Lipoprotein lipase gene expression: physiological regulators at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J M Gimble.
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The 52-kDa phosphoprotein, also reported as lymphocyte-specific gene 1 and WP34, is transcribed as a 1.6-kb mRNA in B lymphocytes, B cell lines, and untransformed T cells. This gene encodes a cytoplasmic and plasma membrane-associated protein that is phosphorylated at a casein kinase II site and reportedly binds calcium. Based on these properties, it has been hypothesized that lymphoid form of the 52-kDa phosphoprotein protein may play a role in lymphocyte signal transduction. We show that alternatively spliced mRNA are expressed from this gene in nonlymphoid cell lines (myocytes, stromal cells, fibroblasts). These cell lines do not express the 1.6-kb lymphoid cell-specific transcript. Instead, mRNA of 2.0 and 2.8 kb are detected in varying abundance. A full-length 2.0-kb cDNA has been cloned and sequenced from the BMS2 stromal cell line by conventional screening and polymerase chain reaction-based methods. This cDNA clone, designated S37, has a single open reading frame encoding a 328 amino acid peptide. The nucleotide sequence of the S37 stromal cell cDNA is identical to that of the lymphocyte derived pp52 cDNA from the 3' poly(A) tail to the codon encoding the amino acid at residue 24. This region of the S37 cDNA clone encodes a protein that is identical to that encoded by the lymphoid pp52 cDNA and includes a casein kinase II phosphorylation site. However, the two clones differ in their 5' nucleotide sequence and their NH3 terminal amino acid sequence. This organization is consistent with alternative exon utilization. These results suggest that tissue-specific control mechanisms are used to generate different forms of lymphoid form of the 52-kDa phosphoprotein mRNA in lymphoid cells versus mesoderm-derived, nonlymphoid cell lineages.
A growing body of data suggests that the bone marrow stroma contains a population of pluripotent cells capable of differentiating into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and lymphohematopoietic supporting cells. In this work, the murine stromal cell lines BMS2 and +/+ 2.4 have been examined as preadipocytes and adipocytes for evidence of osteoblastic gene expression. Adipocyte differentiation has been quantitated using fluorescence activated cell sorting. Within 7-10 days of adipocyte induction by treatment with glucocorticoids, indomethacin, and methylisobutylxanthine, between 40% to 50% of the cells contain lipid vacuoles and exhibit a characteristic adipocyte morphology. Based on immunocytochemistry, both the adipocytes and preadipocytes express a number of osteoblastic markers; these include alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, collagen (I, III), bone sialoprotein II, and fibronectin. Based on biochemical assays, the level of alkaline phosphatase expression is not significantly different between preadipocyte and adipocyte cells. However, unlike rat cell lines, dexamethasone exposure causes a dose-dependent decrease in enzyme activity. The steady-state mRNA levels of the osteoblast associated genes varies during the process of adiopogenesis. The relative level of collagen I and collagen III mRNA is lower in adipocyte-induced cells when compared to the uninduced controls. Osteocalcin mRNA is detected in preadipocytes but absent in adipocytes. These data indicate that osteoblastic gene expression is detected in cells capable of undergoing adipocyte differentiation, consistent with the hypothesis that these cell lineages are interrelated.
Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) is the product of multiple cell types within the bone marrow microenvironment and has been demonstrated to act as a potent inhibitor of myelopoiesis in vitro and in vivo. The action of this cytokine on lymphohematopoiesis has now been examined on both long-term bone marrow cultures and representative cloned cellular components of the bone marrow microenvironment. In myelopoietic (Dexter) cultures, the half maximal inhibitory concentration of IFN-gamma was between 1 and 10 U/mL. In comparable lymphopoietic (Whitlock/Witte) cultures, IFN-gamma inhibited the production of B-lineage lymphoid cells with a half maximal effective concentration of less than 1 U/mL. In a clonal assay for pre-B cells, IFN-gamma inhibited colony formation with a half maximal concentration of 1 to 5 U/mL. Not all B-lineage lymphoid cells displayed the same sensitivity, however. Growth of the IL-7-dependent B cell line (2E8) in methylcellulose assays was unaffected by IFN-gamma while the replication of other lymphoid lines was partially or completely inhibited. IFN-gamma induced the expression of cell surface proteins (MHC Class I and II) on both B-lineage cells and stromal cells. In cloned stromal cell lines, IFN-gamma increased the steady state mRNA levels for the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and JE, a member of the IL-8 family. These data indicate that IFN-gamma acts within the lymphohematopoietic microenvironment through both direct and indirect actions on the hemopoietic and stromal cell populations.
