Constitutive expression of heat shock proteins Hsp90, Hsc70, Hsp70 and Hsp60 in neural and non-neural tissues of the rat during postnatal development

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are a group of highly conserved proteins, that are constitutively expressed in most cells under normal physiological conditions. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that neurons in the adult brain exhibit high levels of Hsp90 and Hsc70 mRNA and protein, as well as basal levels of Hsp70 mRNA. We have now investigated the expression of Hsp90, Hsc70, Hsp60 and Hsp70 in neural and non-neural tissues of the rat during postnatal development, a time of extensive cell differentiation. Western blot analysis revealed constitutive expression of these Hsps early in postnatal development. Developmental profiles of these Hsps suggest that they are differentially regulated during postnatal development of the rat. For example, while levels of Hsp90 decrease somewhat in certain developing brain regions, levels of Hsp60 show a developmental increase, and Hsc70 protein is abundant throughout postnatal neural development. Low basal levels of Hsp70 are also observed in the developing and adult brain. A pronounced decrease in Hsp90 and Hsc70 was observed during postnatal development of the kidney while levels of Hsp60 increased. In addition, tissue-specific differences in the relative levels of these Hsps between brain and non-brain regions were found. Immunocytochemical studies demonstrated a neuronal localization of Hsp90, Hsc70 and Hsp60 at all stages of postnatal development examined as well as in the adult, suggesting a role for Hsps in both the developing and fully differentiated neuron. The developmental expression of subunit IV of cytochrome oxidase was similar to that of Hsp60, a protein localized predominantly to mitochondria.     

Molecular cloning of the acid-labile subunit of the rat insulin-like growth factor binding protein complex.

The insulin-like growth factors, IGF-I and IGF-II, circulate in both humans and rats as part of a 125-150 kDa complex comprising IGFs, the IGF binding protein IGFBP-3, and an acid-labile subunit. Clones encoding rat acid-labile subunit have been isolated from a rat liver cDNA library probed with a human acid-labile subunit cDNA. Two overlapping clones encode a leucine-rich protein of 576 amino acids preceded by a 27-residue signal sequence, with 78% homology to the human acid-labile subunit. Northern analysis of mRNA from adult rat brain, kidney, heart, lung, spleen, muscle and liver shows a major species of about 4.4 kb and minor bands of about 2 kb, 1.4 kb and 1 kb. The tissue distribution of this protein may therefore be wider than previously recognized.     

Distinct, Developmentally Regulated Brain mRNAs Direct the Synthesis of Neurotransmitter Transporters

The Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system was utilized to define developmental and structural properties of neurotransmitter transporter mRNAs and the pharmacological characteristics of encoded carriers independent of the complexities of brain tissue preparations. Poly(A)+ RNA from dissected brain regions of neonatal and adult rats was microinjected into Xenopus oocytes and the expression of Na(+)-dependent neurotransmitter transporters determined 48 h later. Transport studies conducted with oocytes injected with RNAs derived from juvenile rat tissues indicate a region- and transporter-specific, postnatal increase in mRNA abundance as a major factor in the developmental changes observed for brain high-affinity amino acid uptake systems. Both L-glutamic acid (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake systems were detectable by day 3 in postnatal forebrain mRNA and became progressively enriched during the next 2 weeks of forebrain development. In contrast, brainstem Glu and GABA transporter enrichment was 60-70% of adult values by day 3 and exceeded adult levels by day 10. Parallel determinations of L-glutamic acid decarboxylase mRNA abundance during development argue for distinct regulatory influences on mRNAs directing transmitter synthesis and reuptake. Glycine uptake could not be detected at any point of forebrain development and exhibited a gradual postnatal rise to adult levels over the first 3 postnatal weeks of brainstem development. Uptake studies conducted with well-characterized inhibitors of Glu, GABA, dopamine, and choline transport (D-aspartate, nipecotic acid, nomifensine, and hemicholinium-3, respectively) revealed that oocyte transporters encoded by adult rat brain mRNAs retained antagonist sensitivities exhibited by in vitro brain preparations. In addition, a differential regional sensitivity to the Glu transport antagonist dihydrokainate (1 mM) was observed, lending support to previous reports of region-specific Glu transporter subtypes. To determine the structural diversity present among brain transporter mRNAs, poly(A)+ RNA was size-fractionated on linear (10-31%) sucrose density gradients prior to oocyte injection. These experiments revealed two mRNA size classes (2.4-3.0 kb, 4.0-4.5 kb) independently capable of directing the synthesis of Glu, GABA, and glycine transporters. In regions other than the cerebellum, Glu and GABA transporter activities migrated as single, yet distinct, peaks of 4.0-4.5 kb. In contrast, both Glu and GABA transporters exhibited major peaks of activity at 2.5-3.0 kb with size-fractionated cerebellar mRNA. Brainstem glycine uptake exhibited a broad sedimentation profile, with peaks apparent at 2.4 and 4.0 kb. Taken together, these findings indicate previously unappreciated complexity in mRNA structure and regulation which underlies the expression of amino acid neurotransmitter uptake systems in the rodent CNS.     

Variation in insulin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid expression in human and rodent tissues

The expression of insulin receptor mRNA was studied in human and rodent tissues by Northern analysis. Human EBV-transformed lymphocytes contained four receptor mRNA species of sufficient length to encode the entire proreceptor: 9.5, 7.9, 7.1, and 5.7 kb. In human fibroblasts, the same four species were observed; however, the 7.9 and 5.7 kb mRNAs were markedly decreased. In mouse liver, rat hepatoma cells, and normal rat brain, kidney, liver, and muscle only two mRNA species (7.4 and 9.6 kb) were detected. Each of these human and rodent mRNAs hybridized equally well with cDNA sequences encoding the binding and kinase domains of the insulin receptor. Several smaller polyadenylated mRNAs (approximately 1.8 to 3.3 kb) were also identified in human cell lines that appeared to separately encode either alpha- or beta-subunit sequences of the receptor. In rats, liver had the highest content of insulin receptor mRNA, followed by kidney, brain, and muscle. The relative amount of the two mRNA species also varied among the rat tissues. The ratio of the 9.6-7.4 kb species was 2.7 in brain but only 1.0 to 1.6 in the other tissues (P less than 0.025). Dexamethasone treatment increased the content of the two insulin receptor mRNAs in rat liver by 2-fold. The half-life of both mRNA species was 70 min in rat hepatoma cells. These findings indicate that insulin receptor gene expression is complex and regulated with differential expression of insulin receptor mRNA and/or alterations in mRNA processing among various tissues.     

Lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase mRNA tissue specific expression, developmental regulation, and evolution

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and hepatic lipase (HL) enzyme activities were previously reported to be regulated during development, but the underlying molecular events are unknown. In addition, little is known about LPL evolution. We cloned and sequenced a complete mouse LPL cDNA. Comparison of sequences from mouse, human, bovine, and guinea pig cDNAs indicated that the rates of evolution of mouse, human, and bovine LPL are quite low, but guinea pig LPL has evolved several times faster than the others. 32P-Labeled mouse LPL and rat HL cDNAs were used to study lipase mRNA tissue distribution and developmental regulation in the rat. Northern gel analysis revealed the presence of a single 1.87 kb HL mRNA species in liver, but not in other tissues including adrenal and ovary. A single 4.0 kb LPL mRNA species was detected in epididymal fat, heart, psoas muscle, lactating mammary gland, adrenal, lung, and ovary, but not in adult kidney, liver, intestine, or brain. Quantitative slot-blot hybridization analysis demonstrated the following relative amounts of LPL mRNA in rat tissues: adipose, 100%; heart, 94%; adrenal, 6.6%; muscle, 3.8%; lung, 3.0%; kidney, 0%; adult liver, 0%. The same quantitative analysis was used to study lipase mRNA levels during development. There was little postnatal variation in LPL mRNA in adipose tissue; maximal levels were detected at the earliest time points studied for both inguinal and epididymal fat. In heart, however, LPL mRNA was detected at low levels 6 days before birth and increased 278-fold as the animals grew to adulthood.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)