CD133 and DNA-PK regulate MDR1 via the PI3K- or Akt-NF-κB pathway in multidrug-resistant glioblastoma cells in vitro.

Chemotherapy is an adjuvant treatment for glioblastomas, however, chemotherapy remains palliative because of the development of multidrug resistance (MDR). Following prolonged chemotherapy, MDR protein 1 (MDR1) and CD133 increase in recurrent glioblastomas. CD133 positive (CD133+) glioma cancer stem-like cells (GCSCs) markedly promote drug resistance and exhibit increased DNA damage repair capability; thus they have a key role in determining tumor chemosensitivity. Although CD133, DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), and MDR1 are elevated in CD133+ GCSCs, the relationship among these molecules has not been elucidated. In this study, MDR glioblastoma cell lines were created in response to prolonged doxorubicin chemotherapy. CD133, DNA-PK and MDR1 were markedly elevated in these cells. CD133 and DNA-PK may increase MDR1 via the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signal pathway. PI3K downstream targets Akt and nuclear factor (NF)-κB, which interacts with the MDR1 promoter, were also elevated in these cells. Downregulation of CD133 and DNA-PK by small interfering RNA, or inhibition of PI3K or Akt, decreased Akt, NF-κB and MDR1 expression. The results indicate that CD133 and DNA-PK regulate MDR1 through the PI3K- or Akt-NF-κB signal pathway. Consequently, a novel chemotherapeutic regimen targeting CD133 and DNA-PK in combination with traditional protocols may increase chemotherapeutic efficacy and improve prognosis for individuals who present with glioblastoma.

A critical role of noggin in developing folate-nonresponsive NTD in Fkbp8 -/- embryos.

PURPOSE: Maternal folate intake has reduced the incidence of human neural tube defects by 60-70 %. However, 30-40 % of cases remain nonresponsive to folate intake. The main purpose of this study was to understand the molecular mechanism of folate nonresponsiveness in a mouse model of neural tube defect. METHODS: We used a folate-nonresponsive Fkbp8 knockout mouse model to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) of folate nonresponsiveness. Neurospheres were grown from neural stem cells isolated from the lumbar neural tube of E9.5 Fkbp8 (-/-) and wild-type embryos. Immunostaining was used to determine the protein levels of oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 (Olig2), Nkx6.1, class III beta-tubulin (TuJ1), O4, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), histone H3 Lys27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), ubiquitously transcribed tetratricopeptide repeat (UTX), and Msx2, and quantitative real-time (RT)-PCR was used to determine the message levels of Olig2, Nkx6.1, Msx2, and noggin in neural stem cells differentiated in the presence and absence of folic acid. RESULTS: Fkbp8 (-/-)-derived neural stem cells showed (i) increased noggin expression; (ii) decreased Msx2 expression; (iii) premature differentiation--neurogenesis, oligodendrogenesis (Olig2 expression), and gliogenesis (GFAP expression); and (iv) increased UTX expression and decreased H3K27me3 polycomb modification. Exogenous folic acid did not reverse these markers. CONCLUSIONS: Folate nonresponsiveness could be attributed in part to increased noggin expression in Fkbp8 (-/-) embryos, resulting in decreased Msx2 expression. Folate treatment further increases Olig2 and noggin expression, thereby exacerbating ventralization.

Role of Pax3 acetylation in the regulation of Hes1 and Neurog2.

Pax3 plays a role in regulating Hes1 and Neurog2 activity and thereby stem cell maintenance and neurogenesis. A mechanism for Pax3 regulation of these two opposing events, during caudal neural tube development, is examined in this study. Pax3 acetylation on C-terminal lysine residues K437 and K475 may be critical for proper regulation of Hes1 and Neurog2. Removal of these lysine residues increased Hes1 but decreased Neurog2 promoter activity. SIRT1 deacetylase may be a key component in regulating Pax3 acetylation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that SIRT1 is associated with Hes1 and Neurog2 promoters during murine embryonic caudal neural tube development at E9.5, but not at E12.5. Overexpression of SIRT1 decreased Pax3 acetylation, Neurog2 and Brn3a positive staining. Conversely, siRNA-mediated silencing of SIRT1 increased these factors. These studies suggest that Pax3 acetylation results in decreased Hes1 and increased Neurog2 activity, thereby promoting sensory neuron differentiation.

