Developmental changes in cholesterol 7alpha- and 27-hydroxylases in the piglet.

Hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A) and sterol 27 hydroxylase activities were measured in fetal, newborn, suckling, and weaned piglets from 76 d into gestation to 49 d of age. Hepatic CYP7A activity was not detected in fetal microsomes, but it increased to 6.8 +/- 2.6 pmol/min x mg(-1) protein in suckling piglets at 21 d of age and to 18.2 +/- 2.5 in weaned piglets at 49 d of age. Hepatic CYP7A activity was not different between 49-d-old piglets weaned at 21 d and piglets suckled for 49 d (18.9 +/- 2.6 and 18.2 +/- 2.5 pmol/min x mg protein, respectively). Fasting for 14 h decreased CYP7A activity by 86% in both suckled and weaned piglets. Cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity remained decreased for at least 5 h after refeeding. Sterol 27-hydroxylase activity was also undetectable near birth, but was detectable by 21 d of age. Postnatally, sterol 27-hydroxylase activity was not influenced by age or suckling and weaning, as was CYP7A. Sterol 27-hydroxylase was decreased by 80% in piglets deprived of feed compared with piglets given free access. In contrast to CYP7A activity, 27-hydroxylase activity returned within 5 h after refeeding to levels observed in piglets given ad libitum access to feed. Similar to CYP7A enzyme activity, hepatic CYP7A mRNA was not detected in newborn piglets, but increased from 2.7 +/- 1.7 pg mRNA/microg RNA in suckling piglets at 21 d to 13.7 +/- 1.2 in 49-d-old piglets weaned at 21 d. As with enzyme activity, feed deprivation decreased CYP7A mRNA to barely detectable levels (< .5 pg/microg RNA), and which remained decreased for at least 5 h following refeeding (.6 +/- .3 and 2.67 +/- .4 pg mRNA/microg RNA for suckled and weaned piglets, respectively). In piglets allowed free access to feed, CYP7A mRNA concentrations were associated positively (P = .001) with enzyme activity. These results suggest that developmental regulation of CYP7A activity is the result of a pretranslational mechanism.

Role of RhoA activation in the growth and morphology of a murine prostate tumor cell line.

Prostate cancer cells derived from transgenic mice with adenocarcinoma of the prostate (TRAMP cells) were treated with the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin. This caused inactivation of the small GTPase RhoA, actin stress fiber disassembly, cell rounding, growth arrest in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, cell detachment and apoptosis. Addition of geranylgeraniol (GGOL) in the presence of lovastatin, to stimulate protein geranylgeranylation, prevented lovastatin's effects. That is, RhoA was activated, actin stress fibers were assembled, the cells assumed a flat morphology and cell growth resumed. The following observations support an essential role for RhoA in TRAMP cell growth: (1) TRAMP cells expressing dominant-negative RhoA (T19N) mutant protein displayed few actin stress fibers and grew at a slower rate than controls (35 h doubling time for cells expressing RhoA (T19N) vs 20 h for untransfected cells); (2) TRAMP cells expressing constitutively active RhoA (Q63L) mutant protein displayed a contractile phenotype and grew faster than controls (13 h doubling time). Interestingly, addition of farnesol (FOL) with lovastatin, to stimulate protein farnesylation, prevented lovastatin-induced cell rounding, cell detachment and apoptosis, and stimulated cell spreading to a spindle shaped morphology. However, RhoA remained inactive and growth arrest persisted. The morphological effects of FOL addition were prevented in TRAMP cells expressing dominant-negative H-Ras (T17N) mutant protein. Thus, it appears that H-Ras is capable of inducing cell spreading, but incapable of supporting cell proliferation, in the absence of geranylgeranylated proteins like RhoA.

Effect of cyclin E overexpression on lovastatin-induced G1 arrest and RhoA inactivation in NIH3T3 cells.

