Reciprocal cooperation of phytochemicals and micronutrients against typical and atypical forms of Borrelia sp.

AIMS: Borrelia sp., a causative pathogenic factor of Lyme disease (LD), has become a major public health threat. Current treatments based on antibiotics often lead to relapse after their withdrawal. Naturally derived substances that could work synergistically to display higher efficacy compared with the individual components may serve as a resource for the development of novel approaches to combat both active and latent forms of Borrelia sp. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using checkerboard assay, we investigated the anti-borreliae reciprocal cooperation of phytochemicals and micronutrients against two species of Borrelia selected as prevalent causes of LD in the United States and Europe. We tested 28 combinations of phytochemicals such as polyphenols (baicalein, luteolin, rosmarinic acids), fatty acids (monolaurin, cis-2-decenoic acid) and micronutrients (ascorbic acid, cholecalciferol and iodine). The results showed that the combinations of baicalein with luteolin as well as monolaurin with cis-2-decenoic acid expressed synergistic anti-spirochetal effects. Moreover, baicalein and luteolin, when combined with rosmarinic acid or iodine, produced additive bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects against typical corkscrew motile spirochaetes and persistent knob/round-shaped forms, respectively. An additive anti-biofilm effect was noticed between baicalein with luteolin and monolaurin with cis-2-decenoic acid. Finally, application of the combination of baicalein with luteolin increased cytoplasmic permeability of Borrelia sp. but did not cause DNA damage. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that a specific combination of flavones might play a supporting role in combating Borrelia sp. through either synergistic or additive anti-borreliae effects. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Presented here in vitro results might help advancing our knowledge and improving the approach to target Borrelia sp.

In vitro evaluation of antibacterial activity of phytochemicals and micronutrients against Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia garinii.

AIMS: Little is known about the effects of phytochemicals against Borrelia sp. causing Lyme disease. Current therapeutic approach to this disease is limited to antibiotics. This study examined the anti-borreliae efficacy of several plant-derived compounds and micronutrients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We tested the efficacy of 15 phytochemicals and micronutrients against three morphological forms of Borrelia burgdoferi and Borrelia garinii: spirochetes, latent rounded forms and biofilm. The results showed that the most potent substances against the spirochete and rounded forms of B. burgdorferi and B. garinii were cis-2-decenoic acid, baicalein, monolaurin and kelp (iodine); whereas, only baicalein and monolaurin revealed significant activity against the biofilm. Moreover, cis-2-decenoic acid, baicalein and monolaurin did not cause statistically significant cytotoxicity to human HepG2 cells up to 125 µg ml(-1) and kelp up to 20 µg ml(-1) . CONCLUSIONS: The most effective antimicrobial compounds against all morphological forms of the two tested Borrelia sp. were baicalein and monolaurin. This might indicate that the presence of fatty acid and phenyl groups is important for comprehensive antibacterial activity. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study reveals the potential of phytochemicals as an important tool in the fight against the species of Borrelia causing Lyme disease.

Akt1 mediates prostate cancer cell microinvasion and chemotaxis to metastatic stimuli via integrin ß3 affinity modulation.

BACKGROUND: Activation of Akt and increased expression of integrin ß(3) are the two most important changes that have been linked to the attainment of metastatic potential by prostate cancer cells. However, a direct link between Akt activity and inside-out activation of integrin ß(3) in mediating prostate cancer cell metastatic properties is not established. METHODS: Using functional and biochemical approaches, we examined the role of Akt1 in the affinity modulation of integrin ß(3) in prostate cancer cells. RESULTS: Although expression of murine TRAMP and human PC3 cells with constitutively active Akt1 (CA-Akt1) enhanced their affinity for integrin α(v)ß(3) specific ligands and motility on various extracellular matrix proteins, the reverse was observed with the expression of dominant-negative Akt1 (DN-Akt1). Although enhanced motility and transendothelial migration of CA-Akt1-expressing cells were blunted by co-expression with DN-integrin ß(3) or upon pre-treatment with integrin ß(3)-blocking antibodies (LM 609), impaired motility and transendothelial migration of DN-Akt1-expressing cells were rescued by pre-treatment of prostate cancer cells with integrin ß(3)-activating antibodies, AP7.4. CONCLUSION: Our data is the first to demonstrate a link between Akt1 activity and affinity modulation of integrin ß(3) in the regulation of prostate cancer cell motility, transendothelial migration and chemotaxis to metastatic stimuli.

Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression in depolarized non-transformed bovine adrenal medullary cells: second messenger systems and promoter mechanisms.

Activation of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene in the adrenal medulla during stress is mediated by trans-synaptic mechanisms and may involve cholinergic receptors. Stimulation of nicotinic receptors in adrenal medullary cells induces cell depolarization, influx of Ca2+ ions and increases levels of cAMP. We have shown that both cAMP and membrane depolarization produce an increase in the expression of the TH gene in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells (BAMC). Others have proposed that transcriptional activation of the TH gene by cAMP is mediated through the sequence homologous to a cAMP responsive element (CRE) located in the proximal region of the TH gene promoter. In the present study we have examined the mechanisms by which membrane depolarization increases the TH gene activity. Treatment of serum-free BAMC cultures with the depolarizing agent, veratridine, increased the extracellular concentration of catecholamines, Met5-enkephalin, and the relative abundance of TH mRNA. Veratridine treatment also increased the levels of mRNAs for the catecholamine biosynthetic enzyme phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), and proenkephalin A (PEK). Treatment for longer than 3 h was required to increase TH mRNA levels. By contrast, our previous studies indicated that cAMP stimulation for 2 h produces a maximal increase in TH mRNA levels in BAMC. The effects of veratridine and forskolin on TH mRNA levels were additive, further indicating that depolarization and cAMP activate TH gene expression via different pathways. Calmidazolium, an antagonist of calmodulin, had no effect on the veratridine-induced increase in TH mRNA levels. Similarly sphingosine treatment or preincubation with PMA, which reduce protein kinase C (PKC) activity and attenuate the induction of TH mRNA by PMA or the hormone, angiotensin II, did not affect the induction by veratridine. To identify promoter mechanisms of TH gene activation in depolarized cells we transfected BAMC with a plasmid pTHgoodLuc and treated with veratridine for 24 h. pTHgoodLUC contains a luciferase reporter gene linked to a -428/+21 bp fragment of the bovine TH gene promoter (relative to the transcription start site). Veratridine increased the expression of luciferase from the TH promoter 2.5-fold. Deletion of the -194/-54 bp promoter region containing SP-1 and POU/Oct sites reduced veratridine stimulation by 40%. Additional deletion of the -269 to -190 bp promoter segment, including an AP-1 element, further reduced veratridine stimulation to a statistically non-significant level. In conclusion, activation of TH gene expression upon depolarization is not mediated by calmodulin and PKC. Promoter sequences involved in this activation are located upstream from the CRE. Depolarization may activate TH gene transcription by acting on more than one regulatory region.

Regulatory region of the Aspergillus nidulans argB gene.

We have constructed a series of deletion plasmids which contain the Aspergillus nidulans argB gene for ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OTC). These deletions comprise the 5' upstream sequence of the argB gene. The pro- arg- strain of A. nidulans was transformed with the above plasmids. Several arg+ transformants of integration types I and II, obtained using each of the deletion plasmids, were studied, and their ability to de-repress OTC level by proline starvation was compared. It was concluded that nucleotides located between -150 and -50 bp upstream of the argB gene are significant for its cross-pathway regulation. This regulatory region contains three copies of the TGACTC hexanucleotide which is a cis-acting regulatory sequence of general amino acid control in yeast.

Transformation of Aspergillus nidulans by the argB gene.

Aspergillus nidulans argB mutant was transformed with the plasmid DNA containing the argB gene. Analysis of transformants revealed that transformation was due to integration of either argB gene alone or the whole plasmid DNA into the A. nidulans genome. In 5 out of 23 transformants studied, integration took place in the locus different than the original argB locus. The amplification of integrated sequences was often observed. Integrated DNA was found to be mitotically stable, while the meiotic stability depends on the mode of integration. The activity of the ornithine carbamoyltransferase (the argB gene product) was measured and in some transformants bearing the amplified argB sequence was found to be strongly elevated.

Bovine tyrosine hydroxylase gene-promoter regions involved in basal and angiotensin II-stimulated expression in nontransformed adrenal medullary cells.

