101
|
Dillner NB, Sanders MM. Transcriptional Activation by the Zinc-Finger Homeodomain ProteinδEF1 in Estrogen Signaling Cascades. DNA Cell Biol 2004; 23:25-34. [PMID: 14965470 DOI: 10.1089/104454904322745907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor delta EF1 is a key player in estrogen-signaling cascades in vertebrates. In this pathway, estrogen induces the expression of the gene encoding delta EF1, and then delta EF1 activates transcription of downstream targets. Yet, the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional activation by delta EF1 have remained obscure. Furthermore, most work has concentrated on the capacity of delta EF1 to repress gene expression, rather than its ability to activate transcription. To investigate this activation potential in an endogenous signaling pathway, we characterized ovalbumin (Ov) gene induction by delta EF1. Gel mobility shift assays demonstrate that delta EF1 binds to the 5' flanking region of the Ov gene at two sites, one at -810 to -806 and one at -152 to -148 with respect to the start point of transcription. Correspondingly, these sites are required for induction by estrogen or by delta EF1 in transfection experiments. Furthermore, the activation potential of delta EF1 is not restricted to the chick homolog, as the human ZEB and the mouse delta EF1 homologs also induce Ov gene expression. To characterize the molecular mechanisms whereby delta EF1 activates gene expression, its C-terminal acidic domain was deleted and shown to be necessary for activation of transcription. Furthermore, the acidic domain has intrinsic activation potential, as it can induce the heterologous thymidine kinase promoter. These data establish delta EF1 as an activator of transcription whose action may be DNA-context and cell-type specific, but not species specific.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naomi B Dillner
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
102
|
Sachs LM. Corepressor requirement and thyroid hormone receptor function during Xenopus development. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2004; 68:209-30. [PMID: 15193456 DOI: 10.1016/s0083-6729(04)68007-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The biologic role of hormonal activation of nuclear receptors is well established. Only recently, however, has the biologic significance of repression begun to be appreciated. Amphibian metamorphosis is marked by dramatic thyroid hormone induced changes, including de novo morphogenesis, tissue remodeling, and organ resorption through programmed cell death. These changes involve cascades of gene regulation initiated by 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T(3)). T(3) functions by regulating gene expression through thyroid hormone receptor (TR). TRs are DNA-binding transcription factors that belong to the steroid hormone receptor superfamily. In the absence of a ligand, TRs can repress gene expression by recruiting corepressor complexes, whereas liganded TRs recruit coactivator complexes for gene activation. Corepressor and coactivator complexes induce chromatin remodeling to mediate TR regulation of transcription. The mechanisms of TR action permit a dual function for TRs during development. In premetamorphic tadpoles, when TRs are expressed and T(3) levels are barely detectable, unliganded TRs repress transcription through corepressor recruitment. This TR-mediated repression of target genes is critical for proper larval development, allowing tadpole growth and acquisition of metamorphic competence. In contrast, during metamorphosis, endogenous T(3) causes TRs to activate gene expression, leading to tadpole transformation. Several results also support a role for corepressors during metamorphosis. Corepressor targeted functions, however, are still speculative but may again involve TRs. The requirement of active gene repression at different stages during amphibian development establishes an important biologic role for corepressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laurent M Sachs
- Département Régulations, Développement et Diversité Moléculaire, USM 501 Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR-5166 CNRS, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France
| |
Collapse
|
103
|
Tsai CC, Fondell JD. Nuclear Receptor Recruitment of Histone-Modifying Enzymes to Target Gene Promoters. NUCLEAR RECEPTOR COREGULATORS 2004; 68:93-122. [PMID: 15193452 DOI: 10.1016/s0083-6729(04)68003-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors (NRs) compose one of the largest known families of eukaryotic transcription factors and, as such, serve as a paradigm for understanding the fundamental molecular mechanisms of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. The packaging of eukaryotic genomic DNA into a higher ordered chromatin structure, which generally acts as a barrier to transcription by inhibiting transcription factor accessibility, has a major influence on the mechanisms by which NRs activate or repress gene expression. A major breakthrough in the field's understanding of these mechanisms comes from the recent identification of NR-associated coregulatory factors (i.e., coactivators and corepressors). Although several of these NR cofactors are involved in chromatin remodeling and facilitating the recruitment of the basal transcription machinery, the focus of this chapter is on NR coactivators and corepressors that act to covalently modify the amino-terminal tails of core histones. These modifications (acetylation, methylation, and phosphorylation) are thought to directly affect chromatin structure and?or serve as binding surfaces for other coregulatory proteins. This chapter presents the most current models for NR recruitment of histone-modifying enzymes and then summarizes their functional importance in NR-associated gene expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Cheng Tsai
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
104
|
Colosimo ME, Tran S, Sengupta P. The Divergent Orphan Nuclear Receptor ODR-7 Regulates Olfactory Neuron Gene Expression via Multiple Mechanisms in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2003; 165:1779-91. [PMID: 14704165 PMCID: PMC1462869 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/165.4.1779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Nuclear receptors regulate numerous critical biological processes. The C. elegans genome is predicted to encode ∼270 nuclear receptors of which >250 are unique to nematodes. ODR-7 is the only member of this large divergent family whose functions have been defined genetically. ODR-7 is expressed in the AWA olfactory neurons and specifies AWA sensory identity by promoting the expression of AWA-specific signaling genes and repressing the expression of an AWC-specific olfactory receptor gene. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of action of a divergent nuclear receptor, we have identified residues and domains required for different aspects of ODR-7 function in vivo. ODR-7 utilizes an unexpected diversity of mechanisms to regulate the expression of different sets of target genes. Moreover, these mechanisms are distinct in normal and heterologous cellular contexts. The odr-7 ortholog in the closely related nematode C. briggsae can fully substitute for all ODR-7-mediated functions, indicating conservation of function across 25–120 million years of divergence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marc E Colosimo
- Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
105
|
Song Q, Sun X, Jin XY. 20E-regulated USP expression and phosphorylation in Drosophila melanogaster. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2003; 33:1211-1218. [PMID: 14599493 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2003.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The developmental profiles of ultraspiracle protein (USP) in the tissues of Drosophila melanogaster were investigated using a USP specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) as a probe. Western blot analysis revealed four USP mAb reactive bands (p46, p48, p54 and p56), each with tissue- and stage-specific expression patterns. The p54 and p56 were expressed in nearly all larval and prepupal tissues tested with fluctuations in abundance. However, the p46 and p48 were detected exclusively in the midgut of prepupae and shown to be the proteolytic products of p54 and p56. A lambda protein phosphatase assay demonstrated that the p56 is the phosphorylated form of p54. The expression and phosphorylation of the p54 USP is regulated by 20E. Protein kinase consensus recognition sequence analysis revealed 10 putative phosphorylation sites in Drosophila USP, with seven sites for protein kinase C (PKC) and three sites for casein kinase II (CKII). The fact that seven out of 10 putative phosphorylation sites reside in the ligand- and DNA-binding domains suggests that phosphorylation may play important role in regulating USP function. Identification of the in vivo USP phosphorylation sites and signal transduction pathways that regulate the specific USP phosphorylation is currently underway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Q Song
