Transcription factors IRF-1 and IRF-2: linking the immune responses and tumor suppression.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Taniguchi.
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Although it is well known that brain ischemia is dominantly caused by hypoxia and hypoglycemia, it is still unclear how hypoxia participates in ischemia. We studied the changes in neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the effect of the NOS inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (NNA) on hypoxia. In vivo hypoxia (5% O2/95% N2 for 30 min) induced mild degenerative neuronal changes (shrunken and eosinophilic somata with picnotic nuclei) in neurons of the CA3, the hilus of the dentate gyrus (DG) and the DG, but not in the CA1. At 3 and 7 days after hypoxia, levels of nNOS protein were significantly enhanced to 153 and 209%, but iNOS protein could not be detected. The numbers of nNOS-immunopositive neurons were significantly enhanced to 145 and 191% in the CA3, 145 and 178% in the hilus of the DG, and 243 and 387% in the DG after 3 and 7 days, respectively. In contrast, no statistical difference was determined in the CA1. We further examined the effect of NNA administered at 5 min and 3, 6, and 24 h after hypoxia. Administration of NNA (0.1 and 1 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly decreased the number of damaged neurons in the hilus of the DG and the DG. However, higher doses of NNA (10 mg/kg, i.p.) did not prevent damage. These results suggest that hypoxia alone induces enhancement of nNOS protein and nNOS immunoreactivity in neurons of the hippocampus and that NNA has biphasic effects against hypoxia-induced neuronal damage in the hilus of the DG and the DG.
OBJECTIVE: To establish a clinical method for immediate diagnosis of histological chorioamnionitis, by maternal blood sampling at term. METHOD: The sera of 22 mothers with chorioamnionitis and 81 mothers without chorioamnionitis at term delivery were collected. The serum levels of cytokines including interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were titered and other conventional markers such as white blood cell and CRP were measured simultaneously. Chorioamnionitis was histopathologically confirmed after delivery. RESULT: The sera of mothers with histological chorioamnionitis showed a significant increase in IL-8 titer, but not in those of other cytokines or conventional markers, compared with those without chorioamnionitis. A positive correlation was observed between maternal and cord serum IL-8 levels. Maternal IL-8 showed the highest predictive value for diagnosis of histological chorioamnionitis. CONCLUSION: Measurement of maternal IL-8 is useful for rapid prenatal screening of histological chorioamnionitis at term.
Twenty-five aborted equine fetuses infected with equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) were examined cardio-histopathologically. The main changes in the heart consisted of interstitial myocarditis and intramyocardial vascular lesions accompanied by degeneration and necrosis of the cardiac myocytes. Vascular pathology of intramyocardial small arteries and arterioles was characterized by endothelial cell necrosis and fibrinoid changes in the media. Eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies characteristic of herpesvirus infection were detected in the myocardial cells and macrophages within and around the inflammatory lesions and in the endothelial cells and medial smooth muscle cells of the damaged vessels. This observation, taken in conjunction with the fact that EHV-1 antigens were detected immunohistochemically in some myocardial and endothelial cells, provides morphological evidence in support of the viral aetiology of the cardiac lesions.
