Effects of antidepressant treatment on gene expression profile in mouse brain: cell type-specific transcription profiling using laser microdissection and microarray analysis.

A gene expression study of mice treated with the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline was performed. To enable the detection of cell type-specific expression changes, laser-microdissected nucleus accumbens was analysed after 4 and 28 days of treatment. After 4 days of treatment no significantly regulated genes could be detected in this study. In contrast, 95 genes exhibited different expression levels in animals treated for 28 days with amitrityline compared with sham animals. This observation reflects the long-term effects and adaptation processes observed in patients treated with this drug. Among the regulated genes are receptors belonging to the dopamine-dependent signalling cascade, ion channels (mainly voltage-dependent potassium and calcium channels) potentially involved in signalling cascades and neuropeptides. The results support the hypothesis that the therapeutic effect of this antidepressant is much more complex and not confined to a reuptake inhibition of neurotransmitters. Paradigms inducing only weak expression changes, which may be limited to certain cell types within the highly complex brain structure, can therefore be reliably investigated by applying a cell type-specific expression profiling technique based on laser microdissection and subsequent RNA amplification followed by DNA microarray analysis.

Molecular characterisation of non-absorptive and absorptive enterocytes in human small intestine.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Perturbation of differentiation of the crypt-villus axis of the human small intestine is associated with several intestinal disorders of clinical importance. At present, differentiation of small intestinal enterocytes in the crypt-villus axis is not well characterised. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Expression profiling of microdissected enterocytes lining the upper part of crypts or the middle of villi was performed using the Affymetrix X3P arrays and several methods for confirmation. RESULTS: A total of 978 differentially expressed sequences representing 778 unique UniGene IDs were found and categorised into four functional groups. In enterocytes lining the upper part of crypts, cell cycle promoting genes and transcription/translation related genes were predominantly expressed, whereas in enterocytes lining the middle of villi, high expression of cell cycle inhibiting genes, metabolism related genes, and vesicle/transport related genes was found. CONCLUSION: Two types of enterocytes were dissected at the molecular level, the non-absorptive enterocyte located in the upper part of crypts and the absorptive enterocyte found in the middle of villi. These data improve our knowledge about the physiology of the crypt-villus architecture in human small intestine and provide new insights into pathophysiological phenomena, such as villus atrophy, which is clinically important.

Functional analysis of the glycosylation of murine acid sphingomyelinase.

Glycosylation plays a crucial role in glycoprotein stability and its correct folding. Murine acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) is a lysosomal glycoprotein. We studied the functional role of its individual N-linked oligosaccharides needed to maintain enzymatic activity and protein stability. Mutagenized cDNA constructs were heterologously expressed. All six potential N-glycosylation sites were modified. Incomplete glycosylation of the most distant C-terminal site resulted in two isoforms. Oligosaccharides at N-84, N-173, and N-611 were found to be of minor importance for enzymatic activity. The glycosylation defect at N-333 or N-393 reduced the enzymatic activity to 40% and at N-518 to less than 20%. These mutations did not effect the Km value. Glycosylation at N-333 and N-393 mainly contributed to the enzyme stability and prevented degradation at lysosomal acidic pH, whereas the low residual enzymatic activity of mutant ASM deficient in glycosylation at N-518 was caused by protein misfolding. The mutant protein was also prone to proteolysis when trapped in the endoplasmic reticulum/cis-Golgi after brefeldin A application. Insufficiently glycosylated ASM formed a stable complex with BiP, an immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein, and thus remained in the endoplasmic reticulum. 32PO4 labeling revealed that the glycosylation mutants of ASM were phosphorylated predominantly at mannose residues of oligosaccharides linked to N-84, N-333, and N-393.

Molecular cloning of the acid sphingomyelinase of the mouse and the organization and complete nucleotide sequence of the gene.

The cDNA and complete gene encoding mouse acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) has been isolated using a homology screening approach. Comparison with the human sequence shows 81% sequence identity at cDNA level and 82% at the protein level. Homology is markedly reduced in the N-terminal region, especially in the presumed signal peptide. The six-exon gene structure is similar to the human one, except for the position of Alu1 elements. The alternatively used splice site 40 bp downstream of the human exon 2 is not conserved in the mouse gene and accordingly no such alternative splicing was found in mouse.