The bone marrow stroma contains pre-adipocyte cells which are part of the hemopoietic microenvironment. Cloned stromal cell lines differ both in their ability to support myeloid and lymphoid development and in their ability to undergo adipocyte differentiation in vitro. These processes have been examined in the +/+2.4 murine stromal cell line and compared to other stromal and pre-adipocyte cell lines. In long-term cultures, the +/+2.4 stromal cells support myeloid cell growth, consistent with their expression of macrophage-colony stimulating factor mRNA. However, despite the presence of mRNA for the lymphoid supportive cytokines interleukins 6 and 7, +/+2.4 cells failed to support stromal cell dependent B lineage lymphoid cells in vitro, suggesting that these stromal cells exhibit only a myelopoietic support function. The +/+2.4 cells differentiate into adipocytes spontaneously when cultured in 10% fetal bovine serum. The process of adipogenesis can be accelerated by a number of agonists based on morphologic and gene marker criteria. Following induction with hydrocortisone, methylisobutylxanthine, indomethacin, and insulin in combination, a time dependent increase in the steady state mRNA and enzyme activity levels of the following adipocyte specific genes was observed: adipocyte P2, adipsin, CAAT/enhancer binding protein, and lipoprotein lipase. In contrast, adipogenesis was accompanied by a slight decrease in the signal intensity of the macrophage-colony stimulating factor mRNA level, similar to that which has been reported in other bone marrow stromal cell lines. These data demonstrate that although the lympho-hematopoietic support function of pre-adipocyte bone marrow stromal cell lines is heterogeneous, they share a common mechanism of adipogenesis.
The enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is responsible for the hydrolysis of triglycerides into free fatty acids and glycerol. Its synthesis is induced as the murine bone marrow stromal cell clone, BMS2, undergoes adipocyte differentiation. The murine genomic LPL promoter has been cloned, sequenced, and characterized by functional and structural assays. The transcriptional start points have been mapped by S1 nuclease and primer extension techniques. Comparison of the 1.7-kb of LPL 5'-flanking sequence between mouse and man reveals 65% identity or greater with conservation of many potential protein-recognition motifs. Using constructs linking this region to the luciferase-encoding reporter gene, transient transfection experiments have documented the promoter function of this sequence in a number of cell lines. Based on a battery of restriction endonucleases, at least 260 bp immediately adjacent to and including the 5'-untranslated region of the first exon are hypersensitive to exogenous nuclease digestion, consistent with an altered chromatin structure. Protein-DNA interactions are detected within this area at the octamer binding protein 1 site and immediately 5' to the translation initiation site based on ExoIII footprinting and gel retention assays.
The cytokine TNF mediates many of the pathologic signs of cachexia, inflammation, and sepsis. The current work describes the regulation of TNF in human myelomonocytic cell lines after PMA stimulation. The cell lines exhibit a low level of constitutive TNF mRNA expression. Within 2 to 4 h of PMA exposure, steady state levels of TNF mRNA are markedly elevated in all myelomonocytic cell lines studied. This rise is due to increased mRNA stability, which increased by almost twofold, and to an overall increase in transcription, which rises by more than sixfold. At the level of the genomic TNF gene, a DNase I hypersensitive site is detected within the TNF promoter between -200 to -100 bp relative to the transcription initiation site. Although absent in nonexpressing erythroleukemia cell lines, the DNase I site is present in uninduced myelomonocytic cell lines and is not changed after PMA induction. The PMA induction of c-fos mRNA correlated well with TNF gene induction; expression of genes encoding other proteins in the AP-1 complex (junB and junD) were also induced by PMA. The nuclear extracts from resting and induced ML-1 cells contain proteins binding specifically to the AP-1, AP-2, and NF kappa B sequence located within the TNF promoter. PMA induction increases the level of a number of specific binding complexes relative to the resting cells. The regulatory mechanisms of the human and murine TNF genes are discussed.
The regulation of interleukin 6 (IL-6) expression in the B-lymphocyte-supporting murine stromal cell line BMS2 has been examined in response to exogenous cytokines and chemical agents. Kinetic analyses of IL-6 mRNA induction and decay are presented together with analysis of the IL-6 biological activity. The cytokines tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 1 (alpha and beta), and transforming growth factor beta, as well as forskolin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP, all induce a transient rise in the steady-state level of IL-6 mRNA and an increased release of IL-6 protein. To study its regulation at the chromatin level, the murine IL-6 genomic gene has been cloned. Induction of IL-6 expression correlates with increased DNA nicking, consistent with increased topoisomerase I and endogenous nuclease activity. This finding is supported by kinetic analyses using camptothecin, a topoisomerase I inhibitor. We conclude that IL-6 regulation in murine stromal cells capable of supporting B-lymphopoiesis is comparable to that observed in human diploid fibroblasts.
