Absence of induction of enhanced reactivation of herpes simplex virus in cells from xeroderma pigmentosum patients without skin cancer.

The time course of appearance of enhanced reactivation (ER) and enhanced mutagenesis (EM) of herpes simplex virus type 1 were studied in UV-irradiated stationary cultures of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) fibroblasts. In some of the XP cells EM followed similar kinetics of appearance as ER. Maximal activities occurred when infection was delayed 1 or 2 days after cell treatment. However, in certain XP cells only induction of the EM response was observed, whereas ER was absent. Interestingly, the latter XP cells had been obtained from patients who had not yet developed skin cancer at the time they were described in the literature, whereas the former XP patients had already developed skin tumors. This suggests that the ER response may somehow be involved in the process of oncogenic transformation. Dose-response studies of ER in XP cells from tumor-bearing patients showed that ER is maximally induced with a UV dose of 40 Jm-2 given to the virus. Normal levels of ER were observed in 14 different normal human skin fibroblasts, indicating that the ER- phenotype does not occur in normal cells or at least more rarely than in XP cells.

Analysis of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) messenger ribonucleic acid and POMC-derived peptides in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: no evidence for a lymphocyte-derived POMC system.

A number of recent studies suggest that cells of the immune system, e.g. peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), can synthesize and process POMC and secrete POMC-derived peptides, such as ACTH and endorphins, upon immune and hormonal challenges. From this, it has been proposed that POMC-derived peptides originating from lymphoid cells can function as hormones, for instance in a lymphoid-adrenal axis. In view of the important physiological implications of this proposal, the present study was designed to investigate the expression of the POMC gene in human PBMC and the production by these cells of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-endorphins (alpha E, beta E, and gamma E) peptides that are established end products of the posttranslational processing of POMC. PBMC of individual donors were used uncultured (fresh cells) or cultured for 24 and 48 h in the presence and absence of Concanavalin-A (Con-A), bacterial lipopolysaccharide, phytohemagglutinin, or CRH, and vasopressin, conditions that reportedly stimulate POMC activity in those cells, to investigate the presence of POMC transcripts by analysis of total RNA with Northern blotting and the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Large scale preparations containing over 10(9) cells (fresh, cultured with and without Con-A) originating from several donors were examined for the presence of POMC transcripts by analysis of poly(A)+ RNA on Northern blots and for the presence of alpha E, beta E, and gamma E by gel filtration over Sephadex G-75 and reverse phase HPLC, followed by assay of the fractions in four endorphin RIA systems with different specificities. On the Northern blots of total RNA, no POMC transcripts were detectable. In poly(A)+ RNA preparations, no full-length POMC mRNA was found, and it was estimated that the concentration of POMC mRNA, if present, was below approximately 0.005 transcript/cell in Con-A-stimulated cells and still lower in unstimulated cells. In accord with literature data, an 800- to 900-nucleotide POMC transcript was detected in cultured PBMC, and the levels of this transcript were stimulated by Con-A. In all samples analyzed with RT-PCR, a transcript spanning most of exons 2 and 3 was detectable only on Southern blots of the RT-PCR product, but not on agarose gels stained with ethidium bromide. Chromatographic analysis of endorphin immunoreactivities in cell extracts revealed no qualitative differences between the immunoreactive profiles of fresh PBMC or PBMC cultured with or without Con-A.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The Hormone Domain of the Vasopressin Prohormone is Required for the Correct Prohormone Trafficking Through the Secretory Pathway.

It has long been known that under intracellular conditions vasopressin associates tightly to neurophysin, which is present in the same prohormone. As the association has been suggested to play a role during hormone biosynthesis, its role was studied in a cellular context by expressing mutant vasopressin precursors in Neuro2A cells. Mutant vasopressin precursors, in which the association between the vasopressin and neurophysin domains was prevented either by deleting the vasopressin domain from the precursor or by substitution of the essential Tyr2 residue in vasopressin for Gly, were neither processed nor targeted into secretory granules. Rather, both provasopressin mutants were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. Our results demonstrate that the vasopressin domain is crucial for correct trafficking of the prohormone through the secretory pathway, and suggest that vasopressin-neurophysin association provides correct prohormone folding in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Processing of frameshifted vasopressin precursors.