- Department of Entomology, University of Missouri, 1-87 Agriculture Building, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
106
|
Takahashi M, Kikuchi K, Tomita S, Imanishi S, Nakahara Y, Kiuchi M, Kamimura M. Transient in vivo reporter gene assay for ecdysteroid action in the Bombyx mori silk gland. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2003; 135:431-7. [PMID: 12831763 DOI: 10.1016/s1096-4959(03)00094-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
To analyze the molecular mechanisms underlying hormone-regulated gene expression during molt and metamorphosis, we developed a transient reporter gene assay system using the silkworm anterior silk gland. Reporter plasmids were delivered into dissected anterior silk glands by particle bombardment and bombarded glands transplanted into other larvae, to which hormones were then administered. When the green fluorescent protein gene, coupled with the constitutive cytoplasmic actin gene A3 promoter, was introduced into the anterior silk gland, strong green fluorescence was observed a few days later. Bombarded silk glands transplanted into other larvae showed the same morphological changes as intrinsic glands after 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) alone or 20E plus juvenile hormone (JH) treatment, indicating that the transplanted gland received hormonal signals properly. When a 20E-responsive reporter construct containing four tandemly repeated pal-1 ecdysone response elements upstream from the luciferase gene was delivered into the gland, an approximately 50-fold increase in luciferase activity was detected 30 h after 20E injection. This induction was comparable to that in an ecdysteroid-responsive Bombyx cell line. This in vivo reporter assay system is thus a rapid, effective tool for analyzing gene expression regulated by 20E and probably by JH.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michiyoshi Takahashi
- Developmental Biology Department, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 1-2, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
107
|
Sempere LF, Sokol NS, Dubrovsky EB, Berger EM, Ambros V. Temporal regulation of microRNA expression in Drosophila melanogaster mediated by hormonal signals and broad-Complex gene activity. Dev Biol 2003; 259:9-18. [PMID: 12812784 DOI: 10.1016/s0012-1606(03)00208-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
lin-4 and let-7 are founding members of an extensive family of genes that produce small transcripts, termed microRNAs (miRNAs). In Caenorhabditis elegans, lin-4 and let-7 control the timing of postembryonic events by translational repression of target genes, permitting progression from early to late developmental programs. To identify Drosophila melanogaster miRNAs that could play similar roles in the control of developmental timing, we characterized the developmental expression profile of 24 miRNAs in Drosophila, and found 7 miRNAs that are either upregulated or downregulated in conjunction with metamorphosis. The upregulation of three of these miRNAs (mir-100, mir-125, and let-7), and the downregulation of a fourth (mir-34) requires the hormone ecdysone (Ecd) and the activity of the Ecd-inducible gene Broad-Complex. Interestingly, mir-125 is a putative homologue of lin-4. mir-100, -125, and let-7 are clustered within an 800-bp region on chromosome 2L, suggesting that these three miRNAs may be coordinately regulated via common cis-acting elements during metamorphosis. In S2 cells, Ecd and the juvenile hormone analog methoprene exert opposite effects on the expression of these four miRNAs, indicating the participation of both these hormones in the temporal regulation of mir-34, -100, -125, and let-7 expression in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo F Sempere
- Department of Genetics, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
108
|
Chung AC, Cooney AJ. The varied roles of nuclear receptors during vertebrate embryonic development. NUCLEAR RECEPTOR SIGNALING 2003; 1:e007. [PMID: 16604179 PMCID: PMC1402219 DOI: 10.1621/nrs.01007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2003] [Accepted: 06/16/2003] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear receptors comprise a superfamily of sequence-specific transcription factors whose members have diverse roles during development. This review will summarize the developmental roles of selected members of the nuclear receptor superfamily.
Collapse
|
109
|
Padidam M, Gore M, Lu DL, Smirnova O. Chemical-inducible, ecdysone receptor-based gene expression system for plants. Transgenic Res 2003; 12:101-9. [PMID: 12650528 DOI: 10.1023/a:1022113817892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
We have developed an inducible gene expression system with potential for field application using the ecdysone receptor (EcR) from the spruce budworm and the non-steroidal EcR agonist, methoxyfenozide. Chimeric transcription activators were constructed with EcR ligand binding domain, GAL4 and LexA DNA binding domains, and VP16 activation domain. In the presence of methoxyfenozide, the transcription activators induced expression of the luciferase reporter gene cloned downstream of a promoter containing GAL4A- or LexA-response element and a minimal 35S promoter. Low basal and high induced luciferase expression was optimized by cloning the activator and the reporter genes in different tandem orientations. Many transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants were obtained with little or no basal expression in the absence of methoxyfenozide and inducible expression that was several fold higher than that observed with the constitutive 35S promoter. Moreover, gene expression was controlled over a wide range of methoxyfenozide concentration. Our results demonstrate that the inducible gene expression system based on the spruce budworm EcR ligand binding domain with methoxyfenozide as a ligand is very effective in regulating transgenes in plants. It is suitable for field applications because methoxyfenozide is commercially available and has an exceptional health and environmental safety profile.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Malla Padidam
- RHeoGene/Rohm and Haas Company, PO Box 0949, Spring House, PA 19477-0949, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
110
|
Fichelson P, Gho M. The glial cell undergoes apoptosis in the microchaete lineage of Drosophila. Development 2003; 130:123-33. [PMID: 12441297 DOI: 10.1242/dev.00198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Apoptosis plays a major role in vertebrate and invertebrate development. The adult Drosophila thoracic microchaete is a mechanosensory organ whose development has been extensively studied as a model of how cell division and cell determination intermingle. This sensory organ arises from a cell lineage that produces a glial cell and four other cells that form the organ. In this study, using an in vivo approach as well as fixed material, we show that the glial cell undergoes nucleus fragmentation shortly after birth. Fragmentation was blocked after overexpression of the caspase inhibitor p35 or removal of the pro-apoptotic genes reaper, hid and grim, showing that the glial cell undergoes apoptosis. Moreover, it seems that fragments are eliminated from the epithelium by mobile macrophages. Forcing survival of the glial cells induces precocious axonal outgrowth but does not affect final axonal patterning and connectivity. However, under these conditions, glial cells do not fragment but leave the epithelium by a mechanism that is reminiscent of cell competition. Finally, we present evidences showing that glial cells are committed to apoptosis independently of gcm and prospero expression. We suggest that apoptosis is triggered by a cell autonomous mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Fichelson
- UMR 7622, CNRS-Université Paris VI, 9, Quai St Bernard, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
111
|
Grebe M, Przibilla S, Henrich VC, Spindler-Barth M. Characterization of the ligand-binding domain of the ecdysteroid receptor from Drosophila melanogaster. Biol Chem 2003; 384:105-16. [PMID: 12674504 DOI: 10.1515/bc.2003.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Mutants created by site-directed mutagenesis were used to elucidate the function of amino acids involved in ligand binding to ecdysteroid receptor (EcR) and heterodimer formation with ultraspiracle (USP). The results demonstrate the importance of the C-terminal part of the D-domain and helix 12 of EcR for hormone binding. Some amino acids are involved either in ligand binding to EcR (E476, M504, D572, I617, N626) or ligand-dependent heterodimerization as determined by gel mobility shift assays (A612, L615, T619), while others are involved in both functions (K497, E648). Some amino acids are suboptimal for ligand binding (L615, T619), but mediate ligand-dependent dimerization. We conclude that the enhanced regulatory potential by ligand-dependent modulation of dimerization in the wild type is achieved at the expense of optimal ligand binding. Mutation of amino acids (K497, E648) involved in the salt bridge between helix 4 and 12 impair ligand binding to EcR more severely than hormone binding to the heterodimer, indicating that to some extent heterodimerization compensates for the deleterious effect of certain mutations. Different effects of the same point mutations on ligand binding to EcR and EcR/USP (R511, A612, L615, I617, T619, N626) indicate that the ligand-binding pocket is modified by heterodimerization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Grebe
