Tyrosine hydroxylase and insulin-like growth factor II but not insulin are adjacent in the teleost species barramundi, Lates calcarifer

In humans, the genes encoding tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), insulin and insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) form an extremely tight linkage group on chromosome 11p15. Characterisation of the homologous genomic region of a teleost, the barramundi Lates calcarifer , revealed tight linkage of the TH and IGF-II genes, and the absence of the gene encoding insulin.     

Tight linkage between the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and a microsatellite marker for the TH locus

The Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is characterized by somatic overgrowth, developmental anomalies, and proneness to embryonic tumor development. The majority of cases are sporadic, but several families with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with variable expression and reduced penetrance have been described. In three such families, BWS has been linked to DNA markers for the insulin gene (INS) and H-ras on chromosome band 11p15. Two additional families with inherited BWS are described here. Linkage analysis has been performed with a highly informative marker for the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) locus within the INS-IGF2 (insulin-like growth factor II)-TH gene cluser and confirms the previous observed linkage to this region (lod score 2.16 at = 0). Linkage analysis to TH provides a basis for informed genetic counselling and carrier detection in the hereditary form of the syndrome. Based on the hypothesis that IGF2 may be a candidate gene for BWS, we screened for mutations in the coding exons 7 and 9, but found no abnormalities in 5 unrelated BWS cases.     

Tyrosine hydroxylase gene not linked to manic-depression in seven of eight pedigrees.

We ascertained 8 multigenerational pedigrees afflicted with multiple cases of bipolar and recurrent major depressive disorder. Alterations in dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of these two catecholamines. As TH mutations could underlie susceptibility to manic-depression, we carried out a linkage analysis between this disease in 8 families and two RFLP probes that map to the TH gene region on the short arm of chromosome 11. Evidence of linkage was not found in 7 of 8 kindreds.     

Two-Locus Admixture Linkage Analysis of Bipolar and Unipolar Affective Disorder Supports the Presence of Susceptibility Loci on Chromosomes 11p15 and 21q22

Following a report of a linkage study that yielded evidence for a susceptibility locus for bipolar affective disorder on the long arm of chromosome 21, we studied 23 multiply affected pedigrees collected from Iceland and the UK, using the markers PFKL, D21S171, and D21S49. Counting only bipolar cases as affected, a two-point LOD of 1.28 was obtained using D21S171 (θ = 0.01, α = 0.35), with three Icelandic families producing LODs of 0.63, 0.62, and 1.74 (all at θ = 0.0). Affected sib pair analysis demonstrated increased allele sharing at D21S171 (P= 0.001) when unipolar cases were also considered affected. The same set of pedigrees had previously been typed for a tyrosine hydroxylase gene (TH) polymorphism at 11p15 and had shown some moderate evidence for linkage. When information from TH and the 21q markers was combined in a two-locus admixture analysis, an overall admixture LOD of 3.87 was obtained using the bipolar affection model. Thus the data are compatible with the hypothesis that a locus at or near TH influences susceptibility in some pedigrees, while a locus near D21S171 is active in others. Similar analyses in other datasets should be carried out to confirm or refute our tentative finding.     

Absence of linkage to the ataxia telangiectasia locus in familial breast cancer

Heterozygotes for ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) are known to have an increased risk of breast cancer. The gene (or genes) responsible for almost all cases of AT has been localised to chromosome 11q by genetic linkage analysis. To examine the possibility that AT heterozygosity may account for a substantial proportion of familial breast cancer, we have typed five markers on chromosome 11q in 16 breast cancer families. We have found no evidence for linkage between breast cancer and chromosome 11q markers and conclude that the contribution of AT to familial breast cancer is likely to be minimal.     

Genetic mapping of the human tryptophan hydroxylase gene on chromosome 11, using an intronic conformational polymorphism.

