Mapping of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor gene to human chromosome 4q21.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C Peng.
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The interaction of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its receptor is a critical event in the endocrine regulation of reproduction. We have recently cloned the gene encoding for the human gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (hGnRHR). Partial sequence analysis revealed a structural organization consisting of three exons and two introns. Exon II contains only 219 bp and the remainder of the approximately 5 kb transcript is distributed between exons I and III. The complete coding region for the hGnRHR represented only 987 bp leaving an extensive 5' and 3' non-translated region and potentially additional exons unaccounted for. This report provides the complete sequence of exon I and III and demonstrates that further exons are unlikely to be contained within this gene. Sequencing of the 5' end of the gene revealed the presence of five consensus TATA sequences distributed within a 700 nucleotide region. Primer extension analysis detected multiple transcription initiation sites associated with this cluster of TATA sequences. Transcription of this region up to the most 5' initiation site was demonstrated by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The 5' non-translated region stretches between 703 and 1393 bp, depending on which initiation site is used. Several consensus cis-acting regulatory sequences were identified within the 5' end. These include, among others, sites for PEA-3, AP-1, and Pit-1. In addition, cAMP response element (CRE)-like and glucocorticoid/progesterone response element (GRE/PRE)-like sequences were found.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The entry of herpes simplex virus (HSV) into mammalian cells is a multistep process beginning with an attachment step involving glycoproteins gC and gB. A second step requires the interaction of glycoprotein gD with a cell surface molecule. We explored the interaction between gC and the cell surface by using purified proteins in the absence of detergent. Truncated forms of gC and gD, gC1(457t), gC2(426t), and gD1(306t), lacking the transmembrane and carboxyl regions were expressed in the baculovirus system. We studied the ability of these proteins to bind to mammalian cells, to bind to immobilized heparin, to block HSV type 1 (HSV-1) attachment to cells, and to inhibit plaque formation by HSV-1. Each of these gC proteins bound to conformation-dependent monoclonal antibodies and to human complement component C3b, indicating that they maintained the same conformation of gC proteins expressed in mammalian cells. Biotinylated gC1(457t) and gC2(426t) each bind to several cell lines. Binding was inhibited by an excess of unlabeled gC but not by gD, indicating specificity. The attachment of gC to cells involves primarily heparan sulfate proteoglycans, since heparitinase treatment of cells reduced gC binding by 50% but had no effect on gD binding. Moreover, binding of gC to two heparan sulfate-deficient L-cell lines, gro2C and sog9, both of which are mostly resistant to HSV infection, was markedly reduced. Purified gD1 (306t), however, bound equally well to the two mutant cell lines. In contrast, saturating amounts of gC1(457t) interfered with HSV-1 attachment to cells but failed to block plaque formation, suggesting a role for gC in attachment but not penetration. A mutant form of gC lacking residues 33 to 123, gC1(delta 33-123t), expressed in the baculovirus system, bound significantly less well to cells than did gC1(457t) and competed poorly with biotinylated gC1(457t) for binding. These results suggest that residues 33 to 123 are important for gC attachment to cells. In contrast, both the mutant and wild-type forms of gC bound to immobilized heparin, indicating that binding of these proteins to the cell surface involves more than a simple interaction with heparin. To determine that the contribution of the N-terminal region of gC is important for HSV attachment, we compared several properties of a mutant HSV-1 which contains gC lacking amino acids 33 to 123 to those of its parental virus, which contains full-length gC. The mutant bound less well to cells than the parental virus but exhibited normal growth properties.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Glycoprotein C (gC) of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2) binds the human complement fragment C3b, but the two proteins differ in their ability to bind C3b on infected cell surfaces. In addition, gC-1, but not gC-2, accelerates the decay of the alternative pathway C3 convertase, thereby affecting later steps of the complement cascade. Previously, we constructed linker insertion and deletion mutants of gC-1 and gC-2 and used transient transfection to express mutant proteins in uninfected cells. In spite of the differences between gC-1 and gC-2, C3b binding was localized to residues within the central portion of both proteins, encompassing the first four cysteines. For gC-1, deletion mutants lacking amino acids 33 to 123 or 367 to 469 or lacking both regions still bound C3b. We recombined these deleted forms of gC-1 into gC-39, an HSV-1 strain lacking the gC gene. The altered forms of gC-1 were incorporated into virions, expressed on the surface of infected cells, and bound C3b. We used these proteins to investigate the structural basis for the inhibitory action of gC-1 on the complement cascade. We found that gC-1 does not inhibit formation of the alternative pathway C3 convertase. This convertase is stabilized by the serum protein properdin. Purified gC-1, but not gC-2, inhibits the binding of properdin to C3b, suggesting that this destabilizes the convertase. The mutant lacking amino acids 367 to 449 was able to inhibit properdin binding to a limited extent when present at high concentrations, although it bound to C3b more weakly than wild-type gC. In contrast, the protein lacking amino acids 33 to 123 was unable to inhibit properdin binding to C3b. Thus, gC-1 contains two structural domains, one for C3b binding, residues 124 to 366, and another, residues 33 to 133, which interferes with properdin binding to C3b.
Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the first and rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of catecholamine neurotransmitters, is expressed within central and peripheral catecholaminergic cells. To delineate DNA sequences necessary for tissue-specific expression of the rat TH gene, transgenic mice were produced containing 0.15 kb, 2.4 kb, and 9.0 kb of 5' flanking sequence fused to the E. coli lacZ (beta-galactosidase) reporter gene. The reporter gene expression in the transgenic animals was monitored by both X-gal histochemical staining and beta-galactosidase immunohistochemistry and compared to TH mRNA and protein expression. Transgenic mice bearing 9.0 kb, but not the smaller constructs with either 2.4 kb or 0.15 kb of 5' flanking sequence, fused to lacZ were able to direct high level expression of beta-galactosidase at levels equivalent to the endogenous TH in central catecholaminergic cells, and to a lesser degree to adrenal gland. Previously, 4.8 kb of 5' flanking region was reported to contain some tissue-specific element(s) determined by chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assay using regional brain dissections and was not able to demonstrate cellular localization of the CAT expression [2]. Using histological procedures which allow for spatial resolution, this study demonstrated that the crucial catecholaminergic neuron-specific DNA element(s) resides between -9 kb and -2.4 kb of the 5' flanking region of the rat TH gene; this assertion is substantiated by the high-level of tissue-specific expression of lacZ in catecholaminergic cells.
The cDNA encoding the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor has recently been cloned and characterized in several species, including human. To determine the structure of the gene encoding the human GnRH receptor, we have screened a human genomic library and isolated seven positive clones, using cDNA probes derived from a human pituitary cDNA library. The isolated genomic clone contains the entire protein coding region of the GnRH receptor which is distributed between three exons and spans over 18.9 kb. Sequence analysis and restriction endonuclease mapping revealed the presence of two introns of 4.2 and 5.0 kb, respectively, both located within the open reading frame, designating the human GnRH receptor gene to the intron-containing class of the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily. Genomic Southern blot analysis indicated the presence of a single copy of the gene encoding for the GnRH receptor within the human genome. Using DNA from human-hamster somatic hybrid cell lines, the GnRH receptor gene was assigned to human chromosome 4, by means of PCR. The present study represents the first report on the GnRH receptor gene and its partial characterization should facilitate further investigation of the mechanisms by which expression of this gene is regulated.
