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A Puga

Publications and source records attributed to A Puga.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Ten nucleotide differences, five of which cause amino acid changes, are associated with the Ah receptor locus polymorphism of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice.

We have analysed by heteroduplex formation (HF), single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and nucleotide sequencing the cDNAs of the Ahrb-1 and Ahrd allelic forms of the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) present in inbred strains of mice. The Ahrb-1 allele, found in the C57BL and C57BR strains, encodes a 95 kDa receptor with an affinity for ligand 15-20 times higher than the affinity of the 104 kDa receptor encoded by the Ahrd allele, found in the DBA/2 strain. Five overlapping fragments of the AhR coding sequence were obtained from liver RNA by reverse transcriptase synthesis of a cDNA first strand, followed by polymerase chain reaction amplification of these cDNA sequences (RT-PCR). Analysis by HF and SSCP revealed the presence of sequence differences in three of the five fragments. When the complete nucleotide sequence of the coding regions was determined by PCR sequencing, we found a total of ten nucleotide differences between the two alleles, nine of which localized to the three fragments where differences were detected by HF and SSCP. Five of the differences are silent. Of the other five, one changes the opal termination codon in Ahrb-1 to the codon for Arg in Ahrd, extending translation of the mRNA by 43 amino acids and accounting for the larger size of the AhR peptide in DBA/2 mice. One of the four remaining differences causes the replacement of a leucine residue in Ahrb-1 by a proline residue in Ahrd, and breaks a potential alpha-helix near the AhR Q-rich region; it is likely that structural changes associated with this amino acid change are responsible for the differences in agonist affinity observed between the Ah receptors of these two strains of mice.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Negative regulation of the murine cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase-3 (Aldh-3c) gene by functional CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 proteins.

We have examined enzyme activities and mRNA levels corresponding to aldehyde dehydrogenase-3 genes encoding cytosolic (ALDH3c) and microsomal (ALDH3m) forms. In contrast to negligible activities in the intact mouse liver, both ALDH3c and ALDH3m enzyme activities are inducible by benzo[a]pyrene and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in mouse hepatoma Hepa-1c1c7 cell cultures. Constitutive mRNA levels of ALDH3c are virtually absent, whereas those of ALDH3m are substantial; using Hepa-1 mutant lines, we show that both ALDH3c and ALDH3m are TCDD-inducible by an Ah receptor-dependent mechanism. Basal mRNA levels of ALDH3c, but not those of ALDH3m, are strikingly elevated in untreated mutant cells lacking a functional CYP1A1 enzyme; low ALDH3c basal mRNA levels can be restored by introduction of a functional murine CYP1A1 or human CYP1A2 enzyme into these mutant cells. These data suggest that the TCDD induction process is distinct from the CYP1A1/CYP1A2 metabolism-dependent repression of constitutive gene expression; we suggest that this latter property classifies the Aldh-3c gene, but not the Aldh-3m gene, as a member of the murine [Ah] battery.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1992

Transcriptional derepression of the murine Cyp1a-1 gene by mevinolin.

In mouse hepatoma Hepa-1c1c7 cultures, polycyclic aromatic compounds such as benzol[a]pyrene and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD; dioxin) activate the Cyp1a-1 (cytochrome P(1)450) and Nmo-1[NAD(P)H:menadione-oxidoreductase] genes, two members of the aromatic hydrocarbon (Ah)-responsive gene battery. Mevinolin is known to inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase (EC 1.1.1.34), the rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis. We show here that in the absence of TCDD, mevinolin markedly increases Cyp1a-1 transcription, CYP1A1 mRNA and protein levels and enzyme activity, and NMO1 mRNA concentrations. Addition of mevalonate, the product of HMG-CoA reductase activity, fails to reverse the effects of mevinolin. In fact, when used at high concentrations, mevalonate activates Cyp1a-1 transcription. Mevinolin-induced Cyp1a-1 gene activation: (1) occurs independently of the lipid content of the growth medium, (2) is not suppressed by adding 25-hydroxycholesterol, which blocks MHG-CoA reductase activity, and (3) requires a functional Ah receptor and unimpaired nuclear translocation of the receptor. It is possible that an unknown metabolite (or metabolites) of mevinolin activates Cyp1a-1 expression and that high concentrations of mevalonate act via the same mechanism. Using chimaeric plasmids that contain different lengths of Cyp1a-1 5' flanking regions fused to the bacterial neomycin (neo) gene, we find that the mevinolin effect on Cyp1a-1 induction requires the 5' flanking sequences between -1647 and -824, which are also needed for TCDD induction. Mevinolin, however, is not a ligand for the Ah receptor. Gel mobility shift assays revealed that Cyp1a-1 activation caused by mevinolin does not involve the ligand-dependent formation of a functional Ah receptor-dependent DNA-binding complex, but instead appears to be correlated with release of a putative repressor from its cognate DNA site. Our results suggest that the basel level of Cyp1a-1 transcription is maintained by an unknown negative regulatory factor. We propose that Cyp1a-1 transcriptional activation can result not only from induction by polycyclic aromatic compounds but also from derepression by mevinolin, independent of HMG-CoA reductase inhibition.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Dioxin induces expression of c-fos and c-jun proto-oncogenes and a large increase in transcription factor AP-1.

