Deposits of amyloid beta protein in the central nervous system of transgenic mice.

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by widespread deposition of amyloid in the central nervous system. The 4-kilodalton amyloid beta protein is derived from a larger amyloid precursor protein and forms amyloid deposits in the brain by an unknown pathological mechanism. Except for aged nonhuman primates, there is no animal model for Alzheimer's disease. Transgenic mice expressing amyloid beta protein in the brain could provide such a model. To investigate this possibility, the 4-kilodalton human amyloid beta protein was expressed under the control of the promoter of the human amyloid precursor protein in two lines of transgenic mice. Amyloid beta protein accumulated in the dendrites of some but not all hippocampal neurons in 1-year-old transgenic mice. Aggregates of the amyloid beta protein formed amyloid-like fibrils that are similar in appearance to those in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Arginine vasopressin promotes growth of rat glomerular mesangial cells in culture.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) binds specifically to vascular smooth muscle-like mesangial cells (MCs) and affects contraction. We tested whether this peptide also modulates growth behavior of rat MCs in early subculture (passage 2-5). Subconfluent, serum-starved MCs were exposed to AVP (10(-10)-10(-6) M) in the presence or absence of insulin (5 micrograms/ml). To assess DNA replication, MC uptake of [3H]thymidine (24-h pulse) was determined on days 1, 2, and 3. AVP alone averaged a 1.97-fold increase in DNA synthesis at 24 h, whereas the mean stimulatory effects of AVP at 48 and 72 h were 7.21- and 5.42-fold, respectively. MCs exposed simultaneously to AVP and insulin showed potentiation of the mitogenic response to AVP alone. The V1-receptor antagonist [1-(beta-mercapto-beta,beta-cyclopentamethylene proprionic acid), 2-(O-methyl-Tyr)-Arg]vasopressin (PMP) inhibited only AVP-induced promotion of MC growth (maximal inhibition of -78.3%). The phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) acutely stimulated MC proliferation but did not add to the AVP effect. Preincubation of MCs with 600 nM of TPA for 48 h significantly inhibited AVP-induced mitogenesis (-87.2%). By use of fura-2, intracellular calcium (Cai) was assessed by spectrofluorometry. The addition of AVP (10(-12)-10(-6) M) led to a rapid, transient, dose-dependent increase in Cai of 154-383%, respectively. The AVP-induced increase in Cai was greatly inhibited by 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid 8-(diethylamino)octyl ester hydrochloride (TMB-8) (10(-8)-10(-6) M), an inhibitor of Cai release (-23.9 to -72.1%), and it was blunted by the atrial natriuretic peptide AP-28 (-38.3%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Glial fibrillary acid protein, an astrocytic-specific marker, maps to human chromosome 17.

The murine glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) gene is located on chromosome 11 in close proximity to the genes encoding transforming protein p53 (Trp53) and myeloperoxidase (Mpo). Both Trp53 and Mpo have been mapped to human chromosome 17, but the chromosomal assignment of human GFAP has not been previously determined. In this report, we have amplified a cDNA fragment encoding a portion of GFAP from human brain and have used this probe to screen a mouse x human somatic cell hybrid panel. The results show that a human-specific GFAP species of approx 3.7 kb maps to one of these lines, TMS5, which contains chromosome 17 as its only human chromosome. On the basis of these data we speculate that there may be evolutionary relatedness between GFAP and other genes that map to both murine chromosome 11 and human chromosome 17.

A Neu differentiation factor (NDF) domain essential for proliferation and alterations in morphology of colonic epithelial cells in vitro.

The Neu Differentiation Factors (NDFs, also termed "heregulins") are a family of proteins that were first isolated as ligands for the HER2 (ergB2, or p185neu) receptor protein tyrosine kinase. Here we show that NDF acts to stimulate the proliferation and alter the cellular morphology of colonic epithelial cells in culture. Dramatic NDF-induced changes in cellular morphology were noted in the colonic epithelial cell line, LIM 1215. In addition, the expression of specific cell proteins, such as carcinoembryonic antigen and integrin beta 4, was induced in LIM 1215 cells by NDF. These effects were more pronounced with the beta isoform than with the alpha isoform of NDF. The EGF-homology domain of NDF beta was sufficient to stimulate the proliferation and alteration in cell morphology. The use of chemically synthesized chimeric NDF alpha and NDF beta proteins enabled use to identify a region of seven amino acids in the EGF-homology domain of NDF beta that is required for both activities. These in vitro experiments suggest that NDF may act as a regulator of growth and differentiation of colonic epithelial cells in vivo.