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H F DeLuca

Publications and source records attributed to H F DeLuca.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Investigation on the potential role of the Ah receptor nuclear translocator protein in vitamin D receptor action.

The Ah receptor nuclear translocator protein (ARNT) is required for binding of the Ah (dioxin) receptor to the xenobiotic responsive element (XRE), and is a structural component of the XRE-binding form of the Ah receptor. The vitamin D receptor requires an accessory protein for binding to the vitamin D responsive element (VDRE) in the osteocalcin gene. Since the vitamin D receptor has similarities to the Ah receptor, we investigated whether ARNT is also required for vitamin D receptor activity. Two lines of evidence demonstrate that ARNT is not required for vitamin D receptor activity, and therefore does not correspond to the vitamin D receptor accessory protein: i) Antibodies to ARNT have no effect on binding of the vitamin D receptor to the VDRE. ii) c4, a mutant of Hepa-1 cells that is defective in ARNT activity, and in which binding of the Ah receptor to the XRE does not occur, possesses a vitamin D receptor with full activity for binding the VDRE.

Animals↗

Vitamin D-regulated gene expression.

The major emphasis of this review is on the molecular events that occur in target tissues when stimulated by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. The vitamin D receptor is a 55,000-kDa protein whose domains have been described roughly for human and rat. A single receptor appears to carry out all of the known functions of vitamin D and is likely a nucleoprotein. The receptor binds to vitamin D response elements found in the promoter region of responsive genes. An accessory protein is required for the binding of the receptor to these response elements. The accessory protein has a molecular weight of approximately 62,000 kDa but has not been cloned. The response elements are two repeat sequences separated by three bases. A negative response element is known for the parathyroid gene and is a single arm homologous to one arm of the osteopontin response element. Phosphorylation in the ligand binding domain of the receptor follows binding of 1,25-(OH)2D3. The receptor then becomes transcriptively active and interacts with other transcription factors to bring about gene expression. It is unknown, if following phosphorylation, the ligand is released, and final proof that the phosphorylated receptor is the transcriptively active form of the protein is not yet available.

Animals↗

Baculovirus-mediated expression of retinoic acid receptor type gamma in cultured insect cells reveals a difference in specific DNA-binding behavior with the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor.

The baculovirus genetic expression system has been used to produce murine retinoic acid receptor (RAR) type gamma in Spodoptera frugiperda insect cells and Manduca sexta insect larvae. A hydroxyapatite binding assay revealed production levels of 300 pmol of unoccupied receptor per mg of protein in insect cells, whereas levels from infected insect larvae were found to average 100 pmol of RAR gamma per mg of protein. The cytosolic preparation from infected insect cells exhibited an equilibrium dissociation constant of 2.1 nM as determined by a retinoic acid saturation analysis plotted by the method of Scatchard. A polyclonal antibody directed against RAR gamma recognized the recombinant receptor protein as a 54,000-Da species. Electrophoretic mobility shift analyses demonstrated that protein extracts from RAR gamma-producing insect cells or larvae are capable of retinoic acid responsive element binding. This contrasts with the specific DNA-binding behavior of the insect cell-produced vitamin D receptor, which requires the presence of a mammalian-derived nuclear accessory protein. This distinction between RAR gamma and the vitamin D receptor suggests a difference in the molecular requirements by these two receptors for specific binding of their respective DNA response elements.

Animals↗

Up-regulation of the vitamin D receptor in response to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 results from ligand-induced stabilization.

