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Alterations in proglucagon processing and inhibition of proglucagon gene expression in transgenic mice which contain a chimeric proglucagon-SV40 T antigen gene.

The proglucagon gene is expressed in A cells of the pancreas and L cells of the large and small intestine. Transgenic mice expressing SV40 large T antigen under the control of proglucagon regulatory sequences develop neuroendocrine carcinoma of the large intestine. To determine the consequences of coexpression of SV40 large T antigen and proglucagon in different cell types, the levels of proglucagon mRNA transcripts and proglucagon-derived peptides were determined in tumor-bearing transgenic mice and in age-matched paired controls. Plasma levels of proglucagon-derived peptides (glicentin, oxyntomodulin, and glucagon, as determined by high pressure liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay) were markedly elevated in association with tumor growth (p < 0.001). Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the increased concentration of proglucagon-derived peptides was associated with significant inhibition of the endogenous proglucagon gene in pancreas, and to a lesser extent, small intestine. Concomitantly, the concentrations of proglucagon-derived peptides fell to 1-10% of control values in pancreas (p < 0.001) and to 62% of control values in small intestine (p < 0.001). Analysis of proglucagon-derived peptides in mice of different ages demonstrated that tumor growth was associated with a switch in the post-translational processing of proglucagon. Compared with normal mouse intestine, tumors contained increased proportions of glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1(7-37) relative to glicentin, oxyntomodulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1(1-37). The results of these studies provide evidence for humorally-mediated tissue-specific inhibition of proglucagon gene expression.

Animals

Nutrient-independent increases in proglucagon and ornithine decarboxylase messenger RNAs after jejunoileal resection.

To assess potential mediators of adaptive bowel growth, ileal proglucagon messenger RNA (mRNA) ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) mRNA, plasma enteroglucagons, and plasma glucagonlike peptide I (GLP-I) were analyzed in rats soon after jejunoileal resection or control transection. Analyses were performed before and after refeeding to establish whether responses are nutrient dependent. The elevation of ileal proglucagon and ODC mRNAs within 12 hours after resection and before refeeding shows a nutrient-independent component of the adaptive response. The onset of adaptive growth of the ileum required luminal nutrient but occurred very rapidly, within 4 hours of refeeding. The onset of adaptive growth was accompanied by transient elevation of ileal ODC mRNAs. Ileal proglucagon mRNA and plasma GLP-I levels were also elevated, and these increases were sustained up to 8 days after resection. These early and sustained increases in proglucagon mRNA and plasma GLP-I indicate that in addition to the enteroglucagons, other intestinal proglucagon-derived peptides must be considered as potential mediators of adaptive growth after jejunoileal resection.

Adaptation, Physiological

Proglucagon products in plasma of noninsulin-dependent diabetics and nondiabetic controls in the fasting state and after oral glucose and intravenous arginine.

We investigated the major products of proglucagon (PG) processing in plasma in the fasting state, after intravenous arginine and after an oral glucose load in noninsulin-dependent diabetics (NIDDM) and in weight matched controls using specific radioimmunoassays and analytical gel filtration. In the fasting state the glucagonlike peptide-1 (GLP-1) immunoreactivity was significantly elevated in the NIDDM group compared with the control group. Both after intravenous arginine and after an oral glucose load a rise in the plasma concentrations of all immunoreactive moieties measured was seen. All integrated incremental responses after intravenous arginine were identical in the two groups. After oral glucose the insulin concentrations in plasma were lower and the concentrations of all proglucagon products were higher in the NIDDM group compared to the control group. The gel filtration analysis showed that arginine stimulated the secretion of pancreatic glucagon (PG 33-61), major proglucagon fragment (PG 72-158) and probably GLP-1 (PG 72-107 amide) in both groups, whereas oral glucose stimulated the secretion of glicentin (PG 1-69) and intestinal GLP-1 (PG 78-107 amide), an insulinotropic hormone. The elevated levels of immunoreactive GLP-1 in diabetics in the fasting state were mainly due to an increased concentration of major proglucagon fragment.

Administration, Oral

Proglucagon-derived peptides in the neuroendocrine system.

