Biomedical subjects

S R Coats

Publications and source records attributed to S R Coats.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

SSeCKS gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells: regulation by angiotensin II and a potential role in the regulation of PAI-1 gene expression.

Rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASM) express the src suppressed C-kinase substrate (SSeCKS), which is thought to be an integral regulatory component of cytoskeletal dynamics and G-protein coupled-receptor signaling modules. The specific sub-classes of growth factor receptors that regulate the genomic changes in SSeCKS expression in smooth muscle cells have not been characterized. In this study we identify SSeCKS as an angiotensin type 1 (AT(1)) receptor-dependent target gene in RASM cells treated with angiotensin II (Ang II). SSeCKS mRNA levels increase up to three-fold relative to the control within 3.5 h of Ang II treatment and are followed by a slight decrease of mRNA relative to the control levels after 24 h of stimulation. SSeCKS gene expression and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene expression correlate in RASM cells treated with Ang II. By co-transfecting plasmids bearing recombinant-SSeCKS and a PAI-1-promoter/luciferase reporter into Cos-1 cells, we show that alternative forms of recombinant-SSeCKS protein differentially influence PAI-1 promoter activity. These data indicate a biochemical linkage between SSeCKS activity and one or more of the cytoplasmic signaling pathways that are involved in the control of PAI-1 promoter activity. Finally, we show that the alternative forms of recombinant-SSeCKS protein differentially influence cell-spreading when ectopically expressed in ras -transformed rat kidney (KNRK) fibroblasts. Taken together, our data suggest that SSeCKS interacts with intracellular signaling pathways that control cytoskeletal remodeling and extracellular matrix remodeling following Ang II stimulation of the RASM cell.

A Kinase Anchor Proteins↗

PubMed1997

Mesangial cell proliferation mediated by PDGF and bFGF is determined by levels of the cyclin kinase inhibitor p27Kip1.

Mesangial cell proliferation in vitro is regulated by many cytokines. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are potent mesangial cell mitogens, whereas transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) reduces their effects. We examined how these cytokines regulate rat mesangial cell proliferation at the level of the cell-cycle. Quiescent mesangial cells in vitro express the cyclin kinase inhibitor, p27Kip1 (p27), and PDGF- and bFGF-induced mesangial cell proliferation is associated with a substantial decrease in p27 levels. Consequently there is a marked increase in expression (Western blot analysis, immunostaining) of cyclin A and CDK2. The decline in p27 levels was prevented by TGF-beta1 during inhibition of PDGF- and bFGF-induced mesangial cell proliferation. To determine the functional role of p27 during cytokine-mediated mesangial cell proliferation, the expression of p27 was reduced with specific p27Kip1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. Reducing the levels of p27 resulted in an increased magnitude of mesangial cell proliferation (BrdU and 3H-thymidine incorporation) induced by PDGF and bFGF compared to non-transfected mesangial cells and mesangial cells transfected with control mismatch oligodeoxynucleotides. Furthermore, the onset of maximal proliferation occurred earlier in mesangial cells transfected with antisense compared to control. The reduction in proliferation by TGF-beta1 were not altered by decreased p27 expression. Reducing p27 expression in the absence of mitogens was not associated with entry into the cell-cycle. These results suggest cytokine mediated mesangial cell proliferation is associated with specific cell-cycle proteins, and that the levels of p27 may be important in determining the mesangial cell's proliferative response to PDGF and bFGF in vitro.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Regulation of the cell cycle machinery by oncogenic ras.

The ras proto-oncogene has been implicated during the formation of tumors in vivo as well as the transformation of cell lines in culture. Conditional expression of an activated ras mutant in Balb/c-3T3 fibroblasts failed to stimulate S phase entry in the absence of plasma-derived progression factors, but did shorten the G1 interval from 12 to 6 h and abrogate the normal proliferative requirement for platelet-derived growth factor. Ras-dependent alteration of the 3T3 cell cycle was accompanied by a dramatic increase in the expression of the G1 regulatory protein, cyclin D1, while expression of cyclin E and cyclin A proteins were only weakly induced. Cyclin/cdk complexes assembled in response to ectopic ras expression in the absence of growth factor stimulation bound the cdk inhibitory factor, Kip1, and were inactive. However, plasma-stimulated regulatory pathways functioned co-operatively with the oncogenic ras molecule to decrease Kip1 levels, induce the kinase activities associated with cyclins D, E and A, and trigger the initiation of DNA replication. Our results suggest that a ras-activated signal transduction pathway may link environmental mitogenic stimuli to the cell cycle machinery via modulation of G1 cyclin expression.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1996

Detergent solubility defines an alternative itinerary for a subpopulation of PDGF beta receptors.

