[Prolactinoma after craniocerebral trauma]

A female patient, now twenty-four years old, suffered from a severe cerebral contusion in 1983 as a result of a car accident. At the time of the accident, she had a regular menstrual cycle. Since 1985, she has contracted oligomenorrhoea and since 1988 secondary amenorrhoea. In 1988, we diagnosed by CT-scan and NMR-imaging an excessive hyperprolactinaemia caused by a pituitary adenoma. Neither surgical intervention, nor conservative medication could reduce the prolactin level to normal. We suspect, that there is an association between the cranial injury and the appearance of the pituitary tumour.

Agnus castus extracts inhibit prolactin secretion of rat pituitary cells

In our studies on prolactin inhibition by plant extracts we focused on the effects of extracts of Vitex agnus castus and its preparations on rat pituitary cells under basal and stimulated conditions in primary cell culture. Both extracts from Vitex agnus castus as well as synthetic dopamine agonists (Lisuride) significantly inhibit basal as well as TRH-stimulated prolactin secretion of rat pituitary cells in vitro and as a consequence inhibition of prolactin secretion could be blocked by adding a dopamine receptor blocker. Therefore because of its dopaminergic effect Agnus castus could be considered as an efficient alternative phytotherapeutic drug in the treatment of slight hyperprolactinaemia.

Effect of anodal high voltage pulsed current on edema formation in frog hind limbs

We have recently demonstrated that some forms of cathodal high voltage pulsed current (HVPC) curb posttraumatic edema formation in frog hind limbs. The purpose of this study was to determine, by assessing the capacity of anodal HVPC to curb posttraumatic edema formation, whether polarity is an important variable. Fourteen anesthetized bullfrogs were placed on large dispersive electrodes lining body slings that maintained the frogs' limbs in a dependent position throughout data collection. The frogs' feet were traumatized by impact following initial measurement of limb volumes. At the commencement of each of four 30-minute treatments, hind limbs were immersed in separate beakers and briefly stimulated until motor threshold was determined. One limb, randomly selected, received anodal HVPC at 90% of motor threshold and 120 pulses per second; the other limb served as a control. Treatments were followed by 30-minute rests. Limb volumes were measured by water displacement immediately after trauma and following each treatment and rest period. Data were expressed as changes from pretrauma volumes in milliliters per kilogram of body weight. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to test for treatment effect. Despite an aggressive series of treatments, virtually symmetrical bilateral edema occurred; therefore, no treatment effect was evident. This result contrasts with treatment effects previously reported for cathodal HVPC.

Prospects for an AIDS vaccine

Recent developments, in both animal systems and human trials, have provided encouraging results to counter the pessimism that has prevailed concerning the likelihood of obtaining an effective AIDS vaccine. This review summarizes these findings and their impact on defining and focusing the research agenda for the immediate future.

Second annual meeting of the National Cooperative Vaccine Development Groups for AIDS. 15-18 October 1989; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

In this short review of the three-day meeting on AIDS vaccine development where numerous scientific advances were described for the first time, it is nearly impossible to capture all of the highlights. Thus, areas such as advances in vaccine adjuvant development, standardized challenge pools for vaccine testing, novel approaches with retroviral vectors for construction of target cells for cellular immune assays, summaries from all of the international AIDS vaccine development programmes, and other topics which were covered at the meeting are not discussed above. In closing the meeting, W. Koff (NIAID) noted that 1989 represented the turning point for AIDS vaccine development, that pessimism had given way to cautious optimism, and that the fundamental focus had changed from 'if a vaccine could be developed' to 'when'. While several challenges still remain in the path toward development of a safe and effective vaccine, the meeting served both to focus the direction of the research agenda for the next year and to build new and stronger collaborations among the international network of scientists dedicated to the common goal of developing a safe and effective AIDS vaccine.

Unmyristylated Moloney murine leukemia virus Pr65gag is excluded from virus assembly and maturation events

The gag precursor polyprotein of Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV) is normally modified by myristylation of the N-terminal glycine. Previous work showed that the Pr65gag lacking the myristylation site does not associate with cellular membranes or assemble into virus particles. We now report that it also is not cleaved to the mature gag cleavage products within the cell and that it sediments as a free 65-kilodalton monomer in detergent-free cell extracts containing 0.3 M NaCl. Even when the cells containing the mutant are productively infected with wild-type MuLV, the mutant Pr65gag is not processed into cleavage products and is not incorporated into the virions produced by these cells. Thus, the mutant gag molecules seem unable to participate in the normal processes of self-assembly and maturation. We propose that myristate-mediated membrane association is an essential first step in MuLV assembly. This association may also play a role in budding of MuLV.