Using several novel in vitro culture systems, we have examined the tissue-specific regulation of the proglucagon-derived peptides, at the levels of proglucagon gene expression and pGdp synthesis and secretion. Our studies indicate that proglucagon gene expression in intenstine, hypothalamus and pancreas is under the regulatory control of protein kinase A- but not a protein kinase C-dependent pathway. PKA and PKC stimulate secretion of the intestinal pGdp's, whereas only PKA stimulates secretion of the hypothalamic peptides. Pancreatic glucagon secretion in response to PKA is subject to further modulation by prevailing glucose concentrations. This diversity in intracellular regulation of the pGdp's may account for some of the tissue-specific differences in synthesis and secretion of the pGdp's that we have observed in diabetes and during development.

Animals

Proglucagon processing similar to normal islets in pancreatic alpha-like cell line derived from transgenic mouse tumor.

A pancreatic alpha-like cell line has been established from a glucagonoma arising in transgenic mice expressing a hybrid gene consisting of the rat glucagon-promoter sequence fused to the sequence encoding the SV40 T-antigen oncoprotein. The alpha-tumor cell 1 (alpha TC1) line maintained many characteristics of differentiated alpha-cells for greater than 40 passages in culture and expressed levels of glucagon mRNA 5- to 10-fold higher than those reported previously in rat and hamster islet cell lines. By radioimmunoassay, the cells synthesized considerable amounts of glucagon, glucagonlike peptide I (GLP-I), the major proglucagon fragment, and small amounts of unprocessed proglucagon but no free GLP-II. This distribution of peptides is similar to that found in extracts of rodent pancreases and is distinct from that seen with other islet cell lines, which process proglucagon in patterns more characteristic of intestinal cells. The GLP-I peptide in the alpha TC1 cell line was in the form of GLP-I-(1-37), which is inactive as a stimulator of insulin secretion, and not GLP-I-7-37) or -(7-36)-amide peptides, both of which are potent insulin secretagogues. The alpha TC1 cell line produced glucagon-related peptides in a relatively uniform pattern by immunocytochemistry, and electron microscopy revealed typical alpha-type (glucagon) secretory granules. Although the cell line was derived from an islet tumor producing only glucagon, the alpha TC1 cell line also produced insulin in addition to the glucagon peptides.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenoma, Islet Cell

Isolation and partial characterization of anglefish proglucagon.

Evidence is presented that proglucagon from anglefish islets is a single chain polypeptide with 78 amino acid residues and that the glucagon portion of it is liberated after tryptic cleavage. The most striking characteristic in the conversion of the anglerfish proglucagon to glucagon is that the cleaved peptide bonds display enormous sensitivity toward trypsin. Thus, conversion of the prohormone to glucagon occurs very rapidly within 3-10 min with a 1:500-1:1000 molar ratio of enzyme to substrate. Further, trypic cleavage of the anglerfish glucagon requires higher concentrations of trypsin (molar ratio 1:25 enzyme to substrate) and longer incubation time. The behavior of proglucagon and glucagon toward trypsin shows striking similarities with the tryptic conversion of anglerfish proinsulin to insulin.

Amino Acid Sequence

The demonstration of a subset of carcinoid tumours of the appendix by in situ hybridization using synthetic probes to proglucagon mRNA.

Previous studies using immunohistochemistry have shown variable hormone production by carcinoid tumours of the appendix. In order to confirm the existence of a specific subset of these tumours, in situ hybridization using synthetic oligonucleotide probes to detect pre-proglucagon and pre-proinsulin mRNA was performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material from eight tubular carcinoids, 12 insulin carcinoids, and two mucinous carcinoids. The results were correlated with standard silver and mucin stains. All tubular carcinoids but none of the insular or mucinous carcinoids contained proglucagon mRNA. Proinsulin mRNA was not detected in any of the tumours. Tubular carcinoids of the appendix constitute a definable subset of appendiceal carcinoids which have a similar distribution and prognosis to typical insular carcinoids and can be diagnosed on haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections confirmed by routine special stains. The main need for recognition is to avoid confusion with mucinous carcinoids, which have a worse prognosis and may require more aggressive treatment.

