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Biomedical subjects

B Antoine

Publications and source records attributed to B Antoine.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Upregulation of rat P23 (a member of the YjgF protein family) by fasting, glucose diet and fatty acid feeding.

In a previous study, we identified and purified a 99-amino-acid rat liver-kidney perchloric-acid-soluble 23-kDa protein (P23) which displays 30% identity with a highly conserved domain of heat shock proteins (HSPs), as well as an AT-rich 3' untranslated region, which has also been described to play a role in H70 mRNA life span and protein expression. An identical perchloric-acid-soluble protein inhibiting protein synthesis in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system was also found 2 years later by another group. More recently, the novel, the YjgF, protein family has been described, comprising, 24 full-length homologues, including P23, highly conserved through evolution, and consisting of approximately 130 residues each and sharing a common ternary structure. Independent studies from different laboratories have provided various hypothetical functions for each of these proteins. The high degree of evolutionary conservation may suggest that these proteins play an important role in cellular regulation. Although the function of none of these proteins is known precisely, we present experimental evidence which, combined with the relationship to glucose-regulating protein revealed here, and the relationship to fatty-acid-binding protein revealed by others, allow us to propose a role for P23. In rat liver, P23 expression is developmentally regulated and modulated by dietary glucose, and its mRNA is induced by starvation, in the presence of fatty-acids and in 3-MeDAB-induced hepatomas. The mRNA encoding mouse liver P23 is also hormonally modulated in a mouse line AT1F8. These data indicate that P23 protein might be a key controller of intermediary metabolism during fasting.

Animals↗

Fatty acid recycling in adipocytes: a role for glyceroneogenesis and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.

FA (fatty acid) recycling in adipose tissue appears to be an important pathway for regulating FA release into the blood during fasting. Re-esterification requires G3P (glycerol 3-phosphate), which cannot be synthesized from glucose because glycolysis is much reduced under such circumstances. In addition, G3P can scarcely originate from glycerol since glycerol kinase has a very low activity in white adipose tissue. It was shown about 35 years ago that a metabolic pathway named glyceroneogenesis, which allows G3P synthesis from non-carbohydrate precursors like pyruvate, lactate or amino acids, is activated during fasting. The major enzyme in this pathway was shown to be PEPCK-C [cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP); EC 4.1.1.32]. The present review analyses the mechanisms by which a series of hormones and nutrients affect PEPCK-C gene transcription and glyceroneogenesis and describes evidence for dysregulation of this pathway in type 2 diabetes.

Adipocytes↗

Gamma-ray irradiation induces B7.1 costimulatory molecule neoexpression in various murine tumor cells.

The use of gene-modified tumor cells as a strategy for active immunotherapy is currently undergoing intensive fundamental and clinical research. Most clinical trials use gamma-ray-irradiated tumor cells as vaccine, although little is known about the effects of irradiation on the immunogenicity of tumor cells. In particular, no data have been reported so far concerning the effects of gamma-ray irradiation on the expression of B7 molecules in tumor cells. In this paper, we show a neoexpression of the B7.1 molecule after gamma-ray irradiation in tumor cell lines from different tissues, while the B7.2 molecule remains unexpressed in all the cell lines tested. Furthermore, the induction of B7.1 molecule membrane expression after irradiation is shown to result from the neoexpression of B7.1 mRNA, and to be reproduced with H2O2 oxidative stress. These data could explain the enhanced immunogenicity of many tumor cells after irradiation, and could lead to new immunotherapy protocols.

Animals↗

Differential presentation of endogenously processed cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes by mouse hepatocarcinoma cell lines induced by SV40 large T antigen.

