Relationships between rapid changes in local aromatase activity and estradiol concentrations in male and female quail brain.

Estradiol-17ß (E2) synthesized in the brain plays a critical role in the activation of sexual behavior in many vertebrate species. Because E2 concentrations depend on aromatization of testosterone, changes in aromatase enzymatic activity (AA) are often utilized as a proxy to describe E2 concentrations. Utilizing two types of stimuli (sexual interactions and acute restraint stress) that have been demonstrated to reliably alter AA within minutes in opposite directions (sexual interactions=decrease, stress=increase), we tested in Japanese quail whether rapid changes in AA are paralleled by changes in E2 concentrations in discrete brain areas. In males, E2 in the pooled medial preoptic nucleus/medial portion of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (POM/BST) positively correlated with AA following sexual interactions. However, following acute stress, E2 decreased significantly (approximately 2-fold) in the male POM/BST despite a significant increase in AA. In females, AA positively correlated with E2 in both the POM/BST and mediobasal hypothalamus supporting a role for local, as opposed to ovarian, production regulating brain E2 concentrations. In addition, correlations of individual E2 in POM/BST and measurements of female sexual behavior suggested a role for local E2 synthesis in female receptivity. These data demonstrate that local E2 in the male brain changes in response to stimuli on a time course suggestive of potential non-genomic effects on brain and behavior. Overall, this study highlights the complex mechanisms regulating local E2 concentrations including rapid stimulus-driven changes in production and stress-induced changes in catabolism.

Changes to insulin sensitivity in glucose clearance systems and redox following dietary supplementation with a novel cysteine-rich protein: A pilot randomized controlled trial in humans with type-2 diabetes.

We recently developed a novel keratin-derived protein (KDP) rich in cysteine, glycine, and arginine, with the potential to alter tissue redox status and insulin sensitivity. The KDP was tested in 35 human adults with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a 14-wk randomised controlled pilot trial comprising three 2×20 g supplemental protein/day arms: KDP-whey (KDPWHE), whey (WHEY), non-protein isocaloric control (CON), with standardised exercise. Outcomes were measured morning fasted and following insulin-stimulation (80 mU/m2/min hyperinsulinaemic-isoglycaemic clamp). With KDPWHE supplementation there was good and very-good evidence for moderate-sized increases in insulin-stimulated glucose clearance rate (GCR; 26%; 90% confidence limits, CL 2%, 49%) and skeletal-muscle microvascular blood flow (46%; 16%, 83%), respectively, and good evidence for increased insulin-stimulated sarcoplasmic GLUT4 translocation (18%; 0%, 39%) vs CON. In contrast, WHEY did not effect GCR (-2%; -25%, 21%) and attenuated HbA1c lowering (14%; 5%, 24%) vs CON. KDPWHE effects on basal glutathione in erythrocytes and skeletal muscle were unclear, but in muscle there was very-good evidence for large increases in oxidised peroxiredoxin isoform 2 (oxiPRX2) (19%; 2.2%, 35%) and good evidence for lower GPx1 concentrations (-40%; -4.3%, -63%) vs CON; insulin stimulation, however, attenuated the basal oxiPRX2 response (4%; -16%, 24%), and increased GPx1 (39%; -5%, 101%) and SOD1 (26%; -3%, 60%) protein expression. Effects of KDPWHE on oxiPRX3 and NRF2 content, phosphorylation of capillary eNOS and insulin-signalling proteins upstream of GLUT4 translocation AktSer437 and AS160Thr642 were inconclusive, but there was good evidence for increased IRSSer312 (41%; 3%, 95%), insulin-stimulated NFκB-DNA binding (46%; 3.4%, 105%), and basal PAK-1Thr423/2Thr402 phosphorylation (143%; 66%, 257%) vs WHEY. Our findings provide good evidence to suggest that dietary supplementation with a novel edible keratin protein in humans with T2DM may increase glucose clearance and modify skeletal-muscle tissue redox and insulin sensitivity within systems involving peroxiredoxins, antioxidant expression, and glucose uptake.

