Phorbol ester down-regulation of lung surfactant protein B gene expression by cytoplasmic trapping of thyroid transcription factor-1 and hepatocyte nuclear factor 3.

The lung-specific surfactant protein B (SP-B) is essential for surfactant function and normal respiration. We investigated the role of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) and hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 (HNF3) in the down-regulation of SP-B gene expression by phorbol ester in pulmonary adenocarcinoma H441 cells. Responsiveness to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) localized to the SP-B proximal promoter (-140/-65 bp) and specifically to binding sites for TTF-1 and HNF3, which act as cell-specific enhancers of SP-B expression. Treatment of cells with TPA (10 nM) caused a time-dependent decrease in both TTF-1 and HNF3 in nuclear extracts and accumulation of both factors in the cytoplasm as assessed by electromobility shift, Western, Southwestern, and immunofluorescence assays. Treatment did not alter the mRNA content or DNA binding activity for either transcription factor. We conclude that down-regulation of SP-B gene expression by phorbol ester involves cytoplasmic trapping and loss of TTF-1 and HNF3 from the nucleus. This mechanism of action is independent of AP-1 and other transcription factors known to be influenced by phorbol ester.

Glucocorticoid regulation of epithelial sodium channel genes in human fetal lung.

Pulmonary epithelial Na+ channels (ENaC), composed of three distinct subunits (alpha, beta, and gamma), play a critical role in the regulation of fluid reabsorption from airspaces of late-gestation fetal lung. We studied the expression of ENaC subunit genes in cultured human fetal lung. All three mRNAs were expressed at low levels in second trimester lung (13-32% of adult values at 24 wk gestation). There was a spontaneous increase of approximately threefold over preculture values of all three subunits within 24 h of explant culture in serum-free Waymouth's medium. Dexamethasone (Dex) induced all three mRNAs by two- to threefold. Maximal induction was noted by 8 h with 30-100 nM Dex and half-maximal stimulation with 3-10 nM Dex. Cycloheximide decreased basal expression of all three subunits by 8 h but did not alter the response to Dex. Actinomycin D and 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB), inhibitors of RNA polymerase II, decreased the basal and the Dex-induced expression of all three subunits with a more marked effect on human hENaC-gamma than on hENaC-alpha or hENaC-beta. Under conditions where transcription was blocked by actinomycin D or DRB, Dex did not alter the stability of the three mRNAs. Triiodothyronine (T3) at low (2 nM) or high (100 nM) concentrations had no effect on the expression of the three subunits in the presence or absence of low (10 nM) or high (100 nM) concentrations of Dex for 8 or 24 h. Similarly, 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (2 microM) had no effect on basal or Dex-induced increase in the three subunits. We conclude that the three Na+ channel subunit genes are expressed in second trimester human fetal lung and are coordinately upregulated by glucocorticoid hormones but not by T3 or adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate. Glucocorticoid induction is receptor mediated, is primarily transcriptional, and does not require the induction of an intermediate protein for transcriptional enhancement. We speculate that induction of lung ENaC may contribute to the beneficial effects of antenatal glucocorticoids in premature babies.

Characterization of the promoter of human pulmonary surfactant protein B gene.

Pulmonary surfactant protein B (SP-B) is required for normal surfactant function and for survival at birth. To further study SP-B gene expression, we sequenced genomic clones and examined promoter activity of SP-B DNA fragments by transient transfection. A plasmid construct containing human SP-B fragment -1039/+431 linked to chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene was readily expressed in H441 cells, which are derived from a human lung adenocarcinoma, but was < 4% as active in Hep G2, HeLa, and Calu 6 cell lines. SP-B promoter activity in H441 cells was orientation dependent and increased by linked Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) enhancer and was stronger than for thymidine kinase (tk) and RSV promoters. Deletional mapping of the 5' flanking region with exonuclease III suggested nonspecific negative (-811/-1039)- and positive (-453/-641)-control regions and a cell-specific enhancer region at -208 to -54. When a fragment from -403 to -35 base pairs (bp) was placed upstream or downstream of tkCAT, in either orientation, expression in H441 cells but not other cell lines was increased 4- to 28-fold relative to tkCAT. Deletional analysis of the 3' terminus indicated a requirement for at least 7 bp 3' of the transcription start site. Promoter activity was strongly inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by phorbol ester, with responsiveness mapped to bp -208/-54, but was not responsive to glucocorticoid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Differential glucocorticoid regulation of the pulmonary hydrophobic surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C.

Glucocorticoids increase expression of the genes for the pulmonary surfactant-associated proteins SP-B and SP-C in fetal lung both in vivo and in vitro. To examine the mechanism of these effects, we studied induction of SP-B and SP-C mRNAs in human fetal lung cultured as explants. Both mRNA levels rose rapidly in response to 100 nM dexamethasone (Dex), with a faster response for SP-B: maximal levels of induction were achieved in < or = 12 h for SP-B (3.5-fold versus control) versus approximately 24 h for SP-C mRNA (35-fold versus control). Cycloheximide (2.5 micrograms/ml) did not affect glucocorticoid induction of SP-B mRNA but markedly decreased induction of SP-C mRNA. In control cultures, cycloheximide did not significantly reduce levels of either transcript. In nuclear run-on assays, Dex increased the rate of gene transcription for both SP-B (2.8 +/- 0.3-fold versus control, n = 4) and SP-C (10- to 30-fold). Using actinomycin D to assess mRNA stability, the t1/2 of SP-B mRNA was increased from 7.5 +/- 0.4 h to 18.8 +/- 2.9 h by Dex treatment (P < 0.05), whereas the t1/2 of SP-C mRNA was not affected (9.3 +/- 1.7 h versus 8.1 +/- 1.2 h; NS). A similar increase in SP-B mRNA t1/2 with Dex (from 6 h to 19 h) was observed in label-chase studies with [3H]uridine. We conclude that glucocorticoids regulate the hydrophobic surfactant proteins of alveolar type II cells by different mechanisms: induction of SP-B is a primary response and includes an increase in both transcription rate and mRNA stability, whereas induction of SP-C is a secondary process, requiring ongoing protein synthesis, involving increased transcription rate without a change in mRNA stability.

Latex agglutination: an appropriate technology for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis in developing countries.

We evaluated prospectively the utility of a latex agglutination technique for the diagnosis of Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis in a paediatric ward in India. Eight of 44 children had H. influenzae grown from cerebrospinal fluid. These proven cases plus four additional cases of H. influenzae meningitis were detected by the latex agglutination test. There were no cross reactions with other organisms. The high degree of sensitivity and specificity, combined with the speed and simplicity of this technique make it an appropriate method for developing countries.