Interaction of the calcium-sensing receptor and filamin, a potential scaffolding protein.

In many cases, the biologic responses of cells to extracellular signals and the specificity of the responses cannot be explained solely on the basis of the interactions of known signaling proteins. Recently, scaffolding and adaptor proteins have been identified that organize signaling proteins in cells and that contribute to the nature and specificity of signaling pathways. In an effort to identify proteins that might organize the signaling system(s) activated by the extracellular Ca(2+) receptor (CaR), we used a bait construct representing the intracellular C terminus of the human CaR and the yeast two hybrid system to screen a human kidney cDNA library. We identified a clone representing the C-terminal 1042 amino acids (aa) of the cytoskeletal protein filamin (ABP-280). Analysis of truncation and deletion constructs of the CaR C terminus and the filamin cDNA clone demonstrated that the CaR and filamin interact via regions containing aa 907-997 of the CaR C terminus and aa 1566-1875 of filamin. Interaction of the two proteins in mammalian HEK-293 cells was demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization of them using immunofluorescence microscopy. The functional importance of their interaction was documented by transiently expressing the CaR in M2 melanoma cells that lack filamin, or in A7 melanoma cells that stably express filamin, and demonstrating that the CaR activated ERK only in the presence of filamin. Co-expression of the CaR with a peptide derived from the region of the CaR C terminus that interacts with filamin reduced the ability of the CaR to activate p42ERK in a dose-dependent manner, but did not inhibit the ability of the ET(A) receptor to activate ERK. The fact that filamin interacts with the CaR and other cell signaling proteins including mitogen-activated protein kinases and small GTPases, indicates that it may act as a scaffolding protein to organize cell signaling systems involving the CaR.

The Ca2+-sensing receptor activates cytosolic phospholipase A2 via a Gqalpha -dependent ERK-independent pathway.

The Ca(2+)-sensing receptor (CaR) stimulates a number of phospholipase activities, but the specific phospholipases and the mechanisms by which the CaR activates them are not defined. We investigated regulation of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) by the Ca(2+)-sensing receptor (CaR) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells that express either the wild-type receptor or a nonfunctional mutant (R796W) CaR. The PLA(2) activity was attributable to cytosolic PLA(2) (cPLA(2)) based on its inhibition by arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone, lack of inhibition by bromoenol lactone, and enhancement of the CaR-stimulated phospholipase activity by coexpression of a cDNA encoding the 85-kDa human cPLA(2). No CaR-stimulated cPLA(2) activity was found in the cells that expressed the mutant CaR. Pertussis toxin treatment had a minimal effect on CaR-stimulated arachidonic acid release and the CaR-stimulated rise in intracellular Ca(2+) (Ca(2+)(i)), whereas inhibition of phospholipase C (PLC) with completely inhibited CaR-stimulated PLC and cPLA(2) activities. CaR-stimulated PLC activity was inhibited by expression of RGS4, an RGS (Regulator of G protein Signaling) protein that inhibits Galpha(q) activity. CaR-stimulated cPLA(2) activity was inhibited 80% by chelation of extracellular Ca(2+) and depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) with EGTA and inhibited 90% by treatment with W7, a calmodulin inhibitor, or with KN-93, an inhibitor of Ca(2+), calmodulin-dependent protein kinases. Chemical inhibitors of the ERK activator, MEK, and a dominant negative MEK, MEK(K97R), had no effect on CaR-stimulated cPLA(2) activity but inhibited CaR-stimulated ERK activity. These results demonstrate that the CaR activates cPLA(2) via a Galpha(q), PLC, Ca(2+)-CaM, and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-dependent pathway that is independent the ERK pathway.

Mutations in the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase gene are responsible for tyrosinemia type III and hawkinsinuria.