Environmental and not maternal effects determine variation in offspring phenotypes in a passerine bird.

Maternal and environmental effects can profoundly influence offspring phenotypes, independent of genetic effects. Within avian broods, both the asymmetric post-hatching environment created by hatching asynchrony and the differential maternal investment through the laying sequence have important consequences for individual nestlings in terms of the allocation of resources to body structures with different contributions to fitness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative importance of post-hatching environmental and maternal effects in generating variation in offspring phenotypes. First, an observational study showed that within blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, broods, late-hatched nestlings allocated resources to tarsus development, maintained mass gain and head-bill growth and directed resources away from the development of fourth primary feathers. Second, a hatching order manipulation experiment resulted in nestlings from first-laid eggs hatching last, thereby allowing comparison with both late and early-hatched nestlings. Experimental nestlings had growth patterns which were closer to late-hatched nestlings, suggesting that within-brood growth patterns are determined by post-hatching environmental effects. Therefore, we conclude that post-hatching environmental effects play an important role in generating variation in offspring phenotypes.

Opposing effects of ERK and JNK-p38 MAP kinases on apoptosis.

Apoptosis plays an important role during neuronal development, and defects in apoptosis may underlie various neurodegenerative disorders. To characterize molecular mechanisms that regulate neuronal apoptosis, the contributions to cell death of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family members, including ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), JNK (c-JUN NH2-terminal protein kinase), and p38, were examined after withdrawal of nerve growth factor (NGF) from rat PC-12 pheochromocytoma cells. NGF withdrawal led to sustained activation of the JNK and p38 enzymes and inhibition of ERKs. The effects of dominant-interfering or constitutively activated forms of various components of the JNK-p38 and ERK signaling pathways demonstrated that activation of JNK and p38 and concurrent inhibition of ERK are critical for induction of apoptosis in these cells. Therefore, the dynamic balance between growth factor-activated ERK and stress-activated JNK-p38 pathways may be important in determining whether a cell survives or undergoes apoptosis.

Nuclear accumulation of NFAT4 opposed by the JNK signal transduction pathway.

The nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) group of transcription factors is retained in the cytoplasm of quiescent cells. NFAT activation is mediated in part by induced nuclear import. This process requires calcium-dependent dephosphorylation of NFAT caused by the phosphatase calcineurin. The c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylates NFAT4 on two sites. Mutational removal of the JNK phosphorylation sites caused constitutive nuclear localization of NFAT4. In contrast, JNK activation in calcineurin-stimulated cells caused nuclear exclusion of NFAT4. These findings show that the nuclear accumulation of NFAT4 promoted by calcineurin is opposed by the JNK signal transduction pathway.

A cytoplasmic inhibitor of the JNK signal transduction pathway.

The c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) is a member of the stress-activated group of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases that are implicated in the control of cell growth. A murine cytoplasmic protein that binds specifically to JNK [the JNK interacting protein-1 (JIP-1)] was characterized and cloned. JIP-1 caused cytoplasmic retention of JNK and inhibition of JNK-regulated gene expression. In addition, JIP-1 suppressed the effects of the JNK signaling pathway on cellular proliferation, including transformation by the Bcr-Abl oncogene. This analysis identifies JIP-1 as a specific inhibitor of the JNK signal transduction pathway and establishes protein targeting as a mechanism that regulates signaling by stress-activated MAP kinases.

Optimization of the Promega PowerSeq™ Auto/Y system for efficient integration within a forensic DNA laboratory.

The application of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) is growing in the forensic DNA field, as forensic DNA laboratories are continuously seeking methods to gain information from a limited or degraded forensic sample. However, the laborious nature of current MPS methodologies required for successful library preparation and sequencing leave opportunities for improvement to make MPS a practical option for processing forensic casework. In this study, the Promega PowerSeq™ Auto/Y System Prototype, a MPS laboratory workflow that incorporates multiplex amplification, was selected for optimization with the objectives to introduce automation for relieving manual processing, and to reduce the number of steps recommended by the standard protocol. Successful changes in the optimized workflow included a switch from column-based PCR purification to automatable bead-based purification, adoption of the library preparation procedures by a liquid handling robot platform, and removal of various time-consuming quality checks. All data in this study were found to be concordant with capillary electrophoresis (CE) data and previously-generated MPS results from this workflow. Read abundance and allele balance, metrics related to sample interpretation reliability, were not significantly different when compared to samples processed with the manufacturer's protocol. All the modifications implemented resulted in increased laboratory efficiency, reduced the protocol steps associated with risk of contamination and human error events, and decreased manual processing time by approximately 12h. These findings provide forensic DNA laboratories a more streamlined option when considering implementation of a MPS workflow.

Interaction of a mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling module with the neuronal protein JIP3.

The c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) group of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) is activated in response to the treatment of cells with inflammatory cytokines and by exposure to environmental stress. JNK activation is mediated by a protein kinase cascade composed of a MAPK kinase and a MAPK kinase kinase. Here we describe the molecular cloning of a putative molecular scaffold protein, JIP3, that binds the protein kinase components of a JNK signaling module and facilitates JNK activation in cultured cells. JIP3 is expressed in the brain and at lower levels in the heart and other tissues. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that JIP3 was present in the cytoplasm and accumulated in the growth cones of developing neurites. JIP3 is a member of a novel class of putative MAPK scaffold proteins that may regulate signal transduction by the JNK pathway.

c-Myc protein synthesis is initiated from the internal ribosome entry segment during apoptosis.

Recent studies have shown that during apoptosis protein synthesis is inhibited and that this is in part due to the proteolytic cleavage of eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G). Initiation of translation can occur either by a cap-dependent mechanism or by internal ribosome entry. The latter mechanism is dependent on a complex structural element located in the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA which is termed an internal ribosome entry segment (IRES). In general, IRES-mediated translation does not require eIF4E or full-length eIF4G. In order to investigate whether cap-dependent and cap-independent translation are reduced during apoptosis, we examined the expression of c-Myc during this process, since we have shown previously that the 5' untranslated region of the c-myc proto-oncogene contains an IRES. c-Myc expression was determined in HeLa cells during apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. We have demonstrated that the c-Myc protein is still expressed when more than 90% of the cells are apoptotic. The presence of the protein in apoptotic cells does not result from either an increase in protein stability or an increase in expression of c-myc mRNA. Furthermore, we show that during apoptosis initiation of c-myc translation occurs by internal ribosome entry. We have investigated the signaling pathways that are involved in this response, and cotransfection with plasmids which harbor either wild-type or constitutively active MKK6, a specific immediate upstream activator of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), increases IRES-mediated translation. In addition, the c-myc IRES is inhibited by SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK. Our data, therefore, strongly suggest that the initiation of translation via the c-myc IRES during apoptosis is mediated by the p38 MAPK pathway.

Nononcogenic hormone-independent alveoli produced by carcinogens in cultured mouse mammary glands.

