Premature expression of the macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor on a multipotential stem cell line does not alter differentiation lineages controlled by stromal cells used for coculture.

We are interested to know whether expression of a lineage-specific growth factor receptor is deterministic to lineage commitment during hematopoiesis. For this purpose, we introduced the human c-fms gene into the multipotential stem cell clone LyD9 and two myeloid progenitor clones, L-GM3 and L-G3, cells that differentiate in response to granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte (G)-CSF, respectively. Although LyD9 cells have differentiation potential to become macrophages, c-fms transfectants of LyD9 and L-GM3 cells did not differentiate in response to human macrophage (M)-CSF. However, c-fms transfectants of L-G3 cells differentiated to neutrophils in response to human M-CSF. These results indicate that the M-CSF receptor requires a specific signal transduction pathway to exert its differentiational and proliferative effects. Furthermore, the M-CSF receptor can convey a granulocyte-type differentiation signal possibly by cooperating with the G-CSF receptor signal transduction pathway. The c-fms-transfected LyD9 cells as well as the original LyD9 cells differentiated predominantly into GM-CSF- and G-CSF-responsive cells by coculturing with PA6 and ST2 stromal cells, respectively. The results indicate that differentiation lineage is not affected by premature expression of the M-CSF receptor. Instead, the stromal cell used for coculture apparently controls lineage-selective differentiation of the multi-potential stem cell line.

Role of ryanodine receptors in the assembly of calcium release units in skeletal muscle.

In muscle cells, excitation-contraction (e-c) coupling is mediated by "calcium release units," junctions between the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and exterior membranes. Two proteins, which face each other, are known to functionally interact in those structures: the ryanodine receptors (RyRs), or SR calcium release channels, and the dihydropyridine receptors (DHPRs), or L-type calcium channels of exterior membranes. In skeletal muscle, DHPRs form tetrads, groups of four receptors, and tetrads are organized in arrays that face arrays of feet (or RyRs). Triadin is a protein of the SR located at the SR-exterior membrane junctions, whose role is not known. We have structurally characterized calcium release units in a skeletal muscle cell line (1B5) lacking Ry1R. Using immunohistochemistry and freeze-fracture electron microscopy, we find that DHPR and triadin are clustered in foci in differentiating 1B5 cells. Thin section electron microscopy reveals numerous SR-exterior membrane junctions lacking foot structures (dyspedic). These results suggest that components other than Ry1Rs are responsible for targeting DHPRs and triadin to junctional regions. However, DHPRs in 1B5 cells are not grouped into tetrads as in normal skeletal muscle cells suggesting that anchoring to Ry1Rs is necessary for positioning DHPRs into ordered arrays of tetrads. This hypothesis is confirmed by finding a "restoration of tetrads" in junctional domains of surface membranes after transfection of 1B5 cells with cDNA encoding for Ry1R.

A transgenic myogenic cell line lacking ryanodine receptor protein for homologous expression studies: reconstitution of Ry1R protein and function.

CCS embryonic stem (ES) cells possessing two mutant alleles (ry1r-/ry1r-) for the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor (RyR) have been produced and injected subcutaneously into severely compromised immunodeficient mice to produce teratocarcinomas in which Ry1R expression is absent. Several primary fibroblast cell lines were isolated and subcloned from one of these tumors that contain the knockout mutation in both alleles and exhibit a doubling time of 18-24 h, are not contact growth inhibited, do not exhibit drastic morphological change upon serum reduction, and possess the normal complement of chromosomes. Four of these fibroblast clones were infected with a retrovirus containing the cDNA encoding myoD and a puromycin selection marker. Several (1-2 microg/ml) puromycin-resistant subclones from each initial cell line were expanded and examined for their ability to express myoD and to form multinucleated myotubes that express desmin and myosin upon removal of mitogens. One of these clones (1B5 cells) was selected on this basis for further study. These cells, upon withdrawal of mitogens for 5-7 d, were shown by Western blot analysis to express key triadic proteins, including skeletal triadin, calsequestrin, FK506-binding protein, 12 kD, sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase1, and dihydropyridine receptors. Neither RyR isoform protein, Ry1R (skeletal), Ry2R (cardiac), nor Ry3R (brain), were detected in differentiated 1B5 cells. Measurements of intracellular Ca2+ by ratio fluorescence imaging of fura-2-loaded cells revealed that differentiated 1B5 cells exhibited no responses to K+ (40 mM) depolarization, ryanodine (50-500 microM), or caffeine (20-100 mM). Transient transfection of the 1B5 cells with the full-length rabbit Ry1R cDNA restored the expected responses to K+ depolarization, caffeine, and ryanodine. Depolarization-induced Ca2+ release was independent of extracellular Ca2+, consistent with skeletal-type excitation-contraction coupling. Wild-type Ry1R expressed in 1B5 cells were reconstituted into bilayer lipid membranes and found to be indistinguishable from channels reconstituted from rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum with respect to unitary conductance, open dwell times, and responses to ryanodine and ruthenium red. The 1B5 cell line provides a powerful and easily managed homologous expression system in which to study how Ry1R structure relates to function.

Ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins bind to a positively charged amino acid cluster in the juxta-membrane cytoplasmic domain of CD44, CD43, and ICAM-2.

CD44 has been identified as a membrane-binding partner for ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins, plasma membrane/actin filament cross-linkers. ERM proteins, however, are not necessarily colocalized with CD44 in tissues, but with CD43 and ICAM-2 in some types of cells. We found that glutathione-S-transferase fusion proteins with the cytoplasmic domain of CD43 and ICAM-2, as well as CD44, bound to moesin in vitro. The regions responsible for the in vitro binding of CD43 and CD44 to moesin were narrowed down to their juxta-membrane 20-30-amino acid sequences in the cytoplasmic domain. These sequences and the cytoplasmic domain of ICAM-2 (28 amino acids) were all characterized by the positively charged amino acid clusters. When E-cadherin chimeric molecules bearing these positively charged amino acid clusters of CD44, CD43, or ICAM-2 were expressed in mouse L fibroblasts, they were co-concentrated with ERM proteins at microvilli, whereas those lacking these clusters were diffusely distributed on the cell surface. The specific binding of ERM proteins to the juxta-membrane positively charged amino acid clusters of CD44, CD43, and ICAM-2 was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and site-directed mutagenesis. From these findings, we conclude that ERM proteins bind to integral membrane proteins bearing a positively charged amino acid cluster in their juxta-membrane cytoplasmic domain.

Enhanced prostacyclin synthesis in endothelial cells by retrovirus-mediated transfer of prostaglandin H synthase cDNA.

A retroviral vector (BAG) was used to transfer human prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS-1) gene into a human endothelial cell line for enhancement of PGI2 synthesis. Cells infected with BAG containing PGHS-1 cDNA in the sense orientation relative to the retroviral promoter (PGHS(S)) expressed a 30-fold increase in mRNA but, due to a reading frame shift, did not show an increase in PGHS protein or in PGI2 synthesis, while those with PGHS-1 in reverse orientation relative to the viral promoter (PGHS(R)), produced a > 10-fold increase in PGHS mRNA over the control (169 +/- 22 vs 14.8 +/- 1.2 amol/micrograms RNA) with a concordant increase in PGHS protein (5.82 +/- 1.07 vs 0.23 +/- 0.04 ng/mg protein) and enzyme activity. Primer extension analysis of PGHS(R) revealed two transcription start sites located in the SV40 late promoter region adjacent to PGHS-1 cDNA. PGHS(R) cells produced a high basal PGI2 level which was increased by several-fold in response to stimulation by ionophore, arachidonic acid, and thrombin. Kinetic analysis revealed the PGI2 synthetic rate to be 14 ng/min-1 per million cells and t1/2 of PGI2 synthesis, 13.3 min. These findings indicate that transfer of PGHS-1 gene into vascular cells enhances PGI2 synthesis and may be a useful strategy for restoring thromboprotective property of damaged blood vessels.

Genetically modified cells: applications for intracerebral grafting.

