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PubMed1996

RNase III autoregulation: structure and function of rncO, the posttranscriptional "operator".

Expression of the Escherichia coli rnc-era-recO operon is regulated posttranscriptionally by ribonuclease III (RNase III), encoded in the rnc gene. RNase III initiates rapid decay of the rnc operon mRNA by cleaving a double-stranded region of the rnc leader. This region, termed rncO, is portable, conferring stability and RNase III regulation to heterologous RNAs. Here, we report the detailed analysis of rncO structure and function. The first 215 nt of the rnc leader are sufficient for its function. Dimethylsulfate (DMS) modification in vivo revealed distinct structural elements in this region: a 13-nt single-stranded 5' leader, followed by a 6-bp stem-loop structure (I), a larger stem-loop structure (II) containing the RNase III site, a single-stranded region containing the rnc translation initiation site, and a small stem-loop structure (III) at the 3' terminus of rncO, wholly within the rnc coding region. Genetic analysis revealed the function of these structural elements. The single-stranded leader is not required for stability or RNase III control, stem-loop II is required only for RNase III control, and both stem-loops I and III are required for stability. Stem-loop II effectively serves only as the site at which RNase III cleaves to remove stem-loop I and thereby initiates decay, after which RNase III plays no role. Mutations at the cleavage site underscore the importance of base pairing for efficient RNase III attack. When stem-loops I and II were replaced with an artificial hairpin structure, stability was restored only partially, but was restored almost fully when a single-stranded leader was also added.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Using hidden Markov models and observed evolution to annotate viral genomes.

MOTIVATION: ssRNA (single stranded) viral genomes are generally constrained in length and utilize overlapping reading frames to maximally exploit the coding potential within the genome length restrictions. This overlapping coding phenomenon leads to complex evolutionary constraints operating on the genome. In regions which code for more than one protein, silent mutations in one reading frame generally have a protein coding effect in another. To maximize coding flexibility in all reading frames, overlapping regions are often compositionally biased towards amino acids which are 6-fold degenerate with respect to the 64 codon alphabet. Previous methodologies have used this fact in an ad hoc manner to look for overlapping genes by motif matching. In this paper differentiated nucleotide compositional patterns in overlapping regions are incorporated into a probabilistic hidden Markov model (HMM) framework which is used to annotate ssRNA viral genomes. This work focuses on single sequence annotation and applies an HMM framework to ssRNA viral annotation. A description of how the HMM is parameterized, whilst annotating within a missing data framework is given. A Phylogenetic HMM (Phylo-HMM) extension, as applied to 14 aligned HIV2 sequences is also presented. This evolutionary extension serves as an illustration of the potential of the Phylo-HMM framework for ssRNA viral genomic annotation. RESULTS: The single sequence annotation procedure (SSA) is applied to 14 different strains of the HIV2 virus. Further results on alternative ssRNA viral genomes are presented to illustrate more generally the performance of the method. The results of the SSA method are encouraging however there is still room for improvement, and since there is overwhelming evidence to indicate that comparative methods can improve coding sequence (CDS) annotation, the SSA method is extended to a Phylo-HMM to incorporate evolutionary information. The Phylo-HMM extension is applied to the same set of 14 HIV2 sequences which are pre-aligned. The performance improvement that results from including the evolutionary information in the analysis is illustrated.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1983

Determination of the primary sequence of the duck alpha D globin mRNA and comparison of all adult duck and chick globin mRNA sequences.

The nucleotide sequence of the duck alpha D globin mRNA was determined. Its main feature is an exceptionally short 3' non-coding segment of only 46 nucleotides, placed after the coding sequence of 141 codons. The last of the 6 adult globin mRNA of duck and chicken being thus sequenced, a comparison of all their features has become possible. Comparing the duck alpha D mRNA to the related sequence in the chicken, we found greater homology than comparing it to the linked alpha A globin sequence in the same species. Extensive homology can be found for a same globin chain alpha A, alpha D or beta in between different avian species including also the goose and the ostrich; the avian alpha globin chains show a lower degree of sequence conservation in between species than the beta chains. In contrast, within one species the three globin sequences have further diverged. The divergence between the alpha A and alpha D globin within a same species point to individual functional specificity and hence independent evolution and suggest that a mechanism of 'gene conversion' did not operate in between the avian alpha globin genes. Two segments of the amino acid sequence which we named 'A alpha' and 'B alpha' remain homologous in all avian alpha globins; two other regions 'A beta' and 'B beta' are identical in between the beta globins. Segment A is placed at the 5' end of exon II, and segment B at the 3' end of the same exon; some amino acids in those segments are involved in the Heme binding site. Being almost identical in all know mammalian and avian globins of the alpha respectively the beta type, regions A and B seem to represent the best conserved sequences in adult globin mRNA maintained during the divergence of species.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

[Expression of Mortierella isabellina delta6-fatty acid desaturase gene in gamma-linolenic acid production in transgenic tobacco].

