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Biomedical subjects

H M Goodman

Publications and source records attributed to H M Goodman.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

In vitro transcription of RU, a middle repetitive element of the rat genome.

Repetitive DNA sequences have been found within as well as adjacent to the rat growth hormone (rGH) gene (1,2). In vitro transcription of the rGH gene yields transcripts predominantly from a tandemly duplicated repeat (RU) in the second intron of the gene. The relative alpha-amanitin sensitivity of this transcription indicates that it is carried out by RNA polymerase III. Transcription initiates within a 5' flanking 15 base-pair repeat, and terminates within a stretch of A residues at the end of each repeat, a termination site that is notably unlike most of those used by polymerase III. Approximately 75% of the transcripts stop at the end of the first repeat; the remainder "read-through" to a homologous termination region at the end of the second repeat.

Animals↗

Conservation of the DNA binding domain and other properties between porcine and rat glucocorticoid receptors.

Activated glucocorticoid receptor protein (GCR) was partially purified from porcine liver cytosol by sequential chromatography on phosphocellulose and DNA-cellulose using a modification of a protocol developed for purification of rat GCR. This partially purified preparation, when separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted, indicated that a Mr = 94,000 protein band cross-reacts with a monoclonal antibody against rat GCR. A nitrocellulose filter binding assay showed that both the partially purified porcine and rat GCRs interact specifically with a cloned synthetic 24 base pair deoxyoligonucleotide containing the GCR binding sequence in the first intron of the human growth hormone (hGH) gene. This specific protein-DNA interaction is blocked by a single base pair change in the binding site. All three putative domains of the GCR molecule: the steroid binding, immunoreactive, and DNA binding have been conserved between two divergent species.

Animals↗

Cloning and nitrate induction of nitrate reductase mRNA.

Nitrate is the major source of nitrogen taken from the soil by higher plants but requires reduction to ammonia prior to incorporation into amino acids. The first enzyme in the reducing pathway is a nitrate-inducible enzyme, nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.1). A specific polyclonal antiserum raised against purified barley nitrate reductase has been used to immunoprecipitate in vivo labeled protein and in vitro translation products, demonstrating that nitrate induction increases nitrate reductase protein and translatable mRNA. A partial cDNA clone for barley nitrate reductase has been isolated and identified by hybrid-selected translation. RNA blot-hybridization analysis shows that nitrate induction also causes a marked increase in the steady-state level of nitrate reductase mRNA.

Journal Article↗

Human growth hormone as a reporter gene in regulation studies employing transient gene expression.

The human growth hormone (hGH) transient assay system described here is based on the expression of hGH directed by cells transfected with hGH fusion genes. Levels of secreted hGH in the medium, measured by a simple radioimmunoassay, are proportional to both levels of cytoplasmic hGH mRNA and the amount of transfected DNA. The system is extremely sensitive, easy to perform, and is qualitatively different from other transient expression systems in that the medium is assayed and the cells themselves are not destroyed. The hGH transient assay system is appropriate for analyses of regulation of gene expression and was utilized here to investigate the effect of the simian virus 40 enhancer on the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter and the effect of zinc on the mouse metallothionein-I promoter. The expression of hGH can also be used as an internal control to monitor transfection efficiency along with any other transient expression system. All cell types tested thus far (including AtT-20, CV-1, GC, GH4, JEG, L, and primary pituitary cells) were able to secrete hGH into the medium.

Animals↗

Growth hormone maintains its own receptors in rat adipocytes.