The tyrosine hydroxylase gene is expressed specifically in catecholaminergic cells, and its activity is regulated by afferent stimuli. To characterize molecular mechanisms underlying those regulations, we have constructed chimeric genes consisting of bovine tyrosine hydroxylase gene promoters (wild-type or deletion mutants) and a luciferase reporter gene. The basal expression of these genes and their regulation by angiotensin II were examined in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. Luciferase activity was normalized to the amount of transfected plasmid DNA. A pTHgoodLUC plasmid containing the -428/+21-bp fragment of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene promoter expressed luciferase activity at severalfold higher levels than the promoterless pOLUC plasmid. Deletion of the -194/-54-bp promoter fragment containing POU/Oct, SP1, and other putative regulatory elements increased luciferase expression fivefold. An additional deletion further upstream (-269/-194 bp), including a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-responsive element (TRE)-like site, reduced promoter activity. These results indicate the presence of negatively and positively acting regions in the bovine tyrosine hydroxylase gene promoter controlling basal promoter activity in adrenal medullary cells. Angiotensin II stimulated the expression of endogenous tyrosine hydroxylase gene and pTHgood-LUC approximately threefold without affecting the expression of pOLUC. A comparable threefold stimulation was observed following the deletion of the -194/-54-bp promoter region, despite the increase in basal promoter activity. Additional deletion of the -269/-194-bp promoter fragment reduced stimulation by angiotensin II to 1.5-fold. These results indicate that the angiotensin II receptor-responsive element is located in the -269/-194-bp promoter region containing the TRE-like site. Additional angiotensin II-responsive site(s) may be present outside this region. Gel mobility shift assays demonstrated constitutive and angiotensin II-induced protein binding to the tyrosine hydroxylase gene promoter. Some DNA-protein complexes were displaced with c-Fos antibodies. The results suggest that c-Fos-related antigens support basal promoter activity and mediate activation of tyrosine hydroxylase by angiotensin II receptor.

Mapping candidate hotspots of meiotic recombination in segments of human DNA cloned in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The hotspots of meiotic recombination in the human genome can be localized by genetic techniques. The resolution of these techniques is in the range of kilobases and depends on the density of the physical markers identifying allelic variants of the chromosomal loci. We thought it would be interesting to localize these sites with higher resolution. Assuming that some human chromosomal sites conserve their propensity for recombination when cloned in yeast, we localized the hotspots of recombination in several yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) carrying human DNA. A number of potential recombination hotspots could be identified in the clones studied. Among them there are two classes of sites that are particularly recombination prone also in human meiotic cells: sites associated with CpG islands and sites located in the vicinity of long minisatellite sequences.

Nuclease-hypersensitive chromatin formed by a CpG island in human DNA cloned as an artificial chromosome in yeast.

CpG islands are mostly unmethylated GC-, and CpG-rich chromosomal segments overlapping promoter sequences in all housekeeping and many tissue-specific genes in vertebrates. Typically, these islands show an open chromatin structure, low in histone H1 and rich in acetylated histones. We have previously found that the island-like CGCG-rich sites in human DNA are hypersensitive to DNase I upon cloning in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we studied, with a higher resolution, the chromatin formed in yeast by one such site, the CpG island accompanying the human glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene. We have found two strong hypersensitive sites and several positioned nucleosomes flanking the island despite the absence in yeast of such chromatin fiber-shaping factors as histone H1, methyltransferase, and the tissue-specific transcription factors. This finding, together with similar observations from our laboratories and others supports the idea that variations in GC and/or CpG content substantially contribute to the DNA sequence features modulating the structure of the chromatin. The composition-dependent fluctuations in the accessibility of DNA in the chromatin may constitute an evolutionary advantage and may explain the surprising compositional selection that acts in both the coding and non-coding segments of some genes during mammalian evolution.

Neural and hormonal regulation of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene in adrenal medullary cells: Participation of c-fos and AP1 factors.

