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Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60612; and
University of California, San Francisco Diabetes Center, Metabolic Research Unit/Hormone Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
| Abstract |
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B are regarded as redox-sensitive
transcription factors and the promoter/enhancer region of the B7-1 gene
contains an AP-1 and an NF-
B binding site, exposure of P815 tumor
cells to L-PAM led to rapid and transient activation only
of NF-
B, but not AP-1, that bound specifically to a probe containing
the respective binding site in the murine or human B7-1 gene. Moreover,
exposure of P815 tumor cells to a cell-permeable peptide that
selectively inhibits NF-
B activation by blocking the activation of
the I
B-kinase complex was found to inhibit the
L-PAM-induced B7-1 mRNA accumulation, indicating that
NF-
B activation is essential for the L-PAM-induced B7-1
gene expression. Taken together, these results indicate that
L-PAM leads to activation of B7-1 gene expression by
activating NF-
B via a pathway that involves reactive oxygen
species. | Introduction |
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Numerous investigators observed that B7-2 expression was up-regulated
earlier than B7-1 following stimulation of APCs with a variety of
different stimuli including cytokines (e.g., GM-CSF), anti-CD40, or
surface Ig ligation (12, 13, 14). Opposite expression
patterns of these costimulatory molecules were observed following
L-PAM therapy of MOPC-315 tumor bearers
(15). Specifically, B7-1 was up-regulated at the tumor
site within 24 h after L-PAM treatment
(15), whereas B7-2 was up-regulated after 48 h
(11), which is similar to the time of up-regulation of
B7-2 expression on APC exposed to the other stimuli
(12, 13, 14). In light of these observations, we considered
the possibility that in contrast to B7-2, which is up-regulated
indirectly by L-PAM (i.e., L-PAM induces
TNF-
production (16) that in turn leads to
up-regulation of B7-2 surface expression; Ref. 8, 17),
B7-1 may be up-regulated by direct action of L-PAM on
MOPC-315 tumor cells. To test this hypothesis, we determined initially
whether in vitro exposure of MOPC-315 tumor cells from untreated mice
to L-PAM results in rapid up-regulation of B7-1, but not
B7-2, surface expression. Our studies revealed that within 24 h
after in vitro exposure of MOPC-315 tumor cells to L-PAM,
the tumor cells exhibited up-regulated B7-1 surface expression and
unaltered B7-2 surface expression, which was high to start with
(15). This effect of L-PAM was not restricted
to MOPC-315 tumor cells, as preferential up-regulation of B7-1 surface
expression was also observed within 24 h after in vitro exposure
of P815 tumor cells to L-PAM (15). Subsequent
studies into the mechanism through which L-PAM leads to
up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression used P815 tumor cells because,
unlike MOPC-315 tumor cells, P815 tumor cells do not constitutively
express either the B7-1 or the B7-2 molecule on their surface
(15). These studies revealed that up-regulation of B7-1
surface expression following in vitro exposure of tumor cells to
L-PAM requires de novo RNA synthesis and is associated with
rapid accumulation of B7-1 mRNA (15), indicating that the
regulation of B7-1 expression is at the transcriptional level.
The observations that L-PAM activated B7-1 gene expression
in tumor cells, which has important implications for an additional
immune potentiating mechanism for L-PAM, prompted us to
initiate studies to elucidate the mechanisms through which
L-PAM leads to activation of B7-1 gene expression in tumor
cells. Here we show that reactive oxygen species are involved in the
transcriptional regulation of L-PAM-induced B7-1 gene
expression. In addition, we illustrate that L-PAM leads to
rapid and transient activation of the redox-sensitive transcription
factor NF-
B, but not AP-1, which binds specifically to its cognate
element in the enhancer/promoter region of the B7-1 gene. Moreover,
NF-
B activation is shown to be essential for the
L-PAM-induced B7-1 gene expression.
| Materials and Methods |
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We have used primarily the P815 mastocytoma, which under normal conditions is negative for B7-1 and B7-2 surface expression (15, 18). P815 tumor cells were maintained in vitro, as previously described (15, 18), in low glucose DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY). In a few experiments we used the MOPC-315 plasmacytoma, which under normal conditions is negative for B7-1 surface expression but expresses relatively high levels of B7-2 (15). MOPC-315 tumor cells were maintained in vivo, as previously described (15, 19), in BALB/cAnNCrlBR mice 710 wk old, that were purchased from Charles River Breeding Laboratories (Wilmington, MA).
