelets were phagocytosed by immortalized porcine LSEC. Immortalized porcine LSEC retain a phagocytic phenotype, making them a good model for the study of xenotransplantation-induced thrombocytopenia and may provide further insight into the phagocytic role of LSEC.

Systematic dissection and optimization of inducible enhancers in human cells using a massively parallel reporter assay

Learning to read and write the transcriptional regulatory code is of central importance to progress in genetic analysis and engineering. Here, we describe a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) that enables systematic dissection of transcriptional regulatory elements by integrating microarray-based DNA synthesis and high-throughput tag sequencing. We apply MPRA to compare more than 27,000 distinct variants of two inducible enhancers in human cells: a synthetic cAMP-regulated enhancer and the virus-inducible interferon beta enhancer. We first show that the resulting data define accurate maps of functional transcription factor binding sites in both enhancers at single-nucleotide resolution. We then use the data to train quantitative sequence-activity models (QSAMs) of the two enhancers. We show that QSAMs from two cellular states can be combined to identify novel enhancer variants that optimize potentially conflicting objectives, such as maximizing induced activity while minimizing basal activity.

Expression of the affinity tags, glutathione-S-transferase and maltose-binding protein, in tobacco chloroplasts

Chloroplast transformation offers an exciting platform for the safe, inexpensive and large-scale production of recombinant proteins in plants. An important advantage for the isolation of proteins produced in the chloroplast would be the use of affinity tags for rapid purification by affinity chromatography. To date, only His-tags have been used. In this study, we have tested the feasibility of expressing two additional affinity tags: glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and a His-tagged derivative of the maltose-binding protein (His₆-MBP). By using the chloroplast 16S rRNA promoter and 5' untranslated region of phage T7 gene 10, GST and His₆-MBP were expressed in homoplastomic tobacco plants at approximately 7% and 37% of total soluble protein, respectively. GST could be purified by one-step-affinity purification using a glutathione column. Much better recoveries were obtained for His₆-MBP by using a twin-affinity purification procedure involving first immobilised nickel followed by binding to amylose. Interestingly, expression of GST led to cytoplasmic male sterility. Overall, our work expands the tools available for purifying recombinant proteins from the chloroplast.