Grafting cells to the CNS is a useful approach to address fundamental and clinical issues in neurobiology. Recently, a hybrid technique - the genetic modification of cells followed by intracerebral implantation - has emerged, which may potentially enhance the power of CNS grafting. However, several methodological considerations need to be addressed to test the reliability of this new approach. Progress in the gene transfer-grafting technique has implications for expanding the range of issues and problems that may be addressed in both the basic science and clinical arenas.

Human cervical and foreskin epithelial cells immortalized by human papillomavirus DNAs exhibit dysplastic differentiation in vivo.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNAs are detected in approximately 90% of anogenital carcinomas. To assess directly the effect of HPV on squamous differentiation, normal human cervical and foreskin epithelial cells and cells immortalized by recombinant HPV DNAs were transplanted beneath a skin-muscle flap in athymic mice. Xenografts containing normal cells formed well-differentiated stratified squamous epithelia 2 to 3 weeks after transplantation, but cell lines immortalized by four HPV types (HPV16, HPV18, HPV31, and HPV33) detected in anogenital cancer exhibited dysplastic morphology and molecular alterations in gene expression characteristic of intraepithelial neoplasia. Morphological alterations were accompanied by delayed commitment to terminal differentiation, alterations in the pattern of involucrin expression, and reductions in levels of involucrin and keratin 1 RNAs. HPV18-immortalized cells developed dysplastic changes more rapidly than cells immortalized by HPV16 DNA. These results show that human genital epithelial cells immortalized by HPV DNAs detected in genital cancers undergo dysplastic differentiation in vivo.

Gene transfer mediated by cationic lipids: lack of a correlation between lipid mixing and transfection.

Complexes of DNA with cationic lipids are used to transfect eukaryotic cells. The mechanism of transfection is unknown, but it has been suggested that the complexes are taken up into the cell by endocytosis, after which fusion of the cationic lipids with the membranes of intracellular vesicles would allow the DNA to escape into the cytoplasm. Here, we have compared transfection of CHO-K1 cells with lipid mixing measured by fluorescence assays, using liposomes or complexes with plasmid DNA of the cationic lipids 1,2 dioleolyl-3-N, N, N,-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP), N-[2,3-(dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N, N, N,-trimethylammonium (DOTMA), or combinations of these lipids with dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), at various lipid/DNA charge ratios. Mixing of the lipids of the complexes or liposomes with cellular membranes occurred readily at 37 degrees C, and was more efficient with liposomes than with complexes. Lipid mixing was inhibited at low temperatures (0-17 degrees C), by the presence of NH(4)Cl in the medium, and by low extracellular pH, indicating the involvement of the endocytic pathway in entry. In the absence of DOPE, there was no correlation between the efficiency of lipid mixing and the efficiency of transfection. Moreover, although DOPE, which is thought to promote membrane fusion, enhanced transfection, it did not always enhance lipid mixing. Neither the size nor the zeta potential of the complexes were clearly associated with transfection efficiency. Therefore, although fusion between the lipids of the complexes and cellular membranes takes place, a step at a later stage in the transfection process determines the efficiency of transfection.

Ultrasound enhances reporter gene expression after transfection of vascular cells in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention remains a serious clinical problem. Progress in local gene therapy to prevent restenosis has been hindered by concerns over the safety and efficacy of viral vectors and the limited efficiency of nonviral techniques. This study investigates the use of adjunctive ultrasound to enhance nonviral gene delivery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cultured porcine vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) were transfected with naked or liposome-complexed luciferase reporter plasmid for 3 hours. Ultrasound exposure (USE) for 60 seconds at 1 MHz, 0.4 W/cm2, 30 minutes into this transfection period enhanced luciferase activity 48 hours later by 7.5-fold and 2. 4-fold, respectively. Luciferase activity after lipofection of ECs was similarly enhanced 3.3-fold by adjunctive USE. USE had no effect on cell viability, although it inhibited VSMC but not EC proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive USE was associated with enhanced transgene expression in VSMCs and ECs and reduced VSMC but not EC proliferation in vitro, which suggests that ultrasound-assisted local gene therapy has potential as an antirestenotic therapy.

