Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023418 (leukemia)
93,477 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We report the purification from a rat natural killer (RNK) large granular lymphocyte leukemia of a 32-kD granule protein that induces rapid DNA fragmentation and apoptosis. The protein, which we have called "fragmentin," was capable of causing DNA from intact YAC-1 cells to be cleaved into oligonucleosomal-sized fragments and producing severe chromatin condensation within 1 h. Amino acid sequence of tryptic peptides indicated that fragmentin was highly homologous to the NK and T cell granule serine proteases RNK protease 1 and mouse cytotoxic T cell protease I (CCPI)/granzyme B. Preincubation with the serine esterase inhibitor 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin blocked fragmentin-induced DNA damage, but had no effect on cytolysin. Fragmentin activity against four lymphoma target cells was completely dependent on the presence of cytolysin. Fragmentin produced rapid membrane damage as well as DNA fragmentation at nonlytic cytolysin doses, suggesting that fragmentin activity was not limited to its effects on the nucleus. Fragmentin and cytolysin activity were completely inhibited by EGTA, indicating the process was Ca2+ dependent. A role for cytolysin in endocytosis of fragmentin was suggested by the observation that treatment of YAC-1 with cytochalasin B or sodium azide and 2-deoxyglucose blocked DNA fragmentation but not cytolysin activity. A 30-kD N alpha-CBZ-L-lysine thiobenzyl esterase, which copurified with fragmentin, was inactive on its own but was able to synergistically amplify the DNA damage induced by fragmentin in the presence of cytolysin. Fragmentin activity was not dependent on protein synthesis, as cycloheximide treatment of YAC-1 cells did not prevent DNA damage. We postulate that fragmentin is the molecular mediator of NK cell-mediated DNA fragmentation and apoptosis.
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PMID:A natural killer cell granule protein that induces DNA fragmentation and apoptosis. 173 16

The human T-cell leukemia virus type I Tax protein trans-activates several cellular genes implicated in T-cell replication and activation. To investigate its leukemogenic potential, Tax was targeted to the mature T-lymphocyte compartment in transgenic mice by using the human granzyme B promoter. These mice developed large granular lymphocytic leukemia, demonstrating that expression of Tax in the lymphocyte compartment is sufficient for the development of leukemia. Furthermore, these observations suggest that human T-cell leukemia virus infection may be involved in the development of large granular lymphocytic leukemia.
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PMID:Development of leukemia in mice transgenic for the tax gene of human T-cell leukemia virus type I. 786 33

We have studied the cytotoxic activity of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells transfected with cDNAs for the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) granule components, cytolysin (perforin), granzyme A, and granzyme B. With red cell targets, cytolysin expression conferred potent hemolytic activity, which was not influenced by coexpression of granzymes. With tumor targets, RBL cells expressing cytolysin alone were weakly cytotoxic, but both cytolytic and nucleolytic activity were enhanced by coexpression of granzyme B. RBL cells expressing all three CTL granule components showed still higher cytotoxic activities, with apoptotic target death. Analysis of the cytotoxic activity of individual transfectant clones showed that cytolytic and nucleolytic activity correlated with granzyme expression but was independent of cytolysin expression within the range examined. A synergism between granzymes A and B was apparent when the triple transfectant was compared with RBL cells expressing cytolysin and one granzyme. These data implicate granzymes as the major mediators of tumor target damage by cytotoxic lymphocytes.
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PMID:Synergistic roles of granzymes A and B in mediating target cell death by rat basophilic leukemia mast cell tumors also expressing cytolysin/perforin. 786 27