A cDNA clone, which has an open reading frame of 1398 nucleotides encoding a 466-amino-acid peptide, has been isolated from rabbit liver cDNA library. Compared with the peptide sequence, it shows high homology to alpha1a adrenoceptors of human, bovine and rat. We expressed this clone in COS-7 and investigated the pharmacological properties, revealing similarity to those of human alpha1a adrenoceptors. Competitive RT/PCR has detected the mRNA in variety of rabbit tissues, especially abundantly in liver, vas deferens, brain, and aorta, but not in heart.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Changes in oxygen availability modulate replicative responses in several cell types, but the effects on hepatocyte replication remain unclear. We have studied the effects of transient nonlethal hypoxia on epidermal growth factor receptor binding and epidermal growth factor-induced DNA synthesis of rat hepatocytes. METHODS: Lactate dehydrogenase activity in culture supernatant, intracellular adenosine triphosphate content, 125I-epidermal growth factor specific binding, epidermal growth factor receptor protein expression, and 3H-thymidine incorporation were compared between hepatocytes cultured in hypoxia and normoxia. RESULTS: Hypoxia up to 3 h caused no significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase activity in the culture supernatant, while intracellular adenosine triphosphate content decreased time-dependently and was restored to normoxic levels by reoxygenation (nonlethal hypoxia). Concomitantly, 125I-epidermal growth factor specific binding to hepatocytes decreased time-dependently (to 54.1% of normoxia) and was restored to control levels by reoxygenation, although 125I-insulin specific binding was not affected. The decrease in 125I-epidermal growth factor specific binding was explained by the decrease in the number of available epidermal growth factor receptors (21.37+/-3.08 to 12.16+/-1.42 fmol/10(5) cells), while the dissociation constant of the receptor was not affected. The change in the number of available receptors was not considered to be due to receptor degradation-resynthesis, since immunodetection of the epidermal growth factor receptor revealed that the receptor protein expression did not change during hypoxia and reoxygenation, and since neither actinomycin D nor cycloheximide affected the recovery of 125I-epidermal growth factor binding by reoxygenation. Inhibition of epidermal growth factor-induced DNA synthesis after hypoxia (to 75.4% of normoxia by 3 h hypoxia) paralleled the decrease in 125I-epidermal growth factor binding. CONCLUSIONS: Transient hypoxia, which caused no increase in lactate dehydrogenase leakage but affected intracellular adenosine triphosphate levels, did, however, modulate the number of available epidermal growth factor receptors without affecting the receptor protein expression, and inhibit the epidermal growth factor-induced DNA synthesis of hepatocytes. This suggests that even transient nonlethal hypoxia affects the epidermal growth factor-induced DNA synthesis of rat hepatocytes through reversible changes in the epidermal growth factor receptor molecule, which depends on oxygen availability.
To clarify the mechanisms of nitric oxide (NO)-induced cell death in human neuronal cells, we examined effects of NO donors such as sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) on activities of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y. SNP-induced [32P]ADP-ribosylation of 113-kDa and 37-kDa proteins in SH-SY5Y cells. Treatment with PARP inhibitors such as 3-aminobenzamide and 1,5-isoquinolinediol partially prevented SNAP-induced cell death of SH-SY5Y. In purified GAPDH (37-kDa protein), SNP- and SNAP-induced enhancement of [32P]ADP-ribosylation, and inhibition of GAPDH activity. These results suggest that NO-induced cell death in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells possibly involves in covalent modifications such as ADP-ribosylation in PARP and GAPDH.
L-Tyrosyl-L-arginine (kyotorphin) is known as an endogenous analgesic neuropeptide. We examined whether kyotorphin and other arginine-containing neuropeptides were endogenous substrates for neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the rat brain. Cytosol fractions of the rat cerebellum contained higher concentrations of neuronal NOS (nNOS) than endothelial NOS. In rat cerebellar cytosol, the binding activity of [3H]NG-nitro-L-arginine (NNA) was inhibited equally by L-arginine (L-Arg), kyotorphin, and L-leucyl-L-Arg (a kyotorphin receptor antagonist). Binding activities were inhibited to lesser degrees by fibronectin active fragments, bradykinin, and dynorphin A, but were not inhibited by L-tyrosyl-D-Arg or substance P. Interestingly, the inhibition of [3H]NNA binding by kyotorphin was attenuated by inhibitors of kyotorphin-hydrolyzing peptidases (KTPases) such as bestatin and arphamenine B. These results suggest that kyotorphin is degraded to L-Arg by KTPases, which in turn may act as substrate for nNOS.
