Diet-resistant obesity is characterized by a distinct plasma proteomic signature and impaired muscle fiber metabolism.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inter-individual variability in weight loss during obesity treatment is complex and poorly understood. Here we use whole body and tissue approaches to investigate fuel oxidation characteristics in skeletal muscle fibers, cells and distinct circulating protein biomarkers before and after a high fat meal (HFM) challenge in those who lost the most (obese diet-sensitive; ODS) vs the least (obese diet-resistant; ODR) amount of weight in a highly controlled weight management program. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In 20 weight stable-matched ODS and ODR women who previously completed a standardized clinical weight loss program, we analyzed whole-body energetics and metabolic parameters in vastus lateralis biopsies and plasma samples that were obtained in the fasting state and 6 h after a defined HFM, equivalent to 35% of total daily energy requirements. RESULTS: At baseline (fasting) and post-HFM, muscle fatty acid oxidation and maximal oxidative phosphorylation were significantly greater in ODS vs ODR, as was reactive oxygen species emission. Plasma proteomics of 1130 proteins pre and 1, 2, 5 and 6 h after the HFM demonstrated distinct group and interaction differences. Group differences identified S-formyl glutathione hydratase, heat shock 70 kDA protein 1A/B (HSP72), and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5 (eIF5) to be higher in ODS vs ODR. Group-time differences included aryl hydrocarbon interacting protein (AIP), peptidylpropyl isomerase D (PPID) and tyrosine protein-kinase Fgr, which increased in ODR vs ODS over time. HSP72 levels correlated with muscle oxidation and citrate synthase activity. These proteins circulate in exosomes; exosomes isolated from ODS plasma increased resting, leak and maximal respiration rates in C2C12 myotubes by 58%, 21% and 51%, respectively, vs those isolated from ODR plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate distinct muscle metabolism and plasma proteomics in fasting and post-HFM states corresponding in diet-sensitive vs diet-resistant obese women.

Tissue-specific targeting of cell fate regulatory genes by E2f factors.

Cell cycle proteins are important regulators of diverse cell fate decisions, and in this capacity have pivotal roles in neurogenesis and brain development. The mechanisms by which cell cycle regulation is integrated with cell fate control in the brain and other tissues are poorly understood, and an outstanding question is whether the cell cycle machinery regulates fate decisions directly or instead as a secondary consequence of proliferative control. Identification of the genes targeted by E2 promoter binding factor (E2f) transcription factors, effectors of the pRb/E2f cell cycle pathway, will provide essential insights into these mechanisms. We identified the promoter regions bound by three neurogenic E2f factors in neural precursor cells in a genome-wide manner. Through bioinformatic analyses and integration of published genomic data sets we uncovered hundreds of transcriptionally active E2f-bound promoters corresponding to genes that control cell fate processes, including key transcriptional regulators and members of the Notch, fibroblast growth factor, Wnt and Tgf-ß signaling pathways. We also demonstrate a striking enrichment of the CCCTC binding factor transcription factor (Ctcf) at E2f3-bound nervous system-related genes, suggesting a potential regulatory co-factor for E2f3 in controlling differentiation. Finally, we provide the first demonstration of extensive tissue specificity among E2f target genes in mammalian cells, whereby E2f3 promoter binding is well conserved between neural and muscle precursors at genes associated with cell cycle processes, but is tissue-specific at differentiation-associated genes. Our findings implicate the cell cycle pathway as a widespread regulator of cell fate genes, and suggest that E2f3 proteins control cell type-specific differentiation programs by regulating unique sets of target genes. This work significantly enhances our understanding of how the cell cycle machinery impacts cell fate and differentiation, and will importantly drive further discovery regarding the mechanisms of cell fate control and transcriptional regulation in the brain, as well as in other tissues.

Pocket proteins pRb and p107 are required for cortical lamination independent of apoptosis.