Biosynthesis of the vasopressin (VP) prohormone in magnocellular neurones of the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system comprises endoplasmic reticulum (ER) transit, sorting into the regulated secretory pathway and subsequent processing in the individual proteins VP, neurophysin and a glycoprotein. These processes are severely disrupted in the homozygous diabetes insipidus (di/di) Brattleboro rat, which expresses a mutant VP precursor due to a single nucleotide deletion in the neurophysin region of the VP gene resulting in VP deficiency. Previous studies have shown the presence of additional frameshift mutations in VP transcripts, in solitary magnocellular neurones of the di/di rat due to a GA dinucleotide deletion resulting in two different mutant VP precursors with partly restored reading frame. Frameshifted VP precursors are also expressed in several magnocellular neurones in wild-type rats. In this study, we determined if the +1 frameshifted precursors from di/di and wild-type rats can lead to biosynthesis of the hormone VP. Therefore, eukaryotic expression plasmids containing the frameshifted VP cDNAs were transiently expressed in peptidergic tumour cell lines, and cells were analysed by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography and specific radioimmunoassays, and by immunofluoresence. Neuro2A neuroblastoma cells expressing the +1 frameshifted precursors of di/di rats retained products in the cell body. Only precursor or insignificant quantities of neurophysin-immunoreactive products were detected. In contrast, in AtT20 cells, frameshifted VP precursors were at least partly processed to yield the VP peptide, indicating that they have access to the regulated secretory pathway. Comparison between the two cell lines showed a very slow ER transit of the wild-type prohormone combined with inefficient processing in Neuro2A cells. The results show that mutant precursors can reach the regulated secretory pathway if ER transport is sufficiently rapid as in the case of AtT20 cells. This suggests that the di/di rat may regain the capacity to biosynthesize authentic VP through these +1 frameshifted precursors in magnocellular neurones.

In vivo conversion of vasopressin after microinjection into limbic brain areas of rats.

The nonapeptide [Arg8]vasopressin was rapidly degraded with a half-life of lower than 1 minute after local administration into the hippocampus. During the conversion of vasopressin C-terminal fragments were transiently generated. The profile of these metabolites indicated that they were formed by aminopeptidase activity. The aminopeptidase inhibitor amastatin partially inhibited the conversion of vasopressin. A minor pathway involved cleavages in the C-terminus. The results indicate a predominant involvement of aminopeptidase activity in the in vivo metabolism of exogenous vasopressin in the brain. Since products of this metabolic route have been shown to have potent behavioral activities, the behavioral effects seen after microinjection of vasopressin in the brain may be partially due to generation of vasopressin fragments.

Vasopressin(1-8) (des-glycinamide9-[Arg8]vasopressin) is an endogenous peptide present in rat plasma.

Using a radioimmunoassay for [Arg8]vasopressin(1-8) (des-glycinamide9-[Arg8]vasopressin; DGAVP) endogenous immunoreactive DGAVP (IR-DGAVP) was detected in extracts of plasma prepared from trunk blood of male Wistar rats. The IR-DGAVP was further characterized by reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). One of the two immunoreactive peaks obtained by HPLC coeluted with synthetic DGAVP and did not cross-react in a radioimmunoassay specific for [Arg8]vasopressin(1-9) (AVP). The other showed the chromatographical and radioimmunological characteristics of AVP. Analysis by HPLC of plasma prepared from fresh blood spiked with 3H-AVP indicated that under the experimental conditions employed no DGAVP was formed during extraction. The results indicate that DGAVP is present in rat plasma, possibly as an endogenous metabolite of AVP.

Properties of aminopeptidase activity involved in the conversion of vasopressin by rat brain membranes.