In vitro treatments of tumor cells
In the first set of experiments, P815 or MOPC-315 tumor cells
were exposed in vitro to
H2O2 for 15 min at a
concentration ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 mM or exposed in vitro for 2 h
to 42°C and subsequently cultured for 2224 h at 37°C as
previously described (15). In most experiments, P815 tumor
cells were exposed in vitro to 1530 nM L-PAM (Sigma, St.
Louis, MO) for 30 min, unless otherwise stated, and then cultured for
the indicated periods of time. In experiments evaluating the importance
of reactive oxygen species for the L-PAM effect, P815 tumor
cells were pretreated with the antioxidant
N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) for 1 h
before their exposure to L-PAM as well as during
the L-PAM treatment. A concentration of 25 mM NAC
was chosen for these experiments based on reports by other
investigators with other cell types and other treatment modalities
(20, 21). Finally, in experiments assessing the importance
of NF-
B activation for the L-PAM-induced B7-1
gene expression, we used a cell-permeable peptide of the following
sequence DRQIKIWFQNRRMKWKKTALDWSWLQTE, which was shown to block the
binding of the NF-
B essential modifier (NEMO) to the I
B-kinase
(IKK) complex, thereby selectively inhibiting NF-
B activation
(22). Specifically, P815 tumor cells were exposed to 250
µM of this peptide (which will be referred to as wild-type peptide)
for 3 h before their exposure to L-PAM as
well as during the L-PAM treatment. As control,
P815 tumor cells were exposed for 3 h before the exposure to
L-PAM as well as during the
L-PAM treatment to 250 µM of a mutant
peptide (DRQIKIWFQNRRMKWKKTALDASALQTE)
in which W was substituted with A in the two underlined positions and,
consequently, the peptide does not inhibit NEMO binding to the IKK
complex (22).
Flow-cytometric analysis
B7-1 and B7-2 expression on P815 or MOPC-315 tumor cells was assessed, as previously described (15), through the use of PE-conjugated anti-B7-1 (16-10A1) and PE-conjugated anti-B7-2 (GL-1) mAb (PharMingen, San Diego, CA), respectively. As a control, we used the appropriate PE-conjugated isotype-matched normal IgG (NIgG; PharMingen). Flow-cytometric analysis of 10,000 viable cells was conducted on a Coulter EPICS Elite ESP (Coulter Electronics, Hialeah, FL). Each experiment was repeated at least three times, and the results of a representative experiment are provided in the form of a histogram.
RT-PCR
Total RNA was extracted from P815 tumor cells and subjected to
reverse transcription followed by PCR with sense and antisense primers
for B7-1, as previously described (15).
-Actin
(Stratagene, La Jolla, CA) served as a standard to normalize for the
quantity of mRNA subjected to PCR in the various samples within the
same experiment. PCR products were separated by electrophoresis on a
1% agarose gel containing ethidium bromide and visualized by UV light.
The sizes of the PCR products were determined using a standard 100-bp
DNA ladder (Life Technologies) and were found to be of the expected
size. Each experiment was performed at least three times, and the
results of a representative experiment are provided.
EMSA
Nuclear extracts were prepared according to the method of Osborn
et al. (23), and 1 µg of nuclear proteins was incubated
for 20 min at 25°C with 50 fM of a
32P-labeled double-stranded oligonucleotide
probe. In experiments evaluating the activation of AP-1 or NF-
B that
binds to the enhancer/promoter region of the murine B7-1 gene we used a
probe corresponding to positions -124 to -103 that includes the
consensus AP-1 binding site (5'-TCTAGTGTTAGTCACCCCACCC-3'),
or a probe corresponding to positions -1455 to -1434 that includes
the consensus NF-
B binding site
(5'-GGAAAGGGGAAATTCCTGCCCC-3') (24). In
experiments evaluating the activation of NF-
B that binds to the
enhancer region of the human B7-1 gene we used a probe that corresponds
to positions -2969 to -2945 that includes the consensus NF-
B
binding site (5'-GGGAAAGGGGTTTTCCCAGCAGTCA-3')
(25). Binding reactions contained 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5),
1 mM MgCl2, 0.5 mM EDTA, 0.5 mM DTT, 50 mM NaCl,
4% glycerol, 0.1% Nonidet P-40, and 0.10.250 µg poly(dI:dC). The
free and protein-bound oligonucleotide probes were separated by
electrophoresis on 5% polyacrylamide gel. Subsequently, the gels were
dried and the bands were visualized by autoradiography. The specificity
of binding was examined by competition with a 25-fold molar excess of
the unlabeled specific oligonucleotide, and by competition with a
25-fold excess of an unlabeled mutant oligonucleotide in which the G in
the third position from the 5' end of the NF-
B binding site was
substituted with a C. Finally, each experiment was performed at least
three times, and the results of a representative experiment are
presented.