Appendiceal Neoplasms

Regulation of intestinal proglucagon-derived peptide secretion by intestinal regulatory peptides.

The physiological regulation of intestinal proglucagon-derived peptide secretion has not been well studied. We have therefore used a fetal rat intestinal cell culture model to investigate the control of secretion of the gut glucagon-like immunoreactive (GLI) peptides by other intestinal regulatory peptides in vitro. Secretion of the intestinal GLI peptides was found to be stimulated in a dose-dependent fashion by the intestinal endocrine peptide, gastric inhibitory peptide (at greater than or equal to 10(-10) M, P less than 0.05), and by the neurocrine peptides, gastrin-releasing peptide (at greater than or equal to 10(-12) M, P less than 0.05), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (at greater than or equal to 10(-8) M, P less than 0.05). Gastrin-releasing peptide and its amphibian equivalent, bombesin were equipotent in stimulating GLI peptide secretion. In contrast, the endocrine and neurocrine intestinal somatostatin-related peptides, somatostatin-28 and -14, inhibited release of the GLI peptides, at concentrations of 10(-10) (P less than 0.01) and 10(-8) (P less than 0.01) M, respectively, with significant differences in potency between the two peptides detected at 10(-10) M (P less than 0.05). The inhibitory effects of both somatostatin-28 and -14 could be blocked by preincubation of the cells with pertussis toxin (P less than 0.05). Dose-dependent stimulation of gut GLI peptide secretion was also detected in response to treatment of cultured cells with sodium oleate (at 10(-4) M; P less than 0.05), or with the cholinergic agonist bethanecol (at greater than or equal to 100 microM; P less than 0.05). Other endocrine [cholecystokinin, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide-1(1-37), glucagon-like peptide-1(7-37), glucagon-like peptide-2, neurotensin, and peptide YY] and neurocrine (vasoactive intestinal peptide) peptides, and the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, were without effect on secretion of the gut GLI peptides, at doses of 10(-12) to 10(-6) M. The results of the present study therefore demonstrate that secretion of the intestinal proglucagon-derived peptides is under the regulatory control of a wide variety of intestinal endocrine and neurocrine peptides, as well as nutrients (fats) and neurotransmitters (acetylcholine).

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena

Elevated plasma proglucagon-like component with a glucagon-secreting tumor. Effect of streptozotocin.

To determine the character of the glucagon secretion and its modification by streptozotocin, were studied the plasma of a patient with recurrent pancreatic alpha-cell carcinoma. The plasma immunoreactive glucagon level before treatment of 4.80 ng per milliliter. Biogel column separation of the plasma immunoreactive glucagon revealed four components; the predominant component had a molecular weight of 9000 daltons and was designated as proglucagon-like. This fraction constituted 60 to 90 per cent of the total circulating immunoreactive glucagon, and had a biologic activity of 32 percent of that of an immunoequivalent amount of normal (porcine) pancreatic glucagon. After treatment with streptozocin (1.5 g per square meter) the plasma immunoreactive glucagon level decreased to 0.24 ng per milliliter. Treatment was accompanied by a marked reduction in the proglucagon-like component and the appearance of pancreatic glucagon (molecular weight of 3500 daltons) as the major post-therapy fraction. These findings support the use of streptozotocin in the management of unresectable glucagon-secreting tumors.