The enzyme 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase (HPD) catalyzes the reaction of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid to homogentisic acid in the tyrosine catabolism pathway. A deficiency in the catalytic activity of HPD may lead to tyrosinemia type III, an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by elevated levels of blood tyrosine and massive excretion of tyrosine derivatives into urine. It has been postulated that hawkinsinuria, an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the excretion of 'hawkinsin,' may also be a result of HPD deficiency. Hawkinsin is a sulfur amino acid identified as (2-l-cystein-S-yl, 4-dihydroxycyclohex-5-en-1-yl)acetic acid. Patients with hawkinsinuria excrete this metabolite in their urine throughout their life, although symptoms of metabolic acidosis and tyrosinemia improve in the first year of life. We performed analyses of the HPD gene in a patient with tyrosinemia type III and two unrelated patients with hawkinsinuria. A homozygous missense mutation predicting an Ala to Val change at codon 268 (A268V) in the HPD gene was found in the patient with tyrosinemia type III. A heterozygous missense mutation predicting an Ala to Thr change at codon 33 (A33T) was found in the same HPD gene in the two patients with hawkinsinuria. These findings support the hypothesis that alterations in the structure and activity of HPD are causally related to two different metabolic disorders, tyrosinemia type III and hawkinsinuria.

Extracellular Ca(2+)-sensing receptor is a promiscuous divalent cation sensor that responds to lead.

The extracellular Ca(2+)-sensing receptor (CaR) responds to polycations, including Ca(2+) and neomycin. This receptor is a physiological regulator of systemic Ca(2+) metabolism and may also mediate the toxic effects of hypercalcemia. A number of divalent cations, including Pb(2+), Co(2+), Cd(2+), and Fe(2+), are toxic to the kidney, brain, and other tissues where the CaR is expressed. To determine which divalent cations can activate the CaR, we expressed the human CaR in HEK-293 cells and measured activation of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase p42ERK in response to potential agonists for the receptor. HEK-293 cells expressing the nonfunctional mutant CaR R796W served as controls. Extracellular Ca(2+), Ba(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), Fe(2+), Gd(3+), Ni(2+), Pb(2+), and neomycin activated the CaR, but Hg(2+) and Fe(3+) did not. We analyzed the kinetics of activation of p42ERK and PLA(2) by the CaR in response to Ca(2+), Co(2+), and Pb(2+). The EC(50) values ranged from approximately 0.1 mM for Pb(2+) to approximately 4.0 mM for Ca(2+). The Hill coefficients were >3, indicating multiple cooperative ligand binding sites or subunits. Submaximal concentrations of Ca(2+) and Pb(2+) were additive for activation of the CaR. The EC(50) for Ca(2+) or Pb(2+) was reduced four- to fivefold by the presence of the other ion. These divalent cations also activated PLA(2) via the CaR in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells that stably express the CaR. We conclude that many divalent cations activate the CaR and that their effects are additive. The facts that the CaR is a promiscuous polycation sensor and that the effects of these ions are additive to activate it suggest that the CaR may contribute to the toxicity of some heavy metals such as Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), and Fe(2+) for the kidney and other tissues where it is expressed.

Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in congenital portosystemic shunt without liver cirrhosis.

We report two cases with congenital portosystemic shunt who developed renal lesions without liver cirrhosis. Clinically, both cases showed proteinuria and mild hematuria at 9 and 6 years of age, respectively. In one case, the renal lesion was associated with normal renal function, but nephrotic syndrome followed by chronic renal failure were noted in the other. Renal biopsies showed characteristic histological features of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) with IgA deposits along the glomerular capillary wall. Our cases strongly suggest the association between congenital portosystemic shunt and renal region. The shunt ratio may be an important predisposing factor for this type of nephropathy since a high shunt ratio (> 90%) was noted in both cases.

Prognostic value of DNA ploidy and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in gastric cancer.

DNA ploidy and the labeling index (LI) of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in gastric cancers were determined using cytofluorometry and immunohistochemistry, respectively, and the prognostic value of these two parameters was evaluated. Of 66 patients with advanced gastric cancers treated with radical resection, 27 with aneuploidy and a high PCNA-LI (> or = 40) showed the lowest 5-year survival rate (38%). Twenty patients with diploid cancers and a high LI showed a lower 5-year survival rate (59%) than the 15 patients with diploid cancers and a low LI (<40), who had the highest 5-year survival rate (86%). A multivariate analysis showed that the grouping based on the ploidy and the LI was an independent prognostic factor. Thus, the combination of DNA ploidy and PCNA-LI may be a useful prognostic indicator for advanced gastric cancers.

Complete rescue of lethal albino c14CoS mice by null mutation of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase and induction of apoptosis of hepatocytes in these mice by in vivo retrieval of the tyrosine catabolic pathway.

