Cytoskeletal elements of chick embryo fibroblasts revealed by detergent extraction

Treatment of chick embryo fibroblasts with 0.5% Triton® X-100 extracts most of the cell protein, leaving an organized part of the cell structure attached to the tissue culture dish. This “Triton cytoskeleton” consists largely of intermediate-sized filaments and bundles of microfilaments. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reveals that this cytoskeleton is made up of three main proteins. One protein component is 42,000 daltons and co-migrates with muscle actin. The other two components are 52,000 and 230,000 daltons and remain quantitatively associated with the cytoskeleton during the detergent extraction. The possible identity of these three protein components and their organization into a supramolecular structure is discussed.     

Probable synchronous replication of mitochondrial DNA in cultures of chick embryo fibroblasts

Cultures of chick embryo fibroblasts were synchronized using a procedure previously described. The profile of incorporation of tritiated thymidine showed a main peak of nuclear DNA replication followed by a small peak between 18 and 24 hr after induction of the cell division, and representing 10 to 25% of the main peak. To identify this small peak, cells were treated with ethidium bromide(EB) chloramphenicol (CAP) or 9-B-D arabinofuranosyl adenine (Ara-A). When EB (1 mug ml-1) and CAP(25mug ml-1) were added at time of induction of mitosis (T0) or 14 hr later (T14) the small peak was suppressed whereas the main peak was not decreased. On the contrary, only the main peak was suppressed when Ara-A was added at T0 or T14. These results suggest that the peak might correspond to the synchronous replication of the mitochondrial DNA during the G2 and M phases of the cell division cycle.     

Thermal inhibition of repair of methylmethane sulfonate-damaged DNA in chick embryo fibroblasts

Chick embryo fibroblasts were treated with the monofunctional alkylating agent methylmethane sulfonate at various concentrations for 1 h at 42°C, rinsed and then incubated post-treatment at various temperatures at which the kinetics of alkali-labile bond disappearance was followed. Growth experiments showed that these cells grew similarly at temperatures of either 37°C or 42°C. Repair as assessed by removal of alkali-labile bond was also similar for postincubation in the temperature range 37–42°C for damage due to methylmethane sulfonate treatment at concentrations less than 1.5 mM. When the postincubation temperature was raised higher than 42.5–43°C, this type of repair was stopped. The normal internal body temperature of adult chickens is about 41.6°C. Hence the present finding indicates that chick cells are much more severely restricted in DNA repair at temperatures above normal than are mammalian cells, which can function in this respect for several deg. C above 37°C.     

Stimulation of growth of serum-deprived chick embryo fibroblasts by 3',5'-phosphodiesterase.

In chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) deprived of serum, DNA synthesis is reduced to a basal level in about 12 h, cell division ceases after 24–36 h and their morphology changes to a rounded, less refringent form. During several days without serum the cAMP content of the cells showed a slow increase or a maintenance of the level found before serum was removed. When CEF deprived of serum for 24 h were treated with beef heart 3′,5′-phosphodiesterase (PHD) the cAMP level fell about 40% after 3 h, ³H-thymidine incorporation into DNA was strongly stimulated with a peak of incorporation at 12 h after the start of PHD treatment, cell morphology returned to that observed before serum deprivation, and at 24 h there was an evident growth in cell population, with a parallel increase in protein content. The growth stimulation by PHD is transitory: after cells had been deprived of serum for 4 days the PHD effect was no longer noticeable on the above parameters. Theophylline (1 mM and 4 mM) inhibited the PHD-mediated stimulation of ³H-TdR incorporation, this could well have been due to its general toxic effect on the cells (see Discussion).     

The 5'-flanking sequence and regulatory elements of the cystatin S gene.

The gene encoding rat cystatin S (Cys S), a salivary gland-specific secretory protein, has CAAT and TATA boxes upstream of the inititation codon (Cox and Shaw, 1992), and contains regions that resemble those of other hormonally responsive eukaryotic genes. The 5'-flanking sequence of the rat Cys S gene has a potential CREB/AP-1 binding site (Rupp et al., 1990; Trejo et al., 1992), two potential glucocorticoid responsive elements (GREs, Drouin et al., 1989), and a possible GR/PR (glucocorticoid/progesterone) responsive element (Forman and Samuels, 1990). One of these potential GREs is adjacent to a potential AP-2 binding site, and another is typical of the glucocorticoid and progesterone receptor binding site. In this report, we have identified three regions in the 5'-flanking region of the Cys S gene that are found in salivary gland-specific genes (Ting et al., 1992) with a GT-rich region located between conserved elements II and III. Transfection experiments described in this paper suggest that a 281-bp DNA fragment from the Cys S gene promoter region with conserved elements II and III, the GT-rich region, and a possible GR/PR responsive element contains a negative regulatory element. In addition, our experiments suggest that the GT-rich region by itself is acting as a positive regulatory element.