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Biomedical subjects

M Parmentier

Publications and source records attributed to M Parmentier.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Differentiated carcinomas develop as a consequence of the thyroid specific expression of a thyroglobulin-human papillomavirus type 16 E7 transgene.

The oncogenic properties of the high risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) E7 protein are attributed to its interaction with the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product RB1 and other related proteins. We report here the generation of a transgenic model expressing the E7 oncogene of HPV16 in thyroid follicular cells, under control of the bovine thyroglobulin gene promoter. Transgenics develop differentiated and functionally regulated thyroid goitres, due to thyroid cell proliferation and accumulation of colloid. On the background of this colloid goitre, the mice develop foci of more actively proliferating cells that become invasive and ultimately tend to loose their differentiation. Old mice display secondary tumour nodules that mimic the various histological aspects of the human differentiated thyroid cancers: the follicular and papillary carcinomas. The development of totally undifferentiated carcinoma is in contrast exceptional. We conclude that RB1, and/or related proteins, are responsible for the strict negative control of proliferation that characterizes the thyroid cell of the adult. Inactivation of these proteins results in a continuous growth of the thyroid, without affecting its differentiation, function and regulation. Given the high frequency of progression to highly malignant phenotypes, the retinoblastoma susceptibility and related genes are good candidates as targets for mutations or deletions in early steps of human thyroid carcinogenesis. The search for such mutations in human thyroid cancers will test if this hypothesis holds true.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Molecular cloning of a mouse melanocortin 5 receptor gene widely expressed in peripheral tissues.

A mouse genomic clone named HGMP01B has been isolated by homology screening with a probe representing part of the human melanocortin 3 receptor gene. HGMP01B was found to encode a 325 amino acid protein with all the landmarks of G-protein-coupled receptors and belonging to the growing melanocortin receptor family. This receptor displays four potential sites for N-linked glycosylation and five potential sites of phosphorylation by protein kinase C. The HGMP01B gene was found to be expressed in many tissues, including skin, adrenal gland, skeletal muscle, bone marrow, spleen, thymus, gonads, uterus, and brain. A stable Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line expressing approximately 10,000 receptors per cell was established. This cell line displayed a saturable binding capacity for the radioiodinated alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) analog [Nle4,D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH (NDP-MSH) with an apparent Kd of 1.47 +/- 0.15 nM. Binding of the labeled ligand was competed for by all melanocortin peptides, except beta-endorphin or corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP). NDP-MSH was the most powerful competitor, followed by alpha-MSH, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), beta-MSH, the gamma-MSHs, and ACTH 4-10. Functional assays confirmed that HGMP01B, like other melanocortin receptors, stimulated adenylyl cyclase. The potency order obtained in these cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation assays was consistent with that of the binding studies. HGMP01B therefore appears as a fifth melanocortin receptor (MC5), responding mainly to alpha-MSH (EC50 = 1.07 +/- 0.13 nM) and endowed with a pharmacological profile similar to that of the melanocyte MSH (MC1) receptor, but characterized by a broad tissue distribution.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1994

Molecular cloning, functional expression and pharmacological characterization of a mouse melanocortin receptor gene.

We describe the cloning of the mouse HGMP01A gene that encodes a melanocortin receptor functionally distinct from the adrenal cortex corticotropin (adrenocorticotrophic hormone; ACTH) receptor and the melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) receptor expressed in melanoma. The gene encodes a protein of 323 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 35,800 Da, displaying potential sites for N-linked glycosylation and phosphorylation by protein kinase C. An RNAase protection assay detected weak expression in the brain, but not in adrenal gland, skin, or any of the other tissues tested. Stable CHO cell lines expressing over 100,000 receptors per cell were generated. The recombinant receptor binds iodinated [Nle4,D-Phe7]alpha-MSH (NDP-MSH) with an apparent Kd of 700 pM. Displacement of the ligand by a variety of pro-opiomelanocortin-derived peptides revealed a pharmacological profile distinct from that of the classical ACTH and MSH receptors. NDP-MSH was the most powerful competitor (IC50 1.4 nM), followed by gamma-MSH (IC50 7 nM). alpha-MSH, beta-MSH and ACTH-(1-39) were significantly less potent, with IC50 values of 30, 19 and 21 nM respectively. ACTH-(4-10) was poorly active (IC50 2.4 microM), while corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP) and beta-endorphin were totally ineffective. The recombinant receptor was found to stimulate adenylate cyclase. The potency order of the agonists in this assay was consistent with that of the binding displacement assays. This receptor represents the orthologue of the human melanocortin 3 receptor reported recently. The growing family of melanocortin receptors constitute the molecular basis for the variety of actions of melanocortins that have been described over the years. The availability of functionally expressed receptors from the melanocortin family will allow the development of a specific pharmacology, and a better understanding of the function of the pro-opiomelanocortin-derived peptides.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1994

ORL1, a novel member of the opioid receptor family. Cloning, functional expression and localization.

Selective PCR amplification of human and mouse genomic DNAs with oligonucleotides encoding highly conserved regions of the delta-opioid and somatostatin receptors generated a human DNA probe (hOP01, 761 bp) and its murine counterpart (mOP86, 447 bp). hOP01 was used to screen a cDNA library from human brainstem. A clone (named hORL1) was isolated, sequenced and found to encode a protein of 370 amino acids whose primary structure displays the seven putative membrane-spanning domains of a G protein-coupled membrane receptor. The hORL1 receptor is most closely related to opioid receptors not only on structural (sequence) but also on functional grounds: hORL1 is 49-50% identical to the murine mu-, delta- and kappa-opioid receptors and, in CHO-K1 cells stably transfected with a pRc/CMV:hORL1 construct, ORL1 mediates inhibition of adenylyl cyclase by etorphine, a 'universal' (nonselective) opiate agonist. Yet, hORL1 appears not to be a typical opioid receptor. Neither is it a somatostatin or sigma (N-allylnormetazocine) receptor. mRNAs hybridizing with synthetic oligonucleotides complementary to mOP86 are present in many regions of the mouse brain and spinal cord, particularly in limbic (amygdala, hippocampus, septum, habenula, ...) and hypothalamic structures. We conclude that the hORL1 receptor is a new member of the opioid receptor family with a potential role in modulating a number of brain functions, including instinctive behaviours and emotions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Importance of the extracellular domain of the human thyrotrophin receptor for activation of cyclic AMP production.

The mechanism by which the TSH receptor is activated is unknown. Current knowledge leads us to consider that G protein-coupled receptors are activated by positioning of their ligand in the pocket formed by the hydrophobic transmembrane segments. Furthermore, activation of an N-terminally truncated LH receptor lacking most of the extracellular domain has been described, suggesting the existence of a mechanism involving a direct interaction between LH and the transmembrane segments. The high conservation of the transmembrane segments among G protein-coupled receptors is a strong indication for a common mechanism of receptor activation. To test this hypothesis for the TSH receptor we have constructed four N-terminally truncated TSH receptor mutants with 5 or 69 amino acids of the extracellular domain joined to signal peptide regions consisting of the first 23 or 33 amino acids. The four fragments were amplified by PCR and subcloned into pBSK+. Sequences were confirmed after subcloning in M13. After joining the four fragments in pBSK+, the four TSH receptor constructs were subcloned in pSVL and transiently or stably expressed in COS and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells respectively. In contrast to results obtained for the LH receptor, stimulation of the transfectants with 10 microM human chorionic gonadotrophin or 350 mU TSH/ml did not increase cyclic AMP (cAMP) concentrations in cultures of transiently transfected COS cells or stably transfected CHO cells. However, mRNA for the TSH receptor could be detected by RNase protection assay in all stable transfectants used for stimulation of cAMP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

The high-affinity interleukin 8 receptor gene (IL8RA) maps to the 2q33-q36 region of the human genome: cloning of a pseudogene (IL8RBP) for the low-affinity receptor.

The selective amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of gene fragments corresponding to new G-protein-coupled receptors resulted in the cloning of 18 orphan members of this gene family. Of these, three human clones amplified from genomic DNA (HGMP03, HGMP04, and HGMP05) were shown to be structurally related. Genomic clones corresponding to HGMP03 and HGMP05 were isolated and their putative coding region sequenced. Following the characterization of two interleukin 8 (IL-8) receptors, HGMP03 appeared to encode the high-affinity IL-8 receptor, whereas the partial clone HGMP04 encodes the low-affinity IL-8 receptor. Comparison with the cDNA sequence suggests that the high-affinity receptor gene is split by an intron in the 5' untranslated region. The high-affinity receptor gene was mapped by in situ hybridization to the 2q33-q36 region of the human genome. The HGMP05 locus turned out to be a pseudogene for the low-affinity IL-8 receptor (87% identity), with multiple frameshifts and point mutations introducing stop codons. Southern blotting on genomic DNA did not allow the further detection of related loci in the human genome.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Reduction of calbindin-28k mRNA levels in Alzheimer as compared to Huntington hippocampus.