Insulin receptor signaling in the beta-cell influences insulin gene expression and insulin content: evidence for autocrine beta-cell regulation.

The insulin receptor (IR) is expressed by insulin-secreting beta-cells, but its cellular function is unknown. We transfected betaTC6-F7 beta-cells with cDNAs encoding either wild-type or mutant kinase-inactive (A/K1018) IRs, and by fluorescence-activated cell sorting generated polyclonal beta-cell lines that overexpressed each receptor type at levels two- to fourfold higher than the parental cells. Beta-cells overexpressing wild-type IRs had a proportional increase in insulin-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity; no change occurred in beta-cells expressing the mutant IR. We observed a threefold increase in cellular insulin content in beta-cells that overexpressed the wild-type IR, as determined by radioimmunoassay. This increase occurred despite a fivefold elevated rate of both basal and 10 mmol/l glucose-induced insulin secretion. Fractional insulin secretion (percentage of total cell insulin releasable at 10 mmol/l glucose) was unchanged in beta-cells overexpressing the wild-type IR compared with the parental beta-cell line. Insulin content and insulin secretion were unaffected by overexpression of kinase-inactive IRs. Steady-state insulin mRNA levels were elevated twofold in the beta-cells overexpressing the wild-type IR and unchanged in the beta-cells expressing the kinase-inactive receptor, as determined by Northern blot analysis. The rate of insulin mRNA degradation measured in the presence of 5 microg/ml actinomycin D was not significantly affected in either cell line. In the absence of glucose, the basal level of (pro)insulin biosynthesis in the beta-cells overexpressing the wild-type IR increased significantly (61%) compared with the beta-cells transfected with the kinase-inactive IR. These data indicate that IR signaling can regulate insulin gene transcription and can modulate the steady-state insulin content of beta-cells.

Contribution of sialic acid to the voltage dependence of sodium channel gating. A possible electrostatic mechanism.

A potential role for sialic acid in the voltage-dependent gating of rat skeletal muscle sodium channels (rSkM1) was investigated using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably transfected with rSkM1. Changes in the voltage dependence of channel gating were observed after enzymatic (neuraminidase) removal of sialic acid from cells expressing rSkM1 and through the expression of rSkM1 in a sialylation-deficient cell line (lec2). The steady-state half-activation voltages (Va) of channels under each condition of reduced sialylation were approximately 10 mV more depolarized than control channels. The voltage dependence of the time constants of channel activation and inactivation were also shifted in the same direction and by a similar magnitude. In addition, recombinant deletion of likely glycosylation sites from the rSkM1 sequence resulted in mutant channels that gated at voltages up to 10mV more positive than wild-type channels. Thus three independent means of reducing channel sialylation show very similar effects on the voltage dependence of channel gating. Finally, steady-state activation voltages for channels subjected to reduced sialylation conditions were much less sensitive to the effects of external calcium than those measured under control conditions, indicating that sialic acid directly contributes to the negative surface potential. These results are consistent with an electrostatic mechanism by which external, negatively charged sialic acid residues on rSkM1 alter the electric field sensed by channel gating elements.

Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells co-expressing dihydropyridine and ryanodine receptors.

Combined patch-clamp and Fura-2 measurements were performed on chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells co-expressing two channel proteins involved in skeletal muscle excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling, the ryanodine receptor (RyR)-Ca2+ release channel (in the membrane of internal Ca2+ stores) and the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR)-Ca2+ channel (in the plasma membrane). To ensure expression of functional L-type Ca+ channels, we expressed alpha2, beta, and gamma DHPR subunits and a chimeric DHPR alpha(i) subunit in which the putative cytoplasmic loop between repeats II and III is of skeletal origin and the remainder is cardiac. There was no clear indication of skeletal-type coupling between the DHPR and the RyR; depolarization failed to induce a Ca2+ transient (CaT) in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o). However, in the presence of [Ca2+]o, depolarization evoked CaTs with a bell-shaped voltage dependence. About 30% of the cells tested exhibited two kinetic components: a fast transient increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) (the first component; reaching 95% of its peak <0.6 s after depolarization) followed by a second increase in [Ca2+]i which lasted for 5-10 s (the second component). Our results suggest that the first component primarily reflected Ca2+ influx through Ca2+ channels, whereas the second component resulted from Ca2+ release through the RyR expressed in the membrane of internal Ca2+ stores. However, the onset and the rate of Ca2+ release appeared to be much slower than in native cardiac myocytes, despite a similar activation rate of Ca2+ current. These results suggest that the skeletal muscle RyR isoform supports Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release but that the distance between the DHPRs and the RyRs is, on average, much larger in the cotransfected CHO cells than in cardiac myocytes. We conclude that morphological properties of T-tubules and/or proteins other than the DHPR and the RyR are required for functional "close coupling" like that observed in skeletal or cardiac muscle. Nevertheless, some of our results imply that these two channels are potentially able to directly interact with each other.

