Cerebrospinal fluid contains biologically active bone morphogenetic protein-7.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate the development and function of many types of neurons. However, little is known of the actual concentrations of BMPs in the various parts of the brain. In this study, we considered the possibility that BMPs might be present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Western blot analysis of normal adult bovine CSF revealed the presence of dimeric and monomeric forms of BMP-7, and the concentration of this molecule was found to be approximately 12 ng/ml in a radioimmunoassay. Since BMP-7 is known to induce dendritic growth in rat sympathetic neurons, this was used as a bioassay to examine the biological activity of the BMP-7 present in CSF. Addition of normal bovine CSF to cultures of sympathetic neurons produced a dose-dependent increase in dendritic growth and the magnitude of this response approximated that obtained with maximally effective concentrations of exogenous BMP-7. Moreover, CSF-induced dendritic growth was inhibited by follistatin, a protein that can sequester BMPs, and by either of two monoclonal antibodies that react with BMP-7. These results show that, unlike most other neurotrophic factors, BMP-7 is a constituent of normal CSF and is present at concentrations sufficient to elicit a near maximal biological response.

Bone morphogenetic protein-6 reduces ischemia-induced brain damage in rats.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP6) and its receptors are expressed in adult and fetal brain. Receptors for BMP6 are upregulated in adult brain after injury, leading to the suggestion that BMP6 is involved in the physiological response to neuronal injury. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a neuroprotective effect of BMP6 in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: Lactate dehydrogenase and microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2) activities were used to determine the protective effect of BMP6 against H(2)O(2) in primary cortical cultures. The neuroprotective effects of BMP6 were also studied in chloral hydrate-anesthetized rats. BMP6 or vehicle was injected into right cerebral cortex before transient right middle cerebral artery (MCA) ligation. Animals were killed for triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride staining, caspase-3 immunoreactivity and enzymatic assays, and TUNEL assay. A subgroup of animals were used for locomotor behavioral assays. RESULTS: Application of H(2)O(2) increased lactate dehydrogenase activity and decreased the density of MAP-2(+) neurons in culture. Both responses were attenuated by BMP6 pretreatment. Complementary in vivo studies showed that pretreatment with BMP6 increased motor performance and generated less cerebral infarction induced by MCA ligation/reperfusion in rats. Pretreatment with BMP6 did not alter cerebral blood flow or physiological parameters. There was decreased ischemia-induced caspase-3 immunoreactivity, caspase-3 enzymatic activity, and density of TUNEL-positive cells in ischemic cortex in BMP6-treated animals. CONCLUSIONS: BMP6 reduces ischemia/reperfusion injury, perhaps by attenuating molecular events underlying apoptosis.

Dendritic growth induced by BMP-7 requires Smad1 and proteasome activity.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) induce dendritic growth in cultured sympathetic neurons; however, the signaling pathways that mediate this dendrite-promoting activity have not been previously characterized. Here we report studies of the signaling events that regulate the growth of these afferent processes. We find that Smad1 is expressed in sympathetic neurons and that BMPs rapidly induce its phosphorylation and translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Furthermore, a dominant negative form of Smad1 inhibits BMP-7-induced dendritic growth, suggesting a requirement for Smad1 activation in this biological activity of BMP-7. A physical interaction between Smad1 and components involved in the proteasome-mediated degradation system was detected with a yeast two-hybrid screen, thereby prompting an examination of the effects of proteasome inhibitors on dendritic growth. Lactacystin and ALLN (N-acetyl-Leu-Leu-norleucinal) selectively blocked BMP-7-induced dendritic growth without adversely affecting either cell viability or axonal growth. Moreover, studies of transfected P19 cells suggest that the proteasome inhibitors directly block the effects of Smad1 on the transcriptional activity of the Tlx-2 promoter. These data indicate that BMP-induced dendritic growth requires Smad1 activation and involves proteasome-mediated degradation events.

