Characterization of a novel quiescence responsive element downregulated by v-Src in the promoter of the neuroretina specific QR1 gene.

The neuroretina is a functional unit of the central nervous system which arises through successive steps of division, growth arrest and differentiation of neuroectodermal precursors. Postmitotic quail neuroretina (QNR) cells are conditionally induced to divide upon infection with temperature sensitive mutants of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), since QNR cell division can be arrested by either inactivating p60v-Src at the nonpermissive temperature (41 degrees C) or by serum deprivation at 37 degrees C. We are studying the transcriptional control of QR1, a neuroretina specific gene, whose expression is down-regulated in proliferating cells at 37 degrees C and is fully restored when these cells are made quiescent. We previously showed that this quiescence specific upregulation implicates a promoter region named A box, which binds Maf transcription factors. We report the identification of the C box, a second promoter sequence that activates QR1 transcription in non dividing cells. This sequence is able to form two DNA-protein complexes, one of which (C4) is predominantly detected in growth arrested NR cells. We identified the DNA binding site for C4 and described mutations that abolish both C4 binding and promoter activity in quiescent cells. Moreover, we show that a multimerized C box is able to stimulate a heterologous promoter in non dividing cells and constitutes, therefore, a novel quiescence responsive enhancer. Finally, we report that QR1 transcriptional response to cell quiescence requires cooperation between the C box and A box.

mafA, a novel member of the maf proto-oncogene family, displays developmental regulation and mitogenic capacity in avian neuroretina cells.

Transcription factors of the Maf proto-oncogene family have been shown to participate in the regulation of several differentiation specific genes. We previously reported that a member(s) of this family is involved in the regulation of the neuroretina specific gene, QR1, through a promoter region, designated the A box, that is closely related to the Maf recognition element (MARE). We undertook an identification of Maf family genes expressed in the quail neuroretina (QNR) and we report the isolation of mafA, a gene encoding a novel member of the large Maf proteins subgroup. Expression of this gene is developmentally regulated in the neuroretina. MafA is able to bind to MARE sequence and to heterodimerize with v-Maf, MafB, Jun and Fos, but not with the small MafF and MafK proteins. Accordingly, it is able to transactivate the QR1 promoter A box. We also show that increased expression of mafA induces sustained proliferation of postmitotic QNR cells.

Phenotypic changes induced by wild type and variant c-src genes carrying C-terminal sequence alterations.

We previously reported the isolation of PR2257, a novel avian sarcoma retrovirus which transduced the c-src protooncogene. The v-src gene of PR2257 differs from the c-src gene by a sequence change after amino acid 525, resulting in the replacement of tyrosine 527 by a valine, and an extension of the open reading frame into the non coding region of c-src. We investigated the respective roles of Tyr527 mutation and of the C-terminal extension in activating the oncogenic properties of c-src. Therefore we overexpressed the wild type c-src gene and c-src variants, carrying either a substitution of tyrosine 527 or an extension of the C-terminus or both modifications in combination, in chicken embryo fibroblasts and post mitotic neuroretina (NR) cells, using replication defective retroviruses. We also used in vivo inoculation of plasmid DNA to assess the tumorigenicity of the various c-src genes. We report that, in contrast to previous results, overexpression of c-src is sufficient to induce NR cell division. While mutation of tyrosine 527 alone significantly activates c-src transforming and tumorigenic properties, its combination with the C-terminal extension of PR2257 confers to this gene full oncogenic properties and increased metastatic potential as compared to the v-src of Rous sarcoma virus strains.

QRI, a retina-specific gene, encodes an extracellular matrix protein exclusively expressed during neural retina differentiation.

Neural retina development results from growth arrest of neuroectodermal precursors and differentiation of postmitotic cells. The QRI gene is specifically expressed in Müller retinal glial cells. Its expression coincides with the stage of withdrawal from the cell cycle and establishment of differentiation and is repressed upon induction of retinal cell proliferation by the v-src gene product. In this report, we show that the QR1 gene encodes several glycosylated proteins that are secreted and can either associate with the extracellular matrix or remain diffusible in the medium. By using pulse-chase experiments, the 100-103 kDa forms seem to appear first and are specifically incorporated into the extracellular matrix, whereas the 108 and 60 kDa polypeptides appear later and are detected as soluble forms in the culture medium. We also report that expression of the QR1 gene is developmentally regulated in the chicken. Its mRNA is first detectable at embryonic day 10, reaches a maximal level at embryonic day 15 and is no longer detected at embryonic day 18. Immunolocalization of the QR1 protein in chicken retina sections during development shows that expression of the protein parallels the differentiation pattern of post-miotic cells (in particular Müller cells and rods), corresponding to the two differentiation gradients in the retina: from the ganglion cell layer to the inner nuclear layer and outer nuclear layer, and from the optic nerve to the iris. At embryonic day 10, expression of the QR1 protein(s) is restricted to the optic nerve region and the inner nuclear layer, colocalizing with Müller cell bodies. As development proceeds, QR1 protein localization spreads towards the iris and towards the outer nuclear layer, following Müller cell elongations towards the photoreceptors. Between embryonic days 16 and 18, the QR1 protein is no longer detectable in the optic nerve region and is concentrated around the basal segment of the photoreceptors in the peripheral retina. Our results suggest a role for the QR1 gene product in the process of growth arrest and establishment of photoreceptor differentiation.