Expression of the glucose transporter isoform GLUT 4 is insufficient to confer insulin-regulatable hexose uptake to cultured muscle cells.

Glucose transporter isoform expression was studied in the skeletal muscle-like cell line, C2C12. Northern and Western blot analysis showed that the insulin-responsive muscle/fat glucose transporter isoform, GLUT 4, was expressed in these cells at very low levels, whereas the erythrocyte isoform, GLUT 1, was expressed at readily detectable levels. Insulin did not stimulate glucose transport in this cultured muscle cell line. The C2C12 cells were then transfected separately with either GLUT 1 or GLUT 4, and stable cell lines expressing high levels of mRNA and protein were isolated. GLUT 1-transfected cells exhibited a 3-fold increase in the amount of the GLUT 1 transporter protein which was accompanied by a 2- to 3-fold increase in the glucose uptake rate. However, despite at least a 10-fold increase in GLUT 4 mRNA and protein detected after GLUT 4 cDNA transfection, the glucose uptake of these cells was unchanged and remained insulin-insensitive. By laser confocal immunofluorescence imaging, it was established that the transfected GLUT 4 protein was localized almost entirely in cytoplasmic compartments. In contrast, the GLUT 1 isoform was detected both at the plasma membrane as well as in intracellular compartments. These results suggest that acute insulin stimulation of glucose transport is not solely dependent on the presence of the insulin receptor and the GLUT 4 protein, and that the presence of some additional protein(s) must be required.

Amino acid substitutions in the DNA-binding domain of the human androgen receptor are a frequent cause of receptor-binding positive androgen resistance.

In some subjects with genetic and endocrine evidence of androgen resistance, no defect is demonstrable in the binding of androgen to its receptor in cultured genital skin fibroblasts. We have defined the molecular defect in the androgen receptor in four unrelated subjects in this category (termed receptor positive) with the phenotype of compete or incomplete testicular feminization. In these patients we detected amino acid substitutions in either exon 2 or exon 3, which encodes the DNA-binding domain of the androgen receptor. In one patient with incomplete testicular feminization, two separate mutations were present in exon 3. Introduction of these amino acid substitutions into the androgen receptor-coding segment leads to the expression of receptor proteins that bind ligand in a normal fashion but do not activate the transcription of the androgen-responsive mouse mammary tumor virus promoter. Mobility shift assays using androgen receptor fusion proteins produced in E. coli indicate that these mutations impair binding of the receptor to specific DNA sequences. In the subject with incomplete testicular feminization, a Ser-Gly substitution at amino acid residue 595 is able to partially restore DNA-binding activity to a mutant receptor protein that carries an Arg-Pro substitution at position 615. These findings indicate that mutations in amino acid residues crucial to the binding of the androgen receptor to target DNA sequences are a common cause of receptor-binding positive androgen resistance and that variable impairment of DNA binding can lead to distinctive phenotypes.

The association between CD20 and Src-family Tyrosine kinases requires an additional factor.

