Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Apoptosis of peripheral blood T cells plays an important role in the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In this study, we found that HIV type 1 (HIV-1) primes CD4(+) T cells from healthy donors for apoptosis, which occurs after CD95 ligation or CD3-T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. CD95-mediated death did not depend on CD4 T-cell infection, since it occurred in the presence of the reverse transcriptase inhibitor didanosine (ddI). In contrast, apoptosis induced by productive infection (CD3-TCR stimulation) is prevented by both CD95 decoy receptor and ddI. Our data suggest that HIV-1 triggers at least two distinct death pathways: a CD95-dependent pathway that does not require viral replication and a viral replication-mediated cell death independent of the CD95 pathway. Further experiments indicated that saquinavir, a protease inhibitor, at a 0.2 microM concentration, decreased HIV-mediated CD95 expression and thus cell death, which is independent of its role in inhibiting viral replication. However, treatment of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors with a higher concentration (10 microM) of an HIV protease inhibitor, saquinavir or indinavir, induced both a loss in mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) and cell death. Thus, protease inhibitors have the potential for both beneficial and detrimental effects on CD4(+) T cells independent of their antiretroviral effects.
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PMID:Effects of antiretroviral drugs on human immunodeficiency virus type 1-induced CD4(+) T-cell death. 1202 29

The role of the Fas/FasL system in ANCA-associated vasculitis is unclear. We therefore assessed levels of soluble Fas (sFas) in sera and Fas expression on mononuclear cells from patients with ANCA-positive vasculitis and compared the results with those found in other rheumatic diseases. Serum levels of sFas were determined by ELISA. The ANCA-positive vasculitis patients studied included 29 at onset, 17 in first remission while on therapy, and 12 in quiescence. For comparison, 10 patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS), 14 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 29 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 7 patients on dialysis (DP), and 26 healthy controls (HC) were studied. In addition, Fas expression in mononuclear cells was examined at the mRNA level using reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR in 6 vasculitis patients at onset and in first remission. The expression of CD95 on the surface of leukocytes was determined by flow cytometry in 6 vasculitis patients at onset of the disease, in 6 patients in clinical remission, and in 6 HC. Expression of Fas and FasL in renal biopsy specimens was studied using immunohistochemistry. Patients with vasculitis had high sFas levels irrespective of disease phase. Both vasculitis patients and patients with RA and SLE had significantly increased sFas levels compared with healthy controls. All patient groups had sFas levels, which correlated with raised serum creatinine values. However, the sFas levels in vasculitis patients in first remission and in quiescence were increased despite a lower serum creatinine compared with onset. Some of the vasculitis patients showed an increased mRNA expression of Fas in mononuclear cells after treatment, suggesting that Fas production fluctuates with the intensity of the disease. The expression of CD95 on leukocytes was slightly decreased in vasculitis patients compared to healthy controls. No alterations of Fas and FasL expression were seen in renal biopsy specimens. These results show that ANCA-positive vasculitis patients have high sFas levels and that the levels remain elevated even in clinical remission. The findings indicate that perturbations in the Fas/Fas ligand system may play a role in the disease process in ANCA vasculitis.
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PMID:Serum sFAS levels are elevated in ANCA-positive vasculitis compared with other autoimmune diseases. 1214 96

Nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (NL) frequently co-expresses Fas (Apo-1/CD95) and Fas ligand (FasL), but the tumor cells seldom undergo apoptosis. To determine the reason for failure of apoptosis, we examined Fas mRNA expression in 23 NL cases by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and sequenced the entire coding region of the Fas gene in 15 of these cases for which the full-length Fas cDNA could be amplified. The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that all of the 23 cases expressed Fas mRNA and the sequencing results showed that in addition to the commonly expressed wild-type Fas mRNA and four alternative splice variants detected in 7 cases, mutant Fas transcripts were present in 9 of the 15 (60%) cases sequenced. With confirmation of some Fas mutations at the gene level, 12 deletions in nine cases and one insertion in one case were eventually identified. To rule out any potential polymerase chain reaction artifacts, the same protocol was used to examine 10 reactive tonsils as a control. No aberrant transcripts associated with deletions were detected in these tonsils except for three alternative splice variants. All of the deletion variants detected in NL contained N-terminal preligand assembly domain but not C-terminal death domain and/or transmembrane domain. Co-detection of the wild-type allele and the mutated Fas alleles without the death domain suggested that a dominant-negative mechanism could block the apoptosis signaling. Moreover, loss of the transmembrane domain could protect the tumor cells from apo-ptosis by producing a soluble form of the Fas receptor. The actuarial 3-year survivals leveled off at 15% for patients carrying the Fas mutations and/or splice variants in the lesions and 49% for those carrying the wild type only, but the difference did not reach statistical significance on the univariate analysis (P = 0.396). Taken together, the findings in this study suggest that frequent Fas gene mutations in NL can result in resistance to apoptosis and may contribute to the pathogenesis of NL by adding to the tumor immune privilege.
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PMID:Frequent deletion of Fas gene sequences encoding death and transmembrane domains in nasal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma. 1246 28

HIV-1 protease inhibitors have contributed significantly to the reduction in morbidity and mortality associated with HIV-1 disease. Some of their clinical benefit may be attributed to inhibition of non-viral pathogen proteases and mammalian proteases involved in apoptosis. Our objective was to investigate the effect of HIV-1 protease inhibitors on two different mechanisms of apoptosis in cells not exposed to HIV-1. Modulation of apoptosis induced in U937 or Jurkat cells by CD95 (Fas-ligand) or TNF-alpha was measured using flow cytometry using the 7-AAD and annexin/propidium iodide methods. - HIV-1 protease inhibitors reduced TNF-alpha mediated cell death in a dose-dependent manner, with a maximum inhibition ranging between 38% and 60% observed for 100 microM indinavir. Saquinavir and ritonavir, but not nelfinavir also inhibited TNF-alpha induced cell death. Nevirapine (an HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitor) showed no effect. The TNF-alpha activity was also inhibited by the caspase inhibitors Z-VAD-fmk at concentrations of 10 microM or less, and by DEVD-cmk. In contrast, HIV-1 protease inhibitors did not affect CD95 induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells at any of the concentrations tested. Our findings indicate that HIV-1 protease inhibitors may act on mammalian proteases involved in the regulation of apoptosis; whether this is relevant in the clinical setting remains to be established. Identification of the pathways involved may lead to a better understanding of the clinical impact of this drug class and their role in HAART associated toxicities.
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PMID:Inhibition of TNF-alpha mediated cell death by HIV-1 specific protease inhibitors. 1257 50

A series of human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines, BALM-19, -20, -21, -22, -23 (BALM 19-23) and BALM-26 were established from a patient with B-cell characteristics of ALL L2 type. All cell lines were derived from bone marrow specimens, BALM 19-23 from a sample taken at diagnosisand BALM-26 from one at relapse. Like the original leukemia cells, the established lines present various B-cell characteristics, being positive for cell surface immunoglobulin (Ig) chains but also for nuclear terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase; hence the cell lines should be assigned to B-cell category B-IV. As a unique feature, the cell lines expressed the CD33 myeloid antigen in addition to the common B-cell markers. Heterogeneous antigen expression among the different cell lines was found regarding CD35, CD39, CD45RA, CD78 and CD95. The malignant nature of the cell lines was documented by negativity for the Epstein-Barr virus and by the occurrence of clonal non-random structural chromosome abnormalities. The patient's serum showed hypercalcemia, prompting further investigation of the established cell lines which expressed parathyroid hormone related peptide (PTHrP) mRNA as examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The established B-cell ALL sister cell lines, BALM 19-23 and BALM-26, could provide useful material for clarifying the pathogenesis of this type of B-cell malignancy. The scientific significance of this panel of cell lines lies in the availability of a series of clonally derived but phenotypically different sister cell lines established at different phases of the disease.
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PMID:Novel B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia sister cell lines BALM 19-23 and BALM-26 with interclonal proliferative and phenotypic heterogeneity from a patient with hypercalcemia. 1270 46

