Human P301L-Mutant Tau Expression in Mouse Entorhinal-Hippocampal Network Causes Tau Aggregation and Presynaptic Pathology but No Cognitive Deficits

Accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau in the entorhinal cortex (EC) is one of the earliest pathological hallmarks in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It can occur before significant Aβ deposition and appears to “spread” into anatomically connected brain regions. To determine whether this early-stage pathology is sufficient to cause disease progression and cognitive decline in experimental models, we overexpressed mutant human tau (hTauP301L) predominantly in layer II/III neurons of the mouse EC. Cognitive functions remained normal in mice at 4, 8, 12 and 16 months of age, despite early and extensive tau accumulation in the EC. Perforant path (PP) axon terminals within the dentate gyrus (DG) contained abnormal conformations of tau even in young EC-hTau mice, and phosphorylated tau increased with age in both the EC and PP. In old mice, ultrastructural alterations in presynaptic terminals were observed at PP-to-granule cell synapses. Phosphorylated tau was more abundant in presynaptic than postsynaptic elements. Human and pathological tau was also detected within hippocampal neurons of this mouse model. Thus, hTauP301L accumulation predominantly in the EC and related presynaptic pathology in hippocampal circuits was not sufficient to cause robust cognitive deficits within the age range analyzed here.     

Structural analysis and specific expression of microsomal cytochrome P-450(M-1) mRNA in male rat livers

cDNA clones for the P-450(M-1) mRNA, which exhibits a male-specific expression in rat livers, were isolated by using synthetic oligonucleotides as the probes. Sequence analysis of the cDNAs showed that P-450(M-1) mRNA contains 1,853 nucleotides in addition to a poly(A) chain, and a single open reading frame of 1,500 nucleotides encodes a polypeptide of 500 amino acids with a Mr = 57,187. The predicted NH2-terminal sequence of 30 amino acids agrees well with that of the purified protein determined by Edman degradation, and the predicted primary structure included all the partial sequences of six internal peptides of P-450(M-1) obtained by the proteolytic digestion and a conserved amino acid sequence containing a putative heme-binding cysteine, proximate to the COOH terminus of the molecules. P-450(M-1) showed relatively high sequence similarity with P-450b (Fujii-Kuriyama, Y., Mizukami, Y., Kawajiri, K., Sogawa, K., and Muramatsu, M. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 2793-2797) (52% similarity), P-450-3b (Ozols, J., Heinemann, F. S., and Johnson, E. F. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 5427-5434) (64%), P-450-1 (Tukey, R. H., Okino, S., Barnes, H., Griffin, K. J., and Johnson, E. F. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 13347-13354) (74%), P-450PBc1 (Leighton, J. K., DeBrunner-Vossbrinck, B. A., and Kemper, B. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 4598-4603) (71%), while its sequence similarity with 3-methylcholanthrene-inducible P-450c and P-450d is rather low. Consequently, P-450(M-1) could be structurally classified into the phenobarbital-inducible type of P-450 gene family. RNA blot analysis using a synthetic oligonucleotide specific for P-450(M-1) revealed that P-450(M-1) mRNA was expressed exclusively in the livers of mature male rats in a sex-specific manner, but not in other tissues so far examined.     

Purification of atrial natriuretic peptide receptor from bovine lung. Evidence for a disulfide-linked subunit structure

The receptor for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) was purified to apparent homogeneity from bovine lung by a combination of detergent extraction, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and affinity chromatography on ANP-Affi-Gel 10. The Mr of the purified receptor is about 140,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. After reduction, the protein migrated as a single band with an Mr near 70,000. NH2-terminal sequence analysis of the purified material revealed only one sequence, indicating that the ANP receptor is composed of two probably identical subunits held together by disulfide bond(s), although it remains possible that one of the subunits is blocked at the NH2 terminus. Antibody was produced to the nonreduced Mr = 140,000 species and shown to interact with detergent-solubilized forms of the lung and kidney ANP receptor.     

Nitrification and nitrogen accumulation in the early stages of primary succession on Mt. Fuji

The relationship between nitrification potential and nitrogen accumulation was studied in an early successional sere on Mt. Fuji. Soil organic nitrogen accumulated with the invasion ofPolygonum cuspidatum and successively withMiscanthus oligostachyus and other species. Laboratory incubation experiments showed a higher nitrification potential at theM. oligostachyus state. The numbers of nitrifying bacteria increased with the progress of succession. No significant difference in nitrate reductase activity was found between pioneer and succeeding species. The soil solution at theM. oligostachyus stage contained a lower level of nitrate than rainwater, while that of the bare ground and theP. cuspidatum stage contained a higher nitrate level than rainwater. It was concluded that the high nitrate levels in the soil solution of the bare ground and theP. cuspidatum stage were due to lower nitrate-absorbing activity, leading to loss of nitrogen with precipitation, while the lower nitrate levels at theM. oligostachyus stage when higher nitrification activity occurred were due to higher nitrate-absorbing activity, preventing net loss of nitrogen from the ecosystem.     

Genetic characterization of the mei-41 locus in Drosophila melanogaster

Summary The mutagen-sensitive mutant mus(1)104 ^D1 of Drosophila melanogaster maps to a position on the X chromosome very close to the meiotic mutant mei-41 ^D5 . Both mutants have been characterized as mutagen-sensitive and defective in post-replication repair. In the present report we show by complementation studies that mus(1)104 and mus(1)103 are allelic with mei-41. In addition, two reported alleles of mus(1)104 lie between the mei-41 alleles A10 and D5. The size of the mei-41 locus is estimated to be about 0.1 centimorgans (cM). Because several alleles of mei-41 have been shown to reduce recombination and increase meiotic chromosome loss and nondisjunction, mus(1)104 ^D1 females were examined for defects in meiosis. Although there was no evidence for reduced recombination on the second chromosome in homozygous mus(1)104 ^D1 females, heterozygous mus(1)104 ^D1 /mei-41 ^>D5 and mus(1)104 ^D1 /deficiency females showed reduced levels of recombination. However, there was no evidence of an increase in nondijunction in these females.We dedicate this article to the memory of Larry Sandler, who passed away suddenly on February 7, 1987     

Endothelin induces two types of contractions of rat uterus: phasic contractions by way of voltage-dependent calcium channels and developing contractions through a second type of calcium channels

Effects of endothelin on nonvascular smooth muscle have been examined using rat uterine horns and two modes of endothelin action have been revealed. Endothelin (0.3 nM) caused rhythmic contractions of isolated uterus in the presence of extracellular calcium. The rhythmic contractions were completely inhibited by calcium channel antagonists. These characteristics of endothelin-induced contractions were very similar to those induced by oxytocin. Binding assays using 125I-endothelin showed that endothelin and the calcium channel blockers did not compete for the binding sites. However, endothelin was unique in that it caused, in addition to rhythmic contractions, a slowly developing monophasic contraction that was insensitive to calcium channel blockers. This developing contraction became dominant at higher concentrations of endothelin and was also calcium dependent.     

Induction of microsomal 1-acylglycerophosphocholine acyltransferase by peroxisome proliferators in rat kidney; co-induction with peroxisomal beta-oxidation

Induction of microsomal 1-acyl-glycerophosphocholine (GPC) acyltransferase in rat tissues by four peroxisome proliferators, clofibric acid, tiadenol, DEHP and PFOA, was examined. Among the nine tissues examined, kidney, liver and intestinal mucosa responded to the challenges by the peroxisome proliferators to induce the enzyme. The treatment of rats with various dose of clofibric acid, tiadenol, DEHP or PFOA resulted in an induction of kidney microsomal 1-acyl-GPC acyltransferase in a dose-dependent manner. Despite the structural dissimilarity of peroxisome proliferators, the induction of microsomal 1-acyl-GPC acyltransferase was highly correlated with the induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation. The activity of microsomal 1-acyl-GPC acyltransferase was not affected by changes in hormonal (adrenalectomy, diabetes, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism) and nutritional (starvation, starvation-refeeding, fat-free-diet feeding and high-fat-diet feeding) states. The induction of renal microsomal 1-acyl-GPC acyltransferase was seen in mice subsequent to the administration of clofibric acid and tiadenol and in guinea pigs subsequent to the administration of tiadenol. These results may indicate that kidney microsomal 1-acyl-GPC acyltransferase is a highly specific parameter responsive to the challenges by peroxisome proliferators and may suggest that the possibility that the inductions by peroxisome proliferators of microsomal 1-acyl-GPC acyltransferase and peroxisomal beta-oxidation in kidney are co-regulated.     

Changes of DNA methylation level during pre-and postnatal periods in mice

DNA methylation in an adult mammalian body shows tissue-specificity. But when and how the specificity is established in the process of development has not yet been elucidated. Here we have investigated age-dependent changes in the amount of 5-methyldeoxycytidine (5mdC) that DNA of various mouse tissues contains during the late-fetal and postnatal periods, using high-performance liquid chromatography. The tissue-specificity in the 5mdC level was observed in the late-fetal stage, and the level continued to change during the subsequent periods. The most pronounced alterations were observed in brain and liver, where similar biphasic changes were seen, but at different ages. At maturation, the 5mdC levels were high in thymus, spleen and brain, intermediate in lung, and low in liver and sperm. The data demonstrate the importance of the peri- and postnatal periods in establishment of tissue-specificity in 5mdC content.     

Galactosialidosis: molecular heterogeneity in biosynthesis and processing of protective protein for β-galactosidase

Summary Biosynthesis and processing of the protective protein for -galactosidase in normal and galactosialidosis fibroblasts were investigated using specific antiserum preparations. A 45-kd precursor was processed to a mature 30-kd protein in normal fibroblasts. The mature protective protein was not detected in any of the twelve galactosialidosis fibroblast strains examined in this study. The precursor was not detected in two cases and in the others was of heterogeneous molecular weight, i.e., normal, abnormally low, or abnormally high. These molecular abnormalities were not correlated with clinical manifestations of the patients.