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Background: Due to ethical issues, in vivo studies of the human immune system have been difficult. Thus, small-animal xenotransplantation models have been employed, although they scarcely sustain a human immune response. In this study, we compared human cell repopulation tendencies and functionality in Rag2-/- gamma c-/- mice following various ex vivo expanded human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)., Methods: Human umbilical cord blood (UCB) CD34+ cells were cultured for 7 days with a cytokine combination of stem cell factor, Flk2/Flt3 ligand, and thrombopoietin, with absence or presence of rhIL-3, then transplanted into Rag2-/- gamma c-/- mice. Reconstituted human lymphocytes were analyzed based on the expression of CD45 as well as CD3, CD19, and CD56 in peripheral blood (PB) until 16 weeks after transplantation. BrdU assay and functional analysis of reconstituted human lymphocytes used PHA- or rhIL-2-stimulated splenocytes and bone marrow cells from recipient mice., Results: The percentage of human CD45dim cells, not CD45bright cells, in PB of mice transplanted with cultured HSCs with rhIL-3 was much higher than in the group without rhIL-3 (approximately 2.5-fold at week 10 posttransplantation). The humanized mice showed systemic repopulation with a comprehensive array of human lymphohematopoietic cells, including T, B, natural killer (NK) cells, and even dendritic cells. However, the expression level was also dim. The number of CD3+ T cells and CD56+ NK cells was especially increased in the presence of rhIL-3. In addition, after in vitro restimulation proliferation assays and NK activity of interferon-gamma secretion showed greater effects in the presence of rhIL-3., Conclusion: These data suggested that the development of a diverse repopulation of human lymphocytes was possible in Rag2-/- gamma c-/- mice after transplantation of cultured UCB CD34+ HSCs with interleukin-3.

LIM kinases (LIMKs) regulate actin polymerization by phosphorylating cofilin and are predominantly expressed in neural tissue. In this study, the effect of LIMK1 overexpression in PC12 cell apoptosis was investigated. PC12 cells overexpressing the wild-type LIMK1 were more resistant to serum-withdrawal-induced cell death and the level of caspase 3 activation in these cells was lower than in the control PC12 cells or than in the PC12 cells expressing a mutant LIMK1 lacking the kinase domain. The inhibition of JNK activation was observed in the PC12 cells overexpressing the wild-type LIMK1 after serum withdrawal. These results suggest that the LIMK1 might allow resistance to apoptosis in PC12 cells by inhibiting JNK activation.

Background: Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) modulates the growth and function of many cells, including those with malignant transformation. Smad proteins have been identified as major components in the intracellular signaling of TGF-beta family members., Patients and Methods: To clarify the correlations between clinicopathologic profiles and the patient's survival, the expression of common mediator Smad (Smad4) and inhibitory Smad (Smad7) were evaluated immunohistochemically in 304 consecutive gastric carcinomas using the tissue array method., Results: Positive Smad4 expression was observed in 266 (87.5%) tumors and positive Smad7 expression in 98 (32.2%) tumors. The prognosis of patients with a Smad4-positive tumor was significantly better than that of the patients with a negative tumor. The survival rate was significantly higher in patients with negative Smad7 expression than those with positive Smad7 expression. In subgroup analysis according to TNM (tumour-node-metastasis) stage, both Smad4 and Smad7 showed most significant prognostic differences in stage I gastric cancer patients. Multivariate analysis indicated that tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and Smad7 expression were independent prognostic factors., Conclusion: Enhanced expression of the TGF-beta signaling inhibitor Smad7 may present one of the novel mechanisms of TGF-beta resistance in human gastric carcinomas.

Transcriptional repression of the TGF-beta type II receptor (RII) is one of the mechanisms leading to TGF-beta resistance. The newly identified epithelium-specific ets transcription factor ERT/ESX/ESE-1 binds to the TGF-beta RII promoter and induces promoter activity. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying development of ERT-mediated TGF-beta resistance using antisense ERT oligonucleotide. We performed Northern blot analysis of TGF-beta RII expression in human colon cancer cell line, RKO, after transfecting these cells with MFG-antisense-ERT retroviral construct. The plasmid containing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene alone was used as the control. The amount of TGF-beta RII mRNA appears to be poor in RKO cells expressing antisense ERT compared with both parental RKO and control cells. In conclusion, transfection of MFG-antisense-ERT construct into the colon cancer cell line could result in lower levels of TGF-beta RII mRNA expression, which means that ERT mediates the expression of TGF-beta RII and the transcriptional inhibition of ERT could be a one of the mechanisms of colonic carcinogenesis. More in vitro and in vivo studies should be required to evaluate this treatment in clinical setting.

