Acute molecular response of mouse hindlimb muscles to chronic stimulation.

Stimulation of the mouse hindlimb via the sciatic nerve was performed for a 4-h period to investigate acute muscle gene activation in a model of muscle phenotype conversion. Initial force production (1.6 +/- 0.1 g/g body wt) declined 45% within 10 min and was maintained for the remainder of the experiment. Force returned to initial levels upon study completion. An immediate-early growth response was present in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle (FOS, JUN, activating transcription factor 3, and musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene) with a similar but attenuated pattern in the soleus muscle. Transcript profiles showed decreased fast fiber-specific mRNA (myosin heavy chains 2A and 2B, fast troponins T(3) and I, alpha-tropomyosin, muscle creatine kinase, and parvalbumin) and increased slow transcripts (myosin heavy chain-1beta/slow, troponin C slow, and tropomyosin 3y) in the EDL versus soleus muscles. Histological analysis of the EDL revealed glycogen depletion without inflammatory cell infiltration in stimulated versus control muscles, whereas ultrastructural analysis showed no evidence of myofiber damage after stimulation. Multiple fiber type-specific transcription factors (tea domain family member 1, nuclear factor of activated T cells 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha and -beta, circadian locomotor output cycles kaput, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha) increased in the EDL along with transcription factors characteristic of embryogenesis (Kruppel-like factor 4; SRY box containing 17; transcription factor 15; PBX/knotted 1 homeobox 1; and embryonic lethal, abnormal vision). No established in vivo satellite cell markers or genes activated in our parallel experiments of satellite cell proliferation in vitro (cyclins A(2), B(2), C, and E(1) and MyoD) were differentially increased in the stimulated muscles. These results indicated that the molecular onset of fast to slow phenotype conversion occurred in the EDL within 4 h of stimulation without injury or satellite cell recruitment. This conversion was associated with the expression of phenotype-specific transcription factors from resident fiber myonuclei, including the activation of nascent developmental transcriptional programs.

Role of epidermal growth factor in the acquisition of ovarian steroid hormone responsiveness in the normal mouse mammary gland.

The purpose of the present studies was to investigate the role of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the acquisition of estrogen (E) and progestin (P) responsiveness in the mouse mammary gland in vivo. Using the Elvax 40P implant technique to introduce bioactive molecules directly into the mammary gland to produce a localized effect, we have made the novel observation that EGF implanted into glands of pubertal mice followed by E treatment resulted in the precocious acquisition of E-inducible progesterone receptors (PR). In sexually mature mice, EGF implants alone were able to increase PR. A neutralizing antibody specific for EGF blocked E-dependent stimulation of end-bud development and PR induction. Furthermore, the antiestrogen ICI 182,780 blocked the EGF-induced stimulation end-buds and PR induction, indicating that these EGF effects are mediated via estrogen receptors (ER). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the endogenous EGF content of mammary glands of mature mice was higher than pubertal mice, that E implants caused a localized increase in mammary gland EGF content in both pubertal and mature mice, and that in mature mice E caused an increase in stromal cell EGF content. We have previously shown that the acquisition of E-inducible PR can be modulated by mammary stroma, and the present results indicate that mammary stroma could modulate hormonal responsiveness through control of local growth factor concentration. Taken together, these results provide evidence that E-dependent responses of mouse mammary gland in vivo, such as end-bud proliferation and PR regulation, may be mediated by EGF through an ER-dependent mechanism.

Characterization of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 kinases from human hepatoma cells.

The phosphorylation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-I (IGFBP-1) alters its binding affinity for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and thus regulates the bioavailability of IGF-I for binding to the IGF-I receptor. The kinase(s) responsible for the phosphorylation of IGFBP-1 has not been identified. This study was designed to characterize the IGFBP-1 kinase activity in HepG2 human hepatoma cells, a cell line that secretes IGFBP-1 primarily as phosphorylated isoforms. IGFBP-1 kinase activity was partially purified from detergent extracts of the cells by phosphocellulose chromatography and gel filtration. Two kinases of approximate M(r) 150,000 (peak I kinase) and M(r) 50,000 (peak II kinase) were identified. Each kinase phosphorylated IGFBP-1 at serine residues that were phosphorylated by intact HepG2 cells. The kinases were distinct based on their differential sensitivity to inhibition by heparin (IC50 = 2.5 and 16.5 micrograms/ml, peak I and II kinase, respectively) and inhibition by the isoquinoline sulfonamide CKI-7 (IC50 = 50 microM and 100 microM, peak I and II kinase, respectively). In addition, a tenfold molar excess of nonradioactive GTP relative to [gamma-32P]ATP lowered the incorporation of 32P into IGFBP-1 by 80% when the reaction was catalyzed by the peak I kinase, whereas GTP had no effect on the reaction catalyzed by the peak II kinase. In the presence of polylysine, IGFBP-1 was radiolabeled by the partially purified kinase activity when [gamma-32P]GTP served as the phosphate donor indicating the presence of casein kinase II activity. Furthermore, IGFBP-1 was phosphorylated by purified casein kinase I and casein kinase II at sites phosphorylated by the peak I and II kinases. Our data suggest that at least two kinases could be responsible for the phosphorylation of IGFBP-1 in intact HepG2 cells and that the kinases are related to the casein kinase family of protein kinases.

Cytosolic lipoprotein particles from milk-secreting cells contain fatty acid synthase and interact with endoplasmic reticulum.

Part of the fatty acid synthase in cytosol from mammary glands of lactating rats was in a complex with other proteins and with lipids. This complex eluted in the void volume from a gel filtration column with an exclusion limit of 5,000,000, and remained in a 3% polyacrylamide stacking gel during electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions. Fatty acid synthase-containing lipoprotein particles ranged in density from 1.07 to 1.16 g/ml, and varied in protein to lipid ratios. Similar fatty acid synthase particles were present also in cytosol from cow mammary gland. Butyrophilin, xanthine oxidase, and a group of small GTP-binding proteins that included ADP-ribosylation factor, were identified as constituents of the lipoprotein complex. This complex interacted with endoplasmic reticulum and with lipid droplets in cell-free incubation mixtures. In ultrastructure fatty acid synthase-containing lipoprotein particles were homogeneous in appearance, but were heterogeneous in size, with apparent diameters of 40 to 170 nm. Immunocytochemically, antigen recognized by antibodies to fatty acid synthase were found to be present in these particles and on endoplasmic reticulum. Lipoprotein complexes bound to specific polypeptides of endoplasmic reticulum.

Insulin-like growth factor-I and human lung fibroblast-derived insulin-like growth factor-I stimulate the proliferation of human lung carcinoma cells in vitro.

The concentration of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in tissue taken from human non-small cell lung carcinomas (non-SCLC) is 1.4- to 7-fold higher than in the surrounding normal lung tissue, and thus, IGF-I may be involved in the growth of non-SCLC. We report here that non-SCLC cell lines (A549, A427, SK-LU-1) expressed the IGF-I receptor protein, and IGF-I stimulated the proliferation of low-density plated (2000 cells/cm2 growth area) carcinoma cells by 1.6- to 3-fold above control after a 4-day incubation period under serum-free conditions (A549, A427) or in the presence of 0.25% serum (SK-LU-1). Immunoblot data indicated that IGF-I was not secreted by the lung carcinoma cells; however, IGF-I-like proteins were present in the serum-free medium conditioned by human adult lung fibroblasts (CCD-19Lu). The secretion of the immunoreactive IGF-I-like protein was dependent on the passage level of the fibroblasts. At least one of the IGF-I-like factors promoted the serum-free growth of A549 cells (2-fold increase in cell number over control after 4 days) and stimulated a 3-fold increase in the tyrosine kinase activity of detergent-solubilized IGF-I receptors from A549 cells. Both stimulatory effects were neutralized by an anti-IGF-I antibody, suggesting that the fibroblast-derived factor mediated its activity via the IGF-I receptor. Our data indicate that lung fibroblast-derived IGF-I may stimulate the growth of non-SCLC in vivo.