Microtubule-associated proteins and in vitro astrocyte differentiation.

Primary cultures of mouse brain astrocytes have been used to identify the microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) present in this cell type at different stages of in vitro differentiation. The MAPs of the astrocyte have been identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunological detection. Two antisera were raised against two brain MAPs, tau and MAP-2. These antisera were also used to label the microtubular network in the intact astrocytes at different stages of the culture. The mature astrocyte contains a variety of MAP-like proteins. Anti-MAP-2 serum detected several proteins of high molecular weight (380,000, 260,000, 205,000 and 165,000 mol wt) and one microheterogeneous peak of 83,000 mol wt. Anti-tau also detected high molecular weight components (380,000 to approximately 200,000 mol wt) but not the 165,000-mol-wt peak; in addition two microheterogeneous peaks of 83,000 and 62,000 mol wt were detected by the anti-tau serum. The 62,000-mol-wt peak was therefore detected only by the anti-tau serum whereas the 83,000-mol-wt component cross-reacted with both antisera. At early stages of the culture the immature cell contained about two times less immunoreactive material than at mature stages. Qualitative changes of the high molecular weight components were also observed. In the intact cell both antisera revealed a dense fibrous network. At early stages of the culture the astroblasts were stained by the antisera but the reaction was very diffuse in the cytoplasm; few fibrous cells were intensively stained. Morphological differentiation, which began after serum deprivation and which was accelerated by forskolin (a drug that induces cyclic AMP accumulation), led to high labeling of both the cell body and the cellular processes. In the presence of colchicine the staining regressed, the processes shortened, and the cell returned to a less-apparently differentiated state.

Osteoblast recruitment and bone formation enhanced by cell matrix-associated heparin-binding growth-associated molecule (HB-GAM).

Bone has an enormous capacity for growth, regeneration, and remodeling. This capacity is largely due to induction of osteoblasts that are recruited to the site of bone formation. The recruitment of osteoblasts has not been fully elucidated, though the immediate environment of the cells is likely to play a role via cell- matrix interactions. We show here that heparin-binding growth-associated molecule (HB-GAM), an extracellular matrix-associated protein that enhances migratory responses in neurons, is prominently expressed in the cell matrices that act as target substrates for bone formation. Intriguingly, N-syndecan, which acts as a receptor for HB-GAM, is expressed by osteoblasts/osteoblast precursors, whose ultrastructural phenotypes suggest active cell motility. The hypothesis that HB-GAM/N-syndecan interaction mediates osteoblast recruitment, as inferred from developmental studies, was tested using osteoblast-type cells that express N-syndecan abundantly. These cells migrate rapidly to HB-GAM in a haptotactic transfilter assay and in a migration assay where HB-GAM patterns were created on culture wells. The mechanism of migration is similar to that previously described for the HB-GAM-induced migratory response of neurons. Our hypothesis that HB-GAM/N-syndecan interaction participates in regulation of osteoblast recruitment was tested using two different in vivo models: an adjuvant-induced arthritic model and a transgenic model. In the adjuvant-induced injury model, the expression of HB-GAM and of N-syndecan is strongly upregulated in the periosteum accompanying the regenerative response of bone. In the transgenic model, the HB-GAM expression is maintained in mesenchymal tissues with the highest expression in the periosteum. The HB-GAM transgenic mice develop a phenotype characterized by an increased bone thickness. HB-GAM may thus play an important role in bone formation, probably by mediating recruitment and attachment of osteoblasts/osteoblast precursors to the appropriate substrates for deposition of new bone.

Purification and properties of 4-aminobutyrate 2-ketoglutarate aminotransferase from pig liver.

4-Aminobutyrate-transaminase (4-aminobutyrate: 2-oxoglutarate amino-transferase, EC 2.6.1.19) from pig liver has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. It has a molecular weight of about 110 000 and is composed of two subunits of the same molecular weight but of different charges. Two forms of pig liver 4-aminobutyrate-transaminase were isolated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and designated as 4-aminobutyrate-transaminase I and 4-aminobutyrate-transaminase II, corresponding to a cationic and anionic form. Some physical and kinetic properties of liver enzyme were compared to those of brain enzyme and no significant difference were found, except for their sedimentation coefficients and the charges of their subunits. The role of 4-aminobutyrate-transaminase in liver remains a matter of speculation, but could be related to a metabolic function.

Heparin-binding proteins HB-GAM (pleiotrophin) and amphoterin in the regulation of cell motility.