Depletion of a microtubule-associated motor protein induces the loss of dendritic identity.

Dendrites are short stout tapering processes that are rich in ribosomes and Golgi elements, whereas axons are long thin processes of uniform diameter that are deficient in these organelles. It has been hypothesized that the unique morphological and compositional features of axons and dendrites result from their distinct patterns of microtubule polarity orientation. The microtubules within axons are uniformly oriented with their plus ends distal to the cell body, whereas microtubules within dendrites are nonuniformly oriented. The minus-end-distal microtubules are thought to arise via their specific transport into dendrites by the motor protein known as CHO1/MKLP1. According to this model, CHO1/MKLP1 transports microtubules with their minus ends leading into dendrites by generating forces against the plus-end-distal microtubules, thus creating drag on the plus-end-distal microtubules. Here we show that depletion of CHO1/MKLP1 from cultured neurons causes a rapid redistribution of microtubules within dendrites such that minus-end-distal microtubules are chased back to the cell body while plus-end-distal microtubules are redistributed forward. The dendrite grows significantly longer and thinner, loses its taper, and acquires a progressively more axon-like organelle composition. These results suggest that the forces generated by CHO1/MKLP1 are necessary for maintaining the minus-end-distal microtubules in the dendrite, for antagonizing the anterograde transport of the plus-end-distal microtubules, and for sustaining a pattern of microtubule organization necessary for the maintenance of dendritic morphology and composition. Thus, we would conclude that dendritic identity is dependent on forces generated by CHO1/MKLP1.

Time window of intracisternal osteogenic protein-1 in enhancing functional recovery after stroke.

Osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1, BMP-7) is a member of the bone morphogenetic protein subfamily of the TGF-ss superfamily that selectively stimulates dendritic neuronal outgrowth. In previous studies, we found that the intracisternal injection of OP-1, starting at one day after stroke, enhanced sensorimotor recovery of the contralateral limbs following unilateral cerebral infarction in rats. In the current study, we further explored the time window during which intracisternal OP-1 enhances sensorimotor recovery, as assessed by limb placing tests. We found that intracisternal OP-1 (10 microg) given 1 and 3 days, or 3 and 5 days, but not 7 and 9 days after stroke, significantly enhanced recovery of forelimb and hindlimb placing. There was no difference in infarct volume between vehicle- and OP-1-treated animals. The mechanism of OP-1 action might be stimulation of new dendritic sprouting in the remaining uninjured brain.

Retinoic acid regulates the morphological development of sympathetic neurons.

Interactions between all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) affect the expression of neurotrophin receptors in sympathetic neurons (Kobayashi et al., 1998). In this study, we examined the possibility that similar interactions might regulate the morphological development of these neurons. Under control conditions, embryonic rat sympathetic neurons formed axons but not dendrites; cells exposed to RA had a similar appearance. Profuse dendritic growth was observed upon exposure to BMP-7, and this was reduced by approximately 70% by RA. This inhibitory effect of RA was mediated primarily by retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and it exhibited substantial specificity because it was not associated with changes in either axonal elongation or cell survival. Moreover, mRNAs for enzymes required for synthesis of RA were expressed in the sympathetic neurons and retinoid activity was released from superior cervical ganglia. These observations suggest that retinoids may function as endogenous morphogens and regulate neural cell shape and polarity in developing sympathetic ganglia.

Effects of osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) treatment on fetal spinal cord transplants to the anterior chamber of the eye.

Spinal cord injury represents a serious medical problem, and leads to chronic conditions that cannot be reversed at present. It has been suggested that trophic factor treatment may reduce the extent of damage and restore damaged neurons following the injury. We have tested the effects of osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1, also known as BMP-7), a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily of growth factors, on developing spinal cord motor neurons in an intraocular transplantation model. Embryonic day 13 or 18 spinal cord tissue was dissected, incubated with OP-1 or vehicle, and injected into the anterior chamber of the eye of adult rats. Injections of additional doses of OP-1 were performed weekly, and the overall growth of the grafted tissue was assessed noninvasively. Four to 6 weeks postgrafting, animals were sacrificed and the tissue was processed for immunohistochemistry using antibodies directed against choline acetyltransferase, neurofilament, and the dendritic marker MAP-II. We found that OP-1 treatment stimulated overall growth of spinal cord tissue when dissected from embryonic day 18, but not from embryonic day 13. OP-1 treatment increased cell size and extent of cholinergic markers in motor neurons from both embryonic stages. The neurons also appeared to have a more extensive dendritic network in OP-1-treated grafts compared to controls. These findings indicate that OP-1 treatment may reduce the extent of axotomy-induced cell death of motor neurons, at least in the developing spinal cord.

Leukemia inhibitory factor and ciliary neurotrophic factor cause dendritic retraction in cultured rat sympathetic neurons.

Dendritic retraction occurs in many regions of the developing brain and also after neural injury. However, the molecules that regulate this important regressive process remain largely unknown. Our data indicate that leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) cause sympathetic neurons to retract their dendrites in vitro, ultimately leading to an approximately 80% reduction in the size of the arbor. The dendritic retraction induced by LIF exhibited substantial specificity because it was not accompanied by changes in cell number, in the rate of axonal growth, or in the expression of axonal cytoskeletal elements. An antibody to gp130 blocked the effects of LIF and CNTF, and both cytokines induced phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of stat3. Moreover, addition of soluble interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor to the medium endowed IL-6 with the ability to cause dendritic regression. These data indicate that ligands activating the gp130 pathway have the ability to profoundly alter neuronal cell shape and polarity by selectively causing the retraction of dendrites.

Recombinant human osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) stimulates periodontal wound healing in class III furcation defects.

Osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily and is a potent modulator of osteogenesis and bone cell differentiation. This preclinical study in dogs sought to assess the effects of OP-1 on periodontal wound healing in surgically created critical size Class III furcation defects. Eighteen male beagle dogs were subjected to the creation of bilateral mandibular 5 mm osseous defects. A split-mouth design was utilized which randomly assigned opposing quadrants to control therapy (surgery alone or collagen vehicle) or 1 of 3 ascending concentrations of OP-1 in a collagen vehicle (0.75 mg OP-1/g collagen, 2.5 mg/g, or 7.5 mg/g). Thus, 9 quadrants per test group received OP-1, 9 quadrants per control group received surgery alone, and 9 quadrants received collagen vehicle alone. Test articles were delivered by a surgeon masked to the treatment, and fluorogenic bone labels were injected at specified intervals post-treatment. Eight weeks after defect creation and OP-1 delivery, tissue blocks of the mandibulae were taken for masked histomorphometric analysis to assess parameters of periodontal regeneration (e.g., bone height, bone area, new attachment formation, and percent of defect filled with new bone). Histomorphometry revealed limited evidence of osteogenesis, cementogenesis, and new attachment formation in either vehicle or surgery-alone sites. In contrast, sites treated with all 3 concentrations of OP-1 showed pronounced stimulation of osteogenesis, regenerative cementum, and new attachment formation. Lesions treated with 7.5 mg/g of OP-1 in collagen regenerated 3.9+/-1.7 mm and 6.1+/-3.4 mm2 (mean +/-S.D.) of linear bone height and bone area, respectively. Furthermore, these differences were statistically different from both control therapies for all wound healing parameters (P < 0.0001). No significant increase in tooth root ankylosis was found among the treatment groups when compared to the surgery-alone group. We conclude that OP-1 offers promise as an attractive candidate for treating severe periodontal lesions.

Kinetic evidence of a rapid activation of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis by Ki-ras oncogene. Possible involvement in late steps of the mitogenic cascade.