- Abteilung für Allgemeine Zoologie und Endokrinologie, Universität Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
112
|
Thummel CS, Chory J. Steroid signaling in plants and insects--common themes, different pathways. Genes Dev 2002; 16:3113-29. [PMID: 12502734 DOI: 10.1101/gad.1042102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carl S Thummel
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112 USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
113
|
Verras M, Gourzi P, Zacharopoulou A, Mintzas AC. Developmental profiles and ecdysone regulation of the mRNAs for two ecdysone receptor isoforms in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2002; 11:553-565. [PMID: 12421413 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2583.2002.00365.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Using 5' RACE with specific primers for the ecdysone receptor B1 isoform of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata, we isolated a cDNA clone encoding the specific region of the medfly ecdysone receptor A isoform (CcEcR-A). The CcEcR-A-specific region was very similar to the EcR-A-specific region of Drosophila melanogaster and less similar to the EcR-A-specific regions of Lepidoptera. The developmental expression of both CcEcR-A and CcEcR-B1 mRNAs was studied in whole animals, salivary glands and ovaries by RT-PCR, using isoform-specific primers. Both CcEcR mRNAs are present in very early embryos, decrease to very low levels during the first hours of embryogenesis and are highly expressed in all consequent embryonic stages. During metamorphosis both isoforms are present showing two peaks; the first at the larval-prepupal transition and the second during the second half of prepupal development. These peaks are correlated with the two puffing cycles and the two major 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) increases that occur during medfly metamorphosis. CcEcR-B1 mRNA was directly induced in larval salivary glands in vitro by 20E, even at very low concentrations of the hormone, while CcEcR-A mRNA was slightly induced only by high 20E concentrations and in the absence of a protein synthesis inhibitor. During oogenesis, the CcEcR mRNAs were expressed synchronously, peaking at the beginning of both previtellogenic and vitellogenic phases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Verras
- Department of Biology, University of Patras, Greece
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
114
|
Xu Y, Fang F, Chu Y, Jones D, Jones G. Activation of transcription through the ligand-binding pocket of the orphan nuclear receptor ultraspiracle. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 2002; 269:6026-36. [PMID: 12473098 DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1033.2002.03293.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The invertebrate nuclear receptor, ultraspiracle (USP), an ortholog of the vertebrate RXR, is typically modelled as an orphan receptor that functions without a ligand-binding activity. The identification of a ligand that can transcriptionally activate USP would provide heuristic leads to the structure of potentially high affinity activating compounds, with which to detect unknown regulatory pathways in which this nuclear receptor participates. We show here that the application of the sesquiterpenoid methyl epoxyfarnesoate (juvenile hormone III) to Sf9 cells induces transcription from a transfected heterologous core promoter, through a 5'-placed DR12 enhancer to which the receptor ultraspiracle (USP) binds. Isolated, recombinant USP from Drosophila melanogaster specifically binds methyl epoxyfarnesoate, whereupon the receptor homodimerizes and changes tertiary conformation, including the movement of the ligand-binding domain alpha-helix 12. Ligand-binding pocket point mutants of USP that do not bind methyl epoxyfarnesoate act as dominant negative suppressors of methyl epoxyfarnesoate-activation of the reporter promoter, and addition of wild-type USP rescues this activation. These data establish a paradigm in which the USP ligand-binding pocket can productively bind ligand with a functional outcome of enhanced promoter activity, the first such demonstration for an invertebrate orphan nuclear receptor. USP thus establishes the precedent that invertebrate orphan receptors are viable targets for development of agonists and antagonists with which to discern and manipulate transcriptional pathways dependent on USP or other orphan receptors. The demonstration here of these functional capacities of USP in a transcriptional activation pathway has significant implications for current paradigms of USP action that do not include for USP a ligand-binding activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong Xu
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Section, Department of Biology, and Graduate Center for Toxicology, Chandler Medical Center, University of Kentucky Lexington, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
115
|
Kawasaki H, Hirose S, Ueda H. BetaFTZ-F1 dependent and independent activation of Edg78E, a pupal cuticle gene, during the early metamorphic period in Drosophila melanogaster. Dev Growth Differ 2002; 44:419-25. [PMID: 12392575 DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-169x.2002.00655.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Insect metamorphosis is a developmentally important event for formation of adult structures from larval imaginal cells, and it is controlled by the ecdysteroid hormone. At the onset of metamorphosis, both the cuticle gene Edg78E and the transcription factor betaFTZ-F1 are expressed during the mid- to late prepupal period after a large ecdysteroid pulse. Edg78E mRNA is inducible by premature expression of betaFTZ-F1 and the Edg78E expression level is reduced in an ftz-f1 mutant. Using a transgenic fly reporter assay, a 1.2 kb promoter region of the Edg78E gene has been identified, which was sufficient for appropriate temporally and spatially specific expression of the reporter gene LacZ. Within the promoter region, two betaFTZ-F1 binding sites are present and disruption of these sites reduced the expression level of the reporter gene. LacZ expression levels were dramatically reduced in the head and thorax regions but not affected in the abdominal region, suggesting that betaFTZ-F1 is required for high-level Edg78E expression specifically in the head and thorax regions. The findings suggest that betaFTZ-F1 is a regulator for temporal gene expression at the onset of metamorphosis, and that complex mechanisms regulate the temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression during metamorphosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haruhisa Kawasaki
- Science of the Biotic Environment Course, The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka 020-8550, Japan
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
116
|
Abstract
A century ago, secretions from the pancreas were described as 'hormones', which we now know are secreted from all ductless glands. The development of various technologies has already contributed a great deal -- and will undoubtedly offer more -- to our understanding of their mode of action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamshed R Tata
- National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK
| |
Collapse
|
117
|
Warren JT, Petryk A, Marques G, Jarcho M, Parvy JP, Dauphin-Villemant C, O'Connor MB, Gilbert LI. Molecular and biochemical characterization of two P450 enzymes in the ecdysteroidogenic pathway of Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002; 99:11043-8. [PMID: 12177427 PMCID: PMC123207 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.162375799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2002] [Accepted: 06/24/2002] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Five different enzymatic activities, catalyzed by both microsomal and mitochondrial cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs), are strongly implicated in the biosynthesis of ecdysone (E) from cholesterol. However, none of these enzymes have been characterized completely. The present data show that the wild-type genes of two members of the Halloween family of embryonic lethals, disembodied (dib) and shadow (sad), code for mitochondrial cytochromes P450 that mediate the last two hydroxylation reactions in the ecdysteroidogenic pathway in Drosophila, namely the C22- and C2-hydroxylases. When sad (CYP315A1) is transfected into Drosophila S2 cells, the cells metabolize 2-deoxyecdysone (2dE) to E and the [3H]ketotriol (2,22-dideoxyecdysone) to 22-deoxyecdysone. In contrast, dib (CYP302A1) is responsible for the conversion of the [3H]ketotriol to [3H]2dE. When cells are transfected with both dib and sad, they metabolize the [3H]ketotriol to [3H]E in high yield. The expression of sad and dib is concentrated within the individual segments of the developing epidermis when there is a surge of ecdysteroid midway through embryogenesis. This result occurs before the ring gland has developed and suggests that the embryonic epidermis is a site of ecdysteroid biosynthesis. This pattern then diminishes, and, during late embryogenesis, expression of both genes is concentrated in the prothoracic gland cells of the developing ring gland. Expression of dib and sad continues to be localized in this endocrine compartment during larval development, being maximal in both the late second and third instar larvae, about the time of the premolt peaks in the ecdysteroid titer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James T Warren
