The cAMP in thyroid: from the TSH receptor to mitogenesis and tumorigenesis.
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Publications and source records attributed to M Parmentier.
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Chemokine receptors belong to G protein-coupled receptors. The chemokine receptor CCR5, that binds M1P-1 alpha, M1P-1 beta and RANTES, was characterized as the main coreceptors for M-tropic strains of HIV-1, the most important for the transmission of the disease. This receptor is necessary, together with CD4, for the entry of the virus in its target cells. A mutant form of the receptor, frequent in European populations, confers to homozygotes a strong resistance to the virus, and to heterozygotes a relative resistance. We have determined by mutagenesis the regions of CCR5 that are important for its interaction with the viral envelope and with its natural ligands.
Macrophage-tropic (M-tropic) HIV-1 strains use the beta-chemokine receptor CCR5, but not CCR2b, as a cofactor for membrane fusion and infection, while the dual-tropic strain 89.6 uses both. CCR5/2b chimeras and mutants were used to map regions of CCR5 important for cofactor function and specificity. M-tropic strains required either the amino-terminal domain or the first extracellular loop of CCR5. A CCR2b chimera containing the first 20 N-terminal residues of CCR5 supported M-tropic envelope protein fusion. Amino-terminal truncations of CCR5/CCR2b chimeras indicated that residues 2-5 are important for M-tropic viruses, while 89.6 is dependent on residues 6-9. The identification of multiple functionally important regions in CCR5, coupled with differences in how CCR5 is used by M- and dual-tropic viruses, suggests that interactions between HIV-1 and entry cofactors are conformationally complex.
The ORL1 (Opioid Receptor-Like) receptor is the G protein-coupled receptor whose amino acid sequence is closest to those of opioid receptors. Residues that are conserved in ORL1 and the three types of opioid receptor, but also a residue, His in the sixth putative transmembrane (TM6) helix, which is present in all opioid receptor types but absent in ORL1, appear to play a key role in receptor recognition and/or activation. Here we have sought to create an opioid binding pocket in the non-opioid ORL1 receptor by replacing residue Gln280 in its TM6 by the corresponding His residue of opioid receptors. The mutation affects neither the affinity of nociceptin - the natural ORL1 agonist - for the receptor, nor the potency of nociceptin to inhibit adenylyl cyclase via ORL1. In contrast, we find that a few opioid ligands, the agonists lofentanil, etorphine and dynorphin A, and especially the antagonists diprenorphine and nor-BNI, bind the mutant Q280H receptor with substantially (5- to > 100-fold) higher apparent affinity than they do the wild-type receptor. Moreover, lofentanil and etorphine no longer act as pure agonists, as they do at the native ORL1 receptor, but are endowed with clear antagonist properties at the mutant receptor. The mutation Q280H, which increases affinity while decreasing intrinsic activity of opioids at ORL1, emphasizes the importance of the His residue for opioid recognition and activation.
We report here the characterization of a transgenic mouse model (Tg-A2aR/Tg-E7) resulting from the coexpression of two oncogenic transgenes in the thyroid. The two transgenes (Tg-A2aR and Tg-E7) were placed under control of the thyroid specific thyroglobulin gene promoter, and directed the expression of either the A2a adenosine receptor that constitutively activates the cAMP pathway, or the E7 protein of the human papillomavirus type 16, that binds and inactivates the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product (Rb1). Transgenic mice expressing both transgenes were generated by interbreeding the Tg-A2aR and Tg-E7 transgenic lines, generated and characterized previously (Ledent et al., 1992, 1995). These mice develop a larger goiter than that of the two parental lines, and a severe hyperthyroidism comparable to that observed in the Tg-A2aR parental line. The main feature of the Tg-A2aR/Tg-E7 mice is the rapid occurrence of malignant lesions, and the dissemination of malignant thyroid tissue through the blood stream, generating multiple differentiated and functional metastases in the lung. These metastases appeared as early as 2 months after birth and their frequency increased to 75% over 3 months. They were associated with the presence of large vascular lakes in the thyroid. Electron microscopy of the malignant cells revealed nuclear features similar to those of human thyroid papillary carcinoma. These mice, in which two oncogenes are co-expressed in the thyroid, represent the first genetic animal model developing metastatic differentiated carcinomas of the thyroid with a high frequency.