Hypophysectomy decreased the capacity of adipocytes isolated from epididymal fat to bind [125I]human GH [( 125I]hGH) specifically without changing the apparent affinity for hGH. Specific binding of hGH by adipocytes of both normal and hypophysectomized rats appeared saturated when incubated with 75-80 ng/ml or higher concentrations of GH regardless of whether binding was studied for 2 h at 37 C or for 16 h at 0 C. Maximum binding of hGH by normal adipocytes was approximately 0.45 ng/10(6) cells, and that by adipocytes of hypophysectomized rats ranged from 0.15-0.25 ng/10(6) cells. In cells of both normal and hypophysectomized rats, only 25-30% of the hormone specifically bound at 37 was removed by digestion with trypsin, and about 75% was displaced by incubation with 5 M magnesium chloride, suggesting that these adipocytes internalized a significant fraction of bound hormone and that hypophysectomy did not alter the extent of internalization. Previously bound hormone was lost from normal adipocytes with a half-time of about 32 min and from adipocytes of hypophysectomized rats with a half-time of about 45 min, suggesting that hypophysectomy slowed the rate of processing bound hormone. To determine which pituitary hormone(s) might be required to maintain GH binding, we measured the binding of [125I]hGH at 3 or 30 ng/ml by fat cells prepared from hypophysectomized rats after various treatment regimens. Administration of bovine GH ip at a dose of 10 micrograms/rat every 4 h for 24 h doubled the binding of [125I]hGH by adipocytes prepared 4 h after the last injection. Similar results were obtained in fat cells examined 4 h after only one injection of 60 micrograms bovine GH to rats hypophysectomized 2-4 weeks previously. When binding was measured 16-24 h after GH administration, there was no apparent effect on restoration of binding even after treatment with 100 micrograms GH/day for up to 6 days, suggesting that the effects of GH in maintaining receptor number are transient. In accord with the apparently short-lived ability of GH to maintain its receptors on fat cells, GH binding was significantly reduced in adipocytes obtained form both hypophysectomized and sham-operated rats as early as 4 h after surgery, and by 8 h after surgery, declined to a level as low as that in adipocytes of chronically hypophysectomized rats. Twenty-four hours after surgery, GH binding by cells of sham-operated animals returned to normal. Fasting for 24 h also reduced GH binding by adipocytes of normal rats to a level comparable to that in adipocytes of fed hypophysectomized animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue↗

Actinomycotic pelvic inflammatory disease simulating malignancy.

The protean and indolent nature of pelvic actinomycosis combined with the rarity of the disease poses a diagnostic dilemma. Woody induration and pelvic fibrosis may be present to such a degree that a diagnosis of pelvic malignancy is entertained. Early diagnosis and aggressive antibiotic therapy prior to definitive surgical management, even in the face of extensive anatomic changes, may enable the surgeon to perform relatively conservative surgery, obviating the need for procedures usually reserved for malignant disease.

Actinomycosis↗

Insulin regulation of protein biosynthesis in differentiated 3T3 adipocytes. Regulation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

The effect of insulin on protein biosynthesis was examined in differentiated 3T3-L1 and 3T3-F442A adipocytes. Insulin altered the relative rate of synthesis of specific proteins independent of its ability to hasten conversion of the fibroblast (preadipocyte) phenotype to the adipocyte phenotype. Although more than one pattern of response to insulin was observed, we focused on the induction of a Mr 33,000 protein which was identified as the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Exposure of 3T3 adipocytes to insulin throughout differentiation specifically increased GAPDH activity and protein content by 2- to 3-fold as compared to 3T3 adipocytes differentiated in the absence of insulin. These changes in enzyme activity and content could be accounted for by a 4-fold increase in the relative rate of synthesis of GAPDH and a 9-fold increase in hybridizable mRNA levels. Within 2 h of insulin addition to 3T3 adipocytes differentiated in the absence of hormone, hybridizable GAPDH mRNA levels increased 3-fold, and within 24 h GAPDH mRNA levels increased 8-fold, and [35S] methionine incorporation into GAPDH protein increased 5-fold. The increase in GAPDH mRNA and GAPDH biosynthesis could be demonstrated using physiologic concentrations of insulin (0.24 nM), indicating that these effects are mediated through a specific interaction with the insulin receptor. These studies demonstrate that insulin, as the sole hormonal perturbant, can increase the synthesis of certain 3T3 adipocyte proteins by altering the cellular content of a specific mRNA.

Adipose Tissue↗

Purification and amino-terminal protein sequence analysis of the mumps virus fusion protein.

