The homodimeric transmembrane receptor natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPR-B [also known as guanylate cyclase B, GC-B, and GUC2B]; gene name NPR2) produces cytoplasmic cyclic GMP from GTP on binding its extracellular ligand, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP). CNP has previously been implicated in the regulation of skeletal growth in transgenic and knockout mice. The autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia known as "acromesomelic dysplasia, type Maroteaux" (AMDM) maps to an interval that contains NPR2. We sequenced DNA from 21 families affected by AMDM and found 4 nonsense mutations, 4 frameshift mutations, 2 splice-site mutations, and 11 missense mutations. Molecular modeling was used to examine the putative protein change brought about by each missense mutation. Three missense mutations were tested in a functional assay and were found to have markedly deficient guanylyl cyclase activity. We also found that obligate carriers of NPR2 mutations have heights that are below the mean for matched controls. We conclude that, although NPR-B is expressed in a number of tissues, its major role is in the regulation of skeletal growth.

Patients with nonketotic hyperglycinemia and deficient glycine cleavage enzyme activity, but without mutations in AMT, GLDC or GCSH, the genes encoding its constituent proteins, constitute a clinical group which we call 'variant nonketotic hyperglycinemia'. We hypothesize that in some patients the aetiology involves genetic mutations that result in a deficiency of the cofactor lipoate, and sequenced genes involved in lipoate synthesis and iron-sulphur cluster biogenesis. Of 11 individuals identified with variant nonketotic hyperglycinemia, we were able to determine the genetic aetiology in eight patients and delineate the clinical and biochemical phenotypes. Mutations were identified in the genes for lipoate synthase (LIAS), BolA type 3 (BOLA3), and a novel gene glutaredoxin 5 (GLRX5). Patients with GLRX5-associated variant nonketotic hyperglycinemia had normal development with childhood-onset spastic paraplegia, spinal lesion, and optic atrophy. Clinical features of BOLA3-associated variant nonketotic hyperglycinemia include severe neurodegeneration after a period of normal development. Additional features include leukodystrophy, cardiomyopathy and optic atrophy. Patients with lipoate synthase-deficient variant nonketotic hyperglycinemia varied in severity from mild static encephalopathy to Leigh disease and cortical involvement. All patients had high serum and borderline elevated cerebrospinal fluid glycine and cerebrospinal fluid:plasma glycine ratio, and deficient glycine cleavage enzyme activity. They had low pyruvate dehydrogenase enzyme activity but most did not have lactic acidosis. Patients were deficient in lipoylation of mitochondrial proteins. There were minimal and inconsistent changes in cellular iron handling, and respiratory chain activity was unaffected. Identified mutations were phylogenetically conserved, and transfection with native genes corrected the biochemical deficiency proving pathogenicity. Treatments of cells with lipoate and with mitochondrially-targeted lipoate were unsuccessful at correcting the deficiency. The recognition of variant nonketotic hyperglycinemia is important for physicians evaluating patients with abnormalities in glycine as this will affect the genetic causation and genetic counselling, and provide prognostic information on the expected phenotypic course.

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The murine monoclonal antibody (MAb) RS7-3G11 is an IgG1 with pancarcinoma reactivity, which has been raised against human squamous-cell carcinoma of the lung. Immunoperoxidase staining of frozen tissue sections demonstrated that the antigen defined by RS7-3G11 is present in tumors of the lung, stomach, bladder, breast, ovary, uterus and prostate. The rate and extent of internalization of RS7-3G11 into Calu-3, an adenocarcinoma of the lung cell line, was investigated using unconjugated MAb, followed by fluorescence labelling, and by binding 125I-RS7-3G11 followed by acid removal of surface-bound antibody. Rapid internalization of MAb RS7-3G11 into target cells was observed. Antibody internalization was noted at 30 min, and by 2 hr virtually all MAb RS7-3G11 was internal. Although MAb RS7-3G11 was raised against non-small-cell carcinoma of the lung, ME-180, a cervical-carcinoma cell line, expresses higher quantities of the antigen than the lung-carcinoma cell lines. Due to the higher antigen density in ME-180 cells, this line was used for immunoprecipitation studies and antigen purification. Immunoprecipitation studies using the ME-180 cervical-carcinoma cell line metabolically labeled with [3H]leucine or [3H]glucosamine demonstrated that the antigen defined by RS7-3G11 is a glycoprotein of M(r) 46 kDa. Deglycosylation by treatment with endoglycosidase-F resulted in a protein with a M(r) of 35 kDa. RS7-3G11-antigen was purified from ME-180 tissue-culture cells using affinity-column chromatography. By SDS-PAGE it was seen that the antigen was highly purified. The major band appeared at M(r) of 45 to 48 kDa. This result is in agreement with the immunoprecipitation studies. The broad band observed in the SDS-PAGE is typical of many glycoproteins, and suggests heterogeneity of glycosylation. Chemical and enzymatic treatments of the antigen, followed by Western blot analyses, suggest that the RS7-3G11 antigenic determinant is composed of a conformation-dependent peptide.

An immunoconjugate between doxorubicin and anti-(carcinoembryonic antigen) (CEA) was prepared by using aminodextran (M(r) = 40,000) as the intermediate carrier, and the carbohydrate moiety of the antibody as the linking site. The resulting immunoconjugate was subjected to an in vitro evaluation for the internalization on the target cells (Lo Vo), and compared to that of unconjugated antibody, as well as the cellular uptake of unconjugated doxorubicin. The internalization was evaluated microscopically by following the translocation of the red fluorescence of doxorubicin and the green fluorescence of the fluorescein-isothiocyanate-labeled goat anti-(mouse Ig) antibody, which visualizes the location of the primary mouse antibody. Anti-CEA monoclonal antibody (NP-4) was found to internalize into Lo Vo cells. The immunoconjugate made with this antibody was similarly internalized, and the doxorubicin was found to distribute with the primary antibody. The cell surface and cytoplasm were the major compartments of their distribution. These results indicate that the drug molecules were indeed delivered into the cells by the antibody as an intact conjugate. Unconjugated doxorubicin, on the contrary, was quickly absorbed by the cells and concentrated in the nucleus within 30 min, and never showed a distribution in the cytoplasm or cell membrane as in the nucleus by this procedure. The intermediate drug conjugate, doxorubicin-dextran, did not show internalization. The internalization of NP-4 antibody (or the doxorubicin conjugate) was also confirmed by studying the intracellular catabolism of the cell-bound antibody (or conjugate). The release of the degraded antibody by the cells, as differentiated by trichloroacetic acid precipitation techniques, was considered an indication of internalization. Lysosomes were involved in the degradation, since the process was markedly inhibited in the presence of the lysosomal enzyme inhibitor, ammonium chloride.