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Biomedical subjects

S J Kim

Publications and source records attributed to S J Kim.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Identification of an activating transcription factor (ATF) binding site in the human transforming growth factor-beta 2 promoter.

Transforming growth factor TGF-beta 2 is encoded by multiple mRNA transcripts of 5.8, 5.1, 4.0, 3.8, and 2.8 kilobase pairs (kb) that are expressed in various human and monkey cells. Northern blot analysis using genomic fragments of DNA was used to demonstrate that some of this size heterogeneity is due to differences in the length of the 5'-untranslated region. Probes that were colinear with the first 600 nucleotides of the 5'-untranslated region detected only the 5.8-, 4.0-, and 3.8-kb transcripts. In order to identify DNA elements that regulate the transcription of these mRNA transcripts, deletion constructs of 5'-flanking DNA were ligated to the coding region for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and analyzed for promoter activity in several cell lines. Sequences responsible for putative enhancer and silencer regions were identified between -778 and -40 relative to the transcription initiation site. Addition of a cyclic AMP-responsive element/activating transcription factor-like element at -74 resulted in a 5-10-fold increase in CAT activity over that expressed with a construct that contained only the TATA box. This increase in CAT activity was suppressed by the addition of DNA sequences between -257 and -187, whereas sequences between -778 and -257 stimulated CAT activity. Point mutations within the ATF binding site at -74 resulted in a marked decrease in CAT expression. Cotransfection with ATF-1 or ATF-2 expression plasmids resulted in both dose-dependent stimulatory and inhibitory activities that were cell type-dependent. These studies identify multiple transcription initiation sites for TGF-beta 2 and demonstrate that transcription from one of these promoters is dependent upon an ATF binding site located 5' of the TATA box.

Activating Transcription Factors

Inhibition of protein phosphatases blocks myogenesis by first altering MyoD binding activity.

To examine the role of protein phosphatases in skeletal muscle differentiation, C2C12 myoblasts were treated with okadaic acid, a potent in vitro inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A which regulate various cellular events in intact cells. We now show that okadaic acid treatment of the mouse myoblast C2C12 cell line reversibly altered the morphology of the cells and blocked differentiation. At a molecular level, it extinguished expression of the myogenic determination genes, MyoD1 and myogenin, but induced the expression of an inhibitor of differentiation, Id. Analysis of the MyoD1 promoter showed that inhibition of MyoD1 expression by okadaic acid occurs at the transcriptional level. These changes occur 10-20 h after okadaic acid treatment. However, within 1 h of treatment the ability of muscle extracts to support a specific MyoD-dependent gel mobility shift using a MyoD DNA binding site is lost. These data suggest that protein phosphatases play an important role during myogenic differentiation.

Animals

Retinoblastoma gene product activates expression of the human TGF-beta 2 gene through transcription factor ATF-2.

The retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product (pRb) plays an important role in constraining cellular proliferation and in regulating the cell cycle. The pRb inhibits transcription of genes involved in growth control (reviewed in ref. 3) and can regulate transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) gene expression. TGF-beta isoforms also down-regulate cellular proliferation. To determine whether pRb also regulates expression of other TGF-beta isoforms, we examined the effect of pRb on the expression of the human TGF-beta 2 gene. The human TGF-beta 2 promoter contains multiple elements including an ATF site, which is essential for basal promoter activity. Here we report that pRb activates transcription of the human TGF-beta 2 gene. The promoter element responsible for pRb-mediated transcriptional regulation is a binding site for ATF proteins, an extensive transcription factor family. We provide evidence that implicates ATF-2 in pRb-responsiveness. First, the ATF promoter element in the TGF-beta 2 gene is a high-affinity ATF-2-binding site. Second, a GAL4-ATF2 fusion protein can support pRb-mediated transcriptional activation of a promoter containing GAL4-binding sites. Third, ATF-2 in nuclear extracts can interact with pRb. Our results reveal a new mechanism by which pRb constrains cellular proliferation: by activating expression of the inhibitory growth factor, TGF-beta 2.