Recent advances in long-term bone marrow (BM) culture techniques have allowed investigators to dissect cellular components responsible for lympho hematopoiesis. Consequently, a number of "stromal" cell clones have been developed which are capable of supporting B lineage lymphocyte growth and proliferation in vitro by direct cell-cell interactions and the release of cytokines. While much work has focused on the support function of these cells, questions remain regarding their own differentiation potential. We have examined adipogenesis in the cloned BM stromal cell, BMS2. The presence of hydrocortisone, methylisobutylxanthine, or 30% fetal calf serum each accelerated adipocyte differentiation. This process was accompanied by the accumulation of triglycerides and cholesterol esters along with the induction of adipocyte-specific enzymes. Likewise, the steady-state level of mRNA transcripts increased for genes related to lipid metabolism. However, the pattern of mRNA expression in BMS2 adipocytes differed from that of a well-established, pre-adipocyte cell line, 3T3-L1, with respect to the following genes: glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase, CAAT/enhancer binding protein and angiotensinogen. Adipocyte BMS2 cells retailed the ability to support stromal cell-dependent B lineage lymphocytes in methylcellulose assays. The adipocytes continued to express macrophage-colony-stimulating factor mRNA constitutively and interleukin 6 mRNA in an inducible manner, similar to the BMS2 pre-adipocytes. Together, these data document a close developmental relationship between a specialized fibroblasts and adipocytes in the BM and suggest that adipocyte stromal cells may play an active role in lympho-hematopoiesis.
The fibroblasts and adipocytes of the bone marrow stroma provide the cytokines and extracellular matrix proteins required for the maturation and proliferation of the circulating blood cells. Due to the complexity of the bone marrow as an organ, the normal physiology of these stromal cells is not well understood. In particular, the role of adipocytes in the bone marrow remains controversial. Cloned bone marrow stromal cell lines provide an in vitro model for analysis of the lympho-hematopoietic microenvironment. These cells may be capable of multiple differentiation pathways, assuming the phenotype of adipocytes, chondrocytes, myocytes, and osteocytes in vitro. Characterization of these cell lines and recent in vivo experiments give new insight into the normal physiology of the bone marrow.
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Adipocytes constitute a major part of the bone marrow stroma in vivo and may play an active role in lymphohematopoiesis. Earlier studies had shown that the bone marrow stromal cell clone BMS2 was capable of adipocyte differentiation in vitro, in addition to its well-defined ability to support B lymphopoiesis. We now demonstrate that the process of adipogenesis in this functional bone marrow stromal cell clone can be inhibited by the cytokines interleukin-1 alpha, tumor necrosis factor, and transforming growth factor beta. Exposure of preadipocyte BMS2 cells to these agents blocked the induction of adipocyte differentiation as assessed by morphologic criteria and analysis of the neutral lipid content. Both interleukin-1 alpha and tumor necrosis factor elicited a rapid transient elevation in the steady-state mRNA levels of c-fos, c-jun, and JE. When added to differentiated adipocytes, the three cytokines continued to act as adipogenic antagonists. This was indicated by concentration- and time-dependent decreases in the activity of an adipocyte-specific enzyme, lipoprotein lipase. These changes in enzyme activity correlated directly with a decrease in steady-state levels of lipoprotein lipase mRNA. Another RNA marker of adipocyte differentiation (adipsin) was less influenced by the adipogenic antagonists. This may reflect the longer half-life of this mRNA transcript compared with those of lipoprotein lipase. Our results dramatically demonstrate that the differentiation state of bone marrow stromal cells can be modulated by exogenous factors in vitro. It is also the first report that transformation growth factor beta regulates the activity of lipoprotein lipase. These data suggest potential physiologic actions for these cytokines in vivo within the overall context of lymphohematopoiesis.
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Stromal cells are believed to regulate lympho-hematopoiesis through direct cell-cell interactions and the release of growth factors. Many questions remain, however, about their lineage derivation and functional heterogeneity. We previously prepared a panel of stromal cell lines from murine spleen and bone marrow and characterized them based on their ability to support lymphocyte growth in long-term cultures. These cells are now compared with respect to their expression of various immunoglobulin superfamily and cytokine genes by Northern blot analysis. These results indicate that although stromal cells appear to be mesodermal in origin, they are not closely related developmentally to the hematopoietic progenitor cells they support. The potential production of at least six cytokines was demonstrated. All clones constitutively expressed mRNA for macrophage colony stimulating factor, interleukin-6, transforming growth factor beta and neuroleukin. The most potent lymphocyte supporting clones also made interleukin 7 constitutively. Previous findings had suggested that these clones responded to exogenous stimuli and this has now been demonstrated in terms of induced expression of IL-6 and G/M-CSF mRNA. Interleukin 6 mRNA levels were markedly upregulated by exposure of cells to LPS, TNF, IL-1, IL-6, IL-7, and EGF. G/M-CSF mRNA levels were "superinduced" by the combination of LPS and cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor. These responses are similar to ones documented by investigators working with endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Together, these data suggest that stromal cells are a multifunctional component of the lymphopoietic microenvironment and may be active participants in a complex, cytokine-mediated regulatory network.
