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Biomedical subjects

C K Glass

Publications and source records attributed to C K Glass.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

Regulated expression of the human acetylated low density lipoprotein receptor gene and isolation of promoter sequences.

The acetylated low density lipoprotein (AcLDL) receptor is expressed on tissue macrophages after their differentiation from monocyte precursors and has been proposed to play a role in the generation of foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions. In the present studies, THP-1 human monocytic leukemia cells were used to investigate mechanisms responsible for expression of the AcLDL receptor gene after treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA). TPA-dependent accumulation of AcLDL receptor mRNA was not detected until after a lag phase of 12 hr and was blocked by concurrent treatment with cycloheximide. In addition, the TPA-dependent induction of AcLDL receptor activity and mRNA levels was inhibited by retinoic acid and dexamethasone treatment. Isolation and sequence analysis of the promoter regions for the human and bovine AcLDL receptor genes indicated high sequence similarity. Binding sites for AP-1 proteins or other known transcription factors were not conserved between the two species, suggesting that novel factors are required for AcLDL receptor expression.

Base Sequence

A negative retinoic acid response element in the rat oxytocin promoter restricts transcriptional stimulation by heterologous transactivation domains.

Retinoic acid receptors are ligand-dependent transcription factors that stimulate gene transcription from promoters containing retinoic acid or thyroid hormone response elements. We describe a high-affinity binding site from the rat oxytocin promoter that mediates negative transcriptional regulation by the retinoic acid receptor. To examine whether strong, constitutive transactivation domains would be capable of stimulating gene transcription when bound to this DNA binding site that normally mediates transcriptional repression, we fused the transactivation domain of the herpes simplex viral protein VP16 to the amino terminus of the retinoic acid receptor and tested the activity of the chimeric protein on the negative retinoic acid response element. This chimeric retinoic acid receptor acted as a strong, constitutive transactivator when bound to promoters containing palindromic thyroid hormone/retinoic acid response elements but surprisingly it still repressed gene transcription when bound to promoters containing the oxytocin-negative retinoic acid response element. These results suggest that a negative DNA binding site itself can inhibit the function of even potent constitutive transactivation domains, and provide evidence that tethering of a constitutive transactivation domain to DNA is insufficient to activate gene transcription.

Animals

RXR beta: a coregulator that enhances binding of retinoic acid, thyroid hormone, and vitamin D receptors to their cognate response elements.

The retinoic acid receptor (RAR) requires coregulators to bind effectively to response elements in target genes. A strategy of sequential screening of expression libraries with a retinoic acid response element and RAR identified a cDNA encoding a coregulator highly related to RXR alpha. This protein, termed RXR beta, forms heterodimers with RAR, preferentially increasing its DNA binding and transcriptional activity on promoters containing retinoic acid, but not thyroid hormone or vitamin D, response elements. Remarkably, RXR beta also heterodimerizes with the thyroid hormone and vitamin D receptors, increasing both DNA binding and transcriptional function on their respective response elements. RXR alpha also forms heterodimers with these receptors. These observations suggest that retinoid X receptors meet the criteria for biochemically characterized cellular coregulators and serve to selectively target the high affinity binding of retinoic acid, thyroid hormone, and vitamin D receptors to their cognate DNA response elements.

Amino Acid Sequence

The orientation and spacing of core DNA-binding motifs dictate selective transcriptional responses to three nuclear receptors.

Characterization of several thyroid hormone (T3), retinoic acid, and estrogen response elements has led to the identification of conserved DNA half-sites (core binding motifs). We present evidence that differences in both the relative orientation and spacing of these motifs within hormone response elements determine the distinct transcriptional responses of three members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. When separated by 3 bp, direct repeat, palindromic, and inverted palindromic arrangements of these motifs impart selective transcriptional responses to retinoic acid, estrogen, and T3 receptors, respectively. Varying the spacing between core motifs alters the specificity. Without spacing, a direct repeat of the core motif paradoxically configures the T3 receptor to confer transactivation in the absence of T3 and repression in its presence. Such an element occurs naturally in the mouse beta-thyrotropin promoter, physiologically under negative regulation by T3. The orientation and spacing of core binding motifs may thus function in concert as a code that accounts for the selective patterns of transcriptional responses of hormonally regulated promoters.

Animals

Multiple cell type-specific proteins differentially regulate target sequence recognition by the alpha retinoic acid receptor.

Retinoic acid receptors appear to exert profound effects on vertebrate development by regulating the transcription of distinct sets of target genes within different cell types. Several lines of evidence are presented for the existence of multiple, cell type-specific nuclear proteins that function to differentially increase the binding affinity of the alpha retinoic acid receptor for a variety of response elements. These proteins, which we refer to as retinoic acid receptor coregulators, interact with the retinoic acid receptor via a common dimerization interface that overlaps with its ligand binding domain. These observations raise the intriguing possibility that coregulator proteins serve to restrict and/or direct the effects of retinoic acid receptors on patterns of gene expression during development.

Animals

Ligand-activated thyroid hormone and retinoic acid receptors inhibit growth factor receptor promoter expression.