Activating Transcription Factor 2

Post-transcriptional regulation of the human transforming growth factor-beta 1 gene.

Since many lines of evidence suggest that expression of the transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) gene may be regulated post-transcriptionally, we examined the effect of the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of this gene on TGF-beta 1 expression. For this purpose, fragments of the 840-nucleotide highly GC-rich TGF-beta 1 5'-UTR were inserted into the 5'-UTR of the structural gene for human growth hormone driven by the simian virus 40 early promoter. A portion of the 5'-UTR of TGF-beta 1 mRNA spanning the sequences from +11 to +147 was shown to inhibit growth hormone expression by as much as 22-fold. This effect was cell-specific; growth hormone production was inhibited in PC-3 human prostate adenocarcinoma and A-549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells, while no effect was seen in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells, which show efficient translation of endogenous TGF-beta 1 mRNA. Computer analysis showed that this region of the 5'-UTR contained a stable secondary stem-loop structure spanning sequences +49 to +76. This stem-loop region alone is sufficient to inhibit expression of the growth hormone gene, suggesting that it plays an important role in post-transcriptional regulation of TGF-beta 1 gene expression.

Animals

Inhibition of myogenesis by okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases, 1 and 2A, correlates with the induction of AP1.

Recently, we demonstrated that okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, inhibits myogenesis by extinguishing the expression of MyoD1 and inducing the expression of Id. Since it has been reported that transformation by c-fos also inhibits myogenesis through inhibition of MyoD1 expression, we examined the effects of okadaic acid on the activation of the c-fos and jun family of proto-oncogenes in an attempt to understand the mechanism by which okadaic acid inhibits the myogenic differentiation. Treatment of C2C12 cells in growth medium with okadaic acid increased expression of the mRNAs for the c-fos family continuously and for the jun family to a lesser extent. In contrast, in differentiation medium, the induction of c-fos, c-jun, and fos B mRNAs by okadaic acid was transient, whereas fra-1, jun D, and jun B mRNAs were induced continuously, suggesting that okadaic acid regulates the expression of the c-fos and jun family through complex regulatory mechanisms depending on the state of differentiation of the cells. Transfection of c-jun and c-fos promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase constructs demonstrated that the effects of okadaic acid on the induction of c-fos and c-jun are mediated through the activation of promoter elements. These results suggest that some of the targets of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A may include transcription factors capable of forming AP1 complexes and that these factors may play an important role during myogenic differentiation.

Base Sequence

Cyclic AMP induces transforming growth factor beta 2 gene expression and growth arrest in the human androgen-independent prostate carcinoma cell line PC-3.

The standard therapy for advanced prostate cancer is androgen ablation. Despite transitory responses, hormonally treated patients ultimately relapse with androgen-independent disease that is resistant to further hormonal manipulation and cytotoxic chemotherapy. To develop an additional approach to the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, we have been studying the signal transductions controlling the growth of human androgen-independent prostate carcinoma cell lines. We report here that elevation of intracellular cAMP markedly inhibits the growth of the hormone-refractory cell line PC-3. To examine the mechanism of cAMP action in PC-3 cells, we tested the effect of the cAMP analog dibutyryl cAMP (Bt2-cAMP) on the regulation of the potent negative growth factor transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta). Bt2-cAMP selectively induced the secretion of TGF-beta 2 and not TGF-beta 1 by PC-3 cells. This TGF-beta 2 was shown to be bioactive by using the CCL-64 mink lung cell assay. TGF-beta 1 was not activated despite being present at 3-fold higher concentrations than TGF-beta 2. Northern analysis showed that Bt2-cAMP induced an increase in the five characteristic TGF-beta 2 transcripts and had no effect on the level of TGF-beta 1 or TGF-beta 3 transcripts. TGF-beta 2 induction was only weakly enhanced by cycloheximide and was completely inhibited by actinomycin D. These data show that Bt2-cAMP induces the expression of active TGF-beta 2 by PC-3 prostate carcinoma cells, suggesting a new approach to the treatment of prostate cancer and a new molecular mechanism of cAMP action.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine

Distribution of beta-adrenergic receptor subtypes in human post-mortem brain: alterations in limbic regions of schizophrenics.

