Delta-cell-specific expression of hedgehog pathway Ptch1 receptor in murine and human endocrine pancreas.

BACKGROUND: Hedgehog pathway plays an important role during pancreas development, when its inactivation is crucial to assure expression of pancreatic marker genes involved in the organ formation and to assure an appropriate organogenesis. Patched1 (Ptch1) is a transmembrane receptor of hedgehog pathway which has a key role in this process. In fact, heterozygous Ptch1 mutant (ptc+/-) mice are affected by an impaired glucose tolerance accompanied by reduced islet function. In the light that the cell distribution of Ptch1 receptor within the endocrine pancreas has not yet been established, we aimed at identifying the pancreatic endocrine cell subset(s) expressing such molecule. METHODS: Double immunostaining for Ptch1 and pancreatic hormones insulin, glucagon and somatostatin on pancreatic paraffin sections of C57BL/6J mice and human non-diabetic multiorgan donors was performed and analysed using confocal microscopy. In addition, diabetes was experimentally induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction after laser-capture microdissection of different islets from frozen pancreatic murine tissue sections was also performed. RESULTS: Ptch1 receptor was detected only in somatostatin-positive delta cells both in mice and in human pancreas; in mice its expression was not affected by streptozotocin treatment. A significant increase of Ptch1 mRNA expression levels in the islet periphery versus the islet core was observed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, in accord with immunohistochemical observations. CONCLUSION: Our data show a delta-cell-specific expression of Ptch1 receptor in murine and human pancreas.

Inactivation of the IL-6 gene prevents development of multicentric Castleman's disease in C/EBP beta-deficient mice.

Castleman's disease is a lymphoproliferative disorder thought to be related to deregulated production of IL-6. We have previously shown that mice lacking the trans-acting factor C/EBP beta, a transcriptional regulator of IL-6 and a mediator of IL-6 intracellular signaling, develop a pathology nearly identical to multicentric Castleman's disease, together with increasingly high levels of circulating IL-6. We describe here how the simultaneous inactivation of both IL-6 and C/EBP beta genes prevents the development of pathological traits of Castleman's disease observed in C/EBP beta-deficient mice. Histological and phenotypic analysis of lymph nodes and spleen of double mutant mice did not show either the lymphoadenopathy and splenomegaly or the abnormal expansion of myeloid, B and plasma cell compartments observed in C/EBP beta-/- mice, while B cell development, although delayed, was normal. Our data demonstrate that IL-6 is essential for the development of multicentric Castleman's disease in C/EBP beta-/- mice.

Glucocorticoid receptor-mediated suppression of the interleukin 2 gene expression through impairment of the cooperativity between nuclear factor of activated T cells and AP-1 enhancer elements.

The immunosuppressant hormone dexamethasone (Dex) interferes with T cell-specific signals activating the enhancer sequences directing interleukin 2 (IL-2) transcription. We report that the Dex-dependent downregulation of 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and calcium ionophore-induced activity of the IL-2 enhancer are mediated by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) via a process that requires intact NH2- and COOH-terminal and DNA-binding domains. Functional analysis of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) vectors containing internal deletions of the -317 to +47 bp IL-2 enhancer showed that the GR-responsive elements mapped to regions containing nuclear factor of activated T cells protein (NFAT) (-279 to -263 bp) and AP-1 (-160 to -150 bp) motifs. The AP-1 motif binds TPA and calcium ionophore-induced nuclear factor(s) containing fos protein. TPA and calcium ionophore-induced transcriptional activation of homo-oligomers of the NFAT element were not inhibited by Dex, while AP-1 motif concatemers were not stimulated by TPA and calcium ionophore. When combined, NFAT and AP-1 motifs significantly synergized in directing CAT transcription. Such a synergism was impaired by specific mutations affecting the trans-acting factor binding to either NFAT or AP-1 motifs. In spite of the lack of hormone regulation of isolated cis elements, TPA/calcium ionophore-mediated activation of CAT vectors containing a combination of the NFAT and the AP-1 motifs became suppressible by Dex. Our results show that the IL-2-AP-1 motif confers GR sensitivity to a flanking region containing a NFAT element and suggest that synergistic cooperativity between the NFAT and AP-1 sites allows GR to mediate the Dex inhibition of IL-2 gene transcription. Therefore, a Dex-modulated second level of IL-2 enhancer regulation, based on a combinatorial modular interplay, appears to be present.

