Dehydroepiandrosterone decreases elevated hepatic glucose production in C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is known to improve hyperglycemia in diabetic db/db mice that are obese and insulin resistant. In a previous study, we reported that DHEA suppresses the elevated hepatic gluconeogenic glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activity and gene expression in C57BL/KsJ-db/db mice. In the present study, we evaluated the total amount of gluconeogenesis using NaH[(14)C]CO(3) and hepatic glucose production using fructose as a substrate in primary cultured hepatocytes. Despite hyperinsulinemia, the glucose production of db/db mice in the total body and hepatocytes was elevated as compared to their heterozygote littermate C57BL/KsJ-db/+m mice. Administration of DHEA significantly decreased the blood glucose level and increased the plasma insulin level in db/db mice. Administration of DHEA decreased the elevated total body and hepatic glucose production in db/db mice. In addition, the glucose production in the primary cultured hepatocytes of db/db mice was decreased significantly by the direct addition of DHEA or DHEA-S to the medium. These results suggest that administration of DHEA suppresses the elevated total body and hepatic glucose production in db/db mice, and this effect on the liver is considered to result from increased plasma insulin and DHEA or DHEA-S itself.     

Persistence of gene expression changes in stomach mucosae induced by short-term N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine treatment and their presence in stomach cancers

Cancers induced by different carcinogens show distinct expression profiles. In addition to the specific alterations of tumor-related genes induced by specific carcinogens, it is possible that some initial responses induced by a carcinogen could persist for long periods and are consistently present in the cancers induced. We have analyzed the initial responses in the rat pyloric mucosae after treatment for 2 weeks with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Gene expression was monitored 1 day, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after MNNG treatment by oligonucleotide microarray analysis. Of the differentially expressed genes showing greater than three-fold difference 1 day after MNNG treatment, 143 and 26 genes were up- and down-regulated, respectively, in MNNG-induced stomach cancers. Among these genes, 25 and 6 genes were up- and down-regulated, respectively, in the histologically normal pyloric mucosae, even 4 weeks after cessation of MNNG treatment. Among the up-regulated genes, many genes involved in tissue remodeling (Spi15, Serpine1 and Fst) and cellular growth (Bdnf, Ros1 and Fgf10) were present. The six down-regulated genes included TGF-beta-inducible early growth response gene. These findings demonstrate that some expression changes induced by MNNG persist for a prolonged period and are present in cancers. Persistent expression changes are considered to be important for prediction of past carcinogen exposure, and could provide a molecular environment favorable for malignant transformation.     

Area-based analyzing technique at cell array experiment using neuronal cell line

We propose a simple procedure for the identification and quantitative analysis of neurite outgrowth in neuronal cell lines that were uniformly differentiated. Upon stimulation most neuronal cell lines extend neurites in the differentiation process, resulting, according to our observation, in the increase of cell surface area. This increase is dependent on the length and the number of extended neurites. Furthermore, we use this method for the phenotype analysis of cell array experiments to perform large-scale functional evaluation of genes involved in the neurite outgrowth during neuronal differentiation.     

Immobilization of diverse foreign proteins in viral polyhedra and potential application for protein microarrays

Cypoviruses are insect viruses that produce a cytoplasmic crystalline particle called the polyhedron in which progeny virions are occluded. The virion structural protein, VP3, is implicated in the occlusion of viral particles into polyhedra. In this study, we determined the amino acid sequence of VP3 required for occlusion of viral particles into polyhedra and proposed that this sequence could be used as an immobilization signal to direct the stable incorporation of foreign proteins into polyhedra. A large-scale survey revealed that the immobilization signal could, in fact, direct the incorporation of a variety of human proteins into polyhedra. Immune reactivity and protein-protein interactions were detected on the surface of polyhedra containing immobilized foreign proteins, and these particles were shown to be highly stabilized against dehydration. We showed that these particles could be arrayed onto a glass slide by standard spotting and laser manipulation methods. Thus, this approach is well suited for protein expression, purification, and the development of protein microarrays.     

