Regulation of dally, an integral membrane proteoglycan, and its function during adult sensory organ formation of Drosophila.

In Drosophila, imaginal wing discs, Wg and Dpp, play important roles in the development of sensory organs. These secreted growth factors govern the positions of sensory bristles by regulating the expression of achaete-scute (ac-sc), genes affecting neuronal precursor cell identity. Earlier studies have shown that Dally, an integral membrane, heparan sulfate-modified proteoglycan, affects both Wg and Dpp signaling in a tissue-specific manner. Here, we show that dally is required for the development of specific chemosensory and mechanosensory organs in the wing and notum. dally enhancer trap is expressed at the anteroposterior and dorsoventral boundaries of the wing pouch, under the control of hh and wg, respectively. dally affects the specification of proneural clusters for dally-sensitive bristles and shows genetic interactions with either wg or dpp signaling components for distinct sensory bristles. These findings suggest that dally can differentially regulate Wg- or Dpp-directed patterning during sensory organ assembly. We have also determined that, for pSA, a bristle on the lateral notum, dally shows genetic interactions with iroquois complex (IRO-C), a gene complex affecting ac-sc expression. Consistent with this interaction, dally mutants show markedly reduced expression of an iro::lacZ reporter. These findings establish dally as an important regulator of sensory organ formation via Wg- and Dpp-mediated specification of proneural clusters.

Failure in the detection of aberrant mRNA from the heterozygotic splice site mutant allele for protein S in a patient with protein S deficiency.

A 29-year-old male patient with acute arterial obstruction and a medical history including thrombosis in the deep veins and pulmonary infarction presented with a reduced level of both protein S (PS) activity and free PS. Sequencing of the genomic PS gene in this patient revealed that the patient was heterozygous for the mutant PS allele, in which a nucleotide substitution occurred at the donor splice site in intron 12 (GT to GA). The patient was heterozygous for PS genes having dimorphic codons for Pro626 (CCA/CCG) and the aberrant allele in this patient was associated with the CCA form. Allelic exclusion of PS expression was demonstrated by use of Pro626 (CCA/CCG) dimorphism and only a normal mRNA sequence derived from the CCG-allele was identified in the patient. These findings suggested that the mutation at the splice site in the PS gene caused either defective production of mRNA or the gene may have produced extremely unstable RNA products, leading to reduced levels of PS activity and free PS in this patient.

A novel splice acceptor site mutation of protein S gene in affected individuals with type I protein S deficiency: allelic exclusion of the mutant gene.

Sequencing studies of the protein S gene (PROS1) in a Japanese patient suffering from recurrent thrombosis revealed the following. The proband and his first daughter, but not the second daughter, were having the type I protein S (PS) deficiency due to a novel point mutation from A to G at the intronic acceptor splice site in intron 13 of the PROS1. In the affected daughter, exclusion of the aberrant allele was assessed by the BstX1 dimorphism of PROS1 at Pro626 (CCG/CCA). The reduced PS activities in the proband and his first daughter were apparently due to defective production of mRNA from the mutant allele.

Drosophila heparan sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase (dHS6ST) gene. Structure, expression, and function in the formation of the tracheal system.

Heparan sulfate, one of the most abundant components of the cell surface and the extracellular matrix, is involved in a variety of biological processes such as growth factor signaling, cell adhesion, and enzymatic catalysis. The heparan sulfate chains have markedly heterogeneous structures in which distinct sequences of sulfate groups determine specific binding properties. Sulfation at each different position of heparan sulfate is catalyzed by distinct enzymes, sulfotransferases. In this study, we identified and characterized Drosophila heparan sulfate 6-O-sulfotransferase (dHS6ST). The deduced primary structure of dHS6ST exhibited several common features found in those of mammalian HS6STs. We confirmed that, when the protein encoded by the cDNA was expressed in COS-7 cells, it showed HS6ST activity. Whole mount in situ hybridization revealed highly specific expression of dHS6ST mRNA in embryonic tracheal cells. The spatial and temporal pattern of dHS6ST expression in these cells clearly resembles that of the Drosophila fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor, breathless (btl). RNA interference experiments demonstrated that reduced dHS6ST activity caused embryonic lethality and disruption of the primary branching of the tracheal system. These phenotypes were reminiscent of the defects observed in mutants of FGF signaling components. We also show that FGF-dependent mitogen-activated protein kinase activation is significantly reduced in dHS6ST double-stranded RNA-injected embryos. These findings indicate that dHS6ST is required for tracheal development in Drosophila and suggest the evolutionally conserved roles of 6-O-sulfated heparan sulfate in FGF signaling.

Screening for aetiology of thrombophilia: a high prevalence of protein S abnormality.

We systematically screened for the aetiology of thrombophilia in 115 patients with venous, arterial and small vessel thromboses. Forty-one patients (36% of those we examined) suffering from a variety of thromboses, including deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, arterial occlusion, cerebral infarction, Moyamoya disease and ulcerative colitis, were characterized either with positive lupus anticoagulants or with decreased activities of protein S, protein C, antithrombin III and/or plasminogen. Eight mutation sites were confirmed in 11 thrombotic patients using gene analysis. Decreased protein S activity was found with a high incidence (23 out of 115) in Japanese patients who suffered from not only venous thrombosis but also arterial and small vessel thrombosis. We emphasize here the important role of protein S in the pathogenesis of thrombosis in the Japanese population.

[Etiological analysis of thrombophilia].

We have established a system for etiological analysis of thrombophilia which includes assays of antithrombin III, protein C, protein S, plasminogen, fibrinogen, heparin cofactor II and lupus anticoagulants as well as gene analysis. The analysis conducted on 115 patients with venous thrombosis, arterial thrombosis and small vessel thrombosis revealed that forty-one patients(36% of the examined patients) were accompanied with decreased activities of protein S, protein C, antithrombin III and plasminogen. Eleven candidate causal mutations were found by gene analysis. These studies indicate that a comprehensive examination is instrumental in identifying and confirming the etiology in patients with thrombophilia.

DNA base and deoxyribose modification by the carbon-centered radical generated from 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzenediazonium salt, a carcinogen in mushroom.

Modification of the base and the sugar moieties of DNA with 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzenediazonium salt (HMBD), a carcinogen in the mushroom Agaricus bisporus, was investigated. When deoxyribonucleosides dGuo, dAdo, dThd, and dCyd were incubated with HMBD at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C, the levels of all the nucleosides were decreased. The decrease was inhibited by ethanol or Cys. When deoxyribose was incubated with HMBD, malonaldehyde was released as assessed by the thiobarbituric acid reactivity. The release was inhibited by ethanol. Major products of the reaction of dGuo and dAdo with HMBD were isolated, and their structures were established to be 8-[4-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl]dGuo (8-HMP-dGuo) and 8-[4-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl]dAdo), respectively. Calf thymus DNA treated with HMBD was enzymatically digested into nucleosides, in which 8-HMP-dGuo and 8-HMP-dAdo were detected. Formation of the modified nucleosides in DNA was inhibited by ethanol or 2-mercaptoethanol. Malonaldehyde was released from DNA treated with HMBD, which indicated that the deoxyribose moiety of DNA had been damaged. The results indicate that the 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl radical generated from HMBD can directly modify the base and the sugar moieties of DNA under the mild conditions. Inhibitory effect of ethanol was ascribable to its scavenging activity for the carbon-centered radical. The inhibitory effect of Cys and 2-mercaptoethanol was found to be due to the formation of the reversible adducts between HMBD and the SH compounds.