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Differential gene expression and aging.

It has been established that an intricate program of gene expression controls progression through the different stages in development. The equally complex biological phenomenon known as aging is genetically determined and environmentally modulated. This review focuses on the genetic component of aging, with a special emphasis on differential gene expression. At least two genetic pathways regulating organism longevity act by modifying gene expression. Many genes are also subjected to age-dependent transcriptional regulation. Some age-related gene expression changes are prevented by caloric restriction, the most robust intervention that slows down the aging process. Manipulating the expression of some age-regulated genes can extend an organism's life span. Remarkably, the activity of many transcription regulatory elements is linked to physiological age as opposed to chronological age, indicating that orderly and tightly controlled regulatory pathways are active during aging.

Aging↗

Complete genomic sequence and analysis of 117 kb of human DNA containing the gene BRCA1.

Over 100 distinct disease-associated mutations have been identified in the breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1. Loss of the wild-type allele in > 90% of tumors from patients with inherited BRCA1 mutations indicates tumor suppressive function. The low incidence of somatic mutations suggests that BRCA1 inactivation in sporadic tumors occurs by alternative mechanisms, such as interstitial chromosomal deletion or reduced transcription. To identify possible features of the BRCA1 genomic region that may contribute to chromosomal instability as well as potential transcriptional regulatory elements, a 117,143-bp DNA sequence encompassing BRCA1 was obtained by random sequencing of four cosmids identified from a human chromosome 17 specific library. The 24 exons of BRCA1 span an 81-kb region that has an unusually high density of Alu repetitive DNA (41.5%), but relatively low density (4.8%) of other repetitive sequences. BRCA1 intron lengths range in size from 403 bp to 9.2 kb and contain the intragenic microsatellite markers D17S1323, D17S1322, and D17S855, which localize to introns 12, 19, and 20, respectively. In addition to BRCA1, the contig contains two complete genes: Rho7, a member of the rho family of GTP binding proteins, and VAT1, an abundant membrane protein of cholinergic synaptic vesicles. Partial sequences of the 1A1-3B B-box protein pseudogene and IFP 35, an interferon induced leucine zipper protein, reside within the contig. An L21 ribosomal protein pseudogene is embedded in BRCA1 intron 13. The order of genes on the chromosome is: centromere-1FP 35-VAT1-Rho7-BRCA1-1A1-3B-telomere.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Ataxia-telangiectasia locus: sequence analysis of 184 kb of human genomic DNA containing the entire ATM gene.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is an autosomal recessive disorder involving cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, chromosomal instability, radiosensitivity, and cancer predisposition. The genomic organization of the A-T gene, designated ATM, was established recently. To date, more than 100 A-T-associated mutations have been reported in the ATM gene that do not support the existence of one or several mutational hotspots. To allow genotype/phenotype correlations it will be important to find additional ATM mutations. The nature and location of the mutations will also provide insights into the molecular processes that underly the disease. To facilitate the search for ATM mutations and to establish the basis for the identification of transcriptional regulatory elements, we have sequenced and report here 184,490 bp of genomic sequence from the human 11q22-23 chromosomal region containing the entire ATM gene, spanning 146 kb, and 10 kb of the 5'-region of an adjacent gene named E14/NPAT. The latter shares a bidirectional promoter with ATM and is transcribed in the opposite direction. The entire region is transcribed to approximately 85% and translated to 5%. Genome-wide repeats were found to constitute 37.2%, with LINE (17.1%) and Alu (14.6%) being the main repetitive elements. The high representation of LINE repeats is attributable to the presence of three full-length LINE-1s, inserted in the same orientation in introns 18 and 63 as well as downstream of the ATM gene. Homology searches suggest that ATM exon 2 could have derived from a mammalian interspersed repeat (MIR). Promoter recognition algorithms identified divergent promoter elements within the CpG island, which lies between the ATM and E14/NPAT genes, and provide evidence for a putative second ATM promoter located within intron 3, immediately upstream of the first coding exon. The low G+C level (38.1%) of the ATM locus is reflected in a strongly biased codon and amino acid usage of the gene.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the thrB gene from the cyanobacterium Calothrix PCC 7601.

