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The role of pH and temperature in the development of Leishmania parasites.

Protozoans of the genus Leishmania are obligate intracellular parasites that cycle between the midgut of sandflies and the phagolysosomes of mammalian macrophages and therefore are exposed to extreme environmental changes. Recent evidence obtained from in vitro experiments indicate that such environmental changes trigger a developmental program in the parasites. Thus, following heat shock, promastigotes from certain Leishmania species differentiate to amastigotes. Promastigotes also respond to acidification of their environment by changing the expression of a number of genes. However, the combination of both low pH and high temperature induces the transformation of the promastigote to the amastigote in all Leishmania species examined to date. This review discusses the role of pH and heat shock in gene regulation and its contribution to the differentiation processes in Leishmania spp. Cycling between cold-blooded insect vectors and the warm-blooded mammalian host is not unique to Leishmania spp., but typical to most parasitic protozoa. It is therefore likely that the mechanism of stress-induced differentiation is shared by other mammalian parasites.

Animals↗

Sexually dimorphic behaviors.

Sex differences in behavior are the result of natural and sexual selection. The dimorphic classes of behavior described here, courtship, copulatory, and parental behaviors, reflect both kinds of evolutionary selective pressures. We can further distinguish two kinds of mechanisms that produce differences in male and female behaviors. In one, both sexes can perform a behavior but one does not because of sex differences in the external stimuli or the endocrine milieu. Maternal behavior in rodents falls into this category, as do certain other reproductive behaviors. In the other, the sensory, CNS, or motor components that produce behaviors are different in males and females. Many courtship and copulatory behaviors are in this category. I have considered some cellular mechanisms that generate sex differences in behavioral effector neurons, including sensitivity to hormones, cell number, and synaptic connectivity. A common feature of many such systems is a degree of developmental arrest: sexually dimorphic, hormone-sensitive neurons or muscles are immature at stages when other cells have completed differentiation. The cellular and molecular processes whereby hormones harness the developmental programs of behavioral effector cells remain largely unknown and are the focus of active investigation.

Animals↗

Regulation of metabolism by retinoic acid and its nuclear receptors.

It is now well established that the pleiotropic effects of vitamin A-with the exception of the vision process-are mediated by its acid derivatives. Although all-trans retinoic acid has been known for some time to be an essential regulator for many important biological processes, critical roles for other acid derivatives have more recently emerged. The acid isoforms affect a large diversity of biological systems, including embryonal cells, lymphoid cells, and nerve and muscle cells, as well as essential developmental programs. Retinoic acid signals are mediated by specific nuclear receptors, the RARs and RXRs, which are part of a complex signaling network, allowing for receptor-receptor and receptor-DNA interaction, as well as for receptor interactions with other regulatory proteins. Dissection of the molecular mechanisms has been significantly advanced by the discovery of selective retinoids that in contrast to most natural retinoids activate only defined portions of the complex retinoid response. Some of these novel types of retinoids are also very promising candidates for the development of new therapeutics. Thus, the molecular analysis of the vitamin A derivative retinoic acid has opened new perspectives that form a connection between nutritional signals and the development of new therapeutic agents.

Cell Nucleus↗

Stage-specific expression of P2Y receptors, ecto-apyrase, and ecto-5'-nucleotidase in myeloid leukocytes.