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA, C18:3delta6.9.12) is nutritional and important polyunsaturated fatty acid in human and animal diets. GLA play an important role in hormone regulation and fatty acid metabolization. Furthermore it is also the biological precursor of a group of molecules, including prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxanes. Vast majority of oilseed crops do not produce GLA, but linoleic acid (LA, C18:2delta9.12) as its substrate. GLA is only produced by a small number of oilseed plants such as evening promrose ( Oenotheera spp.), borage (Borago officinalis) and etc. delta6-fatty acid desaturase (D6D) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the production of GLA. It can convert from linoleic acid to linolenic acid. To produce GLA in tobacco, plant expression vector was first constructed. To facilitate preparation of plant expression constructs, flanking Xba I and Bgl II restriction enzyme sites were added to the coding region of clone pTMICL6 by PCR amplification. pTMICL6 contains delta6-fatty acid desaturase gene cloned from Mortierella isabellina which is an oil-producing fugus. The PCR product was purified and subcloned into the plant expression vector pGA643 to generate the recombinant vector pGAMICL6 which contains the ORF of the D6D gene of Mortierella isabellina, together with regulatory elements consisting of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and the nopaline synthase (nos) termination sequence. The plasmid pGAMICL6 was transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 by method of freeze thawing of liquid nitrogen. Transformants were selected by plating on YEB medium plates containing kanamycin and streptomycin and grown overnight at 28 degrees C, then transformants were further identified by PCR. The positive transformant containing the plant expression vector pGAMICL6 was transformed into tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi) via Agrobacterium infection. Transgenic plants were selected on 100 microg/mL kanamycin. Plants were maintained in axionic culture under controlled conditions. Total nucleic acids were extracted and purified from anti-kanamycin transgenic tobacco and were analysed by PCR. 48 out of 80 transgenic plants were positive, in other words, transformation efficiency is 60% . This shows that Mortierella isabellina D6D gene is transformed into tobacco. Genomic DNA from PCR positive transgenic tobacco plants was digested with Hind III restriction enzyme and fractionated by agarose gel electrophoresis. Southern blotting was performed with strandard procedures for vacuum transfer of nucleic acids to nylon membrane. The probe was delta6-fatty acid desaturase gene from M. isabellina, which was labeled with DIG-dUTP via random-primed labeling. Hybridization and immumological detection were carried out the kit of DIG detection. The result shows single hybridizing bands in each of the transgenic tobacco plants DNA, but no hybridization was observed to non-transgenic tobacco. This indicates that delta6-fatty acid desaturase gene is integrated into the genome of transgenic tobacco. To provide further evidence that the introduction of the M. isabellina cDNA into the tobacco genome was responsible for the novel desaturation products, total RNA was isolated from GLA-positive transgenic tobacco plants via both PCR and Southern blotting and separated by electrophoresis through 1% formaldehyde agarose gel. Northern blotting including probe labeling, hybridization and detection was the same as Southern blotting in operation approach. A positive hybridization signal of identical mobility was obtained from RNA isolated from the transgenic tobacco plants, but not from the control tobacco plant. At last, total fatty acids extracted from the positive transgenic tobacco were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) of methyl esters to confirm the transgenic tobacco containing a functional delta6-fatty acid desaturase gene. The result shows that two peaks were observed in the chromatogram of FAMes. GLA and octadecatetraenoic acid (OTA, C18:4delta6.9.12.15) respectively have 19.7% and 3.5% of the total fatty acids in the transgenic plant. The presence of both GLA and OTA indicates that the delta6-fatty acid desaturase used both linoleic acid and a-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3delta6.9.12.15) as substrates, and this may be responsible for the decrease in ALA observed in the transgenic line. That was the first report about the expression of M. isabellina delta6-fatty acid desaturase gene in tobacco. All results mentioned above have laid the foundation of the thorough studying on an breeding transgenic oilseeds containing GLA to change the fatty acid composition of conventional oilseeds, it is significant to study on regulation mechanism of fatty acid desaturase.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Synergistic growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis by a novel mixed backbone antisense oligonucleotide targeting CRIPTO in combination with C225 anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody and 8-Cl-cAMP in human GEO colon cancer cells.