Among environmental pollutants, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD; dioxin) is one of the most potent tumor promoters and teratogens known. The molecular mechanisms responsible for the biological activity of TCDD, however, remain largely unknown. In this report, we show that the first observable effects of TCDD in cultured murine hepatoma cells are a rapid, transient increase in Ca2+ influx and a minor but significant elevation of activated, membrane-bound protein kinase C. These changes are then followed by induction of the immediate early proto-oncogenes c-fos, jun-B, c-jun, and jun-D, and by large increases in AP-1 transcription factor activity. Induction of these changes by TCDD is delayed compared with that by phorbol esters, although the magnitude of the effects caused by both treatments is similar, and both induction processes can be blocked by staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor. In cultured cells, proto-oncogene induction by TCDD appears to be independent of the presence of a functional aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor or nuclear translocation protein. These results reveal early events that may lead to the elucidation of the molecular basis of TCDD-induced tumor promotion.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1992

Dioxin-dependent activation of murine Cyp1a-1 gene transcription requires protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation.

Transcriptional activation of the murine Cyp1a-1 (cytochrome P(1)450) gene by inducers such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) (dioxin) requires the aromatic hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor and the interaction of an inducer-receptor complex with one or more of the Ah-responsive elements (AhREs) located about 1 kb upstream from the transcriptional initiation site. We find that treatment of mouse hepatoma Hepa-1 cells with 2-aminopurine, an inhibitor of protein kinase activity, inhibits CYP1A1 mRNA induction by TCDD as well as the concomitant increase in CYP1A1 enzyme activity. Formation of DNA-protein complexes between the Ah receptor and its AhRE target is also inhibited by 2-aminopurine, as determined by gel mobility shift assays. Phosphorylation is required for the formation of Ah receptor-specific complexes, since in vitro dephosphorylation of nuclear extracts from TCDD-treated Hepa-1 cells abolishes the capacity of the Ah receptor to form specific complexes with its cognate AhRE sequences. To determine whether any one of several known protein kinases was involved in the transcriptional regulation of the Cyp1a-1 gene, we treated Hepa-1 cells with nine other protein kinase inhibitors prior to induction with TCDD; nuclear extracts from these cells were analyzed for their capacity to form specific DNA-protein complexes. Only extracts from cells treated with staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor, were unable to form these complexes. In addition, staurosporine completely inhibited CYP1A1 mRNA induction by TCDD. Depletion of protein kinase C by prolonged treatment with phorbol ester led to the complete suppression of CYP1A1 mRNA induction by TCDD. We conclude that (i) phosphorylation is necessary for the formation of a transcriptional complex and for transcriptional activation of the Cyp1a-1 gene; (ii) the phosphorylation site(s) exists on at least one of the proteins constituting the transcriptional complex, possibly the Ah receptor itself; and (iii) the enzyme responsible for the phosphorylation is likely to be protein kinase C.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1991

Human AH locus polymorphism and cancer: inducibility of CYP1A1 and other genes by combustion products and dioxin.