The fusion (F) protein of mumps virus was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography using an anti-F monoclonal antibody. The F protein was reduced and alkylated, and the F1 and F2 chains were isolated by high-pressure size exclusion chromatography. Twenty-three amino acid residues from the amino terminus of each chain were identified following automated Edman degradation. The amino-terminal sequence of the F1 chain was homologous to previously reported F1 sequences from three other paramyxoviruses (simian virus 5, Newcastle disease virus, and Sendai virus). Secondary structure predictions suggest an alpha-helical conformation for the mumps virus F1 amino-terminal sequence. A helical wheel model of the paramyxovirus F1 NH2 terminus is presented which defines conserved and variable arcs of the helix and provides a spatial representation of this critical functional domain of the paramyxovirus fusion protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Regulation of growth hormone messenger RNA synthesis by dexamethasone and triiodothyronine. Transcriptional rate and mRNA stability changes in pituitary tumor cells.

We have characterized the process by which the growth hormone (GH) gene is stimulated in rat pituitary tumor cells (GC or GH3) by the steroid hormone dexamethasone (Dex) and the thyroid hormone, L-triiodothyronine (T3). A primary transcriptional response is detected within 60 minutes of addition of T3 or Dex + T3 to GH-producing cells (GC or GH3). A fivefold transcriptional stimulation of GH nuclear RNA occurs in cells cultured with serum substitute medium and induced with Dex + T3, while T3 alone induces a modest two- to threefold stimulation. The absence of fetal calf serum from the cell culture medium does not decrease the level of transcriptional activity of the GH gene during hormone stimulation. Twenty-four hours after addition of Dex + T3 the cytoplasmic GH mRNA shows a 50-fold increase, as measured by S1 nuclease analysis. This large accumulation of cytoplasmic GH mRNA in contrast to the relatively small changes in GH gene activity is inconsistent with solely a transcriptional mechanism of hormone induction. We suggest that a change in specific GH mRNA stability also takes place in response to Dex + T3. In contrast to other reports, transcriptional stimulation of the GH gene by Dex is insignificant except in the presence of T3.

Animals↗

The first intron of the human growth hormone gene contains a binding site for glucocorticoid receptor.

Glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) protein stimulates transcription from a variety of cellular genes. We show here that GCR partially purified from rat liver binds specifically to a site within the first intron of the human growth hormone (hGH) gene, approximately 100 base pairs downstream from the start of hGH transcription. GCR binding is selectively inhibited by methylation of two short, symmetrically arranged clusters of guanine residues within this site. A cloned synthetic 24-base-pair deoxyoligonucleotide containing the predicted GCR binding sequence interacts specifically with GCR. The hGH binding site shares sequence homology with a GCR binding site upstream from the human metallothionein II gene and a subset of GCR binding sites from mouse mammary tumor virus. All of these binding sites for this eukaryotic transcriptional regulatory protein show remarkable similarity in overall geometry to the binding sites for several prokaryotic transcriptional regulatory proteins.

Animals↗

Effects of hypophysectomy and cell isolation on the transport of L-arabinose by adipocytes.

Hypophysectomy decreased the basal rate of glucose metabolism in segments of epididymal fat studied in vitro and lowered their maximum capacity to use glucose. However, hypophysectomy changed neither the sensitivity to insulin nor the magnitude of the response when the results were expressed relative to the basal rate of glucose metabolism. Adipocytes isolated from both hypophysectomized and normal rats exhibited a higher basal rate of glucose metabolism than cells remaining in situ in the contralateral tissues, but this consequence of cell isolation was more pronounced for adipocytes of hypophysectomized than normal rats. Glucose metabolism could not be further increased by exposure of the adipocytes of hypophysectomized rats to insulin, whereas insulin produced a 3-to 5-fold stimulation of glucose oxidation in normal adipocytes. The effects of insulin and hypophysectomy on the transport of the nonmetabolizable sugar L-[1-14C]arabinose in tissue segments and isolated adipocytes were also studied. Uptake of L-arabinose was usually more rapid in segments of epididymal fat of normal rats than in segments of tissue obtained from hypophysectomized rats and was significantly accelerated by insulin in both groups. Uptake of L-arabinose was more rapid than normal in adipocytes isolated from hypophysectomized rats and, like glucose metabolism, could not be accelerated by insulin. The same concentration of insulin markedly promoted arabinose uptake in normal adipocytes. Efflux of L-arabinose from segments of tissue from hypophysectomized rats was twice as rapid as that from normal tissue and, in contrast with the rate of efflux from normal tissues, was not accelerated by insulin. The data suggest that in the absence of pituitary secretion, sugar transport in the adipocyte membrane may be asymmetrical. The data also support the view that hypophysectomy renders adipocytes more susceptible than normal to the cell isolation procedure which maximally accelerates glucose utilization and inward transport of arabinose in these cells.