| Results |
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We have previously shown that in vitro exposure of MOPC-315 or
P815 tumor cells to L-PAM,
-irradiation, or
mitomycin C leads to selective up-regulation of B7-1 surface
expression, and that this up-regulation of B7-1 expression occurs at
the transcriptional level (15). Because reactive oxygen
species were reported to be induced following exposure of cells to
these anticancer modalities (26, 27, 28, 29), and to be important
mediators of gene activation (20, 26, 28), experiments
were undertaken to determine whether exposure of MOPC-315 or P815 tumor
cells to H2O2 can
also lead to selective up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression.
Accordingly, MOPC-315 or P815 tumor cells were exposed in vitro for 15
min to H2O2 and then
cultured for an additional 2224 h before B7-1 or B7-2 surface
expression was assessed. Because similar results were obtained with
MOPC-315 and P815 tumor cells, we elected to present the data obtained
with P815 tumor cells because untreated P815 tumor cells, unlike
untreated MOPC-315 tumor cells, are negative not only for B7-1surface
expression but also for B7-2 surface expression (15, 18).
As seen in Fig. 1
A, in vitro
exposure of P815 tumor cells to
H2O2 at a concentration
ranging from 0.03 to 1.0 mM led to up-regulated B7-1 surface
expression. The same preparation of P815 tumor cells remained negative
for B7-2 surface expression even when exposed to 1.0 mM
H2O2 (Fig. 1
B).
Thus, H2O2 mimics the
effect of L-PAM,
-irradiation, and mitomycin C
on B7-1 surface expression on tumor cells.
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Our observations that exposure of P815 tumor cells to
H2O2 (but not to heat
shock) leads to selective up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression,
coupled with reports by other investigators that L-PAM can
increase the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species
(30), prompted us to determine whether reactive oxygen
species are involved in the L-PAM-induced up-regulation of
B7-1 gene expression. Accordingly, we determined whether the
antioxidant NAC would interfere with the ability of L-PAM
to lead to up-regulation of B7-1 expression. For this purpose, we
incubated P815 tumor cells with NAC for 1 h before their exposure
to L-PAM as well as during the 1-h in vitro
L-PAM treatment. Four hours after initiation of the
L-PAM treatment, we evaluated the effect of NAC on B7-1
mRNA expression as an indication of the effect of NAC on B7-1 surface
expression, because L-PAM-induced B7-1 surface expression
on P815 tumor cells was previously shown to require de novo RNA
synthesis and to be associated with accumulation of mRNA for B7-1
(15). In these studies, which used RT-PCR, we used RNA
from B7-1-transfected P815 tumor cells (15, 31) as a
positive control (Fig. 3
, lane
1). As seen in Fig. 3
, and in confirmation of our previous
observations (15), untreated P815 tumor cells were
negative for B7-1 mRNA expression (lane 2); however,
a substantial level of B7-1 mRNA was evident by 4 h after
initiation of the L-PAM treatment
(lane 3). Treatment of P815 tumor cells with NAC
prevented the L-PAM-induced accumulation of B7-1
mRNA (lane 4). These results indicate that reactive
oxygen intermediates are involved in the transcriptional regulation of
L-PAM-induced B7-1 gene expression.