The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin, blocks targeting of the Rho and Ras families of small GTPases to their active sites by inhibiting protein prenylation. Control NIH3T3 cells, and those overexpressing human cyclin E protein were treated with lovastatin for 24 h to determine the effects of cyclin E overexpression on lovastatin-induced growth arrest and cell rounding. Lovastatin treatment (10 microM) of control 3T3 cells resulted in growth arrest at G1 accompanied by actin stress fiber disassembly, cell rounding, and decreased active RhoA from the membranous protein fraction. By contrast, in NIH3T3 cells overexpressing cyclin E, lovastatin did not cause loss of RhoA from the membrane (active) protein fraction, actin stress fiber disassembly, cell rounding or growth arrest within 24 h. Analysis of cell cycle proteins showed that 24 h of lovastatin treatment in the control cells caused an elevation in the levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(kip1), inhibition of both cyclin E- and cyclin A-dependent kinase activity, and decreased levels of hyperphosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (pRb). By contrast, lovastatin treatment of the cyclin E overexpressors did not suppress either cyclin E- or cyclin A-dependent kinase activity, nor did it alter the level of maximally phosphorylated pRb, despite increased levels of p27(kip1). However, by 72 h, the cyclin E overexpressors rounded up but remained attached to the substratum, indicating a delayed response to lovastatin. In contrast with lovastatin, inactivation of membrane-bound Rho proteins (i.e., GTP-bound RhoA, RhoB, RhoC) with botulinum C3 transferase caused cell rounding and G1 growth arrest in both cell types but did not inhibit cyclin E-dependent histone kinase activity in the cyclin E overexpressors. In addition, 24 h of cycloheximide treatment caused depletion of RhoA from the membrane (active) fraction in neo cells, but in the cells overexpressing cyclin E, RhoA remained in the active (membrane-associated) fraction. Our observations suggest that (1) RhoA activation occurs downstream of cyclin E-dependent kinase activation, and (2) overexpression of cyclin E decreased the turnover rate of active RhoA.

Alternating site mechanism of the kinesin ATPase.

The processivity of the microtubule-kinesin ATPase has been investigated using stopped-flow kinetic methods to measure the binding of each motor domain of the dimeric kinesin (K401) to the microtubule and the release of the fluorescent ADP analog, 2'(3')-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl)adenosine 5'-diphosphate (mantADP) from the active site of the motor domain. The results show that the release of two molecules of ADP from dimeric kinesin (K401) after the binding of kinesin ADP to the microtubule is a sequential process leading to biphasic kinetics. The maximum rate of release of mantADP from the first motor domain of K401 or monomeric K341 is fast (300 s-1) and independent of added nucleotide. The rate of mantADP release from the second motor domain of K401 is slow in the absence of added nucleotide (0.4 s-1) and reaches a maximum rate of 300 s-1 at saturating concentrations of ATP. High concentrations of ADP stimulate mantADP release from the second head to a maximum rate of 3.8 s-1. The nonhydrolyzable analog AMP-PNP and ATP-gamma S also stimulate ADP release from the second head (maximum rate of 30 s-1), suggesting that ATP hydrolysis is not necessary to stimulate the ADP release. These experiments establish an alternating site mechanism for dimeric kinesin whereby ATP binding to one kinesin active site stimulates the release of ADP from the second site such that the reactions occurring at the active sites of the two monomer units are kept out of phase from each other by interactions between the heads. These results define the steps of the ATPase pathway that lead to the efficient coupling of ATP hydrolysis to force production in a processive reaction whereby force production in forming a tight microtubule complex by one head is coupled to the rate-limiting release of the other head from the microtubule.

Pathway of ATP hydrolysis by monomeric and dimeric kinesin.