The expression of CD33, a restricted leukocyte antigen considered specific for myeloid lineage, has been studied extensively on lymphoid cells. We demonstrated that wide subsets of mitogen- or alloantigen-activated human T and natural killer (NK) cells express CD33 at protein and nucleic acid levels. CD33+ and CD33- T and NK cell populations showed identical surface expression of activation markers such as CD25, CD28, CD38, CD45RO, or CD95. Myeloid and lymphoid CD33 cDNA were identical. However, lymphoid CD33 protein had lower molecular weight, suggesting cell type-specific, post-translational modifications. Additionally, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analysis showed an unknown CD33 isoform (CD33m) expressed on all CD33+ cell lines or T cell clones tested. CD33m was identical to CD33 (CD33M) in the signal peptide, the immunoglobulin (Ig) domain C2, the transmembrane, and the cytoplasmic regions but lacked the extracellular ligand-binding variable Ig-like domain encoded by the second exon. CD33m mRNA was mostly detected on NKL and myeloid cell lines but poorly expressed on B cell lines and T lymphocytes. The CD33m extracellular portion was successfully expressed as a soluble fusion protein on transfected human cells, suggesting a functional role on cell membranes. Cross-linking of CD33 diminished the cytotoxic activity of NKL cells against K562 and P815 target cells, working as an inhibitory receptor on NK cells. These data demonstrate that CD33 expression is not restricted to the myeloid lineage and could exist as two different splicing variants, which could play an important role in the regulation of human lymphoid and myeloid cells.
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PMID:A study of CD33 (SIGLEC-3) antigen expression and function on activated human T and NK cells: two isoforms of CD33 are generated by alternative splicing. 1638 Jun 1

Embryonic mouse STO (S, SIM; T, 6-thioguanine resistant; O, ouabain resistant) and 3(8)21-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) cell lines exhibit long-term survival and hepatic progenitor cell behaviour after xenogeneic engraftment in non-immunosuppressed inbred rats, and were previously designated major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I- and class II-negative lines. To determine the molecular basis for undetectable MHC determinants, the expression and haplotype of H-2K, H-2D, H-2L and I-A proteins were reassessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), cDNA sequencing, RNA hybridization, immunoblotting, quantitative RT-PCR (QPCR), immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. To detect cell differentiation (CD) surface antigens characteristic of stem cells, apoptotic regulation or adaptive immunity that might facilitate progenitor cell status or immune privilege, flow cytometry was also used to screen untreated and cytokine [interferon (IFN)-gamma]-treated cultures. Despite prior PCR genotyping analyses suggestive of H-2q haplotypes in STO, 3(8)21-EGFP and parental 3(8)21 cells, all three lines expressed H-2K cDNA sequences identical to those of d-haplotype BALB/c mice, as well as constitutive and cytokine-inducible H-2K(d) determinants. In contrast, apart from H-2L(d[LOW]) display in 3(8)21 cells, H-2Dd, H-2Ld and I-Ad determinants were undetectable. All three lines expressed constitutive and cytokine-inducible CD34; however, except for inducible CD117([LOW]) expression in 3(8)21 cells, no expression of CD45, CD117, CD62L, CD80, CD86, CD90.1 or CD95L/CD178 was observed. Constitutive and cytokine-inducible CD95([LOW]) expression was detected in STO and 3(8)21 cells, but not in 3(8)21-EGFP cells. MHC (class I(+[LOW])/class II-) and CD (CD34+/CD80-/CD86-/CD95L-) expression patterns in STO and STO cell-derived progenitor cells resemble patterns reported for human embryonic stem cell lines. Whether these patterns reflect associations with mechanisms that are regulatory of immune privilege or functional tissue-specific plasticity is unknown.
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PMID:Immune-privileged embryonic Swiss mouse STO and STO cell-derived progenitor cells: major histocompatibility complex and cell differentiation antigen expression patterns resemble those of human embryonic stem cell lines. 1683 18


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