Thyroid hormone (T3) and retinoic acid (RA) receptors mediate ligand-dependent inhibition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and c-erbB2/neu promoter activities. Ligand-activated T3 and RA receptors act via a 36 bp 5' fragment of the EGF receptor gene in vivo and, in the presence of nuclear extract, bind with high affinity to this region in vitro. Both ligand binding and DNA binding domains of T3 and RA receptors are required for promoter inhibition. When both receptors are expressed in the presence of a single ligand, inhibition is reversed, indicating that the hormone-activated receptor is competed by the unliganded receptor. These results suggest that ligand regulates transcriptional inhibitory functions of the T3 and RA receptors and describe novel regulation of growth factor receptor gene expression.

Base Sequence

Colocalization of 15-lipoxygenase mRNA and protein with epitopes of oxidized low density lipoprotein in macrophage-rich areas of atherosclerotic lesions.

Oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) enhances its atherogenicity, and inhibition of such oxidation decreases the rate of progression of atherosclerotic lesions. The mechanism of LDL oxidation in vivo remains uncertain, but in vitro studies have suggested that cellular lipoxygenases may play a role by initiating lipid peroxidation in LDL. In situ hybridization studies using a 15-lipoxygenase riboprobe and immunostaining using antibodies against 15-lipoxygenase showed strongly positive reactivity largely confined to macrophage-rich areas of atherosclerotic lesions. Polymerase chain reaction with 15-lipoxygenase-specific oligonucleotides and restriction enzyme digestions of the amplified fragment were used to confirm the presence of 15-lipoxygenase message in the reverse-transcribed lesion mRNA. Immunostaining with antibodies reactive with oxidized LDL (but not with native LDL) indicated that the lipoxygenase colocalizes with epitopes of oxidized LDL, compatible with a role for macrophage lipoxygenase in the oxidation of LDL in vivo. Since oxidized LDL is chemotactic for blood monocytes, early lesions might progress at a markedly accelerated rate because of further recruitment of more monocytes which, in turn, would increase further the rate of oxidation of LDL. These data suggest that therapy targeted to block macrophage lipoxygenase activity might decrease the rate of development of atherosclerotic lesions.

Animals

The C'-terminal interaction domain of the thyroid hormone receptor confers the ability of the DNA site to dictate positive or negative transcriptional activity.

To investigate mechanisms responsible for positive and negative transcriptional control, we have utilized two types of promoters that are differentially regulated by thyroid hormone (T3) receptors. Promoters containing the palindromic T3 response element TCAGGTCA TGACCTGA are positively regulated by the T3 receptor after the administration of T3, whereas otherwise identical promoters containing the estrogen response element TCAGGTCA CTG TGACCTGA can be regulated negatively; converse effects are observed with the estrogen receptor. We describe evidence that the transcriptional inhibitory effects of the T3 or estrogen receptors on the estrogen or T3 response elements, respectively, are imposed by amino acid sequences in the C'-terminal region that colocalize with dimerization and hormone-binding domains and that these sequences can transfer inhibitory functions to other classes of transcription factors. Removal of the C'-terminal dimerization and hormone-binding domains of either the alpha T3 or estrogen receptors permits each receptor to act constitutively to enhance transcription on both T3 and estrogen response elements. It is, therefore, suggested that protein-protein interactions between receptor C' termini limit the subset of DNA binding sites on which transcriptional activation occurs.

Animals

Positive and negative regulation of gene transcription by a retinoic acid-thyroid hormone receptor heterodimer.

We present evidence that the human thyroid hormone receptor forms a heterodimer with the human retinoic acid receptor. This interaction results in a cooperative increase in binding of the alpha retinoic acid receptor to a subset of thyroid hormone response elements. Mutations within the DNA binding domain or near the C-terminus abolish either receptor's ability to interact cooperatively on these elements. The thyroid hormone-retinoic acid receptor heterodimer exhibits novel transcriptional properties in that coexpression of both receptors at low levels in Green monkey kidney (CV1) cells results in a positive transcriptional effect on promoters containing a palindromic thyroid hormone response element, but has a surprisingly negative effect on a thyroid hormone response element derived from the alpha myosin heavy chain gene. These results suggest that by forming heterodimers, more elab-orate control of transcription can be achieved by creating receptor combinations with differing activities.

Amino Acid Sequence

Retinoic acid and thyroid hormone induce gene expression through a common responsive element.

Studies of steroid receptors have led to the identification of a superfamily of ligand-inducible regulatory proteins that includes receptors for thyroid hormones and retinoic acid. This family of receptors regulates gene expression through binding to short cis-acting sequences referred to as hormone-response elements. Identification of a functional retinoic acid responsive element is crucial to our understanding of the mechanisms by which retinoic acid receptors activate gene expression and regulate cell differentiation. One impediment to such a study is the absence of any identified gene whose transcription is directly dependent on the receptor-hormone complex. Because the DNA-binding domains of the retinoic acid and thyroid hormone receptors are highly related (62% identical in their amino acid sequences), we have investigated the possibility that the retinoic acid receptor could activate gene expression through a thyroid hormone response element. We now report that a human retinoic acid receptor expressed from cloned complementary DNA or the endogenous retinoic acid receptor present in F9 teratocarcinoma cells can activate gene expression from promoters fused to a natural or synthetic thyroid hormone response element. The product translated in vitro from the human retinoic acid receptor cDNA can bind to a thyroid hormone response element with high affinity. The unexpected implication of these findings is that retinoic acid and thyroid hormones, acting through their respective receptors, could control overlapping gene networks involved in the regulation of vertebrate morphogenesis and homeostasis.