Human bone marrow transplantation is becoming more common in the treatment of certain forms of cancer despite the scarcity of HLA matched donors. Because human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) has been used as a source for stem cells in bone marrow transplantation, and because NK cells appear to be important in graft versus leukemia response, we investigated the lytic activity of freshly isolated HUCB NK cells (HUCB-NK) against tumor targets and their ability to differentiate into LAK cells following stimulation with various cytokines. Although cytotoxicity mediated by fresh HUCB-NK was low compared to that of adult peripheral blood lymphocyte-derived NK cells (PBL-NK), the ability of HUCB-NK to bind to K562 target cells (TC) was similar to PBL-NK. In addition, the PBL-NK cytotoxicity of postpartum mothers was also low compared to that of normal adult PBL-NK. When we incubated HUCB for 18 hr in either IL-2 or IL-12, we boosted the level of HUCB-NK cytotoxicity to approximately the level observed in PBL-NK and increased the level of perforin, granzyme A, and granzyme B mRNA expression. In addition, when we incubated HUCB in IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-12, TNF-alpha, IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma, or TGF-beta for 5 days, we observed that HUCB was capable of generating LAK cells only when incubated with either IL-2 or IL-12. In contrast, IL-2, IL-7, IL-12, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma all generated LAK cells from adult PBL. When we added to the medium low-dose IL-2 and irradiated K562 as feeder cells (mini-LAK), we were unable to generate LAK activity from HUCB-NK, whereas we could generate it with PBL-NK cells under the same conditions. Addition of serum derived from HUCB in a 4-hr 51Cr release assay with PBL-NK as the effector cells (EC) and K562 as the TC resulted in a 42% decrease in PBL-NK-mediated cytotoxicity. Although we detected no TGF-beta in HUCB serum, we did detect high concentrations of soluble class I MHC (sHLA). To our knowledge, sHLA has not previously been shown to inhibit NK cytotoxicity, although the expression of class I HLA on the surface of TC has been shown to inhibit NK cytotoxicity. To study further the effect of sHLA on cell-mediated cytotoxicity, we added various concentrations of sHLA to EC mediating NK, ADCC, and CTL activities. All were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:The lack of NK cytotoxicity associated with fresh HUCB may be due to the presence of soluble HLA in the serum. 799 57

One mechanism by which cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells inflict target cell death depends upon secreting the contents of their specialized cytoplasmic granules, containing a pore-forming protein, perforin, and a family of homologous serine proteases ("granzymes") with various enzyme activities. We used a granzyme B-specific mouse anti-human monoclonal antibody 2C5 and Western blotting to demonstrate that nuclear extracts of human interleukin-2-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the human NK leukemia cell line YT, and the rat NK leukemia cell line RNK-16 contain abundant granzyme B. In interleukin-2-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, more than 50% of the total cellular granzyme B was present in the nuclear lysate. Nuclear granzyme B had an apparent molecular mass of approximately 32 kDa in human cells and approximately 30 kDa in RNK-16 and was eluted from immobilized heparin at the same NaCl concentration as granzyme B from cytoplasmic granules. Granzyme B that was affinity-purified with 2C5 from the nuclei of YT or human LAK cells was capable of efficiently cleaving synthetic peptide thiobenzyl ester substrates with the same specificity (peptide cleavage after aspartic acid) as granule-localized granzyme B. By contrast perforin, which colocalizes with granzymes in cytotoxic granules, was not detectable in nuclear lysates. Granzyme B was also demonstrated to be present in the nucleus and cytoplasmic granules of YT by immunohistochemical staining with monospecific anti-granzyme B antisera. Other protease activities (tryptase and peptide cleavage after methionine) were also readily detectable in nuclear and cytoplasmic lysates of YT, RNK-16, and LAK cells, as determined by the cleavage of the synthetic substrates N alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine thiobenzyl ester (BLT) and Boc-Ala-Ala-Met-S-benzyl, except that BLT-esterase activity was absent from the nucleus of YT. The localization of serine proteases in the nucleus was restricted to lymphocytes with cytotoxic capacity, as non-cytotoxic cell lines expressed high levels of peptide cleavage after methionine and tryptase activities in their cytoplasm, but possessed no nuclear serine protease activity. Furthermore, non-cytotoxic monkey kidney COS-7 cells transfected with an SV40-driven expression plasmid incorporating full-length human granzyme B cDNA contained abundant cytoplasmic granzyme B, but demonstrated minimal nuclear granzyme B accumulation. We conclude that serine proteases of NK cells are not restricted to cytolytic granules and, further, that their capacity to access the nucleus may have implications for the role of these enzymes in eliciting target cell death.
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PMID:Granule serine proteases are normal nuclear constituents of natural killer cells. 803 81

The human CGL-1/cytotoxic serine protease B gene (CSP-B; also known as granzyme B) is transcriptionally activated during cytotoxic T-lymphocyte maturation. Activation can be mimicked in the PEER T-cell leukemia cell line by treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and N6-2'-O-dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (bt2cAMP). In this report, we show that a consensus AP-1 element and a consensus cAMP response element (CRE) located 5' to the CSP-B transcriptional start site are both required for transcriptional activation of the CPS-B promoter in TPA + bt2cAMP-stimulated PEER cells. A 94-bp fragment containing both elements activates a heterologous promoter in an orientation-independent fashion. Several single nucleotide substitutions in the AP-1 site abolish activity of the 94-bp fragment. Several point mutations in the consensus CRE substantially reduce promoter activity, but one CRE mutation increases activity fourfold. Replacement of the CRE with a second copy of the AP-1 site results in a level of transcriptional activity comparable with that of the wild-type sequence, but replacement of the AP-1 site with a CRE abolishes activity. Neither the AP-1 site nor the CRE can be effectively replaced with an SP-1 site. Deletions between the AP-1 site and the CRE retain full activity only if helical spacing is preserved, suggesting that synergism between these two elements is either the result of cooperative binding of factors to the DNA or of cooperative binding of DNA-bound factors to another protein.
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PMID:Consensus AP-1 and CRE motifs upstream from the human cytotoxic serine protease B (CSP-B/CGL-1) gene synergize to activate transcription. 821 27

Enzymatically active granule-associated serine protease ("granzyme") B has been purified from human NK cell lysates, using novel granzyme B-specific monoclonal antibodies. Two antibodies, designated 2C5 and 1D10, were produced following immunization of BALB/c mice with a nineteen amino acid peptide synthesized according to the sequence deduced from a granzyme B cDNA clone. Of several peptide-reactive culture supernatants that resulted from cell fusion of splenocytes with NS-1 myeloma cells, clones 2C5 (IgG2a) and 1D10 (IgG1) produced antibodies which detected a approximately 32kDa molecule in human NK cell lysates by Western blotting. This reactive species was detectable in lysates of IL-2-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the human NK leukemia cell line YT, the rat NK leukemia cell line RNK-16, but not in the mouse cytotoxic T cell line CTLL-R8 or a variety of non-cytolytic hemopoietic tumor cell lines. The specificity of reactivity with granzyme B was demonstrated by the reaction of the monoclonal antibody with active granzyme in the lysate of COS-7 cells transfected with human granzyme B cDNA, but not with granzyme H expressed in an identical fashion. Western blotting on Percoll-fractionated IL-2 activated human peripheral blood lymphocyte lysates and YT demonstrated reactivity of the monoclonal antibody with a approximately 32kDa species only in those fractions with granzyme A (BLT esterase) and B (Asp-ase) activities. Moreover, 2C5/1D10 antibodies coupled to Protein A-sepharose beads immunoprecipitated enzymatically active granzyme B from YT cell lysates. Scale up of this procedure should yield a means of purifying the large quantities of natural or recombinant granzyme B required to study the function of this granzyme in cellular cytotoxicity.
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PMID:Immunopurification of functional Asp-ase (natural killer cell granzyme B) using a monoclonal antibody. 837 25

Using a polymerase chain reaction strategy we identified a serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) in human bone marrow that is related to the cellular serpin proteinase inhibitor 6 (PI-6) and the viral serpin cytokine response modifier A (CrmA). This serpin, proteinase inhibitor 9 (PI-9), has an unusual reactive center P1(Glu)-P1'(Cys), which suggests that it inhibits serine proteinases that cleave after acidic residues. The only known serine proteinase with this specificity is granzyme B, a granule cytotoxin produced by cytotoxic lymphocytes. To test the interaction of PI-9 with granzyme B we prepared recombinant hexa-histidine tagged PI-9 in a yeast expression system. Addition of the recombinant protein to native granzyme B resulted in an SDS-resistant complex typical of serpin-serine proteinase interactions. Further analysis showed that complex formation followed bimolecular kinetics with a second order rate constant of 1.7 +/- 0.3 x 10(6) M-1 s-1, which is in the range for a physiologically significant serpin-proteinase interaction. Recombinant PI-9 also completely abrogated granzyme B and perforin-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. Examination of PI-9 mRNA distribution demonstrated that it is expressed in immune tissue, primarily in lymphocytes. The highest levels of PI-9 mRNA and protein were observed in natural killer cell leukemia cell lines and in interleukin-2 stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which also produce granzyme B. Like PI-6, PI-9 was shown to be a cytosolic protein that is not secreted. Fractionation of natural killer cells and stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells demonstrated that PI-9 is in a separate subcellular compartment to granzyme B. These results suggest that PI-9 serves to inactivate misdirected granzyme B following cytotoxic cell degranulation. This may explain why cytotoxic cells are not damaged by their own granzyme B during destruction of abnormal cells.
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PMID:A cytosolic granzyme B inhibitor related to the viral apoptotic regulator cytokine response modifier A is present in cytotoxic lymphocytes. 891 Mar 77