We have evaluated the antiproliferative effect of a novel mixed backbone antisense oligonucleotide generated against the 5'-coding region of the human CRIPTO mRNA in GEO human colon cancer cells. We have also evaluated the effects of this anti-CRIPTO antisense oligonucleotide in combination with a chimeric anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody (MAb C225) and with 8-Cl-cAMP, a cAMP analog that specifically inhibits type I protein kinase A (PKAI), since a functional EGFR-driven autocrine pathway is operative and PKAI is overexpessed in GEO colon cancer cells. Treatment with a single agent at low doses determined a 15-35% growth inhibition. A synergistic antiproliferative effect was observed when combinations of two agents were used with a co-operativity quotient ranging between 1.5 and 2.2. Furthermore, the combined treatment with all three drugs caused an almost complete suppression of the ability of GEO cells to form colonies in soft agar. We next evaluated whether any combination of 8-Cl-cAMP, the anti-CRIPTO antisense oligonucleotide and MAb C225 could induce programmed cell death in GEO cells. Treatment with each agent alone at all doses tested did not cause DNA fragmentation. The treatment with any combination of two agents was not able to induce apoptosis. In contrast, treatment with all three compounds determined an approximately three-fold increase in DNA fragmentation. In conclusion, the combination of selective antineoplastic agents directed against different but related key signal tranduction pathways efficiently inhibits cell growth and causes apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗

PubMed2000

Production of epidermal growth factor in human prostatic cells cultured in vitro.

The Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) plays an important role in the regulation of in vitro growth of prostate cells inducing a strong mitogenic effect. Nevertheless in our previous study we observed that the treatment of human hypertrophic prostate cell line U285 with exogenous EGF produces a restricted effect on the cellular growth rate. This phenomenon could be due to the capacity of the cells to produce EGF. In this study we aimed to verify this hypothesis by evaluating the presence of mRNA of EGF and EGF receptor (EGF-R) and of their translation products in U285 cells, before and after the treatment with suramin and exogenous EGF. Moreover we studied the effects exerted by these substances on the proliferative rate of the cells U285 after different treatment protocols. The presence in the cells of mRNA for EGF and EGF-R and of their translation products was demonstrated by means of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemical methods respectively. The modification of growth rate induced by these drugs was studied by FRAME Cytotoxicity Test. The operative modalities adopted to carry out these growth assays tended to 1) focus the effects of suramin in relation to in vitro cellular growth phase; 2) verify the reversibility of its effects; 3) ascertain if it was possible to antagonize the action of suramin by adding exogenous EGF. The results obtained from the RT-PCR showed the presence, in the control cells and in the treated ones, of mRNA coding for EGF and EGF-R. The immunocytochemical analysis indicated that 20% of the control cells are EGF positive, and 83% are EGF-R positive, confirming the results obtained with RT-PCR. Moreover, these stainings showed that the treatment with EGF does not significantly modify the percentage of cells marked by the anti-EGF antibody, while treatments with suramin and suramin plus EGF double this percentage. None of the treatments modifies the percentage of EGF-R positive cells. The growth assays showed that the exposition to highest doses of suramin in the first 24 h of cultures causes a decrease (p < 0.05) of the cellular proliferation during the following 48 h and 72 h and that these effects are irreversible. Moreover, a contemporaneous exposition of the cells to EGF and suramin at seeding strengthens the cytotoxic action of the last drug. To sum up, the demonstration of the presence in the U285 cells of mRNA coding for EGF and EGF-R and of the corresponding proteins, confirms the hypothesis that these cells can produce EGF. Moreover, the cytotoxicity experiments allowed a focusing of the role of the endogenous EGF in the regulation of the U285 cells proliferation and confirmed the importance of biological events that take place in U285 cells during the first 24 h of culture.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1997

Regulation of expression of the Lactobacillus pentosus xylAB operon.

