Bone marrow cells produce a novel TSHbeta splice variant that is upregulated in the thyroid following systemic virus infection.

Although cells of the immune system can produce thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), the significance of that remains unclear. Using 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), we show that mouse bone marrow (BM) cells produce a novel in-frame TSHbeta splice variant generated from a portion of intron 4 with all of the coding region of exon 5, but none of exon 4. The TSHbeta splice variant gene was expressed at low levels in the pituitary, but at high levels in the BM and the thyroid, and the protein was secreted from transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Immunoprecipitation identified an 8 kDa product in lysates of CHO cells transfected with the novel TSHbeta construct, and a 17 kDa product in lysates of CHO cells transfected with the native TSHbeta construct. The splice variant TSHbeta protein elicited a cAMP response from FRTL-5 thyroid follicular cells and a mouse alveolar macrophage (AM) cell line. Expression of the TSHbeta splice variant, but not the native form of TSHbeta, was significantly upregulated in the thyroid during systemic virus infection. These studies characterize the first functional splice variant of TSHbeta, which may contribute to the metabolic regulation during immunological stress, and may offer a new perspective for understanding autoimmune thyroiditis.

Hammerhead ribozyme as a therapeutic agent for hyperlipidemia: production of truncated apolipoprotein B and hypolipidemic effects in a dyslipidemia murine model.

In humans, overproduction of apolipoprotein B (apoB) is positively associated with premature coronary artery diseases. To reduce the levels of apoB mRNA, we used adenovirus-mediated vector to target hammerhead ribozyme at GUA(6679) downward arrow of apoB mRNA (designated AvRB15) in the liver of a dyslipidemic mouse model that is deficient in apoB mRNA editing enzyme and overexpresses human apoB100. In this study, we delivered approximately 4 x 10(11) virus particles of AvRB15 (active ribozyme) or AvRB15-mutant (inactive ribozyme) to the animals. Using Southern blot analysis, we readily detected RB15 DNA in the mouse liver as long as day 35 after injection. This result was correlated with the RNA expression of RB15 by RNase protection assay. Using reverse ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction, the 3' cleavage product of apoB mRNA was detected, and the exact cleavage site was confirmed by sequencing. Importantly, the levels of human and mouse apoB mRNA decreased approximately 80% after AvRB15 transduction. There was a marked decrease in plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, and human apoB of 42, 51, and 62%, respectively, when compared with the inactive ribozyme-treated group. Moreover, ribozyme cleavage of apoB mRNA generated a truncated protein of the expected size (apoB48.1), which was associated with lipoprotein particles in the very low density, low density, and high density lipoprotein fractions. Taken together, these results indicate that apoB mRNA-specific hammerhead ribozyme can be used as a potential therapeutic agent to modulate apoB gene expression and to treat hyperlipidemia.

Hammerhead ribozyme cleavage of apolipoprotein B mRNA generates a truncated protein.

Target substrate-specific hammerhead ribozyme cleaves the specific mRNA and results in the inhibition of gene expression. In humans, overproduction of apolipoprotein B (apoB) is positively associated with premature coronary artery diseases. To modulate apoB gene expression, we designed hammerhead ribozymes targeted at AUA(6665) and GUA(6679) of apoB mRNA, designated RB16 and RB15, respectively, and investigated their effects on apoB mRNA in HepG2 cells. The results demonstrated that RB15 and RB16 ribozyme RNAs cleaved apoB RNA efficiently in vitro. Both ribozymes, RB15 and RB16, were used to construct recombinant adenoviral vectors, designated AvRB15 and AvRB16, respectively, for in vivo gene transfer. HepG2 cells were infected with 2 x 10(5) plaque-forming units of AvRB15 for 5, 10, 15, and 24 h. An RNase protection assay showed that the expression of the RB15 transcript was time-dependent; it increased approximately 300-fold from 5 to 24 h. Using reverse ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction, the 3' cleavage product of apoB mRNA was detected, and the exact cleavage site of apoB mRNA was confirmed by sequencing. Importantly, the levels of apoB mRNA in HepG2 cells decreased approximately 80% after AvRB15 infection. Pulse/chase experiments on HepG2 cells treated with AvRB15 and AvRB16 demonstrated that ribozyme cleavage produced a truncated protein that was secreted at a density of 1. 063-1.210 g/ml. The cleavage activity of RB15 on apoB mRNA was more efficient than that of RB16. Moreover, pulse/chase experiments in HepG2 cells treated with AvRB15 revealed that most of the truncated apoB protein was degraded intracellularly. We conclude that hammerhead ribozyme targeted at GUA(6679) of apoB mRNA cleaves apoB mRNA, results in decreased apoB mRNA levels, and generates a truncated apoB of the expected size in vivo. Thus, the therapeutic application of ribozyme in regulating apoB production holds promise.

Normal perinatal rise in serum cholesterol is inhibited by hepatic delivery of adenoviral vector expressing apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme (Apobec1) in rabbits.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal or neonatal hepatic gene delivery may result in more effective therapy for inborn errors of metabolism due to the immature immune system of the perinatal animal, and the ability to intervene prior to any significant cellular damage. Newborn New Zealand White rabbits have low serum levels of cholesterol at birth, with a significant and sustained rise of cholesterol while they are nursing. We used this physiologic hypercholesterolemia model to study the effect of adenovirus-mediated hepatic gene transfer of rat apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme (Apobec1) on modulation of plasma cholesterol levels. METHODS AND RESULTS: Transcutaneous injection of recombinant adenovirus expressing Apobec1 (AvApobec1) into the liver of newborn rabbits in vivo resulted in efficient Apobec1 expression until Day 50, as detected by PCR-Southern blot analysis. By in vitro editing assay, liver extracts of AvApobec1-treated rabbits were found to have apoB mRNA editing activities of approximately 12, 15, and 15%, on Days 2, 10, and 20 after AvApobec1 administration, compared with 0% editing activity in AvLacZ control vector-injected animals. This physiological level of Apobec1 expression was associated with the production of apoB-48-containing lipoprotein particles from rabbit liver, with a concomitant 30% reduction in total plasma cholesterol compared to AvLacZ-treated or untreated control animals. CONCLUSION: Neonatal intrahepatic delivery of a first-generation adenoviral vector results in efficient gene transfer with little immune response, suggesting that repeated administration may be possible in the neonatal period.

Mutational analysis of apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme (APOBEC1). structure-function relationships of RNA editing and dimerization.

APOBEC1 is the catalytic subunit of an enzyme complex that mediates apolipoprotein (apo) B mRNA editing. It dimerizes in vitro and requires complementation factor(s) for its editing activity. We have performed a systematic analysis of the structure-functional relationship of APOBEC1 by targeted mutagenesis of various sequence motifs within the protein. Using in vitro RNA editing assay, we found that basic amino acid clusters at the amino-terminal region R15R16R17 and R33K34, are essential for apoB mRNA editing. Mutation of R15R16R17 to K15K16K17 and mutation of R33K34 simultaneously to A33A34 almost completely abolished in vitro editing activity. The carboxy-terminal region of APOBEC1 contains a leucine-rich motif. Deletion analysis of this region indicates that residues 181 to 210 are important for in vitro apoB mRNA editing. Single amino acid substitutions demonstrate that L182, I185, and L189 are important residues required for normal editing function. Furthermore, the double mutant P190A/P191A also lost >90% of editing activity which suggests that a beta turn in this region of the molecule may be essential for proper functioning of APOBEC1. It was suggested that dimerization of APOBEC1 creates an active structure for deamination of apoB mRNA. When we examined the dimerization potential of truncated APOBEC1s using both amino and carboxy termini deletion mutants, we found that amino-terminal deletions up to residue A117 did not impair dimerization activity whereas carboxy-terminal deletions showed diminished dimerization. The systematic and extensive mutagenesis experiments in this study provide information on the role of various sequence motifs identified in APOBEC1 in enzyme catalysis and dimerization.

Sequence elements required for apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enhancement activity from chicken enterocytes.

Mammalian intestinal apolipoprotein B (apoB) mRNA edits codon 2153 from CAA in apoB100 mRNA to a stop codon (UAA) in apoB48 mRNA. By contrast, chicken intestinal apoB mRNA contains a CAA codon at the corresponding site, but is not edited. Chicken enterocyte S100 extracts fail to edit mammalian apoB RNA, but contain factor(s) which enhance the mammalian enterocytes editing activity. By converting the chicken apoB mooring sequences to the conserved mammalian sequences, the study confirmed that this 11-nucleotide stretch was necessary and sufficient for minimal RNA editing. Using rat and chicken apoB chimeric constructs, the study revealed that mammalian apoB sequences were required for editing enhancement. In concert with the 29-nucleotide conserved cassette, the 5' rat apoB element (nucleotides 6615-6629) increased editing at C-6666, and was necessary for editing enhancement of chicken enterocyte S100 extracts. Similarly, the 3' rat apoB element (nucleotides 6726-6752) was required for editing enhancement of chicken enterocyte S100 extracts, but to a lesser extent in efficiency, compared to the 5' region. In conclusion, this study identified the sequences required for editing enhancement activity from chicken enterocyte S100 extracts.

Tissue-specific inhibition of apolipoprotein B mRNA editing in the liver by adenovirus-mediated transfer of a dominant negative mutant APOBEC-1 leads to increased low density lipoprotein in mice.

APOBEC-1 is a catalytic subunit of an apolipoprotein B (apoB) mRNA editing enzyme complex. In humans it is expressed only in the intestine, whereas in mice it is expressed in both the liver and intestine. APOBEC-1 exists as a spontaneous homodimer (Lau, P. P., Zhu, H.-J., Baldini, A., Charnsangavej, C., and Chan, L. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 91, 8522-8526). We tested the editing activity and dimerization potential of three different mouse APOBEC-1 mutants using in vitro editing activity assay and immunoprecipitation in the presence of epitope-tagged APOBEC-1. One catalytically inactive mutant, mu1 (H61K/C93S/C96S), that retains its capacity to dimerize with wild-type APOBEC-1 was found to inhibit the editing activity of the latter and was thus a dominant negative mutant. Two other inactive mutants that dimerized poorly with APOBEC-1 failed to inhibit its activity. Intravenous injection of a mu1 adenovirus, Admu1, in C57BL/6J mice in vivo resulted in liver-specific expression of mu1 mRNA. On days 4 and 9 after virus injection, endogenous hepatic apoB mRNA editing was 23.3 +/- 5.0 and 36.8 +/- 5.7%, respectively, compared with 65.3 +/- 11 and 71.3 +/- 5.2%, respectively, for luciferase adenovirus-treated animals. Plasma apoB-100 accounted for 95 and 93% of total plasma apoB in Admu1 animals on days 4 and 9, respectively, compared with 78 and 72% in luciferase adenovirus animals. Plasma cholesterol on day 9 was 98 +/- 17 mg/dl in the mu1-treated animals, substantially higher than phosphate-buffered saline-treated (57 +/- 9 mg/dl) or luciferase-treated (71 +/- 12 mg/dl) controls. Fast protein liquid chromatography analysis of mouse plasma showed that the intermediate density/low density lipoprotein fractions in the animals treated with the dominant negative mutant adenovirus were much higher than those in controls. We conclude that active APOBEC-1 functions as a dimer and its activity is inhibited by a dominant negative mutant. Furthermore, apoB mRNA editing determines the availability of apoB-100, which in turn limits the amount of intermediate density/low density lipoprotein that can be formed in mice. Liver-specific inhibition of apoB mRNA editing is an important component of any strategy to enhance the value of mice as a model for human lipoprotein metabolism.

Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing protein: a tool for dissecting lipoprotein metabolism and a potential therapeutic gene for hypercholesterolemia.

Apolipoprotein (apo) B mRNA editing protein is an essential catalytic component of the apoB mRNA editing enzyme complex. Its cDNA has been cloned recently from rats and humans. In the presence of other proteins of the editing enzyme complex, it will deaminate nucleotide 6666 in apoB mRNA, a cytidine residue, converting it to uridine. The end result of this reaction is the production of apoB-48 in place of apoB-100. The editing protein exists as a homodimer. It imparts editing activity to HepG2, a human hepatoma cell line, causing these cells to start producing apoB-48 in addition to apoB-100. Therefore, it can be used as a therapeutic agent to reduce apoB-100 production. Preliminary experiments in our laboratory indicate that somatic gene transfer of the editing protein is highly effective in lowering plasma low density lipoproteins.

The p27 catalytic subunit of the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme is a cytidine deaminase.

The messenger RNA for apolipoprotein B undergoes a discrete and specific C to U editing of nucleotide 6666. This generates a stop translation codon and defines the carboxyl terminus of apolipoprotein B48. A 27-kDa rat intestinal protein that does not itself edit apolipoprotein B mRNA, but confers editing activity on chick intestinal extracts that do not have intrinsic editing activity, has recently been identified and its cDNA cloned (Teng, B., Burant, C. F., and Davidson, N. O. (1993) Science 260, 1816-1819). Here we show that p27 is homologous in the zinc coordinating region of the active site to cytidine deaminases from Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, yeast, and man and to deoxycytidylate deaminases from T2 and T4 bacteriophages and man. p27 expressed in Xenopus laevis oocyte extracts has cytidine deaminase activity and specifically confers editing activity on chick intestinal extracts. The homologous E. coli cytidine deaminase does not confer editing activity. The zinc-specific chelating agent o-phenanthroline abolishes p27 activity and site-specific apolipoprotein B mRNA editing in rat enterocyte editing extracts. We conclude that p27 is the catalytic subunit of the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme and is a zinc-containing cytidine deaminase.

Intestinal and hepatic apolipoprotein B gene expression in abetalipoproteinemia.

A 20-year-old woman with abetalipoproteinemia underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for cirrhosis, affording access to her liver and small intestine for study. Before transplantation, her plasma apolipoprotein B concentration was less than 1 mg/dL according to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas after transplantation her plasma apolipoprotein B concentration was 76 mg/dL (all apolipoprotein B-100). Apolipoprotein B content was reduced in her intestine and liver compared with normal and cirrhotic controls. Cultured hepatocytes from the patient's explanted liver secreted a 1.006 g/mL less than or equal to d less than or equal to 1.063 g/mL lipoprotein rich in apolipoprotein E and a 1.063 g/mL less than or equal to d less than or equal to 1.21 g/mL lipoprotein containing apolipoproteins E and A-I with no immunodetectable apolipoprotein B in the culture medium. Normal hepatocytes secreted very low-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein containing apolipoprotein B-100. Abetalipoproteinemic intestinal apolipoprotein B messenger RNA concentration was 4-5-fold higher than control values. However, the patient's liver apolipoprotein B messenger RNA level was one fifth that of control normal and cirrhotic liver. Analysis of the patient's intestinal and hepatic apolipoprotein B messenger RNA for posttranscriptional stop-codon insertion revealed normally edited transcripts. These results suggest that apolipoprotein B is synthesized as the product of a normally edited messenger RNA transcript, but not secreted, in abetalipoproteinemia.

K-ras mutations in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colonic tumors: effects of supplemental dietary calcium and vitamin D deficiency.

Recent studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that dietary supplemental calcium had no significant effect on the incidence of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colonic tumors, but did decrease the number of rats with multiple tumors and reduced tumor size. Moreover, concomitant vitamin D deficiency appeared to abolish these protective effects of calcium on colonic tumors in this experimental model. To date, however, the mechanism(s) involved in these phenomena remain unclear. In order to address these important issues, 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colonic tumors from animals on control, Ca(2+)-supplemented, vitamin D-sufficient, and Ca(2+)-supplemented, vitamin D-deficient diets were examined for the presence of ras oncogene mutations. DNA was extracted from each of these tumors. Targeted areas of K-ras and H-ras genes were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and analyzed for point mutations using allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization and subsequent DNA sequencing. The results of these studies demonstrated that: (a) approximately one-third of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colonic carcinomas in the control group had K-ras G to A mutations; (b) no mutations, however, were detected in the cancers of the calcium-supplemented group; (c) concomitant vitamin D deficiency abolished the antimutagenic effect of dietary calcium supplementation (e.g., approximately one-third of cancers in this group again had detectable K-ras mutations); and (d) no H-ras point mutations were detected in colonic tumors from any group. These findings suggest that alterations in K-ras mutations may be one possible mechanism by which calcium and vitamin D status influence colonic carcinogenesis in this experimental model.

Mutations in the K-ras oncogene induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in preneoplastic and neoplastic rat colonic mucosa.

These experiments were conducted to determine whether point mutations activating K-ras or H-ras oncogenes, induced by the procarcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH), were detectable in preneoplastic or neoplastic rat colonic mucosa. Rats were injected weekly with diluent or DMH at 20 mg/kg body wt for 5, 10, 15, or 25 wk, killed, and their colons dissected. DNA was extracted from diluent-injected control animals, histologically normal colonic mucosa from carcinogen-treated animals, and from carcinomas. Ras mutations were characterized by differential hybridization using allele-specific oligonucleotide probes to polymerase chain reaction--amplified DNA, and confirmed by DNA sequencing. While no H-ras mutations were detectable in any group, K-ras (G to A) mutations were found in 66% of DMH-induced colon carcinomas. These mutations were at the second nucleotide of codons 12 or 13 or the first nucleotide of codon 59 of the K-ras gene. The same type of K-ras mutations were observed in premalignant colonic mucosa from 2 out of 11 rats as early as 15 wk after beginning carcinogen injections when no dysplasia, adenomas, or carcinomas were histologically evident, suggesting that ras mutation may be an early event in colon carcinogenesis.

Effect of polyamine oxidase inhibition on the colonic malignant transformation process induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine.

Recent studies of colon adenocarcinomas in humans and experimentally induced colonic tumors in rodents have demonstrated selective elevations in the level of N1-acetylspermidine in these malignant tissues. The exact relationship of these alterations in acetylated polyamine levels to the malignant transformation process, however, remains unclear. In order to clarify this issue, rats were given s.c. injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH; 20 mg/kg body wt/week) or diluent for up to 26 weeks. After 10 weeks of carcinogen treatment, one-half of the animals in each group were also concomitantly given i.p. injections of MDL 72527 (20 mg/kg body wt/week), a specific inhibitor of polyamine oxidase, until they were killed. Animals were killed after 15 weeks of DMH treatment and polyamine levels as well as the activities of polyamine oxidase, ornithine decarboxylase and spermidine-N1-acetyltransferase were measured and compared in rat proximal and distal colonic mucosa of each group. Polyamine levels were also assessed in each of these groups after 26 weeks of treatment with this carcinogen +/- MDL 72527. In addition, in view of recent studies that have indicated that polyamines may influence certain oncogenes in human colonic carcinoma cells, tumors from DMH +/- MDL 72527 were analyzed for K-ras mutations. The results of these experiments demonstrated for the first time that: (i) MDL 72527 was a specific inhibitor of polyamine oxidase in normal and malignant colonic tissue; (ii) concomitant administration of this agent with DMH enhanced the elevation of colonic N1-acetylspermidine and significantly reduced the mean colonic tumor burden, as assessed by total tumor area per rat, produced by this carcinogen alone; (iii) analysis of K-ras mutations revealed a similar incidence (62-69%) in adenocarcinomas for both groups (+/- MDL 72527); (iv) however, analysis of the K-ras-mutated and non-mutated tumors revealed that in both carcinogen-treated groups (+/- MDL 72527), tumors with such mutations were smaller than their counterparts without such genetic alterations. Moreover, MDL 72527 reduced the average size of tumors, with and without such mutations, to a similar extent.

Apolipoprotein B messenger RNA editing in the rat liver. Modulation by fasting and refeeding a high carbohydrate diet.

Apolipoprotein B (apoB) mRNA is modified by a posttranscriptional editing reaction in which a single base (C to U) change in apoB100 mRNA modifies a glutamine (CAA) to a translational stop codon (UAA), producing apoB48 mRNA in mammalian intestine. Rat liver normally contains both edited and unedited apoB mRNAs and previous work (Davidson, N. O., Powell, L. M., Wallis, S. C., and Scott, J. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 13482-13485) has demonstrated that the introduction of a translational stop codon can be modulated by thyroid hormone. In the current study, hepatic lipogenesis was modulated in vivo by fasting and refeeding a high carbohydrate diet, a maneuver which produced a 30-fold increase in hepatic triglyceride content. In this setting, hepatic apoB100 synthesis became undetectable in animals subjected to 48 h fasting and subsequently refed a high carbohydrate diet for either 24 or 48 h. This change was accountable for by an increase in the proportion of edited apoB mRNA, as determined by primer extension analysis, from 37% UAA in fasted animals to 79 and 91% UAA at 24 and 48 h of refeeding, respectively. The effect of this regimen on the expression of other hepatic apolipoprotein genes was less dramatic. ApoA-I and apoA-IV gene expression was modulated over a 2-fold range, in contrast to the (6-14-fold) pretranslational changes induced by thyroid hormone administration. ApoCIII mRNA abundance was unaltered in the setting of either fasting and refeeding or thyroid hormone administration, while apoE gene expression demonstrated a pretranslational increase following prolonged fasting. Taken together the data provide evidence that apoB mRNA editing is modulated by alterations in hepatic lipogenesis which additionally produce effects on the expression of other hepatic apolipoprotein genes suggesting that they are not coordinately regulated in vivo.

The apolipoprotein B gene is constitutively expressed in HepG2 cells: regulation of secretion by oleic acid, albumin, and insulin, and measurement of the mRNA half-life.

The objective of this study was to establish conditions whereby apoB secreted from HepG2 cells could be regulated over a wide range, and to determine whether changes of output were correlated with the level of apoB mRNA. The presence of oleate (complexed to 3% albumin at a molar ratio of 1.7:1) resulted in a 3.5-fold stimulation of apoB secretion that was apparent after only 3 h. Insulin halved the rate of apoB output and the inhibition was detectable within the physiological insulin range, but was not apparent until 12-16 h. Albumin in the culture medium had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on apoB production. Overall, apoB secretion from HepG2 cells was modulated over a 7-fold range. However, when apoB mRNA was assayed by slot-blot hybridization, no change was detectable under any of the conditions that modulated apoB output. Quantitative solution hybridization was used to confirm that oleate did not affect the level of apoB mRNA. Kinetic analysis of the decay of [3H]uridine-labeled apoB mRNA showed that the half-life of apoB mRNA was 16 h. We conclude from these studies that the apoB gene is constitutively expressed in HepG2 cells and that the mechanism of acute regulation of apoB production by these cells must involve co- or post-translational processes.