The five human CC-chemokine receptors functionally characterized to date were mapped by using a radiation hybrid panel and YAC contigs. The genes encoding CC-CKR1, CC-CKR2, CC-CKR3, and CC-CKR5 (designated respectively CMKBR1, CMKBR2, CMKBR3, and CMKBR5 in the Genome Data Bank) were found to be clustered in the 3p21.3 region of chromosome 3, between the AFM362WB9 and the WI-6983 markers. The four genes fall within a total distance of about 350 kb. The fifth gene (CMKBR4, encoding the CC-CKR4 receptor) was located more distally (3p24) on the same chromosome, between the FB18G7 and the D3S1768 markers. These localizations were confirmed by mapping the genes into the YAC contigs covering these regions. The clustering of chemokine receptor genes suggests a relatively recent expansion of the gene family by gene duplication. Deletions and duplications of the 3p21 region have been described in neoplastic disorders of the hematopoietic lineage, suggesting a potential link with the CC-chemokine receptor gene family.
HIV-1 and related viruses require co-receptors, in addition to CD4, to infect target cells. The chemokine receptor CCR-5 (ref.1) was recently demonstrated to be a co-receptor for macrophage-tropic (M-tropic) HIV-1 strains, and the orphan receptor LESTR (also called fusin) allows infection by strains adapted for growth in transformed T-cell lines (T-tropic strains). Here we show that a mutant allele of CCR-5 is present at a high frequency in caucasian populations (allele frequency, 0.092), but is absent in black populations from Western and Central Africa and Japanese populations. A 32-base-pair deletion within the coding region results in a frame shift, and generates a non-functional receptor that does not support membrane fusion or infection by macrophage- and dual-tropic HIV-1 strains. In a cohort of HIV-1 infected caucasian subjects, no individual homozygous for the mutation was found, and the frequency of heterozygotes was 35% lower than in the general population. White blood cells from an individual homozygous for the null allele were found to be highly resistant to infection by M-tropic HIV-1 viruses, confirming that CCR-5 is the major co-receptor for primary HIV-1 strains. The lower frequency of heterozygotes in seropositive patients may indicate partial resistance.
Nociceptin (orphanin FQ), the newly discovered natural agonist of opioid receptor-like (ORL1) receptor, is a neuropeptide that is endowed with pronociceptive activity in vivo. Nociceptin is derived from a larger precursor, prepronociceptin (PPNOC), whose human, mouse, and rat genes we have now isolated. The PPNOC gene is highly conserved in the three species and displays organizational features that are strikingly similar to those of the genes of preproenkephalin, preprodynorphin, and preproopiomelanocortin, the precursors to endogenous opioid peptides, suggesting the four genes belong to the same family-i.e., have a common evolutionary origin. The PPNOC gene encodes a single copy of nociceptin as well as of other peptides whose sequence is strictly conserved across murine and human species; hence it is likely to be neurophysiologically significant. Northern blot analysis shows that the PPNOC gene is predominantly transcribed in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and, albeit weakly, in the ovary, the sole peripheral organ expressing the gene. By using a radiation hybrid cell line panel, the PPNOC gene was mapped to the short arm of human chromosome 8 (8p21), between sequence-tagged site markers WI-5833 and WI-1172, in close proximity of the locus encoding the neurofilament light chain NEFL. Analysis of yeast artificial chromosome clones belonging to the WC8.4 contig covering the 8p21 region did not allow to detect the presence of the gene on these yeast artificial chromosomes, suggesting a gap in the coverage within this contig.
Here, we show that the beta-chemokine receptor CKR-5 serves as a cofactor for M-tropic HIV viruses. Expression of CKR-5 with CD4 enables nonpermissive cells to form syncytia with cells expressing M-tropic, but not T-tropic, HIV-1 env proteins. Expression of CKR-5 and CD4 enables entry of a M-tropic, but not a T-tropic, virus strain. A dual-tropic primary HIV-1 isolate (89.6) utilizes both Fusin and CKR-5 as entry cofactors. Cells expressing the 89.6 env protein form syncytia with QT6 cells expressing CD4 and either Fusin or CKR-5. The beta-chemokine receptors CKR-3 and CKR-2b support HIV-1 89.6 env-mediated syncytia formation but do not support fusion by any of the T-tropic or M-tropic strains tested. Our results suggest that the T-tropic viruses characteristic of disease progression may evolve from purely M-tropic viruses prevalent early in virus infection through changes in the env protein that enable the virus to use multiple entry cofactors.
In order to isolate new subtypes of P2Y purinoceptors, a human placenta cDNA library was screened at middle stringency with a P2Y4 probe. The purification and the sequencing of several clones led us to identify a 984 base pair open reading frame encoding a new human P2Y receptor. It appeared later that this sequence corresponds to the human ortholog (88% amino acid identity) of the rat receptor recently cloned by Chang et al (J. Biol. Chem. 270, 26152-26158, 1995) and called P2Y6. Northern blot analysis detected human P2Y6 receptor messenger RNA in human spleen, placenta, thymus, intestine, and blood leukocytes. In 1321N1 cells stably expressing the human P2Y6 receptor, the formation of IP3 was stimulated by nucleotides with the following order of potency: UDP > 5-bromo-UPT > UTP > ADP > 2-methylthio-ATP >> ATP. The P2Y6 receptor, together with the previously cloned P2Y4 subtype (Communi et al., J. Biol. Chem., 270, 30849-30852, 1995), belongs thus to a subfamily of pyrimidinoceptors inside the P2Y family.