NG-Nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), a derivative of L-arginine (L-Arg), is known as a pseudosubstrate and inhibitor for nitric oxide synthase (NOS). To clarify the regulatory mechanism of substrate-binding domain in neuronal NOS (nNOS), we examined the characteristics of NG-nitro-L-[3H]Arg (L-[3H]NNA) binding using the cytosolic fraction and purified nNOS from the rat cerebellum, in comparison with L-[14C]citrulline formation from L-[14C]Arg. The L-[3H]NNA binding was inhibited by L-NNA > NG-methyl-L-Arg > diphenyleneiodonium > L-Arg, but was not inhibited by L-citrulline and D-Arg. Thus, L-NNA seems to bind the substrate-binding domain in the nNOS with high affinity rather than L-Arg. Even in the absence of NADPH, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) and Ca2+, the L-[3H]NNA binding activity was observed in the cerebellar cytosol, although L-[14C]citrulline could not be produced from L-[14C]Arg. L-[3H]NNA binding was increased by BH4 alone and was markedly enhanced by NADPH plus BH4 (NADPH/BH4), but not by Ca2+/CaM. In contrast, L-[14C]citrulline was formed only in the presence of NADPH/BH4 and Ca2+. Similar results were obtained in purified nNOS. These results suggest that L-[3H]NNA seems to bind the substrate-binding domain in the nNOS but the binding affinity of L-Arg was lower than the affinity of L-NNA. Although the substrate binding is necessary to BH4 and NADPH, Ca2+/CaM are further necessary for the formation of NO and L-citrulline.
Hypoxia is a major cause of ischaemia-induced neuronal damage. In the present study, we examined the effects of in vivo hypoxia on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) in the rat hippocampus. This model of in vivo hypoxia involved placing rats in a hypoxic chamber containing 5% O2 and 95% N2 for 30 min. In the hippocampus, neuronal cells in the CA3, the hilus of the dentate gyrus and the dentate gyrus (DG) were damaged. In the CA1, which is known to be vulnerable to ischaemic damage, neuronal cells did not show hypoxia-induced damage. In vivo hypoxia-induced damage caused morphological changes in neuronal cells, such as shrunken, spindle or triangular shapes accompanied by pyknotic nuclei, but did not induce the loss of neuronal cells. On the other hand, the number of binding sites for [3H]-1-[1-(2-thienyl)cyclohexyl]-3,4-piperidine hydrochloride (TCP) gradually decreased on and after 7 days, and then maximally decreased by 25% at 21 days after hypoxia. The number of NMDAR1-immunopositive cells was decreased by 22% in the DG, but was unchanged in the CA3. Furthermore, we examined the effect of a non-competitive NMDA antagonist, (+)-5-methyl-10, 11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,b] cyclohepten-5,10-imine hydrogen maleate (MK-801), on against in vivo hypoxia. The administration of MK-801 (3 mg/kg, i.p.), 30 min before hypoxia treatment, partly protected against neuronal damage in the DG, but not in the CA3. These results suggest that hypoxia-induced neuronal damage in the DG involves, in part, the activation of NMDAR.
Eradication of a given pathogen is dependent on the selective differentiation of T helper (Th) cells into Th1 or Th2 types. We show here that T cells from mice lacking the transcription factor IRF-1 fail to mount Th1 responses and instead exclusively undergo Th2 differentiation in vitro. Compromised Th1 differentiation is found to be associated with defects in multiple cell types, namely impaired production of interleukin-12 by macrophages, hyporesponsiveness of CD4+ T cells to interleukin-12, and defective development of natural killer cells. These results indicate the involvement of IRF-1 in multiple stages of the Th1 limb of the immune response.