Adenoma, Islet Cell

Control of proglucagon-derived peptide synthesis and secretion in fetal rat hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus has the highest concentration of proglucagon-derived peptides (Pgdp's) in the brain, however, the control of the synthesis and secretion of these peptides is not understood. The goal of our studies was to examine in detail the regulation of synthesis and secretion of Pgdp's in the hypothalamus. Hypothalamic cultures were prepared from fetal rats on day 19-21 of gestation and Pgdp's in media and cells were determined by radioimmunoassay after treatment with test agents. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP or forskolin, activators of protein kinase A, markedly stimulated both Pgdp synthesis (by 5-fold) and secretion (by 10-fold) after 24 h of treatment (p < 0.05). The effects of protein kinase A stimulation on Pgdp's in the hypothalamus were greater than seen in our previous studies with the Pgdp-producing pancreatic A and intestinal L cells. Therefore there are tissue-specific differences with regard to the magnitude of the response of Pgdp's to protein kinase A stimulation. Consistent with an involvement of protein kinase A in hypothalamic Pgdp synthesis and secretion, somatostatin-14, an inhibitor of protein kinase A, was found to inhibit Pgdp synthesis and secretion in a dose-dependent fashion (p < 0.05). Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), a stimulator of protein kinase C, did not significantly affect the synthesis or secretion of Pgdp's at 6 h, but significantly stimulated Pgdp secretion after 24 h (p < 0.05). The inactive phorbol ester, phorbol triacetate was without effect on Pgdp synthesis or secretion after 24 h of incubation (p > 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Secretion of proglucagon-derived peptides in response to intestinal luminal nutrients.

To establish whether secretion of proglucagon-derived peptides (PGDPs) by the intestinal L cell is nutrient- and/or location-dependent, 0.9% saline, 200 mM glucose, or emulsified fats were administered into the ileal or duodenal lumen of normal rats. Fat administration, but not saline or glucose treatment, significantly increased circulating levels of the intestinal PGDPs in a time-dependent fashion, indicating a selectivity of the L cell in its response to nutrients. Interestingly, the response to duodenal fats was quantitatively and qualitatively identical to the response to ileal fats, despite 50-fold lower concentrations of PGDPs in the duodenum. These results suggest the existence of a duodenal factor that stimulates ileal PGDP secretion in response to fat ingestion. Ileal and plasma levels of gut PGDPs have been reported to be elevated in poorly controlled streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Whether the sensitivity of the L cell to luminal nutrients is altered in diabetes was, therefore, also examined. The L cell responses to luminal nutrients in diabetic rats were not significantly different from those of the normal rat, indicating a normal responsiveness of the L cell. However, independent of changes in glycemia, luminal glucose perfusion significantly decreased circulating glucagon levels in normal rats, but not in diabetics. Furthermore, luminal fat administration increased plasma glucagon levels in normal rats only. These results indicate that moderately controlled diabetes is associated with alterations in the pancreatic A cell, but not the intestinal L cell response to ingested nutrients. The results of the present study indicate that the response of the intestinal L cell to ingested food is nutrient-specific and that this specificity is not altered in diabetes. A duodenal-ileal axis is proposed to contribute to increments in circulating intestinal PGDPs in response to nutrient ingestion.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena

All products of proglucagon are elevated in plasma from uremic patients.

We measured and characterized the proglucagon (PG) products in plasma obtained from nine uremic patients and six control subjects in the fasting state. The concentrations of PG products measured by direct RIAs were significantly higher in the uremic patients than in the normal subjects; the concentration of total glucagon immunoreactivity in plasma was 209 +/- 20 vs. 70 +/- 11 pmol/L, the glucagon-like peptide-1 immunoreactivity was 154 +/- 33 vs. 41 +/- 13 pmol/L, and the concentration of pancreatic-type glucagon immunoreactivity was 53 +/- 6 vs. 30 +/- 7 pmol/L. By chromatography, the predominating PG products in both uremic and normal plasma were shown to be glicentin [corresponding to PG-(1-69)] and the major PG fragment [presumably corresponding to PG-(72-158)]. In addition, glucagon-like peptide-1 [presumably corresponding to PG-(72-107) amide] was a major product in uremic plasma. Our results suggest that the kidneys play an important role in the removal from plasma of these products of PG.

Acute Kidney Injury

Identification and processing of proglucagon in pancreatic islets.

Immunoprecipitation and tryptic peptide analysis of newly synthesized proteins from rat islets have identified an 18,000 molecular weight (MW) protein as proglucagon. Conversion of this precursor was kinetically similar to the conversion of proinsulin and resulted in the formation of both pancreatic glucagon and a 10,000-MW protein lacking this hormonal sequence.

Animals

Studies on proinsulin and proglucagon biosynthesis and conversion at the subcellular level. I. Fractionation procedure and characterization of the subcellular fractions.

Anglerfish islets were homogenized in 0.25 M sucrose and separated into seven separate subcellular fractions by differential and discontinuous density gradient centrifugation. The objective was to isolate microsomes and secretory granules in a highly purified state. The fractions were characterized by electron microscopy and chemical analyses. Each fraction was assayed for its content of protein, RNA, DNA, immunoreactive insulin (IRI), and immunoreactive glucagon (IRG). Ultrastructural examination showed that two of the seven subcellular fractions contain primarily mitochondria, and that two others consist almost exclusively of secretory granules. A fifth fraction contains rough and smooth microsomal vesicles. The remaining two fractions are the cell supernate and the nuclei and cell debris. The content of DNA and RNA in all fractions is consistent with the observed ultrastructure. More than 82 percent of the total cellular IRI and 89(percent) of the total cellular IRG are found in the fractions of secretory granules. The combined fractions of secretory granules and microsomes consistently yield >93 percent of the total IRG. These results indicate that the fractionation procedure employed yields fractions of microsomes and secretory granules that contain nearly all the immunoassayable insulin and glucagons found in whole islet tissue. These fractions are thus considered suitable for study of proinsulin and proglucagon biosynthesis and their metabolic conversion at the subcellular level.

Animals

Evidence of sequential metabolic cleavage of proglucagon to glucagon in glucagon biosynthesis.

Following a 30 min preincubation in medium containing no isotopes, anglerfish islet tissue was incubated in the presence of [3H]tryptophan and [14C]isoleucine for 20 min. A portion of the tissue was removed for immediate extraction. The remainder was washed thoroughly with unlabeled medium and post-incubated in medium containing an excess of unlabeled tryptophan and isoleucine for varying periods of time. The distribution of radioactive proteins in alcoholic tissue extracts was analyzed by gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The distribution of immunoreactive glucagon was determined by radioimmunoassay. Following the 20 min pulse incubation, only proinsulin was labeled with [14C]isoleucine. Two glucagon immunoreactive molecules, one larger than proinsulin (mol wt near 11,400) and the other slightly smaller than proinsulin (mol wt near 9,000), were the primary proteins labeled with [3H]tryptophan following the 20 min. pulse. During chase incubations of increasing duration, 3H-radioactivity appeared in a glucagon immunoreactive molecule with the approximate molecular size of glucagon and increased with chase time while radioactivity in the 11,400 mol wt tryptophan-labeled molecule decreased. With increasing chase time, the 3H-radioactivity attributable to the 9,000 mol wt tryptophan-labeled molecule initially increased and subsequently decreased which is consistent with the pattern that would be expected for a conversion intermediate. The presence of glucagon immunoreactivity in [3H]tryptophan-labeled molecules having molecular weights near that of proinsulin was established by radioimmunoassay of alternate gel slices following electrophoresis of labeled proteins recovered from the proinsulin containing portions of gel filtration eluates. That [14C]isoleucine became incorporated into insulin and [3H]tryptophan became incorporated into glucagon was established by determination of the distribution of radioactivity in polyacrylamide gels following electrophoresis of labeled proteins recovered from the insulin and glucagon containing portions of gel filtration eluates. These results provide preliminary evidence for sequential metabolic cleavage of proglucagon in glucagon biosynthesis.

Animals

Ontogeny of glucagon messenger RNA in the rat pancreas.

The synthesis of proglucagon mRNA was studied in rat pancreas from day 11 of fetal gestation (E11) to maturity. Proglucagon mRNA was first detected on E11, the time that the pancreatic bud forms in developing rats. The synthesis of proglucagon mRNA and its translation product at this early time point in pancreatic development suggests an early differentiation of A cell function. Between E17 prenatally and day 10-14 postnatally, pancreatic proglucagon mRNA abundance was higher than in adult pancreas. Regulation of the abundance of pancreatic proglucagon mRNA therefore appears to underlie the previously documented increases in serum and pancreatic glucagon immunoreactivity in the late fetal and perinatal periods. By day 20 postnatally, pancreatic proglucagon mRNA declined to levels found in adult pancreas. Prenatally between E17 and E21, changes in proglucagon mRNA abundance did not parallel previously reported developmental changes in relative mass of proglucagon-producing pancreatic A cells. This suggests that changes in proglucagon mRNA abundance during these times may be attributed to changes in proglucagon gene transcription or proglucagon mRNA stability per cell. In contrast between E21 and maturity, changes in proglucagon mRNA abundance paralleled previously reported changes in relative A cell mass, suggesting no major changes in proglucagon gene transcription or mRNA stability per cell during these times.