Current models of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) beta receptor itinerary are based upon the properties of receptors recovered from nonionic detergent-solubilized cellular extracts. Comparing several commonly used cell extraction procedures, we have determined that up to 50% of immunoreactive PDGF beta receptors, reside in a Triton X-100 insoluble pool in a wide distribution of cultured cell lines, including Balb/c-3T3, NIH 3T3, and Swiss fibroblasts, primary murine and human fibroblasts, and primary human glial cells. Many properties of Triton insoluble receptors are distinct from the well-characterized PDGF beta receptors, including 1) delayed arrival of newly synthesized receptors into the Triton insoluble fraction, 2) prolonged half-life in the presence of PDGF, 3) increased abundance with increasing cell density, 4) inaccessibility to modification by extracellular compartment enzymes, 5) cofractionation with cytoskeletal proteins, and 6) a higher basal tyrosine phosphorylation state. PDGF stimulates accumulation of tyrosine phosphorylated PDGF beta receptors in the Triton X-100 insoluble fraction. Cell surface PDGF beta receptors modified by enzymatic desialylation redistribute to the insoluble fraction. These findings distinguish the itinerary of a large subpopulation of PDGF beta receptors from those characterized previously. Receptors in this fraction represent a long-lived tyrosine phosphorylated population that may effect responses for extended periods following ligand activation.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Changes in cell-cycle protein expression during experimental mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.

A characteristic response to mesangial cell injury is proliferation, which is closely linked to mesangial matrix accumulation and the progression of glomerular disease. Cell proliferation in non-renal cells in vitro is regulated at the level of the cell-cycle by specific cyclins and their catalytic partners, cyclin dependent kinases (CDK). Cyclin kinase inhibitors (CKI) prevent proliferation by inhibiting cell-cycle progression. However, the expression of cell-cycle regulatory proteins in the kidney and in renal disease is unknown. To determine this we studied the expression of cell-cycle proteins in vivo in normal rats and rats with experimental mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (Thy1 model). Normal quiescent rat glomeruli have a differential expression for CKI's, where p27Kip1 is highly expressed, and the levels for p21 (Cip1, Waf1, Sdi1, Cap20) (p21) are low. The onset of mesangial cell proliferation in Thy1 glomerulonephritis is associated with a reduction in p27Kip1 levels when mesangial cell proliferation is maximal. Mesangial cell proliferation in vivo is also associated with an increase in glomerular expression of cyclin A, and an increase in expression and activity for CDK2. The resolution of mesangial cell proliferation was associated with a return to baseline levels for p27Kip1, while the expression for p21 increased substantially. Furthermore, mesangial cell p21 expression was maintained following the resolution of proliferation. These results provide evidence for a complex interplay of cell-cycle regulatory proteins during the glomerular response to injury in vivo. The marked increase in CDK2 expression during mesangial cell proliferation and the sustained increase in p21 expression following the resolution of mesangial cell proliferation suggests that the in vivo expression of certain cell-cycle proteins may differ from that described in non-renal cells in vitro.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

TGF-beta and PDGF act synergistically in affecting the growth of human osteoblast-enriched cultures.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a polypeptide found in high concentrations in bone and is produced by and acts on primary adult human derived osteoblast-enriched cultures (PHO cells). Receptors for TGF-beta are present on PHO cells and TGF-beta is mitogenic for these cells. Results of these studies in conjunction with those of others suggest that TGF-beta may have an important therapeutic role in orthopaedic surgery; however, with respect to its mitogenic actions, further studies were needed to establish whether TGF-beta was acting directly to stimulate the growth of PHO cells. TGF-beta has been found in other systems to act as an indirect mitogen, stimulating growth via secretion of another growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). In an effort to determine whether the TGF-beta growth stimulation was mediated directly or indirectly, we have examined the growth stimulation of PHO cells by PDGF alone and in combination with TGF-beta. These studies revealed that TGF-beta in combination with either PDGF-AA or BB led to stimulation greater than that observed with either growth factor alone. TGF-beta in combination with PDGF-BB led to a synergistic stimulatory response while that observed with the AA isoform was more nearly additive. Further studies demonstrated that TGF-beta was capable of up-regulating the protein levels of the PDGF alpha (alpha) receptor within thirty minutes of TGF-beta pretreatment. Thus, TGF-beta appears to have both direct and indirect mechanisms of action as a mitogen in the PHO system. Finally, we showed that both the positive and negative alkaline phosphatase staining PHO cells were responsive to the mitogenic effects of both growth factor singly and in combination.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1994

Transcription of satellite 2 DNA from the newt is driven by a snRNA type of promoter.