Objective: Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) play major roles in osteoarticular diseases, exerting opposite effects on both the catabolism and anabolism of cartilage matrix. Previous findings suggest that IL-1 and TGFbeta1 could function in a feedback interaction. However, the effect exerted by IL-1 on expression of TGFbeta by articular chondrocytes is, so far, poorly understood. The present study was carried out to determine the influence of IL-1beta on the expression of TGFbeta1 by bovine articular chondrocytes (BACs) in primary culture., Methods: BAC primary cultures were treated with IL-1beta, and TGFbeta1 messenger RNA (mRNA) steady-state levels and protein expression were measured by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Transient transfection of TGFbeta1 gene promoter constructs was performed to delineate the DNA sequences that mediate the IL-1beta effect. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and supershift analysis were used to characterize the transcription factors binding to these sequences., Results: Cultured BACs responded to IL-1beta exposure by exhibiting an increase of TGFbeta1 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. The effect was found to be mediated by a major 80-bp sequence located between -732 and -652 upstream of the transcription initiation site. EMSA and supershift analysis revealed that the transcription factors activator protein 4 (AP-4) and AP-1 specifically bound to the -720/-696 part of this sequence under IL-1beta treatment. Overexpression of AP-4 in the BAC cultures resulted in stimulation of the transcriptional activity of the -732/+11 TGFbeta1 promoter construct through the same IL-1beta-responsive element., Conclusion: IL-1beta induces an increase of TGFbeta1 in articular chondrocytes through activation of AP-4 and AP-1 binding to the TGFbeta1 gene promoter. These findings may help us understand the role of IL-1beta in the disease process. Notwithstanding its deleterious effect on cartilage, IL-1 could initiate the repair response displayed by injured cartilage in the early stages of osteoarthritis through its ability to enhance TGFbeta1 expression by local chondrocytes.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx) plays an essential role in development of HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, we reported that HBx induces Fas Ligand (FasL) expression, which may help HCC cells to evade host-immune surveillance. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HBx in expression of Nur77, an orphan nuclear receptor implicated in the upregulation of FasL. When Chang X-34 expressing HBx under the control of a doxycycline-inducible promoter was examined, induction of Nur77 was observed following HBx expression. Blocking of Nur77 function by introduction of an antisense or a dominant negative mutant Nur77 significantly inhibited the induction of FasL, indicating that Nur77 plays critical roles in FasL expression. Further, a high-level expression of transcripts and DNA binding of Nur77 were observed in the HBV-integrated cell lines established from HCC patients that express HBx. These results suggested that Nur77 may contribute to leading the HBx-induced Fas/FasL signaling pathway which eliminates invading Fas-expressing lymphocytes., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)

Transcriptional repression of the TGF-beta type II receptor (RII) is one of the mechanisms leading to TGF-beta resistance. The newly identified epithelium-specific ets transcription factor ERT/ESX/ELF-3/ESE-1/jen binds to the TGF-beta RII promoter and induces promoter activity. The human gastric cancer cell lines, which show undetectable level of TGF-beta RII mRNA, do not express ERT mRNA. To study the molecular mechanisms of loss of ERT expression, we have cloned and characterized the human ERT promoter. DNA transfection experiments and electrophoretic mobility shift assays have revealed the existence of a distinct enhancer element (-186 to -177) which we named ESE (ERT promoter specific element). Deletion of the ESE markedly decreased expression of the target gene. ESE interacts with two distinct nuclear protein complexes, at least one of which appears to be inactivated in a cell line which does not express the ERT mRNA, compared to a cell line expressing the ERT mRNA. These results suggest the possibility that inactivation of the sequence-specific DNA binding protein to the region from -186 to -177 contributes to the loss of ERT expression, leading to the loss of TGF-beta type II receptor mRNA in human gastric cancer cell lines.

Hepatitis B, one of the most common infectious diseases in the world, is closely associated with acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Many clinical investigations have revealed that hepatic fibrosis is an important component of these liver diseases caused by chronic hepatitis B. TGF-beta signaling plays an important role in the pathogenesis of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. As these diseases are associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, we examined the possibility that the HBV-encoded pX oncoprotein regulates TGF-beta signaling. We show that pX enhances transcriptional activity in response to TGF-beta, BMP-2, and activin by stabilizing the complex of Smad4 with components of the basic transcriptional machinery. Additionally, confocal microscopic studies suggest that pX facilitates and potentiates the nuclear translocation of Smads, further enhancing TGF-beta signaling. Our studies suggest a new paradigm for amplification of Smad-mediated signaling by an oncoprotein and suggest that enhanced Smad-mediated signaling may contribute to HBV-associated liver fibrosis.