Two forms of herpes simplex virus glycoprotein gD were recombined into Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (baculovirus) and expressed in infected Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. Each protein was truncated at residue 306 of mature gD. One form, gD-1(306t), contains the coding sequence of Patton strain herpes simplex virus type 1 gD; the other, gD-1(QAAt), contains three mutations which eliminate all signals for addition of N-linked oligosaccharides. Prior to recombination, each gene was cloned into the baculovirus transfer vector pVT-Bac, which permits insertion of the gene minus its natural signal peptide in frame with the signal peptide of honeybee melittin. As in the case with many other baculovirus transfer vectors, pVT-Bac also contains the promoter for the baculovirus polyhedrin gene and flanking sequences to permit recombination into the polyhedrin site of baculovirus. Each gD gene was engineered to contain codons for five additional histidine residues following histidine at residue 306, to facilitate purification of the secreted protein on nickel-containing resins. Both forms of gD-1 were abundantly expressed and secreted from infected Sf9 cells, reaching a maximum at 96 h postinfection for gD-1(306t) and 72 h postinfection for gD-1(QAAt). Secretion of the latter protein was less efficient than gD-1(306t), possibly because of the absence of N-linked oligosaccharides from gD-1(QAAt). Purification of the two proteins by a combination of immunoaffinity chromatography, nickel-agarose chromatography, and gel filtration yielded products that were > 99% pure, with excellent recovery. We are able to obtain 20 mg of purified gD-1(306t) and 1 to 5 mg of purified gD-1(QAAt) per liter of infected insect cells grown in suspension. Both proteins reacted with monoclonal antibodies to discontinuous epitopes, indicating that they retain native structure. Use of this system for gD expression makes crystallization trials feasible.
Neuropeptide-Y (NPY) has been recently cloned from a goldfish cDNA library. Using a probe derived from this cDNA clone, the distribution and regulation of NPY mRNA in the goldfish brain were examined in the present study by in situ hybridization, Northern blot analysis, and ribonuclease protection assay. Frozen tissue sections from the goldfish brain and pituitary were hybridized with a digoxigenin-labeled RNA probe. Hybridization signal was detected mainly in fore-brain regions, particularly in the nucleus entopeduncularis of the ventral telencephalon, the preoptic area (POA), the olfactory bulbs, and various thalamic regions. In the midbrain, NPY mRNA was found in the optic-tectum and locus coeruleus. Northern blot hybridization of total RNA extracted from different brain areas with a 32P-labeled RNA probe detected a single mRNA species and confirmed that most NPY mRNA was present in telencephalon/POA and optic-tectum/thalamus. Our previous physiological studies showed that the ovarian steroids testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) have potentiating effects on the actions of NPY on gonadotropin and GH release. Therefore, we also tested the possibility that T and E2 may modulate NPY gene expression. Fish were implanted ip with pellets containing T, E2, or no steroid (control) for 5 days, RNA was extracted, and NPY mRNA levels were estimated using a ribonuclease protection assay. Pretreatment with T or E2 induced a 2- to 3-fold increase in NPY mRNA levels in the telencephalon/POA, but not in the optic-tectum/thalamus. In situ hybridization using brains taken from T-implanted fish demonstrated that the site of steroid action is the POA. This report represents the first study on NPY gene expression in a nonmammalian species and demonstrates that 1) NPY mRNA is present in the neuroendocrine regulatory centers; and 2) ovarian steroids stimulate NPY gene expression in the POA.
The present study investigated the expression and regulation of GnRH and GnRH receptor (GnRHR) messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in human granulosa-luteal cells using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Granulosa-luteal cells were aspirated from preovulatory follicles obtained from women undergoing in vitro fertilization. Two sets of primers derived from human hypothalamic GnRHR complementary DNA (cDNA) were used to amplify cDNAs from granulosa-luteal cells. PCR products corresponding to the expected sizes of GnRH were obtained from granulosa-luteal cells as well as the brain, but not from skeletal muscle cDNA. The authenticity of the PCR products was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization with internal oligonucleotide probes and by subsequent cloning and sequencing. Similarly, using four sets of primers specific for the human pituitary GnRHR cDNA, PCR products with the expected sizes were detected from both brain and granulosa-luteal cells, but not from skeletal muscle. PCR products were subsequently confirmed by Southern blot hybridization using an internal oligonucleotide probe or a cDNA probe which was obtained from screening a human pituitary cDNA library. Cloning and sequencing of the PCR product in the 3'-untranslated region revealed identical sequence with the reported human pituitary GnRHR cDNA sequence. RNA samples obtained from cells immediately after dissociation or after 2, 5, and 8 days of culture were analyzed by RT-PCR, and in all cases, both GnRH and GnRHR mRNA were detected. To investigate how gene expression of GnRH and GnRHR is regulated, we examined the effect of GnRH and hCG on GnRH and GnRHR mRNA levels in cultured human granulosa-luteal cells. Treatment with different concentrations of GnRH induced biphasic responses. Both GnRH and GnRHR mRNA were significantly increased by 1 nM, but slightly decreased by 1 microM GnRH; 1 nM GnRH also significantly inhibited progesterone production, whereas higher doses had no effect. Treatment with hCG (1 IU/ml) decreased GnRHR mRNA levels without altering the expression of the GnRH gene. These results demonstrate for the first time that 1) both GnRH and GnRHR mRNAs are expressed in human granulosa-luteal cells; 2) GnRH mRNA levels are autoregulated by GnRH; and 3) GnRHR gene expression is up-regulated by GnRH, but down-regulated by hCG. These findings provide strong evidence that GnRH is an autocrine regulator in the human ovary.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the retinal degeneration of the motor neuron degeneration (mnd) mouse, and to confirm its inheritance pattern and gene location. METHODS: In screening the mnd/mnd mouse for ocular disease, a retinal degeneration was found that was evaluated by serial electroretinography, histology, electron microscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and genetic and linkage analysis. RESULTS: In homozygous mnd mice, photoreceptor and outer nuclear layers show cell loss by 5 weeks after birth. By 2 months, the peripheral retina is preferentially thinner than central retina, and by 6 months the entire retina is reduced in thickness. The electroretinogram was extinguished by 6 months. Transmission electron microscopy at 3 and 6 months showed distinct cytoplasmic inclusions characteristic of the curvilinear profiles seen in human ceroid lipofuscinosis. Genetic analyses show that the retinal degeneration in mnd mice is inherited as a single autosomal gene with recessive expression, and a three-point cross placed the retinal degeneration at the mnd locus on the proximal end of mouse chromosome 8. Crosses with other known strains with retinal degeneration were normal. CONCLUSIONS. The mnd mouse model is similar to the juvenile onset Spielmeyer-Vogt form of ceroid lipofuscinosis (Batten disease), and provides a good model for the retinal degeneration found in these patients.
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Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been recently characterized in the goldfish and the sequence deduced from goldfish brain cDNA clones reveals that goldfish NPY (gNPY) has over 86% identity with human NPY (hNPY) (Blomqvist et al., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 2350-2354). In the present study, we used synthetic gNPY to investigate the role of NPY in the regulation of growth hormone (GH) and gonadotropin-II (GtH-II) in the goldfish. The dose-response relationships of gNPY on GH and GtH-II release were first tested using an in vitro perifusion system for pituitary fragments. It was found that gNPY stimulated both GH and GtH-II release in a dose-dependent manner, with ED50 values of 1.89 +/- 0.9 nM for GH and 4.19 +/- 2.9 nM for GtH-II. In addition, the C-terminal fragment gNPY (18-36) stimulated the release of both GH and GtH-II, but with lower potency than did the intact molecule. These results confirm our previous findings using hNPY. The interactions of gNPY and other GH and GtH-II regulators were also examined in the present studies. Prolonged infusion of sGnRH induced initial peak releases of GH and GtH-II, followed by a second phase of sustained hormone release at a reduced level. Application of a 5-min pulse of gNPY during the second phase of sGnRH action further stimulated GH and GtH-II release, but only to the levels similar to those induced by gNPY alone. Prolonged infusion with gNPY induced a rapid desensitization of GH and GtH-II release; the hormone levels returned to basal within 25 min in the continued presence of gNPY. Administration of 5-min pulse of sGnRH during the desensitization phase of continuous gNPY perfusion induced a similar GH response to that induced by sGnRH alone, whereas the GtH-II responses to sGnRH given during gNPY infusion were smaller than the responses to sGnRH alone, suggesting that the mechanisms of gNPY stimulation on GH and GtH-II release may be somewhat different. The gNPY-induced GH release was blocked by somatostatin, a known GH inhibitor; the gNPY-induced GtH-II release was reduced by dopamine, a known inhibitor for GtH-II. Finally, intraperitoneal injection of gNPY induced time- and dose-dependent increases in serum GH and GtH-II levels. Together, these results suggest that NPY may play a physiological role in the regulation of GH and GtH-II secretion in the goldfish.
The effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on growth hormone (GH) and gonadotropin-II (GtH-II) release in different reproductive stages were studied using perifused pituitary fragments of female goldfish. The GH and GtH-II release responses to 5-min pulses of NPY were relatively small in sexually regressed fish (July), intermediate in recrudescent fish (December), and maximal in sexually mature (= prespawning) fish (May). To test if sex steroids can modulate NPY action, the effects of in vivo implantation of 17 beta-estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) (both at 100 micrograms/g dosage) on NPY-induced GH and GtH-II secretion were examined. In sexually regressed goldfish, implantation of T significantly enhanced NPY-induced GH and GtH-II release from perifused pituitary fragments; implantation of E2 potentiated the NPY-induced GtH-II, but not GH release. However, steroid implantation did not affect responses to NPY when this experiment was repeated using pituitaries from sexually mature fish. To test the hypothesis that steroids may act directly at the level of the pituitary to potentiate NPY action, pituitary fragments taken from sexually regressed goldfish were incubated with 100 nM T for 24 h, and the GH and GtH-II responses to 5-min challenges of NPY assessed in the presence of T. Both GH and GtH-II responses to NPY were not affected by treatment with T in vitro, suggesting that T does not act directly at the level of the pituitary.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We have previously reported that neuropeptide-Y (NPY) stimulates GH and gonadotropin-II (GtH-II) release from perifused pituitary fragments in the goldfish. Since the teleost pituitary is directly innervated by neurosecretory terminals from the brain, we further investigated the possible sites of action of NPY. Both synthetic human NPY and NPY-(18-36), an agonist selective for the NPY Y2-receptor, stimulated GH and GtH-II release from the pituitary fragments; the magnitude of the response to NPY (18-36) was smaller than that to the whole molecule of NPY. NPY also stimulated the release of GH and GtH-II from perifused dispersed pituitary cells. In contrast, NPY-(18-36) had no effect on either GH or GtH-II release from dispersed pituitary cells. These data suggest that Y2 action is not direct at the level of pituitary cells, but may be indirect through actions on nerve terminals in the pituitary. The hypothesis that the action of NPY on GH and GtH-II release is mediated in part by GnRH was then tested. Both NPY and NPY-(18-36) stimulated the GnRH release from preoptic-anterior hypothalamic slices and pituitary fragments with similar potency. Furthermore, a GnRH antagonist significantly reduced the effects of NPY on both GH and GtH-II release in perifused pituitary fragments. Similar to previous findings, NPY, when given at 55-min intervals, desensitized the hormone responses in pituitary fragments. Similarly, the same treatment with NPY in perifused dispersed pituitary cells induced desensitization of GH and GtH-II responses. Together, these results suggest that 1) more than one type of NPY receptors are present in the goldfish pituitary; and 2) NPY has at least two sites of action in the pituitary. One site of action is the pituitary cells, where NPY directly stimulates GH and GtH-II secretion; the second is the nerve terminals, where NPY presynaptically stimulates GnRH release via Y2-like receptors, and GnRH, in turn, stimulates GH and GtH-II release.