Key basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor genes Hes1 and Ngn2 are regulated by Pax3 during mouse embryonic development.

Pax3 is expressed early during embryonic development in spatially restricted domains including limb muscle, neural crest, and neural tube. Pax3 functions at the nodal point in melanocyte stem cell differentiation, cardiogenesis and neurogenesis. Additionally Pax3 has been implicated in migration and differentiation of precursor cell populations. Currently there are questions about how Pax3 regulates these diverse functions. In this study we found that in the absence of functional Pax3, as in Splotch embryos, the neural crest cells undergo premature neurogenesis, as evidenced by increased Brn3a positive staining in neural tube explants, in comparison with wild-type. Premature neurogenesis in the absence of functional Pax3 may be due to a change in the regulation of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors implicated in proliferation and differentiation. Using promoter-luciferase activity measurements in transient co-transfection experiments and electro-mobility shift assays, we show that Pax3 regulates Hairy and enhancer of split homolog-1 (Hes1) and Neurogenin2 (Ngn2) by directly binding to their promoters. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that Pax3 bound to cis-regulatory elements within Hes1 and Ngn2 promoters. These observations suggest that Pax3 regulates Hes1 and Ngn2 and imply that it may couple migration with neural stem cell maintenance and neurogenesis.

Microarray analysis detects novel Pax3 downstream target genes.

Pax3 is a transcription factor that is required for the development of embryonic neural tube, neural crest, and somatic derivatives. Our previous study (Mayanil, C. S. K., George, D., Mania-Farnell, B., Bremer, C. L., McLone, D. G., and Bremer, E. G. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 23259-23266) reveals that overexpression of Pax3 in a human medulloblastoma cell line, DAOY, resulted in an up-regulation in alpha-2,8-polysialyltransferase (STX) gene expression and an increase in polysialic acid on neural cell adhesion molecule. This finding suggests that STX might be a previously undescribed downstream target of Pax3. Because Pax3 is important in diverse cellular functions during development, we are interested in the identification of additional downstream targets of Pax3. We utilized oligonucleotide arrays and RNA isolated from stable Pax3 transfectants to identify potential target genes. A total of 270 genes were altered in the Pax3 transfectants as compared with the vector control and parental cell line. An independent analysis by cDNA expression array and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction of several genes confirmed the changes observed by the oligonucleotide microarray data. Of the genes that displayed significant changes in expression, several contain paired and homeodomain binding motifs of Pax3 in their promoter regions. Using promoter-luciferase reporter transfection assays and electromobility shift assays, we showed at least one previously undescribed downstream target, STX, to be a biological downstream target of Pax3. Thus we report several previously undescribed candidate genes to be potential downstream targets of Pax3.

Overexpression of murine Pax3 increases NCAM polysialylation in a human medulloblastoma cell line.

Polysialic acid (PSA) is a developmentally regulated carbohydrate found primarily on neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM) in embryonic tissues. The majority of NCAM in adult tissues lacks this unique carbohydrate, but polysialylated NCAM (PSA-NCAM) is present in adult brain regions where neural regeneration persists and in some pediatric brain tumors such as medulloblastoma, which show greater propensity for leptomeningeal spread. Pax3, a developmentally regulated paired homeodomain transcription factor, is thought to be involved in the regulation of neural cell adhesion molecules. Overexpression of murine Pax3 into a human medulloblastoma cell line (DAOY) resulted in an increase in NCAM polysialylation and a 2-4-fold increase in alpha2, 8-polysialyltransferase type II mRNA levels. No difference was observed in alpha2,8-polysialyltransferase type IV message. The addition of PSA to NCAM changed the adhesive behavior of these Pax3 transfectants. Transfectants expressing high PSA-NCAM show much less NCAM-dependent aggregation than those with less PSA-NCAM. In addition, Pax3 transfectants having high PSA-NCAM show heterophilic adhesion involving polysialic acid to heparan sulfate proteoglycan and agrin. These observations suggest that a developmentally regulated transcription factor, Pax3, could affect NCAM polysialylation and subsequently cell-cell and cell-substratum interaction.