CD20 is a B cell surface protein which can initiate intracellular signals involving tyrosine kinase activation, and modify B cell growth and differentiation. CD20 is tightly associated with the Src-family kinases Lyn, Fyn and Lck; however, the mechanism of interaction remains to be determined. Association between CD20 and Src-family kinases has been detected in peripheral blood B cells and in 5 out of 8 unrelated B cell lines. The lack of CD20-associated kinase activity in some cell lines offered an opportunity to investigate the mechanism of CD20 associations. All 8 B cell lines were found to express Lyn, and, with one exception, all cell lines also expressed Fyn. Lck, however, was not detected in any of the cell lines in which CD20 failed to coprecipitate kinase activity. To test the possibility that Lck was required for assembly of the CD20 complex, Lck was transfected into one of the 3 CD20/kinase association-deficient lines, namely T51. CD20 did not coprecipitate kinase activity from the transfected T51 cells, despite their expression of high levels of exogenous Lck, as well as endogenous Lyn and Fyn. CD20 cDNA from T51 was sequenced and found to be normal. These data establish that association between CD20 and Src-family kinases requires an additional factor.

Maturation and developmental stage-related changes in fetal globin gene expression are reproduced in transiently transfected primary adult human erythroblasts.

A novel system is described, which uses transfection of primary human erythroblasts for the study of gene regulation in differentiating human red cells. This system includes a protocol for liquid culture of erythroid progenitors, which reproduces developmental differences in globin gene expression found between adult and cord blood as well as the maturation-related changes in fetal globin levels observed in adult cells. Reporter constructs driven by globin gene promoters were electroporated into adult and cord blood-derived erythroblasts at different time points during culture. Both the developmental stage and maturation-related differences in endogenous fetal and adult globin gene expression could be reproduced by the transiently transfected reporter constructs. Transfection of primary human erythroblasts during differentiation provides a previously unavailable opportunity to study dynamic aspects of erythropoiesis.

Efficient introduction of a gene into hematopoietic cells in S-phase by electroporation.

Cells of the hematopoietic cell line K562 were synchronized by three different methods: single aphidicolin treatment, thymidine treatment followed by hydroxyurea exposure, and double hydroxyurea treatment. The synchronized cells were transfected via electroporation with plasmid pMoZtk, which contains the beta-galactosidase gene, using a square wave pulse immediately after synchronization or at various time points during culture. Simultaneously, synchronized cells were fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) analyzed to determine their stage in the cell cycle using double staining with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and propidium iodide. Highly efficient introduction of pMoZtk was observed for the cell fraction, which predominantly consisted of the cells in S-phase. These results suggest that by increasing the proportion of cells in S-phase, the efficiency of gene transfer into hematopoietic cells such as hematopoietic stem cells can be improved.

Clusterin gene expression mediates resistance to apoptotic cell death induced by heat shock and oxidative stress.

Clusterin is a widely expressed, well conserved, secreted glycoprotein, which is highly induced in tissues regressing as a consequence of apoptotic cell death in vivo. It has recently been shown that clusterin expression is only confined to surviving cells following the induction of apoptosis in vitro, suggesting that it is involved in cell survival rather than death. In the hypothesis that clusterin may be implicated in cellular responses to stress, clusterin gene expression was analyzed in the A431 human epidermoid cancer cell line following heat shock and oxidative stress. Our results show that both a transient heat shock (20 min at 42 degrees C) and various oxidative stresses, including hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion, hyperoxia and UVA exposure, induce a strong increase in clusterin mRNA levels as assessed by northern blot. Nuclear run-on analysis suggests that transcriptional activation is involved in inducing clusterin mRNA in response to heat shock. Using pulse-chase analysis of control and heat shocked cells, it is shown that clusterin mRNA is translated and secreted, thus resulting in increased extracellular levels of the protein following heat shock. To investigate the function of clusterin in response to these stresses, clusterin anti-sense transfectants that stably express virtually no clusterin at the mRNA and protein level were generated in A431 cells. These anti-sense transfectants are shown to be highly sensitive to apoptotic cell death induced by heat shock or oxidative stress compared with wild-type A431 cells or control transfectants. Taken together, our results show that clusterin gene expression is induced in response to heat shock and oxidative stress in human A431 cells, and confers cellular protection against heat shock and oxidative stress.

Gene expression of the human glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor is regulated by Sp1 and Sp3.