The cyanobacterium Calothrix PCC 7601 thrB gene, encoding homoserine kinase (EC 2.7.1.39), was cloned via complementation of an Escherichia coli threonine auxotroph, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The comparison of the homoserine kinase amino acid sequences from Calothrix PCC 7601, E. coli K12 and Bacillus subtilis 168 indicates a closer relationship between cyanobacteria and bacillaceae than between cyanobacteria and enterobacteriaceae. Sequence analysis of the 5' and 3' flanking regions of the Calothrix thrB gene revealed the existence of a 169-codon-long open reading frame downstream from thrB: this sequence may be the second gene of a Calothrix thr operon. Two types of tandemly repeated sequences, sharing similarities with other prokaryotic transcriptional regulatory elements, were detected in the region upstream from the thrB gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural analysis of the entire proopiomelanocortin gene of Xenopus laevis.

In the pars intermedia of the pituitary the prohormone proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is tissue-specifically processed to, among other peptides, alpha-melanotropin (alpha MSH). In the South African clawed toad Xenopus laevis this hormone mediates the process of background adaptation: release of alpha-MSH causes darkening of the animal, while inhibition of alpha-MSH release results in a pale toad. Elevated release of alpha-MSH coincides with a higher rate of POMC gene transcription. The present study aims to find possible transcriptional regulatory elements in the Xenopus POMC gene. For that purpose the complete nucleotide sequence of the POMC gene and its 5'- and 3'- flanking regions were determined and analyzed. The Xenopus POMC gene promoter contains several regions which may be regulatory DNA elements in view of their similarity with corresponding regions of mammalian POMC gene promoters. In the rat POMC gene promoter, many of these regions represent protein-binding sequences. Besides the promoter sequence and the protein-coding sequences, no other segments with significant identity between the Xenopus and human POMC genes were found. Intron A of the Xenopus POMC gene contains a simple sequence, (TATC)76, and a JH12 repetitive element, while the 3'-flanking region contains a repetitive-EcoRI-monomer-2 element. Comparison of the JH12 sequence of the POMC gene with JH12 sequences from other Xenopus genes revealed a 335-bp consensus sequence which is flanked by a 30-bp inverted repeat. This JH12 consensus sequence is significantly larger than the previously reported JH12 core region. Alignment of intron B of the Xenopus POMC gene with database sequences revealed a consensus sequence of a novel Xenopus repetitive element of 330 bp flanked by a nearly perfect inverted repeat, indicating that this element may be a transposon-like element.

Animals↗

Characterization of the human gene (PTGS2) encoding prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2.

The human gene (PTGS2) encoding an inducible isozyme of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2) that is distinct from the well-characterized and constitutive isozyme (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1), was isolated using a polymerase-chain reaction-generated cDNA fragment probe for human prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the entire human prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2 gene demonstrated that it is more than 8.3 kb in size and consists of ten exons; this gene is very similar to the murine and chicken prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2 genes. The structures of exons in the human prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2 gene were also similar to those of the human prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-1 gene (PTGS1). However, the sizes of introns in the human prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2 gene were generally smaller than those of the human prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-1 gene. Primer-extension analysis indicated that the transcriptional-start site is 134 bases upstream of the translational-initiation site. The sequence of the 1.69-kb region of nucleotides preceding the transcriptional-start site and the first 0.8-kb intron contained a canonical TATA box and various transcriptional-regulatory elements (CArG box, NF-IL6, PEA-1, myb, GATA-1, xenobiotic-response element, cAMP-response element, NF-kappa B, PEA-3, Sp-1 and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-response element). The nucleotide sequence of the 5'-flanking region (275 bp) of the human prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2 gene showed 63% similarity to the sequence of murine prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2/TIS10 gene, but essentially no homology to the chicken prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-2 gene, and human and murine prostaglandin-endoperoxide-synthase-1 genes. A fluorescence in situ hybridization study showed that the human genes coding for prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1 (PTGS1) and prostaglandin-endoperoxidase synthase 2 (PTGS2) were mapped to distinct chromosomes 9q32-q33.3 and 1q25.2-q25.3, respectively, indicating that these genes are not genetically linked.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Tryptophan hydroxylase synthesis is induced by 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate during circadian rhythm in the rat pineal gland.

