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Biomedical subjects

A D Wallace

Publications and source records attributed to A D Wallace.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Proteasome-mediated glucocorticoid receptor degradation restricts transcriptional signaling by glucocorticoids.

Ligand-dependent down-regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has been shown to limit hormone responsiveness, but the mechanisms involved in this process are poorly understood. The glucocorticoid receptor is a phosphoprotein that upon ligand binding becomes hyperphosphorylated, and recent evidence indicates that phosphorylation status of the glucocorticoid receptor plays a prominent role in receptor protein turnover. Because phosphorylation is a key signal for ubiquitination and proteasomal catabolism of many proteins, we evaluated whether the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway had a role in glucocorticoid receptor down-regulation and the subsequent transcriptional response to glucocorticoids. Pretreatment of COS-1 cells expressing mouse glucocorticoid receptor with the proteasome inhibitor MG-132 effectively blocks glucocorticoid receptor protein down-regulation by the glucocorticoid dexamethasone. Interestingly, both MG-132 and a second proteasome inhibitor beta-lactone significantly enhanced hormone response of transfected mouse glucocorticoid receptor toward transcriptional activation of glucocorticoid receptor-mediated reporter gene expression. The transcriptional activity of the endogenous human glucocorticoid receptor in HeLa cells was also enhanced by MG-132. Direct evidence for ubiquitination of the glucocorticoid receptor was obtained by immunoprecipitation of cellular extracts from proteasome-impaired cells. Examination of the primary sequence of mouse, human, and rat glucocorticoid receptor has identified a candidate PEST degradation motif. Mutation of Lys-426 within this PEST element both abrogated ligand-dependent down-regulation of glucocorticoid receptor protein and simultaneously enhanced glucocorticoid receptor-induced transcriptional activation of gene expression. Unlike wild type GR, proteasomal inhibition failed to enhance significantly transcriptional activity of K426A mutant GR. Together these findings suggest a major role of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in regulating glucocorticoid receptor protein turnover, thereby providing a mechanism to terminate glucocorticoid responses.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Inducibility of E4BP4 suggests a novel mechanism of negative gene regulation by glucocorticoids.

The major biological effects of glucocorticoids are thought to be initiated through changes in the expression of cellular genes. However, the mechanisms involved in the suppression of some gene products by glucocorticoids are not well defined. ID13 mouse fibroblast cells were treated with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) or with vehicle. Plus/ minus (+Dex/-Dex) cDNAs were used to screen an ID13 cDNA library. Using this method, we found that the recently identified human protein adenovirus E4 promoter binding protein (E4BP4) mRNA was induced by Dex in the ID13 cell line. E4BP4 is a transcriptional repressor and binds to a specific DNA element. Further investigation indentified E4BP4-like DNA elements located in the promoters of glucocorticoid repressed genes Cox-2, iNOS, and cPLA2. These findings suggest that E4BP4 may play a role in the glucocorticoid repression of these and other genes.

Adenoviridae↗

The PhoE porin and transmission of the chemical stimulus for induction of acid resistance (acid habituation) in Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli K12 becomes resistant to killing by acid (habituates to acid) in a few minutes at pH 5.0. Habituation involves protein synthesis-dependent and -independent stages; both must occur at an habituating pH. The habituation sensor does not detect increased delta pH (or decreased delta psi) nor an increased difference between pHo and periplasmic pH but probably detects a fall in either external or periplasmic pH. Phosphate ions inhibit habituation, at any stage, probably by interfering with outer membrane passage of hydrogen ions. Most outer membrane components tested are not required for habituation but phoE deletion mutants habituated poorly and are acid-resistant. Strains derepressed for phoE, in contrast, showed increased acid sensitivity. These and other results suggest that habituation involves hydrogen ions or protonated carriers crossing the outer membrane preferentially via the PhoE pore, a process inhibited by phosphate and other anions. Stimulation by phosphate of the poor growth of E. coli at pH 5.0 is in accord with the above. Acetate did not enhance acid killing of pH 5.0 cells, suggesting that their resistance does not depend on maintaining pHi near to neutrality at an acidic pHo level.

Adaptation, Physiological↗