Effects of the bradykinin B1 receptor antagonist des-Arg9[Leu8]bradykinin and genetic disruption of the B2 receptor on nociception in rats and mice.

The contributions of B1 and B2 bradykinin receptors to acute and chronic inflammatory hyperalgesia were examined using the peptide B1 receptor antagonist des-Arg9[Leu8]bradykinin and transgenic Bk2r-/- mice. In normal rats and mice, des-Arg9[Leu8]bradykinin (30 nmol/kg i.v. or s.c.) inhibited carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia and the late phase nociceptive response to formalin. The active dose range was narrow, suggesting partial agonist activity of this peptide. In rats with monoarthritis, des-Arg9[Leu8]bradykinin (up to 30 nmol/kg i.v.) failed to reduce the number of vocalisations elicited by gentle flexion and extension of the inflamed limb; however, hyperalgesia was exacerbated by administration of the B1 receptor agonist des-[Arg9]bradykinin (100 nmol/kg i.v.), consistent with other evidence for local induction of B1 receptors during adjuvant-induced arthritis. The nociceptive response to intraplantar injection of bradykinin (10 nmol) and hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan (0.6 mg) were absent in Bk2r-/- mice, indicating that stimulation of B2 receptors is an essential step in the initiation of some nociceptive and inflammatory reactions. However, the nociceptive response to formalin (2.5% intraplantar), including inhibition of the late phase by des-Arg9[Leu8]bradykinin (0.3 nmol), and induction of thermal hyperalgesia by Freund's adjuvant (0.1%) appeared intact in Bk2r-/- mice. These findings support other evidence for an involvement of B1 receptors in inflammatory hyperalgesia and suggest that B1 receptor antagonists may be clinically useful as anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.

Expression of B1 and B2 bradykinin receptor mRNA and their functional roles in sympathetic ganglia and sensory dorsal root ganglia neurones from wild-type and B2 receptor knockout mice.

Bradykinin has been implicated in nociception and inflammation. To examine the relative significance of B1 and B2 bradykinin receptor subtypes in sympathetic and sensory ganglia, the electrophysiological effects of bradykinin analogues and the expression of receptor subtype mRNA were examined in wild-type and "B2 knockout" mice from which the B2 receptor gene had been deleted. In wild-type mice the B2 receptor agonist bradykinin depolarized superior cervical ganglia (SCG) and activated inward currents in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurones. Responses to the B1 receptor agonist, [des-Arg10]-kallidin, were seen only in SCG that had been pre-treated with interleukins and the peptidase inhibitor captopril, but not in DRG neurones. The up-regulation of responses to [des-Arg10]-kallidin and substance P were blocked by indomethacin and, thus, were dependent upon cyclo-oxygenase activity. The effects of bradykinin were abolished in SCG and DRG's from B2 knockout mice and this was correlated with the absence of B2 receptor mRNA in ganglia from these animals. However, despite the presence of B1 receptor mRNA in interleukin treated SCG from B2 knockout mice, no depolarizing effects of the B1 receptor agonist [des-Arg10]-kallidin were observed. The successful elimination of bradykinin responses and B2 mRNA in sympathetic and sensory ganglia from B2 knockout mice, confirms that B2 receptors are the predominant functional bradykinin receptor subtype in these tissues and that B1 receptor mRNA is expressed in both sympathetic and sensory ganglia from these animals.

Cloning and pharmacological characterization of bradykinin receptors.

A human B2 bradykinin receptor cDNA was cloned from the lung fibroblast cell line, CCD-Lu. This clone was utilized to isolate a genomic clone of a mouse B2 bradykinin receptor. Both clones encode a protein that has the predicted characteristics of a seven transmembrane domain G-protein-coupled receptor. The DNA sequence of these two clones is 84% identical in the putative coding region. The clones have been heterologously expressed in a mammalian cell line lacking endogenous bradykinin receptors, COS-7, and a comparative analysis of their pharmacology was done. Both clones exhibit properties characteristic of the B2 bradykinin receptor, binding bradykinin with high affinity (KD = 0.1-0.2 nM) and binding des-Arg9 bradykinin with a very low affinity (IC50 > 5 microM). Interestingly, the mouse B2 bradykinin receptor has a 60-80 fold higher affinity than the human B2 bradykinin receptor for the peptide antagonists D-Arg0[Hyp3,Thi5,8,D-Phe7]bradykinin and D-Arg0[Hyp3,D-Phe7]bradykinin.