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B that bind specifically to the AP-1 or the NF-
B
binding site in the promoter/enhancer of the murine B7-1 gene
Because 1) NF-
B and AP-1 are regarded as redox-sensitive
transcription factors (26, 28, 32, 33, 34), and 2) the
promoter/enhancer region of the B7-1 gene has an AP-1 and an NF-
B
binding site (24, 35, 36), experiments were conducted to
determine whether exposure of P815 tumor cells to L-PAM
leads to activation of AP-1 and/or NF-
B that bind specifically to a
probe containing the AP-1 or NF-
B binding site in the
promoter/enhancer of the murine B7-1 gene. For this purpose, nuclear
extracts were prepared from untreated P815 tumor cells or
L-PAM-treated P815 tumor cells 30 or 60 min after
initiation of the L-PAM treatment. The nuclear extracts
were then evaluated for binding to a 32P-labeled
double stranded oligonucleotide probe corresponding to 1) positions
-124 to -103 or 2) positions -1455 to -1434 of the
promoter/enhancer region of the murine B7-1 gene that includes the
consensus AP-1 binding site (5'-TTAGTCA-3') or the consensus NF-
B
binding site (5'-GGGAAATTCC-3'), respectively. As seen in Fig. 4
, which provides the EMSA results with
the probe containing the AP-1 binding site, although a protein-DNA
complex was evident in the positive control lane with nuclear extract
from HeLa cells (lane 1, panel B), a protein-DNA
complex was not evident with nuclear extract obtained from untreated
P815 tumor cells (lane 1, panel A) or with nuclear
extract obtained from P815 tumor cells exposed in vitro to
L-PAM 30 (lane 2, panel A) or
60 (lane 3, panel A) min earlier. The specificity of
the protein-DNA complex with nuclear extract from HeLa cells is
indicated by the fact that the complex was competed out with a 25-fold
molar excess of the specific competitor (lane 2, panel
B) but not with a 25-fold molar excess of an unrelated competitor
(lane 3, panel B). These results illustrate that
exposure of P815 tumor cells to L-PAM does not
activate AP-1 that binds to the AP-1 binding site in the promoter of
the murine B7-1 gene.
|
B binding site. As seen in Fig. 5
B, but not AP-1, that binds specifically to the NF-
B binding
site in the enhancer of the murine B7-1 gene.
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B
that binds specifically to the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of
the human B7-1 gene
In light of a recent report by Vereecque et al. (29)
that exposure of primary cultures of human acute myeloid leukemic cells
to
-irradiation induces up-regulation of B7-1 expression at both the
protein and mRNA level, we conducted studies to determine whether
nuclear extract from P815 tumor cells exposed in vitro to
L-PAM can bind specifically to a probe containing the
NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the human B7-1 gene, which is
not identical in sequence to NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of
the murine B7-1 gene (24, 25). Accordingly, nuclear
extracts obtained from untreated P815 tumor cells or
L-PAM-treated P815 tumor cells 30 or 60 min after
initiation of the L-PAM treatment were evaluated for their
ability to bind to a 32P-labeled double stranded
oligonucleotide probe corresponding to positions -2969 to -2945 in
the enhancer of the human B7-1 gene that includes the consensus NF-
B
binding site (5'-GGGGTTTTCC-3'). As seen in Fig. 6
A, a single retarded band of
protein-DNA complex was evident with nuclear extract from untreated
P815 tumor cells (lane 1). The intensity of this band
was greatly increased with nuclear extract from P815 tumor cells
exposed 30 min earlier (lane 2), but not 60 min
earlier (lane 3), to L-PAM. Two
additional bands of protein-DNA complexes were also evident with
nuclear extract from P815 tumor cells exposed 30 min earlier
(lane 2), but not 60 min earlier, to
L-PAM (lane 3). The specificity
of the three protein-DNA complexes is indicated by the fact that
addition of a 25-fold molar excess of unlabeled specific probe competed
out all three bands (Fig. 6
B, lane 2), whereas addition of a
25-fold molar excess of mutant probe did not compete out any of the
bands (Fig. 6
B, lane 3). Thus, exposure of P815 tumor cells
to L-PAM leads to rapid and transient activation
of NF-
B that binds specifically to the NF-
B binding site in the
enhancer of the human B7-1 gene.
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B family in the
protein-DNA complexes formed with nuclear extract from
L-PAM-treated P815 tumor cells and an oligonucleotide probe
containing the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the human B7-1
gene
The NF-
B family of transcription factors consists of the
homologous proteins p50, p52, p65, Rel B, and c-Rel, which dimerize in
various combinations and activate or repress NF-
B-dependent gene
transcription (37). To determine which members of the
NF-
B family are present in the specific protein-DNA complexes formed
with nuclear extract from P815 tumor cells exposed 30 min earlier to
L-PAM, we exposed nuclear extract from
L-PAM-treated P815 tumor cells to Abs directed
against the various NF-
B family members before adding the
32P-labeled probe. As seen in Fig. 7
, the fastest migrating third complex
was competed with anti-p50 Ab (lane 2) and with
anti-p65 Ab (lane 4); furthermore, in the
presence of both anti-p50 and anti-p65 Ab, the third complex
was competed away completely (lane 7), indicating
that this complex contains heterodimers of the p50 and p65 subunits. In
contrast, the second complex was competed away completely with Ab
against p65 (lane 4), indicating that the second
complex contains homodimers of p65. The composition of the less intense
first complex is not clear, but it appears that it was diluted out with
anti-p65 Ab (lane 4) and possibly anti-Rel B
Ab (lane 5), suggesting that it may contain
heterodimers of p65 and Rel B. Finally, Abs directed against p52
(lane 3) and c-Rel (lane 6)
apparently did not compete or shift any of the complexes, suggesting
that these subunits are not present in any of the complexes.
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B
that binds specifically to the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of
the human B7-1 gene
Because the antioxidant NAC was found in the studies described
above to prevent the L-PAM-induced accumulation of B7-1
mRNA in P815 tumor cells (Fig. 3
), experiments were conducted to
determine whether NAC will also inhibit the L-PAM-induced
activation of NF-
B. For this purpose, P815 tumor cells were
pretreated with NAC for 1 h before their exposure to
L-PAM as well as during their 30-min exposure to
L-PAM. Nuclear extract was prepared 30 min after initiation
of the L-PAM treatment and incubated with a probe
containing the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the human B7-1
gene. As seen in Fig. 8
, the intensity of
each of the three bands of protein-DNA complexes observed with nuclear
extract from P815 tumor cells treated with L-PAM alone
(lane 2) was substantially higher than the intensity
of these complexes with nuclear extract from P815 tumor cells treated
with L-PAM plus NAC (lane 3).
Thus, NAC inhibits L-PAM-induced NF-
B
activation, indicating that reactive oxygen species are involved in the
NF-
B activation by L-PAM.
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B activation
and B7-1 gene expression
Experiments were undertaken to elucidate the importance of
L-PAM-induced NF-
B activation for
L-PAM-induced B7-1 gene expression. For this purpose, we
took advantage of a recent report by May et al. (22) that
a cell-permeable peptide that blocks the binding of NEMO to the IKK
complex can selectively inhibit cytokine-induced NF-
B activation and
NF-
B-dependent gene expression. Initially, we had to establish that
this peptide (but not a mutant peptide that does not block NEMO binding
to the IKK complex) inhibits L-PAM-induced NF-
B
activation. For this purpose, P815 tumor cells were exposed to 250 µM
of the wild-type or mutant peptide for 3 h before the
L-PAM treatment as well as during the L-PAM
treatment. Thirty minutes after initiation of the L-PAM
treatment, nuclear extracts were prepared and incubated with a probe
containing the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the human B7-1
gene. As seen in Fig. 9
, the intensity of
each of the three specific bands of the protein-DNA complexes observed
with nuclear extract from P815 tumor cells treated with
L-PAM alone (lane 2) or
L-PAM plus the mutant peptide (lane
4) was substantially higher than the intensity of these complexes
with nuclear extract from P815 tumor cells treated with
L-PAM plus the wild-type peptide
(lane 3). Thus, as expected based on the observations
of May et al. (22) with cytokine-induced NF-
B
activation, the wild-type peptide, which blocks NEMO binding to the IKK
complex, also inhibits the L-PAM-induced NF-
B
activation.
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B
activation would also inhibit the L-PAM-induced B7-1 gene
expression. For this purpose, P815 tumor cells were incubated with the
wild-type or mutant peptide for 3 h before their exposure to
L-PAM as well as during the 1 h in vitro
L-PAM treatment. Four hours after initiation of the
L-PAM treatment, we evaluated the effect of the wild-type
and the mutant peptides on B7-1 mRNA expression. As seen in Fig. 10
B activation, prevented the
L-PAM-induced B7-1 mRNA accumulation
(lane 3). In contrast, exposure of the P815 tumor
cells to the mutant peptide, which did not inhibit the
L-PAM-induced NF-
B activation, did not inhibit
the L-PAM-induced B7-1 mRNA accumulation
(lane 4). Thus, L-PAM-induced
NF-
B activation is essential for L-PAM-induced
B7-1 gene expression.
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| Discussion |
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-ketoglutarate
dehydrogenase)-pulsed L-PAM-pretreated P815 tumor cells (D.
Sojka, S. OHerrin, J. A. B., and M. B. M.,
unpublished observations). The preferential up-regulation of
B7-1 surface expression may have important implications for the
generation of an effective antitumor immune response in light of
reports that in some situations costimulation via B7-1 and B7-2 leads
to T cell differentiation along different pathways
(38, 39, 40, 41, 42). Moreover, Gajewski (43) had shown
in the P815 tumor system that B7-1-transfected tumor cells were
superior to B7-2-transfected tumor cells in stimulating the generation
of P815-specific CTLs. In the current studies we provide information
regarding the mechanisms through which L-PAM initiates the
selective up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression on P815 tumor
cells.
We (15), as well as others (27, 29, 44), have
recently shown that B7-1 surface expression can be selectively
up-regulated on several different murine tumor cell lines, by exposing
the tumor cells to a different anticancer modality, i.e.,
-irradiation. Moreover,
-irradiation was reported to up-regulate
B7-1 surface expression on primary cultures of human acute myeloid
leukemic cell samples (29). Subsequent attempts to mimic
the effect of
-irradiation on B7-1 surface expression with
H2O2 revealed that while
exposure of the murine AT3F hepatoma to
-irradiation resulted in a
profound elevation in B7-1 mRNA and surface expression, exposure of
these tumor cells for 60 min to
H2O2 at a concentration of
2 mM, but not 1 mM, resulted in a slight elevation in B7-1 mRNA and
surface expression (27). In contrast, exposure of the
murine DA13b myeloid leukemic cell line for 60 min to 1 mM
H2O2 (the only conditions
reported) resulted in a substantial elevation in B7-1 surface
expression, although not as profound as following exposure to 25 Gy
-irradiation (29). Neither one of these studies
provided any data illustrating the effect of an antioxidant on
-irradiation-induced B7-1 surface expression. Here we extend the
previous observations by demonstrating that
H2O2 can also lead to
selective up-regulation of B7-1 surface expression on P815 tumor cells.
Moreover, elevation in B7-1 surface expression can be achieved by
exposure of P815 tumor cells to
H2O2 for only 15 min and at
a much lower concentration than used in the previous studies (i.e.,
0.03 vs 1.0 or 2.0 mM). Furthermore, we show the importance of reactive
oxygen species for the L-PAM-induced up-regulation of B7-1
expression by demonstrating that pretreatment of P815 tumor cells with
the antioxidant NAC prevented the L-PAM-induced B7-1
up-regulation.
We have recently observed that L-PAM administration to normal mice also resulted in rapid up-regulation of B7-1 gene expression in the spleen of such mice (V. Jovasevic, and M.B. Mokyr, unpublished observations). We have not as yet identified the splenic cell type(s) in which B7-1 gene expression was rapidly induced as a consequence of the L-PAM administration to normal mice. However, it is quite likely that APCs are among such cells given our observations that L-PAM leads to B7-1 gene expression via a pathway that involves reactive oxygen species and the observations of Rutault et al. (45) that reactive oxygen species function as "danger" signals to render dendritic cells more efficient in T cell activation by up-regulating the expression of costimulatory molecules and MHC class II molecules.
Several investigators have shown that different stimuli use reactive
oxygen species as signaling messengers to activate transcription
factors and induce gene expression (20, 26, 32, 33, 34, 46).
