Spatial and functional relationship between poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase in the brain.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are members of a family of enzymes that utilize nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) as substrate to form large ADP-ribose polymers (PAR) in the nucleus. PAR has a very short half-life due to its rapid degradation by poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG). PARP-1 mediates acute neuronal cell death induced by a variety of insults including cerebral ischemia, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinsonism, and CNS trauma. While PARP-1 is localized to the nucleus, PARG resides in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. Surprisingly, there appears to be only one gene encoding PARG activity, which has been characterized in vitro to generate different splice variants, in contrast to the growing family of PARPs. Little is known regarding the spatial and functional relationships of PARG and PARP-1. Here we evaluate PARG expression in the brain and its cellular and subcellular distribution in relation to PARP-1. Anti-PARG (alpha-PARG) antibodies raised in rabbits using a purified 30 kDa C-terminal fragment of murine PARG recognize a single band at 111 kDa in the brain. Western blot analysis also shows that PARG and PARP-1 are evenly distributed throughout the brain. Immunohistochemical studies using alpha-PARG antibodies reveal punctate cytosolic staining, whereas anti-PARP-1 (alpha-PARP-1) antibodies demonstrate nuclear staining. PARG is enriched in the mitochondrial fraction together with manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and cytochrome C (Cyt C) following whole brain subcellular fractionation and Western blot analysis. Confocal microscopy confirms the co-localization of PARG and Cyt C. Finally, PARG translocation to the nucleus is triggered by NMDA-induced PARP-1 activation. Therefore, the subcellular segregation of PARG in the mitochondria and PARP-1 in the nucleus suggests that PARG translocation is necessary for their functional interaction. This translocation is PARP-1 dependent, further demonstrating a functional interaction of PARP-1 and PARG in the brain.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation regulation of life and death in the nervous system.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is required by multicellular eukaryotes to ensure genomic integrity under conditions of mild to moderate genotoxic stress. However, severe stress following acute neuronal injury causes overactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, which results in unregulated poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) synthesis and widespread neuronal cell death. Once thought to be a necrotic cell death resulting from energy failure, PARP-1 activation is now known to induce the nuclear translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor, which results in caspase-independent cell death. Conversely, poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, once thought to contribute to neuronal injury, now appears to have a protective role as demonstrated by recent studies utilizing gene disruption technology. Thus, the emerging mechanism dictating the fate of neurons appears to involve the regulation of PAR levels in neurons. Therefore, therapies targeting poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions such as stroke and Parkinson's disease are required to inhibit PAR synthesis and/or facilitate its degradation.

A case of primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver presented with liver abscess.

Primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver is a very rare type of cholangiocarcinoma and is defined as a cancer containing both squamous and adenomatous components in the same lesion. Recently, we experienced a primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver presented as liver abscess. A 63-year-old man was presented with a 4-day history of fever and chill. The radiologic study showed a 4 cm-sized, central hypoattenuated mass with peripheral rim enhancement in the left lobe of the liver. Ultrasonography-guided aspiration and biopsy suggested an adenocarcinoma with abscess in the liver. At laparotomy, the tumor occupied the left lobe of the liver and invaded the right diaphragm. An extended left lobectomy and a partial excision of the involved diaphragm were done. Grossly, the tumor was 6 x 5 x 5 cm in size and had an eccentric necrosis. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma with a transitional area.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase null mouse cells synthesize ADP-ribose polymers.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) (EC 2.4.2.30), the only enzyme known to synthesize ADP-ribose polymers from NAD+, is activated in response to DNA strand breaks and functions in the maintenance of genomic integrity. Mice homozygous for a disrupted gene encoding PARP are viable but have severe sensitivity to gamma-radiation and alkylating agents. We demonstrate here that both 3T3 and primary embryo cells derived from PARP-/- mice synthesized ADP-ribose polymers following treatment with the DNA-damaging agent, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, despite the fact that no PARP protein was detected in these cells. ADP-ribose polymers isolated from PARP-/- cells were indistinguishable from that of PARP+/+ cells by several criteria. First, they bound to a boronate resin selective for ADP-ribose polymers. Second, treatment of polymers with snake venom phosphodiesterase and alkaline phosphatase yielded ribosyladenosine, a nucleoside diagnostic for the unique ribosyl-ribosyl linkages of ADP-ribose polymers. Third, they were digested by treatment with recombinant poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, an enzyme highly specific for ADP-ribose polymers. Collectively, these data demonstrate that ADP-ribose polymers are formed in PARP-/- cells in a DNA damage-dependent manner. Because the PARP gene has been disrupted, these results suggest the presence of a previously unreported activity capable of synthesizing ADP-ribose polymers in PARP-/- cells.