Activin has been suggested to be an autocrine/paracrine regulator in the human placenta. In the present study, we examined the expression of the gene encoding activin type II receptor (ActRII) in this tissue. Using primers corresponding to the published sequence of human ActRII, a 456bp fragment was obtained from cDNAs prepared from the placenta, as well as the ovary and brain, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Southern blot hybridization of the PCR products and DNA cloning and sequencing confirmed that the product is the authentic ActRII. Trophoblast cells prepared from both first trimester and term placentae expressed the ActRII gene. When trophoblast cells from term placenta were separated into syncytiotrophoblast- and cytotrophoblast-enriched fractions and incubated for 1-6 days, ActRII gene expression was observed in both cell preparations, with the syncytiotrophoblast-enriched fraction having higher levels of expression at days 1, 3, and 4. These results provide the first direct evidence that the activin type II receptor mRNA is present in human trophoblast cells and strengthen the hypothesis that activin is an autocrine/paracrine regulator of placental function. To our knowledge, this is also the first report that the ActRII gene is expressed in the human brain and ovary.
The epsilon-chain of membrane-bound IgE on the surface of B lymphocytes is known to contain a membrane-anchoring peptide segment that is encoded by two membrane exons, me.1 and me.2. In analyzing pertinent segments in mRNA from human IgE-expressing B cells by using PCR methods and Northern blotting analyses, we have identified three species of mRNA of epsilon-chain with variations in the splicing of the membrane exons. The conventional species (m/s) contains the predicted me.1 and me.2; species m/1 harbors 156 extra nucleotides 5' of me.1 with unaltered reading frame; species s/t lacks me.1 and hence the segment encoding the hydrophobic transmembrane stretch and contains a shifted me.2 reading frame. Rabbit antibodies, which were prepared by immunization using a peptide of 36 amino acid residues representing an encoded segment unique to mRNA species m/l, could specifically bind to human IgE-expressing B cell lines and react with an epsilon-chain on Western immunoblots. These results indicate that there exists a previously unidentified isoform of human membrane-bound IgE.
A digital heart-rate meter has been developed to display instantaneous as well as average heart-rate of 4 or 8 beats. The display resolution is 1 beat min-1 (BPM) in the range of 13-362 BPM, and 8 BPM in the range of up to 999 BPM. The whole circuit consists of 10 general-purpose integrated circuits (including LCDs). Two EPROM 2716 chips are preprogrammed with heart-rate data. A 12-bit binary counter, which sums the clock pulses between beat-to-beat intervals, is used to address the EPROMs to send appropriate data to the LCD display. We conclude that, with the resolution of 1 BPM, the relationship between the counting clock frequency f and upper display limit f' and lower display limit f" are: f' approximately square root 60f; f" = 60f/Nmax Where Nmax is the capacity of the EPROMs. To extend the dislay range, two clock frequencies, i.e. 256 Hz and 2048 Hz, are generated and switched automatically according to the heart-rate measured. The former is for the heart-rate less than 120 BPM, and the latter is for that higher than 120BPM.
A growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF)-like peptide was isolated from the hypothalamus of common carp, Cyprinus carpio, by acid extraction, gel filtration chromatography, immunoaffinity chromatography using antiserum directed against rat GRF, and multiple steps of HPLC using octadecyl columns. Based on Edman degradation and peptide mapping, this teleost GRF was established to be a 45-residue peptide with the following primary structure: His-Ala-Asp-Gly-Met-Phe-Asn-Lys-Ala-Tyr-Arg-Lys-Ala-Leu-Gly-Gln-Leu-Ser- Ala-Arg - Lys-Tyr-Leu-His-Thr-Leu-Met-Ala-Lys-Arg-Val-Gly-Gly-Gly-Ser-Met-Ile-Glu- Asp-Asp-Asn-Glu-Pro-Leu-Ser. Carp GRF is closely related structurally to peptides of the glucagon-secretin superfamily, and more particularly to mammalian vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) precursors and the N-terminal portion of mammalian GRFs. A synthetic replicate of this peptide is highly potent [50% effective dose (ED50) approximately 0.08 nM] in stimulating GH release from cultured goldfish pituitary glands and in elevating serum GH levels 30 min after injection (0.1 micrograms/g) in goldfish.