Antiproliferative Actions of Ovine Uterine Serpin
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Copyright Ó Blackwell Munksgaard, 2005 AJRI 2005; 53: 136–143 American Journal of Reproductive Immunology Antiproliferative Actions of Ovine Uterine Serpin Tekin S¸, Padua MB, Brad AM, Hansen PJ. Antiproliferative actions S¸aban Tekin1,2, Maria B. Padua1, of ovine uterine serpin. AJRI 2005; 53:136–143 Ó Blackwell Amber M. Brad1, Peter J. Hansen1 Munksgaard, 2005 1Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; 2Department of Biology, University PROBLEM: Ovine uterine serpin (OvUS) is a member of the serine of Gaziosmanpas¸a, Tokat, Turkey proteinase inhibitor superfamily and is the major protein produced by luminal and glandular epithelium of the sheep endometrium during mid to late pregnancy. The protein does not have prototypical proteinase inhibitory activity but can inhibit a wide variety of lymphocyte functions such as mitogen-induced proliferation and natural killer cell cytotoxicity. METHOD OF STUDY: The antiproliferative actions of OvUS were studied. RESULTS: It was demonstrated that, in addition to inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation, OvUS inhibits growth of two tumor cell lines (D17 and PC-3). The protein also interrupts development of pre- implantation embryos. Inhibition of cell proliferation is not universal, however, as OvUS did not inhibit growth of two non-tumorigenic cell lines (MDBK and BEND). The mechanism of action of inhibitory Key words: Lymphocytes, pre-implantation embryos, effects of OvUS is not known although experiments with inhibitors of proliferation, uterine serpin protein kinase A indicate that the protein does not inhibit lymphocyte proliferation through this pathway. Moreover, the protein does not Address reprint requests to Peter J. Hansen, PO Box 110910, Department of Animal Sciences, University induce apoptosis. of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0910, USA. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that OvUS has antiproliferative activity E-mail: [email protected] is demonstrative of the wide range of functions exerted by members of the serpin superfamily. The antiproliferative property of OvUS may Submitted September 2, 2004; reflect the role of the protein during pregnancy and may be exploitable revised December 9, 2004; for design of new antiproliferative drugs. accepted January 13, 2005. INTRODUCTION cells.3,4 The second is ovine uterine serpin (OvUS), which is a member of the a1-antitrypsin clade The serpins are a superfamily of proteins of about 500 expressed in uterine epithelial cells under the influence known members that fold into a conserved structure of progesterone5 and which can inhibit proliferation of and inhibit serine proteinases through a unique ab T lymphocytes.6–9 suicide-like mechanism.1,2 Several members of this Genes related to OvUS exist in cow, goat, and family have functions distinct from proteinase inhibi- pig1,10,11 but only the protein produced in the sheep tion. Among these functions are regulation of blood uterus has been tested for lymphocyte-inhibitory pressure (angiotensinogen), inhibition of angiogenesis activity. Although OvUS is a weak inhibitor of (pigment epithelium-derived factor), hormone binding pepsin,12 it does not appear to exist in the stressed (corticosteroid binding globulin, thyroxine binding conformation characteristic of inhibitory serpins13 and globulin), regulation of neuron survival and differen- it may be an inactive proteinase inhibitor. OvUS can tiation (pigment epithelium-derived factor), and inter- inhibit lymphocyte proliferation induced by mixed actions with chromatin (MENT).1,2 Two serpins have lymphocyte reactions, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), been found to interfere with cell growth. One is concanavalin A, and Candida albicans6–9 and also maspin, which is a member of the ovalbumin clade inhibit natural killer cell activity.14,15 It has been of serpins expressed in mammary epithelial cells and hypothesized that the major role of OvUS is to inhibit which facilitates induction of apoptosis in carcinoma lymphocyte function during pregnancy and thereby Ó BLACKWELL MUNKSGAARD, 2005 ANTIPROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY OF OVUS / 137 facilitate survival of the antigenically-foreign concep- Roche (Indianapolis, IN, USA), ProLongÒ Antifade tus in the uterus.16 Progesterone administration delays kit was purchased from Molecular Probes (Eugene, allograft and xenograft rejection in the uterus17,18 and OR, USA) and RNase A was from Qiagen (Valencia, OvUS may mediate this effect of progesterone. OvUS CA, USA). Supplies for production of embryos by also binds IgM, IgA and activin19,20 but the physio- in vitro fertilization were obtained as described else- logical significance of binding is not clear. where.24 Other reagents were from either Sigma- It is not known whether the antiproliferative activity Aldrich or Fisher. of OvUS is specific for lymphocytes or whether the protein exhibits broad specificity as an antiproliferative Purification of Ovine Uterine Serpin molecule. The latter possibility may be the case Ovine uterine serpin was purified from the uterine fluid because OvUS can