The cholinergic basal forebrain: a critical role in cortical arousal.
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Acetylcholine↗
Biomedical subjects
K Semba
Publications and source records attributed to K Semba.
Role of src-like protooncogenes in lymphocyte proliferation.
Cross-linking of membrane-bound immunoglobulins, which are B cell antigen receptors, causes proliferation and differentiation of B cells or the inhibition of their growth. The receptor-mediated signalling involves tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins. The Src-like protein-tyrosine kinase Lyn is expressed preferentially in B cells and is an intracytoplasmic constituent of the B cell antigen receptor complex. Cross-linking of membrane-bound immunoglobulin M with antibody induced rapid increases in the kinase activities of Lyn and Lyn-associated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase. Cross-linking of B-cell antigen receptor also induced association of Lyn with an 85 kDa non-catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase. Thus, Lyn is functionally associated with membrane-bound immunoglobulin M, and seems to participate in B cell antigen receptor-mediated signalling. On the other hand, accumulating evidence shows that Fyn and Lck are involved in T-cell activation. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that Fyn was physically associated with T cell antigen receptor-CD3 complex. Transient expression of actively mutated Fyn, having Phe-528 instead of Tyr-528, in Jurkat T cells stimulated the fos promoter and serum response element (SRE), suggesting that the Fyn kinase stimulates c-fos expression through SRE. An analogous set of experiments showed that introduction of the active Fyn alone had little effect on IL-2 promoter. However, it could stimulate transcription from this promoter when transfected cells were stimulated by a combination of Concanavalin A (ConA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Under the same conditions, normal Lck and Lyn could not stimulate IL-2 promoter.
1-Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase↗
Characterization of the promoter region of the c-yes proto-oncogene: the importance of the GC boxes on its promoter activity.
In this study we cloned the 5' flanking sequence of the human c-yes gene and identified its promoter region. A 0.53 kilobase pair (kbp) fragment containing the 5' terminus of the c-yes gene showed strong promoter activity when placed upstream of the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene and transfected into monkey CV-1 cells. By nuclease S1 mapping multiple transcriptional start sites were detected within the promoter region. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the c-yes promoter region had high G + C contents (64%) and contained six GC box-like sequences (one at the 5' distal region and five in a cluster at the 5' proximal region), but not a TATA box. These features of the c-yes promoter region are similar to those of other protooncogenes, ras-family genes and c-raf-1, and some house-keeping genes. Deletion analysis suggested that the most downstream 0.21 kbp region is primarily important for the promoter activity. This 0.21 kbp region contains one major and another minor transcriptional start site. Five GC box-like sequences were located within this region, and four of them were shown to bind with purified Sp1 transcription factor. Furthermore, using the base-substituted mutants of the Sp1-binding sites, each GC box in the cluster (GC1 to GC4) was shown to affect the c-yes gene expression.
Animals↗
Oncogenic potential and normal function of the proto-oncogenes encoding protein-tyrosine kinases.
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Amino Acid Sequence↗
Loss of striatal somatostatin neurons following prenatal methylazoxymethanol.
Prenatal administration of methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM), which kills neuroblasts undergoing mitosis, was used to lesion striatal somatostatin neurons. Previous [3H]thymidine autoradiographic studies had indicated that striatal somatostatin neurons undergo their final mitotic division at Gestational Days (G) 15 and 16. Therefore, pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received an intraperitoneal injection of MAM (25 mg/kg) on G15. Neurochemical and histological examination of the mature offspring indicated the loss of half the striatal aspiny interneurons in which somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, and NADPH diaphorase coexist, with relative sparing of the cholinergic interneurons and medium spiny projection cells. This prenatal MAM treatment was without apparent effect on the patch-matrix organization of the striatum.
Animals↗
Single cholinergic mesopontine tegmental neurons project to both the pontine reticular formation and the thalamus in the rat.
Microinjections of the cholinergic agonist carbachol into a caudal part of the pontine reticular formation of the rat induce a rapid eye movement sleep-like state. This carbachol-sensitive region of the pontine reticular formation is innervated by cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine and laterodorsol tegmental nuclei. The same population of cholinergic neurons also project heavily to the thalamus, where there is good evidence that acetylcholine facilitates sensory transmission and blocks rhythmic thalamocortical activity. The present study was undertaken to examine the degree to which single cholinergic neurons in the mesopontine tegmentum project to both the carbachol-sensitive region of the pontine reticular formation and the thalamus, by combining double fluorescent retrograde tracing and immunofluorescence with a monoclonal antibody to choline acetyltransferase in the rat. The results indicated that a subpopulation (5-21% ipsilaterally) of cholinergic neurons in the mesopontine tegmentum projects to both the thalamus and the carbachol-sensitive site of the pontine reticular formation, and these neurons represented the majority (45-88%) of cholinergic neurons projecting to the pontine reticular formation site. The percentage of cholinergic neurons with dual projections was higher in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (6-27%) than in the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (4-11%). In addition, mixed with cholinergic neurons in the mesopontine tegmentum, there was a small population of dually projecting neurons that did not appear to be cholinergic. Mesopontine cholinergic neurons with dual projections may simultaneously modulate neuronal activity in the pontine reticular formation and the thalamus, and thereby have the potential of concurrently regulating different aspects of rapid eye movement sleep.
Animals↗
Transformation of chicken embryo fibroblast cells by avian retroviruses containing the human Fyn gene and its mutated genes.
The transforming activity of the human fyn protein, p59fyn, which is a kinase of the src family, was investigated by testing the effect of recombinant avian retrovirus (Fyn virus) expressing p59fyn on chickens or cultured chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells. The Fyn virus did not induce transformed foci. After several passages of the virus stock on CEF cells, however, a few foci were detected in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide. Chickens inoculated with Fyn virus at the stage of 12-day-old embryos developed fibrosarcomas 3 to 6 weeks after hatching. The viruses obtained from these foci and from one of the tumor tissues showed high transforming activity in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide, suggesting that these viruses carry spontaneous mutations of the fyn gene. Four fyn genes from CEF DNAs infected with transforming viruses were molecularly cloned, and their products were confirmed to possess transforming activity. DNA sequence analysis of the fyn genes showed that two of the four mutants have Thr instead of Ile at position 338 in the kinase domain. The other two mutants carry deletions of 78 and 108 base pairs, respectively, which result in complete loss of region C of SH2. The overall level of proteins containing phosphotyrosine was significantly higher in transformed cells than in normal CEF cells. Our data indicate that when expressed at high levels in a retrovirus, normal p59fyn cannot cause cellular transformation, but that mutant p59fyn with either a single amino acid substitution in the kinase domain or a deletion including region C produces a transforming protein, perhaps due to enhanced tyrosine kinase activity. This is the first observation that deletion of region C can unmask the potential transforming activity of a src family kinase.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Allotment of protein-tyrosine kinases belonging to the src-family.
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Animals↗
Basal forebrain and mesopontine tegmental projections to the reticular thalamic nucleus: an axonal collateralization and immunohistochemical study in the rat.
Using a double fluorescence retrograde labeling procedure, the present study sought to determine the degree to which basal forebrain and mesopontine tegmental neurons have axons that innervate both the reticular thalamic nucleus and the cerebral cortex. Immunofluorescence for choline acetyltransferase, somatostatin, and the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin was also performed to elucidate the neurochemical identity of basal forebrain and mesopontine tegmental inputs to the reticular thalamic nucleus. A significant portion (10-15%) of neurons in the basal forebrain and mesopontine tegmentum that were retrogradely labeled from the reticular thalamic nucleus were also found to be retrogradely labeled from the cortex. Many of these neurons stained positively for choline acetyltransferase. Of the basal forebrain neurons retrogradely labeled from the reticular thalamic nucleus, approximately 20% were found to be immunoreactive to choline acetyltransferase, whereas none was stained for somatostatin. A larger portion (up to 50%) of the basal forebrain neurons that were retrogradely labeled from the reticular thalamic nucleus were parvalbumin-immunoreactive, and some of these were also retrogradely labeled from the cortex. These results suggest that a subpopulation of cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain and the mesopontine tegmentum may influence simultaneously the activity of neurons in the reticular thalamic nucleus and the cerebral cortex.
Animals↗
Dopaminergic neurons in the nucleus raphe dorsalis innervate the prefrontal cortex in the rat: a combined retrograde tracing and immunohistochemical study using anti-dopamine serum.
The existence of a dopaminergic projection from the nucleus raphe dorsalis (RD) to the prefrontal cortex of the rat was demonstrated by combining immunohistochemistry with retrograde tracing. Injection of horseradish peroxidase or Fluoro-gold into the medial prefrontal cortex resulted in the appearance of retrogradely labelled neurons in the RD and in other brain regions. Some of these retrogradely labelled RD neurons were shown to be immunoreactive for dopamine. These data support the view that these dopaminergic RD neurons represent an extension of the A10 cell group.
Animals↗
A heavy metal marker of the developing striatal mosaic.
The pattern of distribution of heavy metals in the developing rat striatum was examined using the sulphide silver histochemical method of Timm. The staining was very weak on postnatal day 3 but by day 6 was found in distinct patches. The staining had assumed a fairly homogeneous distribution by day 11 similar to that seen in the adult. This appeared to be due to an increased staining in the matrix, rather than a reduction in the patches, some of which could still be discerned even in the adult. The Timm-stained patches present on day 6 corresponded to the tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive patches which have been previously described in the developing striatum. Since zinc appears to be the principal metal detected by the Timm method in brain, the Timm staining pattern seen in the present study may be related to a zinc-growth factor complex in the developing striatum.
Aging↗
Reassessing the cholinergic basal forebrain: nomenclature schemata and concepts.
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Animals↗
Brainstem projecting neurons in the rat basal forebrain: neurochemical, topographical, and physiological distinctions from cortically projecting cholinergic neurons.
Magnocellular regions of the basal forebrain contain cholinergic neurons that project to the cerebral cortex. Neurons in the same basal forebrain regions innervate the brainstem. The present study investigated whether these brainstem projecting neurons are cholinergic, project also to the cortex, and share similar physiological properties as cortically projecting neurons. Data with retrograde tracing from various regions of the pons, medulla, and cortex combined with choline acetyltransferase immunofluorescence indicated that: 1) brainstem projecting neurons are usually segregated from cortically projecting and/or cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain, 2) virtually no brainstem projecting neurons in the basal forebrain are cholinergic, and 3) only rarely do basal forebrain neurons have axon collaterals that project to both cortex and brainstem. Extracellular recordings from basal forebrain neurons confirmed the paucity of axonal collateralization and the topographic segregation between cortically and brainstem projecting basal forebrain neurons, and, in addition, showed that brainstem projecting neurons have a slower mean conduction velocity than cortically projecting neurons. These observations suggest that basal forebrain neurons projecting to the brainstem (pons, medulla) and the cortex represent separate cell populations in terms of projections, neurotransmitter content, distribution, and physiological properties.
Action Potentials↗
Organization of central cholinergic systems.
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Acetylcholine↗
Overexpression of src family gene for tyrosine-kinase p59fyn in CD4-CD8- T cells of mice with a lymphoproliferative disorder.
Overexpression of a src family gene, lck, has been associated with differentiation of the murine thymic lymphoma line LSTRA. Recent findings by several groups strongly suggest a functional role for the gene product p56lck protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK) in the activation of normal T cells. A single recessive gene, lpr or gld, induces a lymphoproliferative disorder concomitant with autoimmune disease in mice. In this study, a 10-fold elevated activity of PTK encoded by fyn, another src family gene, was demonstrated in CD4-CD8- T cells in mutant mice. The increased PTK activity was consistent with overexpression of fyn mRNA. The elevated fyn mRNA expression appeared to be a characteristic of CD4-CD8- T cells, since it was not observed in normal T cells at any stage of differentiation. The fact that fyn mRNA expression was markedly induced in normal T cells by mitogenic stimulation with anti-T3 epsilon antiserum supports the possibility that p59fyn PTK is a signal-generating molecule in T cells. Thus, our findings provide insight into the physiological role for a src gene family kinase in T-cell development and contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of disease-inducing recessive genes.
Animals↗
Characterization and functional allotment of proto-oncogenes belonging to the src family.
Eight proto-oncogenes encode cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases whose primary structures are closely related to that of p60proto-src. This group of related genes is called the src-family. Their products share common structures: namely, a glycine residue at position 2 from the N terminus, a unique domain, a modulatory domain (SH2, SH3), a kinase (catalytic) domain, and a regulatory domain. Oncogenic activation of these genes may occur by various mutations such as 1) deletion or substitution of the tyrosine at the C-terminal position, 2) mutation at a defined position in the kinase domain or 3) deletion or mutation in the modulatory domain. The expressions of the proto-oncogenes of this family are tissue specific and are unique for each gene, suggesting functional allotment of these gene products. In the hematopoietic system, the genes appear to be expressed in specific cell lineages. In this paper, the functional allotments of these genes in the hematopoietic system are considered with special reference to the functions of lck, lyn, and fyn in cells of T and B lymphocyte lineages.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Identification of two novel members of erbA superfamily by molecular cloning: the gene products of the two are highly related to each other.
Two v-erbA-related genes, named ear-2 and ear-3, have been identified in the human genome and characterized by cDNA cloning. These genes are predicted to encode proteins that are very similar in primary structure to receptors for steroid hormones or thyroid hormone (T3). In addition, amino acid sequences of the ear-2 and ear-3 gene products are very similar each other especially at the DNA binding domain (86% homology) and at the putative ligand binding domain (76% homology). Northern hybridization with ear DNA probes of RNAs from various tissues of a human fetus reveals that the expression of ear-2 is high in the liver whereas the expression of ear-3 is relatively ubiquitous. Hybridization analysis of DNAs from sorted chromosomes shows that the ear-2 gene is located on chromosome 19 and ear-3 on chromosome 5, indicating that the two genes are clearly different from each other.
Alpharetrovirus↗
Peptide antibodies to the human c-fyn gene product demonstrate pp59c-fyn is capable of complex formation with the middle-T antigen of polyomavirus.
The c-fyn proto-oncogene is a member of a family of closely related genes of which c-src is the prototype. Using peptide antibodies which had been raised against sequences predicted to be specific for the human c-fyn gene product, the c-fyn protein was identified. It is a tyrosine kinase with apparent mol. wt of 59 kd that is also phosphorylated and myristylated. Like pp60c-src and pp62c-yes, pp59c-fyn is able to form a stable complex with middle-T antigen, the transforming protein of polyomavirus. The transformation-defective middle-T mutant NG59, which is unable to associate stably with pp60c-src does not associate with pp59c-fyn. In contrast to pp60c-src, complex formation with middle-T antigen does not lead to a significant increase in the tyrosine kinase activity of pp59c-fyn. These findings lead us to suggest that middle-T mediated transformation may be a consequence of the deregulation of several members of the src-family of protein tyrosine kinases.
Animals↗