Endometrial prostaglandins (PGs) play a role in menstruation in primates and in luteolysis in nonprimates. Their biosynthesis is regulated by estrogen (E) and progesterone (P) in a manner not fully understood. The purpose of this thesis research was to (1) study the effects of E and P, both in vivo and in vitro, on basal endometrial PG output in vitro during the course of the artificial menstrual cycle in the rhesus monkey, and (2) further to examine the cellular mechanisms of P action in vivo on PG output using an ovine model system. To carry out the first objective, ovariectomized rhesus monkeys (n=39) were maintained on either a standard or manipulated artificial menstrual cycle (SAMC and MAMC, respectively) and endometrial biopsies were obtained at precise times in separate cycles on: cycle day 9 (mid-proliferative), 13 (mid-cycle E peak), 14 (one day post E peak), and 23 (mid-secretory). PGF2α was the most abundant PG produced in vitro by endometrial organ cultures, the levels of which changed most dramatically throughout the SAMC. Within the first 24 hours of organ culture, PGF2α accumulation was low on day 9 and rose significantly (p<0.01) on day 13, indicating a stimulatory effect of E in vivo. However, E added in vitro, at either physiologic or supraphysiologic concentrations, to endometrial cultures did not stimulate PGF2α accumulation on any cycle day examined. On day 14, just one day post E peak, there was a dramatic fall in PGF2α accumulation which appeared to be due to both a decline in stimulatory E in vivo and a rise in inhibitory P in vivo. Basal PGF2α accumulation in vitro by day 23 endometrial cultures was 10-fold higher (p<0.01) compared to days 9 and 14. This high level of PGF2α output on day 23 appeared to be caused by a paradoxical priming effect of P in vivo and also a slight enhancement by the mid-cycle peak of E in vivo. Padded in vitro, at a physiologic concentration, to day 23 endometrial cultures markedly inhibited (p<0.01) the high level of PGF2α accumulation, suggesting that P withdrawal in vivo promotes the rise in endometrial PGF2α production in vivo at the time of menstruation in primates. An ovine model system was further used to investigate the cellular mechanisms of P action in vivo. Ovariectomized sheep (n=8) were administered an infusion regimen of either E and P, or E and P vehicle alone, to examine the effects of P in vivo on PGF2α production in vitro by endometrial explants during short-term incubations. P in vivo increased the mass amount of stimulated PGF2α output by both physiologic and pharmacologic mechanisms. In addition, P did not appear to significantly alter the sensitivity of the endometrium to stimulatory levels of oxytocin in vitro indicating that the cellular events accounting for the P priming effect, in part, may occur independent of the oxytocin receptor closer to the PG biosynthetic pathway. In P-primed endometrium, the mass amount of PGF2α stimulated by a calcium-ionophore (A23l87) was less than that stimulated by OT suggesting the involvement of calcium-insensitive mechanisms in PGF2α synthesis.

Proteins with RER-specific signal sequences are cotranslationally translocated across the rough endoplasmic reticulum through a proteinaceous channel composed of oligomers of the Sec61 complex. The Sec61 complex also binds ribosomes with high affinity. The dual function of the Sec61 complex necessitates a mechanism to prevent signal sequence-independent binding of ribosomes to the translocation channel. We have examined the hypothesis that the signal recognition particle (SRP) and the nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) respectively act as positive and negative regulatory factors to mediate the signal sequence-specific attachment of the ribosome-nascent chain complex (RNC) to the translocation channel. Here, SRP-independent translocation of a nascent secretory polypeptide was shown to occur in the presence of endogenous wheat germ or rabbit reticulocyte NAC. Furthermore, SRP markedly enhanced RNC binding to the translocation channel irrespective of the presence of NAC. Binding of RNCs, but not SRP-RNCs, to the Sec61 complex is competitively inhibited by 80S ribosomes. Thus, the SRP dependent targeting pathway provides a mechanism for delivery of RNCs to the translocation channel that is not inhibited by the non-selective interaction between the ribosome and the Sec61 complex. The Sec61 complex, serving as both the high affinity ribosome receptor and the translocation channel, is performing two very different functions which presumably requires different activity domains within the Sec61 complex. To define regions of the Sec61 complex that are involved in ribosome binding and translocation promotion, ribosome-stripped microsomes were subjected to limited digestions using proteases with different cleavage specificities. Protein immunoblot analysis using antibodies specific for the N and C-terminus of Sec61α was used to map the location of proteolysis cleavage sites. We observed a striking correlation between a loss of ribosome binding activity and the digestion of the C-terminal tail or cytoplasmic loop 8 of Sec61α. The proteolyzed microsomes were assayed for SRP-independent translocation activity to determine whether ribosome binding to the Sec61 complex is a prerequisite for nascent chain transport. Microsomes that do not bind ribosomes with high affinity at physiological ionic strength remain active in SRP-independent translocation indicating that ribosome binding and translocation promotion are separable activities of the Sec61 complex. Translocation promoting activity was most severely inhibited by cleavage of cytosolic loop 6, indicating that this segment is a critical determinant for this function of the Sec61 complex.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) induced infectious mononucleosis (IM) is characterized by the activation and expansion of T lymphocytes and the induction of cytotoxic responses able to mediate the lysis of EBV-uninfected, allogeneic MHC mismatched and EBV-infected autologous target cells. Freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were used to examine the nature of these cellular immune responses. Activated lymphocytes, as identified by HLA-DR expression, associated with EBV induced IM were shown to be a heterogeneous population containing significantly elevated cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8+) T cells, helper/inducer (CD4+) T cells and natural killer (NK, CD16+) cells. CD8+ T cells were the primary activated population, representing 24% of the total lymphocyte population and 60-70% of the CD8+ T cell population. The activated CD4+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells accounted for 7% and 4% of the total lymphocyte population, respectively. Analysis of serum soluble interleukin 2 receptors (IL-2R) and CD8 molecules demonstrated significantly (p<0.001) elevated levels in the sera of IM patients compared with normal controls. These elevated levels of serum IL-2R am CD8 molecules correlated, (r=0. 67 and r=0.82, respectively) with increased percentages of CD8/HLA-DR positive T cells (i.e., activated CD8 T cells). Increased levels of soluble cell surface molecules peaked during the acute phase and normalized as the patients progressed toward convalescence. Individual patients demonstrated strong correlations between the percentage of CD8/HLA-DR positive cells and soluble CD8 levels. The functional significance of the serum IL-2R and CD8 molecules is presently unknown. However, the strong correlative data between serum CD8, and to a lesser extent IL-2R, and CD8 T cell activation suggests that serum CD8 levels may provide a sensitive measure of CD8 T cell activation in systemic infections. The ability of freshly isolated acute IM PBMC to lyse allogeneic, EBV-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL), demonstrated the ability of acute IM effector cells to lyse MHC mismatched target cells. Effector cells from acute IM patients lysed allogeneic DM-LCL and AF-LCL target cells by 34% (n=7) and 23% (n=6), respectively, compared with 4% (n=5) and 0% (n=5), respectively, for normal controls. MAb-dependent complement depletion of CD3+ or CD8+ cells with anti-CD3 and anti-CD8 mAb decreased the non-MHC restricted cytolysis of LCL by 96% and 89%, respectively. In contrast, complement depletion with NK-cell specific mAbs Leu 11b and NKH-1, resulted in only a slight decrease (<35%) in the lysis of these LCL (46%). Depletion with anti-HLA-DR also significantly (p<0.001) decreased the lysis of LCL. Depletions with anti-CD4 demonstrated no decrease in LCL-lysis. MAbs OKT3 and OKT8 inhibited the non-MHC restricted cytolysis by 87% and 82%, respectively. We interpret these results as evidence that, 1) lysis of allogeneic cells is mediated primarily by CD3+, CD8+, HLA-DR+, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL); and 2) these acute IM cytotoxic T cells utilize the T cell receptor and the CD8 antigen as an accessory molecule. An active role for target cell MHC class I molecules in the recognition and subsequent lysis of target cells is supported by a number of observations: 1) the MHC class I reactive mAbs W6/32 and BBM.1 significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the lysis of 63463-LCL by 65% and 57%, respectively; 2) acute IM effector T cells did not lyse the MHC class I negative Daudi cell line; 3) allogeneic MHC class I matched LCL mediated strong competitive inhibition (72% at 10:1 competitor to target cell ratio) vs 29% competitive inhibition for an allogeneic MHC class I mismatched LCL; and 4) NK-cell depleted effector cells from one patient mediated preferential lysis