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
118
|
Abstract
Mammalian cell culture studies have shown that several members of the nuclear receptor super family such as glucocorticoid receptor, retinoic acid receptor and thyroid hormone receptor can repress the activity of AP-1 proteins by a mechanism that does not require the nuclear receptor to bind to DNA directly, but that is otherwise poorly understood. Several aspects of nuclear receptor function are believed to rely on this inhibitory mechanism, which is referred to as transrepression. This study presents evidence that nuclear receptor-mediated transrepression of AP-1 occurs in Drosophila melanogaster. In two different developmental situations, embryonic dorsal closure and wing development, several nuclear receptors, including Seven up, Tailless, and Eagle antagonize AP-1. The inhibitory interactions with nuclear receptors are integrated with other modes of AP-1 regulation, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. A potential role of nuclear receptors in setting a threshold of AP-1 activity required for the manifestation of a cellular response is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Uwe Gritzan
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstr. 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
119
|
Dillner NB, Sanders MM. The zinc finger/homeodomain protein deltaEF1 mediates estrogen-specific induction of the ovalbumin gene. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2002; 192:85-91. [PMID: 12088870 DOI: 10.1016/s0303-7207(02)00088-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Regulation of the ovalbumin (Ov) gene is strictly controlled by precise developmental, tissue-specific, and hormonal cues. The Ov gene is transcriptionally activated by four classes of steroid hormones: estrogens, androgens, glucocorticoids, and progestins. Although it has served as a model to study multi-hormone gene regulation for the past 30 years, the pathways that relay each hormone signal to the Ov gene are largely unclear. Extensive linker-scanner and point mutation analysis has revealed elements necessary for its induction by estrogen, androgen, progesterone, or glucocorticoid but has failed to identify any elements that are specific to the action of any one steroid hormone. These observations in conjunction with the observation that the Ov gene is indirectly regulated by steroid hormones suggest that these signals may all induce the same transcription factor. However, here we have identified two cis-acting DNA elements in the 5' flanking region of the Ov gene that are required for induction by estrogen, but not by androgen or progesterone. These elements span -152 to -146 and -810 to -806 with respect to the start point of transcription. This implies that estrogen induces the Ov gene by a separate pathway than do androgens or progestins. Gel mobility shift assays demonstrate that the estrogen-specific sequences bind the estrogen inducible transcription factor deltaEF1, suggesting that deltaEF1 plays a distinct role in mediating the estrogen signal to the Ov gene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naomi B Dillner
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 6-155 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
120
|
Sempere LF, Dubrovsky EB, Dubrovskaya VA, Berger EM, Ambros V. The expression of the let-7 small regulatory RNA is controlled by ecdysone during metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster. Dev Biol 2002; 244:170-9. [PMID: 11900466 DOI: 10.1006/dbio.2002.0594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In Caenorhabditis elegans, the heterochronic pathway controls the timing of developmental events during the larval stages. A component of this pathway, the let-7 small regulatory RNA, is expressed at the late stages of development and promotes the transition from larval to adult (L/A) stages. The stage-specificity of let-7 expression, which is crucial for the proper timing of the worm L/A transition, is conserved in Drosophila melanogaster and other invertebrates. In Drosophila, pulses of the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone) control the timing of the transition from larval to pupal to adult stages. To test whether let-7 expression is regulated by ecdysone in Drosophila, we used Northern blot analysis to examine the effect of altered ecdysone levels on let-7 expression in mutant animals, organ cultures, and S2 cultured cells. Experiments were conducted to test the role of Broad-Complex (BR-C), an essential component in the ecdysone pathway, in let-7 expression. We show that ecdysone and BR-C are required for let-7 expression, indicating that the ecdysone pathway regulates the temporal expression of let-7 in Drosophila. These results demonstrate an interaction between steroid hormone signaling and the heterochronic pathway in insects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo F Sempere
- Department of Genetics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
121
|
Kozlova T, Thummel CS. Spatial patterns of ecdysteroid receptor activation during the onset ofDrosophilametamorphosis. Development 2002; 129:1739-50. [PMID: 11923209 DOI: 10.1242/dev.129.7.1739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Ecdysteroid signaling in insects is transduced by a heterodimer of the EcR and USP nuclear receptors. In order to monitor the temporal and spatial patterns of ecdysteroid signaling in vivo we established transgenic animals that express a fusion of the GAL4 DNA binding domain and the ligand binding domain (LBD) of EcR or USP, combined with a GAL4-dependent lacZ reporter gene. The patterns of β-galactosidase expression in these animals indicate where and when the GAL4-LBD fusion protein has been activated by its ligand in vivo. We show that the patterns of GAL4-EcR and GAL4-USP activation at the onset of metamorphosis reflect what would be predicted for ecdysteroid activation of the EcR/USP heterodimer. No activation is seen in mid-third instar larvae when the ecdysteroid titer is low, and strong widespread activation is observed at the end of the instar when the ecdysteroid titer is high. In addition, both GAL4-EcR and GAL4-USP are activated in larval organs cultured with 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), consistent with EcR/USP acting as a 20E receptor. We also show that GAL4-USP activation depends on EcR, suggesting that USP requires its heterodimer partner to function as an activator in vivo. Interestingly, we observe no GAL4-LBD activation in the imaginal discs and ring glands of late third instar larvae. Addition of 20E to cultured mid-third instar imaginal discs results in GAL4-USP activation, but this response is not seen in imaginal discs cultured from late third instar larvae, suggesting that EcR/USP loses its ability to function as an efficient activator in this tissue. We conclude that EcR/USP activation by the systemic ecdysteroid signal may be spatially restricted in vivo. Finally, we show that GAL4-EcR functions as a potent and specific dominant negative at the onset of metamorphosis, providing a new tool for characterizing ecdysteroid signaling pathways during development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Kozlova
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, 15 North 2030 East Room 5100, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5331, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
122
|
Durica DS, Wu X, Anilkumar G, Hopkins PM, Chung ACK. Characterization of crab EcR and RXR homologs and expression during limb regeneration and oocyte maturation. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2002; 189:59-76. [PMID: 12039065 DOI: 10.1016/s0303-7207(01)00740-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We report here complete coding sequences for the Uca pugilator homologs of the ecdysteroid (UpEcR) and retinoid-X receptors (UpRXR). Library screenings recovered cDNA clones containing a unique amino terminal open-reading frame (A/B domain) for each gene, most similar to insect B1 EcR and USP1/RXR isoforms. Splicing variants in the UpRXR ligand-binding domain were also identified, in a region critical for folding of Drosophila and lepidopteran USP. UpEcR and UpRXR proteins were able to associate, and both are required for binding to an ecdysteroid HRE; these interactions were not hormone-dependent. Ribonuclease protection assays (RPA) were conducted using A/B domain and 'common' (C or E) domain probes on RNA isolated from various stages of regenerating limb buds and ovaries. For several of the limb bud and ovarian stages examined, the relative level of A/B domain sequence protected was significantly less than common domain suggesting alternative amino terminal isoforms other than those isolated through cloning. This is the first report of UpEcR and UpRXR transcription during ovarian maturation, implicating the ovary as a potential target for hormonal control in Crustacea.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David S Durica
- Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
123
|
Ishiguro H, Okubo Y, Ohtsuki T, Yamakawa-Kobayashi K, Arinami T. Mutation analysis of the retinoid X receptor beta, nuclear-related receptor 1, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha genes in schizophrenia and alcohol dependence: possible haplotype association of nuclear-related receptor 1 gene to alcohol dependence. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS 2002; 114:15-23. [PMID: 11840500 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.1620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Because retinoid cascades are involved in the regulation and development of the central nervous system, including dopaminergic neurons, retinoic acid signaling defects may contribute to schizophrenia and substances dependence. Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) form heterodimer complexes with nuclear-related receptor 1 (NURR1) or with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). We examined 48 Japanese patients with schizophrenia and 32 patients with alcohol dependence to detect mutations in the retinoid X receptor beta gene (RXRB) on chromosome 6p21.3, the NURR1 gene (NR4A2) on chromosome 2q22-q23, and the PPAR alpha gene (PPARA) on chromosome 22q12.2-13.1. A Val95Ala polymorphism of the RXRB gene, a Val227Ala polymorphism in the PPARA gene, and two synonymous single-nucleotide and CA repeat polymorphisms in the 5' region and 3' untranslated region of the NR4A2 gene were identified. Extended case control samples did not suggest an association between the diseases and the RXRB or PPARA polymorphisms. However, they revealed a significant association between the NR4A2 gene haplotype and alcohol dependence, indicating that 2q22-q23 including the NR4A2 gene locus is a possible genomic region contributing to genetic susceptibility to alcohol dependence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Ishiguro
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Basic Medical Science, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
124
|
Milam AH, Rose L, Cideciyan AV, Barakat MR, Tang WX, Gupta N, Aleman TS, Wright AF, Stone EM, Sheffield VC, Jacobson SG. The nuclear receptor NR2E3 plays a role in human retinal photoreceptor differentiation and degeneration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002; 99:473-8. [PMID: 11773633 PMCID: PMC117584 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.022533099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2001] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Normal human retinal development involves orderly generation of rods and cones by complex mechanisms. Cell-fate specification involves progenitor cell lineage and external signals such as soluble factors and cell-cell interactions. In most inherited human retinal degenerations, including retinitis pigmentosa, a mutant gene causes loss of visual function, death of mature rods, and eventually death of all cone subtypes. Only one inherited retinal disorder, the enhanced S cone syndrome (ESCS), shows increased visual function, involving the minority S (blue) cones, and decreased rod and L/M (red/green) cone function. This autosomal recessive disease is caused by mutations in NR2E3, a photoreceptor nuclear receptor transcription factor, and may result from abnormal cell-fate determination, leading to excess S cones at the expense of other photoreceptor subtypes. In 16 ESCS patients with the most common NR2E3 mutation, R311Q, we documented an abnormal ratio of S to L/M cone function and progressive retinal degeneration. We studied the postmortem retina of an ESCS patient homozygous for NR2E3 R311Q. No rods were identified, but cones were increased approximately 2-fold, and 92% were S cones. Only 15% of the cones expressed L/M cone opsin, and some coexpressed S cone opsin. The retina was disorganized, with densely packed cones intermixed with inner retinal neurons. The retina was also degenerate, retaining photoreceptors in only the central and far peripheral regions. These observations suggest a key role for NR2E3 in regulation of human photoreceptor development. Degeneration of the NR2E3 retina may result from defective development, known S cone fragility, or abnormal maintenance of mature photoreceptors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ann H Milam
- Scheie Eye Institute and F. M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
125
|
Abstract
Functional analysis of the roles of the nuclear receptor response elements (NRREs) in the transcription and replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the context of its whole genome has been hampered by the extensive overlapping of the NRREs with the regions encoding viral proteins. We introduced point mutations that inactivate the NRREs individually without altering the open reading frames of viral proteins. These mutations in the context of a plasmid containing 1.2 copies of the HBV genome were transiently transfected into the human hepatoma cell line Huh7. Inactivation of the NRRE in either the preC promoter (NRRE(preC)) or enhancer I (NRRE(enhI)) led to moderate reductions in synthesis of viral RNAs. Concurrent inactivation of both NRREs led to 7- to 8-fold reductions in synthesis of the preC, pregenomic, and preS RNAs and a 15-fold reduction in synthesis of the S RNA. The accumulation of viral DNA in the cytoplasmic nucleocapsids and virion particles in the culture medium was also reduced seven- to eightfold. These results suggest that these NRREs are critical for the efficient propagation of HBV in hepatocytes. In cotransfection experiments we also found that overexpression of PPARalpha-RXRalpha in the presence of their respective ligands led to a fourfold increase in pregenomic RNA synthesis and a four- to fivefold increase in viral DNA synthesis, while it had little or no effect on synthesis of the other viral RNAs. Similar effects were observed with overexpression of PPARgamma-RXRalpha in the presence of their respective ligands. This activation was dependent on NRRE(preC), because the increase in synthesis of viral RNA and DNA was not observed when this site was mutated. Likewise, no activation of synthesis of pregenomic RNA and viral DNA by PPARalpha-RXRalpha was observed in a naturally occurring NRRE(preC)(-) mutant of HBV. Our results suggest that interactions between nuclear receptors and NRREs present in the HBV genome may play critical roles in regulating its transcription and replication during HBV infection of hepatocytes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- X Yu
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1599, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
126
|
Abstract
Cholesterol, fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, and other lipids present in our diets are not only nutritionally important but serve as precursors for ligands that bind to receptors in the nucleus. To become biologically active, these lipids must first be absorbed by the intestine and transformed by metabolic enzymes before they are delivered to their sites of action in the body. Ultimately, the lipids must be eliminated to maintain a normal physiological state. The need to coordinate this entire lipid-based metabolic signaling cascade raises important questions regarding the mechanisms that govern these pathways. Specifically, what is the nature of communication between these bioactive lipids and their receptors, binding proteins, transporters, and metabolizing enzymes that links them physiologically and speaks to a higher level of metabolic control? Some general principles that govern the actions of this class of bioactive lipids and their nuclear receptors are considered here, and the scheme that emerges reveals a complex molecular script at work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Chawla
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Gene Expression Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Post Office Box 85800, San Diego, CA 92186-5800, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
127
|
