Homocysteine inhibits von Willebrand factor processing and secretion by preventing transport from the endoplasmic reticulum

Intracellular protein transport in endothelial cells is selectively inhibited by homocysteine, a thiol amino acid associated with both thrombosis and atherosclerosis. In a previous study, homocysteine decreased cell surface expression of the surface transmembrane glycoprotein thrombomodulin without decreasing secretion of another endothelial cell protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. To define further the effects of homocysteine on protein transport, we examined the processing and secretion of the multimeric glycoprotein von Willebrand factor (vWF) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Incubation with 2 mmol/L homocysteine resulted in complete loss of vWF multimers and prevented asparagine-linked oligosaccharide maturation, propeptide cleavage, and secretion; these effects are consistent with impaired exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Dimerization was only partially inhibited, suggesting that homocysteine causes retention of provWF in the ER without preventing dimer formation. In pulse-chase incubations, intracellular provWF was degraded before exiting the ER in homocysteine-treated cells. Homocysteine also inhibited the processing and secretion of a carboxyl-terminal truncation mutant of human provWF expressed in rat insulinoma cells, indicating that retention in the endoplasmic reticulum can be mediated by regions of provWF apart from the carboxyl-terminal 20-Kd segment. These results suggest that retention of secretory proteins in the ER is regulated by redox mechanisms and imply that the intracellular transport of multiple endothelial cell proteins may be altered in patients with homocystinuria.     

Relative antithrombotic effects of monoclonal antibodies targeting different platelet glycoprotein-adhesive molecule interactions in nonhuman primates

The relative antithrombotic effectiveness of targeting glycoprotein (GP) Ib-dependent versus GPIIb-IIIa-dependent platelet interactions has been determined in baboons by measuring thrombus formation after infusing comparable antihemostatic doses of anti-von Willebrand factor (vWF) monoclonal antibody (MoAb) BB3-BD5, anti-GPIb MoAb AP1, and anti- GPIIb-IIIa MoAb LJ-CP8 under conditions of arterial and venous flow (shear rates of 750 to 1,000 seconds-1 and 100 seconds-1, respectively). Thrombus formation was quantified as 111In-platelet deposition and 125I-fibrin accumulation on segments of collagen-coated tubing interposed in chronic exteriorized arteriovenous (AV) shunts for 40 minutes. In vitro, anti-vWF MoAb BB3 BD5 (IgG) and anti-GPIb MoAb AP1 [IgG or F(ab)2 fragments] inhibited ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation (IC50 50 nmol/L and 1 mumol/L, respectively), but neither of these MoAbs blocked platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (P > .5). Conversely, anti-GPIIb-IIIa MoAb LJ-CP8 inhibited platelet aggregation induced by ADP (IC50 1 mumol/L, but failed to block ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation (P > .5). In vivo, the intravenous infusion of anti-vWF MoAb BB3 BD5 or anti-GPIIb- IIIa MoAb LJ-CP8 into baboons at doses that abolished corresponding agonist-induced aggregation ex vivo (bolus injections of 0.5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, respectively) prolonged template bleeding times from baseline values of 4.0 +/- 0.3 minutes to > 27 +/- 4 minutes, and to > 26 +/- 4 minutes, respectively (P < .001 in both cases), without affecting the peripheral platelet count (P > .5). However, injection of anti-GPIb MoAb AP1 [10 mg/kg as IgG or 1 mg/kg as F(ab)2 fragments] produced immediate irreversible thrombocytopenia (< 40,000 platelets/microL). Anti-GPIIb-IIIa MoAb LJ-CP8 abolished platelet deposition and fibrin accumulation on collagen segments under both arterial and venous flow conditions (P < .01 in all cases), whereas MoAb BB3 BD5 produced minimal inhibition of platelet deposition and no decrease in fibrin accumulation at arterial shear rates and undetectable antithrombotic outcomes at low shear. Thus, inhibiting GPIIb-IIIa-dependent platelet recruitment abrogates both thrombus formation and platelet hemostatic function at both venous and arterial shear rates. By contrast, interfering with GPIb-vWF-dependent platelet interactions abolishes platelet hemostatic function without producing corresponding antithrombotic effects.     

Targeting of interleukin-13 receptor on human renal cell carcinoma cells by a recombinant chimeric protein composed of interleukin-13 and a truncated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE38QQR)

We have previously shown that human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells express large numbers of interleukin-13 receptors (IL-13R), a newly described hemopoietic growth factor receptor. To target tumor cells that express IL-13R, we have produced a chimeric protein composed of human IL-13 and a derivative of Pseudomonas exotoxin A, termed PE38QQR. We report here that IL13-PE38QQR is highly cytotoxic to many human RCC cell lines. IL-13R-negative cell lines or cell lines expressing low numbers of IL-13R ( < 300 sites/cell) that include human bone marrow- derived cells were not susceptible to the cytotoxic effect of IL 13- PE38QQR. The sensitivity of RCC cells to IL13-PE38QQR correlated positively with the density of IL-13R. The cytotoxic activity of IL13- PE38QQR was competed by an excess of IL-13 in a protein synthesis inhibition assay and confirmed by a clonogenic assay. Even though IL-13 and IL-4 are homologues and IL-4R and IL-13R have been proposed to share a receptor subunit, IL-4 did not compete for the cytotoxicity mediated by IL13-toxin on RCC. IL13-PE38QQR competes for [125I]-IL-13 binding sites on RCC cells, although at a lower affinity than the wild- type recombinant cytokine. Human T-cell, B-cell, and monocytic cell lines are unresponsive to the cytotoxic action of IL13-PE38QQR. Thus, our results indicate that IL13-PE38QQR is highly cytotoxic to human RCC cells, although it is not cytotoxic to a variety of normal hematopoietic cells. IL13-PE38QQR should be further investigated preclinically for the treatment of human RCCs.     

Antithrombotic effect of a monoclonal antibody to the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor in an experimental animal model

A murine monoclonal antibody directed at the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa complex, which blocks platelet aggregation ex vivo, was tested for its antithrombotic effects in an established animal model of acute platelet thrombus formation in partially stenosed arteries. Infusion of 0.7 to 0.8 mg/kg of the F(ab')2 fragment of the antibody completely blocked new thrombus formation despite multiple provocations, making it the most potent antithrombotic agent tested in this model.