Sets of degenerate oligonucleotide primers synthesized on the basis of the best conserved regions of the chick brain P2Y/P2Y1 and the murine neuroblastoma P2U/P2Y2 receptors were used in polymerase chain reaction experiments on human genomic DNA. An amplified fragment of 712 base pairs was then used as a probe to screen a human genomic DNA library. Several clones were isolated and sequencing revealed an intronless 1122 base pair open reading frame. The corresponding amino acid sequence revealed 83% identity with the chick brain P2Y1 receptor and 34% with the murine neuroblastoma P2Y2 receptor. In COS-7 cells transfected with the coding sequence inserted into the pcDNA3 expression vector, 2-methylthioATP and ATP produced a strong stimulation of inositol phosphates, a typical response of a P2Y1 receptor. Northern blot analysis detected a 6.7 kilobase messenger RNA in most human tissues, the strongest signals being observed in prostate and ovary.
The cloning of several receptors activated by either CC or CXC chemokines and belonging to the G protein-coupled family of receptors has been reported recently. In the present work, we describe the cloning of a human gene, named ChemR13, encoding a new CC-chemokine receptor. The gene encodes a protein of 352 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 40 600 Da and displaying a single potential site for N-linked glycosylation. Using a set of overlapping lambda clones, the genomic organisation of the locus was investigated, demonstrating that the ChemR13 gene is physically linked, and in the same orientation, as the CC-CKR2 gene that encodes a receptor for the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). A distance of 17.5 kb separates the two coding regions, which share 75% identity in nucleic acid and amino acid sequences. Human ChemR13 was functionally expressed in a stably transfected CHO-K1 cell line. Physiological responses to chemokines were monitored using a microphysiometer. Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) was the most potent agonist. MIP-1 beta and RANTES were also active at physiological concentrations. The other CC-chemokines, MCP-1, MCP-2 and MCP-3, as well as CXC-chemokines (IL-8, GRO alpha) had no effect. ChemR13 receptor transcripts were detected by Northern blotting in the promyeloblastic cell line KG-1A, suggesting a potential role in the control of granulocytic lineage proliferation or differentiation. ChemR13 is thus a new member of the growing family of chemokine receptors that mediate the recruitment of cells involved in immune and inflammatory processes. Being the fifth functionally identified receptor in his class, this new CC-chemokine receptor (CC-CKR) is tentatively designated CC-CKR5.
The P2 purinoceptors were initially defined as a family of receptors responsive to extracellular adenine nucleotides. In the late 1980s, it became clear that extracellular uridine nucleotides are also able to modulate cell function. The existence of a nucleotide receptor, common to ATP and UTP, was suggested by indirect pharmacological arguments (for instance the lack of additivity and the cross-desensitization of the responses to the two nucleotides) and later demonstrated by the cloning of a P2U receptor equally responsive to ATP and UTP. Vascular endothelial cells are a paradigm of cells on which both ATP and UTP exert physiologically relevant effects (stimulation of prostacyclin and nitric oxide release). Their response to nucleotides is mediated by two distinct receptors, both coupled to phospholipase C: a specific purinoceptor responsive to ATP and ADP (P2Y) and a nucleotide receptor responsive to ATP and UTP (P2U). We have recently cloned from the human genome a new subtype of receptor (tentatively called P2Y4), which is structurally related to the P2U receptor. Functional expression revealed its coupling to phospholipase C and its selective responsiveness to UTP and UDP. According to the new nomenclature, the P2 receptors that are coupled to G proteins belong to the P2Y family. It now appears that this family encompasses specific purinoceptors (P2Y1, formerly called P2Y), nucleotide receptors common to ATP and UTP (P2Y2, previously P2U) and selective pyrimidinoceptors (P2Y4). The existence of these pyrimidinoceptors suggests that uridine nucleotides may play a role as intercellular mediators, independently from adenine nucleotides.
We describe the cloning of a human gene, named ChemR1, encoding a new putative chemokine receptor sharing 48% identity with CC-chemokine receptor (CCR)4 and 44% identity with CCR1. It displays four extracellular cysteines that are conserved among all other chemokine receptors. ChemR1 transcripts were detected by Northern blotting in the T lymphoblastic cell lines Jurkat and MOLT-4, but not in the pre-B lymphoblastic cell line JM-1. ChemR1 receptor transcripts were also detected by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction analysis in unstimulated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and polymorphonuclear cells prepared from peripheral blood. The chromosomal localization was performed by radiation hybrid mapping and testing of a panel of yeast artificial chromosome clones. This allowed the assignment of the ChemR1 receptor gene to the p21.3-24 region of human chromosome 3, in close proximity with the functionally characterized CCR. Future work is required to identify the ligand(s) of this new chemokine receptor and to define its role in the recruitment of white blood cell populations.