The presence of transcription factors in chicken albumin, yolk and blastoderm.

Embryonic development is determined by preset intrinsic programs and extrinsic signals. To explore the possibility that transcription factors are present at the onset of development, preparations of yolk, albumin, and blastoderm from unfertilized and fertilized white Leghorn chicken eggs were screened by a panel of 16 transcription factor antibodies with Western blot techniques. Yolk was positive for 13 transcription factors, whereas blastoderm was positive for 10, and albumin was positive for 5. In yolk, several transcription factors, GATA-2, E2F-1, MyoD, and TFIID, were developmentally regulated. These results indicate that intracellular yolk and extracellular albumin contain transcription factors which presumably influence early chick embryonic development from prefertilization to the late blastoderm stage. Thus, the utility of preset maternal transcription factors within yolk and albumin complement maternally derived mRNA to determine the early development of the zygote.

The presence of transcription factors in fetal bovine sera.

Three sources of fetal bovine serum (FBS) were fractionated by ammonium sulfate precipitation and by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), transferred to Immobilon-P membranes, immunoblotted with a panel of transcription factor antibodies, and detected by enhanced chemiluminescence. Nine transcription factors were detected--ATF-2, SRE-ZBP, GATA-2, TFIID, Ets-1/Ets-2, E2F-1, Oct-2, p53, and AP-2; four transcription factors were not detected--Myo D, CREB, Sp2, and Wilms' tumor. The results indicated the presence of varying amounts of several transcription factors in three commercial sources and may represent heretofore unrecognized factors influencing cell culture.

CD44H localization in primary open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is associated with a decreased content of hyaluronan in the trabecular meshwork and in the juxtacanalicular connective tissue. In this study, the authors examined selected regions of the anterior segment to localize and determine the content of CD44H, a transmembrane multifunctional glycoprotein and the principal receptor of hyaluronan. METHODS: Sections of ethanol-fixed anterior segments of six POAG and six normal postmortem eyes were analyzed by immunostaining with and without the nonionic detergent Triton X-100, using the CD44H monoclonal antibody, and the avidin/biotin complex. They were visualized by Vector VIP substrate and were quantitated by computer-aided color image analysis. RESULTS: CD44H was expressed in all regions. Statistically significant decreased content of CD44H was observed in the POAG regions compared with normal regions--ciliary muscle (P < 0.001), ciliary stroma (P < 0.001), anterior iris (P < 0.05), iris root (P < 0.05), and trabecular meshwork (P < 0.05)--and in a subgroup of nonlaser POAG juxtacanalicular connective tissue (P < 0.05) and trabecular meshwork (P < 0.01). In sections treated with Triton X-100 a further increase in immunostaining was observed in normal eyes. As evidenced by scattergram plots of the ciliary body stroma region of the change in the optical density of CD44H between pretreatment with Triton X-100 and without Triton X-100 (y axis) versus the optical density of CD44H without Triton X-100 (x axis), individual cases of POAG were separated from normals. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that CD44H may represent a marker of POAG and an etiologic factor in the POAG disease process.

Surface-tension properties of hyaluronic Acid.

