Recurrent activating mutations of CD28 in peripheral T-cell lymphomas

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) comprise a heterogeneous group of mature T-cell neoplasms with a poor prognosis. Recently, mutations in TET2 and other epigenetic modifiers as well as RHOA have been identified in these diseases, particularly in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). CD28 is the major co-stimulatory receptor in T cells which, upon binding ligand, induces sustained T-cell proliferation and cytokine production when combined with T-cell receptor stimulation. We have identified recurrent mutations in CD28 in PTCLs. Two residues-D124 and T195-were recurrently mutated in 11.3% of cases of AITL and in one case of PTCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). Surface plasmon resonance analysis of mutations at these residues with predicted differential partner interactions showed increased affinity for ligand CD86 (residue D124) and increased affinity for intracellular adaptor proteins GRB2 and GADS/GRAP2 (residue T195). Molecular modeling studies on each of these mutations suggested how these mutants result in increased affinities. We found increased transcription of the CD28-responsive genes CD226 and TNFA in cells expressing the T195P mutant in response to CD3 and CD86 co-stimulation and increased downstream activation of NF-κB by both D124V and T195P mutants, suggesting a potential therapeutic target in CD28-mutated PTCLs.

Imaging modulated reflections from a semi-crystalline state of profilin:actin crystals

Modulated protein crystals remainterra incognitafor most crystallographers. While small-molecule crystallographers have successfully wrestled with and conquered this type of structure determination, to date no modulated macromolecular structures have been reported. Profilin:β-actin in a modulated semi-crystalline state presents a challenge of sufficient biological significance to motivate the development of methods for the accurate collection of data on the complex diffraction pattern and, ultimately, the solution of its structure. In the present work, fine φ-sliced data collection was used to resolve the closely spaced satellite reflections from these polymorphic crystals. Image-processing methods were used to visualize these data for comparison with the original precession data. These preliminary data demonstrate the feasibility of using fine φ-slicing to collect accurately the intensities and positions of the main and satellite reflections from these modulated protein crystals.

Quantitative Analysis of Time-Resolved Laue Diffraction Patterns

Integration and quantification of time-resolved Laue images poses problems beyond those encountered with static Laue images. The flexible analytical profile-fitting technique [Ren & Moffat (1995). J. Appl. Cryst. 28, 461–481] has been extended to handle the integration of multiple-spot images with two or more exposures at different time points superimposed on a single detector flame but displaced by a small shift. Each Lane pattern on a multiple-spot image can be integrated separately; possible spatial overlaps between adjacent spots from either the same or different exposures can be resolved; streakiness and streakiness anisotropy are allowed to be different for each time point. Various strategies for time-resolved Lane diffraction data collection and processing are compared. Time-resolved Lane images obtained during the relaxation of photoactive yellow protein (PYP) from its photostationary state have been processed by the Laue data reduction package LaueView. Continuous laser illumination of PYP crystals establishes a photostationary state and termination of laser illumination starts a relaxation process. However, PYP crystals at the photostationary state are more anisotropically mosaic than those at the ground state, and the mosaicity and its anisotropy vary during the relaxation. Accurate integration of elongated and spatially overlapping spots therefore becomes more difficult. Two data processing strategies have been applied to calculate time-dependent difference Fourier maps of PYP. The first route takes advantage of both the wavelength normalization and the harmonic deconvolution [Ren & Moffat (I 995). J. Appl. Cryst. 28, 461–481, 482–493] algorithms. The second is the method of relative percentage changes of structure-factor amplitudes.