The polymorphism of mammalian aromatic hydrocarbon (Ah) responsiveness appears to be correlated with genetic differences in risk of bronchogenic carcinoma caused by cigarette smoking. The human polymorphism has been uncovered, largely as the result of corresponding genetic differences characterized first in the mouse. The murine Ah locus has been defined as the gene encoding the aromatic hydrocarbon-responsive (Ah) receptor, responsible for the inducibility of a battery of at least six genes, two of which encode P450 enzymes. The high-affinity receptor and, hence, more highly induced levels of P450, can result in greater concentrations of polycyclic aromatic reactive intermediates that form DNA adducts and, ultimately, mutation fixation (tumour initiation). The Ah receptor is also likely to participate in growth and differentiation signal transduction pathways (tumour promotion). Positive and negative control regions flanking the murine Cyp 1a-1 and human CYP1A1 (cytochrome P(1)450) genes have been identified. A DNA motif approximately 1 kb upstream of the transcription start site appears to affect the translatability of the CYP1A1 mRNA and activity of the enzyme. Expression of the CYP1A1 or CYP1A2 enzyme in mouse hepatoma Hepa-1 cells lacking endogenous CYP1A1 activity represses constitutive transcription of not only the endogenous Cyp1a-1 gene but other genes in the dioxin-inducible [Ah] battery. Human polymorphisms involving a Msp I site 450 bp downstream from the last CYP1A1 exon have been described in Japan, the Eastern Mediterranean, Norway and the USA. The '1.9 allele' is associated with an increased incidence of Kreyberg Type I bronchogenic carcinomas in Japan and has recently been correlated with a valine-to-isoleucine substitution at position 462 in the haeme-binding region. This allele is about 3 times more frequent in Japan than in Caucasians of Norway and the USA, in which no correlation has been found between this allele and lung cancer. More work is needed to clarify these findings. Isolation and sequencing of the human Ah receptor cDNA, and the subsequent screening of populations for polymorphisms, hold great promise for predicting interindividual risk of cancer caused by smoking and other environmental pollutants.

Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System↗
PubMed1991

Subcellular localization of calcium release in isolated rat myocardial cells.

Independent determinations of Ca2+ by two indicators showed that subcellular Ca2+ activity (intracellular free calcium concentration) was heterogeneous in rat myocardial cells. Arsenazo III (Az III), a membrane-impermeant absorbance indicator for Ca2+, was loaded into cardiac muscle via liposomes and calcium quantitated at two wavelengths through a focal point diaphragm in 5-100 microns 2 regions by a photometer. Fura-2, a high-affinity fluorescent calcium indicator, was loaded into cells as the ester form, and the light intensity was measured by digital-imaging microscopy using a photon-counting camera. Calcium activity at each picture element was quantitated by division of fluorescence excited by two ultraviolet wavelengths, and corrected for concentration differences in fura-2 by a third, Ca(2+)-insensitive wavelength. Both methods revealed hot spots of Ca2+ release and uptake that could be enlarged, added to, or altered. Addition of 1-10 nM norepinephrine caused up to a 500% increase in Ca2+ in localized regions, although whole cell average Ca2+ increased by only 0-80%, suggesting the importance of localized intracellular Ca2+ release for contraction.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The murine Cyp1a-1 gene negatively regulates its own transcription and that of other members of the aromatic hydrocarbon-responsive [Ah] gene battery.

Transcripts of the murine CYP1A1 (cytochrome P1450) mRNA are markedly elevated in mutant hepatoma cell lines that contain missense mutations in the Cyp1a-1 structural gene. This putative derepression extends to other genes in the [Ah] battery. To test whether the Cyp1a-1 gene product is involved in a mechanism of feedback regulation of transcription, we introduced expression plasmids carrying the murine wild-type Cyp1a-1 cDNA into the mutant hepatoma cells. Measurements of steady-state mRNA levels and of transcriptional rates in the transfectants reveal that expression of a functional, exogenous CYP1A1 protein is sufficient to restore the repression of the endogenous gene, as well as restore the inducibility by dioxin, and that this effect takes place primarily at the level of transcription. Similar experiments with expression plasmids that carry the human CYP1A2 cDNA indicate that the CYP1A2 protein (cytochrome P3450) can also function as a transcriptional repressor. In addition, we find that expression of the Nmo-1 [NAD(P)H:menadione oxidoreductase] gene, a third member of the [Ah] gene battery, is also repressed by the exogenous expression of either Cyp1a-1 or CYP1A2 cDNA. These results indicate that the gene product of either member of the mammalian CYP1 family has a previously unrecognized transcriptional regulatory function, which is likely to be exerted by modification of preexisting trans-acting factors. This function may help bring about a fast reprogramming of gene expression, as might be needed during detoxification of toxic foreign chemicals.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Expression of a viral gene in insulin-producing cell lines renders them susceptible to immunological destruction.