of the K562 cell line expressing MHC class I. HLA-A2 molecules. We interpret these results as evidence that target cell MHC class I molecules (or associated determinants) are the target antigen(s) for the allogeneic MHC cytotoxic response. The role of EBV in this acute allogeneic response was examined using target cell lines devoid of EBV genome. Acute IM CTL mediated lysis of the allogeneic HSB-2 T cell line (45%), and allogeneic HTLV-I transformed T cell lines (16%). The lysis of the HSB-2 T cell line was inhibited by anti-OKT3 (58% inhibition), W6/32 (53%) and BBM.1 (42%). Similarily, lysis of HTLV-I T cell lines was inhibited by W6/32 (69% inhibition), BBM.1 (69%) and OKT3 (38%). These data demonstrate that EBV antigenic expression is not required for allogeneic recognition and subsequent lysis of these allogeneic target cells. Effector cells from acute IM patients (n=5) were able to lyse their autologous EBV-infected LCL (mean lysis=21%), but were unable to lyse the EBV-uninfected autologous HTLV-I T cell line. These same effectors, however, were able to mediate lysis of both allogeneic B cell lines (21% lysis) and allogeneic T cell lines (8% lysis). These data are consistent with the observations by Strang et al. (1987a), who recently cloned virus specific/MHC-restricted CTL cloned from acute IM PBMC. These virus specific/MHC-restricted T cells presumably mediate the lysis of the autologous EBV-transformed B cell lines but not the autologous EBV-uninfected T cell lines. Whether the CTL which lyse the autologous EBV-transformed LCL are also responsible for the observed allogeneic reactivity was examined with cold target competition using autologous and allogeneic LCL. Lysis of autologous LCL was inhibited only by autologous competitor cells (64% inhibition compared with 24% for allogeneic LCL). Likewise, lysis of the allogeneic LCL was inhibited only by the allogeneic competitor cells (85% inhibition compared with 30% for autologous LCL). These data demonstrated no competition between allogeneic and autologous LCL and therefore support the concept that lysis of autologous LCL and allogeneic target cells is mediated by distinct effector populations. These data help us to understand the unusual immune response observed during acute IM. The strong allogeneic cytotoxic response is thought to represent polyclonal CD8 T cell activities induced by EBV-infected and transformed B cells which circulate in vivo. In addition, a population of CD8 CTL exist which mediate the lysis of autologous EBV-transformed B cells. These CTL likely represent virus-specific/MHC-restricted CTL and presumably play a major role in the control of EBV infections. The role, if any, of the markedly expanded alloreactive CTL population in the elimination of EBV infected and transformed B cells remains to be clarified.

Among 18 family members in the myosin superfamily, myosin IX is unique by possessing a GTPase activating protein (GAP) for Rho. It is also attention-grabbing since it is a single-headed processive motor, as well as a minus-end directed motor. Although many biochemical properties have been revealed, its physiological function is largely unknown. As an initial step to address this question, I attempted to find the binding partner of myosin IXb using the yeast two-hybrid screen. Through the screen using the tail domain of myosin IXb as bait I found BIG1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for ADP-ribosylation factor (Arfl), as a potential binding partner for myosin IXb. The interaction between myosin IXb and BIG1 was demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation of endogenous myosin IXb and BIG1 with anti-BIG1 antibodies in normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. Using the isolated proteins, it was demonstrated that myosin IXb and BIG1 directly bind to each other. Various truncation mutants of the myosin IXb tail domain were produced and it was revealed that the binding region of myosin IXb to BIG1 is the zinc finger/GAP domain. Interestingly, the GAP activity of myosin IXb was significantly inhibited by addition of BIG1 with IC50 of 0.06 μM. The RhoA binding to myosin IXb was inhibited by the addition of BIG1 with a concentration similar to that which inhibit the GAP activity. Likewise, RhoA inhibited the BIG1 binding of myosin IXb. These results suggest that BIG1 and RhoA compete with each other for the binding to myosin IXb, thus resulting in the inhibition of the GAP activity by BIG1. The present study identified BIG1, the ArfGEF, as a new binding partner for myosin IXb, which inhibited the GAP activity of myosin IXb. Together, the results imply that the RhoGAP activity of myosin IXb is down-regulated by BIG1 at the Golgi, where myosin IXb could be involved in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton through the Rho-signaling pathway.

This work addresses the mechanism of cell cycle specific actin reorganization in Drosophila syncytial blastoderm embryos. During mitosis in typical animal cells after chromosome segregation is complete, daughter cells are separated in a process called cytokinesis. Cytokinesis is ordinarily driven by constriction of an actin ring that physically pinches the cell in two. The early Drosophila embryo is a syncytium; nuclei divide in a single cell without intervening cytokinesis. During the later syncytial divisions, nuclei are arranged in a monolayer at the cortex of the embryo. This stage of embryogenesis is characterized by cycles of actin reorganization that are coordinated with the nuclear division cycles. Since several components of typical cleavage furrows function in this cell cycle driven actin reorganization, the syncytial blastoderm has been used as a model system to better understand cell cycle driven actin reorganization in typical cells. The syncytial Drosophila embryo is easily manipulated genetically, cytoskeletal structures can be visualized in both fixed and living embryos, and large quantities of embryos are attainable for biochemical analysis. We have therefore chosen this model system to study actin reorganization. We show that actin reorganization in syncytial embryos is coordinated by cell cycle cues similar to those utilized in typical cells. Drosophila embryo actin reorganization has several unique features, however. For instance, actin reorganization appears to be associated with centrosomes in a process that does not require microtubules. In addition, the driving force for formation of Drosophila cleavage structures may be actin filament polymerization, rather than contraction of an acto-myosin ring. Whether these characteristics of Drosophila embryo actin reorganization typifies actin reorganization in other cells remains to be seen.

The work in the Brown laboratory has two long-range objectives. Both are derived from an interest in the replication of the genome of Gram-positive eubacteria. One objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the structure and function of DNA polymerase III, the unique species of DNA polymerase which is essential for chromosome replication. The second objective, the one from which this thesis is derived, is to determine whether a selective inhibitor of this DNA polymerase can serve as a basis for producing a new generation of clinically useful Gram-positive-selective antimicrobial agents. The polymerase III-specific inhibitor prototypes investigated in this work are members of a family of simple 6-substituted uracils. The following members of this family, TMAU and EMAU, were used as platforms for the manipulation of the N3 atom (arrow), the only ring component which could be substituted without severe reduction of inhibitory activity. The N3 position was substituted with a series of alkyl groups of increasing size. The resulting structure-activity relationships at the level of the polymerase was consistent with the presence of an N3-specific subdomain within the inhibitor binding site which could accommodate a wide variety of substituents. Although specific alkyl substituents at N3 also significantly enhanced the antibacterial potency of TMAU and EMAU, the respective compounds were found to have insufficient aqueous solubility for successful application in in vivo infection. To increase aqueous solubility, the N3 atom of the EMAU platform was substituted with selected hydroxy- and methoxyalkyl groups. The latter agents retained both anti-polymerase and antibacterial activity, and, as expected, they displayed a combination of lipid and aqueous solubility favorable to efficacy in in vivo infection. Two of the agents, N3-hydroxypropyl- and N3-methoxypropyl-EMAU were examined for their ability to protect mice from lethal staphylococcal infection. Both were found to be active in this model. In sum, the results of this work demonstrated, for the first time, that: (1) the eubacterial replication-specific DNA polymerase III is a valid target for antibiotic development, and (2) the N3-substituted 6-anilinouracil platform has strong potential as a basis for novel antibiotics useful against Gram-positive bacterial infection.

Clinically relevant concentrations of ethanol modulate the function of a number of ion channel proteins. A fundamental question regarding the effects of alcohol is whether the drug modifies ion channels by directly binding to the protein, indirectly by perturbing the surrounding membrane lipid, or some combination of both. This thesis further characterized ethanol's site of action by examining the effects of ethanol on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor/channels and large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels at a number of levels using direct electrophysiological methods. In Chapter One, the magnitude of ethanol's inhibition of a number of cloned heteromeric NMDA receptor/channels in the absence or presence of a number of modulators was compared. The rank order of ethanol sensitivity for the subunit combinations studied was NR1b/NR2A > NR1b/NR2B > NR1b/NR2C > NR1b/NR2D. Modulation of the receptor with Mg2+, Zn2+, the glycine antagonist 7-Chlorokynurenic Acid, or after reduction or oxidation of the redox regulatory site did not alter the ethanol sensitivity of heteromeric NMDA receptors. Therefore, the ethanol sensitivity of NMDA receptor/channels is dependent upon which NR2 subunit is present, and ethanol's site of action is unrelated to these modulatory sites on the receptor/channel protein. In Chapter Two, ethanol's site of action at cloned BK channels was characterized using of a number of 1-alkanols. Ethanol, butanol, hexanol, and heptanol reversibly and dose-dependently increased the current carried through BK channels. Longer chain 1-alkanols, such as octanol had no effect on channels. In Chapter Three, the action of ethanol on BK channels reconstituted in a number of model planar bilayers was studied. Ethanol increased the activity of BK channels incorporated in bilayers composed of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) or PE alone by decreasing the average amount of time channels dwelled in the closed state. There was no significant effect of alcohol on either channel conductance or unitary current. Taken together, these data suggest that ethanol action on BK channels does not require the complex membrane architecture found in native membranes, and does not require freely diffusible cytoplasmic factors or proteins.

