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C Forest

Publications and source records attributed to C Forest.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Adenovirus enhancement of polyethylenimine-mediated transfer of regulated genes in differentiated cells.

Efficient gene transfer is a prerequisite for analysing regulation of transfected promoters. We combined the DNA binding property of the cationic polymer polyethylenimine (PEI) and the potent endocytic activity of adenovirus in a PEI-DNA-adenovirus complex which provided efficient plasmid delivery in differentiated cultured cells. We transfected 3T3-F442A adipocytes, C2.7 myocytes and FAO hepatoma cells with a construct containing the simian virus 40 promoter fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene, using a combination of PEI and 200 p.f.u. per cell of replication-deficient type 5 adenovirus. Resulting CAT activities varied according to the cell type reaching about 0.6, 8 and 38 units/mg protein for respectively 3T3-F442A, FAO and C2.7 cells. Increases in transfection efficiencies were 140- to 300-fold when compared with those obtained with PEI alone. Then we tested physiologically regulated promoters: the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene promoter in 3T3-F442A or FAO cells and the hexokinase II gene promoter in C2.7 myocytes. Gene expression was appropriately increased by clofibrate, dexamethasone and insulin for 3T3-F442A, FAO and C2.7 cells, respectively. Thus, the combination of PEI and adenovirus is a simple, efficient, inexpensive and versatile method of gene transfer which is applicable to several differentiated cells and provides a physiologically coherent transgene regulation. We name this method PEI-adenofection.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1996

Up-regulation of the expression of the gene for liver fatty acid-binding protein by long-chain fatty acids.

The role of fatty acids in the expression of the gene for liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) was investigated in the well-differentiated FAO rat hepatoma cell line. Cells were maintained in serum-free medium containing 40 microM BSA/320 microM oleate. Western blot analysis showed that oleate triggered an approx. 4-fold increase in the cytosolic L-FABP level in 16 h. Oleate specifically stimulated L-FABP mRNA in time-dependent and dose-dependent manners with a maximum 7-fold increase at 16 h in FAO cells. Preincubation of FAO cells with cycloheximide prevented the oleate-mediated induction of L-FABP mRNA, showing that protein synthesis was required for the action of fatty acids. Run-on transcription assays demonstrated that the control of L-FABP gene expression by oleate was, at least in part, transcriptional. Palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid and arachidonic acid were similarly potent whereas octanoic acid was inefficient. This regulation was also found in normal hepatocytes. Therefore long-chain fatty acids are strong inducers of L-FABP gene expression. FAO cells constitute a useful tool for studying the underlying mechanism of fatty acid action.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Inhibition of hormone-sensitive lipase gene expression by cAMP and phorbol esters in 3T3-F442A and BFC-1 adipocytes.

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) catalyses the rate-limiting step in adipocyte lipolysis. Short-term hormonal regulation of HSL activity is well characterized, whereas little is known about the control of HSL gene expression. We have measured HSL mRNA content of 3T3-F442A and BFC-1 adipocytes in response to the cAMP analogue 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP (8-CPT-cAMP) and to the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) by Northern blot, using a specific mouse cDNA fragment. Treatment of the cells for 12 or 6 h with, respectively, 0.5 mM 8-CPT-cAMP or 1 microM PMA produced a maximal decrease of about 60% in HSL mRNA. These effects were unaffected by the protein-synthesis inhibitor anisomycin, suggesting that cAMP and PMA actions were direct. The reduction in HSL mRNA was accompanied by a reduction in HSL total activity. The intracellular routes that cAMP and PMA follow for inducing such an effect seemed clearly independent. (i) After desensitization of the protein kinase C regulation pathway by a 24 h treatment of the cells with 1 microM PMA, PMA action was abolished whereas cAMP was still fully active. (ii) Treatment with saturating concentrations of both agents produced an additive effect. (iii) The synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone had no proper effect on HSL gene expression but potentiated cAMP action without affecting PMA action. cAMP inhibitory action on HSL is unexpected. Indeed, the second messenger of catecholamines is the main activator of HSL by phosphorylation. We envision that a long-term cAMP treatment of adipocytes induces a counter-regulatory process that reduces HSL content and, ultimately, limits fatty acid depletion from stored triacylglycerols.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1996

Efficient transfer of regulated genes in adipocytes and hepatoma cells by the combination of liposomes and replication-deficient adenovirus.