Disturbances in calcium homeostasis have been observed to be associated with Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Increased total calcium levels and decreased levels of calcium binding proteins have been found in Alzheimer brain tissue. However, the mechanism behind these disturbances remain unknown. In situ hybridization with tritiated antisense RNA probes for the calcium binding proteins, calbindin-28k and calmodulin, was used to examine the expression of genes coding for these proteins in Alzheimer and Huntington brain tissues matched for age, agonal process and autopsy interval. mRNA levels for calbindin-28k were reduced by 35% in CA1 and CA2 regions of Alzheimer hippocampus, as compared to Huntington control. In contrast, calmodulin expression was unchanged in CA1 but reduced by 30% in CA2. mRNA expression of calbindin-28k and calmodulin in Alzheimer temporal cortex did not differ from control. There were no significant differences in calcium binding protein message levels in cerebellar Purkinje cells between Alzheimer and Huntington control. There was no correlation between calcium binding protein message levels and brain weight, autopsy interval, patient age or the extent of neurofibrillary degeneration. Instead, decreased calbindin-28k expression in Alzheimer-affected hippocampus was due to an increase in the percentage of neurons expressing lower message levels for these proteins.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Olfactory receptors are displayed on dog mature sperm cells.

Olfactory receptors constitute a huge family of structurally related G protein-coupled receptors, with up to a thousand members expected. We have shown previously that genes belonging to this family were expressed in the male germ line from both dog and human. The functional significance of this unexpected site of expression was further investigated in the present study. We demonstrate that a few dog genes representative of various subfamilies of olfactory receptors are expressed essentially in testis, with little or no expression in olfactory mucosa. Other randomly selected members of the family show the expected site of expression, restricted to the olfactory system. Antibodies were generated against the deduced amino acid sequence of the most abundantly expressed olfactory receptor gene in dog testis. The purified serum was able to detect the gene product (DTMT receptor) in late round and elongated spermatids, as well as in the cytoplasmic droplet that characterizes the maturation of dog sperm cells, and on the tail midpiece of mature spermatozoa. Western blotting further confirmed the presence of a 40-kD immunoreactive protein in the membrane of mature sperm cells. Altogether , these results demonstrate that the main expression site of a subset of the large olfactory receptor gene family is not olfactory mucosa but testis. This expression correlates with the presence of the corresponding protein during sperm cell maturation, and on mature sperm cells. The pattern of expression is consistent with a role as sensor for unidentified chemicals possibly involved in the control of mammalian sperm maturation, migration, and/or fertilization.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

The OLFR1 gene encoding the HGMP07E putative olfactory receptor maps to the 17p13-->p12 region of the human genome and reveals an MspI restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Olfactory receptors are believed to be encoded by an extremely large subfamily of G protein-coupled receptors. A human gene (OLFR1) encoding a member of this family was cloned from a genomic library by cross-hybridization with a gene fragment obtained by the polymerase chain reaction. The nucleotide sequence of a 3.4-kb EcoRI fragment was determined, and the protein sequence was deduced from the single open reading frame. The gene was assigned by in situ hybridization of metaphase chromosomes to the 17p13-->p12 region of the human genome, in proximity to the tumor-suppressor gene encoding p53. When used as a probe on Southern blots under moderately stringent conditions, it hybridizes to at least three closely related genes. A restriction fragment length polymorphism was detected after MspI digestion. Mendelian segregation of the gene was assessed in three CEPH families, and linkage analysis confirmed the localization of the locus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Cloning and functional expression of the canine anaphylatoxin C5a receptor. Evidence for high interspecies variability.

A cDNA clone, DTJP03, encoding an orphan receptor, was isolated from a canine thyroid library, and found to exhibit 68.6% amino-acid identity with the recently described human C5a receptor. This relatively low similarity first suggested that DTJP03 encoded either a C5a receptor subtype, or the presumably related C3a receptor. Binding studies performed on membranes from COS-7 cells expressing the recombinant receptor demonstrated that DTJP03 encoded a high-affinity C5a receptor, with a Kd of 1.2 nM. C3a was unable to compete for C5a binding. Intracellular free calcium concentrations were measured by Quin-2 fluorescence assays in Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with the canine C5a receptor. C5a addition elicited an increase in the intracellular calcium concentration. Extracellular EGTA partially prevented this response, suggesting that activation of the C5a receptor promotes both the release of calcium from intracellular stores, and the influx of extracellular calcium. Genes encoding C5a-receptor subtypes were subsequently searched for by PCR in genomic DNA from human, canine, rat and bovine sources. The result was the amplification of a single gene fragment from each species, with about 70% identity between any two of them. The canine C5a receptor has therefore to be considered as orthologous to the human C5a receptor described previously. The low similarity between C5a receptors from different mammalian species is quite unusual for a G-protein-coupled receptor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Calretinin in rat ovary: an in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical study.