The ATPase mechanism for a monomeric Drosophila kinesin construct, K341, was determined by pre-steady-state kinetic methods and compared to dimeric kinesin, K401. We directly measured the kinetics of binding mantATP (a fluorescent ATP analog) to the microtubule K341 complex, the dissociation of K341 from the microtubule, and release of phosphate and ADP from K341. Measurements of phosphate release kinetics at low salt concentration show that K341 hydrolyzes 18 molecules of ATP per kinesin monomer prior to release from the microtubule. At a higher salt concentration the amplitude of the pre-steady-state burst of phosphate release was reduced to 8 molecules per kinesin monomer. The maximum rate of dissociation of K341 from the microtubule following the addition of ATP was 22 s-1. The rate of mantADP release from the M.K341.mantADP complex increased as a function of tubulin concentration with a second-order rate constant of 11 microM-1 s-1 for K341 binding to the microtubule and reached a maximum rate of mantADP release of 303 s-1. ADP release kinetics were also determined by monitoring the binding of mantATP to K341.ADP and K401.ADP after mixing with microtubules. We show that monomeric kinesin remains associated with the microtubule through multiple rounds of ATP hydrolysis. This apparent processivity implies that one of the functions of the cooperative interaction between the two kinesin heads in dimeric kinesin is for the reactions occurring on one kinesin head to facilitate the release of the adjacent head from the microtubule.

Purification and characterization of two monomeric kinesin constructs.

Steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetic methods were used to analyze two shorter Drosophila kinesin constructs (K341 and K366) in comparison to K401. K341, K366, and K401 represent the kinesin motor domains containing the N-terminal 341, 366, or 401 amino acids, respectively. K401 is dimeric (Kd = 37 +/- 17 nM) whereas both K366 and K341 are monomeric [Correia et al. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 4898-4907]. Like native kinesin and K401, K341 and K366 demonstrate low ATPase activity in the absence of microtubules (0.03 and 0.01 s-1, respectively), and ADP release is rate-limiting during steady-state turnover. Microtubules activate the steady-state ATPase to 84 s-1 for K341 (K(m),ATP = 100 microM; K0.5,MT = 3.2 microM tubulin) and 64 s-1 for K366 (K(m),ATP = 65 microM; K0.5,MT = 2.5 microM tubulin) in comparison to K401 at 20 s-1 (K(m)ATP = 60 microM; K0.5,MT = 1 microM tubulin). The rapid quench experiments for all three constructs show a burst of product formation during the first turnover, indicating the rate-limiting step for the microtubule-activated ATPase occurs after ATP hydrolysis. The interaction of K341 and K366 with the microtubule was analyzed by electron microscopy. The results show that K341 and K366, like K401, bind to the microtubule with an 8 nm axial periodicity. However, the addition of K366 to microtubules resulted in significant aggregation of microtubules. The pre-steady-state kinetic results show that K341 retains the kinetic and structural properties necessary to compare directly the kinetic properties of monomeric and dimeric kinesins, although the microtubule-activated ATPase is significantly faster for the monomeric constructs, suggesting possible interactions in the dimer which inhibit ATP turnover as part of the coupling to force production.

Sedimentation studies on the kinesin motor domain constructs K401, K366, and K341.

Bacterial expressed kinesin motor domains hydrolyze ATP and promote microtubule-dependent motility. It has routinely been assumed that motor domain preparations are monomeric on the basis of the presumption that dimerization is mediated by the stalk region. However, experimental verification of the oligomeric state of the kinesin construct is required to interpret the results from single-molecule motility assays as well as presteady-state kinetic experiments. We have measured directly the state of assembly of three conventional kinesin motor domain constructs-K401, K366, and K341, comprising the N-terminal 401, 366, and 341 amino acids, respectively, of the Drosophila kinesin heavy chain-by sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium methods in an analytical ultracentrifuge. K401 (MW of ADP complex, 45,532) is a predominantly a dimer with a sedimentation coefficient, s020,w, of 5.06 S, but it is able to self-associate by means of a 1-2-4 mechanism into higher oligomers. Molecular weight measurements establish the dissociation constant for dimerization at 37 +/- 17 nM in the presence of ATP. The dissociation constant in the presence of ADP is 35 +/- 26 nM and in the presence of AMPPNP is 42 +/- 28 nM. The construct K366 (MW of ADP complex, 41,404) is a monomer (measured MW, 41,768 +/- 1219) at concentrations below 4 microM K366, with a sedimentation coefficient, s020,w, of 3.25 S. At higher concentrations, there is evidence for a weak association of K366 to a 1-2-4-8 model with a slight preference for octamer formation. The smallest construct, K341 (MW of ADP complex, 38,274), is a monomer (measured MW, 38,191 +/- 734) up to at least 10 microM total K341 concentration with a sedimentation coefficient, s020,w, of 2.9 S. Thus, the dimerization domain either is between amino acid residues 367 and 401 or is strongly affected by the removal of this region. Higher oligomers of K401 form by a mechanism involving dimers of dimers, and suggest that native kinesin may also undergo self-association. These results have important implications for the interpretation of ATP-dependent motility assays.