Positive and negative regulation of the composite octamer motif of the interleukin 2 enhancer by AP-1, Oct-2, and retinoic acid receptor.

The differentiating agent retinoic acid (RA) has been previously reported to interfere with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)/Ca2+-induced signals for the regulation of the -96 to -66-bp octamer motif found in the enhancer for the interleukin (IL)-2 gene, which encodes a major T lymphocyte growth factor. The IL-2 octamer motif is a composite cis-element which binds Oct-1 and Oct-2 as well as a TPA/Ca2+-inducible nuclear factor, previously termed octamer-associated protein (OAP40). We show here that Oct-2, despite the presence of an active transcriptional activation domain, requires TPA/Ca2+-induced signals to strongly transactivate the IL-2 octamer motif in Jurkat T cells. This Oct-2-dependent transactivation is inhibited by RA. The presence of an intact COOH-terminal domain of Oct-2 contributes to both TPA/Ca2+-induced transactivation and the RA-mediated repression. We also show that both Fos and Jun components of the AP-1 factors participate in the OAP40 complex. Furthermore, transfected c-jun, jun-B, jun-D, c-fos, or Fos-B expression vectors partially substitute for TPA and Ca2+ and cooperate with Oct-2 for the transactivation of the combined OAP/octamer cis-element. Mutations of the genuine octamer-binding site abrogate both the binding of Oct-1 and Oct-2 and the TPA/Ca2+-induced transactivation of the OAP/octamer motif. OAP confers to Oct-2 responsivity to both TPA/Ca2+ and RA, since specific mutations of the AP-1/OAP-binding site significantly reduce the transactivation by Oct-2 in response to TPA and Ca2+ and abolish the inhibition by RA. Furthermore, retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha is able to inhibit in vitro the formation of the complex between the nuclear AP-1/OAP and its specific binding site, resulting in the interference with Oct-2-dependent cis-regulatory function of this AP-1 element. Therefore, we propose that the TPA/calcium-activated AP-1/OAP element is the main target of positive or negative regulatory signals influencing the IL-2 octamer motif, through synergism with Oct-2 and antagonism by RAR.

Testicular development involves the spatiotemporal control of PDGFs and PDGF receptors gene expression and action.

Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) are growth-regulatory molecules that stimulate chemotaxis, proliferation and metabolism primarily of cells of mesenchymal origin. In this study, we found high levels of PDGFs and PDGFs receptors (PDGFRs) mRNAs, and specific immunostaining for the corresponding proteins in the rat testis. PDGFs and PDGFRs expression was shown to be developmentally regulated and tissue specific. Expression of PDGFs and PDGFRs genes was observed in whole testis RNA 2 d before birth, increased through postnatal day 5 and fell to low levels in adult. The predominant cell population expressing transcripts of the PDGFs and PDGFRs genes during prenatal and early postnatal periods were Sertoli cells and peritubular myoid cells (PMC) or their precursors, respectively, while in adult animals PDGFs and PDGFRs were confined in Leydig cells. We also found that early postnatal Sertoli cells produce PDGF-like substances and that this production is inhibited dose dependently by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The expression of PDGFRs by PMC and of PDGFs by Sertoli cells corresponds in temporal sequence to the developmental period of PMC proliferation and migration from the interstitium to the peritubulum. Moreover, we observed that all the PDGF isoforms and the medium conditioned by early postnatal Sertoli cells show a strong chemotactic activity for PMC which is inhibited by anti-PDGF antibodies. These data indicate that, through the spatiotemporal pattern of PDGF ligands and receptors expression, PDGF may play a role in testicular development and homeostasis.

