Functional characterization of novel presenilin-2 variants identified in human breast cancers.

We identified in breast cancer cases two germline alterations, R62H and R71W, in presenilin-2 (PS-2), a gene involved in familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). The role of these alleles in FAD is unclear, but neither allele affected Abeta(42)/Abeta(40) ratio. However, both R62H and R71W alterations compromised PS-2 function in Notch signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans and cell growth inhibition in mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and these effects were dependent on gene dosage. We found that both alterations enhanced the degradation of the PS-2 full-length protein, indicating that they may have a loss-of function effect. The effect of the R71W alteration was noticeably stronger, and we observed an almost threefold higher frequency of this allele in breast cancer cases versus controls, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Nonetheless, these results collectively suggest that the novel PS-2 alleles described here, especially R71W, affect PS-2 function and may potentially confer a moderate risk of susceptibility to breast cancer.

A role for c-Abl in c-myc regulation.

c-Abl, a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, appears to play a role in cell cycle progression, cell proliferation and differentiation. Mice homozygous for a mutation in c-abl (ablml), show pleiotropic abnormalities, including neonatal death, developmental defects, susceptibility to infection and dehydration (Schwartzberg et al., 1991). However, the exact substrates of c-Abl and the signal transduction pathways it might initiate are not known. We have examined how c-Abl affects c-myc expression by studying ablml mice. Quantitative riboprobe analyses demonstrated that in the heart, liver, thymus, brain, testes, intestines and lung, there were no differences in the steady-state level of c-myc RNA between the ablml mice and littermate controls. However, in adrenal glands, kidneys and splenic B cells, c-myc RNA levels were decreased approximately 50% compared to littermate controls. Induction of c-myc mRNA following activation of splenic B cells with LPS is also defective in ablml splenocytes. Finally, we show that c-Abl can directly transactivate c-myc transcription. These results suggest that c-Abl is involved in the normal transcription regulation of c-myc in selected tissues and that decreased c-myc RNA could be one cause of abnormalities in the ablml mice.

Morphine enhances hedonic taste palatability in rats.

The question of whether opiates stimulate feeding by enhancing taste pleasure was investigated by examining the effect of morphine upon hedonic and aversive reactions to taste (tongue protrusions, gapes, etc.). Rats (n = 12) were given SC injections of morphine (4 mg/kg) or equal volumes of isotonic saline 2 h after the start of their daily light cycle. Food intake was measured in a 2-h test. On days when they were given morphine, rats ate significantly more food than when given saline. Hedonic and aversive taste reactions were elicited by an infusion of sucrose-quinine solution into the mouth and were measured subsequently in a slow-motion video analysis. The same rats that showed an increase in food intake after treatment with morphine showed a significant increase in their positive hedonic responses. Aversive reactions were unchanged by morphine. The results support the hypothesis that morphine enhances feeding by increasing the hedonic palatability of food.

SEL-8, a nuclear protein required for LIN-12 and GLP-1 signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans.

LIN-12 and GLP-1 are members of the LIN-12/Notch family of receptors that mediate cell-cell interactions during development. The sel-8 gene had been identified previously in a screen for suppressors of a mutation that constitutively activates LIN-12. Here, we report that sel-8 is essential for lin-12- and glp-1-mediated signaling, and that SEL-8 is a glutamine-rich nuclear protein. We postulate that SEL-8 serves as a transcriptional coactivator or as an assembly factor for transcription complexes that contain the LIN-12 or GLP-1 intracellular domains.

Assessment of normal and mutant human presenilin function in Caenorhabditis elegans.

We provide evidence that normal human presenilins can substitute for Caenorhabditis elegans SEL-12 protein in functional assays in vivo. In addition, six familial Alzheimer disease-linked mutant human presenilins were tested and found to have reduced ability to rescue the sel-12 mutant phenotype, suggesting that they have lower than normal presenilin activity. A human presenilin 1 deletion variant that fails to be proteolytically processed and a mutant SEL-12 protein that lacks the C terminus display considerable activity in this assay, suggesting that neither presenilin proteolysis nor the C terminus is absolutely required for normal presenilin function. We also show that sel-12 is expressed in most neural and nonneural cell types in all developmental stages. The reduced activity of mutant presenilins and as yet unknown gain-of-function properties may be a contributing factor in the development of Alzheimer disease.