Adipose Tissue↗

Turnover of growth hormone receptors in rat adipocytes.

Adipocytes isolated from the epididymal fat pads of normal rats specifically bound [125I]human GH [( 125I]hGH). Preincubation of cells with 20 micrograms/ml cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, produced a progressive loss of ability to bind [125I]hGH specifically. Loss of binding sites with time followed first order kinetics and had a half-time of about 45 min regardless of whether GH was present or absent during treatment with cycloheximide. Nonspecific binding of labeled hormone was unchanged by cycloheximide. Similar results were obtained when adipocytes were incubated with 200 micrograms/ml puromycin, another inhibitor of translation, but incubation with 5 micrograms/ml actinomycin D, an inhibitor of transcription, for 2.5 h had no effect on the binding of [125I]hGH by adipocytes. The findings are not attributable to cell death, since oxidation of [U-14C] glucose to 14CO2 and binding of [125I]insulin were unaffected in replicate cell populations exposed to the same treatments. Diminished binding could not be attributed to an effect of cycloheximide to hasten the degradation of receptor-bound hGH. Treatment of adipocytes with 0.1 mg/ml trypsin for 10 min virtually abolished their ability to bind [125I]hGH specifically, but binding capability gradually returned after removal of trypsin and was nearly restored to pretrypsin levels by 2 h. Addition of cycloheximide to the incubation medium after removal of trypsin completely prevented recovery of binding capability. Covalent binding of [125I]hGH to its receptors with disuccinimidyl suberate followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis and autoradiography of proteins isolated from adipocyte membranes revealed three specifically labeled bands corresponding to mol wt of 250-300, 130, and 56 kilodaltons. Treatment of adipocytes with cycloheximide before cross-linking resulted in a proportional reduction in all three labeled bands, suggesting a similar half-life for all three entities. Similarly, all three labeled entities reappeared in parallel as adipocytes recovered from treatment with trypsin. The data strongly suggest that receptors for GH turn over rapidly on the surface of adipocytes and that ongoing protein synthesis is required to maintain binding capacity. The data do not permit distinction between rapid turnover of the receptor proteins themselves and a short-lived protein(s) which might be required to insert the receptors into the membrane.

Adipose Tissue↗

Establishment and characterization of a new human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line.

A human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (FOCUS--Friendship of China and United States) was derived from a patient with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. This cell line has been in continuous culture over an 18-mo period. The morphological and ultrastructural features of FOCUS are consistent with its neoplastic hepatocellular origin. FOCUS cells contain aspartate aminotransferase and glucose-6-phosphatase activity. In addition, alpha 1-antitrypsin, fibrinogen, alpha fetoprotein, and carcinoembryonic antigens were detectable in the cytoplasm of the cultured cells by immunochemical staining techniques. The karyotype of the FOCUS cell is human in origin and its contains human DNA sequences as detected by molecular hybridization analysis. The FOCUS cells do not show evidence of density-dependent inhibition of growth under confluent conditions. Repeated growth curves over an 18-mo period were identical, revealing a doubling time of 42 to 48 h. The malignant potential of FOCUS cells was further demonstrated by their ability to lead to gross tumor formation after subcutaneous injection into nude mice. From one of the solid tumors grown in nude mice, recultured cell lines have been established and found to have properties identical to the original FOCUS cell line. This FOCUS cell line represents an additional model for further investigation of tumor specific antigens and the relationship between hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatocellular carcinoma. Preliminary molecular characterization has indicated the existence of integrated HBV sequences within the FOCUS genome.

Animals↗

Biological activity of bacterial derived human growth hormone in adipose tissue of hypophysectomized rats.

Segments of epididymal fat from hypophysectomized rats were incubated in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer for 1-4 h. Responses to three bacterially synthesized human GH (hGH) preparations were compared with responses to two highly purified pituitary hGH preparations. Hormones of both bacterial and pituitary origin increased the rate of oxidation of [U14C] glucose to 14CO2 and antagonized epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. These insulin-like effects were produced over a range of 30-300 ng/ml hGH, and their concentration dependence was quite similar regardless of the source of hormone. Exposure of tissues to GH in the first hour of incubation makes them refractory to the insulin-like actions of a test dose of GH added in the fourth hour of incubation. hGH of either pituitary or bacterial origin also appeared to be equipotent in producing such refractoriness. The minimal effective concentration for this response fell between 10 and 30 ng/ml. Hormones from both sources were also capable of displacing 125I-labeled hGH from specific binding sites on isolated adipocytes, and the displacement curves were superimposable. Fifty percent displacement was seen at concentrations in the range of 10-20 ng/ml. Cell preparations produced a delayed increase in lipolysis which was evident in the presence of 0.3 mg/ml of theophylline in the fourth hour of incubation. In this regard, two of the bacterial hGH preparations were more potent than pituitary hGH and produced statistically significant increases in lipolysis at concentrations 10-30 times lower than pituitary hGH studied simultaneously in tissues of the same rats. Despite the presence of less than 1% contamination with bacterial protein, the greater potency of the bacterial hGH may be due to material of bacterial origin, since one bacterial hGH preparation, which was further purified to remove 99% of the remaining bacterial contamination was equipotent with pituitary hGH. These data indicate that a protein hormone synthesized in bacteria, and therefore likely to be free of peptides which might contaminate hGH purified from pituitary extracts, has all of the diverse physiological effects in adipose tissue that have been observed with preparations of GH derived from pituitary glands. These findings lend strong support to the conclusion that both insulin-like and lipolytic actions of GH are intrinsic properties of the molecule and cannot be attributed to contaminants present in the pituitary extract.

Adipose Tissue↗

Covalent binding of growth hormone to surface receptors on rat adipocytes.

GH specifically binds to receptors on the surface of adipocytes and produces a variety of biological effects in these cells. To gain insight into the nature of the GH receptors, [125I] human GH ([125I]hGH) was cross-linked to surface binding sites on intact rat adipocytes using the bifunctional reagent disuccinimidyl suberate. Plasma membranes were isolated, and after solubilization with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), the proteins were subjected to electrophoresis on 5% or 7.5% polyacrylamide gel. Autoradiography of the 7.5% gels revealed three iodinated bands corresponding to apparent molecular weights of 56, 130, and more than 240 kilodaltons. The more than 240-kilodalton band contained approximately as much 125I as the 130-kilodalton species and about twice as much as the 56-kilodalton species. When run on the more porous 5% gel, the more than 240-kilodalton band resolved into two bands, corresponding to apparent molecular weights of 240 and 310 kilodaltons. Excess unlabeled human or bovine GH, but not ovine PRL, competed with [125I]hGH for binding and prevented the formation of all of the labeled bands. Treatment of the membranes and extracted proteins with dithiothreitol resulted in the generation of additional 130-kilodalton material at the expense of both the 310- and 240-kilodalton species, but failed to alter the amount of 125I that migrated with the 56-kilodalton species. The same pattern of labeling was seen regardless of whether protease inhibitors were present during isolation of membrane proteins or when membrane proteins were isolated under conditions that favored proteolysis, suggesting that the 56-kilodalton species is not a degradative product of the higher molecular weight species. When [125I]hGH was cross-linked to adipocytes in which total binding was decreased by hypophysectomy or starvation of the donor rats or by treatment of the cells with cycloheximide, there was a proportionate diminution in labeling of all species. It thus appears that the GH receptor contains a 130-kilodalton subunit, a portion of which is in disulfide linkage with higher molecular weight complexes and, in addition, contains a 56-kilodalton species. It cannot be determined from these studies if the various labeled protein complexes are components of a single or multiple classes of GH receptors in the adipocyte membrane.

Adipose Tissue↗

Binding and degradation of [125I]human growth hormone in rat adipocytes.

Iodinated human GH [( 125I]hGH) binds to both specific and nonspecific sites on the surface of adipocytes isolated from the epididymal fat of normal rats. When adipocytes were incubated at 37 C with 1 nM [125I]hGH, specific binding increased for 30-60 min and thereafter remained approximately constant as long as the hormone was present in the medium. When cells that had bound [125I]hGH were removed from the incubation medium and reincubated in hormone-free medium at 37 C, half of the specifically bound 125I was released into the medium about every 30 min, and about half of the nonspecifically bound 125I was released in about 60 min. These rates were seen regardless of whether the time allowed for hormone binding was 15, 30, or 60 min. About 90% of the 125I released was soluble in 5% trichloroacetic acid and was in the form of iodotyrosine. The rate of 125I release from specific binding sites decreased by a factor of 4 when the temperature was lowered from 37 to 17 C. Replacement of some of the sodium chloride in the buffer with 25 mM ammonium chloride had little or no effect on the amount on 125I that bound to cells when [125I]hGH was present in the medium, but virtually completely blocked the release of 125I from cells transferred to hormone-free medium. Ammonium chloride also significantly reduced both the release of 125I from nonspecific binding sites and the amount of 125I recovered in trichloroacetic acid-soluble form. Cloroquine, leupeptin, or colchicine nearly doubled the specific binding of [125I]hGH after 180 min and markedly slowed the release of 125I when cells were transferred to hormone-free medium. All of these agents also significantly reduced the rate of release of 125I from nonspecific binding sites. Incubation of adipose tissue from hypophysectomized rats with ammonium chloride, leupeptin, or colchicine failed to alter the ability of GH to increase glucose oxidation, induce refractoriness, or promote lipolysis in the presence of theophylline. We conclude that GH binds virtually irreversibly to both specific and nonspecific sites on the adipocyte surface and is then internalized and degraded in the lysosomones. These events appear to be independent of the cellular processes that lead to expression to GH responses.

Adipose Tissue↗

Herbicide-resistant alfalfa cells: an example of gene amplification in plants.

We have selected alfalfa suspension cell lines that are 20- to 100-fold more resistant than wild-type cells to the nonselective herbicide L-phosphinothricin, a mixed competitive inhibitor of glutamine synthetase (GS). GS enzyme levels are three- to sevenfold elevated in the variant cell line. Partial amino acid sequences of two cyanogen bromide cleavage peptides have been determined on GS purified from the variant cell line and used to confirm the identity of a 276-base pair GS cDNA clone. Southern blot analysis of wild-type and variant cell DNAs using this cDNA as a probe indicate that resistance to L-phosphinothricin is a consequence of a four- to 11-fold amplification of one GS gene resulting in about an eightfold increase in mRNA levels, and an increased enzyme synthesis sufficient to overcome the toxic effects of the inhibitor.

Aminobutyrates↗

Polymorphism in the 5' flanking region of the human insulin gene: a genetic marker for non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

We sought to determine whether differences in the human insulin gene or its immediate flanking sequences could be found in diabetes. Peripheral leukocyte DNA from 217 unrelated persons, including blacks, whites, and Pima Indians, was analyzed by restriction-enzyme digestion, blotting to nitrocellulose filters, and hybridization to cloned [32P]insulin-gene probes. A region of length variation including deletions (0.1 to 0.2 kilobase pairs) or insertions (0.6 to 5.5 kb) of DNA was found only in the immediate 5' flanking region in 33 per cent of the genes examined. A 1.6-kb insertion accounted for 80 per cent of the polymorphism. This variant was found more often in subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes than in nondiabetics, regardless of race (P = 0.011). Length polymorphism in the 5' flanking region of the insulin gene may provide a genetic marker for non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

Adolescent↗