Alternative splicing of the ErbB-4 cytoplasmic domain and its regulation by hedgehog signaling identify distinct medulloblastoma subsets.

Medulloblastoma (MB) results from aberrant development of cerebellar neurons in which altered hedgehog (Hh) signalling plays a major role. We investigated the possible influence of Hh signalling on ErbB-receptor expression in MB, in particular that of the ErbB-4 CYT-1 and CYT-2 isoforms generated by alternative splicing of the cytoplasmic domain. ErbB-4 expression was downregulated in Hh-induced MBs from Patched-1(+/-) mice. Hh signalling (reflected by enhanced expression of the Gli1 transcription factor) inhibited ErbB-4 expression in mouse cerebellar granule progenitors and human MB cells. Analysis of 26 human primary MBs revealed a subset of 11 tumors characterized by low Gli1 levels, upregulated ErbB-4 expression and increased CYT-1:CYT-2 ratios. Interestingly, CYT-1 and Gli1 levels were inversely correlated. ErbB-4 CYT-1 and CYT-2 had different phenotypic effects in cultured MB cells: in response to neuregulin treatment, CYT-2 overexpression inhibited proliferation whereas CYT-1, which includes a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-binding site that is missing in CYT-2, enhanced resistance to starvation- and etoposide-induced apoptosis by activating PI3K/Akt signalling. CYT-1:CYT-2 ratios displayed correlation with tumor histotype and ErbB-2 levels, which are established prognostic indices for MB. These findings demonstrate that low-level Hh signalling in human MB is associated with the selective maintenance of high ErbB-4 CYT-1 expression, an alteration that exerts tumor-promoting effects.

Retinoic acid-induced down-regulation of the interleukin-2 promoter via cis-regulatory sequences containing an octamer motif.

Retinoic acid (RA) is known to influence the proliferation and differentiation of a wide variety of transformed and developing cells. We found that RA and the specific RA receptor (RAR) ligand Ch55 inhibited the phorbol ester and calcium ionophore-induced expression of the T-cell growth factor interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene. Expression of transiently transfected chloramphenicol acetyltransferase vectors containing the 5'-flanking region of the IL-2 gene was also inhibited by RA. RA-induced down-regulation of the IL-2 enhancer is mediated by RAR, since overexpression of transfected RARs increased RA sensitivity of the IL-2 promoter. Functional analysis of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase vectors containing either internal deletion mutants of the region from -317 to +47 bp of the IL-2 enhancer or multimerized cis-regulatory elements showed that the RA-responsive element in the IL-2 promoter mapped to sequences containing an octamer motif. RAR also inhibited the transcriptional activity of the octamer motif of the immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancer. In spite of the transcriptional inhibition of the IL-2 octamer motif, RA did not decrease the in vitro DNA-binding capability of octamer-1 protein. These results identify a regulatory pathway within the IL-2 promoter which involves the octamer motif and RAR.

Enhancement of c-erbA proto-oncogene expression by glucocorticoid hormones in S49.1 lymphoma cells.

The modifications of the mRNA levels of the c-myc and c-erbA proto-oncogenes during the dexamethasone-induced decrease of S49.1 cell proliferation have been studied. The levels of c-myc mRNA decreased significantly between 3 and 18 h after dexamethasone (1 microM) treatment. In contrast, a significant increase in the levels of a 2.6 kb c-erbA mRNA was observed between 6 and 18 h after hormone treatment. Cycloheximide treatment of S49.1 cells increased the levels of c-erbA RNA and overcome the enhancing effect of dexamethasone on the expression of this proto-oncogene, suggesting that ongoing protein synthesis is necessary to elicit this hormone effect. The associated decrease of cell proliferation and changes in c-myc and c-erbA mRNA levels after dexamethasone treatment suggest that such oncogenes might be involved in the dexamethasone-mediated control of lymphoid cell growth.