Calretinin is a cytosolic calcium-binding protein of the calmodulin superfamily, with high homology with calbindin D28k. The only cells in which calretinin has been described so far are neurons, in the central nervous system and in retina. In the present work, we describe the expression of the calretinin gene in the interstitial cells of rat ovary. Immunohistochemistry, using a calretinin-specific antibody, allowed to detect the protein from 19 days after birth. Western blot from ovary homogenates confirmed the labelling of a 29 kDa band, the size of calretinin. In situ hybridization confirmed immunochemical data; calretinin transcripts were clearly shown in the same cell population. This represents the first description of calretinin outside the nervous system. Its function in ovary remains to be determined.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Molecular cloning, functional expression and pharmacological characterization of a human bradykinin B2 receptor gene.

The gene encoding a putative G protein-coupled receptor (HG10) was cloned from human genomic DNA by low stringency PCR and found to be homologous to the recently described rat bradykinin B2 receptor. The receptor was expressed in xenopus oocytes and stably transfected CHO cell lines. Binding studies demonstrated that HG10 encodes a high affinity BK receptor with an apparent Kd of 150 pM. Displacement by BK agonists and antagonists allowed the characterization of the receptor as a B2 subtype. Functional coupling to the Ca(2+)-phosphatidylinositol cascade was demonstrated in transfected CHO cells where inositol phosphates accumulation and intracellular calcium concentration were elevated in response to BK stimulation. The agonistic and antagonistic properties of BK analogs do not match strictly the pharmacological profile described for the rat or guinea pig B2 receptor subtypes or the putative B3 subtype. This discrepancy is attributed either to species variability or to differences in the coupling efficiency of receptors to the transduction cascade in different cell types. From our results, the existence of B3 receptors and of B2 subtypes appears questionable.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Distribution of cannabinoid receptor messenger RNA in the human brain: an in situ hybridization histochemistry with oligonucleotides.

The distribution of the messenger RNA coding for the recently cloned cannabinoid receptor was studied for the first time in the human brain using in situ hybridization histochemistry and oligonucleotides probes. Microscopically, positive neurons were observed in the layers II-III and V-VI of the cerebral cortex, and in the hilus and the different dendritic layers of the dentate gyrus and Ammon's horn of the hippocampus. No additional microscopic signal could be detected. Macroscopically, a slight hybridization signal, visible on the films after 2 months exposure and which disappears after RNAse treatment, was also found throughout all layers of the cortex, in the pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampus, in the caudate and putamen, and in the granular and molecular layers of the cerebellum. No signal was detected in the brainstem, spinal cord and white matter. In conclusion, the cannabinoid receptor mRNA neuronal localizations here demonstrated in the human brain confirm our previous report in the rat, taking into account that the levels of the transcripts found in the human were lower than in the rat brain.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Expression of members of the putative olfactory receptor gene family in mammalian germ cells.

A series of genomic and complementary DNA clones encoding new putative members of G protein-coupled receptors were isolated using homology cloning and low-stringency polymerase chain reaction. Among the unidentified receptors ('orphan receptors'), a human genomic clone (HGMP07) was characterized by the presence of its transcripts in the testis and by its belonging to a large subfamily of genes sharing extensive sequence similarities. Sequence comparison demonstrated that this gene subfamily is the human counterpart of the putative rat olfactory receptors cloned recently. Another 48 members of the family were cloned. Northern blotting further demonstrated the presence of olfactory receptor transcripts in germ cells. Our finding suggests that a common receptor gene family encodes olfactory receptors and sperm cell receptors that could be involved in chemotaxis during fertilization.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Thyroid expression of an A2 adenosine receptor transgene induces thyroid hyperplasia and hyperthyroidism.

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is the major intracellular second messenger of thyrotropin (TSH) action on thyroid cells. It stimulates growth as well as the function and differentiation of cultured thyrocytes. The adenosine A2 receptor, which activates adenylyl cyclase via coupling to the stimulating G protein (Gs), has been shown to promote constitutive activation of the cAMP cascade when transfected into various cell types. In order to test whether the A2 receptor was able to function similarly in vivo and to investigate the possible consequences of permanent adenylyl cyclase activation in thyroid cells, lines of transgenic mice were generated expressing the canine A2 adenosine receptor under control of the bovine thyroglobulin gene promoter. Thyroid-specific expression of the A2 adenosine receptor transgene promoted gland hyperplasia and severe hyperthyroidism causing premature death of the animals. The resulting goitre represents a model of hyperfunctioning adenomas: it demonstrates that constitutive activation of the cAMP cascade in such differentiated epithelial cells is sufficient to stimulate autonomous and uncontrolled function and growth.

Adenosine↗