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Advances in Brief |
1 The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and Program in Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland; 2 Department of Pathology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, South Carolina Cancer Center, Division of Basic Research, Columbia, South Carolina; 3 Genzyme Molecular Oncology, Framingham, Massachusetts; 4 Imgenex Corporation, San Diego, California; and 5 Tumor Angiogenesis Section, Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland
| ABSTRACT |
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| Introduction |
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| Materials and Methods |
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Immunostaining.
Immunohistochemistry on paraffin sections using IM193 antibody and immunofluorescence on fresh-frozen sections using IM568 antibody were performed as described previously (5)
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Immunoelectron Microscopy.
Fresh colorectal cancer specimens were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and 0.1% glutaraldeyde in PBS (pH 7.2) overnight at 4°C. Samples were rinsed in PBS, incubated with 0.25% tannic acid (Mallinckrodt, St. Louis, MO) in PBS for 1 hour and rinsed again, and un-cross-linked glutaraldeyde was reduced with 50 mmol/L NH4Cl in PBS. Samples were washed in 0.1 mol/L maleate buffer before en bloc staining with 2% uranyl acetate in 0.1 mol/L maleate buffer. After a graded ethanol series, dehydrated samples were infiltrated and embedded with L.R. white resin. Samples were polymerized in tightly sealed gelatin capsules for 2 days at 40°C. Seventy- to 80-nm-thick sections were cut and picked up on Formvar-coated nickel grids. After incubation with IM568 monoclonal antibody and 6-nm gold-conjugated antimouse secondary antibody (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME), sections were post-fixed with 2% glutaraldehyde and stained with uranyl acetate followed by lead citrate. All grids were viewed and photographed on a Philips CM 120 TEM (Philips, Eindhoven, The Netherlands) operating at 80 Kv.
Immunoblotting.
Normal human colonic mucosa, colorectal tumors, normal rabbit hepatic tissue, and VX2 liver tumors were snap frozen immediately after surgical resection and stored at 80°C before use. Tissues were homogenized in TNT buffer [50 mmol/L Tris (pH 7.5), 75 mmol/L NaCl, and 1% Triton X-100 containing a mixture of protease inhibitors (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany)] and clarified by centrifugation. Protein extracts from tissues or lysed cells were separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane (Millipore, Bedford, MA). Immunoblots were probed with an anti-TEM7 antibody (IM193), anti-myc antibody (Sigma, St. Louis, MO), or anticortactin antibody (Upstate Biotechnology, Lake Placid, NY) followed by an horseradish peroxidase-conjugated antimouse secondary antibody (The Jackson Laboratory) and visualized using the ECL plus system (Amersham Biosciences, Uppsala, Sweden) according to the suppliers instructions.
Immunoprecipitation.
TNT extracts of mouse brain tissues (Pelfreez Biologicals, Brown Deer, WI), 293 cells, or 293 cells transfected with TEM7-M were incubated overnight with the antibodies described above or with nonspecific rabbit or mouse IgG as controls. Precipitated proteins were eluted from protein A or G-agarose beads (Roche Diagnostics) and detected by immunoblotting with anti-TEM7 (IM193) or anticortactin (Upstate Biotechnology) monoclonal antibodies. For deglycosylation, precipitated proteins were treated with N-glycosidase-F alone or a mixture containing N-glycosidase-F, endo-O-glycosidase,
-2 (3
,6
,8
,9)
-neuraminidase, ß (1
,4)
-galactosidase and ß-N-acetylglycosaminidase (Sigma).
Alkaline Phosphatase-Tumor Endothelial Marker 7/7R and Cortactin Deletion Constructs.
cDNAs encoding the extracellular regions of TEM7-M (amino acids 1423) or TEM7R (amino acids 1450) were PCR-amplified and directionally cloned into the alkaline phosphatase (AP)-Tag5 vector (Genhunter, Nashville, TN) by incorporating the restriction enzyme sites NheI and HindIII (TEM7-M) or NheI and BglII (TEM7R) into the PCR forward and reverse primers, respectively. The cortactin deletion constructs were made by PCR amplification from full-length human cortactin cDNA (accession no. BC008799). A Sfi-1 restriction site was placed in the forward primer, and an EcoR1 site was placed in the reverse primer for directional cloning into pCMV-Myc (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, CA). All vectors generated by PCR were sequence verified to ensure they were mutation-free.
AP-Tumor Endothelial Marker 7/7R-Binding Assay.
Extracts of 293 cells expressing cortactin deletion constructs, crude brain extracts, or brain extracts immunoprecipitated with anticortactin antibodies were separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to a PDVF membrane (Millipore). Peptides of cortactin were spotted directly onto nitrocellulose. Membranes were probed with supernatants from 293 transfectants expressing either AP alone (control), AP-TEM7, or AP-TEM7R and then visualized using 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate/nitroblue tetrazolium substrate (Sigma). For added sensitivity, in some experiments, anti-AP antibody (Sigma) was added, followed by horseradish peroxidase-conjugated antimouse secondary antibody (The Jackson Laboratory). Blots were visualized on X-ray film using an ECL detection system (Amersham Biosciences).
Biochemical Purification of Cortactin.
Using the AP-TEM7R-binding assay as a screen to follow activity, we fractionated protein extracts from 100 mouse brains (Pelfreez Biologicals) using anion exchange (Bio-Scale Q20 column; Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) followed by cation exchange (Bio-Scale S20 column; Bio-Rad) chromatography. This was followed by affinity chromatography using anti-AP beads (Sigma) that had been armed with the AP-TEM7R fusion protein. Finally, purified extract was loaded onto an SDS-denaturing gel and stained with Coomassie Blue, and two prominent protein bands that migrated at about
Mr 75,000 and 80,000 were gel isolated. After tryptic digestion and analysis by microcapillary reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography nano-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (Microchemistry and Proteomics Analysis Facility, Harvard University, Boston, MA), each protein product was identified as cortactin.
| Results |
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Mr 85,000 (Fig. 1C)
Mr 20,000 (Fig. 1C)
To determine whether expression of the TEM7 protein, like its mRNA, was elevated in colorectal tissues, we prepared protein extracts from normal colonic mucosa or colorectal tumors of five patients. Immunoblotting with TEM7 antibodies revealed elevated expression of the expected Mr 85,000 product as well as additional Mr 90,000 and 95,000 products in each of the tumor tissues tested (Fig. 1D
; data not shown). The reason for the two larger bands observed in each of the tumor samples is not clear, but could be due to alternative splicing, posttranslational glycosylation, or ubiquitination. Although the relative abundance of each of the products in the Mr 85,000/90,000/95,000 triplet varied between samples, all three were readily immunoprecipitated from tumor extracts with either the polyclonal or the monoclonal anti-TEM7 antibodies.
Cellular Localization of Tumor Endothelial Marker 7 Protein.
To identify the cellular source of the TEM7 protein observed in the human tumor extracts, we performed a histologic survey of various tumor types. Immunohistochemistry revealed a vessel-like pattern of TEM7 staining in colon, esophagus, lung, and bladder cancers, whereas staining was absent or barely detectable in the normal control tissues (Fig. 2A
; data not shown). To determine whether the endothelial cells were responsible for the vessel-like patterns of staining, we performed colocalization studies with an antibody to the pan-endothelial marker von Willebrand factor. As shown in Fig. 2B
, TEM7 immunofluorescence colocalized with von Willebrand factor in tumor endothelium. Additional studies using transmission electron microscopy revealed that TEM7-M was predominantly expressed at the tight junctions between endothelial cells, although some expression at the luminal surface was also detected (Fig. 2C)
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Identification of a Tumor Endothelial Marker 7/7R-Binding Protein.
To identify TEM7-binding partners, we constructed a fusion protein in which the extracellular domain of TEM7 was joined to AP (AP-T7; Fig. 1A
). Because TEM7R mRNA has been shown to be highly expressed in tumor endothelium, we also fused its extracellular region to AP (AP-T7R). The AP-TEM vectors were transfected into mammalian 293 cells, and the secreted fusion proteins used to probe various tissue extracts using a modified Western blotting assay. Protein extracts were resolved on denaturing gels, transferred to a membrane, and blotted using AP-T7/T7R fusion proteins. When various tissue extracts were tested in this assay using AP alone, no binding was detected. However, when probed with either AP-T7 or AP-T7R, a prominent doublet of Mr 80,000 and 85,000 was observed in every mouse and human tissue examined. Brain tissue seemed to be unique in that it contained a Mr 75,000 product in addition to the Mr 80,000/85,000 doublet (Fig. 3A)
. We chose to use mouse brain for biochemical purification because the products recognized by the AP-T7 and AP-T7R fusion proteins were particularly abundant in this tissue. Although similar patterns were observed with both AP-T7 and AP-T7R probes, the latter yielded slightly stronger signals and was therefore used for subsequent screening assays.