Efficient transfer of genes maintaining a correct hormonal control in transfected cells is the prerequisite for gene regulation studies and for gene therapy. Differentiated cells, like adipocytes or hepatocytes, are difficult to transfect. In an attempt to improve gene transfer, we first transiently transfected cultured 3T3-F442A adipocytes with a construct containing the simian virus 40 (SV40) promoter fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene (pSV2-CAT), using various cationic liposomes. Among these, only lipofectAMINE was five times more efficient than the standard calcium phosphate procedure. To further augment efficiency, we transfected 3T3-F442A adipocytes and FAO hepatoma cells with the lipofectAMINE/pSV2-CAT complex in the presence of replication-deficient recombinant type-5 adenovirus at 200 pfu/cell. CAT activity of transiently transfected cells was increased about 50-fold when compared to the calcium phosphate procedure. To determine whether this methodology would be useful for obtaining stable transfectants and would not interfere with correct gene regulation, we used a construct containing -2100 to +69 bp of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene fused to the CAT gene (pPL1-CAT). This construct was shown previously to be cAMP-responsive after calcium-phosphate-mediated transfection of adipocytes and hepatoma cells. 3T3-F442A or FAO cells in which pPL1-CAT was either transiently or stably transferred by lipofectAMINE and adenovirus responded to isoproterenol or cAMP, respectively, with a 2-3-fold increase in CAT activity. Therefore the association of liposomes and adenovirus is an efficient method for transient or stable transfer of regulated genes in adipocytes and hepatoma cells.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Fatty acids and fibrates are potent inducers of transcription of the phosphenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene in adipocytes.

Cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) plays a critical role in adipose tissue glyceroneogenesis. We have previously shown that transcription of the PEPCK gene was stimulated by isoprenaline and retinoic acid in 3T3-F442A adipocytes. We also showed that oleate increased PEPCK mRNA. Here, we analysed the effect that fatty acids of various chain lengths and unsaturation degrees exerted on PEPCK gene expression in 3T3-F442A adipocytes. When maintained in serum-free, glucose-free medium, differentiated cells responded to unsaturated long-chain fatty acids by a large increase in PEPCK mRNA whereas saturated fatty acids were inefficient. A maximum fivefold stimulation by oleate was attained at 4 h of treatment with 1 mM fatty acid bound to albumin in a 6:1 ratio. The poly-unsaturated very long-chain fatty acid all-cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6) was even more potent and produced a tenfold increase. The expression of the genes encoding glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, hormone-sensitive lipase or actin remained unaffected by oleate exposure. A 4-h treatment by the hypolipidemic drug clofibrate, 0.5-2 mM, also produced a large (3-9-fold) increase in PEPCK mRNA. When used at non-saturating concentrations, oleate and clofibrate acted in an additive manner. At maximally effective concentrations, additivity was lost, suggesting that fatty acids and fibrates might act through similar mechanisms. Nuclear transcription experiments showed that oleate and clofibrate stimulated the transcription rate of the gene. 3T3-F442A cells were stably transfected with a plasmid containing the base pairs -2100 to +69 of the PEPCK gene promoter fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. These differentiated stable transfectants responded to oleate and clofibrate by a specific increase in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity. Adipocytes express various isoforms of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors that can be activated by fibrates and fatty acids. Potential recognition sequences for peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors are present in the -2100 to +69 fragment of the PEPCK gene promoter. Thus, this gene represents an ideal molecular target for understanding the complex transcriptional control exerted by fatty acids and peroxisome proliferators.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Expression of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene in 3T3-F442A adipose cells: opposite effects of dexamethasone and isoprenaline on transcription.

The enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) plays a key role in gluconeogenesis in liver and in glyceroneogenesis in adipose tissue. These processes, and PEPCK, are regulated by a number of hormones, some of which have different effects on the enzyme in liver and adipose tissue. To explore this phenomenon, PEPCK gene expression was studied in 3T3-F442A adipocytes maintained in a serum-free medium. The beta-adrenergic agonist isoprenaline (isoproterenol) and a cyclic AMP analogue (8-CPT-cAMP) increased PEPCK mRNA. A maximal 3-fold induction occurred in 2 h. Dexamethasone decreased PEPCK mRNA by 80% in 4 h. Dexamethasone also counteracted the inductive effects of isoprenaline and 8-CPT-cAMP. Run-on transcription experiments showed that the isoprenaline and dexamethasone actions were, at least in part, exerted at the level of PEPCK gene transcription. These effects were further analysed by using transient and stable transfection of adipocytes with a plasmid containing bp -2100 to 69 of the PEPCK gene promoter fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. In such cells isoprenaline stimulated CAT expression, an effect that was prevented if the cells were also exposed to dexamethasone.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Controlled conversion of an immortalized mesodermal progenitor cell towards osteogenic, chondrogenic, or adipogenic pathways.

The teratocarcinoma-derived C1 clone behaves as a mesodermal tripotential progenitor cell whose choice of fate, either osteoblast, chondroblast, or adipoblast, is strictly dependent on the spatial organization of the cells and the nature of the induction. In the absence of cell contact before the addition of inducers, the C1 cells maintain a stable undifferentiated phenotype while expressing potential regulators of embryonic mesodermal stem cell fate such a M-twist and Id1. Upon establishment of cell contacts before the induction of differentiation, the early genes characteristic of the three fates become expressed. In the presence of beta glycerophosphate and ascorbate, provided the cells have formed aggregates, 95% of the C1 cells mineralize with a kinetics of gene expression close to that of osteoblasts (Poliard, A., D. Lamblin, P. J. Marie, M. H. Buc, and O. Kellerman. 1993. J. Cell Sci. 106:503-512). With 10(-6)M dexamethasone, 80% of the same aggregates differentiate into foci of chondroblast-like cells. The kinetics of expression of the genes encoding type II, IX, X, and XI collagens, aggrecan and link protein during the conversion toward cartilage hypertrophy resembles that accompanying in vivo chondrogenesis. The synergistic action of dexamethasone and insulin convert most confluent C1 cells into functional adipocytes and induce a pattern of gene expression close to that reported for adipoblast cell lines. The C1 clone with its capacity to differentiate along three alternative pathways with high frequency, therefore appears as a valid in vitro model for deciphering the molecular basis of mesoblast ontogeny.

Adipocytes↗
PubMed1994

Expression of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene in 3T3-F442A adipose cells: effects of retinoic acid and differentiation.

3T3-F442A adipocytes express the gene encoding cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (PEPCK). Retinoic acid (RA) caused a 5-fold induction of PEPCK mRNA within 6 h in these cells with a half-maximal effective concentration of approximately 75 microM. This effect was independent of cycloheximide and inhibited by actinomycin D. In vitro run-on experiments using isolated nuclei confirmed that the RA-induced increase was mainly due to an increased rate of transcription of the gene. Stable transfectants bearing either the region of the PEPCK promoter from -2100 to +69 fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene (pPL1-CAT) or -600 to +69 fused to CAT (pPL9-CAT) were used to study PEPCK gene regulation during differentiation. The same transfected cells were used to analyse the RA effect. Preadipocytes containing pPL1-CAT expressed a much lower level of CAT activity than did adipocytes. pPL9-CAT was not expressed in either preadipocytes or adipocytes. RA induced the expression of CAT activity in preadipocytes and adipocytes transfected with pPL1-CAT, but had no effect in cells transfected with pPL9-CAT. These results suggest that one or more DNA sequences located between -2100 and -600 bp of the PEPCK promoter is required for adipocyte-specific expression of this gene. RA action is independent of the state of differentiation and appears to require different elements in fat cells from those required in liver.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

Stimulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene expression by fatty acids.

We used the 3T3-F442A adipocytes and the FAO hepatoma cells to analyze the effect of oleate on phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene expression. In serum-deprived, glucose-free medium, 1 mM oleate, bound to albumin in a 6:1 ratio, specifically stimulated PEPCK mRNA. In 3T3-F442A adipocytes, the maximum 5-fold increase occurred in 4 hours then rapidly declined to reach the basal level 20 hours later. This increase was cycloheximide-independent and actinomycin D-dependent, suggesting a direct, transcriptional effect of oleate. FAO cells also responded to oleate with a transient induction of PEPCK mRNA, although the extent of stimulation was lower. Thus, the PEPCK gene provides a useful molecular tool for studying the mechanisms by which fatty acids stimulate gene expression.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

Glucocorticoids antagonize retinoic acid stimulation of PEPCK gene transcription in 3T3-F442A adipocytes.

Cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (PEPCK) is a key glyceroneogenic enzyme in adipose tissue. The regulation of PEPCK gene expression by retinoic acid (RA) and dexamethasone (DEX) was studied in 3T3-F442A adipocytes maintained in a serum-free medium. RA induced whereas DEX reduced PEPCK mRNA steady-state level. RA stimulation was about 4-fold and DEX repression was of 80% in 4 hrs. In addition to reducing basal mRNA level, DEX was able to counteract RA induction in a dominant manner. The use of the glucocorticoid antagonist RU 38486 indicated that the DEX effect was mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor. Stable transfectants bearing the region of the PEPCK promoter from -2100 to +69 fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene (pPL1-CAT) were used to study PEPCK gene regulation in differentiated adipocytes. In such cells, RA stimulated CAT expression 3 to 5.5 fold. DEX had no effect on basal CAT activity whereas it inhibited the stimulation induced by RA. Thus, in adipocytes, the PEPCK gene regulatory region between -2100 and +69 bp mediates both stimulation by RA and repression by DEX of RA action.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1993

Tissue-specific and beta-adrenergic regulation of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein gene: control by cis-acting elements in the 5'-flanking region.

Uncoupling protein (UCP) gene expression is tightly restricted to thermogenic brown adipocytes and is rapidly activated by norepinephrine released after cold exposure. To identify cis-acting regulatory elements controlling this gene, a region encompassing 4.5 kilobases of DNA upstream of the transcription start site was analyzed using hybrid UCP-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene constructs. Evidence for the presence of both tissue-specific and beta-adrenergic response elements in this 4.5-kilobase region was obtained by comparing the expression of these reporter genes in transfected brown adipocytes (in vitro differentiated), brown preadipocytes, white adipocytes, and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and from experiments in transgenic animals. Deletion analyses in transfected cells indicated that the minimal region exhibiting promoter activity and tissue specificity is located between -157 and -57 base pairs (bp). A 211-bp activator element located between -2494 and -2283 bp was necessary for full expression in brown adipocytes. This element also activated expression of the homologous -157-bp promoter and expression of a heterologous promoter in both brown adipocytes and CHO cells. A second region, downstream of the activator and possibly located between positions -400 and -157 bp, inhibited the UCP promoter in CHO cells. In mice transgenic for a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene containing these elements, expression was both tissue specific and regulatable by environmental temperature changes. These results indicate that both positive and negative cis-acting elements participate in the regulation of UCP gene expression.

Adipose Tissue, Brown↗
PubMed1993

The effects of hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia on GLUT4 and hexokinase II mRNA and protein in rat skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.

The GLUT4 glucose transporter and type II hexokinase are predominantly expressed in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. The effects of insulin and glucose on the expression of GLUT4 and HKII were studied in vivo by using the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic and hyperglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp methods. The clamps were maintained in conscious rats for 6 or 24 h after a 1-day starvation period. Adipose tissue GLUT4 mRNA was increased 4-fold after 6 h and 23-fold after 24 h of hyperinsulinemia; HKII mRNA was increased by four- and eightfold after 6 and 24 h, respectively. In contrast, GLUT4 mRNA was not significantly changed in skeletal muscle by either the euglycemic- or hyperglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps. Each of these treatments resulted in a fourfold induction of HKII mRNA. No changes of GLUT4 protein and hexokinase activity were detected after 6 h of hyperinsulinemia in either skeletal muscle or adipose tissue. After 24 h of hyperinsulinemia, adipose tissue GLUT4 protein had doubled, whereas skeletal muscle GLUT4 was unchanged. In contrast, hexokinase activity increased by two- to eightfold in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Hyperinsulinemia alone was sufficient to mediate the effects observed, because no additional effects were seen when hyperglycemia accompanied hyperinsulinemia. These results reveal the lack of coordinate regulation of GLUT4 and HKII in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. Whereas hyperinsulinemia increases both GLUT4 and HKII mRNA and protein levels in adipose tissue, this treatment increases HKII mRNA and protein in skeletal muscle, but has no effect on GLUT4 in this tissue.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1991

Metabolism of oleic acid in differentiating BFC-1 preadipose cells.

Incorporation of [3H]oleate and [14C]glucose into cellular lipids was studied in the preadipose cell line BFC-1 to determine flux changes that accompany the adipose conversion process. Dilution of oleate by intracellular fatty acids (FA) was estimated from the 3H/14C incorporation ratios and from relating steady-state radioactivity in diglycerides to their measured cellular levels. The data indicated that exogenous FA mixed with less than 1% of endogenous FA on its pathway to esterification. Conversion of preadipocytes to adipocytes increased uptake of FA and glucose by approximately 3-fold and synthesis of diglycerides and triglycerides by 5- and 16-fold, respectively, with little if any increase of phospholipid synthesis. A 50% drop in 3H/14C incorporation ratio indicated a doubling of the rate at which endogenous FA mixed with the exogenous FA that had entered the cell. Adipocytes compared with preadipocytes exhibited a 50% greater cell diameter and a doubling of intracellular water volume and of protein and phospholipid levels, reflecting cellular enlargement consequent to the arrest of cell division that precedes adipose conversion. Diglyceride levels were also increased in adipocytes, however, since their turnover was fast, as indicated by rapid equilibration of diglyceride labeling; the increase reflected changes in their relative rates of synthesis and disposal. Diglyceride levels related to cell phospholipid, and other indexes of cell size remained constant. This indicated that the supply of diglycerides was tightly coupled to the synthesis of triglycerides and phospholipids, which suggested feedback regulation of diglyceride formation. The studies provide a methodological approach to measurement and interpretation of rates of lipid deposition in cultured cells.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1990

The adipocyte: relationships between proliferation and adipose cell differentiation.

The differentiation of adipose precursor cells can be divided into early and late events. Growth arrest at the G1/S boundary triggers the activation of early genes, i.e., pOb24 and lipoprotein lipase; the expression of both genes is primarily regulated at a transcriptional level. The expression of late markers, which lead to terminal differentiation and accumulation of neutral lipids, takes place after a limited number of mitoses of early-marker-expressing cells. Only terminal differentiation requires the presence of growth hormone and triiodothyronine as obligatory hormones and insulin as a modulating hormone, and results in the formation of triacylglycerol-filled, non-dividing cells. It appears that terminal differentiation involves the cyclic AMP pathway, the diacylglycerol pathway, and a third pathway triggered by insulinlike growth factor-I and insulin. It is thus proposed that a combination of mitogenic-adipogenic signals is required to trigger terminal differentiation of preadipose cells.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1989

Coupling growth arrest and adipocyte differentiation.

The complete differentiation program of preadipose cells can be divided into early and late events. The expression of early markers takes place at growth arrest (G1/S boundary), whereas that of late markers, leading to terminal differentiation, takes place after a limited number of mitoses of early marker-containing cells. Only terminal differentiation requires the presence of growth hormone and triiodothyronine and results in the formation of triacylglycerol-filled, nondividing cells. The events of adipose cell differentiation which take place in vitro allow a better understanding of the development of adipose tissue in vivo.

Adipose Tissue↗