Treatment of mouse mammary glands with a high concentration of 7,12-dimethylbenzo(a)anthracene in whole organ culture was reported by Banerjee et al. to transform foci of lobuloalveoli to a hormone-independent state, and to give rise to mammary hyperplastic outgrowths and adenocarcinomas in vivo. In the present study using the identical system, mammary glands of BALB/c mice were exposed to 7,12-dimethylbenzo(a)anthracene or N-2-fluorenylacetamide at low concentrations that bring about maximal incidences of the hormone-independent hyperplastic lobuloalveolar lesions with minimal cytotoxicity. After morphological development of the lobuloalveoli in culture, the glands were enzymatically dissociated into cells and inoculated into gland-free inguinal mammary fat pads of syngeneic mice bearing pituitary gland implants during the initial 8 weeks. After 11 months, fragments of the resultant mammary outgrowths from each mouse were implanted into the gland-free inguinal mammary fat pads of 3 syngeneic mice (not bearing pituitary gland supplements) and were permitted to grow for another 11 months. Mammary outgrowths from the primary and secondary implants were neither neoplastic, anaplastic, nor dysplastic. Also, no hyperplasia in any mammary outgrowth could be attributed to the action of either carcinogen, especially when outgrowths were compared with contralateral outgrowths that arose from the control glands exposed to dimethyl sulfoxide (solvent of the carcinogens) in culture and/or with untreated thoracic mammary glands of the same hosts. One interpretation of these findings is that the hormone-independent, hyperplastic alveolar lesions may not be an appropriate in vitro marker of oncogenic transformation by chemical carcinogens in culture. The great variety of procarcinogens and activated carcinogens that bring about this lesion in vitro and its morphological similarity to presumptive mammary preneoplastic lesions in vivo weigh against this interpretation. A second hypothesis is that high concentrations of procarcinogens, despite their considerable cytotoxicity, complete a multistep process of oncogenic transformation in surviving mammary epithelium, whereas low concentrations optimized to produce the lesions in maximal number do not.

Differential effects of UV-B and UV-C components of solar radiation on MAP kinase signal transduction pathways in epidermal keratinocytes.

Exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) light is a major cause of skin cancer, the most common human neoplasm. The earth's upper atmosphere absorbs the high energy UV-C wavelengths (100-280 nm), while allowing transmission of UV-B (280-320 nm) and UV-A (320-400 nm). It is therefore UV-B and to some extent UV-A, that contributes to most human skin malignancies. We report that the exposure of cultured keratinocytes or skin to UV-C radiation causes activation of MAP kinases (ERK and JNK). In contrast, the solar radiation associated with skin cancer (UV-B) was an ineffective activator of the ERK and JNK signal transduction pathways. Therefore, while exposure of epidermal cells to UV-C radiation under laboratory conditions causes marked activation of MAP kinase signal transduction pathways, only a low level of MAP kinase signaling is involved in the response of skin to biologically relevant solar radiation.

Dual roles for c-Jun N-terminal kinase in developmental and stress responses in cerebellar granule neurons.

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) typically respond strongly to stress, are implicated in brain development, and are believed to mediate neuronal apoptosis. Surprisingly, however, JNK does not respond characteristically to stress in cultured cerebellar granule (CBG) neurons, a widely exploited CNS model for studies of death and development, despite the regulation of its substrate c-Jun. To understand this anomaly, we characterized JNK regulation in CBG neurons. We find that the specific activity of CBG JNK is elevated considerably above that from neuron-like cell lines (SH-SY5Y, PC12); however, similar elevated activities are found in brain extracts. This activity does not result from cellular stress because the stress-activated protein kinase p38 is not activated. We identify a minor stress-sensitive pool of JNK that translocates with mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-4 (MKK4) into the nucleus. However, the major pool of total activity is cytoplasmic, residing largely in the neurites, suggesting a non-nuclear role for JNK in neurons. A third JNK pool is colocalized with MKK7 in the nucleus, and specific activities of both increase during neuritogenesis, nuclear JNK activity increasing 10-fold, whereas c-Jun expression and activity decrease. A role for JNK during differentiation is supported by modulation of neuritic architecture after expression of dominant inhibitory regulators of the JNK pathway. Channeling of JNK signaling away from c-Jun during differentiation is consistent with the presence in the nucleus of the JNK/MKK7 scaffold protein JNK-interacting protein, which inhibits JNK-c-Jun interaction. We propose a model in which distinct pools of JNK serve different functions, providing a basis for understanding multifunctional JNK signaling in differentiating neurons.

Supramolecular forms of actin induced by polyamines; an electron microscopic study.