Previously it has been shown that vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin are converted by aminopeptidase activity in brain membranes into fragments with potent CNS activities. This report concerns the properties of this enzyme activity, addressed as VP-converting aminopeptidase (VP-AP) activity, in membranes of the rat brain. The VP-AP activity had a pH optimum at pH 7.0 and had a Km of 17 microM for its action on VP. Amastatin was the most potent aminopeptidase inhibitor. Enzyme activity was inhibited by relatively low concentrations of metal chelators. Treatment of brain membranes by EDTA resulted in loss of enzyme activity that was completely reversed by 10 microM Zn2+, indicating that VP-AP activity is a metallopeptidase. Several VP analogues and fragments, in particular VP(1-8), inhibited the action of enzyme activity on VP. Among peptides unrelated to VP, angiotension I, somatostatin, and porcine ACTH(1-39) markedly inhibited enzyme activity. Solubilization of VP-AP activity from brain membranes and gel filtration on Sephadex G200 showed two peaks of activity, one eluting with an apparent mass of about 140 kDa, the other in the void volume. Gel filtration fractions were able to convert [3H][Phe3]VP in a step-wise fashion. The VP-AP-like activity was found in many tissues outside the brain. Highest activity was present in lung, kidney, parts of the gastrointestinal tract, ovary, and uterus. The results indicate that VP-AP activity is a widely distributed enzyme with probably multiple functions, one of which involves the metabolism of vasopressin in the brain.

Frameshift mutations at two hotspots in vasopressin transcripts in post-mitotic neurons.

Mutations in DNA underlie carcinogenesis, inherited pathology, and aging and are generally thought to be introduced during meiosis and mitosis. Here we report that in post-mitotic neurons specific frameshift mutations occur at high frequency. These mutations were identified in vasopressin transcripts in magnocellular neurons of the homozygous Brattleboro rat and predominantly consist of a GA deletion in GAGAG motifs. Immunocytochemistry provides evidence for similar events in wild-type rats. However, the diseased state of the Brattleboro rat, resulting in a permanent activation of vasopressin neurons, enhanced the mutational rate. These data reveal hitherto unrecognized somatic mutations in nondividing neurons.

Homeobox gene Prx3 expression in rodent brain and extraneural tissues.

Different cDNA clones encoding a rat homeobox gene and the mouse homologue OG-12 were cloned from adult rat brain and mouse embryo mRNA, respectively. The predicted amino acid sequences of the proteins belong to the paired-related subfamily of homeodomain proteins (Prx homeodomains). Hence, the gene was named Prx3 and the mouse and rat genes are indicated as mPrx3 and rPrx3, respectively. In the mouse as well as in the rat, the predicted Prx3 proteins share the homeodomain but have three different N termini, a 12-aa residue variation in the C terminus, and contain a 14-aa residue motif common to a subset of homeodomain proteins, termed the "aristaless domain." Genetic mapping of Prx3 in the mouse placed this gene on chromosome 3. In situ hybridization on whole mount 12.5-day-old mouse embryos and sections of rat embryos at 14.5 and 16.5 days postcoitum revealed marked neural expression in discrete regions in the lateral and medial geniculate complex, superior and inferior colliculus, the superficial gray layer of the superior colliculus, pontine reticular formation, and inferior olive. In rat and mouse embryos, nonneuronal structures around the oral cavity and in hip and shoulder regions also expressed the Prx3 gene. In the adult rat brain, Prx3 gene expression was restricted to thalamic, tectal, and brainstem structures that include relay nuclei of the visual and auditory systems as well as other ascending systems conveying somatosensory information. Prx3 may have a role in specifying neural systems involved in processing somatosensory information, as well as in face and body structure formation.

A homeodomain gene Ptx3 has highly restricted brain expression in mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons.

The mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) system regulates behavior and movement control and has been implicated in psychiatric and affective disorders. We have identified a bicoid-related homeobox gene, Ptx3, a member of the Ptx-subfamily, that is uniquely expressed in these neurons. Its expression starting at E11.5 in the developing mouse midbrain correlates with the appearance of mesDA neurons. The number of Ptx3-expressing neurons is reduced in Parkinson patients, and these neurons are absent from 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats, an animal model for this disease. Thus, Ptx3 is a unique transcription factor marking the mesDA neurons at the exclusion of other dopaminergic neurons, and it may be involved in developmental determination of this neuronal lineage.