PURPOSE: The maintenance of flow channels in the trabecular meshwork is dependent, in part, on the patency of the trabecular spaces. Because the amount of hyaluronic acid decreases in the trabecular meshwork of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, a change in surface tension may be one of the effects of hyaluronic acid on aqueous outflow. METHODS: The surface-active properties of hyaluronic acid (concentration of 0.156-2.5 mg/ml; molecular weights of 100,000, 500,000, and 4,000,000) in deionized water, Ringer's lactate, Ringer's lactate plus 0.06 mg/ml bovine serum albumin, and mock aqueous solution were tested using the drop volume method. RESULTS: At a hyaluronic acid concentration of 0.312 mg/ml, surface tension decreased; at higher concentrations, a further decrease in surface tension was observed. In the presence of Ringer's lactate, the 100,000-MW hyaluronic acid was more active than the 4,000,000-MW hyaluronic acid. In the presence of Ringer's lactate plus bovine serum albumin or mock aqueous solution, the influence of surface tension of the 100,000-MW hyaluronic acid was moderated: with lower hyaluronic acid concentrations, the decline in surface tension was more than with Ringer's lactate, but with higher hyaluronic acid concentrations, the decline in surface tension was less than with Ringer's lactate. At high concentration, hyaluronic acid behaves like a non-Newtonian fluid, becomes more viscous, and may act to "seal" the trabecular space. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that hyaluronic acid possesses surface-active properties, which is just one of several properties of hyaluronic acid that may influence aqueous outflow resistance.

Synaptic vesicle and synaptic membrane glycoproteins during pre- and postnatal development of mouse cerebral cortex, cerebellum and spinal cord.

Glycoproteins of synaptic vesicles and synaptic membranes play an important role during the process of synaptogenesis. In order to study the temporal expression of specific carbohydrates and the expression of selected neural proteins, we used peroxidase-conjugated lectin overlays on Western blots and immunoblots of synaptic vesicles and synaptic membranes isolated from pre- and postnatal mouse cerebral cortex, cerebellum and spinal cord. Our lectin overlays on Western blots showed that (1) the synaptic vesicle glycoproteins, gp80-100, gp47 and gp44, and (2) the synaptic membrane glycoproteins, gp180, gp72, gp70 and gp34, show temporal regulation of expression of carbohydrate moieties. Quite significantly, gp47 showed a decrease in the vesicles coinciding with an increase in membranes suggesting a shift in localization. Anti neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) antibody cross-reacted with gp180. The developmental expression of synaptotagmin 1, a well characterized glycoprotein of synaptic vesicle, was determined by immunoblots analysis. Anti synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP-25) antibody immunoblots were performed in order to compare our results with a developmentally regulated synaptosomal protein demonstrating expression coincident with synaptogenesis. Our immunoblot studies showed that (1) N-CAM (gp180) immunoreactivity decrease with development; (2) the expression of synaptotagmin 1 and SNAP-25 increases as development progresses, and (3) synaptotagmin 1 and SNAP-25 show a shift in subcellular localization (from synaptic vesicle to synaptic membrane) during development, thereby indicating that these proteins are first identified in a vesicular fraction. Thus, our data suggest that synaptic vesicle and synaptic membrane glycoproteins show temporal regulation of specific carbohydrates as well as protein expression during development, which may be a key factor to our understanding of the process of synaptogenesis.

Subtype-specific antibodies for muscarinic cholinergic receptors. I. Characterization using transfected cells and avian and mammalian cardiac membranes.

Polyclonal antibodies to a number of synthetic peptides corresponding to sequences of human muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) subtypes m1, m2, and m4 have been prepared, in order to obtain specific tools with which to study the properties of the different receptors. Hydrophilic peptides from each subtype were chosen from the large intracellular loop between the fifth and the sixth transmembrane domains, because these loops are distinct in each of the mAChR subtypes and contain determinants for coupling to different GTP-binding proteins, as well as potential sites for phosphorylation. Five different antibodies were prepared and tested for their reactivity and specificity toward different mAChR subtypes by immunoprecipitation of ligand-binding activity and receptor protein and by immunoblot analysis. Each of the antisera immunoprecipitated its respective mAChR subtype, as evidenced by precipitation of 50-70% of the ligand-binding activity from stably transfected cells expressing the respective mAChR subtype. Very little cross-reactivity toward other subtypes was observed. We used these subtype-specific antibodies to probe the nature of the mAChR subtypes naturally expressed in avian and mammalian cardiac membranes. In tests using the antibodies with cardiac mAChRs, differences in the avian and mammalian mAChR subtypes were detected. Only the anti-m2 antibodies reacted with mAChR from porcine heart, confirming previous pharmacological and molecular biological studies that suggested that this tissue expressed only the m2 mAChR subtype. In contrast, both the anti-m2 and anti-m4 mAChR antibodies immunoprecipitated approximately 50% of the mAChRs solubilized from chick heart membranes. The combined or successive use of anti-m2 and anti-m4 antisera in immunoprecipitation and/or immunoblotting studies with chick heart mAChRs suggested that both antibodies appeared to recognize the same population of mAChRs from that tissue. Taken together, the results show that the subtype-specific antibodies developed in this work are useful in recognizing mAChR subtypes in cells and tissues. These antibodies should be valuable tools for further study of the properties and regulation of mAChR subtypes in various preparations. Evidence that the antibodies can modify mAChR/GTP-binding protein interactions is presented in the accompanying paper.