T-cell restricted and unrestricted expression of transfected human interleukin-2 gene: phorbol ester- and calcium-inducible versus constitutive expression.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene expression is tightly controlled and generally limited to antigenic stimulation of T cells. To study the cell-specific expression of the IL-2 gene, we transfected the intact human IL-2 gene, including 2.0 kb of 5' and 0.3 kb of 3' flanking sequences, into mouse NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and BFS lymphoma T cells and into human epithelial HeLa cells. Stable transformants (NIH-3T3,HeLa and BFS cells) carried an intact transfected IL-2 gene and constitutively expressed cytoplasmic human IL-2 mRNA which was not detected in vector-transfected cells. Constitutive expression of IL-2 mRNA in human IL-2 gene-transfected NIH-3T3 and HeLa cells was associated to the secretion of bioactive IL-2 protein, while no IL-2 production was observed in untransfected or vector-transfected cells. Cytoplasmic IL-2 mRNA observed in transfectants was larger (1.4 kb) than endogenous IL-2 mRNA of human T cells, although smaller than RNA containing unspliced intact introns. No alternative promoters or polyadenylation signals were used by these cells, but some intronic sequences were present in the 1.4 kb mRNA. Phorbol ester and calcium ionophore did not modulate the expression of the transfected IL-2 gene in NIH-3T3 and HeLa cells, while these agents increased its expression in transfected BFS lymphoma T cells. We conclude that when transfected into lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells the intact human IL-2 gene is constitutively expressed, while its phorbol ester/calcium-mediated inducible expression is restricted to T cells. This suggests that the constitutive and inducible expression of the IL-2 gene can be dissociated and are presumably subjected to separate regulatory pathways.

The acquisition of an insulin-secreting phenotype by HGF-treated rat pancreatic ductal cells (ARIP) is associated with the development of susceptibility to cytokine-induced apoptosis.

The elucidation of mechanisms regulating the regeneration and survival of pancreatic beta cells has fundamental implications in the cell therapy of type 1 diabetes. The present study had the following three aims: 1. to investigate whether pancreatic ductal epithelial cells can be induced to differentiate into insulin-producing cells by exposing them to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF); 2. to characterize some of the molecular events leading to their differentiation toward a beta-cell-like phenotype; 3. to evaluate the susceptibility of newly differentiated insulin-secreting cells to cytokine-induced apoptosis, a mechanism of beta-cell destruction occurring in type 1 diabetes. We demonstrated that HGF-treated rat pancreatic ductal cell line (ARIP) cells acquired the capability to transcribe the insulin gene and translate its counterpart protein. HGF-treated cells also exhibited a glucose-dependent capability to secrete insulin into the cultured medium. Expression analysis of some of the genes regulating pancreatic beta-cell differentiation revealed a time-dependent transcription of neurogenin-3 and Neuro-D in response to HGF. Finally, we determined the susceptibility to proinflammatory cytokine (PTh1)-induced apoptosis by incubating HGF-treated and untreated ARIP cells with a cocktail of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Such treatment induced apoptotic death, as determined by the TUNEL technique, in about 40% of HGF-treated, insulin-secreting ARIP cells, while untreated ARIP cells were resistant to PTh1-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, we showed that HGF promotes the differentiation of ARIP cells into pancreatic beta-cell-like cells, and that the differentiation toward an insulin-secreting phenotype is associated with the appearance of susceptibility to cytokine-induced apoptosis.

Tumor-promoting phorbol ester and ras oncogene expression inhibit the glucocorticoid-dependent transcription from the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat.