The gene coding for the glycoprotein D of herpes simplex virus type 1 was cloned into plasmids under the transcriptional control of the SV40 promoter-enhancer or the rat insulin 1 promoter-enhancer sequences. These plasmids were transfected into rat insulinoma cells (RINm5F) and mouse NIH/3T3 cells and the expression of glycoprotein D was examined using cell surface immunofluoresence. The rat insulin 1 promoter-enhancer sequences directed efficient expression in RINm5F cells, but not in NIH/3T3 cells. In contrast, the SV40 promoter-enhancer sequences worked well in NIH/3T3 cells, but not in RINm5F cells. Expression of glycoprotein D did not interfere with insulin production by RINm5F cells. When stable cel lines expressing glycoprotein D were exposed to anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 antibodies and complement, they were destroyed. These studies provide additional evidence that specific promoter-enhancer elements are required for efficient gene expression in certain cell types and demonstrate that the expression of foreign antigens on the surface of insulin-producing cells can lead to their immunological destruction.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Vascular muscle calcium channel modulation in hypertension.

Indications of membrane alterations in vascular muscle cells of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), compared to their Kyoto-Wistar normotensive controls (WKY), have led to further investigation of calcium channels. Previous work from this laboratory had shown the increased probability for opening of the longer-lasting (L-type) calcium channels in SHR, suggesting differences in number or modulation. These experiments have been carried out on the azygos vein of neonatal rats because that preparation has been characterized electro-physiologically, pharmacologically, and by contractile parameters. Divalent (inward) ion currents through the L-type calcium channels are more readily carried by barium than by calcium, a characteristic that is not true for the transient (T) channels. Because there is an increased ratio of L to T calcium channels in SHR, the substitution of barium for calcium is more apparent for inward current amplitude in SHR than in WKY. This increase in the sustained L-type calcium currents, appearing without increased blood pressure on the venous side in newborn animals, is suggestive of a genetic membrane alteration that could contribute to vascular muscle membrane changes important in the development of increased blood pressure. Description and differentiation of the ribbon shaped vascular muscle cells from cardiac muscle cells, and the potential for confusion of the two in older animals, was addressed. The predominance of T-type calcium currents in these azygos vein cells, which is likely to correlate with the predominance of rapid spontaneous contractions, offers a compelling reason for selection of azygos veins in Ca2+ channel comparisons to establish etiologic factors at the cell level in hypertension.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Evolution of the P450 gene superfamily.

A P450 gene nomenclature system has recently been proposed on the basis of divergent evolution of distinct families and subfamilies among eukaryotes and prokaryotes. At present, eleven gene families have been described, eight of which exist in all mammals. The current number of P450 genes in each species is believed to reflect, at least in part, selective advantages as animals and plants have struggled for coexistence during the last 1 billion years. It is likely that P450 genes will also be found in archaebacteria, as well as most or all eubacteria and eukaryotes. Using Wu-Kabat analysis, we propose regions of the P450 protein involved in membrane attachment, flavoprotein-binding, heme-binding, and substrate specificity. The invariant amino acid sequence (F**G***C*G in the heme-binding region) is unique to the fifty P450 proteins characterized to date and is not found in any of the more than 5,430 other proteins presently in the database. The regulatory trans-acting protein factors and their associated upstream cis-acting DNA elements of the orthologous mouse, rat and human P450A1 gene are complex but appear to be highly conserved during the 80 million years since the mammalian radiation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Continued expression of a poly(A)+ transcript of herpes simplex virus type 1 in trigeminal ganglia of latently infected mice.

Radioactively labeled cDNAs were prepared by using as the template poly(A)+ mRNA from trigeminal ganglia of mice latently infected with herpes simplex virus type 1. These cDNAs were used as hybridization probes for Southern blots of cloned herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA fragments. Specific hybridization to fragments from the terminal repetition of the L segment was detected with probes derived from mRNAs obtained as early as 3 weeks and as late as 17 months postinoculation. Fine mapping of the region of hybridization showed that the viral transcripts originated from DNA sequences coding for the immediate-early gene IE-1 (alpha-0). These results indicate that IE-1, or an as yet unidentified gene colinear with it, is continuously expressed during latency.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Isolation and nucleotide sequence of rat Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase cDNA clones.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD: EC 1.15.1.1) catalyzes the dismutation of oxygen radicals and is thought to protect cells against free radical damage. We have isolated and sequenced cDNA clones of the rat Cu/Zn SOD, and have used these clones to map the rat genomic sequences coding for this enzyme. Rat Cu/Zn SOD is coded for by a single copy gene which is transcribed into an mRNA species of approximately 800 bases. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of rat and human SOD cDNAs shows that they are homologous over 83% of the coding sequences and that in the 3'-untranslated region the extent of homology drops to 66%. The predicted rat SOD amino acid sequence is very similar to that of other eukaryotic SODs, showing 70% homology with the SODs of other mammals. Sequence conservation is particularly high in domains believed to be of functional importance.