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY)-3 with a mutation in hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1alpha has been identified in most races, but the prevalence of Korean MODY and early-onset type 2 diabetes with a mutation in this gene is unknown. To determine the prevalence of MODY and early-onset type 2 diabetes with the mutation of HNF-1alpha gene in Korea, we analyzed this gene in 69 Korean early-onset type 2 diabetics and in 35 healthy persons using the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique and direct sequencing. We identified one mutation in exon 4 (C900A) in only one of the 69 Korean subjects with early-onset type 2 diabetes; this mutation was silent and did not change the amino acid (Pro300). Additionally, we identified four polymorphisms: S487N, AAC-->AGC, intron 2 (nt -23), intron 7: (nt +7) and intron 9 (nt -24). However, there was no significant difference in frequencies of the four polymorphisms between the type 2 diabetes and control groups. Among type 2 diabetics, codon 487 variant showed no relationship to age at onset, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, lipid profile, basal C-peptide and 2 hour C-peptide. We concluded that this genetic mutation in HNF-1alpha gene may not be a common contributor to MODY and early-onset type 2 diabetes susceptibility in Korea.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have cancer preventive and tumor regressive effects in the human colon, perhaps due to their capability to induce apoptosis of the colon cancer cells. Here, we report that indomethacin induced the expression of Nur77 which has been implicated in activation-induced apoptosis of T-lymphocytes, in a colon cancer cell line, HCT-15. The transcript- and protein-level, the transcriptional activity of Nur77 promoter, and the DNA binding of Nur77 were significantly induced following indomethacin treatment. Among the two potential trans-acting factors that activate Nur77-promoter, indomethacin induced DNA binding and reporter gene activity of AP-1, but not that of related serum response factor (RSRF), suggesting that the transcriptional induction of Nur77 may be mediated through activation of AP-I. Further, we showed that all trans-RA repressed the induction of Nur77 as well as the apoptosis-induced by indomethacin, providing evidence that transcriptional induction of Nur77 may be an important mechanism by which indomethacin induces apoptosis in colon cancer cells.

Nur77 (NGFI-B) is an orphan nuclear receptor that has been implicated in activation-induced T-cell apoptosis. Retinoids, potent immune modulators, were shown to inhibit the activation-induced apoptosis of immature thymocytes and T-cell hybridomas. To illustrate the mechanism of the inhibition, we examined the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on the expression and transactivation functions of Nur77 in the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the human T-cell leukemia, Jurkat. All-trans-RA remarkably repressed the DNA binding and transcriptional induction of Nur77. Among the two potential trans-acting factors that activate Nur77 gene promoter, i.e., AP-1 and related serum response factor (RSRF), all-trans-RA repressed DNA binding and reporter gene activity of AP-1 but not that of RSRF, suggesting that the inhibition may be mediated through AP-1. We also demonstrated a posttranscriptional regulation of Nur77 function by retinoid receptors by showing that transactivation activity of Nur77 was significantly inhibited by cotransfection of RARalpha or RXRalpha. Nur77 bound RARalpha or RXRalpha in both yeast and mammalian two-hybrid tests, suggesting that direct protein-protein interaction between these receptors may mediate the inhibition. Taken all together, we demonstrated that RA repressed Nur77 function through multiple mechanisms that may provide the basis for RA inhibition on the apoptosis of activated T-lymphocytes., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

The yeast transcriptional activator protein, Gcn4p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae binds to the specific sequence in the promoters of many amino acid biosynthetic genes for general control. A new random saturation mutagenesis method was developed to isolate Gcn4p derivatives with only one or two mutations in the DNA binding domain without using radioactive isotope. This will be used to identify the amino acids of Gcn4p involved in protein-protein interactions. Saturation mutagenesis in the DNA binding domain of Gcn4p was performed using spiked degenerate oligonucleotides containing randomized codon bases designed specifically for only one or two base changes in the mutagenized area. These oligonucleotides were synthesized to have two flanking restriction enzyme sites for cloning to the appropriate vector. The 3' ends were mutually primed after hybridization via the palindromic sequences of the restriction enzyme sites. These molecules were then converted to double stranded DNA upon treatment with DNA polymerase. Here, a library collection of 100,680 in an altered Gcn4p pool was generated by cloning a mixed-base oligonucleotide in the place of the sequence coding for the DNA binding domains. The quality of the library was examined by DNA sequencing and found to be in good agreement with the expected statistical values. Calculated mutation frequency was 66% of mutant nucleotide rate and actual sequencing data revealed 68% mutant nucleotide rates from the sequenced library. Thus, among 21 mutants, 16 had one point mutations and 5 had two point mutations. This approach appears to be an effective and general tool for creating proteins with one or two amino acid change(s) in their molecules.

The tumor suppressor SMAD4, also known as DPC4, deleted in pancreatic cancer, is a central mediator of TGF-beta signaling. It was previously shown that mice homozygous for a null mutation of Smad4 (Smad4-/-) died prior to gastrulation displaying impaired extraembryonic membrane formation and endoderm differentiation. Here we show that Smad4+/- mice began to develop polyposis in the fundus and antrum when they were over 6 - 12 months old, and in the duodenum and cecum in older animals at a lower frequency. With increasing age, polyps in the antrum show sequential changes from hyperplasia, to dysplasia, in-situ carcinoma, and finally invasion. These alterations are initiated by a dramatic expansion of the gastric epithelium where Smad4 is expressed. However, loss of the remaining Smad4 wild-type allele was detected only in later stages of tumor progression, suggesting that haploinsufficiency of Smad4 is sufficient for tumor initiation. Our data also showed that overexpression of TGF-beta1 and Cyclin D1 was associated with increased proliferation of gastric polyps and tumors. These studies demonstrate that Smad4 functions as a tumor suppressor in the gastrointestinal tract and also provide a valuable model for screening factors that promote or prevent gastric tumorigenesis.