Little is known about the molecular mechanisms and transcriptional regulation that govern T cell selection processes and the differentiation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Mice lacking the interferon regulatory transcription factor-1 (IRF-1) have reduced numbers of mature CD8+ cells within the thymus and peripheral lymphatic organs. Here we show that positive and negative T cell selection of two MHC class I-restricted TCR alphabeta transgenes, H-Y and P14, are impaired in IRF-1-/- mice. The absence of IRF-1 resulted in decreased expression of LMP2, TAP1, and MHC class I on thymic stromal cells. Despite decreased MHC class I expression on IRF-1-/- thymic stromal cells, the defect in CD8+ T cells development did not reside in the thymic environment, and IRF-1-/- stromal cells can fully support development of CD8+ thymocytes in in vivo bone marrow chimeras and in vitro reaggregation cultures. Moreover, IRF-1-/- thymocytes displayed impaired TCR-mediated signal transduction, and the induction of negative selection in TCR Tg thymocytes from IRF-1-/- mice required a 1000-fold increase in selecting peptide. We also provide evidence that IRF-1 is mainly expressed in mature, but not immature, thymocytes and that expression of IRF-1 in immature thymocytes is induced after peptide-specific TCR activation. These results indicate that IRF-1 regulates gene expression in developing thymocytes required for lineage commitment and selection of CD8+ thymocytes.
We measured serum concentrations of hapatocyte growth factor (HGF) in patients with gastric cancer and compared these with the histological findings and conventional tumour markers, including CEA, CA19-9 and CA125, for evaluation of the significance of serum HGF levels as a tumour marker. The HGF levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system. The average levels of serum HGF in 89 healthy control subjects, 104 patients with primary gastric cancer and 15 patients with recurrent gastric cancer were 0.31 +/- 0.11 ng ml(1), 0.42 +/- 0.50 ng ml(-1) and 0.92 +/- 0.39 ng ml(-1) respectively. The average level in patients with recurrent disease was significantly higher than in healthy control subjects and in primary cancer patients (P< 0.001 and P< 0.003 respectively). Of 104 patients with primary gastric cancer, 35 (33.7%) showed an aberrant increase in the circulating level of HGF. The increased HGF levels were significantly associated with the degrees of histological tumour invasion and venous invasion. Of 15 patients with recurrent gastric cancer, 14 (93.3%) showed an aberrant increase. No correlation was found between serum HGF levels and CEA levels, CA19-9 levels and CA125 levels. However, the rate of the aberrant increase in HGF levels was significantly higher than that of any other tumour markers, including CEA, CA19-9 and CA125, in primary gastric cancer patients. In conclusion, the circulating levels of HGF were elevated in approximately one-third of patients with primary gastric cancer, particularly in those with high grades of histological tumour invasion and venous invasion, and frequently in patients with distant metastases, suggesting that HGF might play important roles in the tumour progression of gastric cancer. Furthermore, serum HGF levels may be of value as a tumour marker in patients with gastric cancer.
Interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) acts as a transcriptional activator in the interferon system and as a tumor suppressor. The loss of functional IRF-1 has been observed in a significant number of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and leukemia, suggesting a potentially critical role of IRF-1 in human oncostasis. Here we report an alternative mechanism by which IRF-1 may be inactivated. We purified an IRF-1 association molecule which was revealed to be identical to a nuclear factor nucleophosmin (NPM)/B23/numatrin. Functional analysis showed that NPM inhibited the DNA-binding and transcriptional activity of IRF-1. Moreover, NPM was overexpressed in several clinical leukemia samples and human-derived leukemia cell lines. Finally, overexpression of NPM in NIH3T3 cells resulted in malignant transformation. These results suggest the possible involvement of NPM in inactivating IRF-1-dependent anti-oncogenic surveillance in human cancer development.
The effects of protein kinase C (PKC) activation on meiotic resumption and cortical granule (CG) exocytosis as well as its dependence on Ca2+ in porcine eggs matured in vitro were studied. Cortical granule release was judged by both confocal laser microscopy after the eggs were labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate-peanut agglutinin (FITC-PNA) and electron microscopy. Meiotic resumption and pronuclear formation were observed after eggs were stained with acetic orcein. When eggs were treated with PKC activators, 1-oleyl-2-acetyl-glycerol (OAG) or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), the pronuclear formation percentage was significantly lower than that of Ca2+ ionophore A23187-treated group, but not statistically different from that in negative control group (P > 0.05), and most of the eggs were still arrested at metaphase II stage, suggesting that PKC activation does not induce the resumption of meiosis and pronuclear formation. In contrast, PKC activation induced 89.1% to 100% of the eggs completely or partially released their CG in different groups, not statistically different from A23187-treated group, and this effect could be overcome by PKC inhibition. When the intracellular free Ca2+ was chelated with acetoxymethal ester form of 1,2-bis(O-aminophenoxy)-ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA-AM), and then treated with PMA or OAG in Ca(2+)-free medium, the proportions of eggs with CG release were 90.9% and 78.1%, respectively, not statistically different from the above-treated groups, suggesting that CG exocytosis induced by PKC activation is independent of Ca2+ rise. The results indicate that different events of porcine egg activation may be uncoupled from one another.
Our previous studies demonstrated coordinate expression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) -B chain and beta-receptor in neurons at risk in the rat brain with focal ischemia. To clarify a role of the -B chain in the brain further, we examined whether PDGF-A or -B chain protects CA1 pyramidal neurons from delayed neuronal death after forebrain ischemia in rats. Pretreatment with PDGF-BB, but not -AA, at 120 ng/d for 2 days until forebrain ischemia was performed markedly ameliorated delayed neuronal death in CA1 pyramidal neurons on day 7 after ischemia. This neuroprotective effect of PDGF-BB was dose-dependent, and pretreatment with PDGF-BB at 240 ng/d showed almost complete inhibition of delayed neuronal death. In contrast, posttreatment with PDGF-BB at 120 ng/d starting 20 minutes after ischemia demonstrated no significant neuroprotective effect. The current study established marked neuroprotective actions of PDGF-BB in ischemic neuronal damage.
Although topical beta-blockers are generally tolerated, they can produce significant systemic side effects. The systemic side effects of nonselective beta-blockers (eg, timolol, carteolol) are primarily related to the cardiovascular (beta 1-adrenergic) and respiratory (beta 2-adrenergic) systems. Carteolol has intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, which theoretically reduces the risk of adverse effects through beta blockade. It has been reported that topical timolol and carteolol unfavorably alter the lipid profile and that the effects of carteolol are less pronounced than those of timolol. Topical beta-blockers are associated with systemic events, not only acting by themselves, but also interacting with other drugs (eg, quinidine) administered orally or intravenously. To reduce systemic absorption and adverse effects, new preparations of beta-blockers, such as timolol gellan, have been developed. We should always bear in mind the potential systemic effects of topically applied beta-blockers in glaucoma therapy.
The effects of chronic treatment with prazosin and of immobilization stress on the alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtypes in rat cerebral cortex have been examined. Prazosin-treated rats were allowed free access to tap water containing two different concentrations of prazosin (16 or 156 mg L-1) for 5 weeks. The mean plasma concentrations of prazosin were 5 ng mL-1 in groups treated with a low dose and 8 or 14 ng mL-1 in those treated with a high dose. Immobilization stress (2 h day-1, 2 weeks) or chronic treatment with a low dose of prazosin caused no significant change in the affinity for [3H]prazosin or in the maximum number of alpha 1-adrenoceptor sites (Bmax). However, treatment with prazosin (low dose) combined with stress increased the density of alpha 1-adrenoceptors with low affinity for prazosin. Treatment with a high dose of prazosin increased the density of alpha 1L-adrenoceptors, irrespective of stress loading. The densities of alpha 1A- and alpha 1B-adrenoceptors with high affinity for prazosin were increased only after treatment with a high dose of prazosin in combination with stress. These results indicate that three distinct alpha 1-adrenoceptor subtypes, alpha 1A, alpha 1B and alpha 1L, might be affected differently by treatment with prazosin and by stress.