Aging↗
PubMed1986

Calcium channels in muscle cells isolated from rat mesenteric arteries: modulation by dihydropyridine drugs.

The patch clamp technique was used to make whole-cell recordings of calcium channel currents from single muscle cells freshly isolated from rat mesenteric arteries. The cells were found to contain two types of calcium channels; one type is activated by small depolarizations and inactivates quickly, whereas the other requires stronger depolarizations for activation and inactivates more slowly. Nitrendipine blocked the second type of channels with a potency that depended on membrane potential. Interpreted by a modulated receptor hypothesis, these results suggest that nitrendipine binds to the inactivated state of the channel with a KD of about 0.5 nM, similar to concentrations effective in relaxing blood vessels. The magnitude of the calcium channel current was small compared with other excitable cells, but the "calcium agonist" drug BAY K8644 produced a 10-fold augmentation of calcium channel current, suggesting the existence of a large "reserve" of calcium channel current.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1985

Regions of the terminal repetitions of the herpes simplex virus type 1 genome. Relationship to immunoglobulin switch-like DNA sequences.

Several recombinant clones isolated from a mouse genomic library were previously shown to hybridize with a SmaI fragment located in the terminal repetition of the S component of herpes simplex virus DNA. We report here the nucleotide sequence of the related regions in two mouse clones, TGL19 and TGL35, as well as that of the SmaI fragment of HSV-1. The mouse DNA clones have a core of repetitive sequences 80% homologous to a tandem repeat (reiteration II) in the viral fragment. The regions of homology are in turn related to immunoglobulin class-switch sequences, due mostly to the presence of the pentamer TGGG(G), involved in class-switch recombination. These results suggest that the HSV genome has recombination sequences identical to those of the host cell and provide a possible explanation for the high frequency of recombination events observed in this region of the viral genome.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The immediate-early enhancer element of herpes simplex virus type 1 can replace a regulatory region of the c-Ha-ras1 oncogene required for transformation.

A 0.8-kilobase SacI DNA fragment in the distal 5'-noncoding region of the c-Ha-ras1 oncogene hybridized to high guanine X cytosine sites of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA restriction fragments. Nucleotide sequence comparisons localized one of these sites to the intergenic region of HSV between the immediate-early genes coding for IEmRNA-3 and IEmRNA-4/5 that has enhancer-type activity. We tested the possibility that the HSV-1 enhancer and the upstream c-Ha-ras1 SacI fragment were functionally related by assaying for the capacity of recombinant plasmids in which the HSV-1 enhancer replaced the oncogene 0.8-kilobase SacI fragment to transform NIH/3T3 cells. Deletion of the 0.8-kilobase SacI fragment abolished the biological activity of c-Ha-ras1, but its replacement by the HSV-1 enhancer fully restored it. These results confirm the enhancer properties of the HSV-1 immediate-early intergenic region and suggest that c-Ha-ras1 sequences contained within the 0.8-kilobase SacI fragment plays a role in the transcriptional activation of the oncogene.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Different sizes of restriction endonuclease fragments from the terminal repetitions of the herpes simplex virus type 1 genome latent in trigeminal ganglia of mice.

Trigeminal ganglion DNA from mice latently infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 was analysed by restriction enzyme digestion, agarose gel electrophoresis and blot hybridization to 32P-labelled viral DNA. Viral DNA from parental virions and from virions obtained as a consequence of reactivation by ganglion neurectomy were similarly analysed. The BamHI restriction fragments of parental and reactivated virions were almost indistinguishable from each other, and several of the larger BamHI fragments of viral DNA were also found in latently infected ganglion at unaltered sizes. In contrast, fractionation of EcoRI fragments of latently infected ganglion DNA by reverse phase column (RPC-5) chromatography, followed by gel electrophoresis and blot hybridization to a viral DNA probe from the S component terminal repetition, revealed the presence of several terminal fragments at discrete sizes ranging from 1 kb to 15 kb, quite unlike the 5.7 kb terminal EcoRI K fragment of virion-derived DNA. These results indicate that structural changes occur in the viral genome concomitantly with the establishment of latency, such as may result from extensive gene rearrangement or integration into cellular DNA.

Animals↗