The transcriptional promoter of satellite 2 from the eastern newt, Notophthalmus viridescens, was analyzed by assaying the activity of deleted or mutated satellite 2 clones in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Two elements in the promoter were found to be important for transcription. These elements have sequences that are similar to the sequences of the octamer and the proximal sequence element of vertebrate snRNA genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II. Furthermore, the organization of these elements and their respective roles in transcription are the same as their organization and roles in the snRNA genes. To further investigate the relationship between the satellite 2 and snRNA gene promoters, the ability of the satellite 2 promoter to drive transcription of a true snRNA gene was tested. The satellite 2 promoter initiated transcription of the Xenopus U1b2 snRNA gene as efficiently as the native U1b2 promoter, and the 3' ends of the resulting U1b2 transcripts were accurately formed. This latter result confirms that the satellite 2 promoter is a functional analog of the snRNA promoter, since 3'-end formation of snRNA genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II requires that transcription be initiated from a compatible promoter. The structural and functional similarities between the satellite 2 and the snRNA gene promoters suggest that these elements are evolutionarily related. These findings were used to extend a previously proposed model concerning the nature and derivation of satellite 2.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AB-mediated phosphorylation of PDGF beta receptors.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulates the proliferation of Balb/c-3T3 fibroblasts through binding and subsequent activation of PDGF receptors. Activation of the PDGF receptors has been proposed to involve receptor dimerization. PDGF-AB has been shown to bind PDGF alpha and beta receptor subunits to form PDGF alpha beta and alpha alpha receptor dimers. In this paper we demonstrate that, following the down-regulation of PDGF alpha receptors, the binding of PDGF-AB to beta receptors occurred at 37 degrees C but not at 4 degrees C. PDGF-AB stimulated the phosphorylation of PDGF beta receptor monomers in cells depleted of PDGF alpha receptors by prior exposure to PDGF-AA.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1994

Characterization of platelet-derived growth factor alpha receptor synthesis and metabolic turnover.

Cellular responses to the AA isoform of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-AA) are mediated via the PDGF alpha receptor. Several studies suggest this receptor may signal pathways distinct from those activated by the PDGF beta receptor. Because alpha receptors are less well characterized than are beta receptors, and because the quantity of cell surface PDGF receptors governs the extent and perhaps type of PDGF-stimulated response, we examined the synthesis and degradation of alpha receptors in BALB/c-3T3 cells. Our data show that the ligand-independent half-life of alpha receptors is 3 h and that optimal turnover of alpha receptors requires protein synthesis. In the presence of ligand, the half-life of alpha receptors markedly decreases and is independent of protein synthesis. Although PDGF-AA accelerated the rate of alpha receptor turnover, pretreatment of cells with PDGF-AA and essentially complete down-regulation of alpha receptors did not correspondingly increase the level of alpha receptor synthesis. These findings indicate that the number of cell surface PDGF alpha receptors is regulated by the rate of internalization of these receptors. Lastly, we report that the recovery of PDGF-AA binding following down-regulation of alpha receptors is not affected by inhibition of RNA synthesis. Thus, repopulation of cell surface PDGF alpha receptors may not necessitate an increase in the level of PDGF alpha receptor mRNA.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1993

Conserved sequence and functional domains in satellite 2 from three families of salamanders.

Thirteen satellite 2 elements from Ambystoma talpoideum and 16 from Amphiuma tridactylum were cloned, sequenced, and compared with the satellite 2 consensus from Notophthalmus viridescens. These elements have maintained a high degree of similarity during the 65-200 Myr that the salamander families, represented by the three species, have been separated. The DNA sequences of the consensus elements from A. talpoideum and A. tridactylum are 81% similar, and both are approximately 65% similar to the N. viridescens consensus. In addition to its DNA sequence, the functional properties of satellite 2 have also been conserved. By selecting and analyzing clones that closely mimicked the consensus of each species, we were able to demonstrate that satellite 2 from each species was capable of promoting transcription after injection into Xenopus laevis oocytes and that synthetic transcripts of satellite 2 from each species were capable of catalyzing their own site-specific cleavage. These properties may be related to the process of retroposition, which was previously proposed to be responsible for the genomic proliferation of satellite 2. Each of these functional properties also has general biological interest.