For example, it was shown that activation of NF-
B by
-irradiation
or phorbol ester can be inhibited by antioxidants (20, 26, 32, 33, 34, 46). Moreover, using cell lines overexpressing catalase,
the H2O2-degrading enzyme,
Schmidt et al. (47) have shown that among the reactive
oxygen species, H2O2 acts
as a messenger for NF-
B activation. In this regard it is interesting
to note that Gorman et al. (30) have recently shown that
exposure of HL60 cells to L-PAM leads to a rapid increase
in intracellular peroxide level, but not superoxide level, and NAC,
which was found in our studies to inhibit the L-PAM-induced
B7-1 expression, has been shown by other investigators to directly
reduce H2O2, ·OH, and
HOCl, but not ·O2- (48, 49). Consistent with these observations, we show here that
L-PAM leads to activation of NF-
B that binds
specifically to the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the B7-1
gene, and this L-PAM-induced NF-
B activation is
inhibited by pretreatment with NAC. Taken together these observations
suggest that L-PAM leads to a rapid increase in the
intracellular level of peroxide, which in turn leads to activation of
NF-
B that binds selectively to the NF-
B binding site in the
enhancer of the B7-1 gene.
Another redox-sensitive transcription factor is the AP-1. However,
although in most studies AP-1 was shown to behave as an oxidative
stress-responsive factor (34, 50), this was not the case
in all studies. For example, in the studies by Meyer et al.
(33) with HeLa cells AP-1 behaved like an
anti-oxidative stress-responsive transcription factor, whereas
NF-
B behaved like an oxidative stress-responsive transcription
factor. Specifically, AP-1 was poorly activated following exposure of
the HeLa cells to H2O2, and
AP-1 activation by PMA was inhibited in the presence of
H2O2. Moreover,
antioxidants on their own activated AP-1. These observations led to the
conclusion that the effect of oxidative stress on AP-1 activation may
vary depending on the cell type studied and the modalities used, which
in turn may result in a different pattern of transcription factor
activation in different cell types exposed to the same modality or in
the same cell line exposed to different modalities. Here we show that
L-PAM leads to up-regulation of B7-1 expression via a
mechanism that involves oxidative stress, and activation of NF-
B,
but not AP-1, that binds specifically to its binding site in the
promoter/enhancer of the B7-1 gene. It is not known at present whether
the failure of L-PAM to activate AP-1 in P815 tumor cells
is due to the cell type used (P815) and/or the modality used
(L-PAM). However, AP-1 activation does not appear to be
required for the L-PAM-induced B7-1 gene expression.
NF-
B in its active DNA-binding form is a heterogeneous collection of
dimers (51). In fact, all five members of the NF-
B
family can form homodimers or heterodimers, except Rel B, which can
only form heterodimers (51). The different dimers show
distinct preferences for DNA binding site sequences. Based on the
existing model for the NF-
B binding site, which was developed based
on crystal structure studies with a probe containing an NF-
B binding
site and p50/p65 heterodimers, the sequences of the NF-
B binding
sites are pseudosymmetric, i.e., a 5 bp sequence from the 5' end binds
to p50, and a 4 bp sequence binds to p65 with a base pair spacer
between them. The sequence of the first subsite that binds optimally to
p50 can be 5'-GGGAA (52), as it is in the enhancer of the
murine B7-1 gene (24) or 5'-GGGGT (51), as it
is in the enhancer of the human B7-1 gene (25). In
addition, the sequence of the second subsite that binds optimally to
p65 (i.e., nucleotides 710 from the 5' end of the NF-
B binding
site) is 5'-TTCC (52), which is identical to the second
half of the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of both mouse and
human B7-1 gene (24, 25). Thus, it is not surprising that
even though the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the murine and
human B7-1 gene is not identical in sequence (i.e.,
5'-GGGAAATTCC-3' and 5'-GGGGTTTTCC -3',
respectively), the NF-
B that is activated following exposure of P815
tumor cells to L-PAM binds to the NF-
B binding site in
the mouse as well as the human B7-1 gene.
Here we show that three different NF-
B dimers bound specifically to
the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the B7-1 gene following
exposure of P815 tumor cells to L-PAM. These included
heterodimers of p50/p65, homodimers of p65, and conceivably
heterodimers of p65/Rel B. Based on the above model and the sequence of
the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the B7-1 gene, it is not
surprising that one of the activated forms of NF-
B consists of
heterodimers of p50/p65. In contrast, p65 homodimers have only one
optimal subsite for binding to the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer
of the B7-1 gene. However, as shown by Chen et al. (53),
p65 homodimers can still bind to the NF-
B binding site by making
base-specific contacts to the second subsite and only maintaining
phosphate backbone contacts to the other (first) subsite of the NF-
B
binding site (53).
