Faculty Bibliography

We have previously cloned a human gene (H13) homologous to the murine ecotropic retrovirus (E-MuLV) receptor, which, however, does not confer susceptibility to E-MuLV infection. The extracellular domain 3 (ECD3) of H13 contains amino acid residues critical for E-MuLV binding in that the modified H13 gene (mH13), substituted with amino acids from the actual receptor, has the ability to bind E-MuLV. Here we have expressed a fusion protein consisting of mH13/ECD3 and transforming growth factor-alpha in Escherichia coli and demonstrated its binding activity to both ecotropic AKR virus and the epidermal growth factor receptor expressed on the cell surface. Fusion proteins of mH13/ECD3 and ligands to cell surface molecules might be useful for specific cell targeting in E-MuLV-based gene delivery systems

BACKGROUND: Hypericin is a potent virucidal agent with activity against a broad range of enveloped viruses and retroviruses. The effective virucidal activity emanates from a combination of photodynamic and lipophilic properties. Hypericin binds cell membranes (and, by inference, virus membranes) and crosslinks virus capsid proteins. This action results in a loss of infectivity and an inability to retrieve the reverse transcriptase enzymatic activity from the virion. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Since hypericin is devoid of adverse action in most blood components and blood analyses, it is investigated as an additive with potential to inactivate infective viruses in blood components intended for transfusion. RESULTS: Complete inactivation of 10(6) tissue culture-infective doses of human immunodeficiency virus was obtained in whole blood and in diluted packed red cells after illumination with fluorescent light for 1 hour. Loss of viral infectivity to cultured CEM cells has been monitored by use of a detection assay for human immunodeficiency virus p55 in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and cytopathic assays. In physiologic media, hypericin interacts with albumin and lipoproteins, retaining the virucidal activity in bound form. The molecule is negatively charged and forms organic and inorganic monobasic salts (ion pairs) in physiologic pH. Various ion pairs differ in virucidal efficacy. CONCLUSION: The apparent transfusibility of hypericin, taken together with the efficacy of the virucidal activity, the broad range of enveloped viruses affected, and the absence of adverse effects on stored red cells, may render hypericin useful for inactivation of infectious viruses in red cells

pH dependent absorption and fluorescence spectra of hypericin 1 and its octahydroxy analogue 3 demonstrate their acidic properties, their deprotonation occurring in the ground and excited states from OH in the bay region and in the peri position to the carbonyl, respectively; the presence of the anion of 1 in the crystalline state is established by X-ray diffraction

The murine cationic amino acid transporter is also the receptor for murine ecotropic leukemia retrovirus (MuLV-E). Recently, we have cloned a human gene (H13) homologous to the murine ecotropic retroviral receptor (ERR). Although the human homolog is very similar to murine ERR in sequence (87.6% amino acid identity) and structure (14 transmembrane-spanning domains), the human protein fails to function as a receptor for MuLV-E. To identify amino acid residues critical for MuLV-E infection, we took advantage of this species difference and substituted human H13 and murine ERR amino acid residues. Mouse-human chimeric receptor molecules were generated by taking advantage of using common restriction sites. These studies demonstrated that extracellular domains 3 and/or 4 contain the critical amino acid residues. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was then used to create 13 individual ERR mutants containing one or two amino acids substitutions or insertions within these two extracellular domains. Substitution of as few as one amino acid residue (Tyr) at position 235 in ERR with the corresponding H13 amino acid residue Pro abrogates the ability to function as a receptor for MuLV-E infection. Conversely, substitution of just two amino acid residues at positions 240 and 242 or 242 and 244 in H13 with the corresponding amino acid residues in ERR endows H13 with the ability to function as the receptor. This observation can be utilized to significantly improve the safety of retrovirus-mediated gene therapy in humans

Hypericin is a polycyclic, aromatic, naphthodianthrone which has been shown to possess in vivo and in vitro antiretroviral activity. To gain further insight into the mechanism(s) by which hypericin exerts its antiretroviral effects, we have studied Radiation Leukemia virus (RadLV) produced from cells pulse-treated with hypericin. Hypericin-treatment did not inhibit retroviral production or the proteolytic cleavage of the gag-encoded precursor proteins. Rather, hypericin was found to be associated with RadLV particles, the retrovirions showed an increased density in sucrose, and the RadLV protein banding patterns were altered. RadLV produced from hypericin-treated cells was rendered noninfectious upon exposure to visible light. Our results suggest that RadLV produced from hypericin-treated cells is inactivated by a hypericin-mediated photodynamic process

The MHC class II I-A(s) positive B cell lymphomas reticulum cell sarcoma (RCS) that arise in > 90% of SJL mice by the age of 12 months have superantigen-like stimulating properties. In the present study, therefore, RCS cell lines were examined for abnormal expression of endogenous mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) proviruses. Extraordinarily high expression of a 1.8 kb mRNA hybridizing with the long terminal repeat (LTR) of MMTV was found in both primary lymphomas and in vitro RCS lines, but not in an SJL B cell lymphoma, NJ101, that does not stimulate syngeneic T cells, or in LPS activated SJL B cells. A cDNA was cloned from cRCS-2 and sequenced. A 31mer oligonucleotide probe, prepared based on the unique C-terminal sequence of this RCS-Mtv LTR, detected the 1.8 kb mRNA in all RCS lymphomas, while a similar probe for the C-terminal sequence of Mtv-8 LTR hybridized with the larger mRNA present in normal B cells and in NJ101. Preincubation with 19mer antisense S-oligonucleotides, prepared based on the sequences of the first two potential translation initiation sites common to both Mtv-8 and the RCS-Mtv LTR, significantly reduced the ability of RCS cells to stimulate syngeneic T cells. Moreover, transfection of NJ101 cells with the cloned RCS-MMTV cDNA conferred V beta 16 T cell stimulating properties on to these cells. It is concluded that expression of the product of this MMTV-LTR mRNA provides RCS with the strong T cell stimulating properties that it needs for its growth. These results thus identify a novel oncogenic property of MMTV-LTR