The xylose cluster of Lactobacillus pentosus consists of five genes, two of which, xylAB, form an operon and code for the enzymes involved in the catabolism of xylose, while a third encodes a regulatory protein, XylR. By introduction of a multicopy plasmid carrying the xyl operator and by disruption of the chromosomal xylR gene, it was shown that L. pentosus xylR encodes a repressor. Constitutive expression of xylAB in the xylR mutant is repressed by glucose, indicating that glucose repression does not require XylR. The xylR mutant displayed a prolonged lag phase compared to wild-type bacteria when bacteria were shifted from glucose to xylose medium. Differences in the growth rate in xylose medium at different stages of growth are not correlated with differences in levels of xylAB transcription in L. pentosus wild-type or xylR mutant bacteria but are positively correlated in Lactobacillus casei with a plasmid containing xylAB. Glucose repression was further investigated with a ccpA mutant. An 875-bp internal fragment of the ccpA gene of L. pentosus was isolated by PCR and used to construct a ccpA knockout mutant. Transcription analysis of L. pentosus xylA showed that CcpA is involved in glucose repression. CcpA was also shown to be involved in glucose repression of the alpha-amylase promoter of Lactobacillus amylovorus by demonstrating that glucose repression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene under control of the alpha-amylase promoter is strongly reduced in the L. pentosus ccpA mutant strain.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1998

Effects of IGF-I on cardiac growth and expression of mRNAs coding for cardiac proteins after induction of heart hypertrophy in the rat.

Adult rat cardiomyocytes in long-term culture reexpress several fetal cardiac proteins which also reappear during overload heart hypertrophy in vivo. IGF-I decreases reexpression of some of these proteins and stimulates myofibrillogenesis. IGF-I might therefore contribute to enhancing readaptation of the heart to overload. In order to test this hypothesis, hypertension was induced in male Wistar Kyoto rats by constriction of the left renal artery, and an infusion of 500 microg/day of recombinant human IGF-I (rhIGF-I) or vehicle was started after the operation via intraabdominally implanted osmotic minipumps. In the vehicle-treated hypertensive animals body weight gain was reduced after 3, 7 and 14 days, whereas rhIGF-I-treated hypertensive animals continued to gain weight like sham-operated animals. Left ventricular weight and the left, but not the right ventricle/body weight ratio increased more in rhIGF-I- than in vehicle-infused rats. Left ventricular IGF-I mRNA levels remained unchanged after renal clipping in both vehicle- and rhIGF-I-treated rats. However, beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) mRNA in the left ventricle was 6- to 10-fold increased in clipped controls during the whole postoperative period, and rhIGF-I reduced this increase by more than 50% on days 7 and 14. On the first postoperative day, rhIGF-I prevented the decrease (50%) of alpha-MHC mRNA and the increase (2.5-fold of atrial natriuretic factor mRNA in the left ventricle. Renal clipping did not alter cardiac alpha-actin, but enhanced skeletal alpha-actin mRNA expression in the left ventricle up to 2.5-fold. However, both mRNAs were unaffected by rhIGF-I treatment. Restoration of body weight gain and stimulation of left ventricular cardiac weight by rhIGF-I as well as partial reversion of hypertension-induced changes in cardiac protein expression may reflect beneficial effects contributing to enhance readaptation of the heart to overload.

Actins↗

PubMed2003

The protein complex composed of nickel-binding SrnQ and DNA binding motif-bearing SrnR of Streptomyces griseus represses sodF transcription in the presence of nickel.

Nickel-responsive transcriptional repression of sodF, which codes for iron- and zinc-containing superoxide dismutase of Streptomyces griseus, was mediated through an operator (-2 to +15) spanning over the 5' end (+1) of the transcript. Two open reading frames, SrnR (12,343 Da) and SrnQ (12,486 Da), with overlapping stop-start codons were identified downstream from sodF and found responsible for the repression of sodF. The deduced amino acid sequence of SrnR revealed a DNA binding motif and showed homology to the transcriptional regulators of ArsR family, whereas SrnQ did not show any similarity to any known proteins. When srnRQ DNA was maintained in trans in S. griseus on a multicopy plasmid, sodF transcription was highly repressed by nickel, but neither srnR nor srnQ alone showed the effect. Consistently, the sodF transcription of srnR-interrupted mutant was no longer repressed by nickel, which was complemented only with srnRQ DNA. Nickel-dependent binding of SrnR and SrnQ to the sodF operator DNA was observed only when the two proteins were provided together. The maximum protein-DNA interaction was shown when SrnR and SrnQ were present in one-to-one stoichiometric ratio. The two proteins appear to constitute an octamer composed of four subunits of each protein. SrnR directly interacted with SrnQ, and the protein interaction did not require nickel. The conformation of SrnQ was changed upon nickel binding, which was in the ratio of one Ni(2+) ion per protein molecule. A model is proposed in which SrnQ of the protein complex senses nickel and subsequently enhances the DNA binding activity of SrnR through the protein-protein interaction.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

PubMed2000

Reexpression of T-type Ca2+ channel gene and current in post-infarction remodeled rat left ventricle.

