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Recombinant BHK and CHO cells producing human antithrombin III (rh ATIII) were used to investigate the utilization of phospholipids and free fatty acids from low-serum (0.1% FBS) culture medium. Both cell lines show distinctly different patterns of fatty acid utilization. For rBHK ATIII cells it is shown that under low serum conditions several different combinations of free fatty acids (bound to bovine albumin) elicit an identical growth stimulatory effect although individual consumption and production rates of fatty acids are different. Increased fatty acid concentrations lead to increased uptake rates without any further effect on growth rate being observed. Recombinant antithrombin III formation is found to be a function of combinations and concentrations of fatty acids present in the culture medium.

To determine whether antithrombin-III (AT-III) deficiency leads to an excess mortality, we studied 171 individuals from ten families with a proven hereditary deficiency. 73 were classified as certainly deficient either by direct measurement of AT-III concentration or by mendelian inheritance patterns. 98 individuals had a high probability (0.5) of deficiency. The 64 deaths recorded did not exceed those expected for the general population adjusted for age, sex, and calendar period. We suggest that a policy of prophylactic anticoagulation for patients with AT-III deficiency cannot be recommended.

The existence of tumor-suppressor genes has been primarily suggested by three lines of evidences: 1) the suppression of transformed phenotypes of tumor cells by cell-cell hybridization with normal cells; 2) non-random chromosome deletions in a variety of tumors; 3) loss of heterozygosity in specific chromosomal regions in tumor cells. Results from monochromosome transfer experiments also suggest the existence of multiple, functionally distinct tumor-suppressor genes. Recently, several tumor-suppressor genes, which appeared to be functionally distinct, (i.e., Rb gene, WT gene and DCC gene) were isolated. Most recently, it was suggested that the inactivations of at least three different tumor-suppressor genes were required for the colorectal carcinogenesis at different steps. Thus, these findings support that losses or alterations in the dosage of multiple tumor-suppressor genes play crucial roles during initiation and/or progression of a wide variety of cancers.

During the preparation of the NK-2 selective tachykinin antagonist MEN 10208 (Thr-Asp-Tyr-D-Trp-Val-D-Trp-D-Trp-Arg-NH2) and its analogs by the solid-phase method employing the Boc strategy routinely used in our laboratory, we encountered difficulties in the coupling of hydrophobic amino acids D-Trp and Val. To study the coupling problems several syntheses of MEN 10208 and analogs were carried out with different activation strategies. These syntheses yielded considerable amounts of deletion sequences even though a negative Kaiser test was obtained after each coupling. Inaccessibility of the free amino group of the growing peptide due to steric hindrance of the hydrophobic residues during coupling, and for the ninhydrin complex during the Kaiser test, may account, at least in part, for the unsatisfactory synthetics results and for the false-negative ninhydrin tests. Repetition of each synthesis with the Fmoc strategy on a newly developed DOD resin for peptide amides using the DCC/HOBt chemistry gave superior results in terms of the yield and purity of the crude peptides. Therefore, the Fmoc strategy appears to offer advantages over the Boc method for the preparation of these peptides containing hydrophobic amino acids.

Pregnancy can be regarded as a secondary hyper-coagulability state. The development of thrombin-anti-thrombin complexes (TATC), D dimer and anti-thrombin III (AT III) was analysed in the present work on 33 pregnant women. A significant increase of the TATC records was found between the first and third trimesters and between the second and third trimesters (p = 0.005 and p = 0.02, respectively). The AT III values were within the normal range. The values of the D dimer increased progressively during pregnancy, but only the figures achieved in the third trimester were statistically significant with respect to the control group (p = 0.14). The increase of TATC and D dimer during pregnancy are considered as hypercoagulability.

Using a sensitive assay for RNA expression, we identified several abnormally spliced transcripts in which exons from a candidate tumor suppressor gene (DCC) were scrambled during the splicing process in vivo. Cloning and sequencing of PCR-amplified segments of the abnormally spliced transcripts showed that exons were joined accurately at consensus splice sites, but in an order different from that present in the primary transcript. Four scrambled transcripts were identified, each involving a different pair of exons. The scrambled transcripts were found at relatively low levels in a variety of normal and neoplastic cells of rodent and human origin, primarily in the nonpolyadenylated component of cytoplasmic RNA. These results demonstrate that the splicing process does not always pair sequential exons in the order predicted from their positions in genomic DNA, thus creating a novel type of RNA product.

In studies of mutations causing deficiency of ornithine delta-aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.13), we found an allele whose mature mRNA has a 142-nucleotide insertion at the junction of sequences from exons 3 and 4. The insert derives from an Alu element in ornithine delta-aminotransferase intron 3 oriented in the direction opposite to transcription (an "antisense Alu"). A guanine----cytosine transversion creates a donor splice site in this Alu, activating a cryptic acceptor splice site at its 5' end and causing splice-mediated insertion of an Alu fragment into the mature ornithine-delta-aminotransferase mRNA. We note that the complement of the Alu consensus sequence has at least two cryptic acceptor sites and several potential donor sequences and predict that similar mutations will be found in other genes.

Bone volume is determined by the relative rates of bone formation and bone resorption. Recent research in several laboratories suggests that growth factors may act locally to modulate bone formation by stimulating osteoblast proliferation and activity. A number of bone-derived growth factors have been isolated and characterized from bone matrix extracts and from media conditioned by bone cells and bone organs in culture. The growth factors found in bone matrix include insulinlike growth factors I and II, transforming growth factor-beta, acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and bone morphogenetic proteins. Conditioned medium from bone cells contains several of these growth factors and also hematopoietic factors. These bone matrix-derived growth factors have different biologic activities, including mitogenic, differentiating, chemotactic, and osteolytic activities. Evidence suggests that bone cells produce substantial quantities of growth factors for extracellular storage in bone matrix. Apart from being produced for extracellular storage, it is possible that growth factors secreted by bone cells have acute effects on their neighboring osteoblastic cells, i.e., paracrine action, or on themselves, i.e., autocrine action. The release of matrix-stored growth factors by bone resorption may mean that growth factors act as delayed paracrine agents, e.g., osteoblasts deposit growth factors in bone and later when these growth factors are released from bone via bone resorption, the growth factors stimulate osteoblast precursors to proliferate. The findings that bone is a storehouse for growth factors and that bone cells in culture produce and respond to bone growth factors suggest bone growth factors may act as potential determinants of local bone formation. This review is focused on the structure, regulation, and biologic actions of the known bone growth factors.

Antithrombin III (ATIII) is a plasma-borne serine protease inhibitor that plays a pivotal role in the regulation of hemostasis. The cDNA for ATIII has been available, but genetic studies on the functional domains of ATIII have not progressed because of the absence of an expression system that will yield sufficient quantities of biologically active protein for biochemical analyses. In the present studies the cDNA of the human antithrombin III gene was inserted into the vector pVL 1393, which is suitable for cotransfection of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells with Baculovirus wild-type DNA. Recombinant virus particles were selected by the presence of occlusion-negative plaques. Upon infection with purified recombinant virus, Sf9 cells secreted 10-35 micrograms of ATIII/1 x 10(6) cells. Southern analysis of DNA from infected cells demonstrated incorporation of the full-length cDNA into the Baculovirus recombinant, and RNase protection experiments verified the presence of full-length transcript. This recombinant ATIII protein was immunologically reactive with antisera raised against native human ATIII, formed stable complexes with thrombin, and was heparin-accelerated at the same concentration as native human ATIII. In addition, the recombinant ATIII retained specificity for the same molecular species of heparin that activates authentic human ATIII. This is the first successful production of active, recombinant ATIII in quantities that will allow purification on the milligram scale and permit a biochemical analysis of genetically engineered variants.

The 52 kDa transformation-sensitive protein p52 was previously identified as a major substrate-associated component of normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts [Higgins & Ryan (1989) Biochem. J. 257, 173-182]. p52 selectively localized to cellular fractions enriched in substrate focal-contact sites and associated ventral undersurface elements. Rapid attachment/spreading of NRK cells on to prepared p52 matrices and inhibition of fibroblast spreading by antibodies to p52 indicated that this protein participates in shape determination or cell-to-substrate adhesion. NRK cells transformed with Kirsten murine sarcoma virus (KiMSV), with a temperature-sensitive mutant (ts-371 KiMSV) and maintained at the permissive temperature, or with the cloned EJrasval.12 oncogene, exhibited down-regulated accumulation of p52 in the ventral undersurface region. Immunochemical, lectin-affinity and electrophoretic analyses indicated that p52 shares considerable sequence similarity with plasminogen-activator inhibitor type-1, which is consistent with its subcellular localization and likely morphoregulatory activity. The marked down-regulation of p52 expression seen in four different ras-mediated transformation systems, its induction prior to butyrate-induced morphological reorganization in KiMSV-transformed cells, and the morphological consequences of exogenously added p52 or p52 antibodies on NRK fibroblasts suggest that this protein probably functions in cell-shape regulation. Abrogation of p52 matrix accumulation typically seen in ras transformants may contribute, therefore, to the aberrant cytoarchitecture characteristic of malignant fibroblasts.

Recently, a gene has been isolated from the long arm of chromosome 18 which was shown to be frequently deleted in colorectal carcinomas and hence designated the DCC gene (Fearon et al., 1990). To explore the possible involvement of this gene in breast cancer, we have used 5 polymorphic DNA markers (one for 18p, and four for 18q) to examine the status of chromosome 18 in 49 primary breast carcinomas by comparing the genotypes of lymphocyte and tumour DNA samples. Imbalance of alleles, resulting in allelic loss of duplication, was observed in 17 cases (38% of informative cases). In 13 of these, this imbalance included the locus D18S8 located within the DCC gene region. In the remaining 4 cases this locus was not involved, with the affected chromosome region mapping proximally of D18S8 in 3 cases, and distally in 1 case. These results indicate that chromosome 18 is rearranged in breast cancer more frequently than is expected on the basis of cytogenetic data alone, and warrant a closer inspection of the DCC gene in this tumour.

Significant differences were found between characteristics of networks developed in plasma and those developed in pure fibrinogen solution. Networks in plasma have thicker fibres, are more permeable and have lower tensile strength. In this investigation determinants of network structure under physiological conditions of clotting have been examined in an attempt to account for the differences in network structure in plasma and fibrinogen solution. Effect of antithrombin III and of physiological concentrations of fibronectin, albumin and gamma-globulin on fibrin network structure was examined using mass-length ratio (microT) from turbidity, bulk permeability of networks (tau) and kinetics of network development. At physiological concentrations effect of ATIII was too pronounced to allow this method to quantify changes in network characteristics. Whilst fibronectin and gamma-globulins increased fibrin fibre thickness and network permeability, albumin caused opposite effects. It is concluded that the final network structure is determined by kinetics of fibrin fibre growth and is highly responsive to the presence of plasma proteins.