Human type II GnRH receptor mediates effects of GnRH on cell proliferation

GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) is well-known as the central regulator of the reproductive system through its stimulation of gonadotropin release from the pituitary. Progress in studies on GnRH demonstrated that GnRH has both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on cell proliferation depending on the cell type, and the mechanisms of these effects have been intensively studied. However, even human GnRH receptors which mediate GnRH stimulation have not been completely identified. In the present study, we showed that the inhibitory and stimulatory effects of GnRH on colony-formation using four cell lines and have demonstrated that the inhibitory and stimulatory effects of GnRH exhibit distinctly different patterns of ligand sensitivity. This result strongly suggests that the two opposite effects of GnRH occur via different types of GnRH receptors, however expressional analyses of human GnRH receptors did not exhibit the significantly different pattern between negatively and positively responding cell lines. Then, in order to identify the GnRH receptors involved in the two opposite effects, effects of GnRH were analysed under the conditions that human GnRH receptors were knocked down by the technique of RNA interference. Consequently, it was found that human type II GnRH receptor mediates GnRH stimulation and its splice variant determines the direction of the response to GnRH. These results are the first clear evidence for the functionality of human type II GnRH receptor. Therefore our novel findings are quite noticeable and will greatly contribute to the studies on the mechanisms of the effects of GnRH on cell proliferation in the future.     

Oocyte mitochondria: Strategies to improve embryogenesis

Mitochondria play a central role to provide ATP for fertilization and preimplantation embryo development in the ooplasm. The mitochondrial dysfunction of oocyte has been proposed as one of the causes of high levels of developmental retardation and arrest that occur in preimplantation embryos generated using Assisted Reproductive Technology. Cytoplasmic transfer (CT) from a donor to a recipient oocyte has been applied to infertility due to dysfunctional ooplasm, with resulting pregnancies and births. However, neither the efficacy nor safety of this procedure has been appropriately investigated. In order to improve embryogenesis, we observed the mitochondrial distribution in ooplasma under the several conditions using mitochondrial GFP-transgenic mice (mtGFP-tg mice) in which the mitochondria are visualized by GFP. In this report, we will present our research about the mitochondrial distribution in ooplasm during early embryogenesis and the fate of injected donor mitochondria after CT using mtGFP-tg mice. The mitochondria in ooplasm from the germinal vesicle stage to the morula stage were accumulated in the perinuclear region. The mitochondria of the mtGFP-tg mouse oocyte transferred into the wild type mouse embryo could be observed until the blastocysts stage, suggesting that the mtGFP-tg mice oocyte is very useful for visual observation of the mitochondrial distribution in the oocyte, and that the aberrant early developmental competences due to the oocyte mitochondrial dysfunction may be overcome by transferring the "normal" mitochondria.     

Graviperception in growth inhibition of plant shoots under hypergravity conditions produced by centrifugation is independent of that in gravitropism and may involve mechanoreceptors

Hypergravity caused by centrifugation inhibits elongation growth of shoots by decreasing the cell wall extensibility via suppression of xyloglucan breakdown as well as by the thickening of cell walls. The mechanism of graviperception in hypergravity-induced growth inhibition was investigated in Arabidopsis [A. thaliana (L.) Heynh.] hypocotyls and azuki bean (Vigna angularis Ohwi et Ohashi) epicotyls. Hypergravity caused growth suppression in both sgr1-1 and pgm1, which are Arabidopsis mutants deprived of gravitropism, as in wild-type plants, suggesting that the graviperception in hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of shoots is independent of that in gravitropism. Hypergravity had no effects on growth of azuki bean epicotyls or Arabidopsis hypocotyls in the presence of lanthanum or gadolinium, which are blockers of mechanoreceptors. Moreover, lanthanum or gadolinium at the same concentration had no influence on gravitropism of azuki bean epicotyls and Arabidopsis hypocotyls. Hypergravity had no effects on cell wall extensibility and affected neither xyloglucan metabolism nor the thickness of cell walls in the lanthanum- or gadolinium-treated azuki bean epicotyls. Lanthanum or gadolinium inhibited the hypergravity-induced increase in the pH of the apoplastic fluid in the epicotyls, which is involved in the processes of the suppression of xyloglucan breakdown due to hypergravity. These findings suggest that plants perceive the hypergravity stimuli by mechanoreceptors in the plasma membrane, and utilize the perceived signal to regulate the growth rate of their shoots.Abbreviations HC-I Hemicellulose-I - HC-II Hemicellulose-II     

Gicerin,a cell adhesion molecule,promotes the metastasis of lymphoma cells of the chicken

Gicerin is an immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecule purified from chicken gizzards. This molecule displays an adhesive interaction with a laminin-like protein as well as with gicerin itself. Gicerin appears in embryonic tissues and plays a role in chick development through its cell adhesive properties. An increase in gicerin expression is found in some sporadic tumors of the chicken. To elucidate the possible role of gicerin in tumor progression in chickens, we introduced gicerin cDNA into an endogenous gicerin negative lymphoma MDCC-MSB1 cell line, and subsequently analyzed them for changes in their metastatic potentials. After intravenous implantation of the gicerin transfectants into chickens, the metastatic potential to the lung, liver and kidney was enhanced compared with parental MDCC-MSB1 cells. Self-aggregation activity was increased in gicerin transfectants. In addition, adhesive and migratory activities of the gicerin transfectants to the gicerin ligands were enhanced in vitro. These findings indicate that gicerin can contribute to the malignancy and metastatic properties of lymphoma.This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 13760210), and a grant for Scientific Research on Priority Areas "Cancer" (No. 12215133), from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan, grants from the Uehara Memorial Foundation and Senri Life Science and a Grant-in-Aid for Advanced Scientific Research from Osaka Prefecture University     

The polyglycine and polyglutamine repeats in the androgen receptor gene in Japanese and Caucasian populations

Human androgen receptor (AR) gene contains two polymorphic trinucleotide repeats of CAG and GGC, which code for polyglutamine and polyglycine tracts in the N-terminal domain in which the receptor activity resides. Longer repeats induce decrease of transactivation function in the AR receptor, weaken an anti-proliferative effect on various steroid-related tissues, and may promote the carcinogenesis of these cancers, such as breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. However, the incidences of these steroid-related cancers are remarkably lower in Japanese than in Caucasians. We hypothesize that the GGC and CAG repeats in AR gene correspond to lower incidence of steroid-related cancers in the Japanese population. To test this hypothesis, these two polymorphic trinucleotide repeats in AR gene were genotyped in 221 Japanese and 177 Caucasians. The results of genotyping in these loci clearly show that the distribution of GGC repeat is significantly different between these populations (P<0.001). Japanese (73.7%) had 16 GGC repeats compared to 53.3% for Caucasians. Japanese (3.8%) also had 17 GGC repeats compared to 36.2% for Caucasians. No Japanese had more than 18 GGC repeats compared to 3.4% for Caucasians. The length of CAG repeats in the Japanese population was not significantly different than that of the Caucasian population, although the CAG repeats varied from 14 to 31 and 15 to 29 repeats in Japanese and German populations, respectively. This study demonstrates that the Japanese population has shorter GGC compared to the Caucasian population, which may explain the incidences of estrogen-related cancers in these populations.     

Circadian rhythm of atrioventricular conduction predicts long-term survival in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation

The R-R interval of the electrocardiogram during atrial fibrillation (AF) appears absolutely irregular. However, the Poincaré plot of the R-R interval reveals a sector shape of distribution that is unique to AF. Furthermore, the height of lower envelope (LE1.0) of the distribution and the degree of scatter above the envelope (scattering index) may reflect the refractoriness and concealment of atrioventricular (AV) conduction, respectively. We previously observed that both the LE1.0 and scattering index show clear circadian rhythms in patients with chronic AF and that the rhythms are blunted in those with congestive heart failure and chronic AF. In the present study, we examined if the blunted circadian rhythm of the AV conduction has prognostic value in patients with chronic AF. We studied a retrospective cohort of 120 patients who underwent 24h Holter monitoring at baseline. During an observation period of 33 +/- 16 mon, there were 25 deaths (21%) including 13 cardiac and 8 stroke deaths. All patients showed significant circadian rhythms in both LE1.0 and scattering index with acrophases occurring at night; however, patients dying subsequently from cardiac causes, but not those from fatal stroke were blunted in the circadian rhythms (the amplitudes were < 55% of those in surviving patients). Furthermore, the reduced circadian amplitude of scattering index was an increased risk for cardiac death even after adjustment of coexisting cardiovascular risks [adjusted relative risk (95% confidence interval) per 1-SD decrement, 4.24 (1.54-11.6)]. When patients were divided by the circadian amplitude of the scattering index of 36.5 msec (mean minus 1-SD), the 5yr cardiac mortality below and above the cutoff was 57 and 6%, respectively (log-rank test, p < 0.001). We conclude that the blunted circadian rhythm of AV conduction is an independent risk for cardiac death in patients with chronic AF.     

Synthesis of an ether-linked alkyl 5a-carba-beta-D-glucoside,a 5a-carba-beta-D-galactoside,a 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-5a-carba-beta-D-glucoside,and an alkyl 5a'-carba-beta-lactoside

For the purpose of providing biologically stable building blocks for the biocombinatorial synthesis using a living cell, some ether-linked alkyl 5a-carba-beta-D-glycoside primers were prepared. The key step of the synthesis was coupling of 1-bromo-n-alkanes with the 1-OH unprotected derivatives of 5a-carba-sugar analogues of D-glucose, D-galactose, and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose (N-acetyl-D-glucosamine), in DMF in the presence of sodium hydride. Alternatively, alkyl carba-lactoside was synthesized by incorporation of a 5a-carba-beta-D-galactose residue into the 4-position of dodecyl beta-D-glucopyranoside. A strong and specific inhibition of beta-galactosidase (K(i) 0.67 microM, bovine liver) was found for dodecyl 5a-carba-beta-D-galactopyranoside.     

Action of xyloglucan hydrolase within the native cell wall architecture and its effect on cell wall extensibility in azuki bean epicotyls

Xyloglucan hydrolase (XGH) has recently been purified from the cell wall of azuki bean (Vigna angularis Ohwi et Ohashi) epicotyls as a new type of xyloglucan-degrading enzyme [Tabuchi et al. (2001) Plant Cell Physiol. 42: 154]. In the present study, the effects of XGH on the mechanical properties of the cell wall and on the level and the molecular size of xyloglucans within the native wall architecture were examined in azuki bean epicotyls. When the epidermal tissue strips from the growing regions of azuki bean epicotyls were incubated with XGH, the mechanical extensibility of the cell wall dramatically increased. XGH exogenously applied to cell wall materials (homogenates) or epidermal tissue strips decreased the amount of xyloglucans via the solubilization of the polysaccharides. Also, XGH substantially decreased the molecular mass of xyloglucans in both materials. These results indicate that XGH is capable of hydrolyzing xyloglucans within the native cell wall architecture and thereby increasing the cell wall extensibility in azuki bean epicotyls.     

Convenient synthesis and evaluation of enzyme inhibitory activity of several N-alkyl-, N-phenylalkyl,and cyclic isourea derivatives of 5a-carba-alpha-DL-fucopyranosylamine

Convenient synthesis and chemical modification of the potent alpha-L-fucosidase inhibitor, 5a-carba-alpha-DL-fucopyranosylamine (1), are described. Among seven N-substituted and three cyclic isourea derivatives newly prepared, the N-octyl derivative was found to be the strongest inhibitor of alpha-L-fucosidase (bovine kidney) more potent (K(i)=0.016 microM) than deoxyfuconojirimycin (K(i)=0.031 microM) with p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-fucopyranoside as the substrate.