Subtype-specific antibodies for muscarinic cholinergic receptors. II. Studies with reconstituted chick heart receptors and the GTP-binding protein G(o).

The antibodies described in the accompanying paper were used to probe the interactions of the chick heart muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) with the GTP-binding protein G(o). The anti-m4b antibodies, which were made against a peptide from the amino-terminal portion of the third cytoplasmic loop of the m4 mAChR subtype, were tested for their abilities to affect the coupling of the chick heart mAChR to the GTP-binding protein G(o). The purified chick heart mAChRs were reconstituted with purified G(o) in phospholipid vesicles, and their interactions were monitored in the presence or absence of the antibodies. The anti-m4b antibodies completely inhibited the ability of G(o) to promote high affinity agonist binding to the purified receptors. The anti-m4b antibodies also completely inhibited the agonist-stimulated binding of guanosine-5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate (GTP gamma S) to G(o) and the receptor-stimulated GTPase activity of G(o). These findings indicate that the amino-terminal portion of the third cytoplasmic loop is an important determinant for G(o) to promote high affinity agonist binding to the chick heart mAChR and also for the agonist-stimulated GTP gamma S binding and GTPase activity. The anti-m4a, anti-m2, and anti-m1a antibodies, which were made against centrally located peptides of the third cytoplasmic loop of the m4, m2, and m1 mAChR subtypes, respectively, were also tested for their effects in the reconstituted receptor/G(o) system. The anti-m2 and anti-m4a antibodies also significantly reduced agonist-stimulated GTP gamma S binding, as well as GTPase activity, but did not completely abolish these functions, as was the case with anti-m4b antibodies. However, the anti-m4a and anti-m2 antibodies shared with anti-m4b antibodies the ability to markedly inhibit the ability of G(o) to promote high affinity agonist binding to the purified and reconstituted receptors. In contrast to the results obtained with the anti-m2 and anti-m4 antibodies, the anti-m1a antibodies had smaller effects on the receptor/G(o) interactions. These results suggested that central portions of the loop can also influence mAChR/G(o) interactions. Studies were als performed to test the effects of the peptides that were used as antigens on receptor-mediated GTP gamma S binding to G(o). Each of the peptides caused significant inhibition of this function, but the greatest inhibition was observed with the m4b peptide. In sum, the results suggest that multiple domains in the third cytoplasmic loop of chick heart mAChR can modulate interactions with G(o).

Molecular cloning of a Chinese hamster mitochondrial protein related to the "chaperonin" family of bacterial and plant proteins.

The complete cDNA sequence of a mitochondrial protein from Chinese hamster ovary cells, designated P1, which was originally identified as a microtubule-related protein (Gupta, R.S., Ho, T.K.W., Moffat, M.R.K., and Gupta, R. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 1071-1078), has been determined. The P1 cDNA encodes a protein of 60,983 Da including a 26-amino acid putative mitochondrial targeting sequence at its N-terminal end. The deduced amino acid sequence of Chinese hamster P1 shows 97% identity to the human P1 protein. Most interestingly, the amino acid sequences of mammalian P1 proteins show extensive sequence homology (42-60% identical residues and an additional 15-25% conservative replacements) to the "chaperonin" family of bacterial, yeast, and plant proteins (viz. groEL protein of Escherichia coli, hsp 60 protein of yeast, and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase subunit binding protein of plant chloroplasts) and to the 60-65-kDa major antigenic protein of mycobacteria and Coxiella burnetii. The homology between mammalian P1 and other proteins begins after the putative mitochondrial presequence and extends up to the C-terminal end. Furthermore, similar to the chaperonin family of proteins, P1 appears to exist in cells as a homooligomeric complex of seven subunits and shows ATPase activity. These observations strongly indicate that P1 protein is a member of the chaperonin family and that it may be involved in a similar function in mammalian cells.

