Rapid prenatal diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography system.

OBJECTIVE: Use of Denaturing High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (DHPLC) in prenatal diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). METHODS: Thirty-three members of 7 families participated in carrier test and disease detection of SMA. Prenatal genetic diagnosis was performed if both parents were carriers or any family members had SMA. DNA extracted from blood, chorionic villi and amniotic fluid was amplified and used for DHPLC. RESULTS: Twenty SMA carriers, seven SMA affected cases, and six normal individuals were identified. SMA status was demonstrated by genotyping and total copy number determinations of SMN1 and SMN2. Families 1-3 were classified as group one (SMA affecting previously born child). Group two, comprising families 4 and 5, had lost a child due to an unknown muscular disease. Group three (SMA-affected parent) comprised families 6 and 7; carrier testing was done. DHPLC prenatal genetic diagnosis was made in seven pregnancies, one in each family (affected, n=2; carrier, n=3; normal, n=2). Pregnancy was terminated for the two affected fetuses. The others were delivered uneventfully and SMA free. CONCLUSION: DHPLC prenatal diagnosis of SMA and determination of SMA status in adults is possible, and SMN1 and SMN2 copy numbers can be determined.

Transcription of the rat glucagon gene by the cyclic AMP response element-binding protein CREB is modulated by adjacent CREB-associated proteins.

The cyclic AMP (cAMP) response element (CRE) of the rat glucagon gene (Glu-CRE, 5'-TGACGTCA-3') mediates transcriptional responses to 8-bromo-cAMP and protein kinase A (PKA) in a glucagon-producing hamster islet cell line (InR1G9). By several different DNA-protein binding assays, we show that the transcription factor CREB binds to the CRE octamer and that additional nuclear proteins bind to sequences adjacent to the CRE. Mutation of the Glu-CRE octamer attenuates both the binding of CREB and cAMP-dependent PKA-stimulated transcriptional activity in transient transfection experiments but does not affect the binding of adjacent CREB-associated proteins. Progressive deletions and clustered point mutations of the sequences flanking the Glu-CRE identify sequences (5'-TCATT-3') located both 5' and 3' to the core CRE octamer that bind several proteins. Two proteins with molecular masses of 80 and 100 kDa bind to each of the 5' and 3' TCATT sites. Formation of additional protein-DNA complexes containing 45- and 20-kDa proteins depends upon the integrity of both TCATT sequences. Deletion or point mutation of the TCATT motif located on the 3' side of the CRE octamer results in enhanced transcriptional responses to PKA, suggesting that the CREB-associated proteins decrease the ability of CREB to mediate PKA-stimulated transcription. Results from these studies demonstrate that nucleotides flanking the core CRE octamer can influence the activity of the CRE by serving as binding sites for proteins that modulate the function of CREB and suggest a mechanism to explain why some consensus palindromic CREs are less responsive to cAMP stimulation than others.

Expression of a peptide inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 increases phosphorylation and activity of CREB in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts.

We have examined the activity and phosphorylation state of the cyclic AMP (cAMP) response element binding factor (CREB) in intact NIH 3T3 cells following microinjection of expression plasmids encoding regulatory proteins of type 1 (PP1) and 2A (PP2A) serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatases. Changes in CREB phosphorylation in the injected cells were monitored by indirect immunofluorescence using an affinity-purified antiserum (Ab5322) which specifically recognizes CREB phosphorylated at Ser-133, and changes in transcriptional activity of CREB were monitored by expression of a reporter gene regulated by cAMP. cAMP-stimulated phosphorylation in NIH 3T3 cells is normally transient, and as expected, after stimulation of cells with cell-permeable cAMP analogs, the level of phosphorylated CREB was found to initially increase and then return to a basal level within 4 h. Microinjection of an expression vector encoding a constitutively active form of inhibitor 1 (I-1), a PP1-specific inhibitor, by itself resulted in an apparent increase in phosphorylated CREB in unstimulated cells. Moreover, injection of the I-1 vector resulted in the prolonged appearance of phosphorylated CREB in cells after cAMP stimulation. In contrast, injection of a plasmid encoding simian virus 40 small t antigen, which interacts with PP2A to inhibit its activity towards several phosphoprotein substrates, had no effect on the phosphorylation state of CREB in stimulated or unstimulated NIH 3T3 cells. Consistent with these results, injection of the I-1 expression vector activated expression from a coinjected CRE-lacZ reporter plasmid, indicating that the increased phosphorylation of CREB also activated its transcriptional activity. These results provide further evidence for a role of a PP1 as the primary protein (Ser/Thr) phosphatase regulating the dephosphorylation of Ser-133 and thereby limiting the transcriptional activity of CREB.

Phospho-CREB and other phospho-proteins: improved recovery from brain tissue.

During attempts to quantify levels of phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (CREB-P) in guinea pig brain stem auditory nuclei by Western blotting, we compared the decay of CREB-P levels when tissues were homogenized in traditional Lysis buffer containing detergents or in 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer containing 0.32 M sucrose. The decay of CREB-P levels was retarded considerably in the Tris-Sucrose medium as compared to the Lysis buffer. Similarly, the levels of two other phospho-proteins, extracellular regulated kinases (ERK1/2-P) and stress activated protein/Jun-N-terminal kinase (SAP/JNK-P), were better preserved by the Tris-Sucrose medium. These findings imply that the detergents typically present in the Lysis buffer may disrupt organelles and increase the exposure of soluble phospho-proteins to hydrolyzing enzymes. In contrast, such exposure was probably minimized in the Tris-Sucrose medium, which is thought to preserve organelle integrity.

[Identification of the novel host factor that interacts with HIV-1 integrase and analysis of the expression profile of the interactor in vivo].

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is one of the lentiviruses, and unlike other retroviruses, HIV-1 is capable of infecting not only dividing cells but also non-dividing cells. It has been strongly suggested that this property is due to the viral mechanism which facilitates the integration of the viral genome cDNA into the host chromosome more efficiently than other retroviruses. HIV-1 integrase (IN) is a viral protein which catalyzes insertion of the viral genome cDNA into the host cell chromosome. However, it has been suggested that HIV-1 IN also plays putative roles at the steps prior to integration such as uncoating, reverse transcription and nuclear transport of the viral cDNA. In this study, we tried to identify the novel host factor which interacted with HIV-1 IN using two different kinds of yeast two hybrid methods: the conventional yeast two hybrid method and the mating method. First, the full-length cDNA fragment of HIV-1 IN was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the amplified products were ligated into pGBT 9 vector as bait. Plasmid vectors expressing human lymphocytes cDNA library and HeLa cDNA library were used as prey plasmid in the conventional yeast two hybrid method and the mating method, respectively. These plasmids were transformed into the corresponding yeast strain cells, and several positive clones were isolated. As a result, a known gene product was identified as a candidate. Further analysis revealed that this protein was expressed in HeLa, 293 T cells, primary macrophages and activated T lymphocytes, and that suppression of this protein expression affected HIV-1 replication.

IL-6-inducible complexes on an IL-6 response element of the junB promoter contain Stat3 and 36 kDa CRE-like site binding protein(s).

The junB gene is one of immediate-early genes whose expression are regulated by a variety of extracellular stimuli and play important roles in cellular responses to the given stimuli. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) activates the junB promoter through an IL-6 response element, JRE-IL6, that is composed of two cooperative DNA motifs, a low affinity Stat-binding site overlapping with an Ets-binding site (JEBS) and a cAMP responsive element (CRE)-like site. This element is a target for the Jak-Stat signal transduction pathway. We showed that IL-6 induced novel complexes on JRE-IL6, termed JRE-IL6-BC1 and 2, which contained Stat3 but migrated more slowly than the complexes containing homo- or heterodimer of Stat3 and Stat1 in gel shift assays. These slow-migrating JRE-IL6-BCs appeared to contain CRE-like site binding proteins besides Stat3, since the formation of JRE-IL6-BCs required both the JEBS and CRE-like site of JRE-IL6 and oligonucleotides containing the CRE-like site or somatostatin CRE efficiently competed with JRE-IL6 for making JRE-IL6-BCs. The formation of the complexes correlated well with the responsiveness of JRE-IL6 to IL-6 signals. U.v.-cross linking study revealed that JRE-IL6 bound a 90 kDa protein, corresponding to Stat3, and a 36 kDa protein, most likely a CRE-like site binding protein(s). Furthermore, we showed that the IL-6/interferon gamma (IFN gamma) response element in the IRF-1 promoter (IR/IRF-1), which contains a Stat-binding site and an adjacent CRE-like site, also makes IL-6-induced binding complexes similar to JRE-IL6-BCs.

ZPK inhibits PKA induced transcriptional activation by CREB and blocks retinoic acid induced neuronal differentiation.

Zipper Protein Kinase (ZPK) is a leucine zipper protein localized to the nucleus which exhibits serine-threonine kinase activity and is associated with the stress dependent signal transduction pathway. ZPK forms heterodimers with leucine zipper containing transcription factors such as the cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) and Myc. Furthermore ZPK phosphorylates both Myc and CREB. Overexpression of ZPK in NTera-2 human teratocarcinoma cells results in inhibition of PKA induced transcriptional activation by CREB and prevents retinoic acid induced differentiation of the cells to neurons. Our results suggest that ZPK stifles neural differentiation of NT-2 cells partly due to its inhibitory effect on CREB function.

Identification of a functional CRE in the promoter of Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy gene fukutin.

We isolated a fragment of the fukutin gene promoter from differentiated human NT2 cells using chromatin immunoprecipitation technique with an anti-CREB antibody. This fragment contained a CRE-like sequence and here we describe its functional validation. The results showed that the element was functional in vitro and in vivo and that CREB in neurons was involved in the transcriptional regulation of the fukutin gene. Moreover, its expression in neurons was regulated by cAMP and calcium ions, known triggers of CREB phosphorylation. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the regulation of fukutin gene by transcription factor CREB in response to the signals generated by synaptic activity. The true biological function of fukutin, the gene responsible for Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy and mental retardation, is at present not known. However, it has been suggested that it might possess glycosyltransferase activity and its intracellular localization within the Golgi structures is consistent with this function. As such, fukutin might play a significant role in post-translational modification of synaptic proteins in neuronal cells.

Lack of c-Jun activity increases survival to cisplatin.

Antineoplasic agents such as cisplatin and adriamycin execute their pharmacological role by triggering apoptosis. We have studied the mechanism of apoptosis induction by cisplatin and adriamycin. Both drugs activated JNK with slow and persistent kinetics. Adriamycin activated caspase-3 before the rise in JNK activity, while the response to cisplatin occurs hours after JNK activation. The increase in JNK activity was necessary for cisplatin-mediated apoptosis but it was dispensable for adriamycin-induced cell death. Cells derived from c-jun knock out mice were more resistant to cisplatin cell death than normal cells, but no difference was observed in response to adriamycin. Activation of JNK and cell death by cisplatin is mediated by the MEKK1/SEK1 cascade, since expression of dominant negative expression vectors of these kinases blocked both processes. p38 was also activated by cisplatin with similar kinetics as JNK. AP-1 complexes were activated by cisplatin including mainly c-jun/ATF-2 heterodimers suggesting that AP-1-dependent transcription partially mediated cisplatin-induced apoptosis.

Involvement of a single-stranded DNA binding protein, ssCRE-BP/Pur alpha, in morphine dependence.

We have purified a nuclear protein from mouse cerebella that binds to single-stranded oligo-DNA of cAMP response element and is modulated by morphine treatment. Isolation of the cDNA clone showed that the nuclear protein (ssCRE-BP) was identical to Pur alpha, a DNA binding protein for single-stranded purine-rich sequences that was originally isolated as a replication factor. ssCRE-BP/Pur alpha and mRNA were abundant in the brain. The levels of ssCRE-BP/Pur alpha and the transcript were not changed by chronic morphine treatment, however, the levels of an activator of ssCRE-BP/Pur alpha, which is necessary for the DNA binding, may be modulated by the treatment.

Isolation of Drosophila CREB-B: a novel CRE-binding protein.

CREB is a DNA-binding protein that stimulates gene transcription upon activation of the cAMP signaling pathway. The mammalian CREB protein consists of an amino-terminal transcriptional activation domain and a carboxy-terminal DNA-binding domain comprised of a basic region and a leucine zipper. Recent studies have shown that the mammalian CREB is one of many transcription factors that can bind to the cAMP regulated enhancer (CRE) sequence. Consequently, a complete understanding of regulation through the CRE sequence requires the elucidation of how the various CRE-binding proteins interact with each other. To accomplish this goal, we have begun to characterize the family of CRE-binding proteins in a system that is amenable to genetic manipulations, Drosophila melanogaster. We have previously cloned a protein designated dCREB-A from a Drosophila embryonic cDNA library. Here, we describe an additional member of the Drosophila CREB gene family, isolated by screening a lambda gt11 library of adult Drosophila head cDNAs with a multimerized CRE sequence. This protein, dCREB-B, contains 285 amino acids and is remarkably similar within the basic/zipper region to the corresponding portion of mammalian CREB. In contrast, the dCREB-B and mammalian CREB zipper domains differ considerably from the dCREB-A zipper in both length and composition. However, the putative DNA binding domains for all three proteins are highly conserved. The activator region of dCREB-B is completely different from that of both mammalian CREB and dCREB-A. Northern blot analysis shows that multiple transcripts of the dCREB-B gene are expressed in embryonic and adult tissues and that these transcripts arise from both strands of the DNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Binding constant determination studies utilizing recombinant delta CREB protein.

In this study, we report the binding constants (Kd) of the cAMP-responsive element binding protein (delta-CREB) for various cAMP-response element (CRE) motifs. We utilized purified recombinant delta CREB protein in binding reactions with natural CRE motifs found in the promoter of two neuropeptide hormone genes and with several variant CRE motifs. The Kd of delta CREB for the perfectly palindromic CRE, TGACG-TCA, found within the somatostatin promoter is estimated to be 5.0 x 10(-9) M. The Kd of delta CREB for the variant CRE motif TG_CGTCA found within the enkephalin promoter is calculated to be in the 3 x 10(-8) M. These studies provide an in vitro quantitative assessment of the binding affinity of delta CREB for various CRE motifs.

Phosphatase regulation of gene expression during development of the palate.

In mammalian cells, including those of the embryonic palate, the level of phosphorylation of cellular proteins at any given time reflects the activities of protein kinases and protein phosphatases. Both protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) and PP-2A inhibit cAMP-mediated increases in transcription by dephosphorylating CREB at ser-133. Western blot analysis indicated that protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1) was expressed constitutively in palatal tissue during its development. Expression of PP-2A was regulated developmentally with maximal expression on gestational day (gd) 14. Densitometric scanning revealed a 30% increase in expression from gd 13 to gd 14. Virtually all phosphatase activity in the tissue extracts could be inhibited by 5 microM okadaic acid, demonstrating that PP-1 and PP-2A account for all detectable ser/thr protein phosphatase activity present in the developing palate. Moreover, no significant differences in PP-1 and PP-2A activities were observed during the period of palate development. Treatment of primary cultures of murine embryonic palate mesenchymal (MEPM) cells with forskolin (20 microM) to elevate intracellular cAMP levels, resulted in a time-dependent increase in CREB ser-133 phosphorylation and a corresponding time dependent decrease in PP-1 and PP-2A levels. Moreover, treatment of MEPM cells with okadaic acid resulted in a dramatic increase in basal CREB ser-133 phosphorylation. This suggests that PP-1 activity may contribute to transcriptional regulation of CREB and that PP-1 and PP-2A are regulated differentially by cAMP. Treatment of MEPM cells with TGF beta 1 (1 ng/ml) under conditions of TGF beta-induced CREB phosphorylation resulted in no effect on the expression of either PP-1 or PP-2A proteins and no significant alterations in total basal protein phosphatase activity. These results demonstrate that transcriptional regulation of CREB in embryonic palatal issue is dependent on the coordinate activity of specific kinases and phosphatases.

Identification and purification of CREB like protein in Candida albicans.

cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) belongs to ATF/CREB family of transcription factors, which are bonafide targets of cAMP-PKA signalling pathway in mammalian cells. CREB is known to regulate the genes involved in transcription, cell cycle, cell survival, neurotransmitter, growth factors and immune regulation. But there is no evidence of presence of ATF/CREB family members in Candida albicans. In the present study, CREB like transcription factor has been identified and purified in C. albicans. The putative CREB was observed to have different molecular mass (47 kDa) as compared to its mammalian counterpart (43 kDa). Both forms of CREB (CREB and phosphorylated CREB) were detected in C. albicans and phosphorylation of CREB was found to be a function of cAMP levels and protein kinase A activity within this organism. CREB protein was purified by sequence-specific CRE-DNA affinity chromatography. Purified CREB exhibited characteristic CRE binding activity as revealed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and gave reactivity with CREB antibodies. CREB protein was phosphorylated by purified catalytic subunit of PKA under in vitro conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this study reports for the first time identification of CREB like protein as an important component of cAMP signalling pathway in C. albicans.

Splicing factor SPF30 bridges an interaction between the prespliceosome protein U2AF35 and tri-small nuclear ribonucleoprotein protein hPrp3.

Spliceosome assembly is a dynamic process involving the sequential recruitment and rearrangement of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) on a pre-mRNA substrate. Here we identify several spliceosome protein interactions with different domains of human splicing factor SPF30 that have the potential to mediate the addition of the tri-snRNP to the prespliceosome. In particular, we show that the C-terminal tails of SmD1, SmD3, and the protein Lsm4 interact with the central Tudor domain of SPF30. We identify a novel interaction between the N-terminal domain of SPF30 and U2AF35, a prespliceosome protein that has a role in recognizing the 3' splice site and recruiting U2 snRNP. We also show that the C terminus of SPF30 interacts with a middle domain of hPrp3, a component of U4/U6 di-snRNP and the tri-snRNP. Importantly, we show that the U2AF35 and hPrp3 interactions with SPF30 can occur simultaneously, thereby potentially linking 3' splice site recognition with tri-snRNP addition. Finally, we note that SPF30 and its partner-interacting domains are not conserved in yeast, suggesting this interaction network may play an important role in the complex splicing observed in higher eukaryotes.

Purification of CREB to apparent homogeneity: removal of truncation products and contaminating nucleic acid.

The cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) is a mammalian transcription factor which regulates the expression of many cellular genes. CREB is commonly expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by heat-extraction followed by affinity chromatography. We have discovered that although this purification yields a reasonably pure product which is active in DNA-binding and functional assays, it contains a large amount of nucleic acid as well as CREB truncation products and other polypeptides. Consequently, this CREB is inadequate for use in biophysical studies including crystallography, and spectroscopic analysis such as analytical ultracentrifugation, FRET, and circular dichroism. We revised the purification protocol to incorporate expression in the Rosetta host strain, nuclease treatment, and denaturing/high salt size-exclusion chromatography. We typically obtain 10mg of CREB per liter of culture media that is 99% homogenous, free of nucleic acid, and amenable to biophysical studies. Comparison of CREB from the original and revised protocols shows similar affinities for the cAMP response element (CRE) but small differences in their secondary structures when assayed by limited proteolysis and circular dichroism.

Presence of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein in oligodendrocytes.

Several lines of evidence indicate that cyclic AMP (cAMP) induces oligodendrocytes differentiation. However, the mechanism(s) of this stimulation remains unknown. Because in several cell types the transcriptional activity of various cAMP-responsive genes is regulated through a cis-acting DNA sequence known as cAMP response element (CRE), we investigated the possible presence of a CRE binding (CREB) protein in myelinating oligodendrocytes. A double-stranded oligonucleotide containing a tandem repeat of the CRE sequence was labeled with T4 kinase in the presence of [32P]ATP and then incubated with a nuclear protein extract from 14-day-old rat brain oligodendrocytes. The reaction mixture was then electrophoresed on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels. The results indicated the presence of a protein that specifically binds to the CRE sequence. The results were supported by southwestern blotting assays in which the CRE probe bound to a approximately 45-kDa protein species. In separate experiments, it was shown that the 45-kDa protein can be phosphorylated in vitro by the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A. Developmental analysis of CREB protein expression indicated a peak at 14 days of age, preceding the peak of myelinogenesis.

cAMP induces phosphorylation of a 40-kDa nuclear protein which is distinct from CREB during chondrogenesis of chick limb bud mesenchymal cells in vitro.

We examined the effect of cAMP on the phosphorylation of intracellular proteins in cultured chondroblasts to understand the stimulatory role of intracellular cAMP in chondrogenesis of chick limb bud mesenchymal cells. A 40-kDa protein was remarkably phosphorylated by cAMP and the phosphorylation was completely blocked by an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The phosphorylation of the 40-kDa protein was maximum at early stage of chondrogenesis (i.e., 24 hr of culture) which is consistent with the changes in the level of intracellular cAMP. The 40-kDa phosphoprotein was exclusively located in the nuclear parts of chondroblast but distinct from cAMP response element binding protein.