Modulation of glucocorticoid-regulated transcription by purines: novel characteristics and implications for tissue specificity of steroid responses.

Treatment of the T47D(A1-2) mammary carcinoma cell line with the nonspecific kinase inhibitor 2-aminopurine (2AP) has an unusual effect on induction of the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter by glucocorticoids. 2AP initially abrogates the dexamethasone-mediated increase, but after about 16-20 h, this effect is reversed, and continued incubation with 2AP potently stimulates the hormone induction. The biphasic kinetics of 2AP action displayed cell specificity. No inhibitory phase was seen in fibroblasts. Cell type specificity is also seen upon treatment of cells with isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX). Dexamethasone action is inhibited in mammary cells, but potentiated in fibroblasts. Unlike 2AP treatment, IBMX continues to suppress the hormone response through at least 48 h of treatment. IBMX is commonly used as a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, and indeed, it stimulates a cAMP-dependent promoter in both mammary carcinoma cells and fibroblasts. Because elevating cAMP will potentiate dexamethasone-mediated induction in mammary cells, IBMX must be interventing in another pathway that elicits IBMX-dependent suppression of the hormone response. Pharmacological studies suggest that this interaction is not mediated through adenosine receptors, histamine receptors, or imidazoline receptors. The five-member imidazole ring plays a critical role in the suppressive activity; substitutions at the 7 position inhibit suppression. These results give further indication of coupling of steroid receptor action to other cellular signaling pathways. This complex spectrum of interactions may play a central determining role in the tissue specificity of the response to steroid hormones.

The differential capacity of glucocorticoids and progestins to alter chromatin structure and induce gene expression in human breast cancer cells.

The T47D (A1-2) cell line is a human mammary carcinoma-derived cell line that has been engineered to constitutively express comparable levels of both glucocorticoid and progesterone receptors. In addition, these cells possess a stably integrated mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) luciferase reporter gene. Because the MMTV promoter is recognized similarly by both receptors, we have used this cell line to examine the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms employed by the two receptors. The stably integrated MMTV luciferase gene is highly inducible by glucocorticoids, whereas it is almost entirely refractory to induction by progestins. In contrast, a transiently transfected MMTV chloroamphenicol acetyl transferase reporter, while much more inducible by glucocorticoids, can be induced significantly by progestins. The differential inducibility of the stably integrated template is reflected in the superior ability of glucocorticoids to initiate alterations in the chromatin structure of the promoter. Concomitant with the changes in nuclease accessibility, glucocorticoids, unlike progestins, recruit transcription factors to the MMTV promoter. These results emphasize a central role for the modulation of the chromatin environment by steroid receptors in defining their capacity to regulate gene expression in vivo.

A continuous visible spectrophotometric assay for aspartate transcarbamylase.