Molecular characterization of gag proteins from simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVMne)

A simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) designated SIVMne was isolated from a pig-tailed macaque with lymphoma housed at the University of Washington Regional Primate Research Center, Seattle. To better establish the relationship of SIVMne to other immunodeficiency viruses, we purified and determined the partial amino acid sequences of six structural proteins (p1, p2, p6, p8, p16, and p28) from SIVMne and compared these amino acid sequences to the translated nucleotide sequences of SIVMac and human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2). A total of 125 residues of SIVMne amino acid sequence were compared to the predicted amino acid sequences of the gag precursors of SIV and HIVs. In the compared regions 92% of the SIVMne amino acids were identical to predicted residues of SIVMac, 83% were identical to predicted residues of HIV-2, and 41% were identical to predicted residues of HIV-1. These data reveal that the six SIVMne proteins are proteolytic cleavage products of the gag precursor (Pr60gag) and that their order in the structure of Pr60gag is p16-p28-p2-p8-p1-p6. Rabbit antisera prepared against purified p28 and p16 were shown to cross-react with proteins of 60, 54, and 47 kilodaltons present in the viral preparation and believed to be SIVMne Pr60gag and intermediate cleavage products, respectively. SIVMne p16 was shown to contain covalently bound myristic acid, and p8 was identified as a nucleic acid-binding protein. The high degree of amino acid sequence homology between SIVs and HIV-2 around proven proteolytic cleavage sites in SIV Pr60gag suggests that proteolytic processing of the HIV-2 gag precursor is probably very similar to processing of the SIV gag precursor. Peptide bonds cleaved during proteolytic processing of the SIV gag precursor were similar to bonds cleaved during processing of HIV-1 gag precursors, suggesting that the SIV and HIV viral proteases have similar cleavage site specificities.

Preparation of raf-oncogene-specific antiserum with raf protein produced in E. coli

In this report we describe the expression of v-raf protein in E. coli using a tryptophan-promoter-driven expression vector and its immunological characterization by anti-peptide sera. The purified recombinant protein was used to produce raf-specific antibodies which are suitable for studying v-raf and c-raf proteins in vitro and in vivo in a variety of species ranging from mouse to man.

Poorly expressed endogenous ecotropic provirus of DBA/2 mice encodes a mutant Pr65gag protein that is not myristylated

DBA/2 mice carry a single endogenous ecotropic murine leukemia provirus designated Emv-3. Although this provirus appears to be nondefective by genomic restriction enzyme mapping, weanling mice do not produce virus and only about one-third of adult mice ever express virus. 5-Iododeoxyuridine and 5-azacytidine, two potent inducers of ecotropic virus expression, are relatively ineffective at inducing Emv-3 expression. However, the chemical carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene can induce ecotropic virus expression in approximately 95% of treated DBA/2 mice. Previous experiments involving DNA transfection and marker rescue analysis of molecularly cloned Emv-3 DNA suggested that Emv-3 carries a small defect(s) in the gag gene, not detectable by restriction enzyme mapping, that inhibits virus expression in vivo and in vitro. Using a combination of approaches, including DNA sequencing, peptide mapping, and metabolic labeling of cells with [3H]myristate, we have demonstrated that the defect in Emv-3 most likely results from a single nucleotide substitution within the gene for p15gag that inhibits myristylation of the Pr65gag N terminus. Myristylation of Pr65gag is thought to be required for this protein to associate with the plasma membrane and is essential for virus particle formation. These results provide a conceptual framework for understanding how Emv-3 expression is regulated during development and after chemical induction.

Identification and characterization of c-raf phosphoproteins in transformed murine cells

Protein products of the c-raf gene were detected and characterized in two transformed murine cells lines by immunoprecipitation analysis with raf-specific sera. Both proteins reacted with an antiserum directed to the carboxyl terminus of the c-raf coding region. The p48raf (Mr48,000) phosphoprotein was found in a cell line transformed by an LTR-activated c-raf gene (Mueller & Mueller, 1984). It was found to be phosphorylated on serine and threonine residues and became phosphorylated in immunoprecipitates when supplied with [gamma-32]ATP. In contrast, P74raf, which was detected into a spontaneously transformed 3T3 (R+/Cl 3) cell line and may represent the full-length gene product of c-raf, appeared to incorporate [32P]PO4 less efficiently in vivo and exhibited a barely detectable associated kinase activity in only half of the experiments. The p48raf is a transforming protein which, like P75gag-raf, lacks the amino-terminal region of the c-raf coding region. P74raf, which retains the amino-terminal region, differs from p48raf in its phosphorylation characteristics and may not be a transforming protein. These data are consistent with a model in which lack of amino-terminal sequences in the c-raf gene product p48raf may, in and of itself, suffice to make it a transforming protein.