The mouse B-raf gene encodes multiple protein isoforms with tissue-specific expression.

The c-Rmil/B-raf proto-oncogene is a member of the mil/raf family encoding serine/threonine protein kinases shown to be involved in signal transduction from the membrane to the nucleus. We isolated from a mouse brain library B-raf cDNAs containing a previously unidentified 36-base pair alternatively spliced exon located between exons 8 and 9 and, therefore, designated exon 8b. Human and mouse B-raf mRNAs also contain the 120-base pair alternatively spliced exon 10 previously described in the avian c-Rmil gene. Independent splicing of these two exons, located between the conserved region 2 (CR2) and the catalytic domain (CR3) gives rise to mRNAs potentially encoding four distinct proteins. By using specific sera generated against different portions of B-Raf, we identified at least 10 protein isoforms in adult mouse tissues. Some isoforms, in the range of 69-72 kDa, are not recognized by antisera directed against peptides encoded by exons 1 and 2, indicating the existence of B-Raf proteins with two different NH2 extremities. The other isoforms, in the range of 79-99 kDa, contain the amino acids encoded by exons 1 and 2, by either or both of the alternatively spliced exons, and, possibly, by another of the unidentified exon. Analysis of B-raf mRNA expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunocharacterization of B-Raf proteins in different tissues of the adult mouse showed a tissue-specific pattern of B-Raf isoforms expression. Interestingly, isoforms containing amino acids encoded by exon 10 are specifically expressed in neural tissues. Taken together, these results suggest that distinct B-Raf proteins could be involved, in a tissue-specific manner, in signal transduction pathways.

Efficiency of a specific albumin extinguisher locus in monochromosomal hepatoma hybrids.

Fusion of hepatoma cells with cells of similar ploidy (1s) from different histogenetic origin results in the systematic and stable extinction of hepatic traits. However, doubling the ploidy of the hepatoma parent (2s) leads to the formation of hybrids in which extinction is not observed. To establish if these dosage effects reflect, as generally thought, the ineffectiveness of the extinguishers in 2s hepatoma-derived hybrids, the efficiency of a specific extinguisher was improved. Rat hepatoma cells (1s) stably and selectively extinguished for albumin, owing to the presence of a single mouse fibroblast chromosome marker M1, were fused with the original albumin producing hepatoma cells. In the dozen independent hybrid clones isolated, the M1 chromosome was retained and the rat albumin gene silenced. This proves that the albumin extinguisher is still efficient when the number of its targets is doubled. However the extinction promoted by this extinguisher was not immediate after fusion. A detailed analysis of the time course of extinction revealed that a precise number of cell divisions, seven, is required for the monochromosomal 2s hybrid cells to become extinguished. This phenotype was stable but reversible, loss of M1 chromosome leading to albumin expression. Moreover, the M1 part carrying the specific albumin extinguisher locus, Tse a, was identified as mouse chromosome 3.

An improved polarized rat hepatoma hybrid cell line. Generation and comparison with its hepatoma relatives and hepatocytes in vivo.

Studies of hepatocyte polarity, an important property of liver epithelial cells, have been hampered by the lack of valid in vitro models. We report here that a new polarized hepatoma-derived hybrid cell line, called WIF-B, has improved characteristics to those of its parent, WIF12-1. This latter line originated from the fusion of non-polarized rat hepatoma Fao cells with human fibroblasts (WI-38) and selection for a polarized phenotype. We generated the WIF-B line by growing WIF12-1 cells as unattached aggregates for three weeks and selecting for survivors. Karyotype analysis showed a broad chromosome pattern in the initial WIF-B population, but this pattern stabilized after a few passages. The growth and phenotypic properties of these cells were quite different from those of their polarized WIF12-1 parent. WIF-B cells attained a 4-fold higher maximal density in monolayer culture, survived at this density for > 5 days rather than 1 day, and exhibited two to three times more apical structures during this period (80 to 95%). We compared several parameters of liver differentiation in the WIF-B cells with those of a related hybrid clone, WIF12-E, which is extinguished for most liver-specific functions, and with the common hepatoma parent, Fao. By immunoblot analysis, the levels of expression of eight plasma membrane proteins were higher in the WIF-B cells than in either of the other two cell lines and ranged from 10 to 200% of those in vivo. Two plasma membrane proteins were not detected in WIF12-E cells. By immunofluorescence, the apical membrane proteins in WIF-B displayed different cellular localizations than in either of the other two cell lines. In WIF-B cells, apical proteins were confined to a plasma membrane region that we have identified as the apical domain by several criteria (Ihrke, G., Neufeld, E.D., Meads, T., Shanks, M.R., Cassio, D., Laurent, M., Schroer, T.A., Pagano, R. E. and Hubbard, A. L. J. Cell Biol., 123, 1761-1765). The same molecules were distributed over the entire plasma membrane of Fao and WIF12-E cells and also (for Fao cells) in intracellular punctate structures that did not colocalize with the majority of structures containing a secretory protein, albumin. Our results indicate that the WIF-B cells are more highly differentiated than any of their ancestors (Fao or WIF12-1 cells) and thus, are promising candidates for in vitro studies of hepatocyte polarity.

HNF4 and HNF1 as well as a panel of hepatic functions are extinguished and reexpressed in parallel in chromosomally reduced rat hepatoma-human fibroblast hybrids.

Rat hepatoma-human fibroblast hybrids of two independent lineages containing only 8-11 human chromosomes show pleiotropic extinction of thirteen out of fifteen hepatic functions examined. Reexpression of the entire group of functions most often occurs in a block, and except for one discordant subclone, correlates with loss of human chromosome 2. The extinguished cells and their reexpressing derivatives have been examined for the expression of seven liver-enriched transcription factors. C/EBP, LAP, DBP, HNF3, and vHNF1 expression are not systematically extinguished in parallel with the hepatic functions. However, HNF1 and HNF4 show a perfect correlation with phenotype: these factors are expressed only in the cells showing pleiotropic reexpression. Since recent evidence indicates that HNF4 controls HNF1 expression, it can be proposed that the HNF4 gene is the primary target of the pleiotropic extinguisher.

Hybrid cell lines constitute a potential reservoir of polarized cells: isolation and study of highly differentiated hepatoma-derived hybrid cells able to form functional bile canaliculi in vitro.

A large number of hepatoma cell lines has been used to study expression and regulation of liver-specific function. However these cells, even the most differentiated, are morphologically far from hepatocytes. In no case is the typical hepatocyte cell polarity well maintained. Cell hybridization has been used as a potential means for turning on specific genes. From hybrids between well differentiated Fao rat hepatoma cells and WI 38 human fibroblasts, we have attempted to isolate segregated cells that are highly differentiated and polarized. Such cells, detected in aged cultures of only one hybrid (WIF12), were isolated by subcloning. One subclone, WIF12-1 was analyzed. Expression of liver-specific functions extinguished in the original hybrid is restored in all WIF12-1 cells at a very high level, similar to that of hepatocytes and 5-30 times higher that that of parental cells. Moreover human genes coding for liver-specific proteins (albumin, fibrinogen, and alcohol dehydrogenase) are actively expressed. WIF12-1 cells have acquired a polarized phenotype as attested by the presence of bile canaliculi between adjacent cells and by the asymmetrical localization of apical (Mg(2+)-ATPase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) and basolateral membrane markers. The bile canaliculi formed are dynamic and functional structures, characterized by long periods of expansion followed by rapid contractions. The ability to polarize is a general and permanent property of WIF12-1 cells. These cells appear to constitute a valid model for the in vitro study of hepatocyte cell polarity, membrane domain formation and mechanisms of membrane protein sorting.

Inhibition of Rous sarcoma virus production by formycin.

The effect of formycin, an adenosine analog, on the growth of chick embryo fibroblasts and on Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) production was studied. An adverse effect on cell proliferation was observed in the presence of 10 microM formycin. Treatment with 5 microM formycin for 24 hr reduced by a factor of about 1000 the yield of infections progeny whereas the cell growth remained unaltered. Moreover the few particles released in the presence of formycin showed a markedly decreased ability to synthesize viral cDNA. This impairment was shown to be related to a nonfunctional primer tRNA.