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Analysis of thymic subpopulations expressing the activation antigen GL7. Expression, genetics, and function.

Previously, we reported an mAb, GL7, that defines an activation Ag expressed by in vitro-stimulated B and T cells as well as by a subpopulation of thymocytes. The current study analyzes the GL7-expressing populations of adult and fetal thymus and demonstrates that: 1) The majority of GL7+ adult thymocytes are CD4+CD8- cells that are CD3 epsilon high, TCR-alpha beta high, HSAlow, and bimodal for CD69 expression. The 3G11-6C10- subset of CD4+CD8- thymocytes is enriched in GL7-expressing cells. 2) Strain differences exist in the expression of GL7 on adult CD4+CD8- thymocytes; 21.9 +/- 5.9% of BALB/c CD4+CD8- thymocytes are GL7+, whereas 4.4 +/- 1.7% of C57BL/6 CD4+CD8- thymocytes are GL7+. The low GL7 expression phenotype is dominant in CB6F1 thymocytes (7.0 +/- 2.0%), and analysis of BALB/c x CB6F1 mice suggests that low GL7 expression is determined by multiple genes. 3) CD4+CD8- GL7+ thymocytes from BALB/c mice, but not C57BL/6 mice, are skewed toward a high proportion of V beta 8+ cells. 4) Adult GL7+ CD4+CD8- thymocytes can be activated by TCR-specific stimuli to proliferate and to secrete high amounts of IL-4. 5) Fetal thymocytes contain GL7+ cells, which are predominantly CD4-CD8-, HSAlow, CD69-, and bimodal for TCR-gamma delta. Thus, GL7 expression defines a subpopulation of functionally competent TCR-alpha beta+ CD4+CD8- thymocytes as well as TCR-gamma delta+ and TCR- subpopulations of fetal CD4-CD8- thymocytes.

Animals↗

Genetic expression by fetal chorionic villi during the first trimester of human gestation.

OBJECTIVE: The growth and differentiation of the embryo and the contiguous placental structures are fundamental to human reproduction and survival. Little is known, however, about the genetic control of these processes during early human development. Normal placentation is the result of a well-orchestrated sequence of events that consists of cellular adhesion and limited invasion controlled by relatively unknown genetic processes. We hypothesized that genes expressed by first-trimester chorionic villi constitute critical regulators of placentation and hence of early human development. Our objective was therefore to isolate and characterize genes, both known and unknown, expressed by the human placenta during the first trimester. STUDY DESIGN: Tissues collected consisted of placental material collected during first-trimester elective pregnancy terminations. Fetal chorionic villi were separated grossly from maternal decidual and quickly frozen in liquid nitrogen for ribonucleic acid preservation. Tissues from different gestational ages were kept separate. Total ribonucleic acid was extracted, messenger ribonucleic acid was isolated, and complementary deoxyribonucleic acid was synthesized. Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid was cloned into the ZAP Express lambda vector (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif). Automated sequencing of random plaques was done. Sequence homology was searched for with the Basic Local Assignment Search Tool to search the Genbank database (National Center for Biotechnology Institute, Bethesda, Md). In the event that a known gene sequence was derived, no further workup was undertaken. If no homology was identified, the complete complementary deoxyribonucleic acid insert was sequenced in its entirety. Novel genes were further characterized by tissue-specific patterns, cellular localization, and chromosomal location. Expression by fetal villi was confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: We isolated a number of genes known to be expressed at the maternal-fetal interface. Seventeen of 186 random clones were >1 kilobase in length and did not display homology with known genes, and these may therefore constitute novel genes critical for placentation. One of the clones from a human chorionic villi complementary deoxyribonucleic acid library at 12 weeks' gestation is a 7-kilobase gene that is also abundantly expressed in human fetal brain, lung, liver, and kidney. In situ hybridization localized the transcript to the fetal renal glomerulus. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the placenta serves as a rich source for potential novel gene expression. Seventeen clones were >1 kilobase in length and are potential novel genes involved in early first-trimester placentation. One of these 17 potential novel genes is expressed in abundance in several fetal tissues, which suggests a role in early human fetal development. Other potential novel genes are currently being characterized. The powerful molecular techniques that we used to isolate genes expressed by early fetal chorionic villi will lead us to a better understanding of the genetic control of normal human reproduction. They also may be used to study obstetric and other human disease.

Adult↗

Expression genetics and the phenotype revolution.

Genetic analysis of variation demands large numbers of individuals and even larger numbers of genotypes. The identification of alleles associated with Mendelian disorders has involved sample sizes of a thousand or more. Pervasive and common diseases that afflict human populations--cancer, heart disease, diabetes, neurodegeneration, addiction--are all polygenic and are even more demanding of large numbers. DeCode Genetics (http://www.decode.com) has harnessed the human resources of Iceland to unravel genetic and molecular causes of complex disease. The UK BioBank project (http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/) will incorporate 500,000 adult volunteers. The murine Collaborative Cross is the experimental equivalent of these human populations and will consist of a panel of approximately 1000 recombinant strains, expandable by intercrossing to much larger numbers of isogenic but heterozygous F(1)s. Massive projects of these types require efficient technologies. We have made enormous progress on the genotyping front, and it is now important to focus energy on devising ultrahigh-throughput methods to phenotype. Molecular phenotyping of the transcriptome has matured, and it is now possible to acquire hundreds of thousands of mRNA phenotypes at a cost matching those of SNPs. Proteomic and cell-based assays are also maturing rapidly. The acquisition of a personal genome along with a personal molecular phenome will provide an effective foundation for personalized medicine. Rodent models will be essential to test our ability to predict susceptibility and disease outcome using SNP data, molecular phenomes, and environmental exposures. These models will also be essential to test new treatments in a robust systems context that accounts for genetic variation.

Animals↗

Variation of genetic expression during development, revealed by esterase patterns in Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae).

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to analyze esterase patterns during development of Aedes aegypti from the cities of Marília and São José do Rio Preto (SJRP), Brazil. The zymograms showed a total of 23 esterase bands, 22 of which were in the specimens from Marília and 19 in those from SJRP. These esterase bands were considered to be the product of 23 alleles distributed tentatively in eight genetic loci. Most of the alleles were developmentally regulated. The larval stage expressed the greatest number of them (19 alleles, from the eight loci, in Marília; and 17 alleles, from seven loci, in SJRP). The pupal stage expressed 10 alleles from seven loci, in both populations, and the adult stage expressed 8 alleles from five and six loci in SJRP and Marília, respectively. Some alleles that were active in every stage were developmentally controlled at the level of expression (amount of product). A single allele was constitutively and highly expressed, in larvae, pupae, and adults, in both populations. Differences in esterase synthesis among stages are probably due to regulatory mechanisms acting in agreement with the requirements of a variable number of processes in which esterases are involved. The larval stage is the most active in developmental processes and shows very intense intake of food and very high mobility. These features may demand increased esterase production at that stage. Comparison of the two populations examined showed (besides the existence of alleles that they do not share) that they exhibit differences in the control of expression of other alleles. Such findings may reflect genetic differences between founders in each population, but the possibility of involvement of the intensive use of insecticides in SJRP is also discussed.

Aedes↗

Could the loss of regulation of genetic expression in cancer cells be used to cause their necrosis?

In cancer cells the control over the genetic message involved in the induction of mitosis is irreversibly lost. This fact is indicated by certain phenomena displayed by cancer cells under restricted nutritional conditions. Cells transformed by DNA viruses (which stabilize "p53") keep on cycling and die. In starving cells at the inside of tumors the synthesis of pre-rRNA still proceeds while all other anabolic processes are already at a standstill. The reason is that glutamine, glycine and aspartate are channelled into the enzymatic pathways for the synthesis of nucleosides: thus, protein synthesis is denied those aminoacids. Such situations might be imitated through the administration of excess nucleosides and (within limits) the simultaneous restriction of some selected aminoacids. DNA replication depends on the stabilization of p53, but an accumulation of pre-rRNA might occur, which ultimately might be harmful for cancer cells. Several ways to improve this rationale might be tested on cultured cells and on research animals. They include the destruction of methionine with bacterial enzymes, or the addition of ornithine, a precursor of putrescine, which is an important factor of DNA and pre-rRNA synthesis.

Amino Acids↗

Regulation of expression, genetic organization and substrate specificity of xylose uptake in Bacillus megaterium.

Xylose uptake in Bacillus megaterium depends on expression of a putative H+/xylose symporter encoded by xylT, the last gene in the xyl operon. Insertional inactivation of xylT leads to an apparent uptake deficiency determined with whole cells and severely slower growth on xylose as sole carbon source. Expression of xylT is xylose inducible and subject to carbon catabolite repression mediated by CcpA and cre. Northern analysis of the xyl mRNA reveals that a potential stem-loop structure located in the non-translated region between xylA and xylB presumably acts as a transcriptional terminator, as it leads to different amounts of the respective mRNA sections: the 5'-xylA portion is very abundant, while the 3'-xylBT portion constitutes only a fraction of it. XylT has an apparent Michaelis constant (KM) of approx. 100 microM and is competitively inhibited by glucose with an inhibitor constant KI of 16 mM.

Aldose-Ketose Isomerases↗

Genetic expression of adenosine deaminase in human lymphoid malignancies.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an enzyme in the purine catabolic pathway that has been used as an enzymatic marker of T cell lymphoblastic malignancies due to its high specific activity in thymocytes and immature T cells. We have investigated whether the level of ADA activity in lymphoid leukemic cells correlates with the amount of ADA-specific RNA and/or immunoreactive protein in these cells as an initial step toward characterizing the nature of the genetic regulation of ADA expression during differentiation. We have found a good correlation between the steady state levels of ADA-specific RNA and ADA-immunoreactive protein in T lymphoblastic leukemic cell lines, mature T cell lines, a B lymphoblast cell line, and leukemic cells directly isolated from four patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and three patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Southern blot analysis of DNA from these cells shows no evidence for differences in ADA gene copy number or gene rearrangement to account for the variability in ADA expression. We conclude that levels of ADA in lymphoid leukemic cells are directly related to the amount of ADA-specific mRNA present. These findings imply that ADA expression in leukemic cells reflects either the transcriptional activity of the ADA gene or the stability of ADA mRNA in these cells.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

Functional genetic expression of eukaryotic DNA in Escherichia coli.

We have isolated a segment of DNA from the eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) as a viable molecular hybrid of bacteriophage lambda DNA which, when integrated into the chromosome of an E. coli histidine auxotroph, allows this bacterium to grow in the absence of histidine. The nonrevertable, histidine auxotroph lacks the enzymatic activity of imidazole glycerol phosphate (IGP) dehydratase (EC 4.2.1.19). From genetic experiments, we conclude that expression of the segment of yeast DNA results in the production of a diffusible substance and that transcription necessary for the complementation is most likely initiated from the segment of eukaryotic DNA.

Acetoxyacetylaminofluorene↗

Genetic and genetic expression analyses of clear cell sarcoma of the kidney.

Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) represents a significant diagnostic and clinical challenge. In search of diagnostically useful or biologically significant genetic abnormalities, we screened 30 CCSKs from the National Wilms Tumor Study Group. Genetic gains and losses were analyzed using comparative genomic hybridization; loss of heterozygosity at 11p15 was studied using microsatellite analysis. Loss of imprinting (LOI) was studied using allele-specific expression or methylation analysis at the ApaI polymorphic site for IGF2, AluI and RsaI sites for H19, and Cfo I site for SNRPN. Comparative genomic hybridization analysis revealed quantitative abnormalities in only 4 of 30 CCSKs. Two showed gain of 1q, one also showed loss of 10q, and the other also showed loss of terminal 4p. The other two cases demonstrated chromosome 19 loss and chromosome 19p gain, respectively. All 22 cases informative for 11p15 showed retention of both alleles. Of 14 CCSKs informative for IGF2, six showed biallelic expression; all three CCSKs informative for H19 exhibited monoallelic expression. The normal imprint pattern was present in all six CCSKs analyzed for SNRPN methylation. These data demonstrate an absence of consistent genetic gains or losses in CCSKs using these methods. The high frequency of LOI for IGF2 in CCSKs (43%) is comparable to that reported in Wilms tumors. The retention of imprinting at the SNRPN and H19 loci confirm that LOI is not a ubiquitous epigenetic change. This suggests that IGF2, a potent growth factor, may play a role in the development or progression of CCSK.

