Specific inhibition of protein kinase A in granulosa cells abolishes gonadotropin regulation of the proopiomelanocortin promoter

Gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone, and human chorionic gonadotropin) and beta-adrenergic agonists have been shown to stimulate expression of the proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene in ovarian granulosa cells. The current studies investigate the intracellular mechanisms by which gonadotropins regulate gene expression. Primary cultures of rat granulosa cells were transfected with the plasmid POMC-CAT-150, which expresses the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene under the regulation of the rat POMC 5'-flanking region. CAT activity was stimulated by treatment of the cells with either 20 ng/ml FSH or 1 microM isoproterenol. To assess the role of protein kinase A (ATP:protein phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.1.37) in the gonadotropin and adrenergic response, an expression vector, MtR-AB, encoding a mutant RI regulatory subunit was cotransfected with POMC-CAT-150. The mutant protein kinase A regulatory subunit encoded by MtR-AB lacks functional cAMP-binding sites but effectively binds and specifically inhibits the catalytic activity of protein kinase A. The results of this analysis demonstrated that gonadotropin and adrenergic agonist stimulation of the POMC-CAT reporter construct in primary cultures of rat granulosa cells were abolished by cotransfection with MtR-AB; whereas a control SV40-promoter construct was unaffected by either gonadotropin treatment or cotransfection with MtR-AB. Basal expression directed by the POMC promoter was also decreased by cotransfection with the MtR-AB, implying that basal expression from the POMC promoter may also depend on protein kinase A. Deletion analysis of the POMC sequence indicated regions (-40 to -33 and +4 to +63) important for basal and FSH-stimulated expression. These studies suggest that both gonadotropin and adrenergic stimulation of the POMC promoter are mediated by protein kinase A and that regions proximal to the promoter are essential for gonadotropin-regulated expression from the promoter.     

Androgens amplify beta-adrenergic and FSH stimulation of granulosa cells

The effects of androgens on granulosa cell stimulation by isoproterenol and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined. Two functional parameters of granulosa cell stimulation were monitored: (a) activity of a transfected proopiomelanocortin (POMC) promoter and (b) production of progesterone. Treatment with the beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, stimulated steroidogenesis, and both isoproterenol and FSH appeared to enhance POMC promoter activity. The non-aromatizable androgen, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), produced no effect on either parameter, but it potentiated the steroidogenic response to isoproterenol. Preliminary data also indicated a potentiation by DHT of the FSH-mediated increase in POMC promoter activity; results with a combination of DHT and isoproterenol were suggestive of potentiation. A possible role for androgen amplification of adrenergic stimulation in polycystic ovarian syndrome is discussed.     

Stable Expression of a Foreign Gene, Delivered by Gene Gun, in the Muscle of Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

We report the efficient delivery of a foreign gene into muscle of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss with a gene gun. The foreign gene was a reporter gene, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT). Two CAT-containing plasmids were used: pCMV-CAT, which contains cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter, and pSV2-CAT, which contains the simian virus 40 early promoter. All plasmids were introduced by particle bombardment using a gene gun. During the 90-day sampling period following bombardment, CAT was strongly and stably expressed in the muscle of all the fish bombarded with pCMV-CAT and pSV2-CAT. No CAT expression was detected in the blood samples until 90 days after introduction, when it was found in only one fish from the pCMV-CAT group and one from the pSV2-CAT group. The stable and long-term expression of plasmid DNA in muscle makes muscle an attractive target tissue for the introduction of viral DNA for the purpose of DNA vaccination. Received June 5, 1999; accepted November 2, 1999.     

The herpes simplex virus type 1 alpha protein ICP27 can act as a trans-repressor or a trans-activator in combination with ICP4 and ICP0

