The regulation of p27Kip1 expression following the polyclonal activation of murine G0 T cells.

Polyclonal activation of murine G0 T cells with immobilized anti-CD3 induces entry into the cell cycle as well as the subsequent cytokine-dependent proliferative response. G0 T cells express high levels of p27Kip1 protein and specific mRNA, which decline rapidly following activation. The decline in the expression of p27Kip1 and sequestering of the inhibitory protein by cdk4 and cdk6 correlated with the increase in cdk2 kinase activity during the G1 phase. Anti-CD3 activation of G0 T cells in the presence of cyclosporin A or rapamycin inhibited the down-regulation of p27Kip1, the cellular levels of the inhibitor remained high, and the cells remained in the G1 phase. PBu2 activation of G0 T cells also did not result in the down-regulation of p27Kip1 and the cells remained in G1. In each instance IL-2 restored the down-regulation of p27Kip1, resulting in a significant reduction in the level of the inhibitor, and stimulated the cells to progress through the cell cycle. Jurkat cells transfected with the p27GL-988 plasmid containing +1 to -988 nt of the p27Kip1 promoter region and subsequently exposed to rIL-2 resulted in a significant reduction in the activity of the p27Kip1 promoter. These findings suggest that in addition to providing the signals required for activated T cells to traverse G1/S, IL-2 also influences the promoter function of p27Kip1, which effectively induces transcriptional down-regulation of the gene.

Pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures stimulate transcription of early and late response genes.

Cellular immediate early gene and neuropeptide gene expression have each been demonstrated to be modulated in hippocampus in response to a variety of seizure-inducing stimuli. In this study, gene transcription for three immediate early genes, c-fos, c-jun and NGFI-A, and three neuropeptide genes, enkephalin, dynorphin and neuropeptide Y, was investigated using nuclear run-on assays following a single injection of the convulsant pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). At 15 min following PTZ injection, only transcription for c-fos was increased. By 6 h following PTZ treatment, transcription for all immediate early genes and for dynorphin and neuropeptide Y was increased; however, this increase was transient in that transcription of all genes returned to control values by 48 h following PTZ treatment. Thus, regulation of immediate early and neuropeptide gene mRNA levels and immunoreactivity occurs, at least in part, at the level of transcription for the genes encoding neuropeptide Y, dynorphin, c-fos, c-jun, and NGFI-A. Moreover, the difference between increased transcription rates reported here and increased mRNA levels reported here and elsewhere suggests that additional post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression occurs in hippocampal neurons.

Glucocorticoids are Required for Food Deprivation-Induced Increases in Hypothalamic Neuropeptide Y Expression.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36 amino-acid peptide found within the hypothalamus, is thought to be an important regulator of food intake. Hypothalamic NPY gene expression, synthesis and secretion are all known to be increased in models of increased metabolic demand in which serum glucocorticoids are also elevated. The present studies were designed to test the hypothesis that glucocorticoids are required for increased hypothalamic preproNPY mRNA levels induced by food deprivation (FD). First, animals underwent bilateral sham-adrenalectomy (sham) or not (control), and were subjected to 72 h FD, or not. Total RNA was isolated from hypothalamic tissue blocks and the content of preproNPY mRNA was measured by solution hybridization/RNase protection analysis. This study revealed that there was no significant difference in hypothalamic preproNPY mRNA content between shamfed and control-fed groups, or between sham-FD and control-FD groups. In the second experiment, animals underwent bilateral adrenalectomy (ADX), were allowed to feed ad libitum and were sacrificed 1 day, 4 days and 7 days after ADX. Nuclease protection analysis revealed no significant effect of ADX on hypothalamic preproNPY mRNA levels over this time-course. Finally, we examined the role of glucocorticoids in regulating NPY gene expression following FD. Animals underwent bilateral ADX, or not. At the time of surgery, ADX animals received placebo, or corticosterone (B) replacement in the form of constant release pellets, at one of two doses. Food was removed from half of the animals in each group 24 h after surgery; all animals were sacrificed 72 h thereafter. There was no difference in preproNPY mRNA content between the ADX-FD and ADX-fed groups, relative to the fed controls. Replacement with corticosterone [ADX(B)] did not alter preproNPY mRNA content in fed animals, however preproNPY mRNA content in FD animals was increased 2.5-fold. These studies demonstrate that glucocorticoids are necessary and serve a stimulatory role in the increase in hypothalamic preproNPY mRNA levels observed under conditions of FD, and suggest that hypothalamic NPY gene expression may be directly responsive to peripheral metabolic and hormonal signals.