Bubulya A, Chen SY, Fisher CJ, Zheng Z, Shen XQ, Shemshedini L. c-Jun potentiates the functional interaction between the amino and carboxyl termini of the androgen receptor. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:44704-11. [PMID: 11577103 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m107346200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The transactivation functions of the human androgen receptor (hAR) are regulated by several accessory factors that can be either positive or negative. One factor that has been previously shown to mediate hAR transactivation is the proto-oncoprotein c-Jun. The positive effect is a primary one, can be exerted by both endogenous and exogenous c-Jun, and requires multiple regions of c-Jun. However, the exact mechanism by which c-Jun exerts its enhancing function is unknown. In this study, we have used a mammalian two-hybrid system to ask if c-Jun influences the ligand-dependent amino- to carboxyl-terminal (N-to-C) interaction of hAR, which is thought to be responsible for the homodimerization of this receptor. Our results show that c-Jun enhances both hAR N-to-C terminal interaction and DNA binding in vitro. We have also tested a panel of c-Jun and c-Fos mutants for their activities on the N-to-C interaction, and the data demonstrate that the activities of these mutants parallel their activities on hAR transactivation. A mutation in the hAR activation function-2 (AF-2) abrogates N-to-C interaction, DNA binding, and transactivation, and these activities are not rescued by exogenous c-Jun. Interestingly, the p160 coactivator TIF2 can stimulate hAR N-to-C interaction, a finding consistent with the effect on hAR transactivation. These data strongly suggest that the hAR N-to-C interaction is the target of c-Jun action, and this activity requires a functional receptor AF-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Bubulya
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio 43606, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
128
|
Zhao X, Mita K, Shimada T, Okano K, Quan GX, Kanke E, Kawasaki H. Isolation and expression of an ecdysteroid-inducible neutral endopeptidase 24.11-like gene in wing discs of Bombyx mori. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2001; 31:1213-1219. [PMID: 11583934 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(01)00069-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
In the process of comparison of two cDNA libraries (W0, W2), we isolated a clone from the wing discs of Bombyx mori encoding a putative neutral endopeptidase 24.11-like gene. The predicted open reading frame encoded 772 amino acid residues, having about 53% identity with Drosophila GH07643, 36% with rat NEP, and 34% with rat ECE. This is the first NEP gene isolated in invertebrate. A 3.6-kb transcript was found to accumulate in the wing disc according to the increase of ecdysteroid titer during metamorphosis. Accumulation of the transcript was induced in wing discs with 20-hydroxyecdysone about 20h after incubation, which was inhibited by cycloheximide. This gene is ecdysone-inducible, appears to encode a functional protein, and may function during wing metamorphosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- X Zhao
- Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University, 350 Mine, Utsunomiya, 321-8505, Tochigi, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
129
|
Jetten AM, Kurebayashi S, Ueda E. The ROR nuclear orphan receptor subfamily: critical regulators of multiple biological processes. PROGRESS IN NUCLEIC ACID RESEARCH AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2001; 69:205-47. [PMID: 11550795 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(01)69048-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear receptor superfamily, a group of structurally related, ligand-dependent transcription factors, includes a large number of orphan receptors for which no ligand has yet been identified. These proteins function as key regulators of many physiological processes that occur during embryonic development and in the adult. The retinoid-related orphan receptors (RORs) alpha, beta, and gamma comprise one nuclear orphan receptor gene subfamily. RORs exhibit a modular structure that is characteristic for nuclear receptors; the DNA-binding domain is highly conserved and the ligand-binding domain is moderately conserved among RORs. By a combination of alternative promoter usage and exon splicing, each ROR gene generates several isoforms that differ only in their amino terminus. RORs bind as monomers to specific ROR response elements (ROREs) consisting of the consensus core motif AGGTCA preceded by a 5-bp A/T-rich sequence. RORE-dependent transcriptional activation by RORs is cell type-specific and mediated through interactions with nuclear cofactors. RORs have been shown to interact with certain corepressors as well as coactivators, suggesting that RORs are not constitutively active but that their activity is under some regulatory control. RORs likely can assume at least two different conformations: a repressive state, which allows interaction with corepressor complexes, and an active state, which promotes binding of coactivator complexes. Whether the transition between these two states is regulated by ligand binding and/or by phosphorylation remains to be determined. Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase IV (CaMKIV) can dramatically enhance ROR-mediated transcriptional activation. This stimulation involves CaMKIV-mediated phosphorylation not of RORs, but likely of specific nuclear cofactors that interact with RORs. RORalpha is widely expressed. In the cerebellum, its expression is limited to the Purkinje cells. RORalpha-/- mice and the natural RORalpha-deficient staggerer mice exhibit severe cerebellar ataxia due to a defect in Purkinje cell development. In addition, these mice have thin long bones, suggesting a role for RORalpha in bone metabolism, and develop severe atherosclerosis when placed on a high-fat diet. Expression of RORbeta is very restricted. RORbeta is highly expressed in different parts of the neurophotoendocrine system, the pineal gland, the retina, and suprachiasmatic nuclei, suggesting a role in the control of circadian rhythm. This is supported by observations showing alterations in circadian behavior in RORbeta-/- mice. RORgamma, which is most highly expressed in the thymus, plays an important role in thymopoiesis. Thymocytes from RORgamma-/- mice undergo accelerated apoptosis. The induction of apoptosis is, at least in part, due to a down-regulation of the expression of the antiapoptotic gene Bcl-XL. In addition to the thynic phenotype, RORgamma-/- mice lack lymph nodes, indicating that RORgamma is essential for lymph node organogenesis. Overexpression of RORgamma has been shown to inhibit T cell receptor-mediated apoptosis in T cell hybridomas and to repress the induction of Fas-ligand and interleukin 2. These studies demonstrate that RORs play critical roles in the regulation of a variety of physiological processes. Further characterization of the mechanisms of action of RORs will not only lead to the identification of ROR target genes and provide additional insight into their normal physiological functions, but will also determine their roles in disease.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Apoptosis
- Cloning, Molecular
- Gene Expression
- Hematopoiesis
- Humans
- Ligands
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 1
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 2
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3
- Phenotype
- Receptors, Cell Surface/chemistry
- Receptors, Cell Surface/genetics
- Receptors, Cell Surface/physiology
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/chemistry
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/physiology
- Receptors, Retinoic Acid
- Receptors, Thyroid Hormone
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Trans-Activators/chemistry
- Trans-Activators/genetics
- Trans-Activators/physiology
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A M Jetten
- Cell Biology Section, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
130
|
Suzuki T, Kawasaki H, Yu RT, Ueda H, Umesono K. Segmentation gene product Fushi tarazu is an LXXLL motif-dependent coactivator for orphan receptor FTZ-F1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:12403-8. [PMID: 11592991 PMCID: PMC60066 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.221552998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2000] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Orphan receptors for whom cognate ligands have not yet been identified form a large subclass within the nuclear receptor superfamily. To address one aspect of how they might regulate transcription, we analyzed the mode of interaction between the Drosophila orphan receptor FTZ-F1 (NR5A3) and a segmentation gene product Fushi tarazu (FTZ). Strong interaction between these two factors was detected by use of the mammalian one- and two-hybrid interaction assays without addition of ligand. This interaction required the AF-2 core and putative ligand-binding domain of FTZ-F1 and the LXXLL motif of FTZ. The requirement of these elements was further confirmed by examination of their target gene expression in Drosophila embryos and observation of a cuticle phenotype in transgenic fly lines that express mutated factors. In Drosophila cultured cells, FTZ is required for FTZ-F1 activation of a FTZ-F1 reporter gene. These results reveal a resemblance in the mode of interaction between FTZ-F1 and FTZ and that of nuclear receptor-coactivator and indicate that direct interaction is required for regulation of gene expression by FTZ-F1. Thus, we propose that FTZ may represent a category of LXXLL motif-dependent coactivators for nuclear receptors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Suzuki
- Institute for Virus Research, and Graduate School for Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