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) alpha proteins ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 are trans-acting proteins which affect HSV-1 gene expression. To investigate potential interactions between these alpha products and to determine the specificity of action of the alpha proteins in combination with each other compared with their activities individually, we performed a series of transient-expression assays. In these assays we used plasmids containing the alpha genes encoding ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 either singly or in combination as effectors and HSV-1 genes of different kinetic classes and heterologous genes as targets. The HSV-1 targets consisted of promoter-regulatory domains from alpha (ICP0 and ICP27), beta (thymidine kinase and alkaline exonuclease), beta-gamma (glycoprotein D, glycoprotein B, and VP5), and gamma (glycoprotein C) genes, each fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. The heterologous target genes consisted of the simian virus 40 early promoter with enhancer and the Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat promoter and enhancer each fused to the CAT gene. Target promoter activity was measured by the assay of CAT activity in extracts of transfected cells and by Northern (RNA) blot hybridization of CAT mRNA. The results of these experiments showed that ICP4 activated only HSV-1 target genes, whereas ICP0 activated all of the targets and ICP27 had little effect on any of the targets. ICP4 and ICP0 had a synergistic effect when inducing HSV-1 targets, but they did not have this effect on the heterologous targets pSV2-CAT or pRSV-CAT. In fact, lower levels of CAT activity and CAT mRNA were found in the presence of both effectors than with ICP0 alone. Most interestingly, although the effector plasmid containing the ICP27 gene had little effect on its own, two different and marked effects depending on the target were observed when ICP27 was combined with ICP4 or ICP0 or both. A trans-repression of the induction seen with ICP4 and ICP0 was found when ICP27 was present in the transfections with pSV2-CAT, pRSV-CAT, pICP0-CAT, pICP27-CAT, pTK-CAT, pgD-CAT, pgB-CAT, and pgC-CAT. This resulted in CAT activity levels which were similar to or lower than the basal level of expression of the target genes in the absence of effector plasmids. This trans-repression occurred over a wide range of concentrations of input ICP27 plasmid. In contrast to this repressive effect of ICP27, a trans-activation was seen when ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 plasmids were combined in transfections with pAE-CAT and pVP5-CAT as targets. This trans-activation also occurred over a 10-fold range of input ICP27 plasmid. These results suggest that ICP27 can facilitate both down     

Advantages of firefly luciferase as a reporter gene: application to the interleukin-2 gene promoter

The chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene is widely used in recombinant constructs employed to study promoter and enhancer control of gene expression. However, CAT-based assays require a laborious, multi-step procedure for quantitation of promoter activity. We have applied the recently described firefly luciferase (LUC) reporter gene to the study of the interleukin-2 (IL2) promoter and have further defined the properties of this reporter gene system. We find that IL2-LUC constructs have multiple advantages over IL2-CAT constructs. The LUC assay is highly sensitive and requires 1/10 the cells used in the CAT system. A final quantitative measure of promoter activity can be obtained within 25 h following transfection with IL2-LUC, compared to 108-160 h with IL2-CAT. Light emission significantly (fourfold) above background is detectable 3 h after induction in a direct assay of extracts from transfected cells. We have described the variability of the assay, the minimum number of transfected cells required to detect light, the stability of luciferase in cell extracts, the effect of Triton X-100 on the assay, and a rapid cell lysis procedure. The luciferase system is a simple, rapid, and sensitive method for the study of promoter activity in transfected cells, particularly for weakly expressed genes such as IL2 which give low activity in the CAT assay.     

The 5'' untranslated region of mRNA for ribosomal protein S19 is involved in its translational regulation during Xenopus development.

During Xenopus development, the synthesis of ribosomal proteins is regulated at the translational level. To identify the region of the ribosomal protein mRNAs responsible for their typical translational behavior, we constructed a fused gene in which the upstream sequences (promoter) and the 5' untranslated sequence (first exon) of the gene coding for Xenopus ribosomal protein S19 were joined to the coding portion of the procaryotic chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene deleted of its own 5' untranslated region. This fused gene was introduced in vivo by microinjection into Xenopus fertilized eggs, and its activity was monitored during embryogenesis. By analyzing the pattern of appearance of CAT activity and the distribution of the S19-CAT mRNA between polysomes and messenger ribonucleoproteins, it was concluded that the 35-nucleotide-long 5' untranslated region of the S19 mRNA is able to confer to the fused S19-CAT mRNA the translational behavior typical of ribosomal proteins during Xenopus embryo development.     

Use of the human elongation factor 1 alpha promoter as a versatile and efficient expression system

We have characterized the promoter region of the human elongation factor 1 alpha-encoding gene (EF-1 alpha) and developed a versatile expression system which has a wide host range and a high efficiency of gene expression. To identify the promoter region of the EF-1 alpha gene necessary for efficient gene expression, we constructed four pEF-CAT plasmids that have the bacterial cat gene fused to four different sites of the human EF-1 alpha gene: (i) ligated to the end of the TATA box (pEF220-CAT); (ii) ligated in exon 1 (pEF204-CAT and pEF233-CAT), and (iii) ligated in exon 2 (pEF321-CAT). All the pEF-CAT plasmids were highly expressed in all the cell types tested, including fibroblasts and lymphoid cells. Plasmid pEF321-CAT, which contains the first exon and the first intron, gave the highest level of cat expression. Plasmids pEF204- and pEF233-CAT, which contain part of the first exon but do not contain the first intron, were less efficient in cat expression than was pEF321-CAT. Plasmid pEF220-CAT, which lacks both the first exon and the first intron, was the least efficient. Plasmid pEF321-CAT was several- to 100-fold more efficient in cat expression than plasmid pSV2-CAT depending on the recipient cell types. The promoter of pEF321 plasmid also directed the stable expression of the bacterial neo gene more efficiently than the promoter of the simian virus 40 (SV40) early gene or the long terminal repeat of Rous sarcoma virus. Using this system, the SV40 early gene and the cDNA encoding human CD4 were also expressed efficiently.     

A stably transfected c-myc cat hybrid gene is not regulated by serum in NIH3T3 cells

A plasmid containing the CAT (chloramphenicolacetyltransferase) gene fused to the 5' adjacent sequences and first exon of the human c-myc gene was stably transfected into NIH3T3 cells. Single cell clones were grown and CAT activity was measured after serum starvation and stimulation. CAT activity of the hybrid construct remained unchanged in serum-deprived and serum-stimulated cells. In contrast the steady-state RNA level of the endogenous mouse c-myc gene was strongly elevated upon serum stimulation. The bona fide usage of the human c-myc promoter P1/P2 in mouse cells carrying the hybrid gene was revealed by S1 analysis.     

Control of low density lipoprotein receptor gene expression in steroidogenic cells

Low density lipoprotein (LDL)-carried cholesterol is a primary substrate for steroid hormone synthesis by luteinized human granulosa cells. Chorionic gonadotropin and 8-bromo-cAMP both increase LDL receptor levels in granulosa cells by stimulating accumulation of the receptor mRNA. LDL and 25-hydroxycholesterol reduce LDL receptor expression, but this suppressive effect is partially overcome by 8-bromo-cAMP. Using fusion gene constructs containing the LDL receptor gene promoter transfected into JEG-3 cells, a cyclic AMP responsive enhancer could not be identified in the LDL receptor gene upstream promoter in transfection studies. We suggest that the LDL receptor gene in human steroidogenic cells is under negative control by a sterol effector, but that a cyclic AMP triggered process overcomes, to some extent, the sterol-mediated suppression. The detailed mechanisms by which sterol and cyclic AMP modulate LDL receptor gene expression remain to be elucidated.     

Evidence that functional interactions of CREB and SF-1 mediate hormone regulated expression of the aromatase gene in granulosa cells and constitutive expression in R2C cells

The proximal promoter of the rat aromatase CYP19 gene contains two functional domains that can confer hormone/cAMP inducibility in primary cultures of rat granulosa cells and constitutive expression in R2C Leydig cells. Region A contains a hexameric sequence that binds steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1). Region B contains a CRE-like sequence that binds CREB and two other factors, X and Y. To determine if CRE binding factors X and Y had overlapping functions with CREB, and to determine if the CREB and SF-1 binding sites exhibited functional interactions in the context of the intact promoter, mutations within the CRE and hexameric SF-1 binding site were generated. Mutations within the CRE showed that CREB but not factors X and Y mediated cAMP-dependent activity of chimeric transgenes in primary granulosa cell cultures. Granulosa cells transfected with constructs that bound CREB but not SF-1 (or the converse) resulted in a loss of approximately 50% cAMP-dependent CAT activity. Transgenes that did not bind CREB or SF-1 exhibited no cAMP-dependent CAT activity. When these same constructs where transfected into R2C Leydig cells, mutation of either the CREB or SF-1 binding sites resulted in a greater than 90% loss of CAT activity. Western blot and immunocytochemistry analyses revealed that the amount of phosphorylated CREB increased in response to hormone/cAMP in granulosa cells and was high in R2C Leydig cells, coinciding with expression of the transgenes and endogenous aromatase mRNA in each cell type. Therefore, in both cell types the aromatase promoter is dependent upon a functional CRE and the presence of phosphoCREB. The CREB and SF-1 binding sites interact in an additive manner to mediate cAMP transactivation in granulosa cells, whereas they interact synergistically to confer high basal transactivation in R2C Leydig cells. Taken together, the results indicated that the molecular mechanisms or pathways that activate CREB, SF-1 or their interaction are different in granulosa cells and R2C cells.     

Effects of adenine nucleotides on choriogonadotropin alpha and beta subunit synthesis

The alpha subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (CG) contains a discrete cAMP response element in the 5' flanking region of the gene. Since cAMP also stimulates the synthesis of the CG beta subunit the presence of a cAMP cis element in the CG beta gene was examined. Deletion mutants bearing various lengths of CG beta 5' region in front of the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene were transfected in placental tumor cells. No discrete cAMP response element could be identified. Unexpectedly we also observed that AMP and adenosine not only stimulated CAT activity driven by CG beta promoter sequences but also enhanced synthesis of CG alpha and beta subunits in cultured choriocarcinoma cells. GMP, CMP, guanosine, and cytosine were inactive at comparable concentrations. These data suggest that the response of the CG alpha and beta genes to the non-cyclic adenine derivatives occurs by a mechanism that differs from cAMP.