The relative contribution of T cell receptor-dependent stimulation versus TcR-independent bystander stimulation in the massive increase in the number of activated proliferating CD8+ T cells seen during acute many acute viral infections is unclear. To determine if this increase was the result of TcR-independent bystander activation and proliferation, anti-viral cytotoxic T lymphocytes were induced in vivo via DNA immunization so that the anti-viral immune response could be examined in the absence of the high levels of cytokines generated during acute infection. After a single immunization with a plasmid encoding the nucleoprotein of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) a nearly 2 log10 reduction in viral titers in the spleen was observed 3 days after LCMV infection. After 2 or 3 immunizations a greater that 3 log10 inhibition of viral titers in the spleen was observed, with most animals having no detectable virus. After intracerebral challenge vaccinated animals displayed either protection or enhanced immunopathology leading to accelerated kinetics of death. By limiting dilution analysis LCMV-specific CTL precursors were detected in both the spleen and lymph nodes of vaccinated animals. C57BL/6 mice inoculated with DNA demonstrated an anamnestic CTL response detectable at days 4 after LCMV challenge. However, the numbers of CTL precursors elicited by DNA vaccination was too low to determine if cytokine-mediated TcR-independent bystander activation and proliferation had taken place. HY-specific TcR-transgenic mice, which have a restricted TcR repertoire, and LCMV-carrier mice, which are tolerant to LCMV, were used to determine the extent of TcR-independent bystander activation and proliferation during acute LCMV infection. LCMV infection of C57BL/6 mice induced CTL that lysed uninfected H-2k and H-2d allogeneic targets, but, LCMV-induced CTL from HY- transgenic mice lysed only the H-2k-expressing cells. The HY-mice generated both anti-H-2k and anti-H-2d CTL in mixed lymphocyte cultures, strongly suggesting that the generation of allospecific CTL during acute LCMV-infection is antigen specific. During the LCMV infection there was blastogenesis of the CDB+ T cell population, but the HY-specific T cells remained small in size, and did not alter their expression of the activation molecules CD44 and MEL-14. In order to examine the potential for bystander stimulation under conditions of a very strong CTL response, T cell chimeras were made between normal and HY-transgenic mice. Even in the context of a normal vicus-induced CTL response, no stimulation of HY -specific T cells was observed, and HY-specific cells were diluted in number by day 9 post-infection. In LCMV-carrier mice in which donor and host T cells could be distinguished by Thy 1 allotypic markers, adoptive transfer of LCMV-immune T cells into LCMV-carrier mice, whose T cells were tolerant to LCMV, resulted in activation and proliferation of donor CDB cells but little or no activation of host CDB+ T cells. These results show that TcR-independent bystander activation of non virus-specific T cells is not a significant component of an anti-viral T cell response and support the hypothesis that the massive polyclonal CTL response to LCMV infection is virus-specific. T cells activated during potent anti-viral immune responses are sensitized to undergo apoptosis after strong TcR-stimulation in a process known as activation-induced cell death (AICD). To determine if T cells, not participating in the immune response were also subject to AICD, LCMV-carrier mice were used. Using TUNEL flow cytometry, it was shown that after reconstitution of Thy 1.2+ LCMV-carrier mice with spleen cells from Thy 1.1+ LCMV-immune mice, the Thy 1.2+ host T cells which were not specific for the virus and did not proliferate in a bystander fashion, were rendered sensitive to TcR-induced apoptosis in vitro. This bystander sensitization to AICD was shown not to be dependent on the continued presence of activated proliferating donor cells during the in vitro culture period. Bystander sensitization to AICD was not the result of an antigen presenting cell defect, but rather was the result of an in vivo conditioning of the T cells themselves. The mechanism of this sensitization was, at least, partially dependent on the ability of host T cells to respond to IFNγ, and on the expression of Fas ligand on the activated, proliferating donor cells. This bystander sensitization to AICD may explain why memory T cell responses are so poor during acute viral infection and can serve as a potential mechanism for virus-induced immunosuppression.