131
|
Shenk JL, Fisher CJ, Chen SY, Zhou XF, Tillman K, Shemshedini L. p53 represses androgen-induced transactivation of prostate-specific antigen by disrupting hAR amino- to carboxyl-terminal interaction. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:38472-9. [PMID: 11504717 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m103652200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is highly overexpressed in prostate cancer. One important regulator of PSA expression is the androgen receptor (AR), the nuclear receptor that mediates the biological actions of androgens. AR is able to up-regulate PSA expression by directly binding and activating the promoter of this gene. We provide evidence here that that this AR activity is repressed by the tumor suppressor protein p53. p53 appears to exert its inhibition of human AR (hAR) by disrupting its amino- to carboxyl-terminal (N-to-C) interaction, which is thought to be responsible for the homodimerization of this receptor. Consistent with this, p53 is also able to block hAR DNA binding in vitro. Our previous data have shown that c-Jun can mediate hAR transactivation, and this appears to result from a positive effect on hAR N-to-C interaction and DNA binding. Interestingly, c-Jun is able to relieve the negative effects of p53 on hAR transactivation, N-to-C interaction, and DNA binding, demonstrating antagonistic activities of these two proteins. Importantly, a p53 mutation found in metastatic prostate cancer severely disrupts the p53 negative activity on hAR, suggesting that the inability of p53 mutants to down-regulate hAR is, in part, responsible for the metastatic phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J L Shenk
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Ohio 43606, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
132
|
Zitnanová I, Adams ME, Zitnan D. Dual ecdysteroid action on the epitracheal glands and central nervous system preceding ecdysis of Manduca sexta. J Exp Biol 2001; 204:3483-95. [PMID: 11707498 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.204.20.3483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Initiation of the ecdysis behavioural sequence in insects requires activation of the central nervous system (CNS) by pre-ecdysis-triggering hormone (PETH) and ecdysis-triggering hormone (ETH), which are released from the Inka cells of the epitracheal glands. Here, we show that the developmental events preceding larval and pupal ecdysis of Manduca sexta involve a dual action of ecdysteroids on the epitracheal glands and CNS. The low steroid levels in freshly ecdysed and feeding larvae are associated with small-sized epitracheal glands, reduced peptide production in Inka cells and insensitivity of the CNS to ETH. The elevated ecdysteroid levels before each ecdysis lead to a dramatic enlargement of Inka cells and increased production of peptide hormones and their precursors. As blood ecdysteroids reach peak levels, the CNS becomes responsive to Inka cell peptides. These effects of natural ecdysteroid pulses can be experimentally induced by injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone or the ecdysteroid agonist tebufenozide (RH-5992) into ecdysed larvae, thus stimulating peptide production in Inka cells and inducing CNS sensitivity to ETH. A direct steroid action on the CNS is demonstrated by subsequent treatment of isolated nerve cords from ecdysed larvae with 20-hydroxyecdysone and ETH, which results in pre-ecdysis or ecdysis bursts. Our data show that ecdysteroid-induced transcriptional activity in both the epitracheal glands and the CNS are necessary events for the initiation of the ecdysis behavioural sequence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Zitnanová
- Institute of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Komenský, Sasinkova 1, 81108 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
133
|
Renault N, King-Jones K, Lehmann M. Downregulation of the tissue-specific transcription factor Fork head by Broad-Complex mediates a stage-specific hormone response. Development 2001; 128:3729-37. [PMID: 11585799 DOI: 10.1242/dev.128.19.3729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Drosophila development is coordinated by pulses of the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). During metamorphosis, the 20E-inducible Broad-Complex (BR-C) gene plays a key role in the genetic hierarchies that transduce the hormone signal, being required for the destruction of larval tissues and numerous aspects of adult development. Most of the known BR-C target genes, including the salivary gland secretion protein (Sgs) genes, are terminal differentiation genes that are thought to be directly regulated by BR-C-encoded transcription factors. Here, we show that repression of Sgs expression is indirectly controlled by the BR-C through transcriptional down-regulation of fork head, a tissue-specific gene that plays a central role in salivary gland development and is required for Sgs expression. Our results demonstrate that integration of a tissue-specific regulatory gene into a 20E-controlled genetic hierarchy provides a mechanism for hormonal repression. Furthermore, they suggest that the BR-C is placed at a different position within the 20E-controlled hierarchies than previously assumed, and that at least part of its pleiotropic functions are mediated by tissue-specific regulators.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Renault
- Institut für Genetik der Freien Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 7, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
134
|
Kawata M. Subcellular steroid/nuclear receptor dynamics. ARCHIVES OF HISTOLOGY AND CYTOLOGY 2001; 64:353-68. [PMID: 11757905 DOI: 10.1679/aohc.64.353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Steroid hormones, thyroid hormones, retinoic acids, and vitamin D bind to their receptors, which are now called steroid/nuclear receptors, and liganded receptors translocate either intracellularly or intranuclearly and form large protein complexes with cofactors to induce or repress gene transcription. Therefore, steroid/nuclear receptors are ligand-dependent transcription factors. With the advent of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its color variants, the subcellular distribution of many steroid/nuclear receptors has been found to be much more dynamic than previously thought, with some of the receptors shuttling between the cytoplasm and nucleus. Steroid/nuclear receptors can be divided into three categories based on their unliganded distribution: those that are primarily in the nucleus, those in the cytoplasm, and those with mixed cytoplasmic and nuclear distributions. However, in all cases, the addition of a ligand leads to almost complete nuclear translocation of the receptors. Hormonal stimulation induces intranuclear receptor distribution from a homogeneous pattern to a heterogeneous dot-like image. Ligand binding to steroid/nuclear receptors leads to the recruitment of many proteins including cofactors to provoke the redistribution of receptor complexes in the nucleus. This focal organization could involve more complex events than simple DNA binding sites for transcription. Protein activities and interactions of steroid/nuclear receptors can be imaged and localized in a single cell.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Kawata
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
135
|
Hannan GN, Hill RJ. LcUSP, an ultraspiracle gene from the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina: cDNA cloning, developmental expression of RNA and confirmation of function. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2001; 31:771-781. [PMID: 11378412 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(00)00182-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A DNA sequence corresponding to most of the DNA-binding domain of a Lucilia cuprina ultraspiracle protein (LcUSP) was amplified by PCR from genomic DNA and cloned. This cloned fragment was used to screen a L. cuprina cDNA library and to isolate a full-length LcUSP encoding sequence within a 3800-bp cDNA clone. The conceptually translated amino acid sequence of this open reading frame (467 amino acids) was used in alignment comparisons and phylogenetic analyses to reveal that LcUSP most closely resembles DmUSP relative to other known insect nuclear hormone receptors. An antisense RNA probe specific for the 5' end of Lcusp was used in ribonuclease protection assays to detect significant levels of Lcusp RNA throughout L. cuprina development. Highest levels were detected in embryos, late third instar larvae, pupae and adult females. This pattern parallels the pattern of expression observed for Dmusp RNAs during Drosophila melanogaster development. Finally, the LcUSP sequence was engineered for expression in mammalian cells and we now report that the cloned LcUSP is functional in vivo and can act as a partner for a chimeric L. cuprina ecdysone receptor to form an ecdysteroid-dependent transcription factor in mammalian cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G N Hannan
- CSIRO Molecular Science, Sydney Laboratory, PO Box 184, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia.
