Complementation study of peroxisome-deficient disorders by immunofluorescence staining and characterization of fused cells

Summary Genetic heterogeneity in peroxisome-deficient disorders, including Zellweger's cerebrohepatorenal syndrome, neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy and infantile Refsum disease, was investigated. Fibroblasts from 17 patients were fused using polyethylene glycol, cultivated on cover slips, and the formation of peroxisomes in the fused cells was visualized by immunofluorescence staining, using anti-human catalase IgG. Two distinct staining patterns were observed: (1) peroxisomes appeared in the majority of multinucleated cells, and (2) practically no peroxisomes were identified. Single step 12-(1-pyrene) dodecanoic acid/ultraviolet (P12/UV)-selection confirmed that the former groups were resistant to this selection, most of the surviving cells contained abundant peroxisomes, and the latter cells died. In the complementary matching, [1^-14C]lignoceric acid oxidation and the biosynthesis of peroxisomal proteins were also normalized. Five complementation groups were identified. Group A: Zellweger syndrome and infantile Refsum disease; Groups B, C and D: Zellweger syndrome; Group E: Zellweger syndrome, neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy and infantile Refsum disease. We compared these groupings with those of Roscher and identified eight complementation groups. There was no obvious relation between complementation groups and clinical phenotypes. These results indicate that the transport, intracellular processing and function of peroxisomal proteins were normalized in the complementary matching and that at least eight different genes are involved in the formation of normal peroxisomes and in the transport of peroxisomal enzymes.     

Induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes in primary cultured rat hepatocytes by clofibric acid

Rat hepatocytes were cultured for 72 h with or without the addition of 0.5 mM clofibric acid. The activities of individual enzymes of the peroxisomal beta-oxidation pathway (acyl-CoA oxidase, enoyl-CoA hydratase-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase bifunctional protein, and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase) decreased in the control culture, but markedly increased synchronously in the clofibric acid-treated culture. The levels of mRNAs coding for these enzymes and the rates of synthesis of the enzymes were also elevated in the clofibric acid-treated culture, although no proportional relationship was observed between the time-dependent changes of these parameters. The increase in mRNAs was much higher than the increase in the rate of synthesis of the enzymes. The activity of catalase, its mRNA level and the rate of its synthesis were slightly affected. The effects of clofibric acid on the peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes and catalase in primary cultured hepatocytes were very similar to those observed in vivo. These results, therefore, suggest that primary culture of hepatocytes should provide a useful means for investigating the mechanism of induction of peroxisomal enzymes and the mechanism of action of peroxisome proliferators.     

Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of the cDNA for rat peroxisomal enoyl-CoA: hydratase-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase bifunctional enzyme

For the studies on the mechanism of induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes and biogenesis of the organelle, we have isolated cDNA clones for rat peroxisomal enoyl-CoA: hydratase-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase bifunctional enzyme. On blotting experiments with liver RNA, the cDNAs hybridized to a 3.0-kilobase RNA which was increased 5-7-fold by the administration of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate to rats. Nucleotide sequencing was carried out for four cloned cDNAs and one obtained by a primer extension method. By overlapping these sequences with each other, we identified 20 nucleotides of 5'-noncoding, 2,166 nucleotides of coding, and 910 nucleotides of 3'-noncoding regions. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme is composed of 722 residues, and the composition agrees with that of the protein data. The sequence was confirmed by the amino acid compositions and sequence analyses of some of the tryptic peptides. The molecular weight of the mature enzyme is calculated to be 78,511 from the predicted amino acid sequence. The enzyme has no terminal peptide extension as a signal for translocation into peroxisomes.     

Molecular cloning of cDNA for rat acyl-CoA oxidase

Poly(A+) RNA was prepared from hepatic free polysomes of rats which had been fed di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate for the induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes. This preparation was enriched for the mRNAs of these enzymes by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and used for the synthesis of double-stranded cDNA. Recombinant plasmids were constructed from the cDNA and pBR322 by dG X dC-tailing method and used for the transformation of an Escherichia coli strain, chi 1776. By differential colony hybridization using [32P]cDNA of partially purified liver poly(A+) RNA from induced and noninduced rats as probes, and then by hybridization-selected translation, we obtained two clones with cDNA inserts which specifically selected acyl-CoA oxidase mRNA. On Northern blotting, both cDNA inserts hybridized to 3.8-kilobase RNA which was increased about 10-fold by di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate treatment of the rats. The cleavage maps of the cDNA inserts showed they overlap with each other. We conclude that the above two recombinant plasmid clones contain cDNA sequences for rat acyl-CoA oxidase.     

Molecular cloning of cDNA for rat liver catalase

For the studies on the induction of peroxisomal enzymes by hypolipidemic agents, we have tried to isolate a cDNA clone for rat liver catalase. A recombinant clone, pMJ501, was isolated, of which cDNA insert specifically hybridized to catalase mRNA in hybridization-selected translation. On RNA blot hybridization, it hybridized to 2.4-kilobases RNA which was increased about 1.5-fold by the administration of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate to the rats. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA contains a reading frame for 109 amino acid residues which match the reported amino acid sequence of bovine liver catalase at the carboxyl end with 82% homology. It is concluded that pMJ501 contains a cDNA sequence for rat liver catalase.     

Purification and properties of carnitine octanoyltransferase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase from rat liver

The activities of carnitine octanoyltransferase (COT) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) in rat liver were markedly increased by administration of di(2-ethyl-hexyl)phthalate. COT and CPT were purified from the enzyme-induced rat liver. COT was a 66,000-dalton polypeptide. The molecular weight of native CPT was 280,000--320,000 daltons, and the enzyme consisted of 69,200-dalton polypeptides. CAT, COT, and CPT were immunologically different. COT exhibited activity with all of the substrates tested (acyl-CoA's and acylcarnitines of saturated fatty acids having carbon chain lengths of C2--C20), though maximum activity was observed with hexanoyl derivatives. CPT exhibited catalytic activity with medium- and long-chain acyl derivatives. 2-Bromo-palmitoyl-CoA inactivated COT but not CPT. Malonyl-CoA inhibited CPT but not COT. CPT was confined to mitochondria, whereas COT was found in peroxisomes and the soluble compartment but not in mitochondria.     

Two isoforms of acid phosphatase secreted by tobacco protoplasts: differential effect of brefeldin A on their secretion

Summary The effects of brefeldin A (BFA) on the secretion of acid phosphatase (APase) by tobacco protoplasts were investigated. Secretion of APase was inhibited by BFA in a dose-dependent manner, with a concomitant intracellular accumulation of the enzyme. The secreted APase was composed of two isoforms. BFA (10/ g/ml) inhibited the secretion of one of the isoforms without inhibiting that of the other, and this phenomenon explains the partial inhibition of APase secretion as a whole. The inhibition of APase secretion was accompanied by changes in the morphology of the Golgi apparatus and also by an increment in massdensity of cells.Abbreviations APase acid phosphatase - BFA brefeldin A - CHX cycloheximide - PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     

Human peroxisome assembly factor-2 (PAF-2): a gene responsible for group C peroxisome biogenesis disorder in humans.

Peroxisome-biogenesis disorders (PBD) are genetically heterogeneous and can be classified into at least ten complementation groups. We recently isolated the cDNA for rat peroxisome assembly factor-2 (PAF-2) by functional complementation using the peroxisome-deficient Chinese-hamster-ovary cell mutant, ZP92. To clarify the novel pathogenic gene of PBD, we cloned the full-length human PAF-2 cDNA that morphologically and biochemically restores peroxisomes of group C Zellweger fibroblasts (the same as group 4 in the Kennedy-Krieger Institute) and identified two pathogenic mutations in the PAF-2 gene in two patients with group C Zellweger syndrome. The 2,940-bp open reading frame of the human PAF-2 cDNA encodes a 980-amino-acid protein that shows 87.1% identity with rat PAF-2 and also restored the peroxisome assembly after gene transfer to fibroblasts of group C patients. Direct sequencing of the PAF-2 gene revealed a homozygous 1-bp insertion at nucleotide 511 (511 insT) in one patient with group C Zellweger syndrome (ZS), which introduces a premature termination codon in the PAF-2 gene, and, in the second patient, revealed a splice-site mutation in intron 3 (IVS3+1G-->A), which skipped exon 3, an event that leads to peroxisome deficiency. Chromosome mapping utilizing FISH indicates that PAF-2 is located on chromosome 6p21.1. These results confirm that human PAF-2 cDNA restores peroxisome of group C cells and that defects in the PAF-2 produce peroxisome deficiency of group C PBD.