Latent transforming growth factors beta (TGF-beta) are easily detectable in embryonic and adult hematopoietic tissues and in vitro studies show that they are potent antagonists of lymphopoiesis and myelopoiesis when converted to biologically active form. To learn more about possible roles in hematopoiesis, active TGF-beta 1 was added to cultures prepared to support myeloid cells (Dexter conditions) or B lineage lymphocytes (Whitlock-Witte conditions) and studied in detail. Hematopoiesis was permanently arrested in Dexter cultures treated with 40 pmol/L (1 ng/mL) of active TGF-beta from initiation. In addition, adipogenesis was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, and adherent layers from treated cultures were defective when recharged with fresh bone marrow cells. Ongoing neutrophil production was terminated in established cultures when addition of the factor was delayed for 8 weeks. In contrast, in experiments with Whitlock-Witte cultures, some of the flasks produced lymphocytes in the continuous presence of TGF-beta 1 (40 pmol/L). Lymphopoiesis was completely arrested by ten-fold higher concentrations, and this was most effective when added at the beginning of culture. Precursors of lymphocytes as well as the microenvironmental elements necessary for supporting their growth survived 2 weeks of cytokine treatment (400 pmol/L) in Dexter cultures. Normal outgrowth of lymphocytes occurred when the cultures were switched to Whitlock-Witte conditions. Surface marker expression on lymphocytes growing in TGF-beta resistant or previously treated cultures was not unusual. These studies demonstrate that TGF-beta is a negative regulator of hematopoiesis in long-term cultures and show that this includes effects on microenvironmental elements. At low concentrations, production of myeloid cells was preferentially affected.
We previously described a domain in the 5' half of the human immunoglobulin kappa enhancer which could bind nuclear proteins in vitro, as detected by a lambda exonuclease protection assay. A second more 3' binding domain in the enhancer has now been detected by a similar assay employing a different exonuclease, the T7 gene 6 exonuclease. Using this assay and starting with a pig spleen nuclear extract, we have purified 5000-fold a protein that binds to the 3' domain. In a DNase I footprint experiment the partially purified protein protects a 27 bp segment in the enhancer centered around the sequence CAGGTGGC, which corresponds to the kappa E2 sequence motif described in the mouse kappa enhancer. The protein, designated NF-kappa E2, also appears to bind at a position downstream of kappa E2, at or near the kappa E3 site. Proteins capable of binding at kappa E2 are found in several mammalian species and are expressed in both lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues.
It has been previously shown that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection of HeLa cells results in augmentation of gene expression directed by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) long terminal repeat (LTR). This effect is presumably mediated by protein interactions with the LTR. We have used two different assays of DNA-protein interactions to study the HSV-induced activation of the HIV LTR. Activation of the HIV LTR is associated with increased protein binding to LTR sequences in a region including the NF-kappa B/core enhancer and the Sp1 binding sequences as monitored by an exonuclease protection assay. Gel retardation assays demonstrated that HSV-1 infection resulted in the induction of a nuclear factor(s) that binds to the NF-kappa B/core enhancer sequence. In addition to the activation of the HIV LTR, HSV induction of NF-kappa B activity may be important for the regulation of HSV gene expression during a herpesvirus infection.
We performed high-resolution mapping studies of the DNAse I-hypersensitive sites located just 5' to the human G gamma- and A gamma-globin genes of K562 erythroleukemia cells, in which these genes are constitutively expressed at low levels. This analysis revealed that the hypersensitive site extends from approximately -210 +/- 5 to -25 +/- 5 base pairs (bp) upstream from the transcription initiation site. Within this region, a GC-rich region located between the proximal CCAAT box and the TATA box is particularly accessible to nuclease digestion; however, the 5' end of the hypersensitive site is less accessible to nucleases. The pattern of DNAse I cleavage does not change on either strand with hemin induction of K562 cells, which increases the rate of gamma-globin gene transcription about threefold. The region within the hypersensitive site includes all the consensus promoter elements of the gamma-globin genes as well as an octamer sequence located between -182 and -175, and a region associated with a variety of mutations that may cause hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH).