Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

---

Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Murine mast cell proliferation and maturation are regulated by two distinct cytokines, interleukin-3 (IL-3) and the c-kit ligand, stem cell factor (SCF). In this study using cells of the mouse mast cell line, MC/9, the effects of two immunosuppressants, FK506 and cyclosporin A (CsA), were investigated. Withdrawal of IL-3 from the culture medium resulted in loss of viability of MC/9 cells. The addition of SCF in the absence of IL-3 maintained MC/9 cell survival but no cell proliferation was detected. The combined addition of IL-3 and SCF to the culture medium resulted in a more marked MC/9 cell proliferation than the addition of IL-3 alone. FK506 and CsA inhibited the SCF-dependent, but not the IL-3 dependent, stimulatory effects on MC/9 cell proliferation/survival. Apoptotic changes were analyzed using fluorescent staining with acridine orange and DNA electrophoresis. FK506 and CsA inhibited the SCF-dependent rescue effect from apoptosis. Flow cytometry showed that FK506 and CsA did not affect IL-3 receptor expression. However, immunoblot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses indicated that c-kit protein and c-kit mRNA transcripts were increased following the FK506 and CsA treatments in the presence of IL-3. In addition, MC/9 cells pretreated with FK506 or CsA showed an increased adhesiveness to NIH/3T3 cells that express membrane-bound SCF. Neither FK506 nor CsA affected c-kit tyrosine phosphorylation or MAP kinase nuclear translocation of MC/9 cells following SCF stimulation. These results indicate that FK506 and CsA, while inducing c-kit of MC/9 cells, selectively inhibit the SCF-dependent stimulatory effects on MC/9 cell proliferation/survival by a mechanism independent of, or at point(s) distal to, the c-kit-MAP kinase pathway.
...
PMID:FK506 and cyclosporin A inhibit stem cell factor-dependent cell proliferation/survival, while inducing upregulation of c-kit expression in cells of the mast cell line MC/9. 1036 10

The melanoma cell adhesion molecule was identified as a human melanoma-associated antigen that increases in expression as tumors increase in thickness and begin to acquire metastatic potential. Clinical and experimental evidences suggest that the development of metastatic capacity might be the consequence of increased melanoma cell adhesion molecule expression. The mechanisms for upregulation of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule during melanoma progression are, however, still poorly understood. In this study, we show that melanoma cell adhesion molecule expression is tightly regulated at the transcriptional level. Using a combination of CAT reporter assays and semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we observed that cyclic adenosine monophosphate significantly increases transcription of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule in nonmetastatic melanoma cells. In metastatic cells, transcription of the gene was constitutive and could not be further increased by cyclic adenosine monophosphate. On the other hand, melanoma cell adhesion molecule promoter activity was impeded upon treatment with phorbol esters or in the presence of stem cell factor, a phenomenon which was protein kinase C-dependent. Promoter-deletion studies demonstrated that the first 196 nt of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule promoter region are sufficient to get full expression in metastatic melanoma cells. This fragment contains five binding sites for the transcription factor Sp1 and DNA mobility shift experiments showed direct binding of Sp1 to the promoter. In conclusion, our results indicate that Sp1 is sufficient to drive constitutive melanoma cell adhesion molecule expression in metastatic melanoma cells. In nonmetastatic cells, however, melanoma cell adhesion molecule expression is repressed and we speculate that stem cell factor/c-Kit signaling might be responsible for the control of melanoma cell adhesion molecule synthesis, and thus, perhaps, of melanoma progression and metastasis.
...
PMID:Regulation of the melanoma cell adhesion molecule gene in melanoma: modulation of mRNA synthesis by cyclic adenosine monophosphate, phorbol ester, and stem cell fFactor/c-kKit signaling. 1057 24

Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential for the presentation of antigens in the primary immune response. To examine the generation of DCs from hemopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow (BM), lineage-negative (Lin-)/CD71- bone marrow cells (BMCs) from C57BL/6 mice were separated into major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ihigh/ c-kit(low) and MHC class Ihigh/c-kit(low)(phenotypically c-kit-negative, but c-kit message only detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) populations. A large number of cells with the morphological, phenotypical, and functional characteristics of DCs was generated from both c-kit(low) and c-kit(low) populations when cultured with a combination of cytokines (GM-CSF, tumor necrosis factor-a [TNF-a], interleukin 7 [IL-7], IL-3, stem cell factor [SCF], and flt3 ligand); the cytokine combination studies revealed that SCF and IL-3 in addition to GM-CSF and TNF-a are essential for DCs to be generated from these primitive populations. To our surprise most (>80%) generated cells expressed high levels of DC surface markers such as DEC205 and MHC class II, and they were potent stimulators in the primary allogeneic T cell activation. The development of DCs from c-kit(<low) cells was slower than that from c-kit(low) cells. These results indicate that c-kit(<low) cells are more primitive than c-kit(low) cells, although both c-kit*(low) cells and c-kit(<low) cells can differentiate into DCs. It should be noted that the combination of these cytokines selectively induces DCs from both c-kit(<low) and c-kit(low) cells in vitro, suggesting that the ex vivo expansion of DCs using these primitive cells would be applicable to immunotherapy.
...
PMID:Development of mouse dendritic cells from lineage-negative c-kit(low) pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells in vitro. 1066 72

We are interested in the regulation of the tissue specificity of the megakaryocyte-specific platelet glycoprotein IIb gene. The murine embryonic stem (ES) cells are able to differentiate into erythroid, mast and granulomonocytic cells in appropriate culture conditions. Our goal is to optimize the production of myeloid cells including megakaryocytes (MKs) by ES cells. We have found that coculture with MS-5 stromal cells and the presence of a cocktail of hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) [stem cell factor, interleukin 3 (IL-3), IL-6, IL-11, G-CSF and erythropoietin] had a high synergistic activity on differentiation of ES cells into pure and MK-containing myeloid colonies from day 12 embryoid bodies. Thrombopoietin increased the number of MKs only when added to the HGF cocktail in the presence of MS-5 cells. Interestingly, many MKs exhibited a "hairy" appearance evocative of pseudopodial proplatelet formation. Expression of genes specific for the megakaryocytic lineage, GPIIb, PF4, mpl and GPIIIa, was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) during differentiation of ES cells, and their relative time course was evaluated. This demonstrates that optimized culture conditions for the differentiation of ES cells into the MK lineage provide a useful tool for the study of the regulation of expression of genes during megakaryocytopoiesis.
...
PMID:Hematopoietic differentiation of embryonic stem cells: an in vitro model to study gene regulation during megakaryocytopoiesis. 1101 21

The signal initiating ovarian theca cell (TC) differentiation is gonadotropin independent because theca precursor cells do not contain LH receptors. Previously we demonstrated that preantral follicles produce paracrine TC differentiating factors that promote androgen production by an LH-independent mechanism. This study tested the effects of two granulosa cell-produced peptides, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and stem cell factor (SCF), on TC differentiation and androgen production. Neutralizing antibodies to either IGF-I or SCF blocked the stimulatory effects of follicle-conditioned medium on TC precursor differentiation more than 90%. The TC isolated from the ovaries of hypophysectomized immature rats by percoll gradient centrifugation were cultured (48 h) with and without SCF (0-100 ng/ml) and IGF-I (0-100 ng/ml) to test their effects on TC differentiation. Androsterone in the medium was measured by RIA. Luteinizing hormone receptor, steroidogenesis acute regulatory protein (StAR), CYP11A, CYP17, and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) mRNAs were measured by specific reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays. Stem cell factor or IGF-I alone did not stimulate androsterone production but in combination caused a concentration-dependent increase in androsterone levels. Maximum androsterone levels were less than those stimulated by LH (0.1 ng/ml) alone. Although IGF-I synergistically augmented LH stimulation of androsterone production, SCF did not alter LH-stimulated androsterone production in the presence or absence of IGF-I. Stem cell factor alone had no effect on LH receptor, StAR, CYP11A, and 3beta-HSD mRNA expression but decreased CYP17 mRNA levels. Insulin-like growth factor-I alone had no effect on StAR or CYP17 mRNA expression but increased LH receptor, CYP11A, and 3beta-HSD mRNA levels. In combination, SCF plus IGF-I increased the expression of all five mRNAs. These data support the conclusion that IGF-I and SCF are important regulators of TC differentiation.
...
PMID:Stem cell factor and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulate luteinizing hormone-independent differentiation of rat ovarian theca cells. 1115 46

Mast cell hyperplasia is observed in various inflammatory skin diseases. Although the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of these conditions remains largely uninvestigated, it is speculated that mediators produced in the lesional skin provide a favorable microenvironment for mast cell growth. Among the proinflammatory mediators, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), which shares a receptor component (gp130 subunit) with interleukin-6 (IL-6), has been identified as a mast cell growth-enhancing factor produced by cells of the keratinocyte-derived cell line (KCMH-1). In this study, we investigated the effect of four IL-6 family cytokines, IL-6, IL-11, oncostatin M (OSM) and LIF on mast cell growth in a mast cell/fibroblast co-culture system. When mouse bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells (BMMC) were maintained on a NIH/3T3 fibroblast monolayer, these cytokines induced proliferation of the mast cells, but none of the cytokines had any effect on mast cell proliferation in the absence of fibroblasts. mRNA for gp130 and receptors for the four IL-6 family cytokines were detected in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts by reverse transcriptase-mediated polymerase chain reaction. In contrast, only mRNA for the IL-11 receptor and gp130 were detected in BMMC. Tyrosine phosphorylation of gp130 was observed in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts after stimulation with all the cytokines. Some IL-6 family cytokines enhanced the production of stem cell factor (SCF), a potent mast cell growth factor, from NIH/3T3 fibroblasts, but the amount of SCF produced by NIH/3T3 fibroblasts was not paralleled by the mast cell growth-enhancement induced by the IL-6 family cytokines. When anti-SCF antibody was added with the IL-6 family cytokines in the BMMC/fibroblast coculture system, a significant effect of these cytokines remained, although the growth-enhancing activity was markedly reduced. A similar result was obtained when BMMC were prepared from W/W(V)-mice, which lack functional c-kit, in the BMMC/ fibroblast coculture system. These results suggest that IL-6 family cytokines stimulate mast cell growth by a fibroblast-dependent mechanism, and also suggest the existence of another pathway between BMMC and NIH/3T3 fibroblasts cooperating with the SCF/c-kit pathway. IL-6 family cytokines may thus contribute to mast cell hyperplasia in skin diseases.
...
PMID:The IL-6 family cytokines, interleukin-6, interleukin-11, oncostatin M, and leukemia inhibitory factor, enhance mast cell growth through fibroblast-dependent pathway in mice. 1182 Jul 27

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is characterized by the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome and bcr/abl gene rearrangement which occurs in pluripotent hematopoietic progenitor cells expressing the c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT). To elucidate the biological properties of KIT in CML leukemogenesis, we performed analysis of alterations of the c-kit gene and functional analysis of altered KIT proteins. Gene alterations in the c-kit juxtamembrane domain of 80 CML cases were analyzed by reverse transcriptase and polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (RT-PCR-SSCP). One case had an abnormality at codon 564 (AAT --> AAG, Asn --> Lys), and six cases had the same base abnormality at codon 541 (ATG --> CTG, Met --> Leu) in the juxtamembrane domain. Because the change from Met to Leu at codon 541 was a conservative one which was also observed in the normal population and normal tissues of CML patients, it probably represents a polymorphic variation. Although samples of hair roots and leukemic cells from the chronic phase of one CML patient showed no abnormality, an abnormality at codon 541 (ATG --> CTG, Met --> Leu) was found only at blastic crisis (BC) of this case. In the case with the abnormality at codon 564, the mutation was detected only in a sample of leukemic cells collected at BC. To examine the biological consequence and biological significance of these abnormalities, murine KIT(L540) and KIT(K563) expression vectors were introduced into interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine Ba/F3 cells to study their state of tyrosine phosphorylation and their growth rate. Ba/F3 cells expressing KIT(WT), KIT(L540) and KIT(K563) showed dose-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation after treatment with increasing concentrations of recombinant mouse stem cell factor (rmSCF). The cells expressing KIT(L540) and KIT(K563) were found to have greater tyrosine phosphorylation than cells expressing KIT(WT) at 0.1 and 1.0 ng/ml of rmSCF. The Ba/F3 cells expressing KIT(K563) proliferated in response to 0.1 and 1.0 ng/ml of rmSCF as well as IL-3. The Ba/F3 cells expressing KIT(L540)showed a relatively higher proliferative response to 0.1 ng/ml of rmSCF than the response of cells expressing KIT(WT). These mutations and in vitro functional analyses raise the possibility that the KIT abnormalities influence the white blood cell counts (P < 0.05) and survival (P < 0.04) of CML patients.
...
PMID:Abnormality of c-kit oncoprotein in certain patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia--potential clinical significance. 1630 17