Several studies have shown that the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) receptor protein levels increase in response to 1,25-(OH)2D3. We have studied the mechanism of this regulation in both mouse fibroblasts and rat intestinal epithelial cells. Cell extracts and total RNA were prepared at varying times after addition of 1,25-(OH)2D3. The 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor protein levels, measured using an immunoradiometric assay, rose significantly 2-3 h posttreatment and had risen 3-fold at 8 h. Concurrently, the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor mRNA content, measured using a ribonuclease protection assay, was not altered by 1,25-(OH)2D3 during this time. In cycloheximide-blocked cells, the administration of 1,25-(OH)2D3 markedly reduced the degradation rate of previously formed receptor. The 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor protein half-life was determined as 4 h in the absence of 1,25-(OH)2D3 and increased to at least 8 h in the presence of 1,25-(OH)2D3. We also measured the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor mRNA levels in the duodena and kidney of vitamin D-deficient rats after a single 150-pmol injection of 1,25-(OH)2D3. Again, we found that 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor mRNA levels were not changed in these tissues after 1,25-(OH)2D3 treatment. Therefore, the elevation of the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor protein following 1,25-(OH)2D3 administration is apparently the result of increased receptor protein lifetime and not increased transcription.

Animals↗

New concepts of vitamin D functions.

Besides its classical actions in calcium metabolism, it is clear that the hormonal form of vitamin D has many new functions, which have only been discovered as a result of following the appearance of its receptor. Furthermore, because of the vitamin D-based endocrine system, the use of vitamin D compounds in treating a variety of diseases has been expanded. We now know that 1.25-(OH)2D3 not only stimulates the intestine to absorb calcium and phosphorus, the bones to mobilize calcium and phosphorus, and the kidney to cause increased renal reabsorption of calcium, but also directly suppresses the parathyroid hormone and is a developmental hormone necessary for the recruitment of cells for osteoclast formation, for female reproduction, for development of skin, and for the treatment of certain malignant conditions.

Animals↗

Sequences in the human parathyroid hormone gene that bind the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor and mediate transcriptional repression in response to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], plays an important role in the regulation of mineral ion homeostasis. As well as being the major steroid hormone that regulates calcium metabolism, 1,25(OH)2D3 suppresses transcription of the gene encoding parathyroid hormone, a peptide that plays a dominant role in regulating extracellular calcium levels. To identify DNA sequences that may mediate this transcriptional repression, nuclear extracts containing the 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor were examined for binding to sequences in the 5'-flanking region of the human parathyroid hormone gene. A 25-base-pair (bp) oligonucleotide containing the sequences from -125 to -101 from the start of exon I binds nuclear proteins recognized by monoclonal antibodies against the 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor. The sequences in this region contain a single copy of a motif (AGGTTCA) homologous to the motifs repeated in the up-regulatory 1,25(OH)2D3-response elements. When placed upstream to a heterologous viral promoter, the sequences contained in this 25-bp oligonucleotide mediate transcriptional repression in response to 1,25(OH)2D3 in GH4C1 cells but not in ROS 17/2.8 cells. This down-regulatory element, therefore, differs from the up-regulatory 1,25(OH)2D3-response elements both in sequence composition and in the requirement for particular cellular factors other than the 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor for repressing transcription.

Animals↗

A single receptor identical with that from intestine/T47D cells mediates the action of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 in HL-60 cells.

Two anti-vitamin D receptor monoclonal antibodies binding to two different epitopes immunoprecipitate 100% of the HL-60 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 binding activity, while another monoclonal antibody specific for the porcine receptor precipitates none. Using a rat receptor cDNA probe, a single mRNA species of 4.6 kb was detected by Northern analysis of HL-60 mRNA. Using a cDNA probe from the cloned rat receptor, 10(7) recombinants from a lambda gt11 cDNA library constructed from mRNA isolated from HL-60 cells was screened yielding two positive clones. These clones had sequences identical with the known human receptor sequence from intestinal/T47D sources. Using PCR technology, the entire sequence of the HL-60 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 receptor was determined. This sequence was found identical with that reported for the human intestinal/T47D cDNA encoding the vitamin D receptor except for a single base. The substitution of this particular base does not alter the amino acid sequence however. Thus, the same receptor likely operates in differentiation and calcium transport functions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of human androgen receptor overexpressed in the baculovirus system.