Allogeneic cord blood is now being widely used as a source of stem cells for hematologic reconstitution after myeloablative therapy, with reported significantly lower levels of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) compared with the use of allogeneic bone marrow (BM). This study was undertaken to investigate biologic aspects of natural killer (NK) cell activity, as recognized effector cells of the GVHD and graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) response, from cord blood and conventional BM. NK-cell activity levels of freshly isolated cells from cord blood and BM against K562 targets were comparable. Lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells from both hematopoietic cell sources were compared for their ability to kill target cells by necrotic or apoptotic mechanisms using specific target cell lines. Cord blood cells had significantly higher necrosis-mediated cytotoxic activity against Daudi target cells compared with BM-derived cells. Cord blood LAK cells had relatively high levels of apoptotic-mediated cytotoxicity against YAC-1 target cells, whereas BM-derived LAK cells were unable to induce apoptosis in these cells. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) induced significant granzyme B activity in cord cells in contrast to BM cells, in which very little activity was measured. Western blotting confirmed these findings, with IL-2 inducing granzyme B protein expression in cord cells but not detectable levels in BM cells. BM cells had significantly lower cell surface expression of IL-2R and prolonged culture in IL-2 was only partially able to restore their deficient apoptotic cytotoxic activity. Thus, major differences exist between cord blood-derived and BM-derived mononuclear cells with respect to their NK-cell-associated cytotoxic behavior. This could have important implications for stem cell transplantation phenomena, because it suggests that cord blood may have increased potential for a GVL effect.
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PMID:Differential cytotoxicity of cord blood and bone marrow-derived natural killer cells. 941 86

We studied the morphologic and immunohistochemical features of 10 peripheral T-cell lymphomas of a cytotoxic phenotype (CD3+/CD4-/CD8+), encountered among 98 peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs). Nine tumors were positive for both cytotoxic molecules, namely perforin (Pf) and granzyme B (GrB), and strong positivity was seen in the majority of the malignant cells. We also studied the expression of these molecules in 92 other cases of T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell neoplasms; 18 anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCLs); 63 CD4+ PTCLs; 10 CD56+ nasal lymphomas; and 1 NK-cell leukemia. Most of the CD4+ PTCLs (62 of 63) were negative for GrB, but all of the nasal lymphomas and the NK cell leukemia were positive for both Pf and GrB. Variable expression was seen among the 18 ALCLs. Within the 10 CD8+ PTCLs, 4 involved the skin, 3 of which were diagnosed as primary cutaneous lymphomas. Five patients died within 1 year of diagnosis. According to the Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid Neoplasms, seven cases were categorized as "PTCL, unspecified," and three as "angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma," "adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia," or "small cell lymphoma," respectively. Three cases had characteristic morphologic features consisting of large lymphomatous cells with massive necrosis and nuclear fragmentation. Epstein-Barr virus mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization in three cases. Although the degree of apoptosis varied, apoptotic cells were detected in all cases by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate-biotin nick end labeling. We conclude that CD8+ PTCLs are relatively rare, often involve extranodal sites, have an aggressive clinical course, and are often associated with Epstein-Barr virus. Compared with ALCLs, which have recently been considered as neoplasms of cytotoxic T-cells, we think that CD8+ PTCLs are more lineage-specific neoplasms of mature, cytotoxic, T lymphocytes.
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PMID:Perforin and granzyme expression in cytotoxic T-cell lymphomas. 957 80


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