Hereditary tyrosinemia 1 (HT1) is characterized by progressive liver damage, from infancy, and by a high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma. HT1 is due to mutations in the fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase gene Fah, encoding the last enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway. Lethal albino deletion c14CoS mice and mice with target-disrupted Fah are models for HT1, but they die in the perinatal period, albeit with a different phenotype from that seen in HT1 in humans. We first asked whether homozygous null mutation of the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase gene Hpd could rescue the homozygous c14CoS mice (c14CoS/c14CoS or Fah-/-). The double mutant Fah-/- Hpd-/- mice appeared normal, at least until age 18 months, and there was no evidence of liver disease, findings that facilitated examination of the effect of Fah-/- on mature and unmodified hepatocytes in vivo. The hepatocytes of Fah-/- undergo rapid apoptosis, and acute death follows. Essentially the same phenomena were observed when Fah-/- Hpd-/- mice were administered homogentisate intraperitoneally. These changes in liver pathology in Fah-/- Hpd-/- mice after the administration of homogentisate were associated with massive urinary excretion of succinylacetone. These results suggest that accumulation of fumarylacetoacetate, maleylacetoacetate, or succinylacetone seems to trigger the endogenous process of apoptosis in hepatocytes that lack fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase activity. This apoptosis may be related to the development of hepatocellular carcinomas seen in HT1 patients and pharmaceutically treated fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase-deficient mice.

In vivo correction with recombinant adenovirus of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase deficiencies in strain III mice.

Tyrosinemia type 3, caused by a genetic deficiency of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase (HPD) in tyrosine catabolism, is characterized by convulsion, ataxia, and mental retardation. The III mouse is a model of tyrosinemia type 3. HPD activity and protein are defective in the liver and its blood tyrosine levels are elevated, the range being between 1,100 and 1,656 microM. We constructed a recombinant adenoviral vector bearing the human HPD cDNA (AdexCAGhHPD), which is expressed under the control of a potent CAG promoter. III mice were injected with 1.0 x 10(8) to 1.0 x 10(9) pfu of AdexCAGhHPD through the tail vein. When 3.0 x 10(8) - 1.0 x 10(9) pfu were injected, blood tyrosine levels decreased within 3 hr, reached a normal range (under 300 microM), and remained at a low level for 2-6 weeks. Hepatic HPD activities also increased as early as 3 hr after the injection of 5.0 x 10(8) pfu, reached the levels comparable to the control mice in 3-7 days, and then decreased, and correlated well to blood tyrosine. Hepatic HPD expression was confirmed by Northern blot and immunoblot analyses. Histology revealed no difference (gross or microscopic) between the liver injected with AdexCAGhHPD and the control. No significant changes in blood tyrosine levels were noted after the second injection of 5.0 x 10(8) pfu of AdexCAGhHPD. Thus, the intravenous administration of the adenoviral vector bearing a foreign gene seems suitable for transient, early gene transfer into the liver.

Excess copper and ceruloplasmin biosynthesis in long-term cultured hepatocytes from Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats, a model of Wilson disease.

Immortalized hepatic cell lines obtained from laboratory animals or patients with defects in copper metabolism in the liver provide new approaches to examine related metabolism and toxicity. We established a series of hepatic cell lines from the liver of Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats, using recombinant adenovirus which expresses SV40 large T. Cells from the LEC rats were cultured and accumulated larger amounts of copper than did control cells, when the concentrations of copper in the culture medium exceeded 5 microM. The secretion of ceruloplasmin (CP) from the cultured cells was not reduced in hepatocytes from LEC cells, as compared with the control cells. As accumulation of copper did not affect CP secretion, CP production was not likely to be affected by the accumulation of copper in LEC rat hepatocytes. The production of holo-CP was further investigated by transfection of human CP cDNA and detection of human holo-CP by immunological procedures and use of a monoclonal antibody (mAb CP60) which recognizes human holo-CP but not human apo-CP and rat CP. Hepatocytes from the LEC rats processed and secreted holo-CP into the medium, even with excess copper present in the medium. These observations suggest that the genetic defect in LEC rats did not alter biosynthetic and secretory pathways of CP and that the intracellular copper concentration did not regulate the synthesis and processing of CP in the cultured hepatocytes. Low ceruloplasmin levels are observed in most, but not all, patients with Wilson disease, as well as in LEC rats. Our results do suggest that the copper transporting ATPase encoded in the Wilson disease gene is not a integral part of the biochemical mechanism of copper incorporation into apoprotein. The cell lines and immunological procedures we used are expected to add to information on biologically important process related to copper metabolism and to CP biosynthesis.