Binding Sites

The thyroid hormone receptor binds with opposite transcriptional effects to a common sequence motif in thyroid hormone and estrogen response elements.

We report that the thyroid hormone (T3) receptor binds to DNA recognition sequences that are variations of the palindromic motif 5'-TCAGGTCA.TGACCTGA-3', resulting in transcriptional activation in vivo. This sequence is identical to the vitellogenin A2 estrogen response element except for the absence of 3 bp at the center of dyad symmetry, which we have termed a "gap." The T3 receptor binds to estrogen response elements with high affinity in vitro, as well as to variations of the same sequence containing gaps of 1-6 bp. The T3 receptor not only fails to activate transcription from estrogen response elements in vivo, but inhibits estrogen-dependent transactivation. We propose that the T3 receptor binds to estrogen response elements in a transcriptionally inactive form and competes for estrogen receptor binding, resulting in a net decrease in gene expression. These data reveal that only a subset of T3 receptor DNA-binding elements function as T3 response elements.

Animals

Identification of rat growth hormone genomic sequences targeting pituitary expression in transgenic mice.

Constructs containing different segments of the 5' flanking region of the rat growth hormone gene fused to the human growth hormone coding sequences were introduced into fertilized mouse oocytes. As few as 181 base pairs of the rat growth hormone promoter targeted reporter gene expression to the pituitary gland of the resulting transgenic mice. A construct containing only 45 base pairs of the promoter failed to target expression of the reporter to the pituitary, indicating that the pituitary expression is directed by information contained in the segment spanning positions -181 to -45. In the pituitary, immunohistochemistry showed transgene expression mainly in the growth hormone-producing cells (somatotrophs), in a subset of cells producing thyrotropin, and occasionally in prolactin-producing cells. These data establish that cis-active elements contained within the first 180 base pairs of the promoter are sufficient for transcriptional activation of the growth hormone gene in somatotrophs and suggest a functional relationship among growth hormone, prolactin, and thyrotropin gene activation.

Animals

Synthetic high density lipoprotein particles. Application to studies of the apoprotein specificity for selective uptake of cholesterol esters.

Particles closely resembling rat high density lipoproteins (HDL) in terms of equilibrium density profile and particle size were prepared by sonication of apoA-I with a microemulsion made with egg lecithin and cholesterol oleate. These particles, like authentic HDL, allowed selective uptake of their cholesterol ester moieties by cultured cells without parallel uptake of the particle itself. That uptake was saturable and competed by HDL. In rats, the plasma decay kinetics and sites of uptake of a cholesteryl ether tracer were similar whether that tracer was incorporated into synthetic or authentic HDL. Synthetic particles containing other apoproteins were made by generally the same method, but using in place of apoA-I either a mixture of rat apoCs or apoE that was either competent or reductively methylated to prevent interaction with the B/E receptor. These particles, of lower density and larger Stokes radius than those made with apoA-I, also allowed selective uptake of cholesterol esters, albeit with a lower degree of selectivity than in the case of apoA-I. Thus a specific apoprotein component in the subject lipoprotein particle is not required for selective uptake. However, selective uptake was shown to be a function of particle density or size, and part of the difference in rates of selective uptake from the particles made with various apoproteins was explained by their differences in density or size.

Animals

A c-erb-A binding site in rat growth hormone gene mediates trans-activation by thyroid hormone.

The substance 3,5,3-triiodothyronine (T3) stimulates growth hormone gene transcription in rat pituitary tumour cells. This stimulation is thought to be mediated by the binding of nuclear T3 receptors to regulatory elements 5' to the transcriptional start site. Understanding of the mechanism by which thyroid hormone activates gene transcription has been limited by failure to purify nuclear T3 receptors because of their low abundance, and by the absence of defined T3 receptor-DNA binding sites affecting T3 regulation. Recently, human and avian c-erb-A gene products have been shown to bind thyroid hormone with high affinity and to have a molecular weight and nuclear association characteristic of the thyroid hormone receptor. In the present report, we describe the development of an avidin-biotin complex DNA-binding assay which can detect specific, high-affinity binding of rat pituitary cell T3 receptors to the sequence 5'CAGGGACGTGACCGCA3', located 164 base pairs 5' to the transcriptional start site of the rat growth hormone gene. An oligonucleotide containing this sequence transferred T3 regulation to the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter in transfected rat pituitary GC2 cells, and specifically bound an in vitro translation product of the human placental c-erb-A gene. The data provide supporting evidence that the human c-erb-A gene product mediates the transcriptional effects of T3 and also that GC2 cell nuclear extracts contain additional factors that modify the binding of pituitary T3 receptors to the rat growth hormone gene T3 response element.

Animals