Hydroxylamine-stable covalent linkage of myristic acid in G0 alpha, a guanine nucleotide-binding protein of bovine brain

G0 alpha, a guanine nucleotide-binding protein with a strong homology to the G1 alpha and Gs alpha regulatory proteins of adenylate cyclase, is shown to contain myristic acid. The attachment of myristate to the protein is stable to hydroxylamine treatment, and since the amino-terminal sequence of G0 alpha is typical of proteins with amino-terminal myristate, the inference is strong that G0 alpha is also myristylated at its amino-terminal glycine.

Myristylation site in Pr65gag is essential for virus particle formation by Moloney murine leukemia virus

It was previously reported that the gag proteins of mammalian type C retroviruses are modified by the addition of myristate to the N-terminal glycine residue. We have performed oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to change this glycine codon in the Moloney murine leukemia virus genome to an alanine codon and also to specifically delete the glycine codon. Upon transfection into mammalian cells, these mutant genomes direct the synthesis of gag proteins, but these proteins are not myristylated. The mutants do not form virus particles or any recognizable virus-specific structures visible in thin sections with the electron microscope. Further, the mutant gag proteins appear to remain in the cytosol, whereas the wild type is found principally in particulate fractions of the cell. The results are consistent with the theory that myristate is required for the association of the gag protein with the plasma membrane and that this association is necessary for virus assembly.

Detection of the myristylated gag-raf transforming protein with raf-specific antipeptide sera

The post-translational modifications of the gag-raf fusion proteins of the 3611 murine sarcoma virus (MSV) have been examined by inhibiting glycosylation with tunicamycin and by in vivo labeling with [3H]myristic acid. The results show that P75gag-raf is myristylated but not glycosylated and that P90gag-raf is glycosylated but not myristylated (and is now termed gP90gag-raf). gP90gag-raf expression appeared to become lost during passage of the transformed cells, and consequently does not appear to be necessary for the maintenance of transformation. raf-specific sera for detecting gag-raf fusion proteins have been obtained from synthetic peptides made from different regions of the predicted v-raf sequence. Immunoprecipitation of P75gag-raf with raf-specific sera directly confirmed the deduced v-raf sequence. The fact that P75gag-raf is both myristylated and precipitated by antiserum to a predicted carboxyl-terminal peptide of the v-raf gene established that the mature protein represents the entire coding region. The gP90gag-raf thus appears to be a glycosylated form of P75gag-raf specified by the gag sequences of the fusion protein, in analogy with Pr65gag and gPr80gag of murine leukemia viruses. Antiserum to the carboxyl-terminal P75gag-raf peptide was the most efficient in immunoprecipitation, and will be useful for detecting the product of the c-raf gene.

Infection of immune mast cells by Harvey sarcoma virus: immortalization without loss of requirement for interleukin-3

Cells from adult mouse spleens were cultured in WEHI-3 cell-conditioned medium, which contains the lymphokine interleukin-3 (IL-3). Under these conditions, cells grow well for 4 to 8 weeks; the cultures contain a variety of cell types for the first 1 to 2 weeks but are subsequently composed largely of immune mast cells. We found that infection of these cultures with Harvey sarcoma virus (HaSV) profoundly enhanced the growth potential of the cells, resulting in the reproducible isolation of long-term cell lines. These HaSV-infected cells appeared to be phenotypically identical to the immune mast cells found in uninfected cultures as determined by biochemical, immunological, and cytological tests. Although the cells expressed protein p21Ha-ras at levels similar to those in HaSV-transformed fibroblasts, they continued to require IL-3 for growth in vitro. Similar IL-3-dependent, long-term mast cell lines were also cultured from the enlarged spleens present in HaSV-infected mice. These results suggest that high-level expression of an activated Ha-ras oncogene enhances growth in these cells, perhaps by stimulating the progression of the cells into S, without affecting differentiation or altering the requirements for normal growth factor.

Amino terminal myristylation of the protein kinase p60src, a retroviral transforming protein

The transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, p60src, was shown to be acylated at its amino terminus with the long-chain fatty acid myristic acid by isolation of a tryptic peptide with the following structure: myristylglycylserylseryllysine. The occurrence of this unusual posttranslational modification in the cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase and in several transforming protein kinases of mammalian retroviruses suggests that myristylation of the amino terminal glycyl residue may be critical for the function of certain proteins related to cell transformation and growth control.