Pocket proteins (pRb, p107 and p130) are well studied in their role of regulating cell cycle progression. Increasing evidence suggests that these proteins also control early differentiation and even later stages of cell maturation, such as migration. However, pocket proteins also regulate apoptosis, and many of the developmental defects in knock out models have been attributed to increased cell death. Here, we eliminate ectopic apoptosis in the developing brain through the deletion of Bax, and show that pocket proteins are required for radial migration independent of their role in cell death regulation. Following loss of pRb and p107, a population of cortical neurons fails to pass through the intermediate zone into the cortical plate. Importantly, these neurons are born at the appropriate time and this migration defect cannot be rescued by eliminating ectopic cell death. In addition, we show that pRb and p107 regulate radial migration through a cell autonomous mechanism since pRb/p107 deficient neurons fail to migrate to the correct cortical layer within a wild type brain. These results define a novel role of pocket proteins in regulating cortical lamination through a cell autonomous mechanism independent of their role in apoptosis.

Loss of the Parkinson's disease-linked gene DJ-1 perturbs mitochondrial dynamics.

Growing evidence highlights a role for mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as underlying contributors to Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. DJ-1 (PARK7) is a recently identified recessive familial PD gene. Its loss leads to increased susceptibility of neurons to oxidative stress and death. However, its mechanism of action is not fully understood. Presently, we report that DJ-1 deficiency in cell lines, cultured neurons, mouse brain and lymphoblast cells derived from DJ-1 patients display aberrant mitochondrial morphology. We also show that these DJ-1-dependent mitochondrial defects contribute to oxidative stress-induced sensitivity to cell death since reversal of this fragmented mitochondrial phenotype abrogates neuronal cell death. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) appear to play a critical role in the observed defects, as ROS scavengers rescue the phenotype and mitochondria isolated from DJ-1 deficient animals produce more ROS compared with control. Importantly, the aberrant mitochondrial phenotype can be rescued by the expression of Pink1 and Parkin, two PD-linked genes involved in regulating mitochondrial dynamics and quality control. Finally, we show that DJ-1 deficiency leads to altered autophagy in murine and human cells. Our findings define a mechanism by which the DJ-1-dependent mitochondrial defects contribute to the increased sensitivity to oxidative stress-induced cell death that has been previously reported.

TNF, LTA and TGFB1 genotype distributions among acute graft-vs-host disease subsets after HLA-matched unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a pilot study.

Cytokine single nucleotide polymorphisms and consequent production levels have been associated with acute graft-vs-host disease (aGVHD) development. The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether polymorphisms in tumor necrosis factor (TNF), lymphotoxin alpha (LTA) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1) showed any association with aGVHD severity. Novel alleles and polymorphisms were identified for each cytokine locus. Genotype distributions were examined in 38 recipient-donor pairs (all chronic myelogenous leukemia in the first chronic phase) with either low-grade (grades 0-I) or high-grade (grades III-IV) aGVHD. Although no significant differences were found, some trends were noted in genotype distributions among aGVHD-grade groups. Power calculations determined that substantially more pairs would be required to show significant associations in distributions among aGVHD-grade groups.

Ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide in children with poor-risk relapsed Wilms' tumor: a Children's Cancer Group report.

BACKGROUND: The outcome of children with relapsed Wilms' tumor is poor, especially with poor-risk factors such as unfavorable histology, early recurrence, previous three-drug therapy, relapse not confined to lungs and abdominal relapse following abdominal radiotherapy. We report the overall response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival of 11 children with relapsed and poor-risk Wilms' tumor following ifosfamide/carboplatin/etoposide (ICE) chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ICE therapy consisted of ifosfamide 1800 mg/m2/day (on day 0-4), carboplatin 400 mg/m2/day (on day 0-1) and etoposide 100 mg/m2/day (on day 0-4). The median age at diagnosis was 39 months (range from 13 months to 16 years) and the median time to relapse after initial diagnosis was 9 months (range 4-72 months). All but one patient had at least one poor prognostic feature, with eight patients showing three or four. RESULTS: After ICE chemotherapy the number of patients showing a complete response (CR) was three (27%) and a partial response (PR) was six (55%). The overall response rate (CR+PR) was 82%. Five of the six patients with a PR subsequently achieved a CR with further therapy. The 3-year event-free survival and overall survival were 63.6 +/- 14.5%. CONCLUSIONS: The response rate in children with relapsed and poor-risk Wilms' tumor is >80% with ICE re-induction chemotherapy followed by post-ICE therapy. The optimal approach for post-ICE consolidation therapy has yet to be determined.

c-Jun mediates axotomy-induced dopamine neuron death in vivo.

Expression of the transcription factor c-Jun is induced in neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) in response to injury. Mechanical transection of the nigrostriatal pathway at the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) results in the delayed retrograde degeneration of the dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and induces protracted expression and phosphorylation of c-Jun. However, the role of c-Jun after axotomy of CNS neurons is unclear. Here, we show that adenovirus-mediated expression of a dominant negative form of c-Jun (Ad.c-JunDN) inhibited axotomy-induced dopamine neuron death and attenuated phosphorylation of c-Jun in nigral neurons. Ad.c-JunDN also delayed the degeneration of dopaminergic nigral axons in the striatum after MFB axotomy. Taken together, these findings suggest that activation of c-Jun mediates the loss of dopamine neurons after axotomy injury.

APAF1 is a key transcriptional target for p53 in the regulation of neuronal cell death.

p53 is a transcriptional activator which has been implicated as a key regulator of neuronal cell death after acute injury. We have shown previously that p53-mediated neuronal cell death involves a Bax-dependent activation of caspase 3; however, the transcriptional targets involved in the regulation of this process have not been identified. In the present study, we demonstrate that p53 directly upregulates Apaf1 transcription as a critical step in the induction of neuronal cell death. Using DNA microarray analysis of total RNA isolated from neurons undergoing p53-induced apoptosis a 5-6-fold upregulation of Apaf1 mRNA was detected. Induction of neuronal cell death by camptothecin, a DNA-damaging agent that functions through a p53-dependent mechanism, resulted in increased Apaf1 mRNA in p53-positive, but not p53-deficient neurons. In both in vitro and in vivo neuronal cell death processes of p53-induced cell death, Apaf1 protein levels were increased. We addressed whether p53 directly regulates Apaf1 transcription via the two p53 consensus binding sites in the Apaf1 promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated p53-DNA binding activity at both p53 consensus binding sequences in extracts obtained from neurons undergoing p53-induced cell death, but not in healthy control cultures or when p53 or the p53 binding sites were inactivated by mutation. In transient transfections in a neuronal cell line with p53 and Apaf1 promoter-luciferase constructs, p53 directly activated the Apaf1 promoter via both p53 sites. The importance of Apaf1 as a p53 target gene in neuronal cell death was evaluated by examining p53-induced apoptotic pathways in primary cultures of Apaf1-deficient neurons. Neurons treated with camptothecin were significantly protected in the absence of Apaf1 relative to those derived from wild-type littermates. Together, these results demonstrate that Apaf1 is a key transcriptional target for p53 that plays a pivotal role in the regulation of apoptosis after neuronal injury.

Caspase 3 deficiency rescues peripheral nervous system defect in retinoblastoma nullizygous mice.

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein, pRb, is a key regulator of cell cycle and has been implicated in the terminal differentiation of neuronal cells. Mice nullizygous for pRb die by embryonic day 14.5 from hematopoietic and neurological defects attributed to failed differentiation (Clarke et al., 1992; Jacks et al., 1992; Lee et al., 1992). Previous studies by MacLeod et al. (1996) have demonstrated that the loss of p53 protects Rb-deficient CNS neurons but not peripheral nervous system (PNS) neurons from cell death. Thus, the mechanisms by which PNS neurons undergo apoptosis in response to Rb deficiency remain unknown. In view of the pivotal role of caspase 3 in the regulation of neuronal apoptosis during development, we examined its function in the execution of the wide-spread neuronal cell death induced by Rb deficiency. Our results support a number of conclusions. First, we show that caspase 3 becomes activated in all neuronal populations undergoing apoptosis. Second, caspase 3 deficiency does not extend the life span of Rb null embryos, because double null mutants exhibit high rates of liver apoptosis resulting in erythropoietic failure. Third, Rb/caspase 3 double-mutant neurons of the CNS exhibit widespread apoptosis similar to that seen in Rb mutants alone; thus caspase 3 deficiency does not protect this population from apoptosis. Finally, in contrast to the CNS, neurons of the PNS including those comprising the trigeminal ganglia and the dorsal root ganglia are protected from apoptosis in Rb/caspase 3 double-mutant embryos. Examination of the mechanistic differences between these two cell types suggest that CNS neurons may invoke other caspases to facilitate apoptosis in the absence of caspase 3. These findings suggest that PNS neurons are dependent on caspase 3 for the execution of apoptosis and that caspase 3 may serve as a key therapeutic target for neuroprotection after injury of this cell type.

The Rb pathway in neurogenesis.

Cell division during embryogenesis plays a crucial role in the formation of the nervous system. During this developmental process, proliferating neural precursor cells commit to a neuronal fate and, as a consequence, undergo terminal mitosis and adopt a neuronal phenotype. A key cell cycle regulator, the tumor suppressor protein, retinoblastoma (Rb), is involved in both terminal mitosis and neuronal differentiation. Neural development is a complex process involving cell proliferation, cell fate determination and differentiation, as well as programmed cell death. In this review, we will examine each of these processes in turn, focussing on the role of the Rb family proteins to examine their many influences on these events.

Cyclin-dependent kinases and P53 pathways are activated independently and mediate Bax activation in neurons after DNA damage.

DNA damage has been implicated as one important initiator of cell death in neuropathological conditions such as stroke. Accordingly, it is important to understand the signaling processes that control neuronal death induced by this stimulus. Previous evidence has shown that the death of embryonic cortical neurons treated with the DNA-damaging agent camptothecin is dependent on the tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity and that the inhibition of either pathway alone leads to enhanced and prolonged survival. We presently show that p53 and CDKs are activated independently on parallel pathways. An increase in p53 protein levels, nuclear localization, and DNA binding that result from DNA damage are not affected by the inhibition of CDK activity. Conversely, no decrease in retinoblastoma protein (pRb) phosphorylation was observed in p53-deficient neurons that were treated with camptothecin. However, either p53 deficiency or the inhibition of CDK activity alone inhibited Bax translocation, cytochrome c release, and caspase-3-like activation. Taken together, our results indicate that p53 and CDK are activated independently and then act in concert to control Bax-mediated apoptosis.

The Rb-CDK4/6 signaling pathway is critical in neural precursor cell cycle regulation.

The tumor suppressor, retinoblastoma (Rb), is involved in both terminal mitosis and neuronal differentiation. We hypothesized that activation of the Rb pathway would induce cell cycle arrest in primary neural precursor cells, independent of the proposed function of cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 (CDK4/6) to sequester the CIP/KIP CDK inhibitors (CKIs) p21 and p27 from CDK2. We expressed dominant negative adenovirus mutants of CDKs 2, 4, and 6 (dnCDK2, dnCDK4, and dnCDK6) in neural progenitor cells derived from E12.5 wild type and Rb-deficient mouse embryos. In contrast to previous studies, our results demonstrate that in addition to dnCDK2, the dnCDK4/6 mutants can induce growth arrest. Moreover, the dnCDK4/6-mediated inhibition is Rb-dependent. The dnCDK2 partially inhibited cell growth in Rb-deficient cells, suggesting that CDK2 may have additional targets. A previously proposed function of CDK4/6 is CKI sequestration, thereby preventing the resulting inhibition of CDK2, believed to be the key regulator of cell cycle. However, our immunoprecipitations revealed that the dominant negative CDK mutants could arrest cell growth despite their interaction with p21 and p27. Taken together, our results demonstrate that both CDK2 and CDK4/6 are crucial for cell cycle regulation. Furthermore, our data underscore the importance of the Rb regulatory pathway in neuronal development and cell cycle regulation, independent of CKI sequestration.

Helper-dependent adenovirus vectors: their use as a gene delivery system to neurons.

Recombinant adenovirus vectors have provided a major advance in gene delivery systems for post-mitotic neurons. However, the use of these first generation vectors has been limited due to the onset of virally mediated effects on cellular function and viability. In the present study we have used primary cultures of cerebellar granule neurons to examine the efficacy and cytotoxic effects of a helper-dependent adenovirus vector (hdAd) in comparison with a first generation vector. Our results demonstrate that the hdAd system provides equally efficient infectivity with significantly reduced toxicity in comparison to first generation vectors. Neurons transduced with a high titre of a first generation vector exhibited a time-dependent shut down in global protein synthesis and impaired physiological function as demonstrated by a loss of glutamate receptor responsiveness. This was followed by an increase in the fraction of TUNEL-positive cells and a loss of neuronal survival. In contrast, hdAds could be used at titres that transduce >85% of neurons with little cytotoxic effect: cellular glutamate receptor responses and rates of protein synthesis were indistinguishable from uninfected controls. Furthermore, cell viability was not significantly affected for at least 7 days after infection. At excessive viral titres, however, infection with hdAd did cause moderate but significant changes in cell function and viability in primary neuronal cultures. Thus, while these vectors are remarkably improved over first generation vectors, these also have limitations with respect to viral effects on cellular function and viability. Gene Therapy (2000) 7, 1200-1209.

Cyclin-dependent kinases as a therapeutic target for stroke.

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are commonly known to regulate cell proliferation. However, previous reports suggest that in cultured postmitotic neurons, activation of CDKs is a signal for death rather than cell division. We determined whether CDK activation occurs in mature adult neurons during focal stroke in vivo and whether this signal was required for neuronal death after reperfusion injury. Cdk4/cyclin D1 levels and phosphorylation of its substrate retinoblastoma protein (pRb) increase after stroke. Deregulated levels of E2F1, a transcription factor regulated by pRb, are also observed. Administration of a CDK inhibitor blocks pRb phosphorylation and the increase in E2F1 levels and dramatically reduces neuronal death by 80%. These results indicate that CDKs are an important therapeutic target for the treatment of reperfusion injury after ischemia.

Involvement of caspase 3 in apoptotic death of cortical neurons evoked by DNA damage.

Previous reports have shown that DNA-damage-evoked death of embryonic cortical neurons is delayed by general caspase inhibitors and is accompanied by an increase in DEVD-AFC cleavage activity. We show here that this cleavage activity is lacking in camptothecin-treated caspase 3-deficient neurons. Moreover, we report that death of camptothecin-treated caspase 3-deficient neurons cultured from E16 embryos is delayed and that no significant increase in survival is observed with cotreatment with the general caspase inhibitor BAF. These results indicate that caspase-dependent death of camptothecin-treated cortical neurons requires caspase 3 activity. The delay in death is accompanied by impairment of DNA fragmentation. However, Bax-dependent cytochrome c release still occurs in camptothecin-treated caspase 3-deficient cortical neurons. Accordingly, we hypothesize that the delayed death which occurs in the absence of caspase 3 activity may be due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Finally, we show that the delay in death observed with E16 caspase 3-deficient neurons does not occur in neurons cultured from E19 embryos. This suggests that the requirement for caspase 3 in death of neurons evoked by DNA damage may differ depending upon the developmental state of the cell.

Induction and modulation of cerebellar granule neuron death by E2F-1.

Growing evidence suggests that certain cell cycle regulators also mediate neuronal death. Of relevance, cyclin D1-associated kinase activity is increased and the retinoblastoma protein (Rb), a substrate of the cyclin D1-Cdk4/6 complex, is phosphorylated during K(+) deprivation-evoked death of cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs). Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors block this death, suggesting a requirement for the cyclin D1/Cdk4/6-Rb pathway. However, the downstream target(s) of this pathway are not well defined. The transcription factor E2F-1 is regulated by Rb and is reported to evoke death in proliferating cells when overexpressed. Accordingly, we examined whether E2F-1 was sufficient to evoke death of CGNs and whether it was required for death evoked by low K(+). We show that adenovirus-mediated expression of E2F-1 in CGNs results in apoptotic death, which is independent of p53, dependent upon Bax, and associated with caspase 3-like activity. In addition, we demonstrate that levels of E2F-1 mRNA and protein increase during K(+) deprivation-evoked death. The increase in E2F-1 protein is blocked by the CDK inhibitor flavopiridol. Finally, E2F-1-deficient neurons are modestly resistant to death induced by low K(+). These results indicate that E2F-1 expression is sufficient to promote neuronal apoptosis and that endogenous E2F-1 modulates the death of CGNs evoked by low K(+).

E2F1 mediates death of B-amyloid-treated cortical neurons in a manner independent of p53 and dependent on Bax and caspase 3.

Although B-amyloid (AB) is suggested to play an important role in Alzheimer's disease, the mechanisms that control AB-evoked toxicity are unclear. We demonstrated previously that the cell cycle-related cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6/retinoblastoma protein pathway is required for AB-mediated death. However, the downstream target(s) of this pathway are unknown. We show here that neurons lacking E2F1, a transcription factor regulated by the retinoblastoma protein, are significantly protected from death evoked by AB. Moreover, p53 deficiency does not protect neurons from death, indicating that E2F1-mediated death occurs independently of p53. Neurons protected by E2F1 deficiency have reduced Bax-dependent caspase 3-like activity. However, protection afforded by E2F1, Bax, or caspase 3 deficiency is transient. In the case of E2F1, but not with Bax or caspase 3 deficiency, delayed death is accompanied by DEVD-AFC cleavage activity. Taken together, these results demonstrate the required role of E2F1, Bax, and caspase 3 in AB evoked death, but also suggest the participation of elements independent of these apoptosis regulators.

A modification of Simon's optimal design for phase II trials when the criterion is median sample size.

We present a modification to Simon's optimal design for phase II trials in which the objective is to minimize the median sample size rather than the expected sample size when the true response rate is poor (p = p0). We argue that the modified design may be preferred in smaller institutions when the focus is on a single or small number of phase II trials rather than a large program of phase II trials.

Bax-dependent caspase-3 activation is a key determinant in p53-induced apoptosis in neurons.

p53 is a pivotal molecule regulating the death of neurons both after acute injury and during development. The molecular mechanisms by which p53 induces apoptosis in neuronal cells, however, are not well understood. We have shown previously that adenovirus-mediated p53 gene delivery to neurons was sufficient to induce apoptosis. In the present study we have examined the molecular mechanism by which p53 evokes neuronal cell death. Adenovirus-mediated delivery of p53 to cerebellar granule neurons resulted in caspase-3 (CPP32) activation followed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and loss of viability as determined by an MTT survival assay. To determine whether Bax is essential for caspase-3 activation, p53 was expressed in Bax-deficient cells. Bax null neurons did not exhibit caspase-3 activation in response to p53 and were protected from apoptosis. To determine whether Bax-dependent caspase-3 activation was required in p53-mediated neuronal cell death, caspase-3-deficient neurons were examined. Our results indicate that caspase-3-deficient neurons exhibit a remarkable delay in apoptosis and a dramatic decrease in TUNEL-positive cells. These studies demonstrate that p53-induced cell death in postmitotic neurons involves a Bax-dependent caspase-3 activation, suggesting that these molecules are important determinants in neuronal cell death after injury.

Neural precursor cells differentiating in the absence of Rb exhibit delayed terminal mitosis and deregulated E2F 1 and 3 activity.

The severe neurological deficit in embryos carrying null mutations for the retinoblastoma (Rb) gene suggests that Rb plays a crucial role in neurogenesis. While developing neurons undergo apoptosis in vivo neural precursor cells cultured from Rb-deficient embryos appear to differentiate and survive. To determine whether Rb is an essential regulator of the intrinsic pathway modulating terminal mitosis we examined the terminal differentiation of primary cortical progenitor cells and bFGF-dependent neural stem cells derived from Rb-deficient mice. Although Rb -/- neural precursor cells are able to differentiate in vitro we show that these cells exhibit a significant delay in terminal mitosis relative to wild-type cells. Furthermore, Rb -/- cells surviving in vitro exhibit an upregulation of p107 that is found in complexes with E2F3. This suggests that p107 may partially compensate for the loss of Rb in neural precursor cells. Functional ablation of Rb family proteins by adenovirus-mediated delivery of an E1A N-terminal mutant results in apoptosis in Rb-deficient cells, consistent with the interpretation that other Rb family proteins may facilitate differentiation and survival. While p107 is upregulated and interacts with the putative Rb target E2F3 in neural precursor cells, our results indicate that it clearly cannot restore normal E2F regulation. Rb-deficient cells exhibit a significant enhancement of E2F 1 and 3 activity throughout differentiation concomitant with the aberrant expression of E2F-inducible genes. In these studies we show that Rb is essential for the regulation of E2F 1 and 3 activity as well as the onset of terminal mitosis in neural precursor cells.