Distinct functions of integrin alpha and beta subunit cytoplasmic domains in cell spreading and formation of focal adhesions.

Integrin-mediated cell adhesion often results in cell spreading and the formation of focal adhesions. We exploited the capacity of recombinant human alpha IIb beta 3 integrin to endow heterologous cells with the ability to adhere and spread on fibrinogen to study the role of integrin cytoplasmic domains in initiation of cell spreading and focal adhesions. The same constructs were also used to analyze the role of the cytoplasmic domains in maintenance of the fidelity of the integrin repertoire at focal adhesions. Truncation mutants of the cytoplasmic domain of alpha IIb did not interfere with the ability of alpha IIb beta 3 to initiate cell spreading and form focal adhesions. Nevertheless, deletion of the alpha IIb cytoplasmic domain allowed indiscriminate recruitment of alpha IIb beta 3 to focal adhesions formed by other integrins. Truncation of the beta 3 subunit cytoplasmic domain abolished cell spreading mediated by alpha IIb beta 3 and also abrogated recruitment of alpha IIb beta 3 to focal adhesions. This truncation also dramatically impaired the ability of alpha IIb beta 3 to mediate the contraction of fibrin gels. In contrast, the beta 3 subunit cytoplasmic truncation did not reduce the fibrinogen binding affinity of alpha IIb beta 3. Thus, the integrin beta 3 subunit cytoplasmic domain is necessary and sufficient for initiation of cell spreading and focal adhesion formation. Further, the beta 3 cytoplasmic domain is required for the transmission of intracellular contractile forces to fibrin gels. The alpha subunit cytoplasmic domain maintains the fidelity of recruitment of the integrins to focal adhesions and thus regulates their repertoire of integrins

FGB1 and WSC3 are in planta-induced beta-glucan-binding fungal lectins with different functions

In the root endophyte Serendipita indica, several lectin-like members of the expanded multigene family of WSC proteins are transcriptionally induced in planta and are potentially involved in beta-glucan remodeling at the fungal cell wall. Using biochemical and cytological approaches we show that one of these lectins, SiWSC3 with three WSC domains, is an integral fungal cell wall component that binds to long-chain beta 1-3-glucan but has no affinity for shorter beta 1-3- or beta 1-6-linked glucose oligomers. Comparative analysis with the previously identified beta-glucan-binding lectin SiFGB1 demonstrated that whereas SiWSC3 does not require beta 1-6-linked glucose for efficient binding to branched beta 1-3-glucan, SiFGB1 does. In contrast to SiFGB1, the multivalent SiWSC3 lectin can efficiently agglutinate fungal cells and is additionally induced during fungus-fungus confrontation, suggesting different functions for these two beta-glucan-binding lectins. Our results highlight the importance of the beta-glucan cell wall component in plant-fungus interactions and the potential of beta-glucan-binding lectins as specific detection tools for fungi in vivo

Characterization of the T cell receptor repertoire causing collagen arthritis in mice

Collagen type II-induced arthritis (CIA) is generated in susceptible rodent strains by intradermal injections of homologous or heterologous native type II collagen in complete Freund's adjuvant. Symptoms of CIA are analogous to those of the human autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis. CIA is a model system for T cell-mediated autoimmune disease. To study the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of bovine type II-specific T cells that may be involved in the pathogenesis of CIA in DBA/1Lac.J (H-2q) mice, 13 clonally distinct T cell hybridomas specific for bovine type II collagen have been established and the alpha and beta chains of their TCRs have been analyzed. These T cell hybridomas recognize epitopes that are shared by type II collagens from distinct species and not by type I collagens, and exhibit a highly restricted TCR-alpha/beta repertoire. The alpha chains of the TCRs employ three V alpha gene subfamilies (V alpha 11, V alpha 8, and V alpha 22) and four J alpha gene segments (J alpha 42, J alpha 24, J alpha 37, and J alpha 32). The V alpha 22 is a newly identified subfamily consisting of approximately four to six members, and exhibits a high degree of polymorphism among four mouse strains of distinct V alpha haplotypes. In addition, the beta chains of the TCRs employ three V beta gene subfamilies (V beta 8, V beta 1, and V beta 6), however the V beta 8.2 gene segment is preferentially utilized (58.3%). In contrast, the J beta gene segment usage is more heterogeneous. On the basis of the highly limited TCR-alpha/beta repertoire of the TCRs of the panel of bovine type II-specific T cell hybrid clones, a significant reduction (60%) of the incidence of arthritis in DBA/1Lac.J mice is accomplished by the use of anti-V beta 8.2 antibody therapy