The envelope proteins of bovine leukemia virus: purification and sequence analysis

Two proteins, termed gp60 and p30, have been purified to homogeneity from bovine leukemia virus (BLV) using controlled pore glass and reverse-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). gp60 was shown to be a glycoprotein by identification of glucosamine on the amino acid analyzer. Antiserum prepared to gp60 recognized in addition to gp60 a 52,000-Da polypeptide in some virus preparations, but did not cross-react with p30. The amino and carboxyl termini of gp60 were found to be tryptophan and arginine, respectively, and a 38-residue amino-terminal sequence of gp60 (NH2TrpArgXSerLeuSerLeuGlyAsnGlnGlnTrpMetThrAlaTyrAsnGlnGluAlaLys PheSerIleSerIleAspGlnIleLeuGluAlaHisAsnGlnSerProPhe-) was obtained. A 12-residue amino-terminal sequence for p30 (NH2SerProValAlaAlaLeuThrLeuGlySerAlaLeu) was also obtained. The p30 sequence showed substantial homology to the transmembrane proteins of both types B and C retroviruses and also to a deduced sequence of the 3' region of the env gene of human T-cell leukemia virus. From these results and from elution behavior of these proteins on RPLC, it was concluded that gp60 and p30 are the BLV env gene-encoded surface glycoprotein and transmembrane protein, respectively.

In vivo modification of retroviral gag gene-encoded polyproteins by myristic acid

It has recently been shown by mass spectral analysis (Henderson et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80:339-343, 1983) that the p15gag protein of murine leukemia viruses contains a novel post-translational modification, an amino-terminal myristyl (tetradecanoyl) amide. In this report we show that p15gag is the only structural protein to contain this fatty acid. In addition, the gag precursor polyproteins of type B, C, and D retroviruses have been examined for the presence of myristic acid by metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation studies. In a panel of mammalian type C retroviruses we found that the precursor polyprotein Pr65gag homologs, but not the glycosylated forms (gPr80gag homologs), were specifically labeled after a 5-min incubation of infected cells with [3H]myristic acid. The gag precursor polyprotein was also labeled in mouse mammary tumor virus and in Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, but Pr76gag of Rous sarcoma virus failed to incorporate [3H]myristate. Under similar conditions, [3H]palmitate was not found to be incorporated into any viral gag proteins. Thus, myristylation appears to be a common feature of mammalian type B, C, and D retroviruses but not of avian retroviruses.

Structure of glycosylated and unglycosylated gag polyproteins of Rauscher murine leukemia virus: carbohydrate attachment sites

The structural relationships among the gag polyproteins Pr65gag, Pr75gag, and gPr80gag of Rauscher murine leukemia virus were studied by endoglycosidase H digestion and formic acid cleavage. Fragments were identified by precipitation with specific antisera to constituent virion structural proteins followed by one-dimensional mapping. Endoglycosidase H reduced the size of gPr80gag to that of Pr75gag. By comparing fragments of gPr80gag and the apoprotein Pr75gag, the former was shown to contain two mannose-rich oligosaccharide units. By comparing fragments of Pr65gag and Pr75gag, the latter was shown to differ from Pr65gag at the amino terminus by the presence of a leader peptide approximately 7,000 daltons in size. The internal and carboxyl-terminal peptides of the two unglycosylated polyproteins were not detectably different. The location of the two N-linked carbohydrate chains in gPr80gag has been specified. One occurs in the carboxyl-terminal half of the polyprotein at asparagine177 of the p30 sequence and the other is found in a 23,000-dalton fragment located in the amino-terminal region of gPr80gag and containing the additional amino acid sequences not found in Pr65gag plus a substantial portion of p15.

Post-translational modification of Rauscher leukemia virus precursor polyproteins encoded by the gag gene

Post-translational modifications of retrovirus gag gene-encoded polyproteins include proteolytic cleavage, phosphorylation, and glycosylation. To study the sequence of these events, we labeled JLS-V9 cells chronically infected with Rauscher murine leukemia virus in pulse-chase experiments with the radioactive precursors [35S]methionine, [14C]mannose, [3H]glucosamine, and [32P]phosphate. Newly synthesized gag polyproteins which incorporated label, and the modified products derived from them, were identified by immunoprecipitation of cell lysates with anti-p30 rabbit serum, followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Pulse-chase experiments were carried out in the presence as well as in the absence of tunicamycin, an inhibitor of glycosylation. Among the three major polyproteins synthesized in the absence of tunicamycin, two were found to be glycosylated but not phosphorylated. These were designated gPr80gag and gP94gag. Both shared identical [35S]methionine peptides with Pr65gag and p30. Of the two nonglycosylated precursors, Pr65gag and Pr75gag, only Pr65gag was found to be detectably phosphorylated, and Pr75gag could be readily identified only when glycosylation was inhibited. On the basis of these results, a scheme for the post-translational modification of gag polyproteins is proposed. According to this scheme the gag gene-encoded polyproteins are processed from a common precursor, Pr75gag, by two divergent pathways: one leading through the intermediate Pr65gag to internal virion components via cleavage and phosphorylation and the other via tunicamycin-sensitive mannosylation to the intermediate gPr80gag, which is further glycosylated to yield cell surface polyprotein gP94gag.