Regulation of hematopoietic cell function by protein tyrosine kinase-encoding oncogenes, a review

Gene expression profiling and analysis of signaling pathways involved in priming and differentiation of human neural stem cells

Human neural stem cells have the ability to differentiate into all three major cell types in the CNS including neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The multipotency of human neural stem cells shed a light on the possibility of using stem cells as a therapeutic tool for various neurological disorders including neurodegenerative diseases and neurotrauma that involve a loss of functional neurons. We have discovered previously a priming procedure to direct primarily cultured human neural stem cells to differentiate into almost pure neurons when grafted into adult CNS. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon is still unknown. To unravel transcriptional changes of human neural stem cells upon priming, cDNA microarray was used to study temporal changes in human neural stem cell gene expression profile during priming and differentiation. As a result, transcriptional levels of 520 annotated genes were detected changed in at least at two time points during the priming process. In addition, transcription levels of more than 3000 hypothetical protein encoding genes and EST genes were modulated during the priming and differentiation processes of human neural stem cells. We further analyzed the named genes and grouped them into 14 functional categories. Of particular interest, key cell signal transduction pathways, including the G-protein-mediated signaling pathways (heterotrimeric and small monomeric GTPase pathways), the Wnt signaling pathway and the TGF-beta pathway, are modulated by the neural stem cell priming, suggesting important roles of these key signaling pathways in priming and differentiation of human neural stem cells.

The Csk-like proteins Lsk, Hyl, and Matk represent the same Csk homologous kinase (Chk) and are regulated by stem cell factor in the megakaryoblastic cell line MO7e

Recently, the cDNAs for Lsk, Matk and Hyl, three Csk-related protein tyrosine kinases, have been cloned. We have examined the relationship of Lsk, Matk and Hyl, and found that the gene for each of these proteins is localized to the same region of human chromosome 19. Further, the proteins encoded by Lsk and Matk cDNAs are immunologically similar. These data strongly suggest that Lsk, Hyl and Matk are the same gene product. Previous reports demonstrating expression of Hyl and Matk in hematopoietic lineages led us to investigate the regulation of Lsk expression in response to stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in M07e, a human leukemic cell line. Induction of Lsk/Hyl/Matk protein and mRNA was observed after treatment with SCF but not with GM-CSF. GM-CSF and IL-3, potent mitogens, had no effect on Lsk/Hyl/Matk expression. In contrast, PMA induced Lsk/Hyl/Matk but did not stimulate proliferation. Therefore, induction of Lsk/ Hyl/Matk does not correlate with the capacity to stimulate proliferation. None of the stimuli examined increased Csk protein or mRNA expression. These data demonstrate differential regulation of Csk family members by cytokines and suggest a role for Lsk/ Hyl/Matk in responses mediated by SCF and PMA. Further, our data demonstrate that, as has been seen in blood monocytes, cytokine driven translational control of Lsk/Hyl/ Matk is likely a critical mode of regulation. Lastly, since our studies strongly suggest that the Lsk, Hyl and Matk kinases are related and regulated distinctly from Csk, we and several of the original authors have agreed to rename this kinase the Csk homologous kinase (Chk).

Role of c-Fes in normal and neoplastic hematopoiesis

The study of oncogenes has provided numerous insights, not only into the mechanisms by which growth regulation becomes uncontrolled in cancer cells, but also into signal transduction processes which regulate the orderly proliferation and maturation of cells. c-fes/fps is a cellular oncogene which has been transduced frequently by mammalian and avian retroviruses. There are several features about Fes which suggest it may play a unique role in myeloid cell growth and differentiation. While it contains a tyrosine kinase and SH2 domain, there is no SH3 domain or carboxy terminal regulatory phosphotyrosine such as found in the Src family of kinases. Fes has a unique N-terminal domain of over 400 amino acids of unknown function. It has been implicated in signaling by a variety of hematopoietic growth factors, and is predominantly a nuclear protein.

Phosphotyrosine inhibition and control of vascular endothelial cell proliferation by genistein

Genistein (4',5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone) is a potent anti-angiogenic compound. We investigated the inhibition of phosphotyrosine as a putative signaling mechanism utilized by the drug in modulating basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-mediated vascular endothelial cell proliferation. The studies included the effect of genistein on DNA synthesis, cell viability, phosphotyrosine induction and characterization of the FGF receptor (FGFR). DNA synthesis was attenuated significantly by genistein in a concentration- and time course-dependent manner with relatively low cytotoxicity during a 16-24 hr exposure (IC50 = 12.5 microM; LC50 = 300 microM). Ligand-stimulated cells exhibited significant increases in phosphotyrosine, affecting FGFR and several tyrosine kinase substrates, ranging in size from M(r) 28 to 200 kDa. Inhibition of phosphotyrosine induction as shown by western blots occurred only at high concentrations of the drug (> 500 microM). These results were supported by results obtained using fluorescence immunocytochemistry. FGFR was shown to be FGF-R1 beta 2, a dimer of approximately 85 and 62 kDa, which was prevented from being autophosphorylated when relatively high concentrations of the drug were applied. Low dose (< 20 microM) inhibition of DNA synthesis by genistein did not correlate with the high concentration required for phosphotyrosine inhibition. The data suggest that although cell stimulation results in phosphotyrosine induction, inhibition of phosphotyrosine is not required for inhibition of DNA synthesis. Furthermore, in endothelial cells, inhibition of DNA synthesis by genistein is not mediated primarily by the inhibition of protein tyrosine kinase activity.

Rat mast cell protease I alters cell metabolism

Rat connective tissue mast cells are known to store significant amounts of mast cell protease I (RMCP I), which suppresses normal cell growth and mediates cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines, including the fibrosarcoma cell line FL. To better define its effects on FL cells, RMCP I was added to FL cultures for 30 min. Analysis of de novo nuclear protein synthesis revealed that RMCP I suppressed the expression of three proteins (41, 46, and 69 kD) and enhanced the expression of two other proteins (25 and 32 kD). Treatment of FL cells with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP)-inactivated RMCP I proved that these effects were largely independent of the protease catalytic site. Western blot hybridization, using a monoclonal antibody to phosphotyrosine-containing proteins, revealed that RMCP I inhibited phosphorylation of a nuclear and a cytoplasmic 81-kD tyrosylprotein. Inhibition of nuclear tyrosine kinase activity by RMCP I appeared to be catalytic site dependent, whereas cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase inhibition was independent of RMCP I proteolytic activity. Biotinylated RMCP I was used to identify potential surface-binding proteins. Three specific binding complexes (130, 150, and 210 kD) were detected. The binding of biotinylated RMCP I to these surface proteins was inhibited by excess unlabeled RMCP I, but not by trypsin or chymotrypsin. We speculate that the binding proteins may be critical in initiating RMCP I-induced metabolic changes on FL cells. The ability of RMCP I to alter the metabolism of cells suggests that it may have an important role in regulating their functions.