Identification of a cis element for tissue-specific alternative splicing of chloroplast ascorbate peroxidase pre-mRNA in higher plants

Alternative splicing events in the 3'-terminal region of chloroplast ascorbate peroxidase (chlAPX) pre-mRNA in spinach and tobacco, which produced four types of mRNA variants, one form (tAPX-I) encoding thylakoid-bound APX (tAPX) and three forms (sAPX-I, -II, and -III) encoding stromal APX (sAPX), were regulated in a tissue-specific manner. The ratio of the level of sAPX mRNAs (sAPX-I, -II, and -III) to tAPX-I mRNA was close to 1 in leaf, whereas the ratio in root was greatly elevated due to an increase in sAPX-III and a decrease in tAPX-I resulting from the alternative excision of intron 11 and intron 12, respectively. A putative splicing regulatory cis element (SRE), which is highly conserved in the sequences of chlAPX genes of higher plants, was identified upstream of the acceptor site in intron 12. The deletion of the SRE sequence diminished the splicing efficiency of intron 12 in tobacco leaf in vivo. Gel-shift analysis showed that SRE interacts strongly with a nuclear protein from leaves but not those from the roots of spinach and tobacco. These results indicate that the tissue-specific alternative splicing of chlAPX pre-mRNA is regulated by the splicing enhancer SRE.     

Ethyl pyruvate modulates inflammatory gene expression in mice subjected to hemorrhagic shock

Administration of pyruvate, an effective scavenger of reactive oxygen species, has been shown to be salutary in numerous models of redox-mediated tissue or organ injury. Pyruvate, however, is unstable in solution and, hence, is not attractive for development as a therapeutic agent. Herein, ethyl pyruvate, which is thought to be more stable than the parent compound, was formulated in a calcium-containing balanced salt solution [Ringer ethyl pyruvate solution (REPS)] and evaluated in a murine model of hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HS/R). Resuscitation with REPS instead of Ringer lactate solution (RLS) significantly improved survival at 24 h and abrogated bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes and the development of increased ileal mucosal permeability to FITC-labeled dextran (4,000 Da) at 4 h. Mice treated with REPS instead of RLS also had lower circulating levels of alanine aminotransferase at 4 h. Treatment with REPS instead of RLS decreased activation of nuclear factor-kappaB in liver and colonic mucosa after HS/R and also decreased the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor, cyclooxygenase-2, and interleukin-6 mRNA in liver, ileal mucosa, and/or colonic mucosa. These data support the view that resuscitation with REPS modulates the inflammatory response and decreases hepatocellular and gut mucosal injury in mice subjected to HS/R.     

Endosomal/lysosomal targeting of a single helper T-cell epitope of an intracellular bacterium by DNA immunisation induces a specific T-cell subset and partial protective immunity in vivo

We evaluated here the effect of the intracellular targeting of a helper T-cell (Th) epitope, literiolysin O 215-226 derived from Listeria monocytogenes, on induction of a specific Th by gene gun immunisation. Immunisation of C3H/He mice with pE215LAMP plasmid encoding the Th epitope fused with the endosomal/lysosomal targeting signal of lysosome-associated membrane protein (LAMP)-1 gave the epitope-specific proliferative responses of CD4(+) T lymphocytes. In addition, specific interferon-gamma production from the splenocytes was observed. Concomitantly, pE215LAMP-immunised mice showed moderate, but significant protective immunity against listerial challenge. These results suggest that the intracellular targeting of a Th epitope to endosomal/lysosomal compartments by DNA immunisation is useful for eliciting a specific Th subset in vivo.     

Heat stress facilitates stretch-induced hypertrophy of cultured muscle cells

Increased mechanical stress induced by stretch is an important growth stimulus in skeletal muscle. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are an important family of endogenous, protective proteins. HSP90 and HSP70 families show elevated levels under beat stress. Mechanical stress, such as physical exercise, is known to induce not only muscular hypertrophy but also the elevation of HSPs expression in skeletal muscle. The purpose of this study was to determine whether heat stress facilitates the stretch-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle cells. Cultured rat myotubes (L6) were plated on collagenized Silastic membranes and incubated at 41 degrees C for 60 and 75 minutes (heat shock). Following the incubation, the cells were subjected two-second stretching and four-second releasing for 4 days at 37 degrees C. Protein concentrations in the homogenates and pellets of the cultured skeletal muscle cells increased under heat shock and/or mechanical stretching. The protein concentration of cells following mechanical stretching following heat shock was significantly higher than that following either heat shock or mechanical stretching alone. HSP72 in supernatants and HSP90 in pellets increased under heat shock and/or mechanical stretching. HSP90 in supernatants decreased following heat shock and/or mechanical stretching. Changes in HSPs and cellular protein concentrations in stressed cells suggest that the expression of HSPs may be closely related with muscular hypertrophy.     

Amelioration of cisplatin toxicity by a fermented grain food product

The most noticeable hypothesis regarding the pathogenesis of cisplatin toxicity, seen mainly in kidney and intestine, is oxidative stress, an imbalance between free-radical generating cisplatin and radical scavenging systems. This paper describes the role of the antioxidant system in cisplatin-induced toxicity and the protective effect by a processed grain food (Antioxidant Biofactor: AOB), which has been shown to exhibit strong antioxidant activity. Male Fischer 344 rats were used. They were pre-fed either a basal diet (control, 15 g/day) or the diet supplemented with AOB to provide 6.5% or 20% of total diet throughout the experiment. Cisplatin (5 mg/kg, i.v.) was administered at the start of the experiment, and the animals were sacrificed 5 days later. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and plasma creatinine, NO2(-) and NO3(-) (NOx) were determined from the plasma. The levels of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (a lipid peroxidation product), 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG, an oxidatively modified DNA adduct) and nitrotyrosine were histologically analyzed. The cisplatin administration resulted in a loss of body weight and elevations of BUN, serum creatinine and NOx levels, whereas AOB supplement reversed these effects. The severe morphological damages induced in the kidney and intestine by the cisplatin administration were markedly improved in the AOB group. The levels of lipid peroxidation, 8-OHdG, and nitrotyrosine all paralleled the morphological damage. The AOB effect was dose dependent. In conclusion, the present study suggests that certain food additives like AOB may be of benefit against the side effects of cisplatin.     

Characteristic rat tissue accumulation of nobiletin, a chemopreventive polymethoxyflavonoid, in comparison with luteolin

Nobiletin (NOB), a polymethoxyflavonoid, is an effective anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive phytochemical found in citrus fruits. We compared the absorption and metabolism characteristics of NOB with those of luteolin (LT) in male SD rats. Each flavonoid (67.1 micromol/kg of body weight) was given separately by gastric intubation, and then concentrations were measured at 1, 4, and 24 hours after administration. In the digestive organs, NOB showed a notable tendency for localizing into the mucous membrane and muscularis from 1 to 4 hours, in contrast to LT, though both NOB and LT were completely excreted within 24 hours. Further, significant amounts of NOB were detected in the whole liver and kidney specimens, whereas LT accumulation was slight. Although serum concentrations of NOB from 1 to 4 hours were comparable to those of LT, urinary concentrations of LT were significantly higher from 4 to 24 hours. Following glucuronidase/sulfatase treatments of urinary materials, we detected 3 types of mono-demethylated NOB, including 3'-demethyl-NOB, and two di-demethylated types, as well as 3'-demethyl-NOB alone in serum samples using liquid chromatography-mass spectral analysis. Our results suggest that the metabolic properties of polymethoxyflavonoids are distinct from those of other general flavonoids, because of their wide distribution and accumulation in tissue.     

Characterization of orexins (hypocretins) and melanin-concentrating hormone in genetically obese mice

Orexins (hypocretins) and the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) are neuropeptides localized to the lateral hypothalamic area and are potential regulators of energy homeostasis. Using highly sensitive radioimmunoassay for orexins and MCH, we determined their contents in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) of genetically obese ob/ob and db/db mice and their controls, C57BL/6J and C57BL/KSJ. The orexin contents in the lateral hypothalamus significantly increased in the ob/ob mice, whereas the orexin contents significantly decreased in the db/db mice. Mature orexin-A and -B peptides were the major endogenous orexin molecules in the lateral hypothalamus. Conversely, the MCH contents in the lateral hypothalamus of both obese mice increased compared to the control mice. MCH contents in the lateral hypothalamus were two- to five-fold higher than that of orexin contents. These results suggest that the regulatory mechanism of orexin and MCH may be different in the genetically obese mice.     

Transforming growth factor-beta isoforms differently stimulate proalpha2 (I) collagen gene expression during wound healing process in transgenic mice

The role of many growth factors and cytokines in the process of wound healing has been intensively investigated in recent two decades. Among them, transforming growth factor-betas (TGF-betas) are well known to have a potent stimulatory effect on collagen synthesis as shown in various in vivo experimental systems. In the present study, we examined the effects of various growth factors on the promoter activity of the proalpha2 (I) collagen gene (COL1A2) during the wound healing process. For this purpose, we utilized transgenic mice harboring the -17 kb promoter sequence of the mouse COL1A2 linked to either a firefly luciferase or a bacterial beta-galactosidase gene. These mice exhibited normal phenotypic expression and the wound healing process was not impaired. Full thickness wounds were made by punch biopsy. We examined the effects of TGF-beta1, -beta2, -beta3, basic fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and connective tissue growth factor by applying them locally to the open wound every 2 days. Among the growth factors examined, all of the three isoforms of TGF- exhibited a more potent stimulatory effect on COL1A2 promoter activity than did other factors. In addition, while TGF-beta1 and -beta2 significantly increased the number of fibroblasts which were positive for X-Gal staining, TGF-beta3 treatment did not change the number of beta-galactosidase expressing cells. Accumulation of collagen fibers was observed to the same extent in the mice treated with TGF-beta1 and those with TGF-beta3. These findings suggest that TGF-beta1 and -beta3 have similar but not identical regulatory mechanisms of COL1A2 expression, and that their pathophysiological roles in wound healing might be different from each other.     

Continuous exposure of mice to superantigenic toxins induces a high-level protracted expansion and an immunological memory in the toxin-reactive CD4+ T cells

We analyzed the responses of several T cell fractions reactive with superantigenic toxins (SAGTs), staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), or Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-derived mitogen (YPM) in mice implanted with mini-osmotic pumps filled with SEA or YPM. In mice implanted with the SEA pump, SEA-reactive Vbeta3(+)CD4(+) T cells exhibited a high-level protracted expansion for 30 days, and SEA-reactive Vbeta11(+)CD4(+) T cells exhibited a low-level protracted expansion. SEA-reactive CD8(+) counterparts exhibited only a transient expansion. A similar difference in T cell expansion was also observed in YPM-reactive T cell fractions in mice implanted with the YPM pump. Vbeta3(+)CD4(+) and Vbeta11(+)CD4(+) T cells from mice implanted with the SEA pump exhibited cell divisions upon in vitro restimulation with SEA and expressed surface phenotypes as memory T cells. CD4(+) T cells from mice implanted with the SEA pump exhibited high IL-4 production upon in vitro restimulation with SEA, which was due to the enhanced capacity of the SEA-reactive CD4(+) T cells to produce IL-4. The findings in the present study indicate that, in mice implanted with a specific SAGT, the level of expansion of the SAGT-reactive CD4(+) T cell fractions varies widely depending on the TCR Vbeta elements expressed and that the reactive CD4(+) T cells acquire a capacity to raise a memory response. CD8(+) T cells are low responders to SAGTs.