重组人碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)融合蛋白的高效表达及鉴定

碱性成纤维细胞生长因子（ｂＦＧＦ）参与了许多细胞生长和分化的调控过程。本文采用重组ＤＮＡ技术在大肠杆菌中高效表达了人ｂＦＧＦ。首先将编码人ｂＦＧＦ基因克隆到ｐＸＴ表达载体中与其上游的一短Ｓ导肽共一阅读框架,ｂＦＧＦ基因的表达受强的Ｔ７启动子调控。采用ＢＬ２１（ＤＥ３）大肠杆菌作为宿主菌,用ＩＰＴＧ诱导ＢＬ２１（ＤＥ３）细菌合成的Ｔ７ＲＮＡ聚合酶,后者可催化高水平的ｂＦＧＦ基因表达,其ｂＦＧＦ产量可占总菌体蛋白的４２.５％。采用肝素Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ一步亲和层析法直接从诱导后的细菌裂解产物中得到纯化的重组人ｂＦＧＦ蛋白。经Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ印迹分析证明该蛋白可被人ｂＦＧＦ特异性单克隆抗体所识别。进一步研究证明该蛋白具有刺激ＮＲ６Ｒ－３Ｔ３成纤维细胞增殖的生物学活性,并且这一活性可被人ｂＦＧＦ特异性中和抗体所中和。     

An amino-terminally extended and post-translationally modified form of a 25kD basic fibroblast growth factor

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a heparin-binding angiogenic polypeptide mitogen. bFGF proteins characteristically have a molecular weight of 18,000 which is consistent with the predicted primary translation product of 155 amino acids from the cDNA. More recently, higher molecular weight forms of bFGF have been identified but their structural relationship to the commonly known 18kD bFGFs has not been established. We now show that a 25kD bFGF purified from guinea pig brain tissue is an N-terminally extended and post-translationally modified form of the growth factor. Although the exact nature of the post-translational modifications has not been determined, circumstantial evidence suggests that they may be methylated arginines.     

Proliferation of human malignant melanomas is inhibited by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides targeted against basic fibroblast growth factor.

Human malignant melanomas, unlike normal melanocytes, can proliferate in the absence of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Exposure of primary melanomas in the vertical growth phase and metastatic melanomas to antisense oligodeoxynucleotides targeted against three different sites of human bFGF mRNA inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation in soft-agar. In contrast, exposure of human bFGF sense or antisense oligonucleotides complementary to human beta-nerve growth factor or insulin-like growth factor I mRNA had no such effects. These experiments indicate that activation of the bFGF gene may play an important role in the progression from melanocytic precursor lesions to malignant melanoma.     

Interaction of heparin with human basic fibroblast growth factor: protection of the angiogenic protein from proteolytic degradation by a glycosaminoglycan

Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) are a family of heparin-binding angiogenic polypeptide mitogens. In the presence of heparin, recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is fully protected from tryptic digestion and partially protected from chymotryptic digestion. Complete protection of bFGF by heparin is achieved at ratios of growth factor:heparin of approximately 10 or less (w/w). The protection requires bioactive bFGF because inactivated bFGF is rapidly degraded by trypsin or chymotrypsin in the presence of heparin. The bFGF-heparin interaction forms hydrophobic complexes which become insoluble in aqueous buffers at bFGF:heparin ratios of 8 to 10 (w/w). The heparin was found to bind up to a tenfold excess of bFGF on a weight basis. bFGF in the presence of heparin is as active as bFGF alone in inducing 3H-thymidine incorporation into Swiss 3T3 fibroblast DNA.     

Cloning and high level expression of a synthetic gene for human basic fibroblast growth factor.

A gene encoding human basic fibroblast growth factor has been chemically synthesized, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli as a biologically active protein. The 465 bp gene was assembled by enzymatic ligation of 6 pairs of oligonucleotides and cloned in the expression vector pLCII downstream from the strong PL promoter. This promoter directed the synthesis of a fusion protein between a 31 amino acids fragment of the lambda phage cII protein and bFGF. A four amino acid recognition sequence for the site-specific protease fXa was introduced in the plasmid construct and this allowed cleavage of the fusion protein at the boundary between cII and bFGF. bFGF was purified close to homogeneity using a Heparin-Sepharose column and Mono S cation exchange chromatography. The use of the pLCII expression system resulted in the accumulation of 20 to 25 mg of purified bFGF per l of bacterial culture. The recombinant bFGF was mitogenic for mouse 3T3 fibroblasts and the dose-response curve was similar to the one for native bFGF.     

Potential oncogenic effects of basic fibroblast growth factor requires cooperation between CUG and AUG-initiated forms.

Normal adult bovine aortic endothelial cells were infected with various recombinant retroviruses expressing one, two, or three human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) proteins normally synthesized by an alternative use of translation initiation codons. We show here that the constitutive expression of the AUG-initiated from (18 kDa) leads the transfected cells to form colonies in soft agar. The expression of the high molar weight (HMW) forms (22.5 and 21 kDa) initiated at one of the two CUG initiation codons allows cell immortalization, whereas the tumorigenic potential is reached when the three forms are constitutively expressed. Furthermore, we provide evidence that constitutive expression of (HMW) bFGF forms has a down-regulation effect on bFGF synthesis from the gene naturally active in parental endothelial cells.     