The zinc finger transcription factor PW1/PEG3 restrains murine beta cell cycling

Aims/hypothesis: Pw1 or paternally-expressed gene 3 (Peg3) encodes a zinc finger transcription factor that is widely expressed during mouse embryonic development and later restricted to multiple somatic stem cell lineages in the adult. The aim of the present study was to define Pw1 expression in the embryonic and adult pancreas and investigate its role in the beta cell cycle in Pw1 wild-type and mutant mice. Methods: We analysed PW1 expression by immunohistochemistry in pancreas of nonpregant and pregnant mice and following injury by partial duct ligation. Its role in the beta cell cycle was studied in vivo using a novel conditional knockout mouse and in vitro by lentivirus-mediated gene knockdown. Results: We showed that PW1 is expressed in early pancreatic progenitors at E9.5 but becomes progressively restricted to fully differentiated beta cells as they become established after birth and withdraw from the cell cycle. Notably, PW1 expression declines when beta cells are induced to proliferate and loss of PW1 function activates the beta cell cycle. Conclusions/interpretation: These results indicate that PW1 is a co-regulator of the beta cell cycle and can thus be considered a novel therapeutic target in diabetes

Degrees of Freedom and Achievable Rate of Wide-Band Multi-cell Multiple Access Channels With No CSIT

This paper considers a $K$-cell multiple access channel with inter-symbol interference. The primary finding of this paper is that, without instantaneous channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT), the sum degrees-of-freedom (DoF) of the considered channel is $\frac{\beta -1}{\beta}K$ with $\beta \geq 2$ when the number of users per cell is sufficiently large, where $\beta$ is the ratio of the maximum channel-impulse-response (CIR) length of desired links to that of interfering links in each cell. Our finding implies that even without instantaneous CSIT, \textit{interference-free DoF per cell} is achievable as $\beta$ approaches infinity with a sufficiently large number of users per cell. This achievability is shown by a blind interference management method that exploits the relativity in delay spreads between desired and interfering links. In this method, all inter-cell-interference signals are aligned to the same direction by using a discrete-Fourier-transform-based precoding with cyclic prefix that only depends on the number of CIR taps. Using this method, we also characterize the achievable sum rate of the considered channel, in a closed-form expression.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Communication

Regions of the T cell receptor alpha and beta chains that are responsible for interactions with CD3.

The T cell antigen receptor consists of the Ti alpha/beta heterodimer which recognizes antigen, and the associated CD3 chains, thought to be involved in signal transduction. To understand the nature of the interaction between Ti and CD3, chimeric molecules which included the COOH-terminal segments of Ti alpha or beta linked to the extracellular segment of CD8, were transfected into a mutant T cell deficient in Ti beta chain expression and cell surface CD3. Both chimeric chains were required to express the chimeric Ti and to restore CD3 surface expression. CD8/Ti and CD3 cointernalized and coimmunoprecipitated. Stimulation of the chimeric receptor induced transmembrane signaling events and cell activation. These results demonstrate that the Ti alpha and beta COOH termini containing the transmembrane domains are sufficient for structural and functional coupling of Ti to CD3

TGF beta type II receptor signaling controls Schwann cell death and proliferation in developing nerves

During development, Schwann cell numbers are precisely adjusted to match the number of axons. It is essentially unknown which growth factors or receptors carry out this important control in vivo. Here, we tested whether the type II transforming growth factor (TGF)beta receptor has a role in this process. We generated a conditional knock-out mouse in which the type II TGF beta receptor is specifically ablated only in Schwann cells. Inactivation of the receptor, evident at least from embryonic day 18, resulted in suppressed Schwann cell death in normally developing and injured nerves. Notably, the mutants also showed a strong reduction in Schwann cell proliferation. Consequently, Schwann cell numbers in wild-type and mutant nerves remained similar. Lack of TGF beta signaling did not appear to affect other processes in which TGF beta had been implicated previously, including myelination and response of adult nerves to injury. This is the first in vivo evidence for a growth factor receptor involved in promoting Schwann cell division during development and the first genetic evidence for a receptor that controls normal developmental Schwann cell death

Requirement of the NPXY motif in the integrin beta 3 subunit cytoplasmic tail for melanoma cell migration in vitro and in vivo.

The NPXY sequence is highly conserved among integrin beta subunit cytoplasmic tails, suggesting that it plays a fundamental role in regulating integrin-mediated function. Evidence is provided that the NPXY structural motif within the beta 3 subunit, comprising residues 744-747, is essential for cell morphological and migratory responses mediated by integrin alpha v beta 3 in vitro and in vivo. Transfection of CS-1 melanoma cells with a cDNA encoding the wild-type integrin beta 3 subunit, results in de novo alpha v beta 3 expression and cell attachment, spreading, and migration on vitronectin. CS-1 cells expressing alpha v beta 3 with mutations that disrupt the NPXY sequence interact with soluble vitronectin or an RGD peptide, yet fail to attach, spread, or migrate on immobilized ligand. The biological consequences of these observations are underscored by the finding that CS-1 cells expressing wild-type alpha v beta 3 acquire the capacity to form spontaneous pulmonary metastases in the chick embryo when grown on the chorioallantoic membrane. However, migration-deficient CS-1 cells expressing alpha v beta 3 with mutations in the NPXY sequence lose this ability to metastasize. These findings demonstrate that the NPXY motif within the integrin beta 3 cytoplasmic tail is essential for alpha v beta 3-dependent post-ligand binding events involved in cell migration and the metastatic phenotype of melanoma cells