M-signal hypothesis--metabolic modulation of membrane functions in rat brain.

1. Monoamine oxidase (amine: oxygen oxidoreductase [deaminating], EC 1.4.3.4) (MAO) and Na+/K+ ATPase (Na+/K+-ATPase, Mg2+-dependent ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3,1,6,3) showed reciprocal relationship in their activity patterns during experimentally perturbed situations in vivo as well as in vitro. 2. M-signal hypothesis is proposed, which attempts at explaining the regulation of plasma membrane function by the intermediate of metabolic processes in the cell. This metabolic intermediate referred to as M-signal exercise its influence on the plasma membrane Na+/K+ ATPase which is responsible for the uptake process.

6-Aminonicotinamide: EEG changes and effects on the activities of enzymes related to glutamate metabolism in rat brain regions.

6-Aminonicotinamide (6-AN), an antimetabolite of pyridine nucleotide synthesis, caused time dependent and regionally selective changes in the activities of the enzymes related to glutamate metabolism in the brain. The NAD+- and NADP+-linked glutamate dehydrogenase showed opposite pattern of changes in cerebellum, whereas cerebral hemispheres and brain stem exhibited similar response. Glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (aspartate aminotransferase) and malate dehydrogenase, the functional enzymes of malate-aspartate shuttle, were decreased in soluble fraction of cerebral hemispheres and increased significantly in cerebellum after 16 hours of drug administration. Glutamate pyruvate transaminase (alanine aminotransferase) also showed an increase in the activity in cerebellum and brain stem after 8 hours of drug treatment. The EEG patterns obtained from 6-AN treated animals showed periodic bursts, turning to convulsive polyspike activity between 8-16 hours, indicating the onset of comatose-like stage. The results indicate that glutamate metabolism offers considerable anaplerotic potentials following impaired energy state after 6-AN treatment.

Kinetics of the mechanism of action of monoamine oxidase in the regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase activity in rat brain.

Kinetic studies on the action of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase were performed using 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (MHB), which is an analogue of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylacetylaldehyde (product of MAO-catalysed reaction with dopamine as substrate). It was observed that at 2.6 microM MHB, the activation of Na+,K+-ATPase may be the result of the removal of the inhibitory Ca2+, thereby increasing the Vmax. Double-reciprocal plots of Pi versus MHB showed that Ca2+ counteracted the effect of the aldehyde not by changing the Km, but be decreasing the Vmax of the Na+,K+-ATPase stimulation. The removal of 3',5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from the microsomes by sodium dodecyl sulphate treatment abolished the activation and/or inhibition of the Na+,K+-ATPase by aldehyde; it can therefore be inferred that 3',5'-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase is involved in the regulation of Na+,K+-ATPase.

Malate-aspartate shuttle enzymes in rat brain regions, liver and heart during alloxan diabetes and insulin replacement.

Regionally selective and time-dependent variations were observed in the activity of brain aspartate aminotransferase at early phases of diabetes. Malate dehydrogenase activity showed an opposite pattern of changes in soluble and particulate fractions of cerebral hemispheres and brain stem, with cerebellum showing consistent increase in the activity. The activity of both the enzymes increased significantly in liver, in contrast to heart where malate dehydrogenase activity decreased in particulate fraction. Insulin treatment to diabetic animals restored the enzymes to near control levels at early stages of diabetes, except in liver. The results indicate that malate-aspartate shuttle is probably stimulated under diabetic conditions to enable glycolysis to continue and ATP levels to be restored partially, particularly in cerebellum and liver.