Systemic bone loss and induction of coronary vessel disease in a rat model of chronic inflammation.

Clinically, osteopenia or low bone mass has been observed in a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases, and elevated proinflammatory mediators have implicated this process. The purpose of this study was to develop an in vivo model of bone loss induced by chronic systemic inflammation. Time-release pellets designed to deliver one of three doses of LPS: Low (3.3 microg/day), High (33.3 microg/day), or Placebo over 90 days, were implanted subcutaneously in 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 8/group). Neutrophil counts, indicative of ongoing inflammation, were elevated (P < 0.05) in both LPS groups at 30 days post-implant and remained significantly elevated in the High dose throughout the 90-day study period. At the end of the study, bone loss occurred in the femur as indicated by decreased bone mineral density (BMD) in both LPS-treated groups, but vertebral BMD was reduced in the High dose animals only. Microcomputed tomography revealed that trabecular bone volume (BV/TV) of the proximal tibial metaphysis tended to be reduced in the High dose LPS group. Deleterious effects on trabecular number (TbN) and trabecular separation (TbSp) were observed in both LPS-treated groups, but only the High dose group reached statistical significance. These alterations in trabecular microarchitecture resulted in compromised biomechanical properties. No changes in cortical thickness, porosity, or area of the tibia midshaft were evident at either dose of LPS. Up-regulation of the proinflammatory mediators, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, interleukin (IL)-1, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha was demonstrated in the metaphyseal region where the deleterious effects of LPS were observed. In addition to these alterations in bone, trichrome staining indicated changes in the coronary arterioles, consistent with vascular disease. Utilization of a LPS time-release pellet appears to provide an in vivo model of chronic inflammation-induced bone loss and a potentially novel system to study concurrent development of osteopenia and vascular disease.

Identification of a transcription factor IIIA-interacting protein.

Transcription factor IIIA (TFIIIA) activates 5S ribosomal RNA gene transcription in eukaryotes. The protein from vertebrates has nine contiguous Cys(2)His(2)zinc fingers which function in nucleic acid binding, and a C-terminal region involved in transcription activation. In order to identify protein partners for TFIIIA, yeast two-hybrid screens were performed using the C-terminal region of Xenopus TFIIIA as an attractor and a rat cDNA library as a source of potential partners. A cDNA clone was identified which produced a protein in yeast that interacted with Xenopus TFIIIA but not with yeast TFIIIA. This rat clone was sequenced and the primary structure of the human homolog (termed TFIIIA-intP for TFIIIA-interacting protein) was determined from expressed sequence tags. In vitro interaction of recombinant human TFIIIA-intP with recombinant Xenopus TFIIIA was demonstrated by immuno-precipitation of the complex using anti-TFIIIA-intP antibody. Interaction of rat TFIIIA with rat TFIIIA-intP was indicated by co-chromatography of the two proteins on DEAE-5PW following fractionation of a rat liver extract on cation, anion and gel filtration resins. In a HeLa cell nuclear extract, recombinant TFIIIA-intP was able to stimulate TFIIIA-dependent transcription of the Xenopus 5S ribosomal RNA gene but not TFIIIA-independent transcription of the human adenovirus VA RNA gene.

Inhibition of transcription factor IIIA-DNA interactions by xenobiotic metal ions.

Transcription factor IIIA (TFIIIA), a cysteine-rich regulatory protein, is the prototype for the largest known superfamily of eukaryotic transcription factors. Members of the TFIIIA superfamily contain Cys2His2 zinc finger domains responsible for nucleic acid binding. Xenobiotic metal ions, which lack known biological function, were previously used as probes for the structure and function of steroid hormone receptors which contain Cys2Cys2 zinc finger domains. Structural alterations in cysteine-rich regulatory proteins by such ions in vivo might potentiate carcinogenesis and other disease processes. In the present study cadmium and other xenobiotic metal ions were used to probe the structure and function of TFIIIA. The specific interaction of TFIIIA with the internal control region (ICR) of the 5S RNA gene, as assayed by DNase I protection, was inhibited by Cd2+ ion concentrations of > or = 0.1 microM. Aluminum ions were also found to inhibit the TFIIIA-5S RNA gene interaction, albeit at higher concentrations (> or = 5 microM). Inhibition by either metal ion was not readily reversible. Other xenobiotic metal ions, such as mercury or cesium, were not found to be inhibitory under these conditions. None of these ions at the concentrations used in this study affected the ability of DNase I to digest DNA or restriction enzymes to specifically cleave DNA. Preincubation of TFIIIA bound to 5S RNA with either Cd2+ or Al3+ resulted in subsequent DNA binding upon dilution and RNA removal, whereas preincubation of free TFIIIA with the metal ions resulted in inhibition of subsequent DNA binding. Because 5S rRNA also binds the TFIIIA zinc finger domains, these results indicate that the 5S RNA bound to TFIIIA protects the protein from metal inhibition and implicates the zinc fingers in the inhibition mechanism. The nature of the footprint inhibition indicates that the N-terminal fingers of TFIIIA are affected by the metal ions. Cd2+ and Al3+ ions also inhibited the ability of TFIIIA to bind complementary single-stranded DNA and promote renaturation, as measured by Tris-phosphate agarose gel electrophoresis. This gel assay is sensitive to DNA conformation and Al3+ ions were found to alter the conformation of single- and double-stranded DNA in this assay. The inhibition of TFIIIA function in vitro by xenobiotic metals offers new insights into the structure and function of TFIIIA and TFIIIA-type zinc finger proteins. Inhibition by Cd2+ occurs at much lower concentrations than previously observed with steroid hormone receptors and suggests that Cys2His2 zinc finger proteins may be especially sensitive to such agents in vivo.