The identification of polymorphic alleles at loci coding for functional genes is crucial for genetic association and linkage studies. Since the tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) gene codes for the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin, it would be advantageous to identify a polymorphism in this gene. By examining introns of the human TPH gene by PCR amplification and analysis by the single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) technique, an SSCP was revealed with two alleles that occur with frequencies of .40 and .60 in unrelated Caucasians. DNAs from 24 informative CEPH families were typed for the TPH intron polymorphism and analyzed with respect to 10 linked markers on chromosome 11, between p13 and p15, with the result that TPH was placed between D11S151 and D11S134. This region contains loci for several important genes, including those for Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and tyrosine hydroxylase.     

A monoclonal antibody to aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Identification of the epitope.

PH8 monoclonal antibody has previously been shown to react with all three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, being particularly useful for immunohistochemical staining of brain tissue [Haan, Jennings, Cuello, Nakata, Chow, Kushinsky, Brittingham & Cotton (1987) Brain Res. 426, 19-27]. Western-blot analysis of liver extracts showed that PH8 reacted with phenylalanine hydroxylase from a wide range of vertebrate species. The epitope for antibody PH8 has been localized to the human phenylalanine hydroxylase sequence between amino acid residues 139 and 155. This highly conserved region of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases has 11 out of 17 amino acids identical in phenylalanine hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase.     

Linkage disequilibrium among RFLPs at the insulin-receptor locus despite intervening Alu repeat sequences.

Multiple mutations of the insulin receptor (INSR) gene have been identified in individuals with extreme insulin resistance. These mutations have included recombination events between Alu repeat units in the tyrosine kinase-encoding beta-chain region of the gene. To evaluate the influence of Alu and dinucleotide repetitive sequences on recombination events within the insulin receptor gene, I examined the degree of linkage disequilibrium between RFLP pairs spanning the gene. I established 228 independent haplotypes for seven RFLPs (two each for PstI, RsaI, and SstI and one for MspI and 172 independent haplotypes which included an additional RFLP with BglII) from 19 pedigrees. These RFLPs span > 130 kb of this gene, and my colleagues and I previously demonstrated that multiple Alu sequences separate RFLP pairs. Observed haplotype frequencies deviated significantly from those predicted. Pairwise analysis of RFLP showed high levels of linkage disequilibrium among RFLP in the beta-chain region of the insulin receptor, but not between alpha-chain RFLPs and those of the beta-chain. Disequilibrium was present among beta-chain RFLPs, despite separation by one or more Alu repeat sequences. The very strong linkage disequilibrium which was present in sizable regions of the INSR gene despite the presence of both Alu and microsatellite repeats suggested that these regions do not have a major impact on recombinations at this locus.     

Analysis of a second family with hereditary non-chromaffin paragangliomas locates the underlying gene at the proximal region of chromosome 11q

The gene for autosomal, dominantly inherited, non-chromaffin paragangliomas has previously been mapped at 11q23-qter by linkage analysis of a single family. In the present study, we have used genetic markers from 11q for the analysis of two distantly related pedigrees with the same disorder. Linkage analysis and haplotyping indicate that the gene underlying the disorder in the present family is located on chromosome 11q proximal to the tyrosinase gene locus (11q14–q21). Closely linked markers are the human homologue of the murine INT2 protooncogene and the anonymous DNA marker D11S527. A maximum lod score of 5.4 (=0.0) has been obtained for linkage between the disorder and the chromosomal region defined by these markers. The human INT2 gene can be regarded as a candidate for the disorder on the basis of its expression pattern during embryogenesis in the mouse. However, haplotype analysis indicates that this gene is probably not the predisposing genetic factor in the present family.     

Fine mapping of the chromosome 11q22-23 region using PFGE, linkage and haplotype analysis; localization of the gene for ataxia telangiectasia to a 5cM region flanked by NCAM/DRD2 and STMY/CJ52.75, phi 2.22.

Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and a range of different enzyme digests, we have established that both markers of each of the pairs CJ52.208/YNB3.12, NCAM/DRD2, and STMY/CJ52.75, on chromosome 11q22-23, show physical linkage on a single DNA fragment. We have also shown, using genetic linkage and haplotype analyses, that these markers lie within a region of approximately 18cM, which, it has been shown previously, is likely to contain the A-T gene. The relative positions of these marker loci, and the distance between them was determined in order to construct a detailed map which has allowed a more precise localization of the A-T gene. We have shown that in pairwise linkage analysis the strongest support for linkage to the A-T gene was with the STMY/CJ52.75 locus (Z = 5.59, theta = 0.0). A three-point analysis using the results from STMY/CJ52.75 and the closely linked marker phi 2.22 gave Z = 5.55, theta = 0.03. Despite persisting evidence of some linkage to Thy-1 our results are consistent with the existence of a single A-T locus on chromosome 11q22-23 and our best estimate of the position of this locus places it between NCAM/DRD2 and (STMY/CJ52.75, F2.22) (Z = 6.74), a region of approximately 5cM in males.     

Regional localization of DNA probes on the short arm of chromosome 11 using aniridia-Wilms' tumor-associated deletions

Summary We are interested in the precise localization of various DNA probes on the short arm of chromosome 11 for our research on the aniridia-Wilms' tumor association (AWTA), assigned to region 11p13 (Knudson and Strong 1972; Riccardi et al. 1978). For this purpose we have screened lymphocyte DNA and material derived from somatic cell hybrids from individuals with constitutional 11p deletions with a range of available probes: D11S12; calcitonin/CGRP (CALC1/CALC2); insulin (INS); Harvey ras 1 (HRAS 1); beta-globin gene cluster (HBBC); human insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2); parathyroid hormone (PTH); human pepsinogen A (PGA). Using this material, it has been possible to map all probes used, except insulin, outside the region 11p111-p15.1, resulting in an SRO (same regional overlap) of 11p15.1-p15.5 for most probes. We found an SRO for PGA of 11p111-q12 and an SRO for CALC2 of 11p15.1-p15.5 or 11p111-q12. We have localised the insulin gene to band 11p15.1.     

Identification of Gln313 and Pro327 as Residues Critical for Substrate Inhibition in Tyrosine Hydroxylase

Abstract: Rat tyrosine hydroxylase was expressed in Escherichia coli . High-level expression was obtained after incubation at 27°C for 18 h. The smallest fragment of tyrosine hydroxylase that gave a soluble active molecule was from Leu¹⁸⁸ to Phe⁴⁵⁶. This fragment corresponds directly to the section of phenylalanine hydroxylase that had previously been shown to be this enzyme's catalytic core region. It has been shown that Glu²⁸⁶ plays a critical role in pterin function in phenylalanine hydroxylase. The corresponding residue in tyrosine hydroxylase (Glu³³²) has no significant role in pterin function. Substitution of a leucine for a proline at position 327 in tyrosine hydroxylase produces a molecule with a K _m for tetrahydrobiopterin 20-fold higher than that of the wild-type molecule, whereas the same substitution at the corresponding residue in phenylalanine hydroxylase (Pro²⁸¹) has no effect on the kinetic constant for the cofactor. This suggests that corresponding residues in phenylalanine hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase can have different roles in pterin function. Substitution of a leucine for a proline at position 281 in phenylalanine hydroxylase increases the K _m for phenylalanine >20-fold over that of the wild-type. Substitution of leucine or alanine for Pro³²⁷ or a glutamic acid for Gln³¹³ in tyrosine hydroxylase eliminates the substrate inhibition shown by wild-type tyrosine hydroxylase.     

Retinol activates tyrosine hydroxylase acutely by increasing the phosphorylation of serine40 and then serine31 in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells

Tyrosine hydroxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of the catecholamines. It has been reported that retinol (vitamin A) modulates tyrosine hydroxylase activity by increasing its expression through the activation of the nuclear retinoid receptors. In this study, we observed that retinol also leads to an acute activation of tyrosine hydroxylase in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells and this was shown to occur via two distinct non-genomic mechanisms. In the first mechanism, retinol induced an influx in extracellular calcium, activation of protein kinase C and serine40 phosphorylation, leading to tyrosine hydroxylase activation within 15 min. This effect then declined over time. The retinol-induced rise in intracellular calcium then led to a second slower mechanism; this involved an increase in reactive oxygen species, activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and serine31 phosphorylation and the maintenance of tyrosine hydroxylase activation for up to 2 h. No effects were observed with retinoic acid. These results show that retinol activates tyrosine hydroxylase via two sequential non-genomic mechanisms, which have not previously been characterized. These mechanisms are likely to operate in vivo to facilitate the stress response, especially when vitamin supplements are taken or when retinol is used as a therapeutic agent.     

Gene for the human transmembrane-type protein tyrosine phosphatase H (PTPRH): genomic structure, fine-mapping and its exclusion as a candidate for Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.

Mutations in the serine/threonine kinase STK11 lead to Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) in a subset of affected individuals. Significant evidence for linkage to a second potential PJS disease locus on 19q13.4 has previously been described in one PJS family (PJS07). In the current study, we investigated this second locus for PJS gene candidates. We mapped the main candidate gene in this region, the gene for the transmembrane-type protein tyrosine phosphatase H (PTPRH), within 15 kb telomeric to the marker D19S880. We determined its genomic structure, and performed mutation analysis of all exons and the exon-intron junctions of the PTPRH gene in the PJS07 family. No disease causing mutation was identified in PTPRH in affected individuals, suggesting the existence of an as yet not identified gene on 19q13.4 as a second PJS gene.     

Expression of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene in Cultured Hypothalamic Cells: Roles of Protein Kinase A and C

Abstract: In hypothalamic cells cultured in serum-free medium, the quantity of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA increases after treatment with an activator of the protein kinase A pathway (8-bromoadenosine cyclic AMP, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, or forskolin) or an activator of protein kinase C (12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate or sn -1,2-diacylglycerol). The tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA level decreases in the cells after inhibition of protein kinase C with calphostin C or after depletion of protein kinase C by extended phorbol ester treatment. These data suggest that both protein kinase pathways regulate tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression in hypothalamic cells. As simultaneous activation of both pathways has less than an additive effect on the tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA level, they appear to be interrelated. Compared with the rapid and dramatic increase of the tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA level in pheochromocytoma cells, activation of the protein kinase A or protein kinase C pathway in the cultured hypothalamic cells induces slow changes of a small magnitude in the amount of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA. The slow regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression in hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons corresponds to the relatively high stability of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA (half-life = 14 ± 1 h) in these cells.     

Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity in Rat Brain Synaptosomes: Direct Measurement Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract: By use of high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection to measure dopamine production, tyrosine hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.2) activity has been measured in rat brain synaptosomes from striatum and forebrain. Normal specific activities three- to fivefold higher than previously reported in the literature for radiochemical methods of assay were found. It is suggested that synaptosomes contain a significant amount of endogenous substrate for tyrosine hydroxylase, which causes dilution of the added labelled tyrosine and hence underestimation of the activity of this enzyme when radiochemical methods are used.     

Exclusion of ZFM1 as a candidate gene for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1)

The multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) locus has been previously localised to 11q13 by combined tumour deletion mapping and linkage studies and a 3.8-cM region flanked by PYGM and D11S97 has been defined. The zinc finger in the MEN1 locus (ZFM1) gene, which has also been mapped to this region, represents a candidate gene for MEN1. The ZFM1 gene, which consists of 14 exons, encodes a 623-amino acid protein and exons 2, 8 and 12 encode the putative nuclear localisation signal, a zinc finger motif, and a proline-rich region, respectively. We have investigated these potentially functional regions for germ-line mutations by single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis in 64 unrelated MEN1 patients. In addition, we performed DNA sequence analysis of all the 14 exons and 13 of the 26 exon-intron boundaries in four unrelated MEN1 patients. A 6-bp deletion that resulted in the loss of two proline residues at codons 479 and 480 in exon 12 was found in one MEN1 patient. However, this did not co-segregate with MEN1 in the family and represented a rare polymorphism. Analysis by SSCP, DNA sequencing, northern blotting, Southern blotting and pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed no additional genetic abnormalities of ZFM1 in the other MEN1 patients. Thus, our results indicate that ZFM1 is excluded as a candidate gene for MEN1. Received: 29 October 1996 / Revised: 16 December 1996