Animals

Decrease in plasma GLP-1 immunoreactivity in starved rats.

To determine whether starvation affects the metabolism of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), we measured the plasma levels of proglucagon-derived peptides and the biosynthesis and posttranslational processing of proglucagon in groups of six rats starved for 1, 3 and 5 days. The plasma levels of GLP-1 immunoreactivity (GLP-1 IR) and glucagon-like immunoreactivity (GLI) decreased during starvation reaching 79 and 56% of the respective control values by day 5 (P less than 0.05 and less than 0.01 vs control). The same is true of the plasma IRI level. The ileal contents of GLP-1 IR and GLI were 50.8 +/- 3.8 pmol/g wet weight and 161.8 +/- 13.2 pmol/g wet weight, respectively, on day 5 of starvation, which were significantly lower (P less than 0.01) than the respective values of 94.8 +/- 16.6 pmol/g wet weight and 262.7 +/- 28.1 pmol/g wet weight in control rats. However, the pancreatic contents of proglucagon-derived peptides tended to increase during starvation, although their increases were not statistically significant. No significant change in the posttranslational processing of proglucagon was detected during starvation. The decrease in the ileal proglucagon-derived peptides content was not associated with a decrease in intestinal proglucagon mRNA transcripts. These results suggested that decreased synthesis of proglucagon-derived peptides by the intestine was largely responsible for the reductions in their circulating levels in starved rats.

Analysis of Variance

Inhibition of pancreatic glucagon gene expression in mice bearing a subcutaneous glucagon-producing GLUTag transplantable tumor.

Transgenic mice that express a glucagon gene-simian virus-40 large T-antigen (GLUTag) fusion gene develop neuroendocrine carcinoma of the large bowel. This glucagon-producing tumor was implanted sc and reproducibly formed tumors in nude mice. The transplanted GLUTag tumor expressed large amounts of proglucagon mRNA transcripts, and the levels of proglucagon mRNA transcripts remained constant during 2-8 weeks of tumor growth. The posttranslational processing of proglucagon in the transplantable tumor resembled that detected in the original transgenic tumor, with the liberation of glicentin, oxyntomodulin, glucagon, glucagon-like peptide (1-37) [GLP-1-(1-37)] and GLP-1-(7-37). Tumor-bearing mice demonstrated progressive elevations in the plasma levels of proglucagon-derived peptides. Elevated plasma levels of glucagon-like immunoreactive peptides and immunoreactive glucagon were associated with a marked reduction in the levels of pancreatic glucagon mRNA transcripts by 4 weeks, and after 8 weeks of tumor growth, the levels of glucagon mRNA transcripts in the pancreas were not detectable by Northern blot analysis. Synthesis of the proglucagon-derived peptides was also significantly suppressed at 4-8 weeks in the pancreas of tumor-bearing animals. Histological examination of the endocrine pancreas in mice carrying the GLUTag tumor for 6-8 weeks demonstrated a marked reduction in the number and size of the islets of Langerhans and a disproportionately greater decrease in the number of cells exhibiting glucagon immunoreactivity. By electron microscopy, the residual A-cells were small, compressed at the periphery of the islets, and had poorly developed cytoplasmic organelles. In contrast, no changes in mouse glucagon gene expression or islet morphology were detected in control animals without tumors or mice carrying a sc v-jun-induced fibrosarcoma. The suppression of pancreatic A-cell function and islet size in mice with elevated plasma levels of the proglucagon-derived peptides raises the possibility that a proglucagon-derived peptide may participate in a negative feedback loop, inhibiting expression of the glucagon gene in the A-cells of the endocrine pancreas.

Animals