The purpose of this work was to determine whether arachidonic acid and other fatty acids might directly regulate the behavior of ion channels. Arachidonic acid is known to be liberated from plasma membrane phospholipid upon activation of cell surface receptors, and to subsequently act as a precursor to biologically active metabolites. This study was based on the rationale that the liberated arachidonic acid itself was a potential regulator of plasma membrane ion channels. The effects of arachidonic acid and other fatty acids on the behavior of ion channels were examined in two preparations of isolated smooth muscle cells. In both cell types, K+-selective ion channels were activated both by arachidonic acid and by fatty acids that are not converted to metabolites through the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase metabolic pathways for arachidonic acid. These results indicate that metabolites of these pathways did not mediate the fatty acid response. Further, fatty acids were effective in cell-free patches of membrane in the absence of nucleotides and Ca++, showing that signal transduction mechanisms requiring these and other cytosolic factors were not required. Such signaling mechanisms include those involving phosphorylation, cyclic nucleotides, GTP-dependent proteins, and the NADPH-dependent cytochrome P450 metabolic pathway. Thus fatty acids themselves appear to directly activate K+ channels, much as they directly activate several enzymes, and may constitute a new class of messenger molecules acting on ion channels. The two preparations of cells used were gastric smooth muscle cells from the toad, Bufo Marinus, and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells from the New Zealand White Rabbit. In gastric smooth muscle cells, a previously undescribed K+ channel was activated by a variety of fatty acids. This channel exhibited a conductance of approximately 50 pS, weak voltage-dependence, and K+ selectivity. The fatty acid structural features required for activation of this channel were examined by testing numerous fatty acids. Further, the same K+ channel was found to be endogenously active in the presence of Ca++ at the extracellular surface of the membrane. In pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, fatty acids activated K+ channels of a recognizable large-conductance type that is activated by Ca++ at the intracellular membrane surface. This channel type has been widely studied but has not been reported in this preparation. Characteristic of the large-conductance, calcium-activated K+ (CAK) channel type, the channels activated by fatty acids exhibited a conductance of approximately 260 pS, strong voltage-dependence, K+ selectivity, and activation by low concentrations of Ca++ (10-7-10-6 M) at the cytosolic surface of the membrane. Lastly, these CAK channels were found to be activated by membrane stretch.

Much research has been conducted and significant progress has been made in understanding how signals are transmitted in response to extracellular stimuli. Continued research is necessary to elucidate how specificity in signaling from the cell surface is achieved and to understand how disruption of such signaling pathways leads to disease. The question of specificity is important since many of the same proteins can be activated by different stimuli in a variety of signaling pathways. One means of achieving specificity would be for different cell types to express different sets of proteins that interact with "common" proteins such as GRB2, Shc, and Ras. There were two goals to my dissertation research. The first goal was to study disease which results from perturbation of the EGF receptor. The second was to explore the possibility that signals generated in response to EGF or other stimuli might be transmitted through MAP kinase proteins other than ERKs 1 and 2. Chapter II of this thesis centers around further analyzing the disease potential of erbB in chickens. I have conducted oncogenicity tests with an erbB oncogene that contains no mutations, only the characteristic N-terminal truncation. My studies have revealed that truncation of the EGF receptor (erbB) can induce tumorigenesis of the kidney as well as the erythroblastosis originally associated with erbB. Previous studies have only found kidney tumors in association with mutated forms of the erbB oncogene. Furthermore, I have demonstrated that mutational removal of a negative regulatory serine phosphorylation site increases the number of wing web tumors caused by the erbB oncogene. Chapter III describes the identification of the Ser/Thr protein kinase p56 KKIAMRE and characterization of p56 KKIAMRE and p42 KKIALRE. These kinases have homology to the MAP kinase group and contain the conserved Thr-Xaa-Tyr dual phosphorylation site. I have demonstrated that both kinases can be activated by treatment of cells with EGF. Interestingly, phosphorylation of Thr and Tyr in the Thr-Xaa-Tyr motif is not necessary for EGF stimulated activity.