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Mr 75,000 product observed in brain tissue presumably represents a brain-specific alternative splice variant that harbors a deletion in the cortactin repeat region (8)
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To verify the interaction between endogenous cortactin and TEM7/7R, we immunoprecipitated cortactin from mouse brain extracts using anticortactin monoclonal antibody and then probed the blot using the AP-TEM7R fusion protein. As shown in Fig. 3A
, AP-TEM7R binds specifically to proteins the expected size of cortactin. To determine whether TEM7, like TEM7R, could also bind cortactin, the IM193 monoclonal antibody was used to immunoprecipitate TEM7 from 293 cells expressing exogenous TEM7. A strong band of the expected size for endogenous cortactin was observed in these immunoprecipitates (Fig. 3B)
. Importantly, endogenous TEM7 also coprecipitated with cortactin in lysates derived from rabbit tumor tissues, although only the Mr 85,000 product of the triplet was observed (Fig. 3B)
. Thus, cortactin seems to bind both TEM7 and TEM7R.
To map the region of cortactin responsible for binding TEM7 and TEM7R, we generated a series of myc-tagged deletion constructs (Fig. 3C)
. After exogenous expression in 293 cells, each of the cortactin deletions could be readily detected using an anti-myc antibody (Fig. 3C)
. Probing the same deletion-containing extracts with the TEM7R-AP fusion protein revealed that the minimal sequence required for binding was in the plexin-like domain of cortactin immediately adjacent to the SH3 domain. Because the minimal region required for binding was still more than 100 amino acids, we generated a series of overlapping 20-amino acid peptides encompassing this entire region. When each of these peptides were spotted onto nitrocellulose and blotted with the AP-TEM7R fusion protein, a minimal nine-amino acid consensus sequence that seemed to be critical for binding was identified (Fig. 3D)
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| Discussion |
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In an attempt to identify binding partners for TEM7, we adopted an affinity purification approach that allowed us to identify cortactin as a protein capable of binding both TEM7 and TEM7R. The minimal region of cortactin required for TEM7 binding was a nine-amino acid sequence located immediately adjacent to the SH3 domain. It is conceivable that this nine-amino acid sequence will allow construction of small molecular weight compounds (peptides or analogs) that can target tumor endothelium for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
The identification of a putative intracellular TEM7 variant suggests that a physiologic interaction between TEM7 and cortactin could occur intracellularly. In support of this view, TEM7-I contains a nidogen-like domain that may be involved in mediating protein-protein interactions (9) , and both cortactin and TEM7-I are expressed in tumor endothelium. Regardless of whether cortactin is a physiologic ligand of TEM7 and TEM7R, its nine-amino acid binding domain may be a useful tool for directing agents to tumor endothelium.
The identification of splice variants of TEM7 that are likely to be secreted is also of interest. For example, there is an urgent need for serum markers that can directly measure the response to anti-angiogenic therapies. It will therefore be interesting to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of circulating TEM7-S1 and TEM7-S2 proteins in patients with cancer and other diseases involving abnormal angiogenesis. TEM7-S1 and TEM7-S2 levels could provide useful surrogate markers of angiogenesis but will require additional studies and the development of monoclonal antibodies that target the extracellular domain of TEM7-S.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
Note: A. Nanda and P. Buckhaults contributed equally to this work. A. Nanda is a student in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the Program in Human Genetics. Under a licensing agreement between the Johns Hopkins University and Genzyme, technologies related to serial analysis of gene expression and the TEMs were licensed to Genzyme for commercial purposes, and B. Vogelstein, K. Kinzler, and B. St. Croix are entitled to a share of the royalties received by the university from the sales of the licensed technologies. The serial analysis of gene expression technology is freely available to academia for research purposes. K. Kinzler is a consultant to Genzyme. The university and researchers (B. Vogelstein and K. Kinzler) own Genzyme stock, which is subject to certain restrictions under university policy. The terms of these arrangements are being managed by the university in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.
Requests for reprints: Brad St. Croix, Tumor Angiogenesis Section, Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD 21702. E-mail: stcroix{at}ncifcrf.gov
Received 7/30/04. Revised 9/27/04. Accepted 10/11/04.
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