Mast cells are immunoregulatory effector cells capable of releasing different mediators and cytokines implicated in inflammatory tissue processes. Previous studies suggested that IL-3 regulates growth and function of murine mast cells and human mast cell precursors, but does not affect mature human mast cells. In the present study, we found expression of IL-3 receptors (IL-3R) in freshly isolated human intestinal mast cells by reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR and in mast cells cultured with stem cell factor (SCF) using RT-PCR and flow cytometry. IL-3R expression was enhanced when the culture medium was supplemented with IL-4 in addition to SCF. In the presence of SCF, IL-3 significantly enhanced mast cell growth in a dose-dependent fashion (179+/-51% of control, p</=0.004, n=9, ED(50) approximately 15 ng/ml) by decreasing mast cell apoptosis rather than inducing proliferation. Furthermore, IL-3 selectively enhanced histamine (from 39.6+/-12.4 to 51.2+/-15.7% specific release, p<0.02, n=8) and leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4), 5.1+/-3.4 to 10.8+/-5.5 ng/10(6) mast cells, p<0.03, n=6) release triggered by IgE receptor cross-linking without affecting prostaglandin D(2) production. In conclusion, our data show that human intestinal mast cells express functional IL-3R, indicating that IL-3 not only regulates growth and function of immature, but also that of mature human mast cells.
...
PMID:Cultured human intestinal mast cells express functional IL-3 receptors and respond to IL-3 by enhancing growth and IgE receptor-dependent mediator release. 1220 44

OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of stem cell factor (SCF) mRNA in primary human leukemia cells and investigate its significance in deciding the prognosis of leukemia patients. METHODS: Primary leukemia cells were isolated form the bone marrow of 49 patients with leukemia, and the expression of SCF mRNA determined by nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Among the 19 patients with acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL), 5 were positive and 14 negative for SCF mRNA. In cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML, n=30), 24 of M1 to M4 subtypes were found positive for SCF mRNA but 4 of M5 subtype and 2 of M6 subtype were negative. There was a significant difference between ALL and AML groups (P<0.05). Eight (27.6%) cases were refractory leukemia in the total of 29 patients who were positive for SCF, while 12 (60.0%) were refractory among the 20 patients negative for SCF (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression rate of SCF was significantly higher in AML than in ALL cases, and the negative expression of SCF mRNA might be indicative of unfavorable prognosis, but the exact mechanism needs futher investigation.
...
PMID:Expression of stem cell factor mRNA in primary leukemia cells. 1242 78

Estrogens are key regulators of sexual differentiation and development in vertebrates. The P450 aromatase (P450arom) is the steroidogenic enzyme responsible for the synthesis of estrogens from androgens. In the adult rat testis, aromatase transcripts and activity have been observed in somatic cells and germ cells, including pachytene spermatocytes (PS) and round spermatids (RS), but little is known concerning regulation of the aromatase gene expression, especially in germ cells. The quality of germ cell preparations was assessed by the absence of androgen-binding protein and stem cell factor transcripts, two specific markers for Sertoli cells. By employing a competitive quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction technique, we confirmed that germ cells contained P450arom transcripts and demonstrated that the aromatase gene was up-regulated by cAMP. Conversely, transforming growth factor (TGF) beta1 inhibited Cyp19 gene expression in a dose- and a time-dependent manner in both PS and RS. The addition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha to purified germ cells induced an increase of the amount of P450arom mRNA in PS, although an inhibitory effect was observed in RS. When PS were treated with dexamethasone (Dex), a similar enhancement of the aromatase transcript level was observed, whereas an inhibitory effect was recorded for RS. Furthermore, in either TGFbeta1- or TNFalpha-treated germ cells, the addition of Dex stimulated the aromatase gene transcription. Experiments using 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends suggested that promoter PII is mainly concerned in the regulation of the aromatase gene expression in germ cells of adult male rats; however, the presence of other promoters could not be excluded.
...
PMID:Regulation of aromatase gene expression in purified germ cells of adult male rats: effects of transforming growth factor beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monosphosphate. 1270 Jan 95


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>

---