OBJECTIVE: T-type Ca2+ currents (I(Ca-T)) are present in neonatal rat myocytes but is not detected in adult ventricular myocytes. The present study was designed to investigate the expression of the T-type Ca2+ channel gene and current in post-infarction remodeled hypertrophied rat left ventricle (LV). METHODS: We compared the expression of T-type Ca2+ channel gene alpha-1G in neonatal rat LV, in adult sham-operated LV and remodeled hypertrophied LV 3 to 4 weeks post-myocardial infarction (MI) using RNase protection assay (RPA). The cDNA fragment of alpha-1G used in RPA was obtained from poorly conserved region of recently published T-type Ca2+ channel coding sequence of rat by RT-PCR. The fragment was verified by restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing. The presence of I(Ca-T) in LV of sham and post-MI rats was examined using patch-clamp techniques. In the presence of K+-free, Na+-free external solution, I(Ca-T) was separated from I(Ca-L) by different holding potentials (HP). I(Ca-T) was also recorded during depolarization to -40 mV from a HP of -80 mV with NaCl in external solution and I(Na) suppressed by 100 microM tetrodotoxin (TTX). RESULTS: The T-type Ca2+ channel gene alpha-1G was expressed in neonatal heart, the expression level decreased by 80%, in adult sham heart and was reexpressed in MI (158% increases compared to sham; P<0.01). I(Ca-T) was recorded in 11 of 31 MI cells in presence of K+-free, Na+-free external solution and in 9 of 14 cells when I(Na) was suppressed by TTX. I(Ca-T) was not detected in any of 21 sham cells. I(Ca-T) density was 1.1+/-0.4 pA/pF. I(Ca-T) was more sensitive to Ni2+ and less sensitive to nisoldipine. CONCLUSIONS: T-type Ca2+ channel gene and current are reexpressed in rat post-MI remodeled LV myocytes. Its functional significance in the post-MI remodeling process remains to be defined.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1996

Activation of glutathione transferase P gene by lead requires glutathione transferase P enhancer I.

Glutathione transferase P (GST-P) is specifically induced in rat liver and kidney by lead cation. The increase of GST-P mRNA after lead administration is blocked by actinomycin D, suggesting that GST-P production by lead is regulated at the transcriptional level. To further determine which part of the flanking region of the GST-P gene has the lead-responsive cis-element in vivo, we utilized transgenic rats with five different constructs having GST-P and/or chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase coding sequence. We studied the effect of lead on these transgenic rats and on transfected NRK (normal rat kidney) cells and found that GST-P induction by lead is indeed regulated at the transcriptional level and that the GST-P enhancer I (GPEI) enhancer is an essential cis-element required for the activation of the GST-P gene by lead. GPEI consists of two AP-1 (c-Jun/c-Fos heterodimer) site-like sequences that are palindromically arranged and can bind AP-1, c-jun mRNA in the liver increased after lead administration and GST-P, and c-Jun had patchy expression in the same hepatocytes 24 h after lead exposure. These results suggest that activation of the GST-P gene by lead is mediated in major part by enhancer GPEI and that AP-1 may be involved at least partially. GPEI has been shown to have essential sequence information for the trans-activation of the GST-P gene during chemical hepatocarcinogenesis of the rat (Morimura, S., Suzuki, T., Hochi, S., Yuki, A., Nomura, K., Kitagawa, T., Nagatsu, I., Imagawa, M., and Muramatsu, M. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 90, 2065-2068; Suzuki, T., Imagawa, M., Hirabayashi, M., Yuki, A., Hisatake, K., Nomura, K., Kitagawa, T., and Muramatsu, M. (1995) Cancer Res. 55, 2651-2655). The present study establishes that the same enhancer element does operate in the activation of the GST-P gene by lead regardless of the trans-activators involved.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Elucidation of a promoter activity that directs the expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha with an alternative N-terminus in a tissue-restricted fashion.