Oncogene activation has been suggested to play some role in determining the hormone independency of tumors. In order to study the role of protein kinase C in mediating the inhibition of the glucocorticoid-dependent transcription from the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV)-Long Terminal Repeat induced by overexpressed activated ras oncogene, we studied the effects of protein kinase C activators [the tumor promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)] and inhibitors [1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7)] on the dexamethasone (DEX)-mediated activation of a MMTV-Long Terminal Repeat-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (pMMTV-CAT) chimeric reporter gene transiently transfected into NIH-3T3 cells and in Ha-ras-transformed fibroblasts (T24-NIH-3T3). TPA (30 ng/ml) together with DEX (0.1 microM) treatment of NIH-3T3 cells resulted in a significant decrease of CAT activity from pMMTV-CAT, compared to DEX treatment alone. The addition of H-7 (40 microM) was able to overcome the TPA-induced inhibition of DEX-dependent transcription from pMMTV-CAT. DEX-dependent expression of pMMTV-CAT was significantly reduced in T24-NIH-3T3 with respect to wild-type NIH-3T3 cells. Treatment of T24-NIH-3T3 cells with either H-7 or TPA significantly enhanced or decreased, respectively, the DEX-dependent expression of pMMTV-CAT. TPA and/or H-7 did not affect CAT activity from either pMMTV-CAT in the absence of DEX or from CAT gene under the control of the SV40 promoter. Similar glucocorticoid receptor sites and binding affinities were observed in T24-NIH-3T3 or TPA-treated NIH-3T3 cells compared to wild-type untreated cells. Our data suggest that activation of PKC is involved in the reduced transcriptional regulatory activity of glucocorticoid hormone induced by overexpressed Ha-ras oncogene in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts.

Cell-specific bifunctional role of Jun oncogene family members on glucocorticoid receptor-dependent transcription.

Interaction between protein kinase C (PKC)- and glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated signaling is suggested by the ability of the PKC activating phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to inhibit GR-dependent transcription of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) long terminal repeat (LTR). Here we report that this interference is cell specific, as TPA augmented dexamethasone-induced transcriptional activation of the MMTV LTR in several T cell lines but was inhibitory in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. TPA-GR synergism was determined to have occurred at the GR-responsive element (GRE) level by functional analysis of deletion mutants or synthetic GRE oligonucleotides driving chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase expression. Synergism required an intact GR DNA-binding domain, whereas amino- or carboxyl-terminal domains were dispensable. The effect was abrogated by the PKC inhibitor staurosporine, suggesting a role for PKC. Increased c-jun, jun-B, and jun-D expression above basal levels and increased transcriptional activity of AP-1/TPA responsive elements fused to chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase vectors were observed in T cells treated with TPA alone or in combination with dexamethasone. The ability of Jun proteins to cooperate with GR in T cells has been investigated after transfection of c-jun, jun-B, or jun-D expression vectors, which augmented GR-dependent transcription from either MMTV LTR or GRE. Conversely, c-jun and jun-B transfection blunted GR-dependent transcription in HeLa cells. The presence of c-fos had a negative influence on GR function and correlated with the cell-specific synergistic or antagonistic activity of Jun with respect to GR; high basal expression of c-fos as well as AP-1 DNA binding and transcriptional activity were observed in HeLa cells, but not in T cells. Furthermore overexpression of exogenous c-fos has an inhibitory effect on GR-dependent transcription from GRE in T cells. We propose that Jun plays a bifunctional role on GR-dependent transcriptional activation of GRE, selecting either synergistic or antagonistic activity depending on the cell-specific microenvironment. In this regard, intracellular levels of c-fos appear to be influential.

Spermatic and peripheral venous plasma concentrations of testosterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, delta 5-androstene-3 beta,17 beta-diol, dihydrotestosterone, 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol, 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta,17 beta-diol, and estradiol in boys with idiopathic varicocele in different stages of puberty.

