Cell cycle analysis of foreign gene (beta-galactosidase) expression in recombinant mouse cells under control of mouse mammary tumor virus promoter

The cell cycle dependency of foreign gene expression in recombinant mouse L cells was investigated. Two different recombinant mouse L cell lines having the glucocorticoid receptor-encoding gene and the lacZ reporter gene were used in this study. The lacZ gene expression was controlled by the glucocorticoid-inducible mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter in both cell lines. In "M4" cells the gr gene was under the control of another MMTV promoter, but in "R2" cells it was under the control of the constitutive Rous sarcoma virus promoter. These normally attachment-grown cells were adapted to suspension culture, and a dual-laser flow cytometer was used to simultaneously determine the DNA and foreign protein (beta-galactosidase) content of single living cells. Expression of beta-galactosidase as a function of cell cycle phase was evaluated for cells in exponential growth without any addition of the glucocorticoid inducer, dexamethasone. Cell cycle positions in the S phase were estimated on the basis of DNA content per cell, and position in the G1 phase was estimated on the basis of cell size as measured by pulse-width time of flight. The results showed that beta-galactosidase synthesis occurred through all cell cycle phases, but the expression rate in the G1 phase was much lower than that in the S and G2/M phases in both cell lines. On the basis of cell size analysis, beta-galactosidase expression in M4 cells (with autoinducible promoter) was found to be higher than that in R2 cells (with inducible promoter) during the G1 phase. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Development of a flow cytometric assay to study glucocorticoid receptor-mediated gene activation in living cells

A flow cytometry-based reporter gene assay was developed and utilized to measure glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated gene activation at the single cell level in living cells. A reporter gene was generated that contains two copies of the glucocorticoid response element and an E1b TATA box upstream of a destabilized enhanced green fluorescent protein. Glucocorticoid activation of the reporter gene in Cos-1 and HTC cell lines was measured in vivo by flow cytometry and was shown to be dose dependent, leading to an increase in total fluorescence of the cell population. Flow cytometric analysis indicated this increase in total fluorescence per sample resulted from an increase in the number of cells expressing the activated green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter as well as an overall increase in the mean GFP fluorescence within cells. Activation of reporter gene activity was time dependent occurring as early as 1-2h after dexamethasone addition. Activation of the reporter gene was specific as it exhibited different sensitivities to a range of glucocorticoids and activation could be blocked with glucocorticoid receptor antagonists. Coexpression of the coactivator SRC-1a or P65 subunit of NF-kappa B with GR led to enhancement or repression, respectively. Taken together, these data suggest the reporter-based flow cytometry assay is an effective method for analyzing glucocorticoid receptor-mediated gene expression at the single cell level in living cells.     

Isolation of glucocorticoid-unresponsive rat hepatoma cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting

We have used a mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-infected rat hepatoma cell line as a model system for studying glucocorticoid action. These cells induce tyrosine aminotransferase and MMTV in response to the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone. The major viral antigen, a glycoprotein of 52,000 daltons (gp52), appears on the surface of infected cells in amounts which reflect the cytoplasmic content of viral RNA. Using an anti-gp52 antiserum and a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS), we have selected variants which display low levels of pg52 in the presence of the hormone. Multiple cycles of enrichment for cells that fluoresce weakly in the presence of hormone have generated a population which fails to produce a detectable increase in cell surface gp52 in response to dexamethasone. This population of nonresponders and a number of independent clones derived from this population were analyzed for their ability to induce gp52 and TAT and for these presence of glucocorticoid receptors. All nonresponder clones exhibited little or no induction of either glucocorticoid-inducible marker. Two of the clones contained reduced levels of glucocrticoid receptor, while the remainder of the clones showed no detectable specific hormone binding. These results provide genetic evidence that a single class of glucocorticoid receptors is involved in the induction of both MMTV and TAT in HTC cells.     

An auto-inducible vector conferring high glucocorticoid inducibility upon stable transformant cells

A new gene expression system in mammalian cells was developed by using the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) as an inducible positive feedback factor. Mouse Ltk- cells were transfected with plasmids carrying the GR-encoding gene and the lacZ reporter gene, both of which were fused with the glucocorticoid-inducible enhancer/promotor of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MTV). The GR gene was first induced to supply the receptor protein, which further induced the expression of both GR and reporter genes. Stable transformants induced with dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid hormone, demonstrated beta-galactosidase activity 60-140-fold higher than uninduced controls. Similarly, the human alpha-interferon-encoding gene fused with the MTV enhancer/promoter was induced more than 12,000-fold. This system allowed us to increase the expression of the reporter or target genes without augmenting basal levels of expression significantly, and may be useful to investigate the unknown function of a cloned gene, particularly when the gene product of interest is cytotoxic or growth-inhibiting.     