The human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor mediates the insulinotropic effects of the incretin hormone GLP-1. It is expressed in a cell- and tissue-specific manner. Recently, we cloned the 5'-region of the GLP-1 receptor gene and found that tissue and cell specificity is lost by 5'-deletion to -574. In this region proximal to the main transcription start point three putative binding sites for Sp1 were localized. Now, in vitro binding of Sp1 was shown by deoxyribonuclease footprint analysis with DNA fragments using either recombinant Sp1 or nuclear extracts from HIT cells. To elucidate the roles of the three Sp1-binding sites, we mutated each of the sites individually as well as in different combinations. The activity of each construct was analyzed in comparison to the wild-type promoter. Mutation of two adjacent Sp1-binding sites showed a clear reduction of activity. Contrasting results were obtained after mutation of the third, more distal Sp1-binding site. Here, a clear increase (approximately 150%) revealed a silencing effect of this cis-regulatory element, possibly resembling a Sp3-binding site. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis revealed binding of Sp1 and Sp3, which was demonstrated by supershifts using specific antibodies. Cotransfection with Sp1 and Sp3 expression vectors in insect cells lacking endogenous Sp factors clearly demonstrated the involvement of Sp1 and Sp3. Therefore, the basal activity of the GLP-1 receptor gene is mediated by two proximal Sp1-binding sites, whereas a more distal site acts as a repressor.

Growth hormone-mediated regulation of insulin-like growth factor I promoter activity in C6 glioma cells.

The molecular mechanisms by which GH regulates insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) gene expression remain obscure. One difficulty has been the lack of established GH-responsive cell lines that express the IGF-I gene. To develop such a cell line, we used rat C6 glioma cells which, as determined by RNase protection assay, express the IGF-I gene but not the GH receptor gene. To confer GH responsiveness, C6 cells were cotransfected with vectors that express the GH receptor (pRc/CMV WTrGHR) and Jak2 (pRc/CMV Jak2). GH responsiveness was demonstrated using luciferase reporter genes containing either the Sis-inducible element from the c-fos gene (pTK81-SIE-Luc) or 6 copies of the GH-responsive GAS-like element (GLE) from the rat spi2.1 gene (pSpi-GLE-Luc). The SIE is activated by binding of STAT1 and 3, whereas the GLE binds STAT5. In cells cotransfected with pRc/CMV WTrGHR, pRc/CMV Jak2, and either pTK81-SIE-Luc or pSpi GLE-Luc, treatment with 500 ng/ml GH for 24 h stimulated a 3.1- and 1.7-fold increase in luciferase activity, respectively. These data suggest that in C6 cells cotransfected with pRc/CMV WTrGHR and pRc/CMV Jak2, GH activates STAT1, 3, and 5. To determine whether GH-responsive IGF-I promoter activity could be demonstrated, C6 cells were cotransfected with pRc/CMV WTrGHR, pRc/ CMV Jak2, and an IGF-I-luciferase fusion gene that contained a fragment of the rat IGF-I gene that extended from -412 in the 5'-flanking region of exon 1 to the Met-22 in exon 3. GH stimulated a modest, but reproducible, 1.7-fold increase in luciferase activity in these cells, suggesting that a GH-responsive element is present in this region of the IGF-I gene. To better localize the GH-responsive element, cells were cotransfected with pRc/CMV WTrGHR, pRc/CMV Jak2 plus one of several IGF-I-luciferase fusion genes containing either fragments of one of the two promoters in the IGF-I gene or a fragment of intron 2 that includes a GH-responsive DNase I hypersensitivity site. For all constructs, treatment with GH for 24 h did not stimulate a significant increase in luciferase activity, suggesting that GH-responsive sequences are not located in these specific regions of the IGF-I gene or that GH-directed transcription of the IGF-I gene is mediated via several different regions of the IGF-I gene and the effect of any one of these regions in isolation was not sufficiently robust to be detected in this model system. In summary, transient expression of the GH receptor and Jak2 in C6 cells creates a GH-responsive system that activates STAT1, 3, and 5. Moreover, a fragment of the IGF-I gene that contains exons 1 and 2, a fragment of exon 3, and introns 1 and 2 is GH responsive using this model system.