Fractionation of proteins from perinatal rat brain was monitored using a neurite outgrowth assay. Two neurite-promoting proteins, HB-GAM (heparin-binding growth-associated molecule; also known as pleiotrophin) and amphoterin, were isolated, cloned and produced by baculovirus expression for structural and functional studies. HB-GAM is highly expressed in embryonic and early post-natal fiber pathways of the nervous system, and it enhances axonal growth/guidance by binding to N-syndecan (syndecan-3) at the neuron surface. N-syndecan in turn communicates with the cytoskeleton through the cortactin/src-kinase pathway to enhance neurite extension. In addition to N-syndecan, the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan RPTP beta/zeta (receptor-type tyrosine phosphatase beta/zeta) is implicated in the receptor mechanism of HB-GAM. HB-GAM is also prominently expressed in developing and regenerating bone as a matrix-bound cue for migration of osteoblasts/osteoblast precursors to the site of bone deposition. HB-GAM is suggested to regulate motility in osteoblasts through a similar mechanism as in neurons. Structural studies using heteronuclear NMR reveal two similar protein domains in HB-GAM, both consisting of three anti-parallel beta-strands. Search of sequence databases shows that the beta structures of HB-GAM and of the similar domains of MK (midkine) correspond to the thrombospondin type I (TSR) sequence motif. We suggest that the TSR sequence motif, found in several neurite outgrowth-promoting and other cell surface and matrix-binding proteins, defines a beta structure similar to those found in HB-GAM and MK. In general, amphoterin is highly expressed in immature and transformed cells. We suggest a model, according to which amphoterin is an autocrine/paracrine regulator of invasive migration. Amphoterin binds to RAGE (receptor of advanced glycation end products), an immunoglubulin superfamily member related to N-CAM (neural cell adhesion molecule), that communicates with the GTPases Cdc42 and Rac to regulate cell motility. In addition, ligation of RAGE by amphoterin activates NF-kappaB to regulate transcription.

Effects of a novel synthetic retinoid on malignant glioma in vitro: inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis and differentiation.

Among six synthetic retinoids tested, the retinoid 6-[3-(1-adamantyl)-4-hydroxyphenyl]-2-naphthalene carboxylic acid (CD437) was highly efficient in inducing growth inhibition of 8MG-BA and GL-15 human glioblastoma cell lines, with growth arrest at the S phase of the cell cycle. CD 437 also induced apoptosis in these cells, with 8MG-BA being the most sensitive. In these cells, induction of apoptosis by CD437 has been related to the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression and to CPP32 activation, but not to p53 expression. The remaining non-apoptotic cells presented a morphological pattern of astroglial differentiation with overexpression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and glutamine synthetase (GS). The mechanism of action of CD437, originally developed as a RARgamma agonist, is not yet elucidated. However, our results suggest that it acts through an increase of the expression of retinoid-inducible genes, such as RARbeta2 and/or RARalpha2.

Ultrastructural localization of beta-actin and amphoterin mRNA in cultured cells: application of tyramide signal amplification and comparison of detection methods.

We describe a nonradioactive preembedding in situ hybridization protocol using digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes and tyramide signal amplification to increase the sensitivity of detection. The protocol is sensitive enough for electron microscopic localization of endogenous messenger RNAs encoding beta-actin and amphoterin. Three visualization methods were compared: diaminobenzidine enhanced by nickel, Nanogold enhanced by silver and gold toning, and fluorescently labeled tyramides. Diaminobenzidine and Nanogold can be used in both light and electron microscopy. The nickel-enhanced diaminobenzidine was the most sensitive visualization method. It is easy to accomplish but a drawback is poor spatial resolution, which restricts its use at high magnifications. Nanogold visualization has considerably better spatial resolution and is therefore recommended for electron microscopy. Fluorescent tyramides, especially TRITC-tyramide, offer a good detection method for fluorescence and confocal microscopy. The methods were used to localize amphoterin and beta-actin mRNAs in motile cells. Both mRNAs were found in the soma and cell processes. In double labeling experiments, beta-actin mRNA localized to filamentous structures that also contained ribosomal proteins. Especially in the cortical cytoplasm, beta-actin mRNA was associated with actin filaments. Direct localization to microtubules was only rarely seen. (J Histochem Cytochem 47:99-112, 1999)

Glutamine synthetase modulation in the brain of rats subjected to deprivation of paradoxical sleep.

Changes in the level of glutamine synthetase (GS), an enzyme mainly located in astrocytes, were investigated in rat brain after deprivation of paradoxical sleep (PSD) and during recovery. An immunotitration method was used to evaluate the relative level of GS in brain tissue. At the end of a 24 h PSD, a significant increase in GS protein was observed both in the frontoparietal cortex (CX) and in the locus coeruleus area (LC). Four hours later during recovery, the level of GS protein returned to normal level in the CX but fell below control levels in the LC. In contrast, in the CX, the level of glial fibrillary acidic protein, an astroglial marker, did not change after PSD or during recovery. GS mRNA was quantified in the entire cortex by northern blot hybridization using of an oligonucleotidic GS-cDNA probe. We observed an increase in the GS mRNA level in the cortex of PSD rats of the same magnitude as the increase in GS protein. Both GS mRNA and GS protein tended to return to control values 4 h later during recovery. These results are discussed with particular attention to stress effects and possible physiological mechanisms regarding the regulation of amino acid levels by neurotransmitters during prolonged waking or neuronal excitation.

Effects of modafinil-induced wakefulness on glutamine synthetase regulation in the rat brain.

Changes in the level of glutamine synthetase (GS), an enzyme chiefly found in glial cells, were investigated in the brains of rats treated with modafinil, an awakening drug interfering with central catecholamine function. Two hours (waking period) and 7 h (recovery period) after intra-peritoneal injection of 128 mg/kg modafinil, a significant increase in the level of GS protein was observed by immunotitration in both the locus coeruleus (+30%) and in the frontoparietal cortex (+50%). No changes were observed with 64 mg/kg of modafinil. GS mRNA was quantified in the entire cortex by Northern blot hybridization using an oligonucleotidic GS cDNA probe. A significant increase in the GS-mRNA level (+70%) was observed in the CX of rats 2 h after injection of 128 mg/kg modafinil; the level tended to return to control values 7 h later during the recovery period. The level of glial acid fibrillary protein (GFAP), an astroglial marker, was unchanged after modafinil treatment. These changes in GS levels after modafinil treatment are discussed in terms of neuron-glia interactions in the regulation of brain metabolism during pharmacologically induced wakefulness, excluding possible stress effects.

Astroglial growth factor-2 (AGF2) increases ?-tubulin in astroglial cells cultured in a defined medium.

Astroglial cells have been cultured in a defined medium in the presence or not of either astroglial growth factor 2 (AGF2) or dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Immunocytochemical studies showed that AGF2-induced morpohological changes which were very different from those obtained in the presence of the cyclic AMP derivative; retraction of the cell body was much more marked in the presence of AGF2 and the cell processes were much longer and thinner. Labelling of the cells with ?- and ?-tubulin monoclonal antibodies suggested that the tubulin concentration and/or tubulin assembly is stimulated by AGF2. Immunoblot analysis of immature and differentiated astrocytes showed that the ?-tubulin content was increased 2-3 fold by AGF2 whereas for the ?-tubulin the stimulation was much less important (1-2 fold). Such an increase in the expression of ?-tubulin was already important 1 day after addition of AGF2 (2 fold). These and other data suggest that the striking changes in morphology produced by AGF2 might depend at least partly on underlying modifications of the microtubule network.

Expression of tubulin, GFAP and of their encoding mRNAs during the proliferation and differentiation of cultured astrocytes.

The expression of tubulin, of glial fibrillary acidic protein of their encoding mRNAs were studied in primary cultures of mouse astrocytes. The effects of dibutyryl cyclic AMP on these parameters were also analyzed. (1) The concentration of both ?- and ?-tubulin chains markedly increased (3-fold) between 7 and 12 days of culture and then remained at the same high value at later stages. In contrast ?-tubulin mRNA concentration remained constant throughout the same culture period. (2) Glial fibrillary acidic protein concentration increased steadily reaching a 4-fold higher value at the end of the same culture period. The glial fibrillary acidic protein mRNA increased 3-fold during the first 2 weeks of culture, leveled off at day 18 and then decreased steadily returning to low values (3-fold decrease) at later stages. (3) Addition for 2 days, at day 5 or 19 of the culture, of either dibutyryl cyclic AMP or forskolin remained without effect on tubulin concentration whereas a 50% decrease in ?-tubulin mRNA was observed. In the same conditions the effects of these drugs on glial fibrillary acidic protein and its mRNA were not significant. These results suggest that the increase in tubulin concentration seen between days 7 and 12, as well as that of glial fibrillary acidic protein observed during the last weeks of the culture, are not secondary to an increase either of the rate of transcription or of the stability of their encoding mRNAs.

Messenger RNA coding for glutamine synthetase in cerebral hemispheres and astroglial cultures from mouse brain: A developmental study.

Messenger RNAs from mouse brain hemispheres and from an enriched astroglial population of the same area were isolated, characterized and used to study Glutamine Synthetase (GS) processing during postnatal development using a m-RNA stimulated reticulocyte lysate system. The RNA preparations yielded distinct polypeptide products upon translation including high molecular weight species. Polypeptides in the range of 43-55 kDa appeared developmentally regulated in brain hemispheres but not in astroglia. After immunoprecipitation of the translation products with a GS antibody a major monomeric polypeptide was isolated on SDS/PAGE which migrated at the same position as the purified brain GS antigen (43 kDa). The translatable mRNA were optimal in the perinatal period and decreased until 300 days while GS-mRNA increased during the same period of time and closely paralleled the previously described GS activity profile in this brain area reaching an optimum at 15 days. Astroglial mRNAs were optimal at 18 days in vitro and decreased thereafter. The GS-mRNA was much lower in control astroglial cultures than in brain tissue, but in the presence of 10(?6)M hydrocortisone increased all over the growth period. The highest stimulation of GS-mRNA was observed at 18 days whereas the global mRNA decreased in the presence of the hormone. The GS-mRNAs from either 15-day-old brain hemispheres or 18-day in vitro hydrocortisone stimulated cultures were partially purified on a 5-30% linear sucrose gradient. Two GS-mRNAs, which sedimented respectively at 17S and 23S, were characterized. In addition, based on the profile of total proteins translated in vitro, we estimated that GS-mRNA constituted 0.01% of the brain hemisphere fraction and 0.3% in the astroglial hormone stimulated cells.

Apolipoprotein E gene expression in astrocytes: developmental pattern and regulation.

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is involved in brain development and repair. In order to investigate the contribution of astrocytes to ApoE gene expression, we investigated ApoE mRNA levels in mouse brain and in astroglial primary cultures during postnatal development and in two different trauma models. A biphasic developmental pattern was observed consisting in an increased expression during the first 2 weeks and a decrease in the later stages. A similar pattern was obtained in highly enriched primary cultures, suggesting ApoE mRNA location in the astroglial population and an important role for ApoE in astroglial development and/or function. ApoE gene expression could be modulated in culture by administration of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which mimics a bacterial infection, or in reactive astrocytes consequent to a chemically induced lesion, suggesting that ApoE might be involved in the inflammatory events consequent to both situations. These results underline the importance of astrocytes in regenerative processes.

Effects of retinoic acid and tumor necrosis factor alpha on GL-15 glioblastoma cells.

Glioblastomas are particularly resistant to classical antitumor treatments. Retinoids, which proved effective in the treatment of promyelocytic leukemia, have been used for clinical assays on glioma tumors with only moderate effects; however in some cases they were active in combination with another therapy. These observations prompted us to analyse the efficacy of combining retinoic acid (RA) with a cytokine on a clonal human glioma cell line. On GL-15 cells, RA and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) both reduced the glial fibrillary acidic protein level and DNA synthesis and induced apoptotic pathways, but they were significantly more effective when used together. The up-regulation of the p55 TNF receptors observed during RA exposure might explain this cooperative effect.

Long-term astroglial reaction to serotonergic fiber degeneration.

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and glutamine synthetase (GS) expression were analysed by Western and Northern blotting in the hippocampus, the frontal and occipital cortex, and the cerebellum of the adult rat, as a manifestation of the astroglial reaction, 2 and 3 months after 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine injection into the lateral ventricule. 5HT injury stimulated GFAP and GS expression in a temporally and regionally specific fashion. At 2 months postlesion, the GFAP-mRNA and GFAP levels appeared enhanced but returned to control levels at 3 months. The GFAP-mRNA and GS-mRNA levels increased in the frontal cortex at 3 months. Such a delayed astroglial reactivity might implicate astrocytes in neurodegenerative disorders.

Glial fibrillary acidic protein and its encoding mRNA exhibit mosaic expression in a glioblastoma multiform cell line of clonal origin.

The expression of two astroglial differentiation markers, vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein, was investigated in a previously established human glioma cell line of clonal origin (GL15). Vimentin immunolabelling was homogeneously expressed in all cells. Glial fibrillary acidic protein and its encoding message, investigated by immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization, showed a mosaic-like expression. Only 30% of the cell population expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein and its mRNA. Western and Northern blots performed for both markers confirmed the presence of both proteins and messages, and their level was correlated with the observed antigenic and molecular probe labelling. The overall antigenic pattern suggests that GL-15 cells do not belong to the O-2A progenitor cell lineage and may arise from a clonal expansion of astrocyte precursors.

GFAP turnover during astroglial proliferation and differentiation.

The expression and turnover of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were studied in astroglial primary cultures during postnatal proliferation and maturation. 1. Immunocytochemical studies demonstrated that in immature proliferating astrocytes. GFAP was expressed as a filamentous organized crown around the nucleus whereas in the maturating cells, a GFAP labelled network began to radiate throughout the cytoplasm and GFAP was highly expressed in the astroglial processes. 2. GFAP turnover was studied at 3 periods of culture. The decay of radioactivity from prelabelled GFAP was followed from day 4-12 (immature stage), 11-19 (maturing stage) and 21-29 (morphologically differentiated stage). GFAP displayed a biphasic decay kinetic at each considered period. Two pools of GFAP distinctly appeared. The first one was a fast decaying pool with a half life of 16-18 h and of 5-6 days for the stable one. The unstable pool decreased from 70% to 30% of the total incorporated radioactivity from the proliferating stage to the most mature stage, whereas the stable pool increased proportionally.

Alterations of glial fibrillary acidic protein mRNA level in the aging brain and in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type.

The GFAP mRNA levels were compared to the density of the senile plaques (SP) in postmortem brain samples of 8 cases, either non-demented or affected by senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. In the frontal neocortex, the GFAP mRNA level is not affected, even if SP are present. In the temporal neocortex, a positive correlation between GFAP mRNA level and SP density was highly significant. This shows that in this area, astrocytes are altered at transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels, or both. The different responses of this astrogliosis marker in each area may be related to the loss of specific neurotransmitter system.

Differential expression of laminin and fibronectin and of their related metalloproteinases in human glioma cell lines: relation to invasion.

In the present work, we analyzed the expression of two major components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), laminin and fibronectin and of two related matrix-metalloproteinases, MMP-2 and MMP-9, in three human glioma cell lines (8 MG, 42 Mg and GL-15) in relation with their differential invasive properties. Immunocytochemistry and Western-blots assays indicated the presence of a 200 kDa laminin, similarly expressed in the three cell lines but undetectable in their ECM. In the opposite, a 230 kDa fibronectin, detected in the three cell lines was differently expressed and only observed in the ECM of the less invasive 8 and 42 MG cells. MMP-2 mRNA analyzed by Northern blots and proMMP-2, evaluated by zymography, were found in the three cell lines but were both ten times higher in the most invasive GL-15 cells. In addition, the active form of MMP-2 was only found in the GL-15 cells. In the opposite, the expression of specific tissular inhibitor (TIMP)-2, an endogenous MMP-2 inhibitor, was restricted to the less invasive cells. MMP-9 activity was detected only in the 8 and 42 MG cells and may not be directly involved in invasion. Taken together, these results indicate that a high MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratio may be responsible for the absence of extracellular fibronectin, underlining the participation of tumour cells in the proteolytic degradation of the ECM. An unbalanced MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratio in the micro-environment of malignant cells may contribute to their invasive properties.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), up-regulate the IL-1-mRNA and down-regulate the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and glutamine synthetase (GS)-mRNAs in astroglial primary cultures.

The effect of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), a component of gram-negative bacteria, has been studied in both exponentially growing and confluent morphologically differentiated astroglial cells in primary cultures. The expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Glutamine Synthetase (GS) were investigated in parallel with proliferation and expression of IL-1 beta-mRNA. During the exponential growth, proliferation was severely inhibited by LPS. The effect was time- and dose-dependent. On confluent differentiated cells LPS induced an inhibition of cell proliferation which was associated with a down-regulation of GFAP-mRNA, GS-mRNA and GS expressions and with a transitory increase in IL-1 beta mRNA expression. The observed effects might interact with the astroglial developmental program and with the astroglial function.

Astroglial cells: glucocorticoid target cells in the brain.

Glutamine synthetase (GS), an enzyme localized in astroglial cells in the brain, is directly implicated in brain detoxification. An ontogenic study of GS activity was performed in homogenates from four distinct brain areas in comparison with the respective astrocytes obtained in primary cultures. GS was induced by hydrocortisone in the astrocytes of all brain areas studied; only cerebellum and cerebral hemisphere astroglial cells had a higher specific activity when compared with the corresponding homogenates. N6O2-Dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (dBc AMP), insulin, soluble brain factors, and noradrenaline (NA) were also able to modulate GS activity. Brain factors as well as dBc AMP interfered with hydrocortisone induction of GS. Regulation by hydrocortisone paralleled the variation in its concentration in brain during development. We conclude that astroglial cells are target cells for glucocorticoids, which may modulate ammonia detoxification in these cells.