Syntheses of photoactive analogues of adenosine diphosphate (hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidinediol and photoaffinity labeling of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase.

Two isomeric azidoadenosyl analogues of adenosine diphosphate (hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidinediol [ADP-HPD; Slama, J. T., et al. (1995) J. Med. Chem. 38, 389-393] were synthesized as photoaffinity labels for poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase. 8-Azidoadenosine diphosphate (hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidinediol (8-N3-ADP-HPD) inhibited the enzyme activity by 50% at ca. 1 microM, a concentration 80-fold lower than that where the isomeric 2-azidoadenosine diphosphate (hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidinediol did. [alpha-32P]-8-N3-ADP-HPD was therefore synthesized and used to photoderivatize poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase. Irradiation of recombinant poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase and low concentrations of [alpha-32P]-8-N3-ADP-HPD with short-wave UV light resulted in the covalent incorporation of the photoprobe into the protein, as demonstrated by gel electrophoresis followed by autoradiography or acid precipitation of the protein followed by scintillation counting. No photoincorporation occurred in the absence of UV light. The photoincorporation saturated at low concentrations of the photoprobe and photoprotection was observed in the presence of low concentrations of ADP-HPD, an indication of the specificity of the photoinsertion reaction. These results demonstrate that [alpha-32P]-8-N3-ADP-HPD can be used to specifically covalently photoderivatize the enzyme to characterize the polypetides that constitute the ADP-HPD binding site of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase. The photoincorporation reaction was further used to determine the ability of ADP-ribose polymers of varying size to compete with [alpha-32P]-8-N3-ADP-HPD for binding to the enzyme. Photoincorporation of [alpha-32P]-8-N3-ADP-HPD was inhibited by 80% in the presence of low concentrations of short, unbranched ADP-ribose oligomers (5-15 ADP-ribose units in length). No similar photoprotection was afforded by the addition of a high-molecular weight highly branched polymer. These results indicate that the photolabel shares a binding site with the short, linear polymer, but not with the long, highly branched polymer.

Postpneumonectomy lung growth: a model of reinitiation of tropoelastin and type I collagen production in a normal pattern in adult rat lung.

Elastic and collagen fibers confer recoil and tensile strength on the pulmonary vasculature, airways, alveolar walls, and pleura. These durable extracellular matrix components are primarily synthesized during lung development and growth, and are expressed at very low levels in healthy adult lung. However, reinitiation of elastin and collagen synthesis in diseases of adult lung, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, often leads to excessive or aberrant deposition of elastin and collagen which contribute to the pathophysiology of these diseases. We used an experimental model of postpneumonectomy lung growth to determine whether normal patterns of synthesis and deposition of these critical structural components can occur in the adult lung. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 grams) were subjected to left pneumonectomy and right lobectomy. The remaining lung tissue was harvested for analysis after 3, 7, or 14 days. Compensatory growth of the remaining right lung progressed throughout the time course. Total desmosine and hydroxyproline content increased in the postpneumonectomy lung, reflecting increased elastin and collagen accumulation, but both were normal in content per weight of lung tissue. Northern analysis demonstrated induction of tropoelastin and type I procollagen mRNA expression in lungs of pneumonectomy rats. In situ hybridization localized tropoelastin and type I procollagen mRNA expression to anatomical sites similar to those seen during lung development. These data indicate that the adult lung can reinitiate elastin and collagen production and deposit these extracellular matrix components in a normal pattern.