Mouse transgenic models that develop thyroid diseases were generated. All transgenes were driven by the thyroid specific promoter of the thyroglobulin gene. The tissue specificity of the promoter was investigated by using the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene as reporter. The expression of an adenosine A2a receptor resulted in the permanent activation of the cAMP cascade. As a consequence, the transgenic mice developed severe hyperthyroidism and a large goiter, demonstrating in vivo the role of the cAMP cascade in the promotion of both function and proliferation of the thyroid cell. These mice constitute a model for autonomous hyperfunctional adenoma and non-autoimmune familial hyperthyroidism, where mutant thyrotropin receptors stimulate the cAMP cascade constitutively. In another transgenic model, the function of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product RB1 (and of related proteins) was inhibited by expression of the E7 oncoprotein of human papillomavirus type 16. The result was the development of a differentiated and normofunctional colloid goiter, with the progressive development of differentiated malignant lesions. This model suggests the essential role of RB1 and related proteins in the negative control of proliferation that characterizes thyroid cells in the adult. Other transgenic models of thyroid diseases are discussed.
Seasonal variations of milk fat composition, affecting the solid fat content of butter, are used as a model to monitor the texture of the final product. Two methods have been investigated: 1) thermal treatment of cream, which is uncertain and restricted, and 2) a new membrane separation procedure applied to butter oil in a fully hydrophobic medium. Under specific hydrodynamic conditions, a slight variation of the composition leads to a magnification of the variation obtained on the solid fat. This effect is similar to the seasonal effect, allowing control of the final texture of the butter.
In order to isolate new subtypes of P2 purinoceptors, sets of degenerate oligonucleotide primers were synthesized on the basis of the best conserved segments in the published sequences of the chick brain P2Y/P2Y1 and murine neuroblastoma P2U/P2Y2 receptors. Their use in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments on human genomic DNA amplified, among other things, a 712-base pair sequence, that was used as a probe to screen a human genomic DNA library. Several clones corresponding to a single locus were isolated, and the sequence analysis revealed an intronless 1095-base pair open reading frame. The deduced amino acid sequence is consistent with a G protein-coupled receptor and exhibits 51% identity with the human P2Y2 receptor and 35% with the chick P2Y1 receptor. A close comparison with the human P2Y2 sequence reveals the conservation of histidine 262, arginine 265, lysine 289, and arginine 292, which were reported to be involved in nucleotide binding (Erb, L., Garrad, R., Wang, Y., Quinn, T., Turner, J. T., and Weisman, G. A. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 4185-4188). Northern blot analysis detected a 1.8-kilobase messenger RNA in human placenta. The coding sequence was inserted in the pcDNA3 vector in order to transfect 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells. In cells stably expressing the receptor, UTP and UDP stimulated the formation of inositol phosphates with equivalent potency and maximal effect, ATP behaved as a partial agonist, and ADP was almost inactive. We have thus cloned a new member of the G protein-coupled P2 purinergic receptor family, which functionally behaves as a pyrimidinergic receptor.
A human gene encoding an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor named ACCA (adenylate cyclase constitutive activator) was isolated from a genomic library using as a probe a DNA fragment obtained by low-stringency PCR. Human ACCA (hACCA) is a protein of 330 amino acids that exhibits all the structural hallmarks of the main family of G-protein-coupled receptors. Expression of hACCA resulted in a dramatic stimulation of adenylate cyclase, similar in amplitude to that obtained with other Gs-coupled receptors fully activated by their respective ligands. This stimulation was obtained in a large variety of stable cell lines derived from various organs, and originating from different mammalian species. hACCA was found to be the human homologue of a recently reported mouse orphan receptor (GPCR21). The mouse ACCA (mACCA) was therefore recloned by PCR, and expression of mACCA in Cos-7 cells demonstrated that the mouse receptor behaved similarly as a constitutive activator of adenylate cyclase. It is not known presently whether the stimulation of adenylate cyclase is the result of a true constitutive activity of the receptor or, alternatively, is the consequence of a permanent stimulation by a ubiquitous ligand. The tissue distribution of mACCA was determined by RNase protection assay. Abundant transcripts were found in the brain, whereas lower amounts were detected in testis, ovary and eye. Various hypotheses concerning the constitutive activity of ACCA and their potential biological significance are discussed.