Targeted disruption of the mouse B2 bradykinin receptor in embryonic stem cells.

Two mammalian genes encoding bradykinin (BK) receptors termed B1 and B2 have been identified by molecular cloning techniques. Some pharmacological data suggest the existence of further subtypes of the B2 receptor. To unambiguously determine whether additional genes encoding B2 BK receptors might exist in mammals, steps have been taken toward the generation of mice with a "knockout" of the BK B2 receptor. A genomic clone of the mouse B2 BK receptor was isolated and its coding sequence determined by DNA sequence analysis. A physical map of the DNA flanking this coding sequence was generated. A vector, pBS-KO-1, was constructed for targeted disruption of the mouse B2 receptor gene. This vector contains 1 kb (kilobase) of DNA upstream the mouse B2 receptor coding sequence, a neomycin resistance gene (neo), and 5.4 kb of DNA downstream of the B2 receptor coding sequence. Thus, the correct homologous recombination event will result in a chromosome in which the coding sequence for the mouse B2 BK receptor is replaced with the neomycin resistance gene. pBS-KO-1 was transfected into embryonic stem cells, and clones containing a targeted disruption of the mouse B2 BK receptor were identified.

The agonist selectivity of a mouse B1 bradykinin receptor differs from human and rabbit B1 receptors.

A genomic clone encoding the mouse B1 receptor was isolated by homology to the human B1 receptor cDNA. The deduced amino acid sequence of the mouse B1 receptor is 72% identical to the human B1 receptor and 73% identical to the rabbit B1 receptor. Ligand binding studies of the mouse B1 receptor expressed in COS cells indicate that it has the pharmacological properties associated with the B1 receptor subtype. However the pharmacology of the mouse receptor is unique in that it possesses a 2-3-fold selectivity for the 'classical' B1 agonist des-Arg9BK over the agonist des-Arg10 kallidin. In contrast, the human and rabbit B1 receptors exhibit an approx. 2000- and 150-fold selectivity, respectively, for des-Arg10kallidin over des-Arg9BK. Thus relative to the human and rabbit B1 receptors the mouse B1 receptor has the opposite selectivity for kinin agonists. The DNA sequence of the region encoding bradykinin was determined for two different mouse kininogen cDNA clones, both encode the sequence Arg-BK. Antipeptide antibodies directed against a C-terminal peptide of the human B1 receptor were produced. Initial characterization of this antibody indicates that it detects specific bands by Western blot analyses that are present in membranes prepared from COS cells transfected with the human B1 receptor cDNA but not from mock transfected COS cells.

Phospholipase D activity and phosphatidylethanol formation in stimulated HeLa cells expressing the human m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor gene.

The human m1 and m2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) genes were subcloned, permanently expressed in HeLa cells and analyzed for their pharmacological and biochemical profiles. Both subtypes displayed saturable, high affinity binding of [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) which was displaced by muscarinic agonists and antagonists. Stimulation of intact HeLa cells expressing the human m1 AChR gene by the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine-M, in the presence of ethanol, resulted in the activation of phospholipase D (PLD) and the formation of phosphatidylethanol (PEt). In contrast, oxotremorine-M did not activate PLD in the HeLa cells expressing the human m2 AChR subtype. These data suggest that the human m1 AChR is linked to the signal transduction mechanism of PLD activation, whereas the human m2 AChR interacts with a different guanine nucleotide regulatory binding protein (G-protein) which does not cause the activation of PLD or the formation of PEt.

Toward the development of a gene index to the human genome: an assessment of the nature of high-throughput EST sequence data.

A rigorous analysis of the Merck-sponsored EST data with respect to known gene sequences increases the utility of the data set and helps refine methods for building a gene index. A highly curated human transcript data base was used as a reference data set of known genes. A detailed analysis of EST sequences derived from known genes was performed to assess the accuracy of EST sequence annotation. The EST data was screened to remove low-quality and low-complexity sequences. A set of high-quality ESTs similar to the transcript data base was identified using BLAST; this subset of ESTs was compared with the set of known genes using the Smith-Waterman algorithm. Error rates of several types were assessed based on a flexible match criterion defining sequence identity. The rate of lane-tracking errors is very low, approximately 0.5%. Insert size data is accurate within approximately 20%. Reversed clone and internal priming error rates are approximately 5% and 2.5%, respectively, contributing to the incorrect identification of reads as 3' ends of genes. Follow-up investigation reveals that a significant number of clones, miscategorized as reversed, represent overlapping genes on the opposite strand of entries in the transcript data base. Relevance of these results to the creation of a high-quality index to the human genome capable of supporting diverse genomic investigations is discussed.

Cloning and pharmacological characterization of a human bradykinin (BK-2) receptor.

A human BK-2 bradykinin receptor was cloned from the lung fibroblast cell line CCD-16Lu. The cDNA clone encodes a 364 amino acid protein that has the characteristics of a seven transmembrane domain G-protein coupled receptor. The predicted amino acid sequence of the human BK-2 receptor is 81% identical to the smooth muscle rat BK-2 receptor (1). Transfection of the human BK-2 receptor cDNA into COS-7 cells results in the expression of high levels of specific BK binding sites. Saturation binding analysis indicates that the human BK-2 receptor expressed in COS-7 cells binds BK with a KD of 0.13 nM. Pharmacological characterization of the expressed BK receptor is consistent with the cDNA encoding a receptor of the BK-2 subtype. The BK-2 receptor antagonist Hoe 140 (2), D-Arg0[Hyp3, Thi5, D-Tic7, Oic8]BK has a high affinity (IC50 = 65 pM) for the cloned human receptor. The tissue distribution of the human BK-2 receptor was analyzed by competitive PCR with human tissue cDNA and is similar to that determined for the BK-2 receptor in the rat.

Differential pharmacology of cloned human and mouse B2 bradykinin receptors.

The pharmacology of cloned B2 bradykinin receptors heterologously expressed in cell lines lacking any endogenous bradykinin receptors was analyzed. The possibility of B2 bradykinin receptor heterogeneity had been proposed on the basis of numerous studies in various tissue preparations. The results reported here permit a direct evaluation of some of these hypotheses by examining the pharmacological properties of cloned bradykinin receptors. A cloned human B2 bradykinin receptor was stably transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells. The data suggest that in response to bradykinin (BK), the cloned receptor activates both phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and arachidonic acid release by independent pathways. Thus, the activation of these two second messenger pathways does not require the existence of two B2 bradykinin receptor subtypes. A mouse gene encoding the B2 bradykinin receptor was isolated, and the coding region was expressed in COS-7 cells. This murine receptor exhibited the pharmacological properties of a "classical" B2 bradykinin receptor. A comparison of the pharmacological profiles of cloned human and murine homologs of the B2 bradykinin receptor indicates that both receptors bind agonists with similar properties. However, the two receptors differ dramatically in their affinity for some peptide antagonists. The mouse receptor has a 60- to 80-fold higher affinity for [D-Arg0Hyp3, Thi5,8,D-Phe7]BK and [D-Arg0,Hyp3,D-Phe7]BK than its human homolog. Thus, the species of a bradykinin receptor can have a significant effect on its pharmacology. The cloning, expression, and pharmacological comparison of human and mouse B2 bradykinin receptor genes indicate that some of the previous reports of B2 receptor subtypes can be explained by species differences in a single B2 bradykinin receptor gene.

Presence of a simple tandem repeat in the ITS1 region of the Xylariales.

A Simple Tandem Repeat sequence of 11 nucleotides has been found in the ITS1 region of the rDNA of members of Order Xylariales. The number of repetitions detected ranged from one to six, and they could be found in pure tandem or interspersed. The same core sequences have also been found in DNA from other organisms, although usually not repeated in tandem. These repetitions could have been generated by slipped strand mispairing. The presence of this sequence increases the normal rate of divergence in the ITS1 of the Xylariales. The phylogenetic implications of the presence of this sequence in the molecular taxonomy of Xylariales are also discussed.

Targeted disruption of a B2 bradykinin receptor gene in mice eliminates bradykinin action in smooth muscle and neurons.

Mice that are homozygous for the targeted disruption of the gene encoding the B2 bradykinin receptor have been generated. The gene disruption results in a deletion of the entire coding sequence for the B2 receptor. The disruption of the B2 receptor gene has been confirmed by genetic, biochemical, and pharmacological analyses. Mice that are homozygous for the disruption of the B2 receptor gene are fertile and indistinguishable from their littermates by visual inspection. Bradykinin fails to produce responses in pharmacological preparations from ileum, uterus, and the superior cervical ganglia from these mice. Therefore, expression of a single gene appears to be responsible for conferring responsiveness to bradykinin in these tissues.

The Merck Gene Index browser: an extensible data integration system for gene finding, gene characterization and EST data mining.

MOTIVATION: To make effective use of the vast amounts of expressed sequence tag (EST) sequence data generated by the Merck-sponsored EST project and other similar efforts, sequences must be organized into gene classes, and scientists must be able to 'mine' the gene class data in the context of related genomic data. RESULTS: This paper presents the Merck Gene Index browser, an easily extensible, World Wide Web-based system for mining the Merck Gene Index (MGI) and related genomic data. The MGI is a non-redundant set of clones and sequences, each representing a distinct gene, constructed from all high-quality 3' EST sequences generated by the Merck-sponsored EST project. The MGI browser integrates data from a variety of sources and storage formats, both local and remote, using an eclectic integration strategy, including a federation of relational databases, a local data warehouse and simple hypertext links. Data currently integrated include: LENS cDNA clone and EST data, dbEST protein and non-EST nucleic acid similarity data, WashU sequence chromatograms. Entrez sequence and Medline entries, and UniGene gene clusters. Flatfile sequence data are accessed using the Bioapps server, an internally developed client-server system that supports generic sequence analysis applications. Browser data are retrieved and formatted by means of the Bioinformatics Data Integration Toolkit (B-DIT), a new suite of Perl routines.

Expression cloning of a human B1 bradykinin receptor.

A cDNA clone encoding a human B1 bradykinin receptor was isolated from a human embryonic lung fibroblast cDNA library by expression cloning. The photoprotein aequorin was utilized as an indicator of the ability of the B1 receptor agonist [des-Arg10]kallidin to mediate Ca2+ mobilization in Xenopus laevis oocytes injected with RNA. A clone was isolated with a 1307-nucleotide insert which contains an open reading frame encoding a 353-amino acid protein with the characteristics of a G-protein-coupled receptor. The amino acid sequence of the B1 bradykinin receptor is 36% identical to the amino acid sequence of the B2 bradykinin receptor. The cloned B1 bradykinin receptor expressed in mammalian cells exhibits high affinity binding for 3H-labeled [des-Arg10]kallidin and low affinity for bradykinin. The B1 receptor antagonist [des-Arg10,Leu9]kallidin effectively displaces 3H-labeled [des-Arg10]kallidin from the cloned receptor, whereas the B2 receptor antagonist Hoe-140 (D-Arg0-[Hyp3,Thi5,D-Tic7,Oic8]bradykinin, where Thi is L-[3-(2-thienyl)alanyl], Tic is D-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-3-yl-carbonyl), and Oic is L-[(3aS, 7aS)-octahydroindol-2-yl-carbonyl]) does not. Therefore, the expressed receptor has the pharmacological characteristics of the B1 receptor subtype. The availability of both the cloned human B1 and B2 bradykinin receptors should allow the elucidation of the relative contributions of these two receptor subtypes in acute and chronic inflammatory processes.