Previous studies in rats and humans have demonstrated that acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha (ACC-alpha), the principal ACC isoenzyme in lipogenic tissues, is transcribed from two promoters, PI and PII, that operate in a tissue-specific fashion. Each promoter gives rise to ACC-alpha mRNA isoforms that differ in their 5' untranslated regions but essentially encode the same protein product. In the present study we demonstrate that such a pattern of promoter usage is evident in sheep tissues but in addition we have detected the expression of a novel ACC-alpha mRNA isoform that is expressed in a variety of tissues including kidney, lung, liver and mammary gland, where it is markedly induced during lactation. This novel transcript differs from the previously described ACC-alpha mRNA in that exon 5, the primary coding exon in both PI and PII transcripts, is replaced by a 424-nt sequence that seems to represent the 5' terminus of the mRNA. The 424-nt sequence encodes a 17-residue N-terminal region as the N-terminal residue in the deduced sequence is a methionine flanked by several in-frame stop codons. The 5' terminal 424 nt are present as a single exon, which we have termed exon 5A, in the sheep ACC-alpha gene and this is located approx. 15 kb downstream of exon 5 and 5 kb upstream of exon 6. A 1.5 kb HindIII-BglII fragment encompassing the 5' terminus and sequence immediately upstream of exon 5A demonstrates promoter activity when transiently transfected into HepG2 cells and HC11 mouse mammary cells and this is markedly enhanced when insulin is present in the culture medium. Promoter activity is also evident in primary sheep mammary epithelial cells. These results demonstrate the presence of a third promoter, PIII, in the ACC-alpha gene that results in the tissue-restricted expression of an ACC isoenzyme.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase↗

PubMed2005

[Proliferation, differentiation, and gene expression profile of osteoblast of patient with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the proliferation, differentiation, and gene expression profile of the osteoblasts (OBs) of patient with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy (SEDT-PA). METHODS: OBs from the head of femur of a SEDT-PA patient resected during operation were cultured. ELISA was used to examine the bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), osteocalcin (OC), and osteoprotegrin (OPC) in the lysate of OBs. The proliferation and survival of the OBs were evaluated with MTT method and (3)H-TDR incorporation. Flow cytometry was used to observe the cell cycle. Northern blotting was used to evaluate the mRNA expression of WISP3, a member of the CCN family, mRNA in the OBs. Gene differential expression microarray was used to determine the cDNA expression. Osteoblasts from the head of femur of a patient about the same age with fracture of femur neck was used as control. RESULTS: The cultured OBs from the SEDT-PA patient showed a higher survival capacity (0.86 +/- 0.04 vs 0.71 +/- 0.10) and more (3)H-TDR incorporation (1363 +/- 350 vs 867 +/- 128). The expressions of OC and OPG were down-regulated to the 1/4.3 and 1/4.69 of the control respectively. There was no significant difference in the expression of BAP. WISP3 was very lowly expressed in the OBs of the SEDT-PA patient. In comparison with the normal control, there were up-regulation of 22 genes, including those coding chemotactic factors and inflammatory factors, and down-regulation of 16 genes in the OBs of the SEDT-PA patient with a synthetic effect of more rapid proliferation of OBs and reduction of synthesis of extracellular matrix, resulting in osteopenia. CONCLUSION: Not significantly different between SEDT-PA patient and normal person, the WISP3 expression may not be a direct factor of SEDT-PA.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed2006

[Expression of Snail and E-cadherin in pancreatic carcinoma and clinical significance thereof].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of Snail, a newly discovered inhibitory transcription factor, and E-cadherin in pancreatic carcinoma (PC) and clinical significance thereof. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of Snail and E-cadherin in 56 specimens of PC obtained during operation. PC cells of the line of Panc-1 and transfected with pCMV-Tag2B-Snail, a eucaryotic expression vector coding Snail, so as to obtain a stable clone named Panc-1-Snail. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of Snail gene in the Panc-1-Snail cells. Immunofluorescence technique and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of E-cadherin in the Pan-1-Snail cells. Transwell cell culture chamber method was used to examine the invasion ability of the Panc-1-and Panc-1-Snail cells. RESULTS: Twenty of the 56 PC specimens (36%) were positive in Snail, mainly located in the nuclei. Seventeen of the 20 Snail-positive PC specimens were with and 3 without lymph node metastasis (P = 0.006); and 7 of the 8 PC specimens with lymph node metastasis were Snail-positive and only 1 was Snail-negative (P = 0.001). Twenty-six PC specimens showed low expression of E-cadherin with remarkable heterogeneity. Of the 20 Snail-positive PC specimens 13 showed low expression of E-cadherin and only 7 showed normal expression of E-cadherin; and 13 of the 36 Snail-negative PC specimens showed low expression of E-cadherin (P = 0.038). RT-PCR showed strong Snail mRNA expression in the Pan-1 cells. Both Western blotting and immunofluorescence technique showed the depression of E-cadherin expression. The Transwell chamber test showed that the number of penetrating Pan-1-Snail cells after 24-hour incubation was (174 +/- 8)/200X field of view, significantly greater than that of the Pan-1 cells [(96 +/- 4)/200X field of view, P < 0.01]. CONCLUSION: Re-expressed in PC and accelerating the invasion of PC through depressing E-cadherin expression, Snail may present a new marker for predicting the aggressiveness of PC.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMed1996