Adolescent↗

Proteolipid proteins: structure and genetic expression in normal and myelin-deficient mutant mice.

Myelin, the unique product of a glial cell membrane that electrically insulates the nerve axon, is composed of relatively few major protein components. The recent characterization of these proteins by molecular cloning techniques has raised interest in studies of myelin formation at the molecular level. Proteolipids, a family of integral membrane proteins specific to myelin of the central nervous system, are highly abundant and serve a structural function in the architecture of the multilayered sheath. A critical role for proteolipid protein (PLP) expression during normal development and for the survival of the myelinating oligodendrocyte is reflected in severe developmental disorders of mice that result from genetic mutations in the single structural gene for PLP. The analysis of PLP gene expression in these mutants and other dysmyelinating mouse strains has revealed interactions between myelin-specific genes that may underlie the coordinate development of oligodendrocytes and myelination in the brain.

Animals↗

Genetic expression of Menkes disease in cultured astrocytes of the macular mouse.

The copper concentration was investigated in the cultured astrocytes from macular mice, an animal model of Menkes disease. An excessive amount of copper was accumulated in the astrocytes as copper-metallothionein. These results show that the underlying genetic defect of the macular mouse is expressed in the astrocytes. A similar situation may exist in Menkes disease and cause a failure of copper transport to neurones.

Animals↗

The effect of fostering on the genetic expression of locomotor sensitivity to alcohol.

Steps were taken to eradicate endemic mouse coronavirus from a colony that was part of a behavioral project characterizing the genetics of alcohol sensitivity. This behavioral study was conducted to determine whether changing the uterine or rearing environment (as is integral to common rederivation methods) would have a significant effect on the expression of the behavioral traits in question. Selected breeding pairs of the affected lines were divided into four treatment groups: 1) transfer of embryos to pseudopregnant B6D2F1 female mice, 2) fostering offspring to B6D2F1 dams, 3) fostering offspring to a different dam of the same line, and 4) offspring raised by the birth dam. Embryo transfers were successful only in one affected line. At approximately 50 days of age, the offspring were tested for locomotor behavior after intraperitoneal administration of ethanol or normal saline. There were no statistically significant effects of embryo transfer on the ethanol phenotype (ethanol-induced locomotor depression). Fostering significantly reduced the stimulant response to ethanol of only one mouse line selectively bred for high sensitivity to ethanol-induced stimulation, although the stimulant response of the fostered groups was still quite robust. Overall, the results of this study showed that eradication efforts involving fostering of offspring have a modest impact on the stimulant response to ethanol, but there were insufficient data to draw conclusions regarding the use of embryo transfer.

Animals↗

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia with aberrant CD8 expression: genetic and immunophenotypic analysis of prognostic factors.

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is phenotypically characterized by cell surface co-expression of CD19, CD20, CD5, and CD23. However, the concomitant presence of other antigens distinctive of a particular leukocyte subset, e.g. T cells, is an unusual finding in B-CLL. In the present report, a case of B-CLL with aberrant expression of the T-cell-associated antigen CD8 is described. Flow cytometric analysis of the patient's cells demonstrated lack of CD38 expression, and cytogenetic analysis by FISH did not show any abnormalities of chromosomes 17p, 11q, and 12. Furthermore, the B-CLL cells expressed only low levels of the tyrosine kinase ZAP-70, which was in agreement with the mutated status of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable-region gene (IgVH). In summary, the determined profile of prognostic markers together with the highly stable and indolent disease in the described patient suggest a good prognosis of B-CLL with aberrant CD8 expression.

Aged↗