Tryptophan hydroxylase in the rat pineal gland undergoes diurnal rhythmic activity. Rat pineal glands exhibit increased tryptophan hydroxylase activity when incubated with a cyclic AMP analogue in vitro. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates tryptophan hydroxylase, purified from rat brain, without any modification of its enzyme activity under our experimental conditions. Actinomycin D or cycloheximide decreases the stimulating effect of the cyclic AMP analogue on pineal tryptophan hydroxylase activity. Incubation of pineal glands in the presence of [35S]methionine showed a cyclic AMP-induced increase in tryptophan hydroxylase synthesis. These results explain the circadian rhythm of tryptophan hydroxylase activity in the rat pineal gland and suggest that the regulation of tryptophan hydroxylase expression by cyclic AMP occurs probably either at the translational level or via transient expression of a transcriptional regulatory element.

Animals↗

Identification of a positive Cis-element upstream of human NKX3.1 gene.

NKX3.1 is a prostate-specific homeobox gene related to prostate development and prostate cancer. In this work, we aimed to identify precisely the functional cis-element in the 197 bp region (from -1032 to -836 bp) of the NKX3.1 promoter (from -1032 to +8 bp), which was previously identified to present positive regulatory activity on NKX3.1 expression, by deletion mutagenesis analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). A 16 bp positive cis-element located between -920 and -905 bp upstream of the NKX3.1 gene was identified by deletion mutation analysis and proved to be a functional positive cis-element by EMSA. It will be important to further study the functions and regulatory mechanisms of this positive cis-element in NKX3.1 gene expression.

Base Sequence↗

JC virus enhancer-promoter active in human brain cells.

A human papovavirus, JCV, is the etiologic agent of the fatal demyelinating disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. The JCV 98-base-pair tandem repeats, located to the late side of the viral replication origin, were shown to be a transcriptional regulatory element with enhancer-like activity in human fetal glial cells. These tandem repeats share significant homology with the 82-nucleotide rat brain-specific identifier RNA sequence.

Base Sequence↗

A mouse mammary tumor virus mammary gland enhancer confers tissue-specific but not lactation-dependent expression in transgenic mice.

The long terminal repeat (LTR) of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is known to contain a number of transcriptional regulatory elements, including glucocorticoid response elements. In this study, we showed that a mammary gland/salivary gland enhancer found in the LTR of this virus directs expression of a heterologous promoter to both virgin and lactating mammary glands in transgenic mice. Using transgenic mice containing hybrid gene constructs with various deletions of the LTR sequences linked to marker genes, we also showed that the dramatic increase in MMTV expression that occurs during lactation is due to the glucocorticoid response elements. Thus, the MMTV LTR encodes two distinct elements, both of which are required for a high level of expression in lactating mammary glands.

Animals↗

EBNA-2 and EBNA-3C extensively and mutually exclusively associate with RBPJkappa in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B lymphocytes.

Although genetic and biochemical data indicate that the cell protein RBPJkappa is a mediator of EBNA-2 and EBNA-3C effects on transcriptional regulatory elements, the extent of association of these Epstein-Barr virus nuclear proteins with RBPJkappa in transformed B lymphocytes has not been determined. We now report that most of the EBNA-2 and at least 20% of the EBNA-3C coimmunoprecipitated with RBPJkappa from extracts of transformed B lymphocytes that contained most of the cellular EBNA-2 and EBNA3C. Both proteins are associated preferentially with the smaller of the two RBPJkappa isoforms. EBNA-2-RBPJkappa complexes do not contain EBNA-3C, and EBNA-3C-RBPJkappa complexes do not contain EBNA-2. Although EBNA-2 and EBNA-3C are extensively associated with RBPJkappa, a fraction of RBPJkappa appears to be free of EBNAs after repeated immunoprecipitations with anti-EBNA, Epstein-Barr virus-immune, human antibody. Promoters with RBPJkappa sites in their regulatory elements are likely to be differentially regulated by these RBPJkappa-EBNA-2 and RBPJkappa-EBNA-3 complexes.

Antigens, Viral↗

Mechanism of cell entry and transformation by enzootic nasal tumor virus.

Enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV) induces nasal epithelial cancer in infected sheep, but it is a simple retrovirus lacking a known oncogene. ENTV is closely related to jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV), which also causes cancer in sheep but in the epithelial cells of the lower airways and alveoli. Here we show that as with JSRV, the envelope (Env) protein of ENTV can transform cultured cells and thus is likely to be responsible for oncogenesis in animals. In addition, the ENTV Env protein mediates virus entry using the same receptor as does JSRV Env, the candidate tumor suppressor Hyal2. However, ENTV Env mediates entry into cells from a more restricted range of species than does JSRV, and based on this finding we have identified amino acid regions in the Env proteins that are important for virus entry. Also, because ENTV does not efficiently use human Hyal2 as a receptor, we cloned the ovine Hyal2 cDNA and show that the encoded protein functions as an efficient receptor for both ENTV and JSRV. In summary, although ENTV and JSRV use the same cell surface receptor for cell entry and apparently transform cells by the same mechanism, they induce cancer in different tissues of infected sheep, indicating that oncogenesis is regulated at some other level. The transcriptional regulatory elements in these viruses are quite different, indicating that tissue-specific oncogenesis is likely regulated at the level of viral gene expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

NF-kappa B activates prostate-specific antigen expression and is upregulated in androgen-independent prostate cancer.

The transcription factor NF-kappa B regulates gene expression involved in cell growth and survival and has been implicated in progression of hormone-independent breast cancer. By expressing a dominant-active form of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1, by exposure to tumor necrosis factor alpha, or by overexpression of p50/p65, we show that NF-kappa B activates a transcription regulatory element of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-encoding gene, a marker for prostate cancer development, treatment, and progression. By DNase I footprinting, we identified four NF-kappa B binding sites in the PSA core enhancer. We also demonstrate that androgen-independent prostate cancer xenografts have higher constitutive NF-kappa B binding activity than their androgen-dependent counterparts. These results suggest a role of NF-kappa B in prostate cancer progression.

Androgens↗

The pineal gland and melatonin: molecular and pharmacologic regulation.

The pineal gland expresses a group of proteins essential for rhythmic melatonin production. This pineal-specific phenotype is the consequence of a temporally and specially controlled program of gene expression. Understanding of pineal circadian biology has been greatly facilitated in recent years by a number of molecular studies, including the cloning of N-acetyltransferase, the determination of the in vivo involvement of the cAMP-inducible early repressor in the regulation of N-acetyltransferase, and the identification of a pineal transcriptional regulatory element and its interaction with the cone-rod homeobox protein. Likewise, appreciation the physiological roles of melatonin has increased dramatically with the cloning and targeted knockout of melatonin receptors. With these molecular tools in hand, we can now address more specific questions about how and why melatonin is made in the pineal at night and about how it influences the rest of the body.

Animals↗

Organization of the crypt-villus axis and evolution of its stem cell hierarchy during intestinal development.

The small intestinal crypt of the adult mouse represents a model system for studying cell renewal. One or more functionally equivalent stem cells located within the crypt fuel a continuous regeneration of the gut's four principal epithelial cell lineages. These lineages differentiate during a geographically well-organized migration along the crypt-villus axis. This axis does not complete its morphogenetic program until the third postnatal week. We examined the organization of the crypt-villus axis and its stem cell hierarchy in postnatal day 1 (P1) to P28 transgenic mice. These mice contained transcriptional regulatory elements from the liver fatty acid binding protein gene linked to a human growth hormone (hGH) reporter. Adult male and female animals exhibit a striped pattern of hGH accumulation in their villus-associated epithelial cells: vertical coherent bands of wholly hGH-positive epithelial cells derived from a monoclonal crypt and vertical coherent stripes of wholly hGH-negative epithelial cells derived from an adjacent crypt extend to the apical extrusion zone of their common villus. Villus striping develops in a proximal-to-distal wave that extends from the duodenum to the jejunum by P7 and to the ileum by P14. Striping occurs as a result of a loss in the ability to support transgene expression. The decision appears to affect all cells within a stripe, irrespective of their position along the basilar-to-apical axis of a villus, suggesting that it is programmed by the nascent crypt's multipotent stem cell(s). Suppression of transgene expression traverses the crypt-villus axis more rapidly than the rate of epithelial cell migration. The boundary between stripes is very sharp and does not contain cells with transitional levels of the hGH reporter, indicating that the epithelial components of the crypt-villus axis have a higher degree of organization at this stage of development than appreciated previously.