The expression of P2 purinergic receptor subtypes in leukocytes varies with both lineage and developmental stage. Given the recent identification and cloning of at least seven distinct G protein-coupled ATP receptor subtypes (P2Y family), we investigated P2Y receptor subtype expression during myeloid cell differentiation. We observed that KG-1 myeloblasts express P2Y1 but not P2Y2 receptors (previously termed P2U receptors), whereas later myeloid progenitors, including HL-60 promyelocytes and THP-1 monocytes, expressed P2Y2 but not P2Y1 receptors. In KG-1 cells, significant activation of Ca2+ mobilization by P2Y1 receptors was only observed after preincubation with potato apyrase, an exogenous ATPase. This indicated that P2Y1 receptors are desensitized in KG-1 cells by autocrine mechanisms that may involve enhanced release of endogenous nucleotides and/or decreased expression of cell-surface ecto-nucleotidases. We compared the levels of ecto-apyrase activity and expression in KG-1 myeloblasts and HL-60 promyelocytes. Extracellular ATP was rapidly metabolized by HL-60 but not by KG-1 cells. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that mRNA for CD39 (cluster of differentiation), an identified ecto-apyrase, was present in HL-60 but not KG-1 cells. Ecto-apyrase activity was modestly increased with differentiation of myeloid progenitors with either phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (DBcAMP). Differentiation of HL-60 cells with PMA, but not DBcAMP, strongly induced ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity and CD73 mRNA expression. These observations indicate that signal transduction by extracellular ATP in myeloid leukocytes can be regulated by developmentally programmed changes in the expression of P2Y receptor subtypes and multiple ecto-nucleotidases.

5'-Nucleotidase↗

Aqp1 expression in erythroleukemia cells: genetic regulation of glucocorticoid and chemical induction.

The aquaporin-1 (AQP1) water channel protein is expressed in multiple mammalian tissues by several different developmental programs; however, the genetic regulation is undefined. The proximal promoter of mouse Aqp1 contains multiple putative cis-acting regulatory elements, and mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells are a well-characterized model for erythroid differentiation. Corticosteroid or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) exposure induces AQP1 protein expression in MEL cells, and transcriptional regulation was investigated by transient transfections with Aqp1 promoter-reporter constructs. Dexamethasone induction is abrogated by deletion of two glucocorticoid response elements -0.5 kilobases (kb) from the transcription initiation site. Mutation of the GATA element at -0.62 kb has no effect, whereas mutation of the CACCC site at -37 bp significantly reduces DMSO-induced promoter activity. Hydroxyurea induces expression of AQP1 protein without acting through the proximal promoter. The MEL cell line is a reproducible erythroid model system for studying transcriptional regulation of the Aqp1 gene while determining the consequences on AQP1 protein biosynthesis.

Animals↗

Developmental expression of insulin-regulatable glucose transporter GLUT-4.

The insulin-regulatable glucose transporter (GLUT-4) is expressed in adipose tissue and in cardiac and skeletal muscle (D. E. James, R. Brown, J. Navarro, and P. F. Pilch. Nature Lond. 333: 183-185, 1988). We examined GLUT-4 development between postnatal days 1 and 41 (P1-P41) in male and female rats in these tissues by quantitative immunoblotting. GLUT-4 was detectable in each tissue at comparable levels at P1. However, the subsequent patterns of GLUT-4 development were distinctive. GLUT-4 increased in the diaphragm after P7, peaked at P20, and then declined. GLUT-4 expression in the heart increased rapidly after P7 to plateau on P41 at levels four times greater than the diaphragm. In sharp contrast, adipose tissue expression was highest between P3 and P5 but declined to a nadir at P20 before rebounding at P34. These patterns were observed for both sexes within each tissue, but female GLUT-4 expression was higher in diaphragm and heart and lower in adipose tissue. The expression of GLUT-4 appears to be regulated in a tissue-specific manner by a developmental program that may coordinate the expression of other proteins of metabolic importance.

Adipose Tissue↗

Developmental regulation of cytochrome oxidase subunit VIa isoforms in cardiac and skeletal muscle.

