K. Murali Krishna Rao

Actin cytoskeletal network in aging and cancer

The cytoskeleton is being recognized as an important modulator of metabolic functions of the cell. The actin cytoskeletal network, in particular, is involved in events regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. The state of actin in a variety of cell types is regulated by signals arising from the cell surface through a wide spectrum of interactions. In this review, we explore the role of actin cytoskeletal network in a series of events which are known to influence cell proliferation and differentiation. These include interaction of actin network with extracellular matrix proteins, cell surface membranes, second messengers, cytoplasmic enzymes and the nucleus. Because of the involvement of the actin network in such diverse interactions, we propose that alterations in the actin cytoskeletal function may be an important aspect of generalized decrease in cellular functions associated with aging. Preliminary data indicate that alterations in the cytoskeletal network do occur in cells obtained from older individuals. Alterations in actin state are also reported during malignant transformation of cells in culture, and in naturally occurring tumors. Taken together, the existing data seem to suggest that changes in the actin cytoskeletal network may be a part of the aging process as well as malignant transformation. Therefore, the study of the actin cytoskeletal network and its regulation has the potential to yield important information regarding cellular senescence and neoplastic transformation.

Pentoxifylline and other methyl xanthines inhibit interleukin-2 receptor expression in human lymphocytes

Addition of pentoxifylline to lymphocytes caused a dose-dependent decrease in PHA-induced interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression. Expression of IL-2R protein and mRNA were inhibited by 60% at a concentration of 1 mM. Pentoxifylline also inhibited release of IL-2R into the medium by 85%. Treatment with recombinant IL-2 (50 U/ml) did not abrogate the effect of pentoxifylline. In addition to inhibition of IL-2R expression, pentoxifylline also decreased the expression of transferrin receptors and class I MHC antigens. Pentoxifylline also inhibited cell proliferation. However, aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha inhibited cell proliferation to the same extent as pentoxifylline, but had no effect on IL-2R expression, indicating that inhibition of cell proliferation does not necessarily lead to inhibition of IL-2R expression. The inhibitory effect on IL-2R expression was also noted with other methylxanthines, theophylline and isobutylmethylxanthine, and with dbcAMP and forskolin. The inhibitory activity of pentoxifylline was prevented by W-13, a calmodulin antagonist, but not by HA-1004, a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor. This suggests that pentoxifylline might act in part through a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent mechanism. Pentoxifylline and other methylxanthines may prove useful in delineating the biochemical pathways involved in induction and expression of cell surface receptors.

Alterations in Stimulus-Induced Integrin Expression in Peripheral Blood Neutrophils of Patients With Diabetic Retinopathy*

Adhesion molecule expression on peripheral blood leukocytes from diabetic patients with severe retinopathy and age-matched control subjects was assessed. Expression of CD11b, CD18, and L-selectin was measured on granulocytes and lymphocytes in whole blood within 1 hour of blood collection. Adhesion molecule expression was determined at 4 degrees C, 37 degrees C, and after stimulation with one of the chemotactic peptides, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenyl-alanine or beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. There were no differences between diabetics and controls in CD11b expression in neutrophils at 4 degrees C, 37 degrees C, or after N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine stimulation. However, during stimulation with beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, the increase in CD11b expression in neutrophils from patients with diabetes was significantly less than in controls. In neutrophils, there was no difference between the control and diabetic participants in CD18 expression at 4 degrees C, but after warming the cells to 37 degrees C, the expression was significantly higher in patients with diabetes. The difference became even more apparent after N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenyl-alanine stimulation. The increase in CD18 expression after beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate stimulation of neutrophils was similar in control and diabetic participants. There was no difference in L-selectin expression in neutrophils under any conditions. There was no difference in adhesion molecule expression on lymphocytes under similar conditions. In summary, these observations indicate that integrin expression of neutrophils from patients with diabetes and retinopathy is altered after stimulation with neutrophil-activating agents. The changes were integrin-, stimulus-, and cell-specific, which suggests that the signal transduction mechanisms may be altered in diabetic neutrophils. These alterations may be responsible for abnormal leukocyte/endothelial interactions and microvascular complications in diabetic retinopathy.

Age and functional correlations of markers of coagulation and inflammation in the elderly : functional implications of elevated crosslinked fibrin degradation products (D-dimers)

OBJECTIVE: To measure markers of inflammation in a cohort of young and old subjects and relate these findings to the functional level of the individuals.

Age-related studies of SIg, Leu-4 and concanavalin A receptor densities and capping in human lymphocytes.

We compared the cell surface antigen density and capping of three antigens in lymphocytes obtained from healthy, young (mean age 27 years) and elderly (mean age 76), population. There were no differences in the expression of surface immunoglobulin (SIg), concanavalin A (con A) receptors and Leu-4 antigen between the two groups. Kinetic analysis of these molecules revealed a slight decrease in capping in the older population, but the differences were not statistically significant. In order to test the possibility that subjecting the cells to metabolic stress might bring out the differences, we performed a kinetic analysis of SIg and con A capping in the presence of various concentrations of the metabolic inhibitor sodium azide. Although the capping in cells from elderly subjects was slightly more sensitive to azide, no statistical difference was found. Analysis of con A capping by a flow cytometric method yielded similar results, confirming the data obtained by visual capping experiments. We conclude that although a trend toward decreased capping was observed, there is little alteration in the surface molecule capping phenomenon in the age-groups studied.

Substance P and adrenocorticotropic hormone do not affect T-lymphocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium or surface expression of adhesion receptors

Substance P (SP) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) are peptides that have been shown to have both neurological and immunological effects. Because of the demonstrated effects upon immune function, we examined the effects of these peptides on T-lymphocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium and surface adhesion receptor expression. Neither the adhesion assays nor the expression assays showed any statistically significant effect of SP (10 microM) or ACTH (1 microM) for any incubation period used. We conclude that, while SP and ACTH have a variety of immunomodulatory effects, direct modulation of T-lymphocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium is probably not one of them.

Age-related increase in phorbol myristate acetate-induced lymphocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium

Lymphocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium is an important part of immune function. This investigation sought to detect differences between the adhesion of lymphocytes from young and aged human donors to vascular endothelium with and without treatment of the lymphocytes with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC) that stimulates this adhesive process. T-lymphocytes were isolated from young and aged donors and adhesion assays were conducted with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In some cases the HUVEC were activated by pre-incubation with tumor necrosis factor, a cytokine that increases their adhesiveness, before the addition of lymphocytes in the presence or absence of PMA. The results show that, in the basal state, lymphocytes from young and aged donors had similar levels of adherence, while with PMA activation, lymphocytes from aged donors had a significantly higher level of adherence to both activated and non-activated HUVEC. No cytotoxic effect on the HUVEC was detected. These results suggest a role for lymphocytes in diseases that predominantly affect the elderly and that are thought to involve interaction between lymphocytes and endothelium. In addition, these results indicate that there may be a change in PKC function in lymphocytes with aging.

Effect of Pentoxifylline and Analogs on Actin State and Cell Surface Receptor Expression in Human Leukocytes

AbstractWe have shown previously that pentoxifylline causes a decrease in the F-actin content, inhibits ligand-induced capping (Rao et al., J. Cell Physiol. 137:577, 1988) and CR3 expression (Currie e