Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1993 Oct 15;90(20):9504–9507. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.20.9504

Expression of alpha-thymosins in human tissues in normal and abnormal growth.

O E Tsitsiloni 1, J Stiakakis 1, A Koutselinis 1, J Gogas 1, C Markopoulos 1, P Yialouris 1, S Bekris 1, D Panoussopoulos 1, V Kiortsis 1, W Voelter 1, et al.
PMCID: PMC47597  PMID: 8415730

Abstract

Radioimmunoassays specific for the N and C termini of human prothymosin alpha and the N terminus of human parathymosin alpha were employed for the measurement of the levels of alpha-thymosins in human thymus, spleen, and liver during normal growth and intestine and breast in malignant growth. A differential expression of the two alpha-thymosins was observed in thymus (prothymosin alpha-rich) and liver (parathymosin alpha-rich). A decline in the levels of both alpha-thymosins was found with age, with prothymosin alpha in thymus showing the sharpest change (15- to 30-fold). The levels of both alpha-thymosins were higher in malignant tissues as compared with healthy ones. In breast cancer, in particular, the mean increase for prothymosin alpha and parathymosin alpha was 17.9- and 11.5-fold, respectively. The major crossreactive material was characterized in all cases as intact prothymosin alpha and parathymosin alpha. These results suggest an in vivo relationship of the expression of alpha-thymosins with the human tissue cell proliferation activity.