The distribution of the beta 1 (beta 1) and beta 2 (beta 2) subtypes of the beta-adrenergic receptor was examined in rat and nondiseased control human tissue. The distribution of the beta 1 and beta 2 receptors was also examined in schizophrenic cases, with additional studies in schizophrenic suicide and nonschizophrenic suicide cases. Scatchard analysis of the binding of [125I]iodopindolol (IPIN) to cortical membranes showed a similar Kd in human (177 pM) and rat (161 pM), but a lower maximum binding site (Bmax) in the human tissue (18.7 fmol/mg protein and 55.6 fmol/mg protein). For the autoradiographic studies [125I]IPIN was used to visualize both subtypes (total) or was displaced with the selective beta 1-receptor antagonist ICI-89,406 to visualize beta 2 sites, or with the selective beta 2-receptor antagonist ICI-118,551 to visualize beta 1 sites. Important differences in the regional distribution of the two subtypes of the beta-adrenergic receptors were noted between rat and human. In the nucleus accumbens and ventral putamen (ventral striatum), a patchy distribution of beta 1 receptors was observed that was not evident in the rat. These patches were aligned with markers of the matrix compartment of the striatum. The schizophrenic cases showed significant increases in the labeling of the beta 1-receptor patches with [125I]IPIN. In contrast to the frontal cortex of the nondisease controls, the parietal and temporal cortex showed a high ratio of beta 1 to beta 2 receptors and a highly laminar organization of the subtypes. [125I]IPIN binding to beta 1 receptors was highest in the external laminae with the reverse gradient for the beta 2 subtype. The medial temporal cortex displayed an alteration in the ratio of the 2 subtypes of the beta-adrenergic receptor, with the parahippocampus and hippocampus of the human, in contrast to the rat brain, predominantly expressing the beta 2 receptor. Moreover, there were consistently higher densities of beta 2 receptors in the hippocampus of the right hemisphere than the left hemisphere of the nondisease controls. There was not a left and right hemispheric asymmetry of beta 2 receptors in the hippocampus of elderly schizophrenics or in young schizophrenics who committed suicide. The asymmetry was evident in nonschizophrenic suicides, suggesting that the lack of asymmetry in the hippocampus of schizophrenics is evident early in the disease process. Thus limbic structures show alterations in the patterning of beta 1 and beta 2 receptors in the schizophrenic cases.

Adult

Ovarian atrial natriuretic peptide during the rat estrous cycle.

The changes in ovarian levels of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (irANP) and arginine vasopressin (irAVP) were observed during the estrous cycle of rat. We also demonstrated the synthesis of ovarian ANP. In adult 4-day cycling rats, ovarian level of irANP was found to be the highest on proestrus and was to be the lowest on diestrus. Ovarian irANP level inversely correlated with ovarian level of irAVP. On reverse-phase HPLC, two distinct peaks of ovarian irANP, high and low molecular weight forms, existed in the each stage of the estrous cycle. However, no significant changes in plasma and atrial concentrations of ANP were observed during the cycle. The rat ovary contained mRNA coding for ANP. These data showing the synchronized cyclic change of ovarian irANP and irAVP with the estrous cycle suggest that the ovary locally synthesizes ANP and ovarian ANP may play regulatory roles on the follicular fluid dynamics.

Analysis of Variance

Drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Korea.

Drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been investigated with isolates from patients screened from a sample population of the nationwide tuberculosis prevalence surveys or from routine cultures. The results showed a close inverse relationship between the prevalence of drug resistance and the efficiency of the past or current National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) treatment regimens. Individual drug resistance also showed a close relationship with the extent of use of the relevant drugs. Drug resistance was found in 38.0% of M. tuberculosis isolates from patients in the 1965 survey and remained unchanged until it increased to 48.0% in 1980. The resistance prevalence, however, dropped to 25.3% in the 1990 survey. Such a decrease coincided fairly well with a continuous increase of the treatment efficiency (from 60% in 1984 to 77% in 1989) in the 1980s. Initial drug resistance (IR) also showed a similar trend, namely 26.2% in 1965, 23.9% in 1970, 20.1% in 1975, 30.6% in 1980, 17.4% in 1985 and 15.0% in 1990. A higher prevalence of IR was observed among urban patients than rural patients and among young as opposed to old patients.

Adolescent

Analysis of case-finding process of tuberculosis in Korea.

A total of 630 pulmonary tuberculosis patients newly registered with the health centres in the Republic of Korea were interviewed to determine their process of case-finding. One-quarter of the cases had a previous history of tuberculosis. About 70% of these retreatment cases had been treated for less than 1 year, indicating the importance of more thorough follow-through during treatment. Almost all of the cases had at least one standard symptom, with fatigue being most frequent, followed by cough and sputum. On developing the illness, about 40% of the cases were motivated to seek medical help after seeking advice from people other than family members such as friends or health workers. Half of the patients first went to the health centre, and one-third to a private clinic. The average time between the onset of symptoms and the initial medical consultation was 1.8 months (patient's delay). This delay is longer in the rural areas; besides location no other patient characteristics had any correlation with patient's delay. Nearly 80% of all cases were diagnosed as tuberculous within the first 2 weeks. Health centres diagnosed cases faster than private clinics and thus had a shorter doctor's delay. Mean total delay (patient's delay plus doctor's delay) was 2 months, with 80% of this being patient's delay.

Adolescent

Organization of the gene encoding the human macrophage mannose receptor (MRC1).

The gene for the human macrophage mannose receptor (MRC1) has been characterized by isolation of clones covering the entire coding region. Sequence analysis reveals that the gene is divided into 30 exons. The first three exons encode the signal sequence, the NH2-terminal cysteine-rich domain, and the fibronectin type II repeat, while the final exon encodes the transmembrane anchor and the cytoplasmic tail. The intervening 26 exons encode the eight carbohydrate-recognition domains and intervening spacer elements. However, no simple correlation between intron boundaries and functional carbohydrate-recognition domains is apparent. The pattern of intron positions as well as comparison of the sequences of the carbohydrate-recognition domains suggests that the duplication of these domains was an evolutionarily ancient event.

Amino Acid Sequence

Insulin signal transduction: the role of protein phosphorylation.

Recent evidence suggests that the mechanism of insulin action depends in part on protein phosphorylation on tyrosine residues. A cascade of phosphorylation/dephosphorylation reactions is proposed to modulate multiple enzymes involved in metabolism, protein synthesis, and cell growth. Direct evidence is presented for the phosphorylation of myelin basic protein and microtubule-associated protein 2 on tyrosine residues by the insulin receptor.

Animals

Direct effects of propofol on myocardial contractility in in situ canine hearts.

The pronounced decrease in arterial blood pressure evident during anesthetic induction with propofol has raised the possibility that propofol has a direct negative inotropic effect. Previous attempts to evaluate this mechanism in vivo have been inconclusive because of confounding variables associated with intravenous administration of propofol. Accordingly, in the current study, steady-state changes in myocardial contractility and related hemodynamic parameters were assessed during intracoronary infusions of propofol in seven open-chest dogs anesthetized with fentanyl and midazolam. The left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was cannulated and perfused at controlled pressure (100 mmHg) with normal arterial blood. In LAD-perfused myocardium, contractility was evaluated from measurements of percent segmental shortening (%SS) obtained with ultrasonic crystals. Coronary blood flow in LAD was measured electromagnetically and used to calculate myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2; Fick principle) and coronary propofol concentration. Propofol was infused into the LAD at 150, 300, 600, and 1,200 micrograms/min (P-150, P-300, P-600, P-1,200). These infusion rates yielded calculated blood concentrations of 7 +/- 1, 15 +/- 1, 26 +/- 2, and 50 +/- 5 micrograms.ml-1, respectively. The calculated blood concentrations at P-150 were in the clinical range, whereas those at P-300, P-600, and P-1,200 were supratherapeutic. P-150 had no effect on %SS, whereas higher infusion rates caused decreases in %SS. Changes in MVO2 by propofol generally paralleled changes in %SS. At P-150 and P-300, coronary blood flow was proportional to MVO2, whereas at P-600 and P-1,200, coronary blood flow was in excess of the prevailing MVO2, resulting in increased coronary venous oxygen tension.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Oxygen extraction ratio: a valid indicator of transfusion need in limited coronary vascular reserve?

We have described whole body oxygen (O2) extraction ratio (ER) as a reliable indicator of transfusion need in acute normovolemic anemia. In normal hearts, myocardial lactate production (-LACT), indicating anaerobic metabolism, does not occur until the ER greater than 50% and Hct less than 10%. It is not known if the ER is valid in the setting of limited coronary vascular reserve. This study assesses the effect of a critical left anterior descending (LAD) coronary stenosis on the compensation to acute blood loss anemia. Adult dogs were anesthetized, paralyzed, and mechanically ventilated. A critical LAD stenosis was created in seven animals (STEN). There were seven controls (CON). Animals underwent isovolemic exchange transfusion with 6% HES until cardiac failure (CF). Catheters were placed in the aorta, pulmonary artery, and anterior interventricular coronary vein. Cardiac failure occurred at Hct = 8.6% +/- 0.4% in the CON and 17.0% +/- 0.5% in the STEN animals. Cardiac output increased in the CON, but not in the STEN animals. Blood flow in the LAD increased in the CON but not the STEN animals. -LACT began in the CON and STEN animals at Hct less than 20% and coincided with an ER greater than 50% in both groups. We conclude that CF occurs at a higher hematocrit with a critical LAD stenosis. The whole body ER greater than 50% remains a valid indicator of myocardial metabolism in anemia in the presence of limited coronary vascular reserve. The ER may be a useful guide to transfusion therapy.

Anemia

Expression and amplification of cellular oncogenes in human developing placenta and neoplastic trophoblastic tissue.

To confirm the expression of cellular oncogenes during normal development, their differential RNA levels in developing human placenta have been studied using radioactive probes such as v-abl, v-erbA, v-fms, v-mos, v-myc, N-ras and v-src. The c-mos and N-ras genes are expressed and amplified at high levels especially in term placenta, while c-abl, and c-erbA are expressed constantly during development. These findings indicate that c-mos and N-ras genes may be closely linked to normal differentiation, although c-abl and c-erbA may participate in overall developmental processes. In contrast, transcripts of c-myc and c-src are enhanced at first trimester and decreased sequentially thereafter, showing that these genes may play a role in early proliferation. Expression patterns of c-fms gene are same as that of c-myc and c-src except reelevation at term. In addition, to characterize the effect of cellular oncogene expression has been also examined in hydatidiform mole and tumor cells such as BeWo and choriocarcinoma. All cellular oncogenes examined in this study were significantly overexpressed. Thus, our results suggest that cellular oncogene activation may be strongly associated with neoplastic change of trophoblast.

DNA Probes

The retinoblastoma gene product regulates Sp1-mediated transcription.

We have demonstrated that the retinoblastoma gene product (Rb) can positively regulate transcription from the fourth promoter of the insulinlike growth factor II gene. Two copies of a motif (the retinoblastoma control element) similar to that found in the human c-fos, transforming growth factor beta 1, and c-myc promoters are responsible for conferring Rb regulation to the fourth promoter of the insulinlike growth factor II gene. We have shown that the transcription factor Sp1 can bind to and stimulate transcription from the retinoblastoma control element motif. Moreover, by using a GAL4-Sp1 fusion protein, we have directly demonstrated that Rb positively regulates Sp1 transcriptional activity in vivo. These results indicate that Rb can function as a positive regulator of transcription and that Sp1 is one potential target, either directly or indirectly, for transcriptional regulation by Rb.