Serum testosterone (T), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17P), androstenedione (delta 4-dione), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), delta 5-androstene-3 beta, 17 beta-diol (delta 5-diol), estradiol (E2), dihydrotestosterone (DHT),5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (3 alpha diol), and 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta,17 beta-diol (3 beta diol) were measured in the peripheral and spermatic venous blood of 21 boys undergoing surgery for idiopathic left varicocele. The boys were divided into 3 groups according to their pubertal development: prepubertal (group 1 or P1; n = 8), pubertal stage 2 (group II or P2; n = 6), and pubertal stages 3-4 (group III or P3-4; n = 7). The testes of the prepubertal boys secreted T, 17P, DHA, delta 5-diol, DHT, and 3 alpha diol, but not delta 4-dione, E2, and 3 beta diol. In pubertal stage P2, the mean spermatic-peripheral secretory gradients of T, 17P, DHA, delta 5-diol, DHT, and 3 alpha diol were significantly higher than those in the prepubertal stage, and there was testicular secretion of delta 4-dione, E2, and 3 beta diol. In pubertal stage P3-4, the mean spermatic-peripheral secretory gradients of most of these steroids, even if increased, were not significantly different from those in stage P2 (with the exception of 17P, delta 5-diol, and DHA). We suggest that after the important modifications of testicular secretion occurring in pubertal stage P2, the testicular secretory pattern of the pubertal testis is similar to the pattern of the adult testis. We suggest also that these results, obtained in boys with idiopathic varicocele, can probably be extended to the secretory activity of the testes of normal pubertal boys.

Expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors in murine thymocytes and thymic stromal cells.

RT-PCR combined with immunoblotting showed the expression of group-I (mGlu1 and 5) and group-II (mGlu2 and 3) metabotropic glutamate receptors in whole mouse thymus, isolated thymocytes and TC-1S thymic stromal cell line. Cytofluorimetric analysis showed that mGlu-5 receptors were absent in CD4(-)/CD8(-) but present in more mature CD4(+) CD8(+) and CD4(+)CD8(-) thymocytes. mGlu-1a receptors showed an opposite pattern of expression with respect to mGlu5, whereas mGlu2/3 receptor expression did not differ between double negative and double positive cells. mGlu receptors expressed in both thymic cell components were functional, as indicated by measurements of polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis or cAMP formation. These data suggest a possible role for mGlu receptor signalling in the thymus.

The thymus at the crossroad of neuroimmune interactions.

The numerous relationships existing between the nervous and the immune systems suggest that the neural networks present in the intrathymic microenvironment may influence T-cell development. We previously reported that thymic neural-crest-derived stromal cells are involved in a neural differentiation pathway and are able to produce neurotrophic factors and neurokines that are in turn able to increase and/or modulate thymic-stromal cell neuronal phenotype. We also showed that EGF promotes a neural phenotype in thymic epithelial cells by enhancing the expression of neuronal-specific markers, neurotransmitters, and neuropoietic cytokines, such as IL-6 and CNTF. More recently we showed that the effect of EGF in directing thymic epithelial cells toward a neural-oriented cell fate is mediated by modulating the expression of genes directly involved in neurotypic differentiation (i.e., thrombospondin-1). EGF-induced regulation of stromal cells may also affect T-cell differentiation, as we observed that an EGF-pretreatment reduces the ability of thymic epithelial cells to sustain thymocyte differentiation in vitro. Finally, we demonstrated that a complex network involving the neurotrophin BDNF and its specific receptors may have a role in sustaining thymocyte precursor survival and supporting the thymocyte differentiation process. All together, our results suggest that the thymus may be the site of integration of different neuroimmune networks that are potentially involved in the regulation of thymocyte survival and/or differentiation.

Acetylation controls Notch3 stability and function in T-cell leukemia.

Post-translational modifications of Notch3 and their functional role with respect to Notch3 overexpression in T-cell leukemia are still poorly understood. We identify here a specific novel property of Notch3 that is acetylated and deacetylated at lysines 1692 and 1731 by p300 and HDAC1, respectively, a balance impaired by HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) that favor hyperacetylation. By using HDACi and a non-acetylatable Notch3 mutant carrying K/R(1692-1731) mutations in the intracellular domain, we show that Notch3 acetylation primes ubiquitination and proteasomal-mediated degradation of the protein. As a consequence, Notch3 protein expression and its transcriptional activity are decreased both in vitro and in vivo in Notch3 transgenic (tg) mice, thus impairing downstream signaling upon target genes. Consistently, Notch3-induced T-cell proliferation is inhibited by HDACi, whereas it is enhanced by the non-acetylatable Notch3-K/R(1692-1731) mutant. Finally, HDACi-induced Notch3 hyperacetylation prevents in vivo growth of T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in Notch3 tg mice. Together, our findings suggest a novel level of Notch signaling control in which Notch3 acetylation/deacetylation process represents a key regulatory switch, thus representing a suitable druggable target for Notch3-sustained T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapy.