Electron microscopy of negatively stained samples shows that spermine and spermidine induce the polymerization of G-actin into filaments and paracrystalline bundles. In the presence of low concentrations of polyamines (0.02 mM spermine or 0.2 mM spermidine), filaments resembling salt-induced F-actin were observed, but as the concentration of polyamine was increased, relatively unordered bundles appeared. At about 0.2 mM spermine or 2.5 mM spermidine, the width of the bundles increased and they appeared more ordered with paracrystalline regions. This change was correlated with the gelation of the actin-polyamine mixture. At higher concentrations of polyamines (greater than 5 mM spermine or greater than 8 mM spermidine), the bundles had a similar ordered structure but, instead of gelation, there was an immediate precipitation of actin bundles. Spermine and spermidine also promote bundle formation from salt-induced F-actin. Two major paracrystalline forms were observed. Type I resembles the Hanson-type paracrystals induced by magnesium. Type II, characterized by an axial striation of 5.9 nm appears to be unique to polyamine-induced actin bundles.

Orientation of skeletal muscle actin in strong magnetic fields.

Measurement of birefringence is used to follow actin filament and paracrystal formation in a strong magnetic field. Both F-actin and paracrystals orientate parallel to the field. This confirms that globular proteins arranged in filamentous assemblies can orientate in magnetic fields. This is consistent with the alpha-helical component of the actin subunits being approximately aligned along the actin filament.

Differentiation of PC12 cells in response to a cAMP analogue is accompanied by sustained activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Comparison with the effects of insulin, growth factors and phorbol esters.

It has been proposed previously that the sustained activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase may be necessary for the differentiation of PC12 cells. Differentiation of PC12 cells is induced by many extracellular agonists including nerve growth factor (NGF) and cyclicAMP analogues, but not epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin or phorbol esters. Our results demonstrate that: (i) 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cyclicAMP (CPT-cAMP) activates MAP kinase; this raises the possibility that the MAP kinase pathway may be activated by agents that act through adenylate cyclase; (ii) NGF and CPT-cAMP as well as phorbol esters promote sustained activation of MAP kinase. This suggests that while sustained MAP kinase activation may be associated with differentiation it may not be sufficient, and that other as yet unidentified parallel pathways may be involved.

Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase by protein kinase C isotypes alpha, beta I and gamma, but not epsilon.

Treatment of CHO.T cells with either PMA or insulin led to the activation of MAP kinase by approximately 3-fold, and p90rsk by approximately 4-fold. Over-expression of the alpha, beta I or gamma isoforms of protein kinase C caused a substantial enhancement of the effect of PMA on the activation of MAP kinase and p90rsk, however, the effect of insulin was unchanged. Over-expression of the epsilon isoform of protein kinase C did not alter the effect of either PMA or insulin on the activation of MAP kinase and p90rsk. The results suggest that protein kinase C isotypes, alpha, beta I and gamma, but not epsilon, can mediate MAP kinase activation by PMA, and strongly support the hypothesis that protein kinase C isoforms can initiate distinct signalling pathways.

Increased, not decreased activation of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptor signalling pathway during ceramide-induced apoptosis.

The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are capable of blocking apoptosis in many cell lines in vitro. The IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) is believed to mediate protective effects of the IGFs against apoptosis. To determine whether ceramide-mediated induction of apoptosis involved a decreased survival effect of the IGF-IR, apoptosis was induced in IGF-I receptor positive (R+) and negative (R-) murine fibroblasts by incubation with increasing doses of the sphingolipid analogue, C2 ceramide. Lower ceramide doses were required to induce death in receptor negative compared with receptor positive fibroblasts (P< 0.05 at ceramide doses of 2 microM or greater), not only corroborating evidence that the IGF-I receptor functions as a survival receptor, but also suggesting that ceramide is not inducing apoptosis by suppressing a survival effect of the IGF-IR. Ceramide has been reported to induce death through suppression of MAP kinase, and activation of JUN kinase signalling; since our initial data suggested that ceramide had not affected an anti-apoptotic signalling event of the IGF-IR, we monitored the activation of these enzymes. To our surprise, in the presence of ceramide, not only was JUN kinase activity increased, but so too was MAP kinase. Inhibition of MAP kinase, using the MEKK inhibitor, PD98059, significantly reduced ceramide-induced cell death (P< 0. 001). Ceramide also enhanced IGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the IGF-I receptor and activated PI-3 kinase. The cumulative effects of these events resulted in increased progression to the G2 phase of the cell cycle, arrest without subsequent mitosis, and apoptosis. These results indicate that ceramide is capable of eliciting apparently contradictory events within a single cell type, and suggest that in the presence of an IGF-IR, survival is enhanced because ceramide can activate PI-3 kinase, believed to be an anti-apoptotic enzyme.

Evaluation of the EpiOcular((TM)) Tissue Model as an Alternative to the Draize Eye Irritation Test.

Cosmetic ingredients were tested to determine the ability of the EpiOcular(TM) tissue model to predict eye irritation potential. In vitro results were compared with historical Draize eye irritation records. Forty-three samples, consisting of 40 cosmetic raw ingredients of different type and physical form (i.e. liquids, powders, gels) were evaluated. Using the MTT cytotoxicity assay, an ET(50) value (effective time of exposure to reduce tissue viability to 50%) was determined for each sample. ET(50) values were categorized into four irritation groups: (a) non-irritating/minimal; (b) mild; (c) moderate; or (d) severe/extreme. Comparison of in vitro EpiOcular(TM) and in vivo Draize classifications showed that 63% (27 of 43 samples) were classified identically. Assay performance improved to 95% (41 of 43 samples) with the addition of samples overpredicted by a single irritation class. This evaluative exercise represents a conservative safety assessment. There were no underpredictions of eye irritation for any material in this study. Based on these results, use of the EpiOcular(TM) tissue model shows promise as an in vitro assay to assess the ocular irritation potential of cosmetic ingredients.

Framework for validation and implementation of in vitro toxicity tests.

The development and application of in vitro alternatives designed to reduce or replace the use of animals, or to lessen the distress and discomfort of laboratory animals, is a rapidly developing trend in toxicology. However, at present there is no formal administrative process to organize, coordinate, or evaluate validation activities. A framework capable of fostering the validation of new methods is essential for the effective transfer of new technologic developments from the research laboratory into practical use. This committee has identified four essential validation resources: chemical bank(s), cell and tissue banks, a data bank, and reference laboratories. The creation of a Scientific Advisory Board composed of experts in the various aspects and endpoints of toxicity testing, and representing the academic, industrial, and regulatory communities, is recommended. Test validation acceptance is contingent on broad buy-in by disparate groups in the scientific community--academics, industry, and government. This is best achieved by early and frequent communication among parties and agreement on common goals. It is hoped that the creation of a validation infrastructure composed of the elements described in this report will facilitate scientific acceptance and utilization of alternative methodologies and speed implementation of replacement, reduction, and refinement alternatives in toxicity testing.

Partial purification and characterization of a Ca(2+)-stimulated lipoxygenase from soybean seeds.

A highly purified Ca(2+)-stimulated lipoxygenase was isolated from the Hill variety of soybean seeds. Separation of Ca(2+)-stimulated lipoxygenase from lipoxygenase active in the absence of Ca(2+) (lipoxygenase-1) was readily obtained using a DEAE-cellulose column. Sample size applied to the ion exchange column was found to be critical. Both enzymes were bound to the column, although some highly active Ca(2+)-stimulated lipoxygenase eluted with buffer in the presence of bound lipoxygenase-1. Ca(2+)-stimulated lipoxygenase bound to DAAE-cellulose required the use of a NaCl gradient for elution. Ca(2+)-stimulated lipoxygenase showed an apparent isoelectric point at pH 5.90 and optimum activity at pH 7.5 and at 1.1 mM calcium. Lipoxygenase-1 was inhibited over 95% in the presence of 60 µM methyl mercuric chloride, while Ca(2+)-stimulated lipoxygenase showed a maximum of only 20% inhibition under the same conditions.