An essential step in the process of understanding the structure and function of the human androgen receptor (hAR) involves the production of large quantities of the hAR. For this purpose, the full-length hAR has been overproduced in insect cells by using a baculovirus genetic expression system. The recombinant hAR is produced in Sf21 insect cells at approximately 7 pmol/mg of protein (1 x 10(6) AR molecules per cell), which is 70-150 times greater than levels detected in androgen target tissues. Androgen can bind to the baculovirus-expressed hAR with high affinity (Kd = 0.46 nM), and the specificity of hormone binding in baculovirus-expressed hAR is essentially identical to that of bona fide hAR. An anti-AR monoclonal antibody can recognize the baculovirus-expressed hAR at approximately 100 kDa upon Western blot analysis. Sucrose gradient analysis shows that baculovirus-expressed hAR complexes sediment at 4 S in a high salt medium and these complexes can interact with anti-AR monoclonal antibody to form complexes that sediment at 8-10 S. Therefore, production of recombinant hAR from the baculovirus expression system will provide an alternative source of biologically active hAR for studies on the molecular mechanisms of androgen action.

Androgens↗

Vitamin D-responsive protein-DNA interactions at multiple promoter regulatory elements that contribute to the level of rat osteocalcin gene expression.

The observation that vitamin D-mediated enhancement of osteocalcin (OC) gene expression is dependent on and reciprocally related to the level of basal gene expression suggests that an interaction of the vitamin D responsive element (VDRE) with basal regulatory elements of the OC gene promoter contributes to both basal and vitamin D-enhanced transcription. Protein-DNA interactions at the VDRE of the rat OC gene (nucleotides -466 to -437) are reflected by direct sequence-specific and antibody-sensitive binding of the endogenous vitamin D receptor present in ROS 17/2.8 osteosarcoma nuclear protein extracts. In addition, a vitamin D-responsive increase in OC gene transcription is accompanied by enhanced non-vitamin D receptor-mediated protein-DNA interactions in the "TATA" box region (nucleotides -44 to +23), which also contains a potential glucocorticoid responsive element. Evidence for proximity of the VDRE with the basal regulatory elements is provided by two features of nuclear architecture. (i) Nuclear matrix attachment elements in the rat OC gene promoter that bind nuclear matrix proteins with sequence specificity may impose structural constraints on promoter conformation. (ii) Limited micrococcal nuclease digestion and Southern blot analysis indicate that three nucleosomes can be accommodated in the sequence spanning the OC gene VDRE, the OC/CCAAT box (nucleotides -99 to -76), and the TATA/glucocorticoid responsive element, and thereby the potential distance between the VDRE and the basal regulatory elements can be reduced. A model is presented for the contribution of both the VDRE and proximal promoter elements to the enhancement of OC gene transcription in response to vitamin D. The vitamin D receptor plus accessory proteins may function cooperatively with basal regulatory factors to modulate the extent to which the OC gene is transcribed.

Animals↗

Id gene expression and its suppression by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in rat osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells.

Id is one of the helix-loop-helix family of proteins that regulate differentiation in several types of cells, including myoblasts. We found that Id mRNA was constitutively expressed in ROS17/2.8 rat osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells and that the level of Id message in these cells was suppressed by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (vitamin D), a calcitropic hormone known to enhance expression of differentiation-related phenotypes in these cells. The vitamin D suppression was dose-dependent, starting at 10(-11) M and saturating at 10(-8) M. This vitamin D effect was seen within 6 hr after the initiation of the treatment and lasted at least 48 hr. Cycloheximide did not block the vitamin D suppression of Id message level. Vitamin D reduced the rate of Id gene transcription by approximately 80% as estimated by nuclear run-on assay. Electrophoretic mobility-shift assay indicated the specific binding of nuclear factors from ROS17/2.8 cells to an E-box DNA sequence, and the binding signal was enhanced in nuclear extracts of the cells treated with vitamin D. The suppressive effect was specific to vitamin D, since another calcitropic hormone, the synthetic compound dexamethasone, did not suppress Id message expression. These observations indicate the presence of helix-loop-helix proteins in osteoblastic cells and indicate that vitamin D, a potent regulator of differentiation in several types of cells, controls the expression of the helix-loop-helix molecules.

Animals↗

Immunopurified 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1 alpha-hydroxylase and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 24-hydroxylase are closely related but distinct enzymes.

The chick kidney mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 24-hydroxylase was partially purified by sequential polyethylene glycol precipitation, aminohexyl-Sepharose 4B, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The specific activity of the final preparation, when reconstituted with NADPH, adrenodoxin, and adrenodoxin reductase, was 245 pmol/min/mg of protein or 0.56 pmol/min/pmol of P-450. The specific cytochrome P-450 content was 0.45-0.73 nmol/mg of protein. BALB/c mice immunized with this preparation developed serum polyclonal antibodies to the 24-hydroxylase, as demonstrated by immunoprecipitation. Splenic lymphocytes from an immunized mouse were fused with myeloma NSI/1-Ag-4-1 cells, and hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies to the 24-hydroxylase were detected by immunoprecipitation. The hybridoma lines were cloned by limiting dilution and further characterized as IgG1, IgG3, and IgM subclasses. In one-dimensional immunoblots of soluble 24-hydroxylase preparations, the monoclonal antibodies revealed a single band with an apparent molecular weight of 59,000. The monoclonal antibodies did not cross-react with cytochrome P-450s from other species but immunoprecipitated and immunoblotted a soluble chick renal mitochondrial 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1 alpha-hydroxylase preparation, demonstrating the close similarity of these two hydroxylases. These antibodies were coupled to Sepharose CL-4B and used to isolate to homogeneity the two enzymes from chick kidney mitochondria. Amino-terminal sequences and amino acid composition data demonstrate that these enzymes are different but homologous.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-Hydroxylase↗

Identification of a 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-response element in the 5'-flanking region of the rat calbindin D-9k gene.

The rat calbindin D-9k gene is transcriptionally regulated by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the intestine. We have examined the 5'-flanking region of this gene and identified a 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-responsive element (DRE) between nucleotides -489 and -445. This element confers 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 responsiveness through its native promoter and the heterologous thymidine kinase promoter, and it contains the sequence GGGTGTCGGAAGCCC, which is homologous to the other previously identified DREs. Incubation of this element with the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor produced a specific protein-DNA complex, which shifted to a higher molecular weight form upon the addition of a monoclonal antibody specific to the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor. Therefore, the 5'-flanking region of the rat calbindin D-9k gene contains a DRE that mediates the enhanced expression of this gene by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the intestine.

Animals↗

A nuclear protein essential for binding of rat 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor to its response elements.

Recombinant 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor from a baculovirus expression system requires a mammalian-derived nuclear accessory protein for binding to a vitamin D response element (DRE). This was established by electrophoretic mobility shift analyses using radiolabeled DNA probes consisting of DREs from two vitamin D-responsive genes. Mammalian nuclear extract was also required for the binding of wild-type porcine vitamin D receptor to a DRE. Surprisingly, the accessory factor-dependent formation of receptor-DRE complex was independent of exogenous 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. A 59- to 64-kDa accessory protein from porcine intestinal nuclear extract was identified by size-exclusion chromatography. Nuclear extracts from rat liver and kidney contained accessory factor, whereas smaller amounts were detected in heart muscle. Spleen and skeletal muscle contained no detectable accessory factor.

Animals↗

A new, highly sensitive assay for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D not requiring high-performance liquid chromatography: application of monoclonal antibody against vitamin D receptor to radioreceptor assay.

A new, highly sensitive radioreceptor assay, which does not require high-performance liquid chromatography, has been developed for the determination of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH2)D3) in serum. The assay involves rapid extraction of serum, Sep Pak silica purification, and addition of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor, radiolabeled 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, bovine serum albumin, and monoclonal antibody to specifically precipitate the receptor. This method is sensitive to 0.3-0.6 pg/tube, with B50 occurring at 5.8 pg/tube. This sensitivity combined with overall recovery of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (81.5 +/- 5.2%, n = 50, mean +/- SD) allows the measurement of serum 1,25-(OH)2D3 in duplicates with only 0.5 ml of serum. Intra- and interassay coefficient of variation were 9.5 and 14.6%, respectively. Dilution analysis, analytical recovery of added 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and comparison with a standard method using HPLC have been used to validate the assay. Serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 level was for normal adults, 36.6 +/- 10.5 pg/ml (n = 14); in primary hyperparathyroidism, 98.9 +/- 19.9 pg/ml (n = 16); in chronic renal failure, 17.8 +/- 5.1 pg/ml (n = 12). This method allows large numbers of samples to be processed at once. Further, the method is rapid and provides an accurate assay using small amounts of serum.

Administration, Oral↗

Short-term regulation of the renal vitamin D receptor in rats by 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol is calcium insensitive.

Acute regulation of the vitamin D receptor in kidney by 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and dietary calcium was investigated using vitamin D-deficient rats. 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol administered to normocalcemic, vitamin D-deficient rats increased the renal receptor level, whereas serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations remained nearly constant. In hypocalcemic, vitamin D-deficient rats, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol caused a sharp response at 4 h, which remained elevated for the remaining 20 h. Serum calcium rose gradually over 24 h, whereas serum phosphorus remained fairly constant. When hypocalcemic, vitamin D-deficient rats were fed a high calcium diet following 14 h without food, the serum calcium concentration increased and serum phosphorus concentration decreased, whereas renal receptor levels were unchanged. These data indicate that 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol rapidly regulates the renal vitamin D receptor, independent of serum calcium and phosphorus, but requires an adequate serum calcium concentration to sustain a prolonged effect.

Animals↗

Normalization of serum calcium restores fertility in vitamin D-deficient male rats.

We performed experiments to determine whether treatment with vitamin D or 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol could reverse male infertility caused by vitamin D deficiency. Additionally, an attempt was made to distinguish between a direct and an indirect effect of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol on reproductive tissue. Vitamin D-deficient male rats with impaired fertility were treated with vitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol for 3 wk, then mated. Secondly, vitamin D-deficient male rats were made normocalcemic by increasing dietary calcium, and their fertility was compared with that of vitamin D-deficient, hypocalcemic rats. The fertility of male rats was restored by treatment with either vitamin D or 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. However, fertility was also restored in vitamin D-deficient animals by feeding them a diet supplemented with high levels of calcium. These results indicate that the influence of vitamin D and its active metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, on male fertility is indirect. Vitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol seemed to influence male fertility by acting on classic target tissues and regulating levels of calcium in reproductive tissues.

Animals↗

Bone mineral loss during lactation occurs in absence of parathyroid tissue.

The requirement of parathyroid tissue for bone mineral loss during lactation was investigated. Lactating rats parathyroidectomized (PTX) at day 2 of lactation and consuming a 2% calcium diet are hypercalcemic and hypophosphatemic at day 13 of lactation. The high-calcium diet supports normal growth of pups nursing PTX mothers. PTX lactating rats mobilize bone mineral to the same extent as euparathyroid lactating rats consuming the same diet. Non-lactating PTX rats lose no bone mineral over a similar time period, indicating lactation-specific bone mineral mobilization in the absence of parathyroid tissue. PTX rats were verified to have physiologically insignificant amounts of parathyroid tissue, as evidenced by severe hypocalcemia and/or death in each rat after a shift from a 2% calcium to a 0.02% calcium diet. These results conclusively demonstrate that lactation-associated bone mineral mobilization does not require parathyroid hormone or parathyroid tissue.

Animals↗