Tumor cells can have different morphologic or metabolic phenotypes and display genetic instability. Thus they could also vary in their ability to present epitopes to the immune system. We have analyzed the presentation of H-2 Kb- and Db-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes of a tumor-associated antigen by three cell lines derived from hepatocarcinomas developed in vivo by mice transgenic for SV40 T targeted to the liver. SV40 T is the obvious tumor-specific antigen and epitopes derived from this antigen were therefore studied. The study included four already known epitopes that can be presented by SV40-transformed kidney cells and two new CTL epitopes that were identified in the present work. CTL lines specific for each epitope were obtained from C57BL/6 mice and were used to map the presentation of SV40 T peptides by the hepatocarcinoma cells. These tumor cells were derived from the same tissue, induced by the same agent and all naturally presented peptide p232-240 from p53. Despite these common features, they all had different patterns of spontaneous presentation of SV40 T CTL epitopes. The mechanisms underlying this disparity are discussed, together with the possible consequences for establishing immunotherapeutic strategies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of an adipocyte-specific negative glucose response region in the cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase gene.

Cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase (cAspAT) participates in gluconeogenesis in the liver and is expected to exert a glyceroneogenic function in the adipose tissue when the supply of glucose is limited. Here we demonstrate that adipose cAspAT messenger RNA (mRNA) is increased when rats are fed a low carbohydrate diet. In the 3T3-F442A, BFC-1 adipocyte cell lines and differentiated adipocytes in primary culture, a 24 h glucose deprivation induces approximately a 4-fold increase in cytosolic AspAT (cAspAT) mRNA, whereas mitochondrial AspAT mRNA remains unchanged. cAspAT activity is also increased in a weaker but reproducible manner. Addition of glucose within a physiological range of concentrations reverses the increase of cAspAT mRNA in 8 h (EC50 = 1.25 g/liter). Such a regulation requires protein synthesis and is specific for adipocytes differentiated in culture. It does not occur in Fao or H4IIE hepatoma cells, in C2 muscle cells, or in 293 kidney cells. 2-deoxyglucose mimicks glucose, while 3-orthomethyl-glucose has no effect, suggesting that glucose-6-phosphate is the effector. cAspAT mRNA stability is not affected by glucose deprivation. To ascertain the transcriptional nature of the glucose effect, we have stably transfected 3T3-F442A adipoblasts with constructs containing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene under the control of either 5'-deletions of the cAspAT gene promoter or internal fragments in an heterologous context. We demonstrate that a glucose response element(s) is present in the region between -1838 and -1702 bp relative to the translation start site. In this region, three DNA sequences bind nuclear proteins from adipocytes as shown by footprinting experiments. Our results indicate that cAspAT gene transcription is repressed by glucose selectively in adipocytes.

Adipocytes↗

Activity and inducibility of drug-metabolizing enzymes in immortalized hepatocyte-like cells (mhPKT) derived from a L-PK/Tag1 transgenic mouse.

This report describes the establishment and characterization of the mhPKT cell line derived from the liver of a transgenic mouse harboring the simian virus (SV40) large T and small t antigens placed under the control of the 5' regulatory sequence of the rat L-type pyruvate kinase (L-PK) gene. mhPKT cells had a prolonged life span, expressed the SV40-encoded nuclear large T antigen when grown in glucose-enriched medium, and induced tumors when injected subcutaneously into athymic (nu-nu) mice. Growth on petri dishes or filters yielded multiple layers of cuboid cells, with numerous spaces between adjacent cells that were closed by junctional complexes. These bile canaliculi-like structures exhibited numerous microvilli in which villin, an actin-binding brush-border protein, colocalized with actin. These bile canaliculi-like structures appeared to be functional as they accumulated fluorescein. mhPKT cells conserved the expression of the liver-specific transcription factors HNF1, HNF3, HNF4, and DBP together with substantial levels of L-PK and albumin but not alpha-fetoprotein mRNA transcripts. mhPKT cells mainly metabolized testosterone into androstenedione and 6beta-hydroxytestosterone, as in vivo. 3-Methylcholanthrene and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) markedly increased ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity and the related cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1/2 protein, whereas alpha-naphtoflavone antagonized the TCDD-elicited induction. Phenobarbital slightly increased the CYP2B-mediated activities of pentoxyresorufin-O-depentylase, 2beta- and 16beta-testosterone hydroxylase. mhPKT cells also had substantial sulfotransferase, UDP-glucuronyltransferase, and glutathione S-transferase activities. This model may serve as a tool for long-term in vitro studies of xenobiotic metabolism, potent CYP inducers, and hepatocyte damage due to drugs and other factors.

Animals↗

Role of the GLUT 2 glucose transporter in the response of the L-type pyruvate kinase gene to glucose in liver-derived cells.

Twenty-six different hepatoma cell lines established from cancer-prone transgenic mice exhibited a close correlation between expression of the GLUT 2 glucose transporter and activation of the L-type pyruvate kinase (L-PK) gene by glucose, as judged by Northern blot analyses and transient transfection assays. The L-PK gene and a transfected L-PK construct were silent in GLUT 2(+) cells and active in GLUT 2(-) cells cultured in glucose-free medium. Transfection of GLUT 2(-) cells with a GLUT 2 expression vector restored the inducibility of the L-PK promoter by glucose, mainly by suppressing the glucose-independent activity of this promoter. Culture of GLUT 2(-) cells, in which the L-PK gene is constitutively expressed, in a culture medium using fructose as fuel selected GLUT 2(+) clones in which the L-PK gene responded to glucose. The expression of the L-PK gene in GLUT 2(-) cells cultured in the absence of glucose was correlated with a high intracellular glucose 6-phosphate (Glu-6-P) concentration while under similar culture conditions Glu-6-P concentration was very low in GLUT 2(+) cells. Consequently, a role of GLUT 2 in the glucose responsiveness of glucose-sensitive genes in cultured hepatoma cells could be to allow for Glu-6-P depletion under gluconeogenic culture conditions. In the absence of GLUT 2, glucose endogeneously produced might be unable to be exported from the cells and would be phosphorylated again to Glu-6-P by constitutively expressed hexokinase isoforms, continuously generating the glycolytic intermediates active on the L-PK gene transcription.

Animals↗

cAMP prevents the glucose-mediated stimulation of GLUT2 gene transcription in hepatocytes.

Glucose homoeostasis necessitates the presence in the liver of the high Km glucose transporter GLUT2. In hepatocytes, we and others have demonstrated that glucose stimulates GLUT2 gene expression in vivo and in vitro. This effect is transcriptionally regulated and requires glucose metabolism within the hepatocytes. In this report, we further characterized the cis-elements of the murine GLUT2 promoter, which confers glucose responsiveness on a reporter gene coding the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene. 5'-Deletions of the murine GLUT2 promoter linked to the CAT reporter gene were transfected into a GLUT2 expressing hepatoma cell line (mhAT3F) and into primary cultured rat hepatocytes, and subsequently incubated at low and high glucose concentrations. Glucose stimulates gene transcription in a manner similar to that observed for the endogenous GLUT2 mRNA in both cell types; the -1308 to -212 bp region of the promoter contains the glucose-responsive elements. Furthermore, the -1308 to -338 bp region of the promoter contains repressor elements when tested in an heterologous thymidine kinase promoter. The glucose-induced GLUT2 mRNA accumulation was decreased by dibutyryl-cAMP both in mhAT3F cells and in primary hepatocytes. A putative cAMP-responsive element (CRE) is localized at the -1074/-1068 bp region of the promoter. The inhibitory effect of cAMP on GLUT2 gene expression was observed in hepatocytes transfected with constructs containing this CRE (-1308/+49 bp fragment), as well as with constructs not containing the consensus CRE (-312/+49 bp fragment). This suggests that the inhibitory effect of cAMP is not mediated by the putative binding site located in the repressor fragment of the GLUT2 promoter. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the elements conferring glucose and cAMP responsiveness on the GLUT2 gene are located within the -312/+49 region of the promoter.

Animals↗

Critical stages of tumor growth regulation in transgenic mice harboring a hepatocellular carcinoma revealed by distinct patterns of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta mRNA production.

There is now good evidence that cytokines contribute to the regulation of tumor growth. The cytokine-driven modulation of tumor growth was investigated during the progression of a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in SV40 large T tumor antigen transgenic mice. In vivo, an increased rate of liver growth correlated with increased transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 mRNA expression, while the greatest amounts of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mRNA were detected earlier during tumor development. Conversely, no particular alteration of IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-gamma mRNA production could be reported. In vitro, hepatocyte-like tumor cell lines established at two stages, either before or after HCC differentiation, were characterized. The early-stage-derived cell line produced TNF-alpha mRNA, but had barely detectable expression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA, while later-stage-derived cell lines showed the reciprocal pattern. All cell lines displayed a lack of sensitivity to TNF-alpha, although some degree of sensitivity to TNF-alpha could be observed in the presence of actinomycin-D or after treatment with IFN-gamma. The early-stage-derived cell line was sensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of TGF-beta 1, but late-stage-derived tumor cell lines displayed a loss of sensitivity to TGF-beta 1 which correlated with the increased expression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA. Altogether, this suggests that tumor cells contribute to the discrete TNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 expression patterns during HCC progression. This model of HCC could be of valuable interest to assess the impact of various immunotherapeutic strategies on modulation of tumor growth.

Animals↗

[Pseudosarcoma of the bladder. Apropos of a case of inflammatory tumor of the bladder].

The authors report a case of benign pseudosarcoma of the bladder and emphasize the endoscopic features of the tumour, which were highly suggestive of malignancy, leading to the decision to perform cystectomy. The diagnosis was corrected by endoscopic resection and histology. Treatment usually consists of partial cystectomy, but can sometimes be limited to one or several endoscopic resections.

Adult↗

Requirement of glucose metabolism for regulation of glucose transporter type 2 (GLUT2) gene expression in liver.

Previous studies have shown that glucose increases the glucose transporter (GLUT2) mRNA expression in the liver in vivo and in vitro. Here we report an analysis of the effects of glucose metabolism on GLUT2 gene expression. GLUT2 mRNA accumulation by glucose was not due to stabilization of its transcript but rather was a direct effect on gene transcription. A proximal fragment of the 5' regulatory region of the mouse GLUT2 gene linked to a reporter gene was transiently transfected into liver GLUT2-expressing cells. Glucose stimulated reporter gene expression in these cells, suggesting that glucose-responsive elements were included within the proximal region of the promoter. A dose-dependent effect of glucose on GLUT2 expression was observed over 10 mM glucose irrespective of the hexokinase isozyme (glucokinase K(m) 16 mM; hexokinase I K(m) 0.01 mM) present in the cell type used. This suggests that the correlation between extracellular glucose and GLUT2 mRNA concentrations is simply a reflection of an activation of glucose metabolism. The mediators and the mechanism responsible for this response remain to be determined. In conclusion, glucose metabolism is required for the proper induction of the GLUT2 gene in the liver and this effect is transcriptionally regulated.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Upstream stimulatory factor proteins are major components of the glucose response complex of the L-type pyruvate kinase gene promoter.

L-type pyruvate kinase (L-PK) gene transcription is induced by glucose through its glucose response element (GlRE) composed of two degenerated E boxes able to bind in vitro ubiquitous upstream stimulator factor (USF) proteins. Here we demonstrate in vivo, by transient transfections in hepatoma cells, that (i) native USF proteins synthesized from expression vectors can act as transactivators of the L-PK promoter via the GlRE, stimulating transcription without glucose and, therefore, decreasing the glucose responsiveness of the promoter; (ii) expression of the truncated USF proteins, able to bind the GlRE but devoid of the NH2-terminal activation domain, represses the activation of the L-PK promoter by glucose; and (iii) a similar repression of the glucose effect is observed upon expression of mutant USF proteins devoid of the basic DNA binding domain, able to dimerize with endogenous USF but not to bind the GlRE. We conclude that USF proteins are components of the transcriptional glucose response complex assembled on the L-PK gene promoter.

Base Sequence↗

Transcription factors and aldolase B gene expression in microdissected renal proximal tubules and derived cell lines.

Renal expression of the aldolase B isoenzyme and transcription factors previously shown to regulate the aldolase B gene promoter in the liver were analyzed in whole kidney, microdissected tubules, and the two PKSV-PCT and PKSV-PR proximal tubule cell lines derived from transgenic mice. Aldolase B gene expression appeared restricted to the proximal tubule, the site where HNF1 alpha, HNF1 beta, C/EBP alpha, and DBP transcripts were also abundant. Compared to the liver, another organ synthesizing aldolase B, proximal tubules from the kidney were characterized by the absence of HNF3 and the presence of higher ratio of HNF1 beta/HNF1 alpha transcripts. The same features were conserved in both PKSV-PCT and PKSV-PR proximal tubule cell lines. Transactivation experiments in PKSV-PCT cultured cells showed that HNF1 alpha, C/EBP alpha, and DBP behave as transactivators of the 190-bp aldolase B gene promoter, and that HNF1 beta had a low transactivating efficiency. HNF1 beta, as well as HNF3, antagonized the HNF1 alpha-dependent transactivation of the aldolase B promoter. The fact that both HNF1 beta and HNF3 factors play similar negative roles by competitively binding close to or on the HNF1 site could suggest that, in proximal tubule renal cells, HNF1 beta has the same attenuator effect on the aldolase B gene promoter as HNF3 in hepatocytes. Thus, these results indicate that such models of established renal tubule cell lines, which have conserved the same features of parental cells, represent valuable tools for studies of the regulation of genes expressed in proximal tubules of the kidney.

Animals↗

Overproduction of a truncated hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 protein inhibits expression of liver-specific genes in hepatoma cells.

Transcription of hepatocyte-specific genes requires the interaction of their regulatory regions with several nuclear factors. Among them is the hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 (HNF3) family, composed of the HNF3 alpha, HNF3 beta, and HNF3 gamma proteins, which are expressed in the liver and have very similar fork head DNA binding domains. The regulatory regions of numerous hepatocyte-specific genes contain HNF3 binding sites. We examined the role of HNF3 proteins in the liver-specific phenotype by turning off the HNF3 activity in well-differentiated mhAT3F hepatoma cells. Cells were stably transfected with a vector allowing the synthesis of an HNF3 beta fragment consisting of the fork head DNA binding domain without the transactivating amino- and carboxy-terminal domains. The truncated protein was located in the nuclei of cultured hepatoma cells and competed with endogenous HNF3 proteins for binding to cognate DNA sites. Overproduction of this truncated protein, lacking any transactivating activity, induced a dramatic decrease in the expression of liver-specific genes, including those for albumin, transthyretin, transferrin, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and aldolase B, whereas the expression of the L-type pyruvate kinase gene, containing no HNF3 binding sites, was unaltered. Neither were the concentrations of various liver-specific transcription factors (HNF3, HNF1, HNF4, and C/EBP alpha) affected. In partial revertants, with a lower ratio of truncated to full-length endogenous HNF3 proteins, previously extinguished genes were re-expressed. Thus, the transactivating domains of HNF3 proteins are needed for the proper expression of a set of liver-specific genes but not for expression of the genes encoding transcription factors found in differentiated hepatocytes.

Animals↗

Heterogeneity of hepatic microsomal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase(s) activities: a new kinetic approach for the study of induction and specificity.

UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities have been described as heterogeneous, i.e. supported by a family of isoenzymes, each of them being capable of conjugating a given chemical family of aglycons, including steroids, coumarines, and phenols. Some of these isoenzymes are specifically induced by xenobiotics. In order to discriminate between the different isoenzymes, we propose a new in situ approach that combines induction (gene regulation) and catalytic activities (specificity). The characterization of one isoenzyme is obtained by (i) increasing its amount by specific inductive stimulation and (ii) studying simultaneously the glucuronidation kinetics of a series of alternative substrates. Provided the substrates are of similar structure, a linear relationship can be established between their glucuronidation rates before versus after induction. We developed a simple mathematical model to analyze the kinetic behaviors observed. With this method, it is possible to know (i) the exact extent of induction of a given isoenzyme by a given inducer (induction factor, n) and (ii) its strict specificity. This in situ methodology is complementary to isolated protein or cDNAs, for the characterization of the real in situ substrate specificity of differentially regulated UGT isoenzymes.

Animals↗

Glucose-dependent regulation of the L-pyruvate kinase gene in a hepatoma cell line is independent of insulin and cyclic AMP.

Hepatocyte-like mhAT3F cells have been derived from the hepatoma of a transgenic mouse expressing the SV40 large T antigen under the control of the antithrombin III gene regulatory region (Antoine, B., Levrat, F., Vallet, V., Berbar, T., Cartier, N., Dubois, N., Briand, P., and Kahn, A. (1992) Gene expression in hepatocyte-like lines established by targeted carcinogenesis in transgenic mice. Exp. Cell. Res. 200, 175-185; F. Levrat et al., unpublished results). In these cells, the L-PK gene is transcriptionally activated by glucose, as it is in vivo and in cultured hepatocytes. However, in contrast to the L-PK gene regulation in the liver and isolated hepatocytes, the glucose responsiveness does not require insulin and is not blocked by cyclic AMP. In mhAT3F cells, the insensitivity to insulin might be due to the replacement of insulin-dependent glucokinase by insulin-independent hexokinases able to phosphorylate glucose in the absence of the hormone. The glucose-dependent activation of the L-PK gene is delayed, requires ongoing protein synthesis, and is mediated by the same glucose response element as in vivo and in isolated hepatocytes. These results suggest that the glucose-dependent signaling pathway responsible for the transcriptional activation of glycolytic and lipogenic genes requires glucose phosphorylation, a phenomenon that is insulin-dependent in the liver but insulin-independent in cultured hepatoma cells. Nevertheless, the action of glucose 6-phosphate is most likely indirect.

Animals↗

Influence of the content in transcription factors on the phenotype of mouse hepatocyte-like cell lines (mhAT).

We have described new well-differentiated mouse hepatocyte-like cell lines (mhAT) derived from transgenic mice expressing simian virus 40 large T antigen under the control of antithrombin III gene promoter (Exp. Cell Res. (1992) 200, 175-185). In an attempt to understand the phenotypic variations of the different cell lines, we analyzed their content in liver-specific transcription factors at the level of both the proteins, by gel shift analysis, and the mRNA, by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. Moreover, the transactivating ability of endogenous HNF1 alpha and C/EBP alpha was also evaluated by measuring the activity of transfected synthetic promoters consisting of DNA element homopolymers upstream of a TATA box. High levels of HNF1, HNF3, and HNF4 transcription factors were maintained in mhAT cells. In contrast, C/EBP alpha was much more variable between the different cell lines and was less abundant than it was in vivo, in the liver. We investigated the influence of HNF1 alpha and C/EBP alpha on the activity of transfected liver-specific promoters. HNF1 alpha was not limiting for the activity of transfected liver-type pyruvate kinase and albumin promoters. In contrast, the activity of the albumin promoter in the different lines was clearly dependent on the C/EBP alpha content, which seems, therefore, to be an essential factor modulating the expression of this gene in HNF1 alpha-containing cells. This work shows that the correlations between promoter activities and transacting factor contents in a panel of well-differentiated cultured cells can be used to determine the respective role of transcription factors on the strength of some promoters.

Animals↗

Heterogeneity of hepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activities: investigations of isoenzymes involved in p-nitrophenol glucuronidation.

1. UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase (UGT, EC 2.1.4.17) has been measured routinely with para-nitrophenol (pNP) because the UGT assay using this substrate is easy to assess and run. 2. This compound has been used in several studies as a substrate for purification of the enzyme. 3. In the present work, we characterize the para-nitrophenol-conjugating activity. 4. An analysis of kinetics of para-nitrophenol conjugation obtained from various biological sources (various tissues and various species) leads us to the conclusion that at least three isoenzymes are responsible for this activity in the rat. 5. Both UGT-(testosterone) and the 3-methylcholanthrene-inducible form previously described in the literature, may be responsible for the activity, whilst a highly specific form (UGT-phenol) is reported here for the first time. 6. This work is intended to lay down the basis of further investigations, including purification of the highly specific isoform.

Animals↗