SV40 immortalizes myogenic cells: DNA synthesis and mitosis in differentiating myotubes

Primary skeletal muscle myoblasts have a limited proliferative capacity in cell culture and cease to proliferate after several passages. We examined the effects of several oncogenes on the immortalization and differentiation of primary cultures of rat skeletal muscle myoblasts. Retroviruses containing a SV40 large T antigen (LT) gene very efficiently immortalize myogenic cells. The immortalized cell lines retain a very high differentiation capacity and form, in the appropriate culture conditions, a very dense network of muscle fibers. As in primary culture, cell fusion is associated with the synthesis of large amounts of muscle-specific proteins. However, unlike normal myoblasts (and previously established myogenic cell lines), nuclei in the multinucleated fibers of SV40-immortalized cells synthesize DNA and enter mitosis. Thus, withdrawal from DNA synthesis is not obligatory for cell fusion and biochemical differentiation. Using a retrovirus coding for a temperature-sensitive SV40 LT, myogenic cell lines were produced in which the SV40 LT could be inactivated by a shift from 33 degrees C to 39 degrees C. The inactivation of LT induced massive cell fusion and synthesis of muscle proteins. The nuclei in those fibers did not synthesize DNA, nor did they undergo mitosis. This approach enabled the reproducible establishment of myogenic cell lines from very small populations of myoblasts or single primary myogenic clones. Activated p53 also readily immortalized cells in primary muscle cultures, however the cells of eight out of the nine cell lines isolated had a fibroblastic morphology and could not be induced to form multinucleated fibers.     

Evidence that Lyb-5 is a differentiation antigen in normal and xid mice

These studies addressed the question of whether the Lyb-5 determinant on mouse B cells might represent a marker for a unique lineage of B cells as has been thought, or rather, a differentiation antigen. Previous studies have addressed this question by treating splenic B cells with anti-Lyb-5 + complement and then culturing them with various antigens. In this study, we first immunized in vivo or in vitro and then determined susceptibility to anti-Lyb-5. These studies demonstrate that a substantial proportion of antibody-forming cells produced in response to immunization with sheep red blood cells, trinitrophenyl (TNP)-keyhole limpet hemocyanin, TNP-Brucella abortus, TNP-lipopolysaccharide, as well as TNP-Ficoll, are eliminated by anti-Lyb-5 + complement treatment at the end of culture. Some generation of Lyb-5+ antibody-forming cells occurred in the last 24 hr of culture. These studies suggest that the Lyb-5 marker represents a differentiation antigen on relatively mature B cells.     

The major 45-kDa protein of the yeast mitochondrial outer membrane is not essential for cell growth or mitochondrial function

As part of an analysis of the function and assembly of the mitochondrial outer membrane, we have cloned and characterized the yeast gene encoding a 45-kDa polypeptide (OM45) which is a major constituent of this membrane. The nuclear gene was isolated by immunological screening of plaques of recombinant phage lambda gt11 containing fragments of yeast genomic DNA using an antibody against OM45. Determination of the nucleotide sequence of the DNA fragment isolated by this approach revealed a single open reading frame of 1179 base pairs which encodes a protein having a predicted molecular mass of 44.6-kDa. Disruption of the OM45 gene in haploid yeast cells eliminated the expression of OM45. The mutant strain showed no apparent defect in cell viability, growth, mitochondrial function, or mitochondrial protein import.     

A novel product of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene which greatly differs from the known isoforms in its structure and tissue distribution.

In Swiss 3T3 cells, depletion of protein kinase C (PKC) by prolonged incubation with phorbol esters potentiates the formation of total inositol phosphates in response to bombesin or vasopressin [Blakeley, Corps & Brown (1989) Biochem. J. 258, 177-185]. The characteristics of the accumulation of inositol phosphates in control and PKC-depleted cells stimulated by bombesin, vasopressin or prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) have now been compared. The potentiation of the PGF2 alpha response was greater than that of the vasopressin response which was, in turn, greater than that of the bombesin response. The time courses of the responses to all three agonists were biphasic, and both phases of the response were amplified in the PKC-depleted cells. These results provide further evidence for the involvement of a PKC-mediated negative-feedback loop regulating phosphoinositide hydrolysis in response to several 3T3 cell mitogens. The differential potentiation of the response to these agonists suggests that PKC might act at multiple sites within the signal transduction pathway.     

Synthesis of tropomyosin in myogenic cultures and in RNA-directed cell-free systems: qualitative changes in the polypeptides

The synthesis of polypeptides with the properties of alpha and beta tropomyosin was investigated in differentiating cultures of a myogenic cell line and in a wheat germ cell-free system directed by purified RNA extracted at different stages of differentiation. The polypeptides co-migrate with tropomyosin in isoelectric focusing and SDS two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and SDS-urea/SDS two-dimensional gels. Like authentic tropomyosin, these polypeptides change their mobility greatly in the presence of urea and do not become labeled with proline. The beta tropomyosin synthesized in the intact cells and in the cell-free system can be separated by isoelectric focusing into at least two components. One component (designated beta1) is present in a small amount at all developmental stages examined, and a more basic component (beta2) is specific for differentiated cultures. The synthesis of beta2 in the intact cells and the capacity of purified RNA to direct its synthesis in a cell-free system become detectable and increase greatly during the period of fusion of the mononucleated cells into multinucleated fibers. The results suggest that the beta1 and beta2 tropomyosins are coded for by different genes.     

Changes in mouse brain diazepam receptor binding after phenobarbital administration

Specific ³H-diazepam binding was measured $\text{in vitro}$ in adult mouse (strain, Crl=CD-1) brain after four days of an inductive dose of phenobarbital pretreatment (i.p.). Sexual dimorphism was observed in ³H-diazepam brain binding, female mice had significantly higher benzodiazepine binding than males without any differences in apparent affinity constants (K_D). Phenobarbital pretreatment caused a significant decrease in the maximal number of binding sites (Bmax) as well as in dissociation rate constants in both sexes.     

The capacity of polyadenylated RNA from myogenic cells treated with actinomycin D to direct protein synthesis in a cell-free system

Cytoplasmic polyadenylated RNA of myogenic cells was shown to decay with biphasic kinetics, suggesting the existence of two main populations of mRNA with respect to stability. In the present study, the stability of mRNA extracted from actinomycin-D-treated cultures of a myogenic cell line was tested by its capacity to direct protein synthesis in the wheat germ cell-free system. The products were analyzed by dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All major radioactive bands found in gels used for analyzing the products of the cell-free system directed by polyadenylated RNA extracted from untreated cultures were also found in similar gels containing products of RNA extracted after many hours of application of actinomycin D. The capacity to code for specific protein bands decays with a half-life ranging between 11 and 40 h. No fast-decaying translatable mRNA could be detected by this method. Instead, it was found that during the first 4--6 h following application of actinomycin D, the capacity of RNA to stimulate incorporation of amino acids into total acid-insoluble material increased by 20--30%. The synthesis of specific products increased by up to 100%. The possibility that the fast-decaying polyadenylated RNA or part of it is nontranslatable RNA is discussed.     

Selective inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis by gold salts and phenylbutazone

Gold salts and phenylbutazone selectively inhibit the synthesis of PGF_2α and PGE₂ respectively. Lowered production of one prostaglandin species is accompanied by an increased production of the other. Selective inhibition by these drugs was observed in the presence of adrenaline, reduced glutathione and copper sulphate under conditions when most anti-inflammatory compounds inhibited PGE₂ and PGF_2α syntheses equally. It is postulated that selective inhibitors may have a different mode of action and beneficial effects may be related to the endogenous ratio of PGE to PGF required for normal function.     

Protein kinases display minimal interpositional dependence on substrate sequence: potential implications for the evolution of signalling networks

Characterization of in vitro substrates of protein kinases by peptide library screening provides a wealth of information on the substrate specificity of kinases for amino acids at particular positions relative to the site of phosphorylation, but provides no information concerning interdependence among positions. High-throughput techniques have recently made it feasible to identify large numbers of in vivo kinase substrates. We used data from experiments on the kinases ATM/ATR and CDK1, and curated CK2 substrates to evaluate the prevalence of interactions between substrate positions within a motif and the utility of these interactions in predicting kinase substrates. Among these data, evidence of interpositional sequence dependencies is strikingly rare, and what dependency exists does little to aid in the prediction of novel kinase substrates. Significant increases in the ability of models to predict kinase-substrate specificity beyond position-independent models must come largely from inclusion of elements of biological and cellular context, rather than further analysis of substrate sequences alone. Our results suggest that, evolutionarily, kinase substrate fitness exists in a smooth energetic landscape. Taken with results from others indicating that phosphopeptide-binding domains do exhibit interpositional dependence, our data suggest that incorporation of new substrate molecules into phospho-signalling networks may be rate-limited by the evolution of suitability for binding by phosphopeptide-binding domains.     

Plk1 Self-Organization and Priming Phosphorylation of HsCYK-4 at the Spindle Midzone Regulate the Onset of Division in Human Cells

Animal cells initiate cytokinesis in parallel with anaphase onset, when an actomyosin ring assembles and constricts through localized activation of the small GTPase RhoA, giving rise to a cleavage furrow. Furrow formation relies on positional cues provided by anaphase spindle microtubules (MTs), but how such cues are generated remains unclear. Using chemical genetics to achieve both temporal and spatial control, we show that the self-organized delivery of Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) to the midzone and its local phosphorylation of a MT-bound substrate are critical for generating this furrow-inducing signal. When Plk1 was active but unable to target itself to this equatorial landmark, both cortical RhoA recruitment and furrow induction failed to occur, thus recapitulating the effects of anaphase-specific Plk1 inhibition. Using tandem mass spectrometry and phosphospecific antibodies, we found that Plk1 binds and directly phosphorylates the HsCYK-4 subunit of centralspindlin (also known as MgcRacGAP) at the midzone. At serine 157, this modification creates a major docking site for the tandem BRCT repeats of the Rho GTP exchange factor Ect2. Cells expressing only a nonphosphorylatable form of HsCYK-4 failed to localize Ect2 at the midzone and were severely impaired in cleavage furrow formation, implying that HsCYK-4 is Plk1's rate-limiting target upstream of RhoA. Conversely, tethering an inhibitor-resistant allele of Plk1 to HsCYK-4 allowed furrows to form despite global inhibition of all other Plk1 molecules in the cell. Our findings illuminate two key mechanisms governing the initiation of cytokinesis in human cells and illustrate the power of chemical genetics to probe such regulation both in time and space.