Zhao et al. (25) have recently shown that nuclear extract
derived from mature B cells (Raji cells) that constitutively express
B7-1 bound specifically to an oligonucleotide probe containing the
NF-
B binding site of the human B7-1 gene and formed two
protein-DNA complexes. The faster migrating complex contained
p50, c-Rel, and Rel B, whereas the slower moving complex contained
heterodimers of p50/p65. In this regard it is interesting to note that
in our studies L-PAM treatment of P815 tumor
cells that activated B7-1 expression (on tumor cells that before the
L-PAM treatment were negative for B7-1
expression) activated NF-
B that bound specifically to the NF-
B
binding site in the enhancer of the human B7-1 gene and, as in the
study by Zhao et al., one such activated NF-
B transcription factor
was composed of heterodimers of p50/p65. However, in addition to the
p50/p65 heterodimers, L-PAM treatment activated
NF-
B transcription factors composed of homodimers of p65 and
conceivably also heterodimers of p65/Rel B that bound specifically to
the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the human B7-1 gene, which
were not seen in the study by Zhao et al. (25). At present
the function of the different dimers of the activated NF-
B that bind
specifically to the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the B7-1
gene is not known. Consequently, it is not known what the significance
is of the fact that in our studies, as in the studies by Zhao et al.
(25), one of the activated transcription factors that
bound specifically to the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the
human B7-1 gene consisted of heterodimers of p50/p65, whereas the other
activated transcription factors were different in the two studies.
Finally, it is not known at present whether the differences seen in the
composition of some of the activated NF-
B transcription factors that
bound specifically to the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of
the human B7-1 gene in the two studies are the result of differences
between the type of cell used (i.e., B7-1-expressing mature B cells vs
mast cells) or the result of the "modalities" used to "induce"
B7-1 expression (i.e., Raji cells that constitutively express B7-1 vs
B7-1-negative P815 tumor cells that were induced to express B7-1 by
exposure to L-PAM).
In the current studies we used a cell-permeable peptide that was
previously shown to inhibit the binding of NEMO to the IKK complex
(which consists of IKK
and IKK
), thereby inhibiting IKK
phosphorylation of the I
B
and I
B
, which in turn inhibits
the degradation of the I
B that is required for the translocation of
NF-
B from the cytoplasm to the nucleus where it activates the
specific cellular genes (22, 54). Our studies revealed
that this peptide, which was previously shown to inhibit
cytokine-induced NF-
B activation (22), also inhibits
L-PAM-induced NF-
B activation. Moreover, our studies
illustrated that this peptide inhibits L-PAM-induced B7-1
gene expression, indicating that NF-
B activation is essential for
L-PAM-induced B7-1 gene expression.
It is interesting to point out at this stage that the NF-
B binding
site in the enhancer of the IFN-
gene, which is important for
IFN-
gene expression (55, 56), is identical in sequence
to the sequence of the NF-
B binding site in the enhancer of the B7-1
gene (25, 53). Thus, although other transcription factors
in addition to NF-
B are involved in the up-regulation of IFN-
gene expression (55, 56), these observations prompted us
to determine whether exposure of tumor cells to L-PAM in
vitro also leads to up-regulation of IFN-
gene expression. Our
studies revealed that within 2 h after in vitro exposure of tumor
cells to L-PAM there is a massive accumulation of IFN-
mRNA, and this accumulation requires de novo RNA synthesis, indicating
that L-PAM indeed leads to activation of IFN-
gene
expression (V. Jovasevic and M.B. Mokyr, manuscript in
preparation). IFN-
(not just oxidative stress) may in turn function
as an inducible "danger" signal for the immune system
(57).
| Footnotes |
|---|
2 This work is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree. ![]()
3 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Margalit B. Mokyr, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (M/C 536), University of Illinois, 1819 West Polk Street, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail address: mokyr{at}uic.edu ![]()
4 Abbreviations used in this paper: L-PAM, L-phenylalanine mustard; NAC, N-acetyl-L-cysteine; NIgG, normal IgG; NEMO, NF-
B essential modifier; IKK, I
B-kinase. ![]()
Received for publication December 6, 2000. Accepted for publication March 19, 2001.
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