Full text

PDF
9504

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baxevanis C. N., Reclos G. J., Papamichail M., Tsokos G. C. Prothymosin alpha restores the depressed autologous and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte responses in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 1987;9(4):429–440. doi: 10.3109/08923978709035224. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bustelo X. R., Otero A., Gómez-Márquez J., Freire M. Expression of the rat prothymosin alpha gene during T-lymphocyte proliferation and liver regeneration. J Biol Chem. 1991 Jan 25;266(3):1443–1447. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Clinton M., Frangou-Lazaridis M., Panneerselvam C., Horecker B. L. Prothymosin alpha and parathymosin: mRNA and polypeptide levels in rodent tissues. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1989 Feb 15;269(1):256–263. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(89)90107-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clinton M., Frangou-Lazaridis M., Panneerselvam C., Horecker B. L. The sequence of human parathymosin deduced from a cloned human kidney cDNA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1989 Feb 15;158(3):855–862. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(89)92801-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Conteas C. N., Mutchnick M. G., Palmer K. C., Weller F. E., Luk G. D., Naylor P. H., Erdos M. R., Goldstein A. L., Panneerselvam C., Horecker B. L. Cellular levels of thymosin immunoreactive peptides are linked to proliferative events: evidence for a nuclear site of action. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 May;87(9):3269–3273. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.9.3269. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dosil M., Freire M., Gómez-Márquez J. Tissue-specific and differential expression of prothymosin alpha gene during rat development. FEBS Lett. 1990 Sep 3;269(2):373–376. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(90)81196-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Eilers M., Schirm S., Bishop J. M. The MYC protein activates transcription of the alpha-prothymosin gene. EMBO J. 1991 Jan;10(1):133–141. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb07929.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Eschenfeldt W. H., Berger S. L. The human prothymosin alpha gene is polymorphic and induced upon growth stimulation: evidence using a cloned cDNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Dec;83(24):9403–9407. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.24.9403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Favalli C., Mastino A., Jezzi T., Grelli S., Goldstein A. L., Garaci E. Synergistic effect of thymosin alpha 1 and alpha beta-interferon on NK activity in tumor-bearing mice. Int J Immunopharmacol. 1989;11(5):443–450. doi: 10.1016/0192-0561(89)90172-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Frillingos S., Tsolas O. Age- and sex-related differences in the content of prothymosin alpha in rat tissues. Experientia. 1992 Mar 15;48(3):236–239. doi: 10.1007/BF01930463. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gómez-Márquez J., Segade F., Dosil M., Pichel J. G., Bustelo X. R., Freire M. The expression of prothymosin alpha gene in T lymphocytes and leukemic lymphoid cells is tied to lymphocyte proliferation. J Biol Chem. 1989 May 25;264(15):8451–8454. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Haritos A. A., Goodall G. J., Horecker B. L. Prothymosin alpha: isolation and properties of the major immunoreactive form of thymosin alpha 1 in rat thymus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Feb;81(4):1008–1011. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.4.1008. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Haritos A. A., Horecker B. L. A radioimmunoassay for thymosin alpha 1 that detects the native polypeptide, prothymosin alpha. J Immunol Methods. 1985 Aug 2;81(2):199–205. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(85)90204-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Haritos A. A., Tsolas O., Horecker B. L. Distribution of prothymosin alpha in rat tissues. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Mar;81(5):1391–1393. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.5.1391. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Komiyama T., Pan L. X., Haritos A. A., Wideman J. W., Pan Y. C., Chang M., Rogers I., Horecker B. L. The primary structure of rat parathymosin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Mar;83(5):1242–1245. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.5.1242. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Leichtling K. D., Serrate S. A., Sztein M. B. Thymosin alpha 1 modulates the expression of high affinity interleukin-2 receptors on normal human lymphocytes. Int J Immunopharmacol. 1990;12(1):19–29. doi: 10.1016/0192-0561(90)90064-t. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Pan L. X., Haritos A. A., Wideman J., Komiyama T., Chang M., Stein S., Salvin S. B., Horecker B. L. Human prothymosin alpha: amino acid sequence and immunologic properties. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1986 Oct;250(1):197–201. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(86)90717-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Panneerselvam C., Haritos A. A., Caldarella J., Horecker B. L. Prothymosin alpha in human blood. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Jul;84(13):4465–4469. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.13.4465. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Reclos G. J., Baxevanis C. N., Sfagos C., Papageorgiou C., Tsokos G. C., Papamichail M. Multiple sclerosis: II. Effects of prothymosin alpha on the autologous and allogeneic MLR in patients with multiple sclerosis. Clin Exp Immunol. 1987 Nov;70(2):336–344. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Roson E., Garcia-Caballero G., Heimer E. P., Felix A. M., Dominguez F. Cellular distribution of prothymosin alpha and parathymosin in rat thymus and spleen. J Histochem Cytochem. 1990 Dec;38(12):1889–1894. doi: 10.1177/38.12.2254650. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sburlati A. R., Manrow R. E., Berger S. L. Prothymosin alpha antisense oligomers inhibit myeloma cell division. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Jan 1;88(1):253–257. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.1.253. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Steinmann G. G., Klaus B., Müller-Hermelink H. K. The involution of the ageing human thymic epithelium is independent of puberty. A morphometric study. Scand J Immunol. 1985 Nov;22(5):563–575. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1985.tb01916.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sztein M. B., Serrate S. A., Goldstein A. L. Modulation of interleukin 2 receptor expression on normal human lymphocytes by thymic hormones. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Aug;83(16):6107–6111. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.16.6107. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Tsitsiloni O. E., Yialouris P. P., Heimer E. P., Felix A. M., Evangelatos G. P., Soteriadis-Vlahos C., Stiakakis J., Hannappel E., Haritos A. A. A radioimmunoassay for parathymosin alpha using antibodies to synthetic N-terminal peptide 1-30. J Immunol Methods. 1988 Oct 26;113(2):175–184. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(88)90330-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Yialouris P. P., Evangelatos G. P., Soteriadis-Vlahos C., Heimer E. P., Felix A. M., Tsitsiloni O. E., Haritos A. A. The identification of prothymosin alpha-like material in vertebrate lymphoid organs by a radioimmunoassay for the N-terminal decapeptide. J Immunol Methods. 1988 Feb 10;106(2):267–275. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(88)90207-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES