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Biomedical subjects

M Terao

Publications and source records attributed to M Terao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Interferons induce xanthine dehydrogenase gene expression in L929 cells.

Human interferon-alpha A/D (Bg/II) (IFN-alpha A/D) and mouse interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) are shown to induce xanthine dehydrogenase (XD) mRNA in L929 fibroblastic cells. XD mRNA accumulation after IFN-alpha A/D treatment is relatively fast, being already evident after 4 h and reaching its maximum after 24 h. IFN-alpha A/D is active in inducing XD mRNA at 0.1 unit/ml and it is maximally active at 10(3) units/ml. The half-life of the XD message is unaffected by IFN-alpha A/D treatment, whereas the transcriptional activity of the XD gene and the concentrations of XD heterogeneous nuclear RNA are increased by 2- and 6-fold respectively. The effect of IFN-alpha A/D on XD mRNA is insensitive to cycloheximide, suggesting that protein synthesis de novo is not required. Experiments conducted with specific inhibitors suggest that protein kinase C, cyclic AMP and arachidonic acid metabolites derived from lipoxygenase or cyclooxygenase do not act as second-messenger molecules in the induction of XD mRNA by IFN-alpha A/D. XD mRNA is also induced in NIH3T3 fibroblastic cells, but not in F9 teratocarcinoma or B16 melanoma cells after treatment with IFN-alpha A/D. NIH3T3 are the only cells so far tested that have detectable XD and xanthine oxidase activities under basal conditions and after IFN-alpha A/D treatment, although their responsiveness to the cytokine is much less than that observed in L929 cells.

Bucladesine

Molecular cloning of a cDNA coding for mouse liver xanthine dehydrogenase. Regulation of its transcript by interferons in vivo.

The cDNA coding for xanthine dehydrogenase (XD) is isolated from mouse liver mRNA by cross-hybridization with a DNA fragment of the Drosophila melanogaster homologue. Two lambda bacteriophage overlapping clones represent the copy of a 4538-nucleotide-residue-long transcript with an open reading frame of 4005 nucleotide residues, coding for a putative polypeptide of 1335 amino acid residues. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of the mouse XD with those of the Drosophila and the rat homologues shows a high conservation of this protein (55% identity between mouse and Drosophila, and 94% identity between mouse and rat). RNA blotting analysis demonstrates that interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and its inducers, i.e. poly(I).poly(C), bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tilorone (2,7-bis-[2-(diethylamino)ethoxy]fluoren-9-one), increase the expression of XD mRNA in liver. Poly(I).poly(C) also induces XD mRNA in several other tissues in vivo. Protein synthesis de novo is not required for the elevation of XD mRNA after IFN-alpha treatment, since cycloheximide does not block the induction. The elevation of XD mRNA concentration is relatively fast and precedes the induction of both XD and xanthine oxidase (XO) enzymic activities.

Amino Acid Sequence

Inhibition of melanogenesis by BMY-28565, a novel compound depressing tyrosinase activity in B16 melanoma cells.

The mechanism of a novel melanin synthesis inhibitor, BMY-28565, was studied using mouse B16 melanoma cells. This compound was active in depressing the intracellular accumulation of melanin with an IC50 of 5 microM. At dose levels causing no cytotoxicity, the melanolytic effect of this compound was correlated strongly with depression of the enzymatic activity of tyrosinase (monophenol oxygenase, EC 1.14.18.1), the key enzyme in the melanin synthesis pathway. Transcription of the tyrosinase gene was not inhibited by BMY-28565, as determined by RNA blotting analysis. BMY-28565 and three other active derivatives of this compound caused increased glycosylation of proteins in B16 melanoma cells, as assessed by radioactive mannose incorporation. It is, thus, suggested that the mechanism of inhibition of tyrosinase might be related to modifications of the sugar moiety of this enzyme or of a protein(s) that is essential for the expression of its enzymatic activity.

Animals

Characterization of a second promoter for the mouse liver/bone/kidney-type alkaline phosphatase gene: cell and tissue specific expression.

The second leader exon and the relative promoter of the mouse liver/bone/kidney-type alkaline phosphatase gene were identified and characterized. The transcription initiation site was determined by S1 mapping analysis. The differential expression of the two alternatively spliced transcripts was assessed in cell lines of different origin and in various tissues by polymerase chain reaction and RNase mapping analysis. The first promoter is active in embryo derived cells, whereas the second promoter is silent in basal conditions but it is activated by dibutyryl cAMP in fibroblastic cells. In the whole animal, the transcript driven by the first promoter is found in most tissues albeit at different levels, while the one driven by the second promoter is specifically expressed at high levels only in the heart.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Retinoic acid induces liver/bone/kidney-type alkaline phosphatase gene expression in F9 teratocarcinoma cells.

All-trans retinoic acid (RA) induces alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity by 3-8-fold in murine F9 teratocarcinoma cells, in parallel with their differentiation towards primitive endoderm. The elevation of ALP activity is associated with increases in the amounts of liver/bone/kidney-type ALP protein and the respective transcript. These effects of RA are due to activation of ALP gene transcription rather than to an increase in the half-life of the mRNA. Induction of ALP mRNA does not require de novo protein synthesis, since it is not blocked by treatment with cycloheximide. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP, which is known to induce further differentiation of F9 cells from the primitive to the parietal endoderm, blocks the induction of ALP mRNA by RA.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Antagonism of platelet-activating factor in isolated rat colon: possible mechanism.

The contractions of three different regions of rat colon in response to platelet-activating factor (PAF) were compared. The ascending colon was found to be the most responsive. The slow contraction of the ascending colon induced by PAF was dependent on external Ca2+. CV-3988, a structural analog of PAF, slowly induced irreversible inhibition of PAF-induced contraction, whereas FR-900452, which is structurally unrelated to PAF, caused rapid reversible inhibition of PAF-induced contraction. No inhibitory effects of CV-3988 were observed when the strip was washed with Tyrode's solution containing 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results suggest that PAF and CV-3988 penetrate slowly into the outer half of the lipid bilayer of plasma membranes of cells in isolated rat colon, and then rapidly diffuse laterally to associate firmly with specific binding sites.

Animals

Expression of leukocyte alkaline phosphatase gene in normal and leukemic cells: regulation of the transcript by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

The levels of leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP) messenger RNA (mRNA) are evaluated in B and T lymphocytes, monocytes, and polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), and this transcript is found to be present only in PMNs. Precursors of the myelomonocytic pathway, represented by leukemic cells isolated from several cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in its stable and blastic phase and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), are devoid of LAP transcript. These data support the notion that LAP is a marker of the granulocyte terminal differentiation. Despite the absence of LAP mRNA in both the myeloid and the lymphoid precursors, nuclear run-on experiments show constitutive transcription of the LAP gene in leukemic cells obtained from AML, CML, as well as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). In CML and in chronic myelo-monocytic leukemia (CMML) PMNs, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) specifically accumulates LAP mRNA without showing a substantial increase in the rate of transcription of the LAP gene. Once increased by G-CSF, LAP mRNA is very stable, showing a half-life of more than 4 hours in the presence of actinomycin-D. G-CSF is suggested to play a pivotal role in the modulation of LAP transcript in PMNs.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Isolation and characterization of the mouse liver/bone/kidney-type alkaline phosphatase gene.

The gene coding for the mouse alkaline phosphatase expressed in liver, bone, kidney and placenta (liver/bone/kidney-type alkaline phosphatase, L/B/K-ALP) was isolated and characterized. This gene consists of 12 exons and it is at least 49 kb long. The first two exons are separated by a long intron which is at least 32 kb in size, whereas the other exons span within the remaining 17 kb. Primer extension and S1-nuclease mapping analyses with placental mRNA demonstrate a single major transcription start site, which is preceded by a G + C-rich region containing a TATA-like sequence and three copies of the consensus binding site for the transcription factor Sp1. Transfection experiments using two different reporter genes show that the 5'-flanking region of the gene is active as a promoter in undifferentiated F9 teratocarcinoma cells, but not in 3T3 fibroblasts, consistent with the L/B/K-ALP mRNA level in the two cell lines. As expected from the sequence similarity at the cDNA level, the structural organization of the mouse gene is similar to that of the human and rat L/B/K-ALP genes, suggesting that they all derive from a single ancestral gene.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Purification and characterization of mouse liver xanthine oxidase.

Xanthine oxidase (EC 1.1.3.22) is purified to homogeneity from mouse liver after induction with bacterial lipopolysaccharide. The enzyme has an apparent molecular weight of 300,000 in its native state and it is suggested to be constituted of two identical subunits of Mr 150,000 each. The isoelectric point is 6.7 and the apparent Km value for xanthine is 3.4 microM. The amino acid composition of mouse xanthine oxidase is quite similar to that of Drosophila xanthine dehydrogenase.

Amino Acids

Isolation and characterization of variant cDNAs encoding mouse tyrosinase.

Two different cDNA clones encoding mouse tyrosinase (monophenol oxygenase, E.C. 1.14.18.1) were isolated from B16 melanoma cells, and their primary structure was determined. One of the cDNAs consists of 3309 nucleotides with an open reading frame coding for a peptide of 533 amino acids. The other cDNA is approximately 1600 nucleotides long, with a shorter 3'-untranslated region and a deduced in-frame deletion of 77 amino acid residues with respect to the former clone. Neither of these clones is structurally identical to other described mouse tyrosinase cDNAs (1-3). RNA blotting analysis demonstrates that multiple tyrosinase mRNA species are not only present in B16 melanoma, but also in normal skin melanocytes.

Amino Acid Sequence

Differences in the expression of alkaline phosphatase mRNA in chronic myelogenous leukemia and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and the stable phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) are the two hematological conditions known to be associated with low levels of leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP) activity in peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). LAP mRNA levels were determined in PMN from PNH and CML patients by RNA blotting analysis. In CML, LAP mRNA is undetectable, suggesting either decreased transcription or rapid degradation of the message. Contrarily, in PNH normal or high levels of LAP mRNA are present. This latter finding supports the concept of a deficit in the anchorage of the protein to the plasma membrane through the glycolipid pathway, even though other post-transcriptional mechanisms could be involved.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Study of platelet activating factor and its antagonists on rat colon strip with a new method avoiding tachyphylaxis.

Platelet activating factor induced slow, but sustained contraction of isolated rat colon in a dose-dependent manner. The contraction persisted even when the strips were washed several times with Tyrode solution. However, the addition of high concentrations of bovine serum albumin to the washing solution led to the rapid relaxation of the strips to the basal level, possibly by removing platelet activating factor tightly bound to rat colon. These strips then responded normally to a second addition of platelet activating factor. Neither the cholinergic nervous system nor release of histamine, serotonin, prostaglandins or leukotriene D4 were significantly involved in the contraction induced by platelet activating factor. FR-900452 and CV-3988, recently found to be antagonists of platelet activating factor, selectively blocked the contraction of rat colon induced by the active phospholipid, indicating that it induced contraction by a direct stimulatory effect on the smooth muscle of rat colon in a receptor-mediated manner.

Animals

Mapping of gene encoding mouse placental alkaline phosphatase to chromosome 4.

The gene encoding the mouse placental alkaline phosphatase (ALP; orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase, alkaline optimum, EC 3.1.3.1) is mapped to chromosome 4, based on Southern blot hybridization of the mouse cDNA with DNAs from mouse-Chinese hamster somatic cell hybrids. This assignment is consistent with the genetic analysis of the Akp-2 locus, which is responsible for the genetic variation of alkaline phosphatase enzyme in placenta as well as in liver, kidney, and bone.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Cloning and characterization of a cDNA coding for mouse placental alkaline phosphatase.

Mouse alkaline phosphatase [ALP; orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase (alkaline optimum), EC 3.1.3.1] was partially purified from placenta. Data obtained by immunoblotting analysis suggested that the primary structure of this enzyme has a much greater homology to that of human and bovine liver ALPs than to the human placental isozyme. Therefore, a full-length cDNA encoding human liver-type ALP was used as a probe to isolate the mouse placental ALP cDNA. The cloned mouse cDNA is 2459 base pairs long and is composed of an open reading frame encoding a 524-amino acid polypeptide that contains a putative signal peptide of 17 amino acids. Homology at the amino acid level of the mouse placental ALP is 90% to the human liver isozyme but only 55% to the human placental counterpart. RNA blot hybridization results indicate that the mouse placental ALP is encoded by a gene identical to the gene expressed in mouse liver, kidney, and teratocarcinoma stem cells. This gene is therefore evolutionarily highly conserved in mouse and human.

Alkaline Phosphatase

Cellular DNA rearrangements and early developmental arrest caused by DNA insertion in transgenic mouse embryos.

Insertional mutagenesis was investigated in a transgenic mouse strain (HUGH/4) derived from a fertilized egg injected with plasmid DNA containing the human growth hormone gene. Lethality occurred in homozygous embryos and was traced to the egg cylinder stage on days 4 to 5 of gestation, shortly after implantation. The mutation is on chromosome 12 and is distinct in location and integration pattern from another mutation also leading to lethality of homozygotes in the egg cylinder stage. Based on this and other evidence, relatively many genes may be recruited to activity near the time of implantation and may therefore present a large target of vulnerability to mutagenesis. The single insert in HUGH/4, consisting of approximately three tandem copies of plasmid sequences, is flanked by mouse cellular sequences that have undergone rearrangements, including a probable deletion. The data suggest the hypothesis that DNA rearrangements, which appear to be commonplace in transgenic mice, may arise because the initial insertional complex is unstable; stepwise changes may then be generated until a more stable conformation is achieved.

Animals