A missense mutation in the transcription factor Foxo3a causes teratomas and oocyte abnormalities in mice.

An N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea random mutation screen was used to identify recessive modifiers of gene silencing in the mouse using an epigenetically sensitive reporter transgene. One of the mutant lines, MommeR1, was identified as a suppressor of variegation and it showed female-specific age-associated infertility in homozygotes. Linkage analysis identified a region on chromosome 10, containing the Foxo3a gene, previously shown to play a critical role in female gametogenesis. Foxo3a is a transcription factor with roles in cell cycle control, apoptosis, neural and hematopoietic cell differentiation, and DNA repair. Sequencing of the Foxo3a gene in MommeR1 mice revealed a point mutation that causes an amino acid substitution in the highly conserved Forkhead DNA-binding domain. In vitro transcription assays showed that the point mutation causes loss of FOXO3a transactivation activity. Compound heterozygotes made with Foxo3a-null mice (carrying the targeted deletion of exon 2) displayed complementation with respect to both the activation of the reporter transgene and defects in folliculogenesis similar to those seen in MommeR1 homozygotes, supporting the conclusion that this is the causative mutation. Approximately one in six female MommeR1 homozygotes develop teratomas, a phenotype not reported in Foxo3a-null mice. Ovulated oocytes from MommeR1 homozygotes display a number of abnormalities. The MommeR1 mice provide a novel platform to investigate teratocarcinogenesis and link Foxo3a with parthenogenesis and ovarian cancer. The finding of Foxo3a as a modifier of epigenetic reprogramming is discussed.

Smooth-muscle myosin mutations in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome.

We examined adenomas and cancers from hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndrome patients for the presence of frameshift mutations in the smooth-muscle myosin gene, MYH11. Our results show that mutations in MYH11 occur more frequently in cancers than adenomas (P=0.008) and are dependent on microsatellite instability (MSI+).

Identification and nuclear localization of a novel prolactin and cytokine-responsive carboxypeptidase D.

A full-length, PRL-inducible complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding a novel, nuclear-targeted carboxypeptidase D isoform (designated CPD-N) was identified in the rat PRL-dependent Nb2-11C and PRL-independent Nb2-Sp lymphoma cell lines by differential display. The CPD-N cDNA (3751 bp) has 99% (3582/3583) homology with rat carboxypeptidase D (CPD; 4377 bp). In comparison to the rat CPD cDNA (ORF of 4134 bp; 180-kDa protein), CPD-N was shorter by approximately 600 bases but contained 148 unique bases at the 5'-end to give an ORF of 3399 bp. RT-PCR with primers specific to the 5'-end of CPD-N or to CPD showed that the CPD-N transcript was expressed in the Nb2-11C and Nb2-Sp cells but was not detected in rat brain or lung. Conversely, the CPD transcript was expressed in rat brain but was not detected in the two Nb2 cell lines. CPD-N expression (7.5-kb messenger RNA) was stimulated by PRL (10 ng/ml) and/or by interleukin-2 (24 U/ml) in Nb2-11C and Nb2-Sp cells. Most rat tissues expressed multiple CPD transcripts (7.5, 4.1, and 2 kb). Curiously, CPD transcripts were low or undetectable in male rat liver but readily detected in female liver, suggesting that sex-specific hormone levels may regulate its expression. Indeed, CPD expression in the PRL-responsive HepG2 hepatoma and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines was low in control cells but was markedly stimulated by PRL after 3 h. Consistent with the shorter ORF of CPD-N, Western analysis detected proteins of smaller molecular sizes of 160 kDa (abundant) and 117 kDa (weak) in the Nb2-11C cells. The Nb2-Sp cells expressed a single and abundant 117-kDa protein, implicating differential protein processing in the two cell lines. Rat CPD has been reported to colocalize with the trans-Golgi network marker TGN38. Subcellular fractionation showed predominant nuclear localization of CPD-N and trace amounts were detected in the 100,000 x g microsomal fraction after PRL treatment (4 h); in contrast, TGN38 was found only in the microsomal fraction at this time. In cells treated with PRL for 24 h, immunofluorescent confocal microscopy showed nuclear and cytoplasmic distribution of CPD-N. Cytoplasmic CPD-N colocalized with TGN-38 whereas nuclear CPD-N had a mesh-like distribution and colocalized with nuclear lamin B.