A novel stimulus, oncogene, induces expression of CD80 (B7-1) gene

Lithium preferentially inhibits adenylyl cyclase V and VII isoforms

Lithium ions' inhibition of adenylyl cyclase (AC) has not been previously studied for the newly discovered AC isoforms. COS7 cells were transfected with each of the nine membrane-bound AC isoforms cDNAs with or without D1- or D2-dopamine receptor cDNA. AC activity was measured as [3H]cAMP accumulation in cells pre-incubated with [3H]adenine followed by incubation with phosphodiesterase inhibitors together with either the D1 agonist SKF-82958 alone, or forskolin, in the presence or absence of the D2 agonist quinpirole. At 1 mm or 2 mm lithium inhibited only AC-V activity when the enzyme was stimulated by forskolin, a direct activator of AC. Lithium inhibited AC-V (by 50%), AC-VII (by 40%) and AC-II (by 25%) when stimulated via the D1 receptors, but did not affect the Ca2+-activated isoforms when stimulated by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. Quinpirole inhibits AC via the Gi protein. Lithium did not affect quinpirole-inhibited FSK-activated AC-V activity nor did it affect superactivated AC-V or AC-I following the removal of quinpirole. The data suggest interference of lithium with transduction pathways mediated via AC-V or AC-VII; only the active conformation of these AC isoforms is inhibited by lithium; the inhibitory effect of lithium is abolished when the enzyme is superactivated. The marked inhibition of AC-V and AC-VII by lithium suggests that these two isoforms may be involved in mediating the mood-stabilizing effect of lithium.

Melphalan and other anticancer modalities up-regulate B7-1 gene expression in tumor cells

In this study, we show that administration of low-dose melphalan (l -PAM, l -phenylalanine mustard) to mice bearing a large MOPC-315 plasmacytoma led to a rapid up-regulation of B7-1 (CD80), but not B7-2 (CD86), expression on the surface of MOPC-315 tumor cells. This l -PAM-induced preferential up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression was due, at least in part, to a direct effect of l -PAM on the tumor cells, as in vitro exposure of MOPC-315 tumor cells to l -PAM led to the preferential up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression. Moreover, in vitro exposure of MOPC-315 tumor cells to two other anticancer modalities, gamma-irradiation and mitomycin C, resulted in the preferential up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression. This effect was not restricted to MOPC-315 tumor cells, as preferential up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression was observed also following in vitro exposure of the P815 mastocytoma (that is negative for both B7-1 and B7-2 surface expression) to any of the three anticancer modalities. The up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression following in vitro exposure of tumor cells to l -PAM, gamma-irradiation, or mitomycin C required de novo protein and RNA synthesis, and was associated with the accumulation of mRNA for B7-1 within 4-8 h, indicating that the regulation of B7-1 expression is at the RNA transcriptional level. These results have important implications for an additional immune-potentiating mechanism of these anticancer modalities in clinical setting.