A novel phospholipase C specific for phosphatidylcholine has been shown to be activated by several agonists. Also, recent evidence suggests that transformation mediated by the ras oncogene possibly involves the activation of this novel phospholipid degradative pathway which would account for the increased diacylglycerol levels associated with transformation. Here we use a mutant of Ki-ras which is temperature-sensitive for transformation to investigate the kinetics of activation of the phosphodiesterase-mediated turnover of phosphatidylcholine. Upon shift to the permissive temperature, products of the activated phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C were detected by 30 min and reached maximal levels by 1-2 h. These results suggest that the product of the ras oncogene rapidly activates the phosphodiesteratic hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine. Furthermore, the fact that at least 4 h are required for serum to activate this phospholipase C strongly suggests that the ras oncogene product might be involved in late steps of the mitogenic signaling cascade.

The sequence of chicken c-yes and p61c-yes.

We have deduced the sequence of the protein encoded by the chicken c-yes gene from overlapping cDNA clones. The predicted protein, p61c-yes, contains 541 amino acids and has a molecular weight of 60,911 with the amino terminal methionine residue. Chicken p61c-yes differs from Y73 virus p90gag/v-yes in three respects. First, the carboxy-terminal eight amino acids of p61c-yes are replaced by three amino acids in p90gag/v-yes, which are encoded by the avian leukemia virus env gene. This alteration changes the position and context of a tyrosine residue in p61c-yes. Second, nucleotides which are present as 5' non-translated sequence in the p61c-yes mRNA, are translated in the p90gag/v-yes mRNA. Third, there are fourteen dispersed nucleotide differences in Y73 v-yes which result in six amino differences between the body of p90gag/v-yes and p61c-yes. Chicken p61c-yes differs from human p61c-yes at 43 residues, and from chicken pp60c-src at 122 residues.

Alterations in pp60c-src accompany differentiation of neurons from rat embryo striatum.

Cultured neurons from rat embryo striatum were found to contain two structurally distinct forms of pp60c-src. The 60-kilodalton (kDa) form appeared similar to pp60c-src from cultured rat fibroblasts or astrocytes. The 61-kDa form was specific to neurons and differed in the NH2-terminal 18 kDa of the molecule. In undifferentiated neurons the predominant phosphorylated species of pp60c-src was the fibroblast form. Upon differentiation, a second phosphorylated form of pp60c-src was detected. This form had two or more additional sites of serine phosphorylation within the NH2-terminal 18-kDa region of the molecule, one of which was Ser-12. The specific protein-tyrosine kinase activity of the total pp60c-src population increased 14-fold, as measured by autophosphorylation, or 7-fold, as measured by phosphorylation of an exogenous substrate, as striatal neurons differentiated. This elevation in protein kinase activity occurred without a detectable decrease in Tyr-527 phosphorylation or increase in Tyr-416 phosphorylation. Our results support the idea that the expression of the neuron-specific form of pp60c-src and the increase in specific protein kinase activity may be important for neuronal differentiation.

cDNA cloning with a retrovirus expression vector: generation of a pp60c-src cDNA clone.

We used a murine retroviral expression vector, containing a genomic clone of the chicken c-src gene, a bacterial origin of replication, and a selectable marker, to remove 10 introns from the c-src gene. All 10 introns were removed accurately, and no mutations were introduced. The processed gene encoded a functional pp60c-src protein tyrosine kinase.

Cell transformation by pp60c-src mutated in the carboxy-terminal regulatory domain.

We introduced two mutations into the carboxy-terminal regulatory region of chicken pp60c-src. One, F527, replaces tyrosine 527 with phenylalanine. The other, Am517, produces a truncated pp60c-src protein lacking the 17 carboxy-terminal amino acids. Both mutant proteins were phosphorylated at tyrosine 416 in vivo. The specific activity of the Am517 mutant protein kinase was similar to that of wild-type pp60c-src whereas that of the F527 mutant was 5- to 10-fold higher. Both mutant c-src genes induced focus formation on NIH 3T3 cells, but the foci appeared at lower frequency, and were smaller than foci induced by polyoma middle tumor antigen (mT). The wild-type or F527 pp60c-src formed a complex with mT, whereas the Am517 pp60c-src did not. The results suggest that one, inability to phosphorylate tyrosine 527 increases pp60c-src protein kinase activity and transforming ability; two, transformation by mT involves other events besides lack of phosphorylation at tyrosine 527 of pp60c-src; three, activation of the pp60c-src protein kinase may not be required for transformation by the Am517 mutant; and four, the carboxyl terminus of pp60c-src appears to be required for association with mT.

Altered sites of tyrosine phosphorylation in pp60c-src associated with polyomavirus middle tumor antigen.

We characterized the tyrosine phosphorylation sites of free pp60c-src and of pp60c-src associated with the polyomavirus middle tumor antigen (mT) in transformed avian and rodent cells. The sites of tyrosine phosphorylation in the two populations of pp60c-src were different, both in vitro and in vivo. Free pp60c-src was phosphorylated in vitro at a single site, tyrosine 416. pp60c-src associated with mT was phosphorylated in vitro on tyrosine 416 and on one or more additional tyrosine residues located in the amino-terminal region of the molecule. Free pp60c-src in polyomavirus mT-transformed cells was phosphorylated in vivo on tyrosine 527. In contrast, pp60c-src associated with mT was phosphorylated in vivo on tyrosine 416 and not detectably on tyrosine 527. Thus, the in vivo phosphorylation sites of pp60c-src associated with mT in transformed cells are identical to those of pp60v-src, the Rous sarcoma virus transforming protein. The results suggest that altered phosphorylation of pp60c-src associated with mT may play a role in the enhancement of the pp60c-src protein kinase activity and in cell transformation by polyomavirus.

Polyomavirus middle T protein encoded by a retrovirus transforms nonestablished chicken embryo cells.

A murine retrovirus encoding the middle T protein of polyomavirus infected and transformed nonestablished chicken embryo cells. The infected cultures formed colonies in soft agar-containing medium and released infectious transforming virus. Middle T protein expressed in the transformed chicken cells associated with p60c-src and, in immunoprecipitates, enhanced the tyrosine protein kinase activity of p60c-src.

Transmission of the polyoma virus middle T gene as the oncogene of a murine retrovirus.

Polyoma virus is a papovavirus that productively infects mouse cells. In cells of other species, such as rat cells, polyoma virus is virtually unable to replicate, and a small proportion of infected cells become stably transformed. The ability of polyoma virus to transform infected cells is determined by genes that encode the large, middle and small T antigens and which are found in the early region of the virus genome. We have inserted the transforming region of polyoma virus into a murine leukaemia virus (MLV) vector, to generate a replication-defective transforming retrovirus which for the first time allows efficient transformation of mouse cells by the polyoma virus middle T gene. During the life cycle of this recombinant virus the intervening sequence present in the original polyoma virus middle T gene was removed. The recombinant virus that we have constructed is analogous to other acutely transforming retroviruses, and demonstrates that the polyoma middle T gene is a dominant transforming oncogene.

Cellular responsiveness to growth factors correlates with a cell's ability to express the transformed phenotype.

Five random subclones of the rat fibroblast line F2408 vary in their frequency of transformation by the unrelated Kirsten murine sarcoma virus and Abelson murine leukemia virus. The same pattern of sensitivity is displayed when the cells are induced to anchorage-independent growth (transformed) by epidermal, platelet-derived, and sarcoma growth factors, or by whole serum. Our results demonstrate that a growth factor's ability to render cells anchorage independent is not unique to transforming growth factors, but common to many growth factors; anchorage-independent growth is a function of the total growth factor concentration in the medium; cells vary in their inherent responsiveness to growth-factor-induced anchorage-independent growth; and cells resistant to growth-factor-induced anchorage-independent growth are also resistant to transformation by a variety of tumor viruses. We conclude that the way a cell responds to growth factors plays a central role in the expression of the transformed phenotype.