Cartducin stimulates mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cell proliferation through both extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathways

Cartducin, a paralog of Acrp30/adiponectin, is a secretory protein produced by both chondrogenic precursors and proliferating chondrocytes, and belongs to a novel C1q family of proteins. We have recently shown that cartducin promotes the growth of both mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cells and chondrosarcoma-derived chondrocytic cells in vitro. However, the cartducin-signaling pathways responsible for the regulation of cell proliferation have not been documented. In this study, we examined whether cartducin exists in serum and further investigated the intracellular signaling pathways stimulated by cartducin in mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cells. Western blot analysis showed that, unlike Acrp30/adiponectin, cartducin was undetectable in mouse serum. Next, mesenchymal chondroprogenitor N1511 cells were stimulated with cartducin, and three major groups of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway were examined. Cartducin activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Akt, but not c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) nor p38 MAPK. The MEK1/2 inhibitor, U0126, blocked cartducin-stimulated ERK1/2 phosphorylation and suppressed the DNA synthesis induced by cartducin in N1511 cells. The PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, blocked cartducin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation and a decrease in cartducin-induced DNA synthesis in N1511 cells was also observed. These data suggest that cartducin is a peripheral skeletal growth factor, and that the proliferation of mesenchymal chondroprogenitor cells stimulated by cartducin is associated with activations of the ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.     

Alterations of gene expressions of preproET-1 and ET receptors in brains of endotoxemic Sprague-Dawley rats

During severe sepsis, several immunological defense mechanisms initiate a cascade of inflammatory events leading to multiorgan failure, including septic encephalopathy and ultimately death. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) has recently been investigated in different cerebral pathologies. Some reports suggest the involvement of ET-1 in sepsis. However, no study to date has reported the alterations in expression of the genes encoding preproET-1 and ET receptors in the frontal cortex of the septic brain. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats 8 weeks of age were administered either saline or 15 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at different time points (1, 3, 6, and 10 hrs). Rats that did not receive LPS were considered to be controls. The rats were sacrificed with ether, and the brain tissues were harvested. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased 1 hr after LPS administration and then gradually returned to normal, without any change in the heart rate. We confirmed the induction of endotoxemia in the brains of SD rats by measuring the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) mRNA induced in the cerebrum. The expression of inducible NOS (iNOS) mRNA in the brains of SD rat after LPS administration was 30-fold higher than that in the brains of control rats. mRNA expression of preproET-1 in the frontal cortex of SD rats after LPS administration was 2-fold higher than that in control rats. A time-dependent increase in the expression of the gene encoding the ET(A) receptor (vasoconstrictive property) after LPS administration was observed in SD rat brain, whereas expression of the gene encoding the ET(B) receptor (vasodilatatory property) showed an initial upregulation and then gradually decreased as sepsis progressed. In conclusion, we report for the first time that expressions of the genes encoding ET-1 and ET receptors are altered in the endotoxemic brain and that these alterations are time-dependent in SD rats. The alterations in the ET system in brain tissue observed in the present study may contribute to the understanding of the pathophysiological changes in the endotoxemic brain.     

Molecular pathogenesis of a novel mutation, G108D, in short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase identified in subjects with short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency

Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD) is a mitochondrial enzyme involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids. Genetic defect of SCAD was documented to cause clinical symptoms such as progressive psychomotor retardation, muscle hypotonia, and myopathy in early reports. However, clinical significance of SCAD deficiency (SCADD) has been getting ambiguous, for some variants in the ACADS gene, which encodes the SCAD protein, has turned out to be widely prevailed among general populations. Accordingly, the pathophysiology of SCADD has not been clarified thus far. The present report focuses on two suspected cases of SCADD detected through the screening of newborns by tandem mass spectrometry. In both subjects, compound heterozygous mutations in ACADS were detected. The mutated genes were expressed in a transient gene expression system, and the enzymatic activities of the obtained mutant SCAD proteins were measured. The activities of the mutant SCAD proteins were significantly lower than that of the wild-type enzyme, confirming the mechanism underlying the diagnosis of SCADD in both subjects. Moreover, the mutant SCAD proteins gave rise to mitochondrial fragmentation and autophagy, both of which were proportional to the decrease in SCAD activities. The association of autophagy with programed cell death suggests that the mutant SCAD proteins are toxic to mitochondria and to the cells in which they are expressed. The expression of recombinant ACADS-encoded mutant proteins offers a technique to evaluate both the nature of the defective SCAD proteins and their toxicity. Moreover, our results provide insight into possible molecular pathophysiology of SCADD.     

Stem hypertrophic lenticels and secondary aerenchyma enable oxygen transport to roots of soybean in flooded soil

Background and Aims

Aerenchyma provides a low-resistance O₂ transport pathway that enhances plant survival during soil flooding. When in flooded soil, soybean produces aerenchyma and hypertrophic stem lenticels. The aims of this study were to investigate O₂ dynamics in stem aerenchyma and evaluate O₂ supply via stem lenticels to the roots of soybean during soil flooding.

Methods

Oxygen dynamics in aerenchymatous stems were investigated using Clark-type O₂ microelectrodes, and O₂ transport to roots was evaluated using stable-isotope ¹⁸O₂ as a tracer, for plants with shoots in air and roots in flooded sand or soil. Short-term experiments also assessed venting of CO₂ via the stem lenticels.

Key Results

The radial distribution of the O₂ partial pressure (pO₂) was stable at 17 kPa in the stem aerenchyma 15 mm below the water level, but rapidly declined to 8 kPa at 200–300 µm inside the stele. Complete submergence of the hypertrophic lenticels at the stem base, with the remainder of the shoot still in air, resulted in gradual declines in pO₂ in stem aerenchyma from 17·5 to 7·6 kPa at 13 mm below the water level, and from 14·7 to 6·1 kPa at 51 mm below the water level. Subsequently, re-exposure of the lenticels to air caused pO₂ to increase again to 14–17 kPa at both positions within 10 min. After introducing ¹⁸O₂ gas via the stem lenticels, significant ¹⁸O₂ enrichment in water extracted from roots after 3 h was confirmed, suggesting that transported O₂ sustained root respiration. In contrast, slight ¹⁸O₂ enrichment was detected 3 h after treatment of stems that lacked aerenchyma and lenticels. Moreover, aerenchyma accelerated venting of CO₂ from submerged tissues to the atmosphere.

Conclusions

Hypertrophic lenticels on the stem of soybean, just above the water surface, are entry points for O₂, and these connect to aerenchyma and enable O₂ transport into roots in flooded soil. Stems that develop aerenchyma thus serve as a ‘snorkel’ that enables O₂ movement from air to the submerged roots.     

Characterization of human CD4 helper T cell responses against Aurora kinase A

Aurora kinase A (Aurora-A) is a cell cycle-associated serine–threonine kinase that is overexpressed by various types of cancer and is highly associated with poor prognosis. Since the expression of Aurora-A in normal tissues has been shown to be significantly lower as compared to tumor cells, this protein is being considered as a potential tumor-associated antigen for developing immunotherapies. The goal in the present study was to identify CD4 helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes for Aurora-A for the design of T cell-based immunotherapies against Aurora-A-expressing tumors. Synthetic peptides corresponding to potential HTL epitopes were identified from Aurora-A and used to stimulate CD4 T lymphocytes in vitro to generate antigen-specific HTL clones that were evaluated for antigen specificity, MHC restriction and for their ability to interact with Aurora-A-expressing tumor cells. The results show that two peptides (Aurora-A_161–175 and Aurora-A_233–247) were effective in generating HTL responses that were restricted by more than one MHC class II allele (i.e., promiscuous responses). The CD4 HTL clones were able to directly recognize Aurora-A-expressing tumor cells in an antigen-specific and MHC class II-restricted manner and some of the clones displayed cytolytic activity toward Aurora-A + tumor cells. Both of these peptides were capable of stimulating in vitro T cell responses in patients with bladder cancer.