Previous studies identified nicotine and angiotensin receptors as major trans-synaptic and hormonal inputs controlling activities and mRNA levels of the catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes in adrenal medullary (AM) cells. The purpose of this study was to further explore the molecular mechanisms underlying these modes of regulations. Incubation of cultured bovine AM cells with nicotine or a stable analog of angiotensin II, sar1-angiotensin II, increased synthesis of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) mRNAs (2- to 3-fold), suggesting transcriptional activation of these genes. No effects of nicotine or sar1-angiotensin II on TH and PNMT mRNA levels could be demonstrated in cells treated with cycloheximide or puromycin, suggesting regulation by inducible proteins. However, translational inhibitors produced small increases in basal TH mRNA levels (1.5- to 1.9-fold), indicating that repressor-like mechanisms participate in the regulation of the TH gene. Sequence analysis of the bovine TH promoter (1.6 kb) revealed the presence of several putative regulatory elements including four nonidentical AP1-like sites, potential targets for c-Fos/c-Jun/AP1 regulation. Formation of sequence-specific complexes between nuclear proteins and five fragments of the TH promoter (200-400 nt) was demonstrated by gel mobility shift assay (one to three complexes per fragment). Binding of proteins to three promoter fragments containing single AP1-like elements was antagonized by an oligodeoxynucleotide-containing AP1 consensus sequence (oligo-AP1), but not by other unrelated DNA sequences. Oligo-AP1 inhibited the formation of one or two complexes with individual DNA fragments. These observations suggest formation of different AP1-like complexes on individual promoter fragments. c-Fos antibody inhibited the formation of three oligo-AP1-displaceable complexes. The formation of the majority of retarded bands, including all AP1-like complexes, was increased by incubation of cells with sar1-angiotensin II or nicotine. Western analysis demonstrated the presence of c-Fos (p54), c-Jun (p36-38), and several c-Fos- and c-Jun-related antigens in control and stimulated AM cells. Sar1-angiotensin II and nicotine increased steady-state levels of c-Fos (1.5- to 2-fold) and c-fos mRNA (10- to 14-fold) and the levels of several c-Fos-related antigens (FRA) (2- to 7-fold). Some of FRA showed differential regulation by angiotensin II and nicotinic receptors. The levels of p36-38 c-Jun and c-jun mRNA were increased by sar1-angiotensin II (2- to 5-fold) and were less affected by nicotine. In conclusion, our results suggest transcriptional regulation of the TH gene by angiotensin II and nicotinic receptors, through partially different nuclear pathways. The regulation may involve multiple target sites in the TH promoter, inducible proteins, AP1-like factors, c-Fos, and c-Fos-related antigens.

A 5'-flanking region of the bovine tyrosine hydroxylase gene is involved in cell-specific expression, activation of gene transcription by phorbol ester, and transactivation by c-Fos and c-Jun.

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is expressed specifically in catecholaminergic cells and is transcriptionally activated via a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway. To identify regulatory regions of the TH gene, transfected neural crest-derived catecholaminergic cells [human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y and bovine adrenal medullary (BAM) cells] or glia-derived SF-763 cells were used to analyze expression of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene under the control of 5'-flanking sequences of the bovine TH gene. Plasmid pTH(-245/+21)CAT was constructed by fusing the -245 to +21 region of the TH gene to CAT sequences in the promoterless pCAT basic plasmid. Cells transfected with pTH(-245/+21)CAT expressed CAT activity at levels 8- to 100-fold higher than those of cells transfected with pCAT basic. In SH-SY5Y or BAM cells, pTH(-245/+21)CAT supported the expression of CAT at levels similar to or higher than that supported by the tissue nonspecific viral SV40 promoter/enhancer. In glia-like cells, CAT expression from pTH(-245/+2 1)CAT was about 13-fold lower than that under the control of the SV40 promoter. Incubation of neuroblastoma cells with the active phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), increased expression of CAT from pTH(-245/+2 1)CAT over 6-fold and was accompanied by induction of c-fos and c-jun mRNAs and proteins. The regulation of TH promoter function by c-Fos/c-Jun was corroborated by transactivation of the TH promoter in SH-SY5Y cells engineered to overexpress exogenous c-Fos and c-Jun. TH gene sequences essential for c-Fos/c-Jun transactivation were located in the -245 to -52 region, upstream from a CRE-like element. Gel mobility assays demonstrated binding of c-Fos-antigen(s) to the region of the TH promoter that supports activation by PMA and c-Fos/c-Jun. Temporal patterns of nicotinic agonist-stimulated induction of c-fos and TH mRNA are also consistent with a role for c-Fos in TH gene transcription. Our results demonstrate that the 5'-flanking region of the bovine TH gene operates as an authentic promoter capable (i) of directing cell-specific expression of a bacterial CAT gene and (ii) of conferring responsivity to PKC-stimulation. The results also suggest that the nuclear proteins c-Fos and c-Jun contribute to PKC pathway-mediated activation of the TH gene via direct interaction with the TH gene promoter. The activation of TH gene expression by PKC/c-Fos/c-Jun may serve as an additional or alternative mechanism to activation by the cAMP-CRE pathway.