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 tat enhances interleukin-2 promoter activity through synergism with phorbol ester and calcium-mediated activation of the NF-AT cis-regulatory motif.

Interference with T cell activation signals by Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gene products is suggested to contribute to the impairment of immune functions observed in AIDS. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and HIV share common stimulatory signals triggered during T cell activation. The role of HIV tat, which is the main enhancing factor for viral LTR, in the regulation of IL-2 gene transcription has been studied following transient expression of the tat gene in phorbol ester and calcium ionophore-activated Jurkat cells transfected with IL-2 promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter constructs. We observed that tat increased the IL-2 promoter transcriptional activity in response to phorbol ester and ionomycin. This tat-dependent synergism mapped to the (-279 to -263 bp) NFAT motif of the IL-2 enhancer, which was sufficient to be transactivated by tat. Our data suggest that tat links T cell activating signals to the shared IL-2 and HIV regulation. This may play a role in the early phase of HIV infection.

Lack of correlation between sex hormone binding globulin and free testosterone in some cases of "idiopathic" hirsutism.

Plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol levels are increased in a high percentage of hirsute women, including those with normal plasma levels of its precursors, repeatedly evaluated during the menstrual cycle. To better ascertain the origin of this form of hirsutism, so called "idiopathic", 17 hirsute women (aged 19.5 +/- 4.8 SD yr), with normal bw, showing an isolated increase in plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol (0.65 +/- 0.18 SD nmol/l) were studied in basal conditions (on day 6, 7, 17, 18 of the menstrual cycle). A hirsute female (aged 14 yr) with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency was also included in the protocol. Sex hormone binding globulin was evaluated using a saturation method (dihydrotestosterone- 3H 0.5-25 nM) with and without 200x cold dihydrotestosterone. Maximum number of binding sites and Ka were calculated in all cases with Scatchard analysis. Free testosterone was evaluated by the equilibrium dialysis technique. The results obtained showed a significant increase in Ka values in 10 out of the 17 cases; low plasma levels of sex hormone binding globulin in 13 cases and normal levels in 4 cases; high levels of free testosterone fraction in 5 cases and in the upper limits of the normal range or normal in the remaining 12. These findings demonstrate that some cases of "idiopathic" hirsutism may present an alteration in the binding affinity of the sex hormone binding globulin which may be genetically transmitted, being found to be increased in two sisters and in their brother.

Testicular responsiveness following chronic administration of hCG (1500 IU every six days) in untreated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

The observation that the testosterone (T) response to a single intramuscular injection of hCG is prolonged suggests that currently used regimens (2-3 injections per week) to stimulate endogenous androgen secretion in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) patients have to be reassessed. Moreover, during the last few years, Leydig cell steroidogenic desensitization has been found after massive doses of hCG. The aim of the present investigation, carried out in 6 HH patients who showed no signs of puberty, was to study the effect of 1500 IU hCG administered every six days over a period of one year to induce the onset of pubertal development. To evaluate the kinetics of the response of T, 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17 alpha-OHP) and 17 beta-oestradiol (E2), blood samples were taken basally and 1, 2, 4 and 6 days after drug injection. This dynamic study was performed after the first injection and after the 4th and 12th month of treatment. During this one year time period, a progressive increase in testicular size was observed. Comparing plasma T levels (mean +/- SE) before the first injection (11.2 +/- 4.7 ng/dl) with the corresponding values at the 4th (38.7 +/- 10.5 ng/dl) and 12th months (99.5 +/- 19.9 ng/dl) of therapy, a progressive and significant increase was observed. T reached a maximum elevation 58 hours after hCG injection at the 4th month (198.3 +/- 42 ng/dl; P less than 0.01) and at the 12th month (415.6 +/- 62.6 ng/dl; P less than 0.05), whereas it remained unchanged following the first hCG injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)