3T3 Cells

Identification and characterization of the chicken transforming growth factor-beta 3 promoter.

The promoter regions of the three mammalian transforming growth factor-beta genes (TGF-beta s 1, 2, and 3) have been recently cloned and characterized. The sequences show little similarity, suggesting different mechanisms of transcriptional control of these genes. To study differences in transcriptional regulation of mammalian and avian TGF-beta, we have cloned and sequenced the 5'-flanking region of chicken TGF-beta 3. Characterization of this region showed a TATA box and cAMP-responsive element (CRE) and AP-2 binding site consensus sequences starting at 12 and 28 base pairs, respectively, upstream from the TATA box. Moreover, four additional AP-2-like sites, 10 binding sites for the transcription factor Sp1, as well as two AP-1-like sites were also identified. Except for 32 base pairs of identity centered around the TATA box and CRE site and four other relatively small regions of identity, the chicken TGF-beta 3 promoter was found to be structurally very different from the human TGF-beta 3 promoter. Promoter fragments were cloned into a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter plasmid to study functional activity. Basal transcriptional activity of the promoter was regulated in quail fibrosarcoma QM7 cells and in human adenocarcinoma A375 cells by multiple upstream elements including the TATA, CRE, and AP-2 sites. As in the human TGF-beta 3 promoter, the CRE site showed activation by forskolin, an effect which could be shown by expression of TGF-beta 3 mRNA in cultured chicken and quail cells as well. Our results indicate a complex pattern of transcriptional regulation of the chicken TGF-beta 3 gene and suggest that differences in the regulation of expression of the genes for mammalian and avian TGF-beta 3 may result in part from the unique structure of their 5'-flanking regions.

Amino Acid Sequence

Phenylephrine does not limit myocardial blood flow or oxygen delivery during isoflurane-induced hypotension in dogs.

Experiments were performed on seven fentanyl-pentobarbital-anesthetized, open-chest dogs to determine whether stimulation of coronary alpha 1-adrenergic receptors by phenylephrine causes coronary vasoconstriction and impaired myocardial oxygen delivery when phenylephrine is infused to correct isoflurane-induced hypotension. Myocardial blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres, and myocardial oxygen and lactate extraction were determined. The Fick equation was used to calculate myocardial oxygen consumption. Measurements were obtained (a) under control conditions, (b) after a 30-min inhalation of isoflurane sufficient to decrease mean aortic pressure by 30%, and (c) while maintaining administration of isoflurane, 5-10 min after restoration of mean aortic pressure by intravenous infusion of phenylephrine. Isoflurane-induced hypotension was accompanied by a baroreceptor-mediated increase in heart rate and by a decrease in myocardial oxygen consumption; however, myocardial blood flow was maintained, resulting in decreased oxygen extraction and increased coronary sinus PO2, thus implying a direct coronary vasodilating effect for isoflurane. Lactate extraction was unaffected. Phenylephrine infusion during inhalation of isoflurane returned mean aortic pressure and heart rate to their respective control values, and it did not change myocardial oxygen consumption, myocardial blood flow, myocardial oxygen extraction, coronary sinus PO2, or lactate extraction from values obtained during isoflurane alone. These latter findings are consistent with undiminished coronary vasodilation by isoflurane in the presence of phenylephrine. In conclusion, infused phenylephrine to restore aortic pressure during isoflurane administration had no vasoconstrictor effect in the coronary circulation and did not impair myocardial oxygen delivery. Apparently, the direct coronary vasodilating action of isoflurane completely nullified phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction via local alpha 1-adrenergic receptors.

Animals