A continuous spectrophotometric method for assaying ATCase activity has been devised that couples the production of inorganic phosphate from the ATCase-catalyzed reaction to the phosphorolysis reaction catalyzed by purine nucleoside phosphorylase, using a chromophoric nucleotide analogue, methylthioguanosine (MESG). This latter reaction results in a change in extinction coefficient of 11,000 M-1 cm-1 at 360 nm, providing a means for continuous assay of ATCase activity by spectrophotometry in the visible light region. This delta epsilon 360 is sufficiently large to allow continuous determination of reaction rates with micromolar levels of carbamyl-phosphate, a feature not offered by other currently used assay methods. Other currently available ATCase assay methods typically include fixed-time incubations involving [14C]Asp that require multiple chromatographic separations, colorimetry requiring long incubations with corrosive chemicals in the dark, or relatively insensitive continuous approaches involving a pH stat or far uv spectrophotometry. This facile, inexpensive MESG-coupled assay can be routinely applied to studies of ATCase altered by feedback modifiers or by site-specific mutations. Saturation curves for Asp and CP determined by other methods at pH 7 and 8 have been reproduced by the MESG/PNP-coupled approach. The kinetic binding of CP was demonstrated to be non-cooperative at low [Asp], i.e., under conditions at which ATCase was primarily in the T state. Cooperative binding of CP observed under conditions of saturating [Asp] (i.e., with ATCase in the R state) appears to reflect binding of Asp rather than CP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The coupling of multiple signal transduction pathways with steroid response mechanisms.

In a human breast carcinoma-derived cell line engineered to contain a hormone-responsive luciferase reporter gene, manipulation of cell growth conditions or cellular signal transduction in a variety of ways can enhance or impair glucocorticoid-mediated induction of a target gene. Induction may be enhanced as much as 10-fold or inhibited 90% by different treatments. For example, two different inhibitors of protein phosphatase-1 and -2A potentiated the hormone-dependent induction of luciferase. Activation of protein kinase-A via addition of 8-bromo-cAMP or forskolin also potentiated the hormonal induction, whereas 8-bromo-cGMP was ineffective. In contrast, activating protein kinase-A by inhibiting cAMP turnover with the phosphodiesterase inhibitors isobutylmethylxanthine or Ro20-1724 inhibited the hormone response rather than potentiated it. The inhibitory activity of isobutylmethylxanthine was evident even when activators of protein kinase-A are administered simultaneously. Isobutylmethylxanthine must, therefore, activate a signal transduction pathway in addition to the protein kinase-A pathway. Activation of protein kinase-C potentiated the hormone response in a cell-specific manner. Treatment with epidermal growth factor and imposition of cell stress by heat shock or inhibition of protein synthesis also enhanced the glucocorticoid response. Thus, our results suggest an elaborate coupling of the steroid response pathway with other cellular signal transduction mechanisms that permits an additional layer of control to be imposed on hormone-mediated transcriptional responses. It is proposed that cell-specific phosphorylation events influence steroid receptor interaction with the basal transcription apparatus, thereby altering receptor-mediated induction mechanisms.

Modulation of cell signaling pathways can enhance or impair glucocorticoid-induced gene expression without altering the state of receptor phosphorylation.

We have stably introduced expression vectors for the glucocorticoid receptor and a sensitive, hormone-responsive reporter (mouse mammary tumor virus-luciferase) into a human breast carcinoma-derived cell line. Employing this cell line, we have conducted a detailed examination of the induction of glucocorticoid-regulated genes and the phosphorylation of glucocorticoid receptor following pharmacologic manipulation of cell signaling pathways. The hormone response can be enhanced from 2 to 10-fold by activators of protein kinase A, protein kinase C, and inhibitors of protein phosphatase. Forskolin and 8-bromoadenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (BrcAMP), but not BrcGMP, enhance the hormone effect, yet surprisingly, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, isobutylmethylxanthine and Ro20-1724, strongly inhibit hormone-mediated induction of the reporter gene. These treatments do not alter cellular receptor content, dexamethasone binding, nor hormone-mediated receptor down-regulation. Tryptic peptide analysis of 32P-labeled receptor reveals that neither BrcAMP, isobutylmethylxanthine, nor the tumor promoter and protein kinase C activator, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate, detectably alter the state of glucocorticoid receptor phosphorylation. The only agent which alters receptor phosphorylation is the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid, but only at concentrations higher than required for maximum effects on glucocorticoid receptor transactivation. We propose that these effectors do not modify receptor directly but alter its interaction with transcription complexes.

Latent agonist activity of the steroid antagonist, RU486, is unmasked in cells treated with activators of protein kinase A.

RU486 is a glucocorticoid and progesterone antagonist. In glucocorticoid-responsive fibroblasts, it mediates little or no induction of a truncated, hormone-responsive mouse mammary tumor virus promoter; moreover, it abrogates the induction mediated by the glucocorticoid agonist, dexamethasone. However, when the fibroblasts are treated with activators of protein kinase A, 8-Br-cAMP or forskolin, along with RU486, the steroid now acts as a partial agonist, capable of mediating an induction of hormone-responsive reporter genes. In addition, the ability of RU486 to block the action of the glucocorticoid agonist, dexamethasone, is compromised by concomitant treatment with 8-Br-cAMP. Activators of protein kinase C fail to elicit these phenomena. Induction of gene expression in the presence of 8-Br-cAMP is dependent on the dose of RU486 over a range consistent with a glucocorticoid receptor-mediated mechanism. An antagonist, ZK98 299, which unlike RU486 is not thought to permit receptor binding to DNA, is not activated by 8-Br-cAMP. The elicitation of RU486 agonist activity cannot be attributed solely to idiosyncrasies of the cell line or the promoter. Similar phenomena are observed in another glucocorticoid-responsive fibroblast line. Furthermore, RU486 can induce a minimal promoter bearing two copies of a synthetic receptor target site. However, we have identified at least one promoter toward which RU486 still behaves as an antagonist despite 8-Br-cAMP treatment. These observations suggest that the unmasking of latent agonist activity in a type II antagonist is not an isolated phenomenon and may, therefore, be seen with other receptors and antagonists. The finding that modulation of cellular signal transduction pathways can unmask agonist activity in an otherwise effective steroid antagonist has significant implications for the use of steroid antagonists in the clinical setting and could represent a heretofore unrecognized mechanism for the development of steroid resistance.

The progesterone antagonist RU486 acquires agonist activity upon stimulation of cAMP signaling pathways.

The protein kinase A stimulator cAMP can potentiate the ability of progestins to induce the transactivation function of the human progesterone receptor (hPR). We questioned in the present study whether cAMP could functionally cooperate with the progestin antagonist RU486. In T47D human breast cancer cells, RU486 behaves as a pure antagonist with respect to induction of the progesterone-responsive mouse mammary tumor virus chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (MMTV-CAT) reporter gene. It fails to stimulate MMTV-CAT expression and completely inhibits induction by the synthetic progestin R5020. However, when RU486 is combined with 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP), MMTV-CAT is induced to levels approaching that stimulated by R5020 alone. Also, RU486 in the presence of 8-Br-cAMP is only partially effective in antagonizing R5020 action. The agonist activity exhibited under these conditions appears to be due to RU486 acting through hPR as evidenced by the fact that 8-Br-cAMP alone has no effect on MMTV-CAT, whereas induction by the combination of 8-Br-cAMP and RU486 is dose responsive to RU486 in a saturable manner and can be inhibited by the type I antiprogestin (prevents hPR-DNA binding) ZK98299, which does not exhibit positive functional cooperation with cAMP. Acquisition of agonist activity in the presence of 8-Br-cAMP also extends to the type II antiprogestin (permits hPR-DNA binding) ZK112993. Since RU486 is also a type II antagonist, these results suggest that detection of functional synergism between cAMP and antiprogestins may require binding of the hPR-antagonist complex to DNA. We propose that cross-talk between second messenger and steroid receptor signal transduction pathways may be one mechanism for resistance to steroid antagonists that frequently develops in breast cancer.