The effect of hypophysectomy and growth hormone replacement on sst1 and sst2 somatostatin receptor subtype messenger ribonucleic acids in the arcuate nucleus.

Although considerable evidence indicates that somatostatin (SRIF) exerts direct actions on GH-releasing hormone-containing arcuate neurons within the hypothalamus to modulate hypophyseal GH secretion, the underlying mechanism(s) remains to be elucidated. We recently demonstrated high levels of expression of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) coding for two prototypic receptors of the recently cloned SRIF receptor (sst) family, sst1 and sst2, in the arcuate nucleus of the rat hypothalamus. However, information on the biological roles of these receptor subtypes and the factors regulating their expression is lacking. In the present study, we hypothesized that perturbations in GH would influence sst mRNA levels in cells of the arcuate nucleus in vivo. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of hypophysectomy (HPX) and HPX with GH replacement, on sst1 and sst2 mRNA levels in the brains of adult male rats by in situ hybridization using 35S-labeled antisense riboprobes. The number of labeled cells and the density of silver grains per cell were quantified using a computer-assisted image analysis system. Two weeks after HPX, there was a 50-60% reduction in both the number and labeling density of sst1 and sst2 mRNA-expressing cells in the arcuate nucleus compared to those in sham-operated control rats. Administration of recombinant human GH (200 micrograms/day for 7 days by continuous sc infusion using osmotic minipumps) to HPX rats augmented both the cell number (P < 0.05) and labeling density (P < 0.01) of sst1 mRNA in the arcuate nucleus, but did not significantly alter sst2 mRNA levels compared to those in HPX rats infused with H2O. There were no significant changes in sst1 and sst2 mRNA levels in extra-arcuate areas, including the cerebral cortex and medial habenula, or in suprachiasmatic, medial preoptic, and magnocellular preoptic nuclei after either HPX or GH replacement. These results indicate that the expression of both sst1 and sst2 SRIF receptor subtypes in brain is under the regulatory influence of pituitary hormones. They further suggest that GH may participate in the regulation of its own secretion by influencing the expression of the sst1 receptor gene on arcuate neurons. Such a mechanism may be important in the feedback regulation of GH secretion by the arcuate nucleus.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Skeletal muscle UCP3 and UCP2 gene expression in response to inhibition of free fatty acid flux through mitochondrial beta-oxidation.

Studies of starvation and refeeding have implicated the genes coding for uncoupling protein-3 and -2 (UCP3, UCP2) as candidate genes in the regulation of lipids as metabolic fuels in skeletal muscle. To gain insight into the role of free fatty acid (FFA) flux in regulating the expression of these muscle UCP homologues, we recently reported that, in response to the anti-lipolytic agent nicotinic acid, utilized to reduce FFA flux at the input supply (i.e. circulating) level in fed and fasted rats, expression of the UCP3 and UCP2 genes was reduced in the soleus (predominantly slow-oxidative fibres), but not in the gastrocnemius (predominantly fast-glycolytic fibres) or tibials anterior (predominantly fast-oxidative-glycolytic fibres) muscles. In the present study, we examined UCP2 and UCP3 gene expression in these muscles from fed or fasted rats treated with etomoxir, an inhibitor of FFA flux at the output (i.e. mitochondrial oxidation) level. Fasting per se resulted in a threefold increase in serum FFA (P < 0.001) and in marked increases in the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of both UCP2 and UCP3 in all three muscles (P < 0.001). Treatment with etomoxir had no significant effect on serum FFA in the fed rats, but further elevated serum FFA in the fasted rats (P < 0.001). The mRNA levels of both UCP3 and UCP2 in response to etomoxir were significantly reduced in the tibialis anterior muscle in both fed and fasted states (P < 0.01), unaltered in the gastrocnemius muscle in both fed and fasted states and unaltered in the soleus muscle in the fed state, but increased in the fasted state, in parallel with the etomoxir-induced changes in serum FFA levels. Taken together, these results suggest the existence of positive feedback loops between FFA flux and muscle UCPs only in oxidative muscles--with that loop operating at the input FFA supply level for muscles with predominantly slow-oxidative fibres, and at the output FFA oxidation level for muscles with predominantly fast-oxidative-glycolytic fibres.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Expression of the Wnt gene family during late nephrogenesis and complete ureteral obstruction.

Because the Wnt-4, -7b, and -11 genes are expressed in metanephric kidneys and code for secreted glycoproteins that may serve as mediators of the transformation of renal mesenchyme to epithelium, we investigated the pattern of Wnt gene expression in late metanephrogenesis and after ureteral obstruction. Newborn and 10-, 20-, and 60-day-old rats underwent complete unilateral ureteral ligation or sham operation. The kidneys were collected bilaterally 1, 5, 10, 20, or 30 days later. RNase protection assays were used to quantify the amounts of mRNA encoding Wnt-4, -7b, and -11, E-cadherin, and cytokeratin-19. Renal development was assessed by histologic characterization of vimentin, cytokeratin, E-cadherin, and beta-catenin distribution. During normal development, the amounts of mRNA encoding Wnt-4 and Wnt-11 increased during gestation and then abruptly decreased after the completion of metanephrogenesis, 15 days after birth. In contrast, the amounts of mRNA encoding Wnt-7b, E-cadherin, and cytokeratin-19 increased during development and into adulthood. In neonatally obstructed kidneys, the expression of Wnt-4 was abnormally maintained when obstruction was induced before the completion of renal development and was reactivated when obstruction was induced after the completion of metanephrogenesis. Wnt-7b expression was minimally affected and Wnt-11 expression was only transiently affected by obstruction. In neonatally obstructed kidneys, the differentiation of mesenchyme to epithelium failed to proceed normally, with the majority of cells maintaining vimentin expression and some differentiated epithelial cells reverting to vimentin expression. In addition, the expression of E-cadherin and cytokeratin was increased in epithelial cells. Changes in the expression of Wnt genes were correlated with histologic changes. This study suggests that Wnt-4 and -11 are likely to be important mediators of the transformation of mesenchyme to epithelium in the kidney. Obstruction induced during metanephrogenesis disrupts the normal pattern of Wnt-4, -7b, and -11 expression and interferes with the normal transformation process in developing kidneys, by maintaining the mesenchymal component and inducing the transformation of epithelium to mesenchyme.

Aging↗

PubMed2002

The repressor for an organic peroxide-inducible operon is uniquely regulated at multiple levels.

ohrR encodes a novel organic peroxide-inducible transcription repressor, and we have demonstrated that ohrR is regulated at the transcriptional and the post-transcriptional levels. Primer extension results show that ohrR transcription initiates at the A residue of the ATG translation initiation codon for the ohrR coding sequence. Thus, the gene has a leaderless mRNA. The ohrR promoter (P1) has high homology to the consensus sequence for Xanthomonas promoters, which is reflected in the high in vivo promoter activity of P1. Deletion of a 139 bp fragment containing the P1 promoter showed that the sequences upstream of -35 regions were required for neither the promoter activity nor OhrR autoregulation. In vitro, purified OhrR specifically binds to the P1 promoter. DNase I footprinting of OhrR binding to the P1 revealed a 44 bp region of protection on both DNA strands. The protected regions include the -35 and -10 regions of P1. We suggest that OhrR represses gene expression by blocking RNA polymerase binding to the promoter. There are two steps in the post-transcriptional regulation of ohrR, namely differential stability and inefficient translation of the mRNA. The bicistronic ohrR-ohr mRNA was highly labile and underwent rapid processing in vivo to give only stable monocistronic ohr mRNA and undetectable ohrR mRNA. Furthermore, the ohrR mRNA was inefficiently translated. We propose that, in uninduced cells, the concentration of OhrR is maintained at low levels by the autoregulation mechanism at the transcriptional levels and by the ohrR mRNA instability coupled with inefficient translation at the post-transcriptional level. Upon exposure to an organic peroxide, the compound probably interacts with OhrR and prevents it from repressing the P1 promoter, thus allowing high-level expression of the ohrR-ohr operon. The rapid processing of bicistronic mRNA gives highly stable ohr mRNA and corresponding high levels of Ohr, which remove an organic per-oxide. Once the peroxide has been removed, the autoregulation mechanism feeds back to inhibit the expression of the operon.

Bacterial Proteins↗