bind to the surface of non- accumulating in the ligated horn of unilaterally- lymphoid cells21 and crude uterine fluid from pregnant pregnant ewes at day 140 of pregnancy using a ewes inhibits proliferation of MDBK, FG10L, and combination of cation-exchange chromatography J774 cell lines.22 Inhibitory actions of OvUS on with carboxymethyl Sepharose and gel filtration chro- lymphocyte proliferation are somewhat selective, how- matography with Sephacryl S-200 as described pre- ever, as the protein did not inhibit lymphocyte prolif- viously.14 Purity of protein as assessed by sodium eration induced by pokeweed mitogen7 and did not dodecyl sulphate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis inhibit activation of cd T cells.9 was >90%. After purification, OvUS was dialyzed The present study was carried out to test whether against DPBS and concentrated using Centricon OvUS can inhibit proliferation of a range of normal ultrafiltration devices. Protein concentration was and tumor cells as well as pre-implantation embryos. A determined using the Bradford procedure25 with second objective was to determine whether the anti- bovine serum albumin as standard. proliferative actions of OvUS on lymphocyte prolifer- ation involved protein kinase A (PKA) because Antiproliferative Actions of OvUS signaling through this pathway can lead to inhibition Peripheral blood lymphocytes. Blood was obtained by of lymphocyte proliferation.23 Finally, it was tested jugular venipuncture from non-pregnant Rambouillet whether, as for the serpin maspin,3,4 OvUS induces ewes by collection into heparinized tubes. Mononu- apoptosis. clear cells were purified from the buffy coat fraction of blood by density gradient centrifugation as described previously except that adherent cells were not MATERIALS AND METHODS removed.15 Cells were suspended in modified TCM- 199 [TCM-199 containing 5% (v/v) horse serum, Materials 200 U/mL penicillin, 0.2 mg/mL streptomycin, 2 mm Tissue Culture Medium-199 (TCM-199), Eagle’s Mini- supplemental glutamine, and 10)5 m b-mercapto- mum Essential Medium (MEM), MEM with d-valine, ethanol] to a concentration of 1 · 106 cells/mL. RPMI 1640, Ham’s F12, Dulbecco’s phosphate- The lymphocyte proliferation assay was performed buffered saline (DPBS), penicillin–streptomycin, red by addition of 1 · 105 lymphocytes in culture medium cell lysis buffer, and Rp-8-Cl-cAMPS were purchased containing 4 lg/mL PHA and various concentrations from Sigma-Aldrich (St Louis, MO, USA). Horse of OvUS (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/mL) or ovalbumin serum was obtained from Hyclone (Logan, UT, USA), (negative control; 1 mg/mL) in a final volume of fetal bovine serum was from Intergen (Purchase, NY, 190 lL. The final volume of DPBS (the diluent for USA) and Fico-Lite 1077 was from Atlanta Biologicals OvUS) was the same in each well (5–25 lL). After (Norcross, GA, USA). The D-17 (canine lung osteo- 48 hr, 0.1 lCi [3H]thymidine in 10 lL culture medium sarcoma), PC-3 (human prostate cancer), MDBK was added. Cells were harvested onto glass-fiber filters (bovine kidney epithelial cell), and BEND (bovine using a cell harvester (Brandel, Gaithersburg, MD, endometrial cell) cell lines were purchased from ATCC USA) device at 24 hr after thymidine addition. Filters (Rockville, MD, USA). Centricon ultrafiltration were counted for radioactivity using scintillation devices were from Amicon (Beverly, MA, USA). spectrometry. The experiment was performed three Carboxymethyl Sepharose and Sephacryl S-200 were times using lymphocytes from a separate ewe for each from Amersham Biosciences (Piscataway, NJ, USA) replicate. and [3H]thymidine (6.7 Ci/mmol) was from ICN (Irvine, CA, USA). The RQ1 RNase-free DNase was Cell lines. The D17 and MDBK cell lines were from Promega (Madison, WI, USA), in situ cell death cultured continuously in MEM supplemented with detection kit [terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase- 10% (v/v) heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum, 200 mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)] was from U/mL penicillin and 2 mg/mL streptomycin. The PC-3 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY VOL. 53, 2005 138 / TEKIN ET AL. cells were grown in Ham’s F12 medium supplemented flat-bottomed, 96-well cell culture plate in a total with 10% (v/v) heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum, volume of 190 lL containing 5 lg/mL PHA, one of 200 U/mL penicillin and 2 mg/mL streptomycin. The two proteins (1 mg/mL OvUS or 1 mg/mL ovalbu- BEND cells were grown in 1:1 (v:v) mixture of Ham’s min), either 5 lm Rp-8-Cl-cAMPS (a non-hydrolyzable F12 and the d-valine modification of Eagle’s MEM cAMP analog which is a selective inhibitor of cAMP- supplemented with 200 U/L insulin, 10% (v/v) heat- dependent type-I PKA) or an equivalent volume of inactivated fetal bovine serum, 10% horse serum, vehicle (DPBS), and with modified M-199 to bring the 200 U/mL penicillin and 2 mg/mL streptomycin. At final volume to 190 lL. After 48 hr of incubation at confluence, cells were trypsinized, mixed with an equal 37°C, 10 lL (0.1 lCi/well) [3H]thymidine (in modified amount of culture medium, centrifuged for 5 min at M-199) was added to each well.