Because of the recent identification of several mutations of methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) in patients with Rett syndrome (RTT), a patient with suspected RTT from an autism clinic was screened for mutations. She was found to have a novel heterozygous nonsense mutation, 129C>T (Q19X), which leads to the most severely truncated MECP2 protein reported to date. Sequencing of parental DNA revealed the mutation was de novo. The patient was not affected with microcephaly or hyperventilation, but had other features of Rett syndrome including severe mental retardation and symptoms of autistic disorder. Moderately skewed X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) may have contributed to her relatively mild phenotype., (Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Ewing sarcoma-specific chromosomal translocations fuse the EWS gene to a subset of ets transcription factor family members, most commonly the FLI1 gene and less frequently ERG, ETV1, E1A-F, or FEV. These fusion proteins are thought to act as aberrant transcription factors that bind DNA through their ets DNA binding domain. Recently, we have shown (K-B. Hahm et al., Nat. Genet., 23: 222-227, 1999) that the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) type II receptor (TGF-beta RII), a putative tumor suppressor gene, is a target of the EWS-FLI1 fusion protein. Here, we also examined effects of EWS-ETV1 and EWS-ERG on expression of the TGF-beta RII gene. We show that relative to the control, NIH-3T3 cell lines stably transfected with the EWS-FLI1, EWS-ERG, or EWS-ETV1 gene fusion express reduced levels of TGF-beta RII mRNA and protein, and that these cell lines have reduced TGF-beta sensitivity. Cotransfection of these fusion genes and the TGF-beta RII promoter suppresses TGF-beta RII promoter activity and also FLI1-, ERG-, or ETV1-induced promoter activity. These results indicate that transcriptional repression of TGF-beta RII is an important target of the EWS-FLI1, EWS-ERG, or EWS-ETV1 oncogene, and that EWS-ets fusion proteins may function as dominant negative forms of ets transcription factors.

Retinoids and interferons have been implicated in the growth regulation of cervical cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms are not fully defined. To analyze detailed mechanisms, HPV-positive (HeLa, CaSki), HPV-negative (C33A, HT-3) and non-cervical Cos-1 cell lines were treated with I microM all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) and/or 10 ng/ml interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). The growth of RA-treated HeLa cells was less effectively suppressed than that of IFN-gamma-treated ones. A combination of RA and IFN-gamma leads to an additive antiproliferative effect on the cell growth. CaSki cell growth was also inhibited by IFN-gamma but was little stimulated by RA treatment, and the IFN effect was attenuated when IFN-gamma was combined with RA. HPV-negative C33A and HT-3 cells, which are defective in p53 and Rb, and Cos- 1 cells were weakly or not responsive to all combined treatments. The molecular mechanism underlying the differential effects of RA/IFN on HeLa and C33A cells was investigated. Combined RA/IFN-gamma treatment caused a marked increase in the level of IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) in HeLa, whereas no induction of IRF-1 was observed in C33A, consistent with the findings that IFN signaling is functional in HeLa but is defective in C33A cells. The increase of p53 in HeLa cells might account for the down-regulation of HPV-18 E6 gene expression by RA/IFN-gamma. Furthermore, RA/IFN-gamma treatment resulted in the concurrent induction of p21WAF1 CDK inhibitor and dephosphorylation of Rb protein. Transient co-expression of IRF-1 and p53 led to the cooperative activation of the p21WAF1 promoter. Our results indicate that 2 transcription factors, increased in response to RA/IFN-gamma, cooperate functionally to regulate the cell cycle through the activation of a common p21WAF1 gene in HeLa cells.

The epithelium-specific transcription factor, ERT/ESX/ESE-1/ELF3, binds to the TGF-beta RII promoter in a sequence specific manner and regulates its expression. In this study, we investigated whether ERT could regulate endogenous TGF-beta RII expression in Hs578t breast cancer cells. Analyses of the Hs578t parental cell line revealed low RII mRNA expression and resistance to the growth inhibitory effects of TGF-beta. Infection of this cell line with a retroviral construct expressing ERT induced higher levels of endogenous RII mRNA expression and protein expression relative to cells infected with chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CATneo) as a control. Relative to control cells, the ERTneo-expressing Hs578t cells show approximately a 50% reduction in cell growth in the presence of exogenous TGF-beta1, as well as a fourfold higher induction of activation in transient transfection assays using the 3TP-luciferase reporter construct. When transplanted into athymic mice, ERT-expressing Hs578t cells showed decreased and delayed tumorigenicity compared with control cells. This data strongly suggests that ERT plays an important role as a transcriptional activator of TGF-beta RII expression, and that deregulated ERT expression may play a critical role in rendering Hs578t human breast cancer cells insensitive to TGF-beta's growth inhibitory effects.

The heat shock transcription factor (HSF) mediates the induction of heat shock gene expression. The activation of HSF involves heat shock-induced trimerization, binding to its cognate DNA sites, and the acquisition of transcriptional competence. In this study, the oligomeric properties of Drosophila HSF were analyzed by equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation and gel filtration chromatography. Previous findings showed that trimerization of purified Drosophila HSF was directly sensitive to heat and oxidation (1). Here we report that low pH, in the physiological range, also directly induces HSF trimerization and DNA binding in vitro. Furthermore, the induction of HSF trimerization by low pH is synergistic with the actions of heat and oxidation. Since heat or chemical stress leads to a moderate decrease of intracellular pH, we suggest that intracellular acidification may contribute to activating the heat shock response in vivo.

Progression through the cell cycle is controlled by the induction of cyclins and the activation of cognate cyclin-dependent kinases. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor lovastatin induces growth arrest and cell death in certain cancer cell types. We have pursued the mechanism of growth arrest in PC-3-M cells, a p53-null human prostate carcinoma cell line. Lovastatin treatment increased protein and mRNA levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1), increased binding of p21 with Cdk2, markedly inhibited cyclin E- and Cdk2-associated phosphorylation of histone H1 or GST-retinoblastoma protein, enhanced binding of the retinoblastoma protein to the transcription factor E2F-1 in vivo, and induced the activation of a p21 promoter reporter construct. By using p21 promoter deletion constructs, the lovastatin-responsive element was mapped to a region between -93 and -64 relative to the transcription start site. Promoter mutation analysis indicated that the lovastatin-responsive site coincided with the previously identified transforming growth factor-beta-responsive element. These data indicate that in human prostate carcinoma cells an inhibitor of the HMG-CoA reductase pathway can circumvent the loss of wild-type p53 function and induce critical downstream regulatory events leading to transcriptional activation of p21.

Objective: Recently, a variety of HPV-related proteins have been synthesized and their utility as diagnostic and prognostic markers in cervical cancers needs to be assessed. The ability to generate preparative amounts of HPV-16 L1/L2 VLPs and E6, E7 proteins may have implications for the development of a serologic assay to detect anti-HPV-16 virion immune responses. The purpose of the study is to improve the way of proper management of the cervical cancer by investigating the utility of the recently developed HPV-16 L1/L2 VLPs, HPV-16 E6, E7 proteins as the clinical serologic markers through antibody reactions by comparison with those of SCCA and CEA which have been used as tumor markers for cervical cancer., Methods: The serologic responses in Korean women with cervical neoplasia by ELISA using HPV-16 L1/L2 VLPs and radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) using in vitro translated HPV-16 E6, E7 proteins were investigated. PCR using E6 type-specific primers for HPV-16/18 was used to determine the presence and type of HPV infection (normal controls, 15 cases; preinvasive lesions, 28 cases; invasive cervical cancers, 124 cases)., Results: The sera of 34% (42/124) of cervical cancers were positive for SCCA and the sera of 18% (22/124) of cervical cancers were positive for CEA. The positivity of SCCA was increased with advancing clinical stages, but the antibody levels were not correlated with clinical stage of disease. The sera of 7% (1/15) of normal controls, 39% (11/28) of preinvasive lesions, and 56% (70/124) of patients with cervical cancer were ELISA positive for HPV-16 L1/L2 VLPs (P < 0.05). The sera of 7% (2/28) of preinvasive lesions and 51% (63/124) of cervical cancers were positive for in vitro translated HPV-16 E6 protein (P < 0.05) and the sera of 11% (3/28) of preinvasive lesions and 33% (41/124) of cervical cancers were positive for in vitro translated HPV-16 E7 protein (P < 0.05). The antibody levels to HPV-16 E7 protein were correlated to clinical stage and tumor burden in a significant number of cervical cancers., Conclusions: These data suggest that a considerable number of patients with cervical neoplasia generated positive antibody response to L1/L2 VLPs and in vitro translated E6, E7 proteins of HPV-16. These HPV-16-associated proteins might be disease-specific markers which could be useful in an adjunctive diagnostic assay and a seroepidemiologic study of HPV-related cervical neoplasia. In particular, the monitoring of antibody to HPV-16 E7 protein seems to be valuable in the proper management of cervical cancers for specific tumor markers.

Vitamin E succinate (VES) inhibited the proliferation of the estrogen receptor-negative human breast cancer cell line, BT-20, in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The E2F proteins are integral transcriptional components in the regulation of cell growth. Overexpression of E2F-1 blocked the ability of VES to inhibit BT-20 cell growth, suggesting that VES regulation of E2F-1 activity leads to growth arrest of BT-20 cells. VES, although having little effect on E2F-1 steady-state protein levels, decreased E2F-1 phosphorylation and transactivation activity and increased cyclin A binding to E2F-1. GAL4-E2F-1 deletion mutant studies indicated that cyclin A negatively regulates E2F function. In VES-treated BT-20 cells, the cyclin A protein exhibited reduced kinase activity, which correlated with decreased steady-state levels and binding of cyclin-dependent kinase-2 to cyclin A and increased steady-state levels and binding of p21cip1 to cyclin A and cyclin-dependent kinase-2. The functional consequence of the negative regulatory effect of VES on E2F-1 function was shown by the ability of VES to inhibit the transcriptional activation of an E2F-1 responsive gene, c-myc. These studies show that VES induces growth inhibition of BT-20 cells through a mechanism that involves cyclin A-negative regulation of E2F-mediated transcription.

The E2F family of transcription factors regulates cell cycle progression, and deregulated expression of E2F-1 can lead to neoplastic transformation. In myeloid cells, introduction and expression of the Abelson leukemia virus causes growth factor independence. Here, the p120 v-Abl protein activates E2F-1-mediated transcription through a physical interaction with the E2F-1 transcription factor. BCR-Abl and c-Abl also stimulate E2F-1-mediated transcription. Our results suggest a new mechanism by which v-Abl leads to factor-independent myeloid cell proliferation: the activation of E2F-1-mediated transcription.

Transformation of interleukin-3 dependent (IL-3) 32D-123 myeloid cells by p120-v-Abl produced the factor-independent 32D-abl cell line. In 32D-abl cells, myc expression was found to be significantly higher than in the parental cells and was correlated with increased E2F-1 protein expression and DNA binding ability. Surprisingly, in 32D-abl cells, TGF-beta1, a potent G1/S inhibitor of 32D-123 and 32D-abl cell growth, increased E2F transactivation as shown by increased c-myc promoter-CAT and GAL4-E2F-1 activity. In addition, TGF-beta1 was also found to increase E2F-1 protein levels but had no effect on steady-state retinoblastoma (RB) protein levels or phosphorylation state. In the absence of TGF-beta1, transient expression of RB in v-Abl expressing cells resulted in decreased c-myc transcription, inhibition of GAL4-E2F-1 driven transactivation and inhibition of cellular proliferation. RB and v-Abl were found to physically associate in vivo and in vitro via v-Abl's ATP binding region. In summary, these studies established that in myeloid cells: (1) v-Abl binds RB resulting in increased E2F-1-driven c-myc transcription, and (2) an alternative pathway exists for TGF-beta1-mediated growth inhibition of v-Abl-transformed cells, in which increased rather than decreased E2F-mediated c-myc transcription is observed.

Increases in transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) mRNA and biological activity in the early phase of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in fibroblasts are paralleled by increased TGF-beta1-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene activity. To determine how CMV infection transactivates the TGF-beta1 promoter, we examined the effects of the cotransfected IE2 regulatory protein of human CMV on 5'-deleted TGF-beta1 promoter-CAT reporter genes in transient DNA transfection assays. Two upstream TGF-beta1 promoter regions each containing an Egr-1 consensus site were shown to be important for IE2-induced transactivation in a cell type that displayed greatly reduced nonspecific activity. Furthermore, transfer of an Egr-l site from between positions -125 and -98, but not point mutant versions of this site, to a heterologous promoter also conveyed IE2 responsiveness. Addition of an IE2 expression vector or use of the U373 A45 astrocytoma cell line expressing IE2 also produced synergistic stimulation of GAL4-Egr-l-mediated activation of a target promoter containing GAL4 binding sites. The 80-kDa IE2 protein present in A45 cells proved to selectively bind to glutathione S-transferase (GST)-Egr-1 beads. The results of in vitro protein binding assays also revealed that an intact in vitro-translated IE2 protein bound directly to the GST-Egr-1 fusion protein through the zinc finger domain of the Egr-1 protein and that this binding activity was abolished by deletion of parts of the zinc finger DNA-binding domain. Similarly, the Egr-1 protein was found to associate preferentially with a small region within the C-terminal half of the IE2 protein adjacent to the DNA-binding and dimerization domains that are important for both transactivation and downregulation. We conclude from these observations that IE2 may regulate transcription of the TGF-beta1 gene as well as other potential cellular targets by virtue of its ability to interact with the Egr-1 DNA-binding protein.

It has been reported that three different DNA regions-the fat body enhancer and ovarian enhancers 1 and 2-direct the tissue-specific expression of yp1 and yp2 in Drosophila melanogaster. In the present study, we identified ovarian enhancer 1-specific binding proteins. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that these proteins are present in the adult ovary, but not in adult testis or fat body. Southwestern blot analysis showed that about 130 kDa and 40 kDa proteins, designated OEF1 and OEF2, respectively, from ovarian nuclear or crude extracts bind specifically to the ovarian enhancer 1. The two proteins were partially purified by streptavidin/agarose-DNA affinity chromatography, and their binding activity was confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. These ovarian enhancer factors may play an important role in the regulation of transcription of yp1 and yp2 in the ovary.

The Wilms' tumor suppressor gene wt1 encodes a zinc finger-containing protein that binds to the same DNA sequence as Egr-1, a mitogen-inducible immediate-early gene product that activates transcription. In this study, we investigated whether the human insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) P4 promoter might be a target for transcriptional repression mediated by WT1. Using constructs of the IGF-II P4 promoter linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene, we have demonstrated that the WT1 protein represses expression of the IGF-II gene through a GCGGGGGAG response element spanning nucleotides -87 to -65 of the IGF-II P4 promoter. Conversely, we have shown that the Egr-1 activates transcription of the IGF-II gene through the same response element. WT1 and Egr-1 proteins interact directly with the WT1/Egr-1 response element of the IGF-II promoter 4 in gel mobility-shift assays. These findings demonstrate the importance of the WT1/Egr-1 consensus element for the expression of the IGF-II gene in response to positive or negative transcription signals.

The usp locus encodes a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily in Drosophila melanogaster that interacts with EcR (ecdysone receptor) to mediate ecdysteroid-induced gene expression. A 2.7-kb usp mRNA was detected at all developmental times tested, although its abundance varied. Among premetamorphic stages, both the 2.7-kb transcript and Usp protein attained their highest levels in the late third larval instar. The 2.7-kb usp transcript was also found in adult stages and a 1.2-kb transcript was detected in the polyadenylated RNA fraction of both mature adult females and early embryos. Aneuploids carrying two usp mutant alleles and a putative variegating usp+ allele often developed deformities of the adult wing disc that apparently resulted from mutational disruption of usp activity before metamorphosis and whose frequency was affected by maternal genotype. Both of the recessive lethal usp mutations associated with this "cleft thorax" phenotype involved substitutions of conserved arginine residues in the DNA-binding domain, although the frequency of the phenotype was not the same for the two alleles. Both mutant proteins retained the ability to form heterodimers with EcR in vitro but showed reduced affinity for an ecdysone response element.

The solution structure of the DNA-binding domain of the Drosophila heat shock transcription factor, as determined by multidimensional multinuclear NMR, resembles that of the helix-turn-helix class of DNA-binding proteins. The domain comprises a four-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet, packed against a three-helix bundle. The second helix is significantly distorted and is separated from the third helix by an extended turn which is subject to conformational averaging on an intermediate time scale. Helix 3 forms a classical amphipathic helix with polar and charged residues exposed to the solvent. Upon titration with DNA, resonance shifts in the backbone and Asn and Gln side-chain amides indicate that helix 3 acts as the recognition helix of the heat shock transcription factor.

Heteronuclear multidimensional NMR experiments of residues 33-163 of the DNA-binding domain of Drosophila heat shock factor, dHSF(33-163), were recorded, using only 3 mg of uniformly 15N-labeled or 2 mg of uniformly 15N/13C-labeled protein. The polypeptide consists of a structured part comprising three helices, a three-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet, with the first two strands connected by a four-residue type I tight turn. The second helix is disrupted at its C-terminal end by a proline residue and is followed by an extended turn, leading to the third helix. The dHSF(33-163) protein is unstructured at its N- and C-termini, and a third unstructured region is found from Thr113 to Arg124. Exchange broadening of the 15N-1H correlations upon titration of 15N labeled HSF with a 13-base-pair DNA duplex suggests a DNA-binding motif in which the third helix acts as the recognition helix. Both the secondary structure and DNA-binding pattern of dHSF(33-163) suggest that the overall topology resembles that the helix-turn-helix bacterial activator CAP [Weber, I. T., & Steitz, T. A. (1987) J. Mol. Biol. 198, 311-326] and the liver-specific transcription factor HNF-3 gamma, the prototype of the HNF-3/forkhead protein family [Clark, K. L., Halay, E. D., Lai, E., & Burley, S. K. (1993) Nature 364, 412-420].

To examine the role of protein phosphatases in skeletal muscle differentiation, C2C12 myoblasts were treated with okadaic acid, a potent in vitro inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A which regulate various cellular events in intact cells. We now show that okadaic acid treatment of the mouse myoblast C2C12 cell line reversibly altered the morphology of the cells and blocked differentiation. At a molecular level, it extinguished expression of the myogenic determination genes, MyoD1 and myogenin, but induced the expression of an inhibitor of differentiation, Id. Analysis of the MyoD1 promoter showed that inhibition of MyoD1 expression by okadaic acid occurs at the transcriptional level. These changes occur 10-20 h after okadaic acid treatment. However, within 1 h of treatment the ability of muscle extracts to support a specific MyoD-dependent gel mobility shift using a MyoD DNA binding site is lost. These data suggest that protein phosphatases play an important role during myogenic differentiation.

To examine the role of protein phosphatases in T cell activation, Jurkat cells were treated with okadaic acid, an inhibitor of type 1 and 2A phosphatases, and nuclear extracts were examined for the presence of AP1 as a measure of early T cell activation. Okadaic acid was found to be a potent inducer of AP1. In contrast to phorbol esters such as phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), the induction of AP1 by okadaic acid occurs predominantly by transcriptional activation of the jun and fos family of proto-oncogenes. Surprisingly, while the addition of phytohemagglutinin further enhanced the induction of AP1, the addition of PMA inhibited it. Okadaic acid treatment was found to dramatically increase mRNA transcripts of the jun family of proto-oncogenes including c-jun, junD, and junB and to a lesser extent the fos family including c-fos and fra-1. By comparison, PMA is a very inefficient inducer of the jun gene family in Jurkat cells. Similar to its effect on the induction of AP1 by okadaic acid, PMA inhibits the induction of c-jun mRNA by okadaic acid. Transfection of c-jun promoter constructs confirmed the marked difference between PMA and okadaic acid in inducing c-jun transcription. The induction of AP1 by okadaic acid suggests that protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1 and PP2A) may be involved in T cell activation as important negative regulators of the transcription factor AP1.

The HTLV-I LTR is known to be induced by a variety of cellular signals. Tax protein is one potent viral trans-activator of LTR-directed transcription. We demonstrate here that Jun is another transcription factor that can strongly modulate the activity of this LTR. Using deletion and competition studies, the minimal portion of the LTR for Jun activation was found to coincide with the Tax-responsive 21-bp elements. In binding experiments, nuclear factors that bound to the HTLV-I 21-bp sequence were competed by an excess of AP-1 motif oligonucleotide. Although the Tax-responsive elements do not contain a strictly conserved AP-1 motif, these findings suggest that they function as AP-1 sites. We found, however, that in cells depleted for AP-1 activity (F9 teratocarcinoma), Tax activation of the HTLV-I LTR was maintained. Thus while Jun/AP-1 may be involved in the basal expression of the HTLV-I LTR, it may not be essential for Tax-mediated activation.

Transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGF-beta 3) has been cloned from humans, chickens, pigs, and mice. Although the specific in vivo roles of this form of TGF-beta are unknown, the pattern of embryonic and tissue-specific expression of TGF-beta 3 suggests that it is involved in embryogenesis and cell differentiation. We have cloned and sequenced the TGF-beta 3 5'-flanking region to study the transcriptional regulation of this gene. Characterization of the 5'-flanking region showed a 1104-base pair 5'-untranslated region, a TATA box 21 bp upstream from the transcription start site, and cAMP-responsive element (CRE) and AP-2 binding site consensus sequences starting at 12 and 24 bp, respectively, upstream from the TATA box. Promoter fragments were cloned into a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter plasmid to study functional activity. Basal transcriptional activity of the promoter was regulated by multiple upstream elements including the CRE and the AP-2 site. The CRE was important for both basal and forskolin induction of promoter activity. The TGF-beta 3 promoter was found to be strikingly dissimilar to the TGF-beta 1 promoter. Since the TGF-beta s have activity in promoting or inhibiting proliferation and differentiation of multiple cell types, it seems likely that the differential and tissue-specific transcriptional regulation of these genes is of fundamental importance in the induction and maintenance of differentiated cell types in various tissues.

Growth factor-independent 32D-src and 32D-abl cell lines, established by infecting the interleukin-3-dependent myeloid precursor cell line (32D-123) with retroviruses containing the src or abl oncogene, were used to study transcriptional regulation of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) mRNA. Analysis of different TGF-beta 1 promoter constructs regulated by pp60v-src indicated that sequences responsive to high levels of src induction contain binding sites for AP-1. Both src and serum induced expression of the c-fos and c-jun genes in myeloid cells, resulting in transcriptional activation of the TGF-beta 1 gene. We found that serum treatment increased TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels in 32D-123 cells and that the v-Src protein could replace the serum requirement by stimulating binding to the AP-1 complex of the TGF-beta 1 promoter, thereby mediating the induction of TGF-beta 1 transcription.

The multifunctional actions of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) indicate that it has a pivotal control function in many physiological and pathological processes. An important property of TGF-beta 1 is its ability to activate its own mRNA expression and thereby increase its own secretion. Two distinct regions of the promoter of the TGF-beta 1 gene are responsive to autoregulation: one 5' to the upstream transcriptional start site and another located between the two major start sites. In both promoter regions, autoinduction is mediated by binding of the AP-1 (Jun-Fos) complex. An important contribution to this positive regulation is the autoactivation of c-jun transcription by AP-1. Cotransfection of antisense c-jun or antisense c-fos expression vectors prevents TGF-beta 1 autoinduction. These results demonstrate that both components of the AP-1 complex are required for TGF-beta 1 autoinduction. Induction of jun expression by TGF-beta 1, as well as jun autoinduction, may amplify the action of TGF-beta 1 during normal development and oncogenesis.