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Biomedical subjects

E H Allan

Publications and source records attributed to E H Allan.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

Leukaemia inhibitory factor and bone cell function.

A bone-resorbing product of mouse spleen cells found to have differentiation-inducing activity was most probably leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF). This revealed that LIF is a cytokine active on bone, in addition to its several other sites of action. In organ culture of newborn mouse bone, recombinant LIF promoted bone resorption by a prostaglandin-dependent process. Resorption by isolated rat osteoclasts was also promoted by LIF through an initial action on osteoblasts which was receptor-mediated. Incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA was increased by LIF in cells (most probably osteoblasts) of the newborn mouse bones. Osteoblasts have been shown to produce LIF, and the amount is increased by treatment with retinoic acid or TNF-alpha. LIF also acts directly on osteoblasts to inhibit plasminogen activator activity, by stimulating the synthesis of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 mRNA and protein. The latter actions are very similar to those of TGF-beta. Again like TGF-beta, LIF was ineffective in promoting bone resorption in vitro in fetal rat long bones. These results, together with the in vivo data showing that high circulating levels of LIF in the mouse are accompanied by a substantial increase in trabecular bone mass, indicate that LIF is another cytokine with potent actions on bone and potentially important interactions with other osteotrophic factors.

Animals

Plasminogen activator regulation in osteoblasts: parathyroid hormone inhibition of type-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor and its mRNA.

In order to determine the mechanism by which parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates plasminogen activator (PA) activity in rat osteoblasts, we investigated the effect of human PTH(1-34) [hPTH(1-34)] on the synthesis of mRNAs for tissue-type PA (tPA), urokinase-type PA (uPA), and PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and on release of PA activity and PAI-1 protein in both normal rat calvarial osteoblasts and UMR 106-01 osteogenic sarcoma cells. hPTH(1-34) (0.25-25 nM) decreased PAI-1 mRNA and protein, and increased PA activity in both cell types in a dose-dependent manner with ED50 of about 1 nM for both responses. Forskolin and isobutylmethylxanthine also stimulated PA activity and decreased PAI-1 protein and mRNA in both cell types. hPTH(1-34) did not show any consistent effect on tPA and uPA mRNA in calvarial osteoblasts, but a modest (two-fold) increase of both mRNAs was observed in UMR 106-01 cells treated with 25 nM hPTH(1-34). However, when protein synthesis was inhibited with 100 microM cycloheximide, the increase of tPA and uPA mRNA by hPTH(1-34) was enhanced in UMR 106-01 cells and became evident in calvarial osteoblasts. Fibrin autography also revealed that hPTH(1-34) increases tPA and uPA activity, especially after cycloheximide treatment in UMR 106-01 cells. These results strongly suggest that PTH increases PA activity predominantly by decreasing PAI-1 protein production through a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent mechanism in rat osteoblasts. The reduction of PAI-1 protein by PTH results in enhanced action of both tPA and uPA, and would contribute to the specific roles of these PAs in bone.

Animals

Glucocorticoid regulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 messenger ribonucleic acid and protein in normal and malignant rat osteoblasts.

Glucocorticoids exert potent inhibitory effects on bone formation. We have previously shown that glucocorticoids suppress plasminogen activator (PA) activity in normal and malignant rat osteoblasts. To clarify the mechanism of this suppression, we investigated the effects of dexamethasone on PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), tissue-type PA (tPA), and urokinase-type PA (uPA) expression and also on PAI-1 protein and PA activity in both normal rat calvarial osteoblasts and a clonal osteogenic sarcoma cell line, UMR 106-01. Dexamethasone increased PAI-1 mRNA and protein in both cell types. The increase in PAI-1 protein and the decrease in PA activity were obtained over the same concentration range, with a half-maximally effective concentration of dexamethasone of about 10(-9) M. The increase in PAI-1 mRNA caused by dexamethasone was retained with cycloheximide treatment, but abolished with actinomycin-D. Dexamethasone had no effect on tPA or uPA mRNA in either cell type. The glucocorticoid antagonist RU 486 prevented the effects of dexamethasone on PA activity and PAI-1 protein. Dihydrotestosterone, progesterone, and 17 beta-estradiol did not influence PA activity or PAI-1 formation. Although tPA and uPA protein could not be measured, these results suggest that glucocorticoids suppress PA activity predominantly by increasing PAI-1 synthesis in rat osteoblasts. Suppression of PA activity through actions on PAI-1 formation by glucocorticoids could contribute to the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids inhibit bone formation.

Animals

Specific down-regulation of parathyroid hormone (PTH) receptors and responses to PTH by tumour necrosis factor alpha and retinoic acid in UMR 106-06 osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cells.

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein (PTHrP) act via PTH receptors in bone to stimulate bone resorption. Bone resorption is also stimulated by certain cytokines, which are produced in bone and bone marrow. The effects of such cytokines on the PTH-receptor system were studied in the osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cell line UMR 106-06. 125I-labelled PTHrP-(1-84)-peptide bound specifically to the cells, and PTHrP-(1-34) and -(1-84) competed with equimolar affinity for binding to UMR 106-06 cells. The specific binding of 125I-PTHrP-(1-84) could be completely blocked by PTH. Therefore 125I-PTHrP-(1-84) bound to a classical receptor in UMR 106-06 cells. Preincubation for 3 days with either tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) or retinoic acid (RA) both decreased the specific binding of 125I-PTHrP-(1-84) to about 40% of control levels. These effects were specific for PTH binding, since there was little effect on 125I-salmon-calcitonin binding. Both TNF alpha and RA required 24 h exposure to cells to produce a measurable effect. The decrease in 125I-PTHrP-(1-84) binding was due to a reduced number of binding sites, with little apparent change in affinity. Half-maximal effects were seen with 1 ng of TNF alpha/ml, whereas 1 microM-RA was needed to observe the loss of PTH receptors. Combinations of RA and TNF alpha produced a greater effect than that of either agonist alone. The loss of PTH receptors was accompanied by a specific loss of PTH-stimulated cyclic AMP production. Preincubation with TNF alpha increased the basal plasminogen activator (PA) activity in the cells and decreased the amplitude of the response of PA activity to PTH compared with control cells. Furthermore TNF alpha decreased sensitivity to PTH (50% stimulation of PA activity with 0.1 nM-PTH in control cells versus 50% stimulation with 0.3 nM-PTH in TNF alpha-treated cells). In contrast, TNF alpha pretreatment increased the amplitude of the response of PA activity to calcitonin, whereas sensitivity to calcitonin was not altered. These data are consistent with a specific down-regulation of PTH receptors in osteoblast-like UMR 106-06 cells after exposure to TNF alpha or RA. The loss of PTH receptors is accompanied by a decreased responsiveness to PTH, as measured with the PA system in these cells. A loss of PTH receptors could modulate PTH responses in osteoblasts, either in the local control of bone formation and resorption, or in pathological conditions such as humoral hypercalcaemia of malignancy.

Binding, Competitive

Transforming growth factor beta inhibits plasminogen activator (PA) activity and stimulates production of urokinase-type PA, PA inhibitor-1 mRNA, and protein in rat osteoblast-like cells.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) treatment of rat osteoblast-rich calvarial cells or of the clonal osteogenic sarcoma cells, UMR 106-01, resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of plasminogen activator (PA) activity, and increased production of 3.2 kb mRNA and protein for PA inhibitor -1 (PAI-1). Although tissue-type PA (tPA) protein was not measured, TGF beta did not influence production of mRNA for tPA. Production of 2.3 kb mRNA for urokinase-type PA (uPA) was also increased by TGF beta in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of TGF beta on synthesis of mRNA for PAI-1 and uPA were maintained when protein synthesis was inhibited, and were abolished by inhibition of RNA synthesis. Although uPA had not been detected previously as a product of rat osteoblasts, treatment of lysates of osteoblast-like cells with plasmin yielded a band of PA activity on reverse fibrin autography, corresponding to a low Mr form of uPA. Untreated conditioned media from normal osteoblasts or UMR 106-01 cells contained no significant TGF beta activity, but activity could be detected in acidified medium. Treatment of conditioned media with plasmin resulted in activation of approximately 50% of the TGF beta detectable in acidified media. The results identify several effects of TGF beta on the PA-PA inhibitor system in osteoblasts. Net regulation of tPA activity through the stimulatory actions of several calciotropic hormones and the promotion of PAI-1 formation by TGF beta could determine the amount of osteoblast-derived TGF beta activated locally in bone. Stimulation of osteoblast production of mRNA for uPA could reflect effects on the synthesis of sc-uPA, a precursor for the active form of the enzyme.

Animals

Identification of plasminogen activator in osteoclasts.

Plasminogen activator (PA) was located in newborn rat osteoclasts using a single-cell assay. Immunohistochemistry using biotin-streptavidin-peroxidase indicated the presence of both tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) and urokinase (uPA) within the cytoplasm of osteoclasts isolated from newborn rat long bones. Electron microscopic immunohistochemistry using the biotin-streptavidin-colloidal gold system on L.R. Gold thin resin sections of undecalcified, newborn rat tibial metaphyseal trabecular bone identified these proteases in the lysosomal network of osteoclasts. uPA was also localized in marrow macrophage lysosomes, but tPA was not detected in these cells. The localization of these enzymes within osteoclasts may imply their involvement in bone resorption.

Animals

Osteoblasts display receptors for and responses to leukemia-inhibitory factor.

Specific binding of leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) to osteoblasts, but not multinucleated osteoclasts, was demonstrated by receptor autoradiography by using cells isolated from newborn rat long bones. The clonal rat osteogenic sarcoma cells, UMR 106-06, which have several phenotypic properties of osteoblasts, expressed 300 LIF receptors per cell, with an apparent KD of 60 pM. Treatment of calvarial osteoblasts or UMR 106-01 cells with LIF resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of plasminogen activator (PA) activity. Both calvarial osteoblasts and osteogenic sarcoma cells were shown by Western blotting and reverse fibrin autography to produce plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), the production of which was increased by LIF treatment. Northern blot analysis revealed that LIF treatment resulted in a rapid (peak 1 hour), dose-dependent increase in mRNA for PAI-1. LIF treatment of the preosteoblast cell line, UMR 201, enhanced the alkaline phosphatase response of these cells to retinoic acid. Each of the osteoblast-like cell types (calvarial osteoblasts, UMR 106-06, and UMR 201) was shown to produce LIF by bioassay and, by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), was shown to express low levels of mRNA for LIF. These data establish that cells of the osteoblast lineage are targets for LIF action. The reported anabolic effects of this cytokine on bone formation in vivo could be related to inhibition of protease activity. LIF may be an important paracrine modulator in bone, or perhaps an autocrine one, based on the evidence for its production by osteoblasts and osteoblast-like cells.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide on cyclic AMP formation in chicken, rat, and mouse bone cells.

Mixed bone cell cultures obtained by sequential collagenase-trypsin digestion of newborn chick, rat, and mouse calvaria responded to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) with a dose-dependent increase in cyclic AMP formation. The amplitude of response to CGRP in each species was less than that to parathyroid hormone (PTH). The CGRP effect was not the result of an action as a weak calcitonin agonist, since in most instances a calcitonin effect was not observed. Only in early digests of mouse calvarial cells were consistent stimulatory effects of calcitonin on cyclic AMP noted, and these were always considerably less in amplitude than those to CGRP. It is concluded that chick, rat, and mouse bones contain cells in osteoblast-rich populations that respond specifically to CGRP with a rise in cyclic AMP.

Animals

Parathyroid hormone-related protein: isolation, molecular cloning, and mechanism of action.

Many factors, such as interleukin 1, TGF alpha, tumor necrosis factor alpha and beta, and PGs, have been implicated in etiological roles in HHM (Martin and Mundy, 1987). Much interest in the past has also centered upon the likelihood of ectopic secretion of PTH in this condition. We have purified a protein (PTHrP) implicated in HHM from a human lung cancer cell line (BEN). Full-length cDNA clones have been isolated and were found to encode a prepropeptide of 36 amino acids and a mature protein of 141 amino acids. Eight of the first 13 amino acids were identical with human PTH, although antisera directed to the NH2 terminus of PTHrP do not recognize PTH; this homology is not maintained in the remainder of the molecule. PTHrP therefore represents a previously unrecognized hormone, possibly related to the PTH gene by a gene duplication mechanism. In support of this notion, the PTHrP gene has been localized to the short arm of chromosome 12; it is believed that chromosome 11, containing the PTH gene, and chromosome 12 are evolutionarily related. In addition, the human PTHrP gene has been isolated, characterized, and shown to have a similar intron--exon organization as the PTH gene. It is possible that the original ancestral gene is indeed the PTHrP gene; resolution of this question awaits studies in lower species. Peptides synthesized to the predicted protein sequence have enabled detailed structure-function studies that have identified NH 2-terminal sequences to be responsible for the biological effects of the molecule. Antibodies raised against the various synthetic peptides have led to the immunohistochemical localization of PTHrP in many human squamous cell carcinomas as well as in a subpopulation of keratinocytes of normal skin. The availability of these antibodies has opened the way for the development of a radioimmunoassay to detect PTHrP in the sera of cancer patients at risk of developing hypercalcemia. The recent characterization of PTHrP-like activity in the ovine fetus suggests some physiological function for PTHrP. It is possible that PTHrP, as the fetal counterpart of PTH, has the role of maintaining the maternal-fetal calcium gradient. The isolation and characterization of PTHrP have added to our understanding of the mechanisms of hypercalcemia and may contribute to the understanding of other metabolic bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and Paget's disease. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, PTHrP may play a hitherto unrecognized role in normal cell physiology.

Amino Acid Sequence

Atrial natriuretic factor receptors and stimulation of cyclic GMP formation in normal and malignant osteoblasts.

Synthetic rat atrial natriuretic factor (Ile-ANF-26) stimulated cyclic GMP formation by up to several hundred-fold in osteoblast-rich cultures from newborn rat calvaria and in clonal osteogenic sarcoma cells (UMR 106-01) which are phenotypically osteoblast. ANF had no effect on the cyclic AMP response to parathyroid hormone in the same cells. Specific, high-affinity binding sites for ANF were identified in both cell types, with Kd and receptor numbers in normal osteoblasts of 1.2 +/- 0.1 X 10(-10) M and 42 +/- 4 X 10(3) per cell, and in UMR 106-01 cells of 1.4 +/- 0.1 X 10(-10) M and 22 +/- 4 X 10(3) per cell.

Animals

Cyclic AMP-dependent and -independent effects on tissue-type plasminogen activator activity in osteogenic sarcoma cells; evidence from phosphodiesterase inhibition and parathyroid hormone antagonists.

The plasminogen activator (PA) in clonal osteogenic sarcoma cells of rat origin (UMR 106-01 and UMR 106-06) and in osteoblast-rich rat calvarial cells has been characterized using specific antibodies to be tissue-type PA (tPA). An Mr value of 75,000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fibrin autoradiography supports this characterization. There was also evidence for an Mr 105,000 component, which could be due to a proteinase-inhibitor complex. The mechanism of regulation of this tPA activity has been studied in the clonal osteogenic sarcoma cells. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and prostaglandin E2, which increase cyclic AMP production in the sarcoma cells, also increased tPA activity. The sensitivity and magnitude of the tPA response to PTH and prostaglandin E2 were increased by simultaneous treatment with isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX) at drug concentrations which had little effect themselves on tPA activity. In UMR 106-06 cells, which unlike UMR 106-01 cells show a cyclic AMP response to calcitonin, tPA activity was also increased in response to calcitonin, and the effect was enhanced by IBMX. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D-3 also increased tPA activity in the cells, but this response was not modified by IBMX. Synthetic peptide antagonists of PTH-responsive adenylate cyclase, [34Tyr]-hPTH (3-34) amide and [34Tyr]-hPTH (5-34) amide, inhibited the PTH-induced increase in tPA activity over the same concentration range at which they inhibited cyclic AMP production, but the antagonist peptides had no effect on the tPA responses to prostaglandin E2, calcitonin or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3. These data indicate that cyclic AMP mediates the actions of PTH, prostaglandin E2 and calcitonin in increasing tPA activity in the clonal osteogenic sarcoma cells. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D-3, on the other hand, increases tPA activity through a mechanism independent of cyclic AMP.

Animals

The stimulation of glycogenolysis in isolated hepatocytes by opioid peptides.

Addition of the opioid peptides, [Leu]enkephalin and [Met]enkephalin, to isolated hepatocytes was shown to produce a stimulation of glycogenolysis comparable with that observed in the presence of maximal concentrations of glucagon, adrenaline or angiotensin. This stimulation was demonstrated to be the result of an activation of phosphorylase by a rapid Ca2+-dependent mechanism and was not decreased by the presence or either alpha- or beta-adrenergic antagonists, although it was dependent on the presence of the N-terminal tyrosine residue in the enkephalin molecule. It is suggested that this may be further evidence for specific opioid receptors in the liver. Addition of [Leu]enkephalin also inhibited lactate formation, indicating that the opioid peptides exert a concerted effect on hepatic carbohydrate metabolism to enhance glucose output. The transient nature of the effect of the enkephalins was shown to be the result of a rapid breakdown of the peptides in the incubation as a result of aminopeptidase activity, the initial product being the inactive des-tyrosine derivative.

Angiotensin II

The stimulation of hepatic oxidative phosphorylation following dexamethasone treatment of rats.

The effect of short-term treatment of rats with the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation has been examined. Treatment of rats for 3 h increased the oxidative capacity of the subsequently isolated mitochondria such that they displayed increased uncoupled and State 3 rates of respiration with NAD-linked substrates, succinate or durohydroquinone. The oxidation of ascorbate plus N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine was unaffected. No change was apparent in the activity of a variety of dehydrogenase enzymes nor was there any increase in the mitochondrial content of cytochromes a, b, c1 or c. The uncoupler-dependent ATPase activity of the mitochondria was slightly enhanced following hormone treatment, but not the basal or the total ATPase activity measured in the presence of Triton X-100 plus Mg2+. The mitochondria prepared from dexamethasone-treated rats also displayed increased intramitochondrial concentrations of Mg2+, K+ and exchangeable adenine nucleotides but not Ca2+. It is suggested that the effect of glucocorticoids on mitochondrial respiration may be both the result of a direct activation of the respiratory chain within Complex III and an elevated intramitochondrial adenine nucleotide concentration. The evidence for the de novo synthesis of mitochondrial proteins which mediate the response remains inconclusive.

Animals

Regulation of mitochondrial pyruvate carboxylation in isolated hepatocytes by acute insulin treatment.

The effect of acute insulin treatment of hepatocytes on pyruvate carboxylation in both isolated mitochondria and cells rendered permeable by filipin was examined. Challenging the cells with insulin alone had no effect on either the basal rate of pyruvate carboxylation or gluconeogenesis, although it did suppress the responses to both glucagon and catecholamines. Insulin treatment was unable to antagonize the enhanced rate of pyruvate carboxylation caused by stimulation of the cells with either angiotensin or vasopressin. Neither insulin nor the gluconeogenic hormones altered the total extractable pyruvate carboxylase activity in the isolated mitochondria, suggesting that the effect of hormones at the level of the isolated intact organelle was mediated via alterations in the intramitochondrial concentrations of effector molecules, notably ATP and the [ATP]/[ADP] ratio and substrate availability. The alterations in pyruvate carboxylation correlate well with glucose synthesis in terms of sensitivity to effector molecules, putative second messengers and time of onset of the response, indicating that alterations in the flux through this enzyme are compatible with it being an important site in the control of gluconeogenesis from C3 precursors.

Acetyl Coenzyme A

Hormonal stimulation of mitochondrial pyruvate carboxylation in filipin-treated hepatocytes.

A method is described for measuring rates of mitochondrial pyruvate carboxylation in hepatocytes treated with the polyene antibiotic, filipin, to render the plasma membrane permeable to substrates. With this approach it was possible to demonstrate that treatment of cells with glucagon or catecholamines results in a stimulation of mitochondrial CO2 fixation measured in situ comparable with that observed in the isolated mitochondria, in terms of time of onset of the response, hormone selectivity and sensitivity. In addition, angiotensin II and vasopressin were shown to enhance the activity of pyruvate carboxylase in both the intact mitochondria and filipin-treated cells, thus strengthening the postulate that this site is a major locus of hormone action in the control of gluconeogenesis. Addition of 3-mercaptopicolinic acid, to inhibit gluconeogenesis at the level of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, had no significant effect on the stimulation of pyruvate carboxylation by adrenaline, suggesting that the effect of the hormone at this site is independent of changes in activity of other enzymes further on in the pathway. The data presented preclude the possibility that acute effects of hormones on mitochondrial metabolism are solely artifacts of the preparation procedure.

Aminooxyacetic Acid

Energy-dependent activation and magnesium--dependent inactivation of hepatocyte hormone-sensitive phosphodiesterase.

Incubation of solubilized hormone-activated phosphodiesterase from isolated hepatocytes, under conditions likely to favour a dephosphorylation reaction, did not cause a loss of the hormone activation. If, however, the enzyme was incubated with Mg2+ (10 mM) while still associated with its membrane, and subsequently solubilized, the activity of the hormone-stimulated enzyme declined to the level seen in control cells. Diminution of hepatocyte ATP levels to about 20% of control values, by incubation with fructose, blunted the effect of glucagon and abolished the effect of insulin on phosphodiesterase. More severe ATP depletion caused by dinitrophenol abolished the stimulation of the enzyme by both hormones. These effects were not considered likely to be due to altered hormone-binding and are consistent with the involvement of an energy-dependent step in the hormonal activation of phosphodiesterase.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases