Biomedical subjects

D Citadelle

Publications and source records attributed to D Citadelle.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Role of cholesterol in embryonic development.

We showed previously that 3 distal inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis are highly teratogenic in rats. AY 9944 and BM 15766 inhibit 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, which catalyzes the last step of cholesterol synthesis, and triparanol inhibits Delta(24)-dehydrocholesterol reductase, which catalyzes the last step in another pathway. These molecules cause holoprosencephalic brain anomalies. Under certain experimental conditions, other anomalies (of the limbs and male genitalia) are also observed. Assays performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) show hypocholesterolemia and an accumulation of precursors. These data indicate that this animal model can be considered a model of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome is a recessive autosomal genetic disease characterized by malformations (microcephaly, corpus callosum agenesis, holoprosencephaly, and mental retardation), male pseudohermaphroditism, finger anomalies, and failure to thrive. The syndrome has been attributed to a deficit in 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase. As assayed by GC-MS, the sterol status of these patients indicates severe hypocholesterolemia and an accumulation of precursors: 7-dehydrocholesterol, 8-dehydrocholesterol, and oxidized derivatives. The presence of 7-dehydrocholesterol in the serum of patients is pathognomonic of the disease. The developmental gene Shh (sonic hedgehog) plays a key role in brain, limb, and genital development; it was shown recently that the Shh protein has to be covalently linked to cholesterol to be active. This is the first time that a posttranslational function has been attributed to cholesterol. There is an obvious relation between Shh dysfunction and the malformations observed in our experiments and in patients with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. However, the exact relation remains to be clarified. It is clear, however, that the role of cholesterol in embryonic development must be taken into account.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Normal and inhibited cholesterol synthesis in the cultured rat embryo.

The Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome-affected fetus presents a deficiency in delta7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, the last enzymatic step in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. Development of the abnormal human fetus takes place in a normal environment as the heterozygous mother's cholesterolemia remains normal. An animal model for this disease has been obtained from the offspring of pregnant rats treated with "distal" inhibitors of delta7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, AY-9944 or BM15766. In the animal model, embryonic development occurs in a disturbed environment characterized by hypocholesterolemia and accumulation of delta7-dehydrocholesterol and delta8-dehydrocholesterol in the maternal serum. The purpose of the present study was to assess, in cultured rat embryos at early developmental stages, the relative contributions of exogenous and de novo synthesized cholesterol in the total embryonic cholesterol, according to the conditions of normal and altered de novo biosynthesis. Cultured rat embryos are able to synthesize cholesterol as shown by 13C-incorporation into cholesterol from 13C-labeled precursors added to the culture medium. De novo cholesterol biosynthesis is altered by addition to the culture medium of AY-9944 which inhibits the delta7-dehydrocholesterol reductase and the delta8-delta7-sterol isomerase as suggested by the emergence of characteristic aberrant sterols in the embryonic tissues. Cholesterol-rich serum used for embryo culture alters the pattern in a way that confirms that the rat embryos are able to import exogenous cholesterol which down-regulates de novo cholesterol biosynthesis. Exogenous cholesterol substitutes for the deficit in a manner efficient enough to prevent the embryonic abnormalities induced by AY-9944.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed1997

[Cholesterol and development].

The teratogenic action of distal inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis has been known for some time. The induced malformations are of a particular type: they include holoprosencephalies. Recently these observations have solicited increased interest due to: 1/ the discovery in 1993 of a similar form of inhibition of cholesterol synthesis which is responsible for a human malformation syndrome, Smith-Lemli-Opitz; 2/ the demonstration of the involvement of the Sonic Hedgehog gene in normal development of prosencephalon and the description of the mode of action of the protein Shh: autoprocessing followed by "cholesterolisation".

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Inhibition of 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase by the teratogen AY9944: a rat model for Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.

Our aim is to verify the validity of a rat model proposed for Smith-Lemli-Opitz (SLO) syndrome, a developmental disorder characterized by a defect in 7-dehydrocholesterol-delta 7 (7DHC)-reductase and by facial dysmorphism close to the holoprosencephaly caused by the teratogen AY9944. We investigated the sterol profile in rats treated with AY9944 blocking 7DHC-reductase. AY9944 was given orally to rats on gestation day 3 (D3). The sera were sampled for kinetic data on D3, D6, D9, D12, and D21. Cholesterol was measured in parallel by the routine enzymatic method and by the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) procedure used in SLO diagnosis. In addition to sterols, we dosed steroid hormones punctually on D4 and on D10, and examined D21 fetuses in other animals. The enzymatic method was not specific for cholesterol, and measured 70% pure 7DHC added to a normal serum. On D21, 77% live fetuses showed pituitary agenesis. Cholesterol was rapidly reduced by more than 50% on D6 involving an accumulation of 7DHC, 8DHC, and trienols, as identified in SLO-affected children. The most abundant 7DHC reached a maximum from D9 to D12, equaling cholesterol on D9 (11 mg/dl). On D10, the magnitudes of hypocholesterolemic and of 7DHC accumulation were found to be dose-dependent. Progesterone was reduced as early as 24 hr after treatment and dropped to 40% of the levels in the controls on D10, correlating to the decrease in cholesterolemia. This rat model reproduces the same biochemical perturbations as seen in SLO, strongly suggesting that aberrant sterols (7DHC, 8DHC, or nortrienol) may contribute to the developmental defects.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Changes in serum sterols of rats treated with 7-dehydrocholesterol-delta 7-reductase inhibitors: comparison to levels in humans with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.

The impaired conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to cholesterol, as a result of a permanent inhibition of the activity of 7-dehydrocholesterol-delta 7-reductase, has been reported in the Smith-Lemli-Opitz (SLO) syndrome (1, 2). For the purpose of experimental teratology, an animal disease model consisting of the offspring of pregnant rats treated with AY 9944 or BM 15766, inhibitors of 7-dehydrocholesterol-delta 7-reductase, was established. The present study compares the profiles of sterols in rat serum, obtained after transient treatment with inhibitors, with profiles of sterols obtained from patients with the permanent enzyme defect. AY 9944 (single dose of 50, 75, or 100 mg/kg) or BM 15766 (60, 75, or 90 mg/kg per day for 11 days) induces hypocholesterolemia and accumulation of 7-dehydrocholesterol and aberrant sterols in rat serum. The aberrant sterols in the treated rats are similar to those detected in human SLO patients by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (1, 3, 4) and were identified as 7- and 8-dehydrocholesterol, two trienols (I and II), and 19-nor-5,7,9(10)-cholestatrien-3 beta-ol. The time- and dose-dependences of the biochemical alterations are compared to the teratogenic abnormalities induced by inhibitors. The dietary cholesterol supplementation that suppresses embryo malformations induced by AY 9944 prevents severe hypocholesterolemia and decreases the aberrant sterol levels. As a function of time after intoxication, the 8-dehydrocholesterol to 7-dehydrocholesterol ratio increases, suggested that 8-dehydrocholesterol is derived from the gradual conversion of the accumulated 7-dehydrocholesterol. The ratio of 8-dehydrocholesterol to 7-dehydrocholesterol is higher in human SLO than in the animal disease model. This may be explained by a permanent block in 7-dehydrocholesterol-delta 7-reductase in SLO compared to a transient inhibition of this enzyme in the animal model.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Antibodies to the 280-kd coated pit protein, target of teratogenic antibodies, produce alterations in the traffic of internalized proteins.

Previous studies have identified two high-molecular weight (280 and 330 kd) glycoproteins expressed by coated pits of the proximal renal tubule and yolk sac and have further established that, in vivo, antibodies to gp280 but not to gp330 induce fetal malformations. In the present study, we report the effect of these antibodies on the endocytic process by yolk sac visceral epithelial cells of rat embryos explanted at day 10 of gestation. Antibodies to gp280 markedly altered development of the yolk sac and embryo, induced malformations, inhibited by 40% the uptake of [14C] sucrose and perturbed the intracellular traffic of internalized proteins. Under control conditions, rat immunoglobulin G present in the culture medium was immunolocalized in lysosomes of epithelial cells, whereas in the presence of antibody, it was detected in small vesicles scattered through the apical cytoplasm. Alterations of the endocytic pathway were confirmed by experiments analyzing the uptake of peroxidase added to the medium for 2 to 60 minutes. The initial compartments of endocytosis visualized by peroxidase were increased in size and abnormal in shape and the transfer of the internalized peroxidase to the lysosomal compartment was delayed. In contrast, antibodies to gp330 had a minimal effect on embryonic development and did not induce fetal malformations. Endocytosis was only modestly altered; uptake of [14C] sucrose was decreased by 25%, and only minor modifications of the intracellular transit of peroxidase could be detected. We suggest that the key role of anti-gp280 antibodies is via trapping of the target antigen in the early endocytic compartment thus preventing its normal function in lysosomal transfer.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Comparative immunochemistry and ontogeny of two closely related coated pit proteins. The 280-kd target of teratogenic antibodies and the 330-kd target of nephritogenic antibodies.

We have previously shown that monoclonal antibodies specific for a 280-kd protein (gp280) concentrated within the coated pits of renal and yolk sac brush border-induced fetal malformations, whereas antibodies specific for gp330, another coated pit protein with a similar distribution, had no deleterious effect on embryonic development. In this study, we show that gp280 and gp330 are closely related proteins, as indicated by: 1) similarities in peptide maps obtained after cyanogen bromide cleavage, 2) immunological cross-reactivity related to a minor contingent of antibodies that do not have teratogenic activity, and 3) asynchronous but related expressions during ontogenesis. During the early stages of development, the expression of the two glycoproteins was limited to (gp330) or predominant in (gp280) the clathrin-coated pits and intermicrovillar areas. In the pre-implantation embryo, gp330 was expressed by trophectodermal cells, which became negative in day-6 embryos trapped in endometrial infoldings. At this stage, gp280 and gp330 were both simultaneously detectable at the apical pole of the first entoblastic cells and remained expressed by the brush border of visceral yolk sac epithelial cells until the end of pregnancy. In addition, gp330 was expressed by amniotic cells and neurectodermal structures. During nephrogenesis, in contrast, the expression of gp280 and gp330 by the intermicrovillar areas of the proximal tubule cell was the result of a complex maturation process. gp280 and gp330 were diffusely distributed in S-shaped bodies in the presumptive areas of the glomerulus, proximal tubule, and distal tubule (gp330). During development of the nephron, the pattern of expression became progressively restricted to the proximal tubule and glomerulus (gp330), and selective localization in the intermicrovillar areas was only achieved in filtrating nephrons.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Coexpression in humans by kidney and fetal envelopes of a 280 kDa-coated pit-restricted protein. Similarity with the murine target of teratogenic antibodies.

Experimental studies performed in the rat over the last three decades have shown that antibodies raised against kidney or yolk sac, which, in the rat, surrounds the embryo and serves as a placenta during the major part of pregnancy, induced fetal resorptions or malformations. It is generally considered that the teratogenic antibodies decrease internalization and degradation of maternal proteins by yolk sac epithelial cells leading to an inadequate supply of nutriments to the embryo. These observations demonstrating the pathogenic role of antibodies to fetal envelopes are of great potential interest in clinical pathology since most cases of fetal malformations in humans are of unknown cause. The authors have recently shown that the key teratogenic antibodies in the murine system were directed against a 280 kDa-coated pit protein (gp280) specific for the brush border of epithelial cells lining the renal proximal tubule and the yolk sac. This observation allows for the unique opportunity to search for a similar system in humans. In this study, the presence in humans of a protein closely related to murine gp280 is shown, as indicated by extensive immunologic crossreactivity, close apparent molecular weights, strong homology of bidimensional peptide maps, and restricted distribution at the organ and subcellular level. In addition to kidney and yolk sac, human gp280 was also detected within the coated pits of the placental syncytiotrophoblastic cells. When introduced in an in vitro rat embryo culture system, antibodies to human gp280-induced developmental anomalies in a dose-dependent manner. These observations indicate that the antigenic component of the murine model is present in humans and can give rise to heterologous antibodies that cause developmental anomalies, suggesting that the experimental model might be of significance in human pathology.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Teratogenic effect of the cholesterol synthesis inhibitor AY 9944 on rat embryos in vitro.

AY 9944 [trans-1,4-bis(2-chlorobenzylaminomethyl) cyclohexane dihydrochloride] is an amphiphilic cationic molecule. This chemical is an established inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis and is teratogenic in rats. The mechanisms of this teratogenicity remain to be clarified. This study used cultured rat whole embryos to ascertain whether AY 9944 had a direct effect on embryos, or whether its action was indirect, via the maternal cholesterol metabolism. Four experimental conditions were investigated: (A) controls; (B) 10 day untreated embryos were cultured in serum of treated rats; (C) 10 day untreated embryos were cultured in serum containing added AY 9944 (0-1,000 micrograms/ml); and (D) 10 day embryos from females treated on day 4 of gestation were cultured in normal serum. In group B there was no growth retardation; some slight nonspecific abnormalities were not significant. In group C, direct addition of AY 9944 to culture medium retarded growth and differentiation in a dose-dependent manner. No malformation was observed, but histological examinations showed numerous areas of cell necrosis, especially in the CNS. In group D, not only was growth retardation observed, but also characteristic malformations of AY 9944 teratogenesis, including pituitary agenesis. These results show that AY 9944 teratogenicity is initiated prior to day 10.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