Changes in mRNA levels of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase during activation of human lymphocytes

The level of mRNA encoding the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (ADP-ribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.30) was found to be very low in quiescent human lymphocytes and to increase at least 10-fold between 1 and 2 dyas after stimulation with the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin, staying high for several days thereafter. This increase was inhibited by 3-methoxybenzamide (a competitive inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase) but was not affected significantly by aphidicolin. Incubation of activated cells with cycloheximide for 2 h increased the expression slightly. These data demonstrate that, during lymphocyte activation, the level of mRNA of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase gene correlates with, and hence is presumably responsible for, the increase in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase protein detectable by enzyme assay or immunochemistry.     

Characterization of human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase with autoantibodies

The addition of poly(ADP-ribose) chains to nuclear proteins has been reported to affect DNA repair and DNA synthesis in mammalian cells. The enzyme that mediates this reaction, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, requires DNA for catalytic activity and is activated by DNA with strand breaks. Because the catalytic activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase does not necessarily reflect enzyme quantity, little is known about the total cellular poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase content and the rate of its synthesis and degradation. In the present experiments, specific human autoantibodies to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and a sensitive immunoblotting technique were used to determine the cellular content of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in human lymphocytes. Resting peripheral blood lymphocytes contained 0.5 X 10(6) enzyme copies per cell. After stimulation of the cells by phytohemagglutinin, the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase content increased before DNA synthesis. During balanced growth, the T lymphoblastoid cell line CEM contained approximately 2 X 10(6) poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase molecules per cell. This value did not vary by more than 2-fold during the cell growth cycle. Similarly, mRNA encoding poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was detectable throughout S phase. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase turned over at a rate equivalent to the average of total cellular proteins. Neither the cellular content nor the turnover rate of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase changed after the introduction of DNA strand breaks by gamma irradiation. These results show that in lymphoblasts poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is an abundant nuclear protein that turns over relatively slowly and suggest that most of the enzyme may exist in a catalytically inactive state.     

Changes in activity and mRNA levels of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase during rat liver regeneration

ADP-ribosylation of nuclear proteins, catalysed by the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, is involved in the regulation of different cellular processes of DNA metabolism. To further clarify the role of the enzyme during proliferating activity of mammalian cells, we have studied the control of gene expression in regenerating rat liver. The changes in activity and mRNA levels were analysed during the early and late phases of the compensatory model. When enzyme activity was measured in isolated liver nuclei obtained at different times after hepatectomy, two different phases were observed: an early wave occurring before the onset of DNA synthesis, and a second one, starting several hours after the onset of DNA synthesis and returning to control values at later times. The evaluation of the enzymatic level in nuclear extracts and by activity gel analysis showed a more gradual increase starting 1 day after hepatectomy, in concomitance with the peak of DNA synthesis. By using a specific murine cDNA probe, a significant enhancement of mRNA levels for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was observed during liver regeneration, slightly preceding the onset of DNA synthesis. The results obtained show that changes in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity, during liver regeneration, are associated both to early events preceding the increase in DNA synthesis and to later phases of the cell proliferation process.     

Regulation of prolactin gene expression during early pregnancy in rats

We have shown that administration of estrogen which increases prolactin (PRL) synthesis in the rat may be mediated by an increase in poly [adenosine diphosphate ribose (ADP-ribose)] synthesis. Present investigation was attempted to study whether poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis is involved in rat PRL gene expression during early pregnancy. Anterior pituitaries were obtained on days 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 of pregnancy (group C). Another group of pregnant rats was given nicotinamide, an inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis twice a day intra-peritoneally from day 0 to the day of sacrifice (group N). Serum estradiol (E2) concentration was determined by radioimmunoassay. PRL mRNA was measured by cytoplasmic dot hybridization using 32P-labeled cDNA. Poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis was assessed by incubating purified nuclei with 14C-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The serum concentration of E2 increased between days 2 and 4, and on day 6 it decreased to the level of day 0. It remained low until day 12. No difference in the serum E2 level was observed in groups C and N. In group C, PRL mRNA increased from day 2 and remained high until day 8. In group C, poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis increased between days 2 and 4, decreased on day 6 to the level of day 0, and thereafter gradually increased until day 10. Administration of nicotinamide abolished the increase in poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis observed in group C during early pregnancy. In group N, the increase in PRL mRNA was completely suppressed. It is suggested that the increase in PRL mRNA in early pregnancy may be mediated by increased poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Acetaldehyde activation of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase in hepatocytes of mice treated in vivo

The activities of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and of DNA polymerases alpha and beta and the level of cytochrome P450 were determined in mouse parenchymal liver cells 5 h after treatment with 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mumole of acetaldehyde. Injection with 1.0 and 3.0 mumole of acetaldehyde induced an increase in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity and in the P450 level, but had no effect on DNA polymerases. The stimulation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity can be used as an index of induced DNA damage. The possibility of using this experimental approach with other cells derived from mice treated in vivo with different xenobiotics is discussed.     

Antagonistic action of a tumor promoter and a poly(adenosine diphosphoribose) synthesis inhibitor in radiation-induced transformation in vitro

Transformation of mouse C3H 10T1/2 cells by X-irradiation in vitro was blocked by the addition of 1 mM 3-aminobenzamide, an inhibitor of polyadenosine diphosphoribose (poly[ADP-ribose]) synthesis immediately after irradiation. 3-Aminobenzamide also inhibited an increase in the frequency of transformants caused by the addition of the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, 7 days after irradiation. These results demonstrate a role for poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis during the initiation and promotion stages of transformation. From previous studies it is known that poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis is stimulated by the DNA damage caused by X rays during initiation. During promotion, however, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate acted as a mitogen but did not induce detectable DNA damage, and we could detect no stimulation of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase. The roles of poly(ADP-ribose) during initiation and during promotion must, therefore, be significantly different.     

A simple and rapid method for the detection of poly(ADP-ribose) by flow cytometry

Measurement of poly(ADP-ribose) levels was performed by a new method using a monoclonal antibody against poly(ADP-ribose) and flow cytometry from small amount of cultured cells without the need for isolation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymer. The increase of poly(ADP-ribose)-associated fluorescence intensity was observed in individual human leukemic HL-60 cells when treated with the carcinogen, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), and was blocked by the treatment with 3-aminobenzamide before MNNG treatment. It is easy and rapid to detect the time-dependent change of poly(ADP-ribose) levels in HL-60 cells after MNNG treatment. We easily found that the increase of the poly(ADP-ribose) level in nicotinic acid-treated lymphocytes after MNNG treatment was observed, but not in nicotinamide-treated lymphocytes. We investigated the change of poly(ADP-ribose) levels especially in the early phase of apoptosis. Our method is simple and rapid. It is suggested that the investigation of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in various fields is possible by using this new method.     

Poly(ADP-ribosylation) at successive stages of rooster spermatogenesis. Levels of polymeric ADP-ribose in vivo and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity and turnover of ADP-ribosyl residues in vitro

Rooster testis cells were separated by sedimentation at unit gravity and the in vivo levels of polymeric ADP-ribose were determined both in intact cells and isolated nuclei by fluorescence methods. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity was assayed after cell permeabilization or after isolation of nuclei. The turnover of ADP-ribosyl residues was determined in isolated nuclei using benzamide. The content of poly(ADP-ribose), the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity, and the turnover of ADP-ribosyl residues, decreased during the differentiation of the germinal cell line, especially at the end of spermiogenesis. Treatment of cells with 1 mM dimethyl sulfate for 1 h resulted in a marked stimulation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity in meiotic and premeiotic cells and also in round and late spermatids. The enzymatic activity was not detected and could not be induced in mature spermatozoa. These cells, however, still contained polymeric ADP-ribose with a 2% of branched form.     

Quiescent human lymphocytes do not contain DNA strand breaks detectable by alkaline elution

On the basis of qualitative assays, quiescent lymphocytes have previously been reported to have numerous DNA strand breaks, which are thought to be repaired after mitogenic stimulation by a process associated with poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. Using alkaline elution, a very sensitive assay for quantifying DNA single-strand breakage, we found no evidence for a high frequency of DNA strand breaks in unstimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes. No differences in elution profiles were observed between unstimulated lymphocytes and lymphocytes 4 or 48 h after addition of the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Furthermore, addition of 3-aminobenzamide (3AB), an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase, or aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha, did not increase the amount of DNA eluting from the filter after PHA stimulation. In contrast to reported studies of mouse splenic lymphocytes, we found that human lymphocytes were able to replicate and divide in the presence of the ADP-ribosylation inhibitor. Human lymphocytes were also capable of proliferating in nicotinamide-free medium, with or without 3AB, indicating that ADP-ribosylation is not a requirement for lymphocyte differentiation. We therefore consider it unlikely that peripheral human lymphocytes contain significant numbers of strand breaks that play any role in their stimulation or differentiation in response to PHA.     

Intracellular NAD+ content and ADP-ribose polymerase activity of serum-stimulated baby hamster kidney fibroblasts

We have examined a number of events relating to ADP-ribose metabolism during serum-stimulated growth of BHK-21/C13 fibroblasts. Both the intracellular NAD+ content and the ADP-ribose polymerase activity were found to increase after serum stimulation of cells that were previously arrested by growth in low-serum medium. NAD+ content increased about two-fold, reaching a maximum of 4.2 nmol/microgram of DNA 8 hr after serum steK-21/C13 fibroblasts. Both the intracellular NAD+ content and the ADP-ribose polymerase activity were found to increase after serum stimulation of cells that were previously arrested by growth in low-serum medium. NAD+ content inreased about two-fold, reaching a maximum of 4.2 nmol/microgram of DNA 8 hr after serum step-up. The polymerase exhibited a sharp rise in activity, reaching a peak at about 5 hr after step-up; the activity declined below initial values by 10 hr, and then increased again to reach a plateau at 20 hr. We also report evidence which suggests a possible effect of ADP-ribosylation on the activity of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase I. The activity of this enzyme is diminished in isolated nuclei, and in a subsequent (NH4)2SO4 extract, when the nuclei are incubated with NAD+, the substrate for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. This inhibitory effect on the RNA polymerase is abolished when nuclei are incubated also with nicotinamide, a powerful inhibitor of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase.     

Gene transfer of constitutively active caspase-3 induces apoptosis in a human hepatoma cell line

BACKGROUND: The caspase-3 gene is expressed at significantly lower levels in human hepatocellular carcinomas than in normal hepatocytes. Gene transfer technologies offer the possibility to restore caspase-3 gene expression. We explored the interest for cancer gene therapy of a constitutively active recombinant caspase-3 (RevCasp3) obtained by rearranging its subunits. METHODS: An amphotropic retroviral vector was used to express the RevCasp3 gene. HuH7 cells were infected 1 and 2 days after plating. Caspase-3 activity was measured every 24 h for the following 6 days. The level of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage induced by caspase-3 was measured by Western blot. The percentage of apoptotic cells was estimated after Hoechst-acridine orange and TUNEL stainings. RESULTS: Caspase-3 activity significantly increased from days 4 to 7 after infection. Caspase-3 activity peaked on day 7, and was 5.4-fold higher in RevCasp3-transduced HuH7 cells than in control cells. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage was first detected 6 days after the first infection. Hoechst-acridine orange and TUNEL stainings showed that most infected HuH7 cells were apoptotic. CONCLUSIONS: Apoptosis was selectively induced following infection of HuH7 cells with RevCasp3, demonstrating that retroviruses expressing RevCasp3 are of potential interest for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas and other tumour types.     

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of proteins and germ cell development in hyperthyroid rat testes

The effect of increased serum levels of thyroid hormone (triiodothyronine, T3) on young rat testis spermatogenesis was studied by analysing molecular and morphological parameters. Hyperthyroidism was induced by either T3-treatment or 2- and 10-day cold exposure. The poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of proteins catalysed by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, which is particularly active at specific stages of rat spermatogenesis, was analysed as molecular index of DNA damage and cell stress. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity rose after both T3-treatment and 2- and 10-day cold exposure, with a trend of 10-day cold-exposed rats towards control values. In all hyperthyroid rats poly(ADP-ribose) turnover, as a contribution of both poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase), was enhanced with respect to euthyroid animals. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of proteins occurred with long and branched polymers suggesting an increased involvement of the modification system in DNA repair. Morphological changes of germ tissue were observed in hyperthyroid rats, mainly a high reduction of mature cells in the seminiferous tubule, and evidence of germ cell apoptosis was obtained by TUNEL method. In control animals germ cell apoptosis was within physiological levels. Conversely, in hyperthyroid rats a dramatic increase in the number of TUNEL-positive cells (some spermatogonia and numerous primary spermatocytes) was found, even though the increase was lower in 10-day than in 2-day cold-exposed animals.     

3-Aminobenzamide does not affect X-ray-induced cytogenetic damage in G0 human lymphocytes

The inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase by 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) has been reported to have very different effects on X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations in G0 human lymphocytes. One group of investigators observed a 2-3-fold increase in the yield of rings, dicentrics and chromosome breaks after X-irradiation and 3AB treatment, whereas another group found that 3AB had no effect on X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations. To resolve this discrepancy, we repeated the experiments as described by both groups and found no effect of 3 mM or 5 mM 3AB on the frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by either 1 Gy or 2 Gy of X-rays. Furthermore, we found no effect of 3AB on X-ray-induced aberration yields in C-banded prematurely condensed chromosome preparations from unstimulated human lymphocytes. These results indicate that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is not involved in the repair of cytogenetic damage in G0 human lymphocytes.