Suppression of rat mammary tumor cell growth in vitro by glucocorticoids requires serum proteins. Characterization of wild type and glucocorticoid-resistant epithelial tumor cells

CON8 is a single-cell derived subclone of the 13762NF transplantable, hormone-responsive rat mammary tumor that proliferates rapidly in serum-free medium. Addition of either glucocorticoids or calf serum alone caused a slight stimulation of CON8 proliferation. However, glucocorticoids required the presence of specific serum proteins to strongly suppress CON8 cell growth. Furthermore, the anchorage-independent growth of CON8 cells was significantly reduced in the presence of glucocorticoids and serum. We have designated this serum activity GMGSF, for glucocorticoid modulating growth suppression factor. Inhibition of cell growth was limited to steroids with strong glucocorticoid biological activity, while exposure to the glucocorticoid antagonist RU38486 prevented this response. Half-maximal growth inhibition and half-maximal expression of a glucocorticoid-inducible gene product (2 nM) occurred slightly below the half-maximal receptor binding of [3H]dexamethasone (10nM). We have also selected a variant mammary epithelial tumor cell line, derived from CON8, denoted 8RUV7, whose proliferation and soft agar colony formation failed to be suppressed by glucocorticoids in the presence of serum. These glucocorticoid-resistant variant cells possess functional glucocorticoid receptors, competently produce the glucocorticoid-responsive gene product plasminogen activator inhibitor, and along with CON8 cells express milk fat globule protein antigens on their cell surface, indicative of their mammary epithelial cell character. We are using this variant line to genetically dissect the molecular mechanism of the glucocorticoid/GMGSF growth suppression pathway in mammary epithelial tumor cells.     

A silencer element in the first intron of the glutamine synthetase gene represses induction by glucocorticoids

The enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) ranks as one of the most remarkable glucocorticoid-inducible mammalian genes. In many tissues and cell lines, the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone alone increases GS expression several fold. The direct response is mainly mediated by a cellular glucocorticoid receptor that, upon binding of the hormone, interacts with glucocorticoid responsive elements (GREs) of the gene. In cells of hepatocellular origin the response is mediated by a GRE located in the first intron of the gene. Surprisingly, hepatocytes do not respond to glucocorticoids with enhanced GS expression, despite the presence of an intact glucocorticoid receptor, which, in the same cells, stimulates expression of other genes such as tyrosine amino transferase. Reporter gene assays identified a sequence element downstream from the intronic GRE that inhibits the enhancement of expression by glucocorticoids. This silencer was designated GS silencer element of the rat. Gel mobility shift assays demonstrate the binding of a factor in hepatocyte nuclear extract. This yet unknown factor was designated GS silencer-binding protein. It is absent in FAO cells that respond to glucocorticoids with enhanced expression of GS and present in HepG2 cells that do not respond.     

Activation of a beta-galactosidase recombinant provirus: application to titration of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HIV-infected cells.

A quantitative bioassay for human immunodeficiency viruses has been developed on the basis of the ability of the tat gene to transactivate the expression of an integrated beta-galactosidase gene in a HeLa-CD4+ cell line. Infection by a single virion of HIV-1 or HIV-2 corresponds to a unique blue syncytium or a cell cluster detected after fixation and addition of 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (a beta-galactosidase substrate). The number of infected lymphoid cells in a culture (stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes and cell lines) can also be quantified by cell-to-cell transmission of HIV into the HeLa-CD4(+)-beta-galactosidase monolayer. Infections by simian immunodeficiency viruses are similarly detected. This assay has been used to determine the dose response of drugs, the half-life of HIV at 37 degrees C, and the appearance of infectious particles after virus infection.     

Positive effects of glucocorticoids on T cell function by up-regulation of IL-7 receptor alpha

Despite the effects of glucocorticoids on immune function, relatively little is known about glucocorticoid-inducible genes and how their products may regulate lymphocyte function. Using DNA microarray technology to analyze gene expression in PBMC from healthy donors, we identified IL-7Ralpha as a glucocorticoid-inducible gene. This observation was confirmed at the mRNA and protein levels. Conversely, TCR signaling decreased IL-7Ralpha expression, and the relative strength of signaling between these two receptors determined the final IL-7Ralpha levels. The up-regulation of IL-7Ralpha by glucocorticoids was associated with enhanced IL-7-mediated signaling and function. Moreover, IL-7-mediated inhibition of apoptosis at increasing concentrations of glucocorticoids is consistent with enhanced cell sensitivity to IL-7 following glucocorticoid exposure. These observations provide a mechanism by which glucocorticoids may have a positive influence on T cell survival and function.     

Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase promotes glucocorticoid receptor function

Murine lymphoma cell lines such as WEHI-7 exhibit a cytolytic response to both cAMP and glucocorticoids. We have exploited this behavior to ask if cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase plays a role in regulating glucocorticoid receptor function. We have found that cAMP-resistant cell lines containing a defective cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity give rise to spontaneous steroid-resistant variants at a high frequency (approximately 10(-7)) relative to wild type cells (less than 10(-10)). Unlike previous results with wild type cells, nearly complete loss of glucocorticoid receptor function was observed in a single selection using unmutagenized cAMPr derivatives of WEHI-7. Thus, the initial selection of the cAMPr phenotype serves as a permissive step toward the acquisition of glucocorticoid resistance in WEHI-7. In addition, cAMP was found to increase the levels of steroid binding in these cell lines, and the dose response was dependent upon the phenotype of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The results demonstrate an important role for cAMP in regulating glucocorticoid receptor activity and strongly suggest that this novel two-step selection scheme leads to the isolation of new forms of glucocorticoid resistance.     

Foreign gene expression (beta-galactosidase) during the cell cycle phases in recombinant CHO cells

Recombinant mammalian cultures for heterologous gene expression typically involve cells traversing the cell cycle. Studies were conducted to characterize rates of accumulation of intracellular foreign protein in single cells during the cell cycle of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with an expression vector containing the gene for dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and the lacZ gene for bacterial beta-galactosidase (a nonsecreated protein). The lacZ gene was under the control of the constitutive cytomegalovirus promoter. These normally attachment-grown cells were adapted to suspension culture in 10(-7) M methotrexate, and a dual-laser flow cytometer was used to simultaneously determine the DNA and foreign protein (beta-galactosidase) content of single living cells. Expression of beta-galactosidase as a function of cell cycle phase was evaluated for cells in the exponential growth phase, early plateau phase, and inhibited traverse of the cell cycle during exponential growth. The results showed that the beta-galactosidase production rate is higher in the S phase than that in the G1 or G2/M phases. Also, when cell cycle progression was stopped at the S phase by addition of aphidicolin, beta-galactosidase content in single cells was higher than that in exponential phase or plateau phase cells and increased with increasing culture time. Although the cells did not continue to divide after aphidicolin addition, the production of beta-galactosidase per unit volume of culture was very similar to that in normal exponential growth. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Growth factor-deprived BALB/c 3T3 murine fibroblasts can enter the S phase after induction of c-myc gene expression.

Induction of quiescent BALB/c 3T3 murine fibroblasts by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or fibroblast growth factor (FGFs) is accompanied by induction of c-myc gene expression. To study the role of c-myc in cell growth, we transfected BALB/c 3T3 cells with a plasmid construct containing a glucocorticoid-inducible c-myc gene. When these transfected cells were growth arrested in PDGF-FGF-freedefined medium, glucocorticoid treatment induced S-phase DNA synthesis. This induction of DNA synthesis was inefficient, and cell proliferation was not evident, suggesting that growth factors act through stimulation of c-myc expression together with other intracellular events.     

Unlinked regulation of the sensitivity of primary glucocorticoid-inducible responses in mouse mammary tumor virus infected Fu5-5 rat hepatoma cells

The enzyme tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) is induced by unusually low concentrations of glucocorticoids in Fu5-5 cells. We have isolated clones of Fu5-5 cells infected with mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) in order to simultaneously compare the glucocorticoid regulation of the host cell gene, TAT, with that of another primary inducible gene, MMTV. In the two clones that were examined in detail, MMTV RNA induction occurred at 4- to 11-fold higher concentrations of dexamethasone than those needed for induction of TAT mRNA. Furthermore, the amount of agonist activity displayed by the irreversible antiglucocorticoid dexamethasone 21-mesylate was greater for the induction of TAT mRNA than for MMTV RNA. These results extend our previous observations of unequal sensitivity of induction of TAT enzyme activity in two hepatoma cell lines and show that differential glucocorticoid regulation of gene induction within the same cell can occur at a pretranslational step. The present data also indicate that the unusual properties of TAT gene induction are not shared by all primary, glucocorticoid-inducible responses of the same cell and imply that additional factors mediating differential regulation of glucocorticoid-responsive genes are involved.     

Amplification and hormone-regulated expression of a mouse mammary tumor virus-Eco gpt fusion plasmid in mouse 3T6 cells.

Mouse 3T6 cells were transformed with a chimeric DNA plasmid, pSVMgpt, in which the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter was fused to the Escherichia coli gene encoding xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Eco gpt). The transformants exhibited glucocorticoid-inducible expression of Eco gpt. With limiting xanthine concentrations, conditions were established in which cell growth became hormone dependent. Cells selected for their ability to grow in limiting concentrations of both xanthine and glucocorticoids contained amplified levels of Eco gpt DNA, and expression of Eco gpt remained glucocorticoid inducible in these amplified cells. Thus, amplification of the MMTV promoter region in itself did not abolish hormonal responsiveness of a gene. In addition to increased levels of Eco gpt DNA, some of the selected cells also exhibited increased levels (two- to threefold) of glucocorticoid receptors. Lastly, we found that excessive expression of Eco gpt is toxic to 3T6 cells; by maintaining low hormone levels and, therefore, low levels of expression, we were able to select cells with amplified Eco gpt. Thus, the MMTV promoter may be of general utility in expressing genes whose products may be lethal if they are produced in excessive quantities.     

Acute activation of NHE3 by dexamethasone correlates with activation of SGK1 and requires a functional glucocorticoid receptor

Glucocorticoids stimulate the intestinal absorption of Na⁺ and water partly by regulation of the Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger 3 (NHE3). Previous studies have shown both genomic and nongenomic regulation of NHE3 by glucocorticoids. Serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) has been shown to be part of this cascade, where phosphorylation of NHE3 by SGK1 initiates the translocation of NHE3 to the cell surface. In the present work, we examined a series of changes in SGK1 and NHE3 induced by glucocorticoids using human colonic Caco-2 and opossum kidney cells. We found that dexamethasone rapidly stimulated SGK1 mRNAs, but a significant change in protein abundance was not detected. Instead, there was an increase in SGK1 kinase activity as early as at 2 h. An increase in NHE3 protein abundance was not detected until 12 h of dexamethasone exposure, although the transport activity was significantly stimulated at 4 h. These data demonstrate that the changes of SGK1 precede those of NHE3. Chronic regulation (24 h) of NHE3 was blocked completely by prevention of protein synthesis with cycloheximide or actinomycin D and by the glucocorticoid receptor blocker RU486. The acute effect of dexamethasone was similarly abrogated by RU486, but was insensitive to cycloheximide and actinomycin D. Similarly, the stimulation of SGK1 activity by dexamethasone was blocked by RU486 but not by actinomycin D. Together, these data show that the acute effect of glucocorticoids on NHE3 is mediated by a glucocorticoid receptor dependent mechanism that activates SGK1 in a nongenomic manner. Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger 3; serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1     

Decreased glucocorticoid receptor activity following glucocorticoid receptor antisense RNA gene fragment transfection.

Depression is often characterized by increased cortisol secretion caused by hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and by nonsuppression of cortisol secretion following dexamethasone administration. This hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis could result from a reduced glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity in neurons involved in its control. To investigate the effect of reduced neuronal GR levels, we have blocked cellular GR mRNA processing and/or translation by introduction of a complementary GR antisense RNA strand. Two cell lines were transfected with a reporter plasmid carrying the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene under control of the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat (a glucocorticoid-inducible promoter). This gene construction permitted assay of the sensitivity of the cells to glucocorticoid hormones. Cells were also cotransfected with a plasmid containing 1,815 bp of GR cDNA inserted in the reverse orientation downstream from either a neurofilament gene promoter element or the Rous sarcoma virus promoter element. Northern (RNA) blot analysis demonstrated formation of GR antisense RNA strands. Measurement of the sensitivity of CAT activity to exogeneous dexamethasone showed that although dexamethasone increased CAT activity by as much as 13-fold in control incubations, expression of GR antisense RNA caused a 2- to 4-fold decrease in the CAT response to dexamethasone. Stable transfectants bearing the GR antisense gene fragment construction demonstrated a 50 to 70% decrease of functional GR levels compared with normal cells, as evidenced by a ligand-binding assay with the type II glucocorticoid receptor-specific ligand [3H]RU 28362. These results validate the use of antisense RNA to GR to decrease cellular response to glucocorticoids.