A nonsense mutation in the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase gene (Hpd) causes skipping of the constitutive exon and hypertyrosinemia in mouse strain III.

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase (HPD; EC 1.13.11.27) is an important enzyme in tyrosine catabolism in most organisms. Decreased activity of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase in the liver of mouse strain III is associated with tyrosinemia. We report a nucleotide substitution that generates a termination codon in exon 7 of the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase gene in III mice. This mutation is associated with partial exon skipping, and most of the mRNA lacks sequences corresponding to exon 7. The partial exon skipping apparently is the result of a nonsense mutation in the exon. Mouse strain III is a model for human tyrosinemia type 3 (McKusick 276710), and this strain together with recently established models for tyrosinemia type 1 will facilitate studies of hereditary tyrosinemias.

Structure of the human 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase gene (HPD).

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase (HPD) is an important enzyme in tyrosine catabolism in most organisms. The activity of this enzyme is expressed mainly in the liver and developmentally regulated in mammals, and a genetic deficiency in this enzyme in humans and mice leads to hereditary tyrosinemia type 3. Using human HPD cDNA as a probe, a chromosomal gene related to HPD was isolated from human gene libraries. The human HPD gene is over 30 kb long and is split into 14 exons. The extract size and boundaries of exon blocks were determined, and all of the splice donor and acceptor sites conformed to the GT/AG rule. Analysis of the 5' flanking sequence of the gene suggests that expression of the gene is regulated by hepatocyte-specific and liver-enriched transcription factors, as well as by hormones. These features of the 5' flanking region of the gene are similar to those of other genes that are specifically expressed in hepatocytes and that are developmentally regulated.

A family of selective immunodeficiency with normal immunoglobulins: possible autosomal dominant inheritance.

We report here our findings in two Japanese siblings who experienced recurrent bacterial and viral infections since early infancy. Recent symptoms included diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, rashes, headache, sore throat, joint pain, vomiting and vertigo, all similar to those seen in toxic shock syndrome, except for shock. These symptoms improved following gammaglobulin treatment. Staphylococcus aureus with coagulase type IV was continuously isolated from nasal smears producing toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1). Serum antibodies did not or only poorly responded to TSST-1, diphtheria toxoid, varicella virus and rubella virus, whereas total and subclass levels of serum immunoglobulin and in vitro DNA synthesis of lymphocytes stimulated by TSST-1, Staph. aureus, varicella vaccine and mitogens were normal. In the family, ten other members in three generations (five males: five females) including the mother had similar clinical symptoms. Thus, the disease may be inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion.

Structural organization and analysis of the human fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase gene in tyrosinemia type I.

Fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH) is a metabolic enzyme functioning at the last step of tyrosine catabolism. Deficiency in this enzyme activity is associated with tyrosinemia type I, characterized by hypertyrosinemia, liver dysfunction, renal tubular dysfunction, liver cirrhosis, and hepatic tumors. We isolated from a human gene library a chromosomal gene related to FAH. The human FAH gene is 30 kilobases long and is split into 14 exons. All of the splice donor and acceptor sites conform to the GT/AG rule. We also analyzed findings in a patient with tyrosinemia type I with respect to the mutation responsible for defects in the enzyme. A nucleotide change from T to G was found in the exon 2 of the gene and this change was accompanied by an amino acid substitution (Phe62Cys). Transfection and expression analysis of the cDNA in cultured BMT-10 cells with the nucleotide substitution demonstrated that the substitution was indeed responsible for the decreased activity of the enzyme in the patient. These results confirmed that the T to G mutation was one of the causes of tyrosinemia type I. Structure of the FAH gene and tests for expression of the mutant FAH will facilitate further understanding of various aspects of FAH.

Characterization of a point mutation in the pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 alpha gene from two boys with primary lactic acidaemia.

We report here a novel mutation in the codon for amino acid 263 resulting in the change from arginine to glutamine in the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) E1 alpha gene, in two boys with primary lactic acidaemia, from independent families. The mutation changes an amino acid located between the two serine residues which are the sites of phosphorylation of the subunit protein. In one family, the mutation was de novo and in the other it was transmitted from mother to son. The amino acid substitution may affect function of the PDH complex via phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of the E1 alpha subunit. Derangement in the regulation of activity of the PDH complex may explain the primary lactic acidaemia in the patients.

Primary structure deduced from complementary DNA sequence and expression in cultured cells of mammalian 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase. Evidence that the enzyme is a homodimer of identical subunits homologous to rat liver-specific alloantigen F.

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase is an important enzyme in tyrosine catabolism in most organisms. From porcine and human liver cDNA libraries we isolated complementary DNA inserts for the enzyme. Protein sequence analysis of the porcine enzyme revealed a block of the amino terminus of the mature enzyme. Comparison of the amino acid sequence determined by Edman degradation of peptides derived from porcine liver 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase with the nucleotide sequences revealed the primary structure of the porcine and human enzymes. The mature human and porcine enzymes have an 89% amino acid sequence identity in amino acid residues and are composed of 392 amino acid residues. A computer-assisted homology search revealed that the enzyme is 88% identical in amino acid sequence to rat liver-specific alloantigen F. A monoclonal antibody (mob 51), which can immunoprecipitate both the human and porcine enzymes, was developed. Cultured BMT-10 cells transfected with the cDNA insert of the human enzyme, using the expression vector pCAGGSneodE, produced a polypeptide with an M(r) of 43,000, which was immunoprecipitated with mob 51. Enzymic activity of the enzyme was detected in the transfected cells but not in the mock transfected cells. These findings suggest that the human 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid dioxygenase is a homodimer of two identical subunits with an M(r) of 43,000. Liver-specific alloantigen F seems to be closely related to the enzyme or possibly to the subunit of the enzyme itself. Elucidation of the complete amino acid sequence of the enzyme is expected to reveal structure-function relationships of this metabolically important enzyme and to shed light on inherited disorders related to tyrosine metabolism, especially tyrosinemia types 1 and 3.

[Effects of FOY-305 on post-operative reflux esophagitis in rats (I). Effects of FOY-305 on reflux esophagitis after total gastrectomy in rats].

We investigated the effect of camostat mesilate (FOY-305), an oral protease inhibitor, on reflux esophagitis after total gastrectomy followed by an end-to-side esophago-jejunostomy (Billroth-II) in rats. Effects of FOY-305 were compared with those of sodium alginate (AL-Na) and cimetidine. On the basis that esophageal ulceration occurred from post-operative day 5 in this model, rodents were fed with special chows containing test drugs from day 2 for 5 or 12 days in order to examine the prophylactic effects (Exp. I) and from day 7 for two weeks in healing experiments (Exp. II). In Exp. I, FOY-305 significantly prevented esophageal ulceration on post-operative days 7 and 14. However, AL-Na significantly prevented esophageal ulceration on post-operative day 7 but not on day 14. In Exp. II, FOY-305 had a remarkable therapeutic effect on esophageal ulceration on day 21. Food intake and body weight of rodents in the FOY-305-treated group were higher than those in the control group. In pathohistological studies, FOY-305 elicited an inhibitory effect on ulceration and induced esophageal mucosal regeneration at the ulceration sites. In contrast, AL-Na and cimetidine did not have any significant therapeutic effect. These results suggest that FOY-305 is an effective agent for the treatment of reflux esophagitis after total gastrectomy.

[Effect of OU-1308 on uterine motility in pregnant rats and monkeys].

Effect of OU-1308 (17s, 20-dimethyl-6-oxo-prostaglandin E1 methyl ester) on uterine motility in anesthetized rats and monkeys was examined by means of the balloon catheter or open-end catheter method and compared with that of PGF2 alpha. OU-1308 and PGE2 alpha exhibited uterine contractile activity at the dose of 30 micrograms/kg, i.v., on day 8 of pregnancy and 10 micrograms/kg, i.v., on day 20 of pregnancy in rats. In monkeys on day 50 approximately 120 of pregnancy, both compounds enhanced uterine motility at 10 micrograms/kg, i.v. Intragastric administration of OU-1308 at 500 micrograms/kg, however, was without effect in monkeys. These results indicate that when administered intravenously, OU-1308 was as potent as PGF2 alpha in terms of uterine contractile activity in pregnant rats and monkeys.