Physiological requirements for mitochondrial respiration change during fetal and postnatal development of cardiac and skeletal muscle, particularly after the abrupt transition from the hypoxic fetal environment to the oxygen-rich milieu of the neonate. This study defines the pattern of expression of nuclear genes encoding the muscle-specific (H) and non-muscle-specific (L) isoforms of cytochrome oxidase (COX) subunit VIa during pre- and postnatal development of striated muscles in the mouse. In the early embryo, COX VIa-L was the predominant isoform expressed in all tissues. COX VIa-H mRNA was detectable as early as day 8 postcoitum (pc) in the heart, but not until gestational day 14 in skeletal myofibers of the tongue, diaphragm, and other skeletal muscles. At late fetal stages up until birth (days 16-18 pc), COX VIa-L and COX VIa-H were both expressed in striated myocytes, although the L form remained the dominant isoform. In postnatal animals, however, expression of COX VIa-H increased whereas COX VIa-L decreased in a reciprocal manner. Activation of the COX VIa-H gene also was observed during differentiation of nurine myogenic cells in culture and was followed by diminished expression of the COX VIa-L isoform in maturing myotubes, as in the intact animal. We conclude that regulation of nuclear genes encoding subunits of COX is a component of the developmental programs that govern cardiac and skeletal muscle differentiation and maturation in the mammalian fetus and neonate. COX VIa-L, the predominant isoform in all fetal tissues, is gradually replaced by the muscle-specific H isoform in both cardiac and skeletal muscles, although this transition is not complete until after birth.

Aging↗

In utero nicotine exposure alters fetal rat lung alveolar type II cell proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism.

We recently suggested that alveolar interstitial fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation may be a key mechanism underlying in utero nicotine-induced lung injury. However, the effects of in utero nicotine exposure on fetal alveolar type II (ATII) cells have not been fully determined. Placebo, nicotine (1 mg/kg), or nicotine (1 mg/kg) + the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma agonist prostaglandin J(2) (PGJ(2), 0.3 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally once daily to time-mated pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats from embryonic day 6 until their death on embryonic day 20. Fetal ATII cells were isolated, and ATII cell proliferation, differentiation (surfactant synthesis), and metabolism (metabolic profiling with the stable isotope [1,2-(13)C(2)]-d-glucose) were determined after nicotine exposure in utero or in vitro. In utero nicotine exposure significantly stimulated ATII cell proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism. Although the effects on ATII cell proliferation and metabolism were almost completely prevented by concomitant treatment with PGJ(2), the effects on surfactant synthesis were not. On the basis of in utero and in vitro data, we conclude that surfactant synthesis is stimulated by nicotine's direct effect on ATII cells, whereas cell proliferation and metabolism are affected via a paracrine mechanism(s) secondary to its effects on the adepithelial fibroblasts. These data provide evidence for direct and indirect effects of in utero nicotine exposure on fetal ATII cells that could permanently alter the "developmental program" of the developing lung. More importantly, concomitant administration of PPAR-gamma agonists can effectively attenuate many of the effects of in utero exposure to nicotine on ATII cells.

Animals↗

Combined prenatal and postnatal protein restriction influences adult kidney structure, function, and arterial pressure.

The effects of prenatal protein restriction on adult renal and cardiovascular function have been studied in considerable detail. However, little is known about the effects of life-long protein restriction, a common condition in the developing world. Therefore, we determined in rats the effects of combined pre- and postnatal protein restriction on adult arterial pressure and renal function and responses to increased dietary sodium. Nephron number was also determined. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were born to mothers fed a low [8% (wt/wt), LP] or normal [20% (wt/wt), NP] isocaloric protein diet throughout pregnancy and maintained on these diets after birth. At postnatal day 135, nephron number, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and renal function were determined. A high-NaCl [8.0% (wt/wt), high-salt] diet was fed to a subset of rats from weaning. MAP was less in LP than in NP rats (120 +/- 2 vs. 128 +/- 2 mmHg, P < 0.05) and was not significantly altered by increased salt intake. Nephron number was 31% less in LP than in NP rats (P < 0.001). The volume of individual glomeruli was also less in LP than in NP rats, as were calculated effective renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate. Glomerular filtration rate, but not effective renal plasma flow, appeared to be increased by high salt intake, particularly in LP rats. In conclusion, protein restriction induced a severe nephron deficit, but MAP was lower, rather than higher, in protein-restricted than in control rats in adulthood. These findings indicate that the postnatal environment plays a key role in determining the outcomes of developmental programming.

Algorithms↗

Antenatal antioxidant prevents adult hypertension, vascular dysfunction, and microvascular rarefaction associated with in utero exposure to a low-protein diet.

Developmental programming of hypertension is associated with vascular dysfunction characterized by impaired vasodilatation to nitric oxide, exaggerated vasoconstriction to ANG II, and microvascular rarefaction appearing in the neonatal period. Hypertensive adults have indices of increased oxidative stress, and newborns that were nutrient depleted during fetal life have decreased antioxidant defenses and increased susceptibility to oxidant injury. To test the hypothesis that oxidative stress participates in early life programming of hypertension, vascular dysfunction, and microvascular rarefaction associated with maternal protein deprivation, pregnant rats were fed a normal, low protein (LP), or LP plus lazaroid (lipid peroxidation inhibitor) isocaloric diet from the day of conception until delivery. Lazaroid administered along with the LP diet prevented blood pressure elevation, enhanced vasomotor response to ANG II, impaired vasodilatation to sodium nitroprusside, and microvascular rarefaction in adult offspring. Liver total glutathione was significantly decreased in LP fetuses, and kidney eight-isoprostaglandin F2alpha (8-isoPGF(2alpha)) levels were significantly increased in adult LP offspring; these modifications were prevented by lazaroid. Renal nitrotyrosine abundance and blood levels of 1,4-dihydroxynonene and 4-hydroxynonenal-protein adducts were not modified by antenatal diet exposure. This study shows in adult offspring of LP-fed dams prevention of hypertension, vascular dysfunction, microvascular rarefaction, and of an increase in indices of oxidative stress by the administration of lazaroid during gestation. Lazaroid also prevented the decrease in antioxidant glutathione levels in fetuses, suggesting an antenatal mild oxidative stress in offspring of LP-fed dams. These studies support the concept that perinatal oxidative insult can lead to permanent alterations in the cardiovascular system development.

Aging↗

Genetic and environmental influences on developing autonomic control of heart rate.

Individual differences in cardiovascular regulation result from a dynamic interaction between genetically programmed developmental processes and extrinsic (environmental) conditions. The alterations in autonomic functioning previously identified among pups of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) strain suggest a genetic influence on autonomic development. In the present studies, an early stimulation procedure previously shown to reduce the behavioral and endocrine responsiveness of rodents in adulthood was demonstrated to alter both neural control of heart rate and regional brain catecholamine levels during the preweaning period. Pups from litters of SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were handled daily during the first postnatal week. Selective pharmacological blockade with atenolol and atropine methylnitrate was used to identify autonomic controls of heart rate at 16 and 28 days of age. Combined blockade was used to estimate intrinsic heart rate. In both SHR and WKY, early handling was associated with elevated basal heart rate, elevated intrinsic heart rate, and decreased sympathetic tone. Parasympathetic influence on heart rate was elevated by early handling in WKY and decreased by handling in SHR. In addition, an increase in dorsal cortical norepinephrine concentration was produced by early handling in both strains. These data suggest that early environmental conditions can interact with the genetic predisposition for elevated blood pressure and may play a potentially important role in organizing the neural controls of cardiovascular regulation.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Differential expression of angiotensin II receptors during early renal morphogenesis.

Angiotensin II (ANG II) and its receptors, AT1 and AT2, may modulate kidney development. To define the temporal and spatial distribution of AT1 and AT2 receptors and their mRNAs during nephrogenesis, fetal, newborn, and adult rat kidneys were studied using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and radioligand binding autoradiography. AT1 expression was minimal at embryonic day 14 (E14), highly expressed at E20, and persisted into adulthood. Conversely, AT2 expression was easily detected from E14 through postnatal day 7 but was undetectable by postnatal day 28. At E14, 76% of the receptors were AT2, 24% were AT1, and both were found in the undifferentiated mesenchyme. By E17, AT1 comprised 40% of the receptors and localized to mature nephron segments, whereas AT2 remained within both condensed mesenchyme and differentiating epithelia. The dissociation constants for AT1 and AT2 were 0.45 +/- 0.09 nM and 0.73 +/- 0.15 nM, respectively, at E17, similar to adult values. By E20, AT1 and AT2 colocalized to the outer medullary stripe, deep nephrons, medullary rays, and blood vessels, while AT2 continued to predominate in the actively differentiating cortex. The presence of both subtypes of receptors capable of binding ANG II during early nephrogenesis and the time-dependent and structure-specific regulation of receptor localization confirm a regulated developmental program for receptor expression and suggest important roles for AT1 and AT2 in renal morphogenesis.

Aging↗

Developmental approaches to kidney tissue engineering.

Recent advances in our understanding of the developmental biology of the kidney, as well as the establishment of novel in vitro model systems, have potential implications for kidney tissue engineering. These advances include delineation of the roles of a number of growth factors in the developmental programs of branching morphogenesis and mesenchymal differentiation, a new understanding of the roles of the extracellular matrix, identification of potential "renal" stem cells, the ex vivo propagation and subsequent recombination of isolated components of the kidney, and successful transplantation of renal primordia into adult hosts. This review will examine these advances in the context of approaches to tissue engineering. Finally, novel approaches that synthesize advances in both cell-based and organ-based approaches are proposed.

Animals↗

Postnatal development of carbonic anhydrase IV expression in rabbit kidney.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) IV activity facilitates renal acidification by catalyzing the dehydration of luminal carbonic acid. CA IV has been localized to the proximal tubules and medullary collecting ducts. Maturation of CA IV expression has been considered to be important in the development of renal acid excretion. The purpose of the present study was to determine the maturational expression of CA IV in rabbit kidney. A guinea pig polyclonal antibody to purified rabbit lung microsomal membrane CA IV was generated. Immunoblotting of membrane proteins after peptide-N-glycosidase F treatment revealed two N-glycosylation sites and reduction in size from approximately 52 to 35 kDa; there appeared to be heavier glycosylation in the medulla. In membrane and total proteins from the kidney cortex, CA IV was 15-30% of the adult level during the first 2 wk of life but increased to mature levels by 5 wk of age. The maturational pattern in the cortex was confirmed by measuring SDS-resistant CA hydratase activity. In the medulla, both membrane and total proteins were generally less than one-fourth of the adult level of CA IV during the first 2 wk of life before reaching mature levels by 5 wk of age. Immunohistochemistry showed staining in proximal tubules (apical > basolateral), with maximal label in the S2 segment. CA IV also appeared on the apical membranes of a minority cell type of the cortical collecting duct, presumably the alpha-intercalated cell. Several labeled cells also appeared to be the process of being extruded from medullary collecting ducts of 1- to 2-wk rabbits. The antibody did not reliably detect medullary CA IV expression in sections from mature rabbits. These studies indicate that there is a substantial postnatal increase in expression of CA IV in the maturing kidney in both the cortex and medulla. The disappearance of intercalated cells in the maturing rabbit medullary collecting duct may be part of a normal renal developmental program as previously reported [J. Kim, J.-H. Cha, C. C. Tisher, and K. M. Madsen. Am. J. Physiol. 270 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 39): F575-F592, 1996]. It is likely that the maturation of CA IV expression contributes to the increase in renal acidification observed early in postnatal life.

Aging↗

Ion channel development, spontaneous activity, and activity-dependent development in nerve and muscle cells.

At specific stages of development, nerve and muscle cells generate spontaneous electrical activity that is required for normal maturation of intrinsic excitability and synaptic connectivity. The patterns of this spontaneous activity are not simply immature versions of the mature activity, but rather are highly specialized to initiate and control many aspects of neuronal development. The configuration of voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels that are expressed early in development regulate the timing and waveform of this activity. They also regulate Ca2+ influx during spontaneous activity, which is the first step in triggering activity-dependent developmental programs. For these reasons, the properties of voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels expressed by developing neurons and muscle cells often differ markedly from those of adult cells. When viewed from this perspective, the reasons for complex patterns of ion channel emergence and regression during development become much clearer.

Animals↗

Neurogenesis and the evolution of cortical diversity: mode, tempo, and partitioning during development and persistence in adulthood.

The mammalian cerebral cortex varies enormously in absolute and relative size across species. These size differences reflect phyletic differences in the number and organization of cortical neurons, which in turn imply evolutionary changes in the developmental program that generates these neurons. Whereas patterns of symmetric and asymmetric modes of progenitor cell division during cortical neurogenesis are widely conserved among species, other proliferation parameters, including the timing and number of cell divisions, vary considerably. This variation contributes to the development of cortical size differences in mammals in general, and the expansion of neocortex in anthropoid primates (monkeys, apes, and humans) in particular. The disproportionate enlargement of anthropoid neocortex might also arise from regional 'border-shifting' within the embryonic telencephalon, causing expansion of the neurogenic region allocated for producing neocortex and concomitant diminution of neighboring olfactory regions. Neurogenesis also shows substantial phyletic differences in adult hippocampus, an archicortical structure. Therefore, variation in neurogenesis across species is not only a feature of early development, but is also a trait of adult cortical diversity.

Animals↗

Non-random X chromosome inactivation in mammalian cells.

A salient feature of mammalian X dosage compensation is that X-inactivation occurs without regard to the parental origin of either active or inactive X. However, there are variations on the theme of random inactivation, namely paternal X inactivation in marsupials and in placental tissues of some mammals. Whether inactivation is random or paternal seems to depend on the time when this developmental program is initiated. As deletions of the X inactivation center (XIC/Xic) and/or the X inactive specific transcript (XIST/Xist) gene result in failure of cis X-inactivation, mutations in genes from this region might lead to preferential inactivation of one X chromosome or the other. The Xce locus in the murine Xic is considered a prototype for this model. Recent studies suggest that choice involves maintaining the activity of one X, while the other(s) by default is programmed to become inactive. Also, choice resides within the XIC, so that mutations elsewhere, although perhaps able to interfere with cis inactivation, are not likely to affect the X chromosome from only one parent. Mutations affecting the choice of active X will be more difficult to detect in humans than in inbred laboratory mice because of the greater allelic differences between maternal and paternal X chromosomes; some of these differences predispose to growth competition between the mosaic cell populations. I suggest that the skewing of inactivation patterns observed in human females most often occurs after random X inactivation, and is due mainly to cell selection favoring alleles that provide a relative growth advantage.

Alleles↗

Insulin exposure and unifying aging.

BACKGROUND: Absence of a widely agreed upon central paradigm for mammalian aging. OBJECTIVE: Detailed elaboration of a proposed mammalian aging paradigm. METHODS: Elaboration of a new theoretical model. RESULTS: Hormonal imbalance-growth factor exposure theory (HI-GFE theory) can account for two major aging phenomena: (1) decline in mammalian 'reserve capacity' and consequent rise of diseases of maintenance, and (2) rise then peaking of most age-associated proliferative diseases. Reserve capacity decline via gradual decline in mitochondrial maximal energy production (state 3) accounts for the gradual redirection of declined maximal energy production toward survival functions like ion pumping to the relative detriment of RNA and protein synthesis as seen in lesser synthetic rates and slower turnover with consequent gradual cellular impairment. Developmental program triggered, and over-ample nutritionally driven, growth factor exposure in youth to middle age encourages promotional events that lead to proliferative diseases that rise coincident to rapidly declining reserve capacity and cumulative increased mutational status of age. CONCLUSIONS: Declining mitochondrial state 3 aging energy production status is easily and safely reversible with probable consequences of greatly postponing the decline in overall 'reserve capacity' which may also improve insulin: growth hormone balance and result in lower overall growth factor exposure and consequent longer healthy life of a potentially greater magnitude increase in life spans than that seen in calorie-restricted animals.

Aging↗