Ambystoma↗

PubMed1992

Rapid induction of competence formation is PDGF-isoform specific.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulates the expression of a number of genes associated with entry of quiescent Balb/c-3T3 fibroblasts into the cell cycle. We determined that two of these genes, c-myc and c-fos, are induced equivalently in medium supplemented with platelet-poor plasma (PPP) and either PDGF-BB or PDGF-AA. The rate at which fibroblasts entered S phase was also similar in PDGF-BB- and AA-treated cells as was the expression of the late G1 gene, thymidine kinase (TK). However, PDGF-AA must be present for a period of 16 h to stimulate the proliferation of 90% of the cells, whereas PDGF-BB was required for only 4 h. Exposure of cells to PDGF-AA for 4 h, a time during which maximum expression of c-fos and c-myc occurred, only induced 20% of the cells in a quiescent population to enter the cell cycle. Therefore, PDGF-AA-mediated expression of the immediate early genes c-fos and c-myc may be necessary but is not sufficient to rapidly stimulate density-arrested Balb/c-3T3 fibroblasts into the competent state. Thus, these data suggest that PDGF-AA and PDGF-BB initiate traverse of the cell cycle by distinct mechanisms.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1991

Tissue-specific permutations of self-cleaving newt satellite-2 transcripts.

Synthetic transcripts of satellite-2 (sat2) DNA from the newt undergo self-catalyzed, site-specific cleavage in vitro using the conserved hammerhead (HH) motif found in a number of infectious plant RNAs. We have analyzed sat2 transcripts from a variety of tissues to obtain evidence for the occurrence of self-cleavage in vivo. We found two distinct types of sat2 transcript populations. Monomeric transcripts in the tests and in somatic tissues such as the liver have ends that map to the in vitro self-cleavage site, and have end groups (5'-hydroxyls and phosphate blocked 3' ends) similar to those produced by self-cleavage. This is the first indication of HH-mediated self-cleavage occurring in animal cells. The monomeric sat2 transcripts found in the newt ovary have a different permutation of the basic DNA repeat sequence. These transcripts begin and end 47 nucleotides upstream from the in vitro self-cleavage site. Despite their apparent lack of utilization of the self-cleavage site, they have end groups which indicate that processing is involved in their formation.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Characterization of the substance P receptor in guinea pig lung tissues.

The biologic activity of substance P has been demonstrated to be limited both in in vivo and in vitro by a membrane-bound protease, neutral endopeptidase (EC 3.4.24.11). The interaction of substance P with its receptor on guinea pig lung tissues was studied in the presence of an inhibitor of neutral endopeptidase under conditions that protect the peptide from degradation. Uptake of 0.1 nM [125I]-BH-substance P in lung membrane preparations was rapid at 4 degrees C, reaching equilibrium in 30 to 40 min, and binding was stable for at least 30 min thereafter. Binding was reversible and saturable. Scatchard analyses of saturation binding data are consistent with a single class of receptor molecules in both lung parenchymal and airway membranes, with a Kd of 2 to 3 nM and a receptor density of 4,000 to 5,000 fmol/g wet wt of tissue. In competitive binding experiments, neurokinin A and substance P methyl ester were equipotent and required approximately 100-fold higher concentrations to effect equivalent displacement than unlabeled substance P. Eledoisin also competed for [125I]-BH-substance P binding, but was less effective than the other analogs. The spasmogenically inactive derivative, substance P 1-9, did not compete for substance P binding at concentrations as high as 1 microM. Binding of [125I]-BH-substance P was rapidly and completely reversed by addition of 0.1 mM GTP, suggesting that association with a GTP binding protein is required for high affinity binding of substance P to its receptor in lung. The substance P receptor molecule was further characterized by covalently crosslinking [125I]-BH-substance P to membrane preparations followed by SDS-PAGE of the solubilized material.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Substance P-induced bronchoconstriction in the guinea pig. Enhancement by inhibitors of neutral metalloendopeptidase and angiotensin-converting enzyme.

We tested the effects of the neutral metalloendopeptidase (NEP) inhibitor, thiorphan (0.17, 0.5, and 1.7 mg i.v), and the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, captopril (0.5, 1.7, and 5.0 mg i.v.), on the bronchoconstrictor response to rapid intravenous infusions of substance P (0.1 to 30 nmol/kg) in anesthetized, mechanically ventilated guinea pigs. The decreases in pulmonary conductance and dynamic compliance caused by substance P were greater in animals treated with either thiorphan or captopril than in control animals. Thiorphan (0.5 mg) had no effect on airway responsiveness to intravenously administered methacholine, whereas captopril (1.7 mg) caused a small increase in methacholine responsiveness. Both drugs significantly increased the recovery of immunoreactive substance P in arterial plasma after exogenous administration of the peptide. We conclude that degradation of substance P by both NEP and ACE is important for determining the magnitude of the bronchoconstriction caused by intravenous administration of this neuropeptide. These data suggest that conditions associated with diminished peptidase activity could result in enhanced responses to stimuli which cause the release of endogenous substance P.

Amino Acids, Sulfur↗