The PTEN,Mdm2, p53 tumor suppressor-oncoprotein network

Oncoproteins and tumor-suppressor proteins regulate cell growth and viability. Recent observations show that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PtdIns 3-kinase)-Akt signaling promotes the phosphorylation and movement of the Mdm2 oncoprotein into the nucleus, where it downregulates the p53 tumor-suppressor protein. The PTEN tumor suppressor protein inhibits activation of Akt and this restricts Mdm2 to the cytoplasm. Restriction of Mdm2 to the cytoplasm promotes p53 function and thereby sustains the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy. p53 acutely induces Mdm2, providing damaged cells the opportunity for repair, but subsequently induces PTEN, favoring the death of mutated or irrevocably damaged cells. Thus, oncoproteins and tumor suppressor proteins are networked to promote normal cell function and eliminate mutated cells.     

Inhibition of caspase-9 through phosphorylation at Thr 125 by ERK MAPK

Many pro-apoptotic signals activate caspase-9, an initiator protease that activates caspase-3 and downstream caspases to initiate cellular destruction. However, survival signals can impinge on this pathway and suppress apoptosis. Activation of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is associated with protection of cells from apoptosis and inhibition of caspase-3 activation, although the targets are unknown. Here, we show that the ERK MAPK pathway inhibits caspase-9 activity by direct phosphorylation. In mammalian cell extracts, cytochrome c-induced activation of caspases-9 and -3 requires okadaic-acid-sensitive protein phosphatase activity. The opposing protein kinase activity is overcome by treatment with the broad-specificity kinase inhibitor staurosporine or with inhibitors of MEK1/2. Caspase-9 is phosphorylated at Thr 125, a conserved MAPK consensus site targeted by ERK2 in vitro, in a MEK-dependent manner in cells stimulated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Phosphorylation at Thr 125 is sufficient to block caspase-9 processing and subsequent caspase-3 activation. We suggest that phosphorylation and inhibition of caspase-9 by ERK promotes cell survival during development and tissue homeostasis. This mechanism may also contribute to tumorigenesis when the ERK MAPK pathway is constitutively activated.     

The LEA-like protein HSP 12 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a plasma membrane location and protects membranes against desiccation and ethanol-induced stress

The LEA-like protein HSP 12 was identified as having a plasma membrane location in yeast. Gold particles, indicative of the presence of HSP 12, were observed on the external side of the plasma membrane when yeast grown to stationary phase were subjected to immunocytochemical analysis. Growth of yeast in the osmolyte mannitol resulted in an increased number of gold particles that were now observed to be present on both sides of the plasma membrane. No gold particles were observed using a mutant strain of the same yeast that did not express HSP 12. A model liposome system encapsulating the fluorescent dye calcein was used to investigate the protection by HSP 12 of membranes during desiccation. HSP 12 was found to act in an analogous manner to trehalose and protect liposomal membrane integrity against desiccation. The interaction between HSP 12 and the liposomal membrane was judged to be electrostatic as membrane protection was only observed with positively charged liposomes and not with either neutral or negatively charged liposomes. The ability of the wild-type and mutant yeast to grow in media containing ethanol was compared. It was found that yeast not expressing the HSP 12 protein were less able to grow in media containing ethanol. HSP 12 was shown to confer increased integrity on the liposomal membrane in the presence of ethanol. Ethanol, like mannitol, was found to induce HSP 12 protein synthesis. However, yeast grown in both ethanol and mannitol showed a decreased HSP 12 response compared with yeast grown in the presence of either osmolyte alone.     

Antisense-mediated suppression of transgene expression targeted specifically to pollen

A potential problem in the field release of transgenic plants is the spread of foreign gene products via pollen. Therefore, the use of the tomato pollen-specific lat52 gene promoter was investigated as a means of targeting antisense RNA to pollen without affecting transgene expression elsewhere in the plant. A transgenic tobacco line T115, which showed GUS expression in pollen, leaves and roots were retransformed with a construct containing the pollen-specific lat52 promoter driving the GUS encoding uid A gene in antisense orientation. From 24 independent transformants obtained, 19 showed a significant reduction in pollen GUS activity. Of these lines, four showed a reproducible antisense effect in pollen in the next generation, while it was shown in one line that GUS activity in leaves and roots was also unaffected. To ascertain the effectiveness of the antisense strategy to downregulate very high levels of pollen expression, a lat52-gus antisense construct was introduced into tobacco lines containing lat52-gus, which had pollen GUS activity of up to 250 times greater than in line T115. Results showed that 30 out of 34 independent lines exhibited a significant antisense effect in pollen, confirming the effectiveness of pollen-targeted antisense strategy to reduce undesirable expression in pollen independent of expression level in pollen.     

Hsp 12 is a LEA-like protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

LEA group I, II and III antibodies all recognised soluble proteins present in an extract of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The smaller protein of the two recognised by the group I antibody displayed identical migration on SDS-PAGE to the pea seed LEA group I protein against which the antibody was raised. However, the antibody failed to recognise the predominant protein present after heating the extract at 80 °C for 10 min. This predominant protein, which also displayed identical migration on SDS-PAGE, was purified from the supernatant of the extract heated at 80 °C for 10 min. Peptide sequencing after CNBr cleavage identified the isolated protein as the heat shock protein HSP 12. Despite a previous report that HSP 12 is a heat shock protein, HSP 12 was found to increase in yeast grown at 37 °C compared with growth at 30 °C . However, increased amounts of HSP 12 were present in yeast after entry into stationary phase; this was enhanced by growth in the osmolytes NaCl and mannitol.     

Electroporation of cells

By measuring uptake of the membrane impermeable dye. phenosafranine, it can be shown that the plasma membrane of intact cells within cell aggregates can be reversibly permeabilized by electroporation. However, the plant cell wall is a barrier to DNA uptake by intact cells, although under certain circumstances expression of DNA, electroporated into intact cells, can be demonstrated. The level of expression is about 20–50 times lower than that obtained by electroporation of protoplasts, and depends on cell wall properties and pretreatments of cell aggregates. In contrast, efficient transformation of whole cells of bacteria and yeasts can be achieved by electroporation. Factors which influence DNA transfer into whole plant cells and the possibility of stable transformation are discussed.     

Vascular Pattern Analysis for the Prediction of Clinical Behaviour in Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas

Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) are neuroendocrine tumors arising from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. Related tumors that arise from the paraganglia outside the adrenal medulla are called paragangliomas (PGLs). PCC/PGLs are usually benign, but approximately 17% of these tumors are malignant, as defined by the development of metastases. Currently, there are no generally accepted markers for identifying a primary PCC or PGL as malignant. In 2002, Favier et al. described the use of vascular architecture for the distinction between benign and malignant primary PCC/PGLs. The aim of this study was to validate the use of vascular pattern analysis as a test for malignancy in a large series of primary PCC/PGLs. Six independent observers scored a series of 184 genetically well-characterized PCCs and PGLs for the CD34 immunolabeled vascular pattern and these findings were correlated to the clinical outcome. Tumors were scored as malignant if an irregular vascular pattern was observed, including vascular arcs, parallels and networks, while tumors with a regular pattern of short straight capillaries were scored as benign. Mean sensitivity and specificity of vascular architecture, as a predictor of malignancy was 59.7% and 72.9%, respectively. There was significant agreement between the 6 observers (mean κ = 0.796). Mean sensitivity of vascular pattern analysis was higher in tumors >5 cm (63.2%) and in genotype cluster 2 tumors (100%). In conclusion, vascular pattern analysis cannot be used in a stand-alone manner as a prognostic tool for the distinction between benign and malignant PCC, but could be used as an indicator of malignancy and might be a useful tool in combination with other morphological characteristics.