Overlapping and distinct functions provided by fgf17, a new zebrafish member of the Fgf8/17/18 subgroup of Fgfs

Members of the fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) family are important signaling molecules in several inductive and patterning processes, and act as brain organizer-derived signals during formation of the early vertebrate nervous system. We isolated a new member of the Fgf8/17/18 subgroup of Fgfs from the zebrafish, and studied its expression and function during somitogenesis, optic stalk and midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) development. In spite of a slightly higher aminoacid similarity to Fgf8, expression analysis and mapping to a chromosome stretch that is syntenic with mammalian chromosomes shows that this gene is orthologous to mammalian Fgf17. These data provide a further example of conserved chromosomal organization between zebrafish and mammalian genomes. Using an mRNA injection assay, we show that fgf17 can act similar to fgf8 during gastrulation, when fgf17 is not normally expressed. Direct comparison of the expression patterns of fgf17 and fgf8 suggest however a possible cooperation of these Fgfs at later stages in several tissues requiring Fgf signaling. Analysis of zebrafish MHB mutants demonstrates a gene-dosage dependent requirement of fgf17 expression for the no isthmus// pax2.1 gene, showing that no isthmus/pax2.1 functions upstream of fgf17 at the MHB in a haplo-insufficient manner, similar to what has been reported for mammalian pax2 mutants. In contrast, only maintenance of fgf17 expression is disturbed at the MHB of acerebellar/fgf8 mutants. Consistent with a requirement for fgf8 function, implantation of FGF8-soaked beads induces fgf17 expression, and expression is upregulated in aussicht mutants, which display upregulation of the Fgf8 signaling pathway. Taken together, our results argue that Fgf8 and Fgf17 act as hierarchically organized signaling molecules during development of the MHB organizer and possibly other organizers in the developing nervous system.     

Platelet-derived growth factor or basic fibroblast growth factor induce anchorage-independent growth of human fibroblasts

Anchorage-independent growth, i.e., growth in semi-solid medium is considered a marker of cellular transformation of fibroblast cells. Diploid human fibroblasts ordinarily do not exhibit such growth but can grow transiently when medium contains high concentrations of fetal bovine serum. This suggests that some growth factor(s) in serum is responsible for anchorage-independent growth. Much work has been done to characterize the peptide growth factor requirements of various rodent fibroblast cells for anchorage-independent growth; however, the requirements of human fibroblasts are not known. To determine the peptide growth factor requirements of human fibroblasts for anchorage-independent growth, we used medium containing serum that had had its peptide growth factors inactivated. We found that either platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or the basic form of fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) induced anchorage-independent growth. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) did not enhance the growth induced by PDGF, or did so only slightly. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) decreased the growth induced by PDGF. EGF combined with TGF-beta induced colony formation in semi-solid medium at concentrations at which neither growth factor by itself was effective, but the combination was much less effective in stimulating anchorage-independent growth than PDGF or bFGF. This work showed that PDGF, or bFGF, or EGF combined with TGF-beta can stimulate anchorage-independent growth of nontransformed human fibroblasts. The results support the idea that cellular transformation may reduce or eliminate the need for exogenous PDGF or bFGF.     

Expression of human basic fibroblast growth factor cDNA in baby hamster kidney-derived cells results in autonomous cell growth

Growth factor over-production by responsive cells might contribute to their autonomous proliferation as well as their acquisition of a transformed phenotype in culture. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been shown to induce transient changes in cell behavior that resemble those encountered in transformed cells. In addition, several types of human tumor cells have been shown to produce bFGF. To determine directly the role that bFGF might play in the induction of the transformed phenotype, we have introduced a human bFGF cDNA expression vector into baby hamster kidney-derived (BHK-21) fibroblasts. One of the BHK transfectants, termed clone 19, expresses the bFGF mRNA and produces biologically active bFGF that accumulates to a high concentration inside the cells. These properties correlate with the ability of the cells to grow in serum-free medium without the addition of exogenous bFGF. Clone 19 cells also proliferated in soft agar, indicating that constitutive expression of the bFGF gene results in a loss of anchorage-dependent growth.     

Multiple forms of an angiogenesis factor: basic fibroblast growth factor

An angiogenesis factor has been isolated from human placenta and human hepatoma cells on the basis of its ability to stimulate protease production in cultured capillary endothelial cells. The purified angiogenesis factor also stimulated DNA synthesis and motility in capillary endothelial cells and induced angiogenesis in vivo. Amino acid sequence data revealed that the angiogenesis factor was human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Other angiogenesis factors isolated on the basis of their ability to stimulate endothelial cell proliferation have also been identified as bFGFs. The bFGFs that have been sequenced show variability in their N-termini. These different forms of bFGF may be naturally occurring processed forms or may be generated by proteases released during the isolation procedure. Recently a bFGF with a large N-terminal extension has been identified. This Mr 25,000 bFGF has the same biological activity and the same affinity for the bFGF receptor as the typical Mr 18,000 bFGFs. The Mr 25,000 bFGF can be converted into an Mr 18,000 form by treatment with low concentrations of trypsin, suggesting that it may be a precursor to the Mr 18,000 bFGF.     

Effects of a Synthetic bFGF Antagonist Peptide on the Proteome of 3T3 Cells Stimulated with bFGF

It has been known that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) plays an important role in tumor progression mainly due to its strong mitogenic activity. Antagonists targeting bFGF have been considered a potential strategy for cancer therapy via inhibiting cell proliferation induced by bFGF. We have previously obtained a high-affinity bFGF-binding peptide (named as P7) with strong inhibitory activity against bFGF-induced cell proliferation from the phage display random heptapeptide library. The aim of the present investigation was to synthesize the peptide P7 by solid phase method and explore the mechanisms of the inhibitory effect of P7-targeting bFGF stimulation on Balb/c 3T3 cells via proteomic analysis. Seven differentially expressed protein were identified, among which four were decreased by bFGF stimulation alone and increased by addition of P7, the other three were up-regulated by bFGF treatment alone and down-regulated by addition of P7. Among the identified proteins, epidermal fatty acid-binding protein (E-FABP) and low molecular weight phosphotyrosine protein phosphatase (LMW-PTP) take part in the regulation of cell proliferation. The results suggested P7 inhibited the bioactivities of bFGF possibly via influencing the expression of cellular proteins related to cell proliferation.     

In-gel ligand blotting with 125I-heparin for detection of heparin-binding growth factors

125I-labeled heparin was used to detect basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in crude tumor cell extracts after separation by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. 125I-labeled heparin bound avidly to native recombinant bFGF immobilized on nitrocellulose and eluted with 1.5-2.0 M NaCl. However, Western transfer of bFGF to nitrocellulose after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis destroyed heparin-binding ability. In contrast, bFGF was detected by incubation of the polyacrylamide gels directly with 125I-labeled heparin in a gel overly technique. Heparin affinity and NaCl elution pattern from bFGF in gel were similar to those observed for native bFGF spotted on nitrocellulose. This procedure permitted detection of bFGF in crude extracts of a human astrocytoma cell line. In view of the rapid growth of the heparin-binding fibroblast growth factor gene family, this technique should prove useful for the rapid and sensitive detection of other heparin-binding growth factors.     

Growth of normal human keratinocytes and fibroblasts in serum-free medium is stimulated by acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor

Keratinocytes and fibroblasts isolated from human neonatal foreskin can be plated and grown through multiple rounds of division in vitro under defined serum-free conditions. We utilized these growth conditions to examine the mitogenic potential of acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF and bFGF) on these cells. Our results demonstrate that both aFGF and bFGF can stimulate the proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts. aFGF is a more potent mitogen than bFGF for keratinocytes. In contrast, bFGF appears to be more potent than aFGF in stimulating the growth of fibroblast cultures. Heparin sulfate (10 micrograms/ml) dramatically inhibited the ability of bFGF to stimulate the proliferation of keratinocytes. In comparison, heparin slightly inhibited the stimulatory effect of aFGF and had no effect on epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation in keratinocyte cultures. In fibroblast cultures the addition of heparin enhanced the mitogenic effect of aFGF, had a minimal stimulatory effect on the mitogenic activity of bFGF, and had no effect on EGF-stimulated growth. Our results demonstrate that the proliferation in vitro of two normal cell types found in the skin can be influenced by aFGF and bFGF and demonstrate cell-type specific differences in the responsiveness of fibroblasts and keratinocytes to these growth factors and heparin.     

Duplication and divergence of fgf8 functions in teleost development and evolution

Fibroblast growth factors play critical roles in many aspects of embryo patterning that are conserved across broad phylogenetic distances. To help understand the evolution of fibroblast growth factor functions, we identified members of the Fgf8/17/18-subfamily in the three-spine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, and investigated their evolutionary relationships and expression patterns. We found that fgf17b is the ortholog of tetrapod Fgf17, whereas the teleost genes called fgf8 and fgf17a are duplicates of the tetrapod gene Fgf8, and thus should be called fgf8a and fgf8b. Phylogenetic analysis supports the view that the Fgf8/17/18-subfamily expanded during the ray-fin fish genome duplication. In situ hybridization experiments showed that stickleback fgf8 duplicates exhibited common and unique expression patterns, indicating that tissue specialization followed the gene duplication event. Moreover, direct comparison of stickleback and zebrafish embryonic expression patterns of fgf8 co-orthologs suggested lineage-specific independent subfunction partitioning and the acquisition or the loss of ortholog functions. In tetrapods, Fgf8 plays an important role in the apical ectodermal ridge of the developing pectoral appendage. Surprisingly, differences in the expression of fgf8a in the apical ectodermal ridge of the pectoral fin bud in zebrafish and stickleback, coupled with the role of fgf16 and fgf24 in teleost pectoral appendage show that different Fgf genes may play similar roles in limb development in various vertebrates.