Animals↗

Conditional clara cell ablation reveals a self-renewing progenitor function of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells.

The neuroepithelial body (NEB) is a highly dynamic structure that responds to chronic airway injury through hyperplasia of associated pulmonary neuroendocrine (PNE) cells. Although NEB dysplasia is correlated with preneoplastic conditions and PNE cells are thought to serve as a precursor for development of small cell lung carcinoma, mechanisms regulating expansion of the PNE cell population are not well understood. Based on studies performed in animal models, it has been suggested that NEB-associated progenitor cells that are phenotypically distinct from PNE cells contribute to PNE cell hyperplasia. We have previously used a Clara cell-specific toxicant, naphthalene, to induce airway injury in mice and have demonstrated that naphthalene-resistant Clara cells, characterized by their expression of Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP), and PNE cells contribute to airway repair and associated hyperplasia of NEBs. This study was conducted to define the contribution of NEB-associated CCSP-expressing progenitor cells to PNE cell hyperplasia after Clara cell ablation. Transgenic (CCtk) mice were generated in which herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase was expressed within all CCSP-expressing cells of the conducting airway epithelium through the use of transcriptional regulatory elements from the mouse CCSP promoter. Chronic administration of ganciclovir (GCV) to CCtk transgenic mice resulted in selective ablation of CCSP-expressing cells within conducting airways. Proliferation and hyperplasia of PNE cells occurred in the absence of detectable proliferation among any other residual airway epithelial cell populations. These results demonstrate that PNE cells function as a self-renewing progenitor population and that NEB-associated Clara cells are not necessary for PNE cell hyperplasia.

Animals↗

BAC transgenic mice express enhanced green fluorescent protein in central and peripheral cholinergic neurons.

The peripheral nervous system has complex and intricate ramifications throughout many target organ systems. To date this system has not been effectively labeled by genetic markers, due largely to inadequate transcriptional specification by minimum promoter constructs. Here we describe transgenic mice in which enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) is expressed under the control of endogenous choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) transcriptional regulatory elements, by knock-in of eGFP within a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) spanning the ChAT locus and expression of this construct as a transgene. eGFP is expressed in ChAT(BAC)-eGFP mice in central and peripheral cholinergic neurons, including cell bodies and processes of the somatic motor, somatic sensory, and parasympathetic nervous system in gastrointestinal, respiratory, urogenital, cardiovascular, and other peripheral organ systems. Individual epithelial cells and a subset of lymphocytes within the gastrointestinal and airway mucosa are also labeled, indicating genetic evidence of acetylcholine biosynthesis. Central and peripheral neurons were observed as early as 10.5 days postcoitus in the developing mouse embryo. ChAT(BAC)-eGFP mice allow excellent visualization of all cholinergic elements of the peripheral nervous system, including the submucosal enteric plexus, preganglionic autonomic nerves, and skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle neuromuscular junctions. These mice should be useful for in vivo studies of cholinergic neurotransmission and neuromuscular coupling. Moreover, this genetic strategy allows the selective expression and conditional inactivation of genes of interest in cholinergic nerves of the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.

Animals↗

Pulmonary fibrosis and chronic lung inflammation in ET-1 transgenic mice.

The pulmonary endothelin (ET) system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic lung diseases such as pulmonary hypertension, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and bronchiolitis obliterans. However, the etiologic role of ET-1 in these diseases has not yet been established. We recently demonstrated that ET-1 transgenic mice, generated using the human prepro-ET-1 expression cassette including the cis-acting transcriptional regulatory elements, had predominant transgene expression in lung, brain, and kidney. We used these mice in the present study to analyze the pathophysiologic consequences of long-term pulmonary overexpression of ET-1. We found that ET-1 overexpression in the lungs did not result in significant pulmonary hypertension, but did result in development of a progressive pulmonary fibrosis and recruitment of inflammatory cells (predominantly CD4-positive cells). Our study provides evidence that a long-term activated pulmonary ET system, without any other stimuli, produces chronic lymphocytic inflammation and lung fibrosis. This suggests that overexpression of ET-1 may be a central event in the pathogenesis of lung diseases associated with fibrosis and chronic inflammation, such as pulmonary fibrosis and bronchiolitis.

Animals↗