| | | |
Collapse
|
136
|
Kostrouchova M, Krause M, Kostrouch Z, Rall JE. Nuclear hormone receptor CHR3 is a critical regulator of all four larval molts of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:7360-5. [PMID: 11416209 PMCID: PMC34673 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.131171898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
CHR3 (nhr-23, NF1F4), the homologue of Drosophila DHR3 and mammalian ROR/RZR/RevErbA nuclear hormone receptors, is important for proper epidermal development and molting in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Disruption of CHR3 (nhr-23) function leads to developmental changes, including incomplete molting and a short, fat (dumpy) phenotype. Here, we studied the role of CHR3 during larval development by using expression assays and RNA-mediated interference. We show that the levels of expression of CHR3 (nhr-23) cycle during larval development and reduction of CHR3 function during each intermolt period result in defects at all subsequent molts. Assaying candidate gene expression in populations of animals treated with CHR3 (nhr-23) RNA-mediated interference has identified dpy-7 as a potential gene acting downstream of CHR3. These results define CHR3 as a critical regulator of all C. elegans molts and begin to define the molecular pathway for its function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Kostrouchova
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Inherited Metabolic Disorders, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 116 36 Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
137
|
Affiliation(s)
- M L Privalsky
- Section of Microbiology, Division of Biological Sciences, One Shield Avenue, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
138
|
Elekonich MM. Organizational and activational effects of hormones on insect behavior. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2000; 46:1509-1515. [PMID: 10980296 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-1910(00)00101-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The concepts of hormone organization and activation provide a framework for thinking about the influence of hormones on development, brain, and behavior in vertebrates. There is good evidence for activational effects of hormones on the nervous system and behavior in insects, but organizational effects are almost never discussed in the insect literature. This paper explores the utility of the concepts of hormonal organization and activation of behavior in insects. We describe the two concepts as developed from studies of vertebrates, review some insect examples that appear to fit this classification scheme, and consider how explicit use of the concept of organization might benefit studies of the insect brain and behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- MM Elekonich
- Department of Psychology and Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, MC118, 500 S Goodwin, IL 61801, Urbana, USA
| |
Collapse
|
139
|
Yamada M, Murata T, Hirose S, Lavorgna G, Suzuki E, Ueda H. Temporally restricted expression of transcription factor betaFTZ-F1: significance for embryogenesis, molting and metamorphosis in Drosophila melanogaster. Development 2000; 127:5083-92. [PMID: 11060234 DOI: 10.1242/dev.127.23.5083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
FTZ-F1, a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, has been implicated in the activation of the segmentation gene fushi tarazu during early embryogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster. We found that an isoform of FTZ-F1, betaFTZ-F1, is expressed in the nuclei of almost all tissues slightly before the first and second larval ecdysis and before pupation. Severely affected ftz-f1 mutants display an embryonic lethal phenotype, but can be rescued by ectopic expression of betaFTZ-F1 during the period of endogenous betaFTZ-F1 expression in the wild type. The resulting larvae are not able to molt, but this activity is rescued again by forced expression of betaFTZ-F1, allowing progression to the next larval instar stage. On the other hand, premature expression of betaFTZ-F1 in wild-type larvae at mid-first instar or mid-second instar stages causes defects in the molting process. Sensitive periods were found to be around the time of peak ecdysteroid levels and slightly before the start of endogenous betaFTZ-F1 expression. A hypomorphic ftz-f1 mutant that arrests in the prepupal stage can also be rescued by ectopic, time-specific expression of betaFTZ-F1. Failure of salivary gland histolysis, one of the phenotypes of the ftz-f1 mutant, is rescued by forced expression of the ftz-f1 downstream gene BR-C during the late prepupal period. These results suggest that betaFTZ-F1 regulates genes associated with ecdysis and metamorphosis, and that the exact timing of its action in the ecdysone-induced gene cascade is important for proper development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Yamada
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, and Department of Developmental Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka-ken 411-8540, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
140
|
Baker KD, Warren JT, Thummel CS, Gilbert LI, Mangelsdorf DJ. Transcriptional activation of the Drosophila ecdysone receptor by insect and plant ecdysteroids. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2000; 30:1037-1043. [PMID: 10989290 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(00)00075-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A number of insect ecdysteroids, plant ecdysteroids and juvenoids were assayed for their ability to activate Drosophila nuclear receptors in transfected tissue culture cells. Discrete modifications to 20-hydroxyecdysone, the apparent natural ligand for the ecdysone receptor (EcR), conferred dramatic changes on the transcriptional activity of this receptor, suggesting that other biologically relevant EcR ligands may exist. Conversely, none of the compounds tested had a significant effect on the activity of three Drosophila orphan nuclear receptors: DHR38, DHR78 or DHR96. Taken together, these results demonstrate the selectivity of EcR for a series of natural and synthetic ecdysone agonists and suggest that as yet untested compounds may be responsible for activating DHR38, DHR78 and DHR96.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K D Baker
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75390-9050, Dallas, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
141
|
Chávez VM, Marqués G, Delbecque JP, Kobayashi K, Hollingsworth M, Burr J, Natzle JE, O'Connor MB. The Drosophila disembodied gene controls late embryonic morphogenesis and codes for a cytochrome P450 enzyme that regulates embryonic ecdysone levels. Development 2000; 127:4115-26. [PMID: 10976044 DOI: 10.1242/dev.127.19.4115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Ecdysteroids regulate a wide variety of cellular processes during arthropod development, yet little is known about the genes involved in the biosynthesis of these hormones. Previous studies have suggested that production of 20-hydroxyecdysone in Drosophila and other arthropods involves a series of cytochrome P450 catalyzed hydroxylations of cholesterol. In this report, we show that the disembodied (dib) locus of Drosophila codes for a P450-like sequence. In addition, we find that dib mutant embryos have very low titers of ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and fail to express IMP-E1 and L1, two 20E-inducible genes, in certain tissues of the embryo. In situ hybridization studies reveal that dib is expressed in a complex pattern in the early embryo, which eventually gives way to restricted expression in the prothoracic portion of the ring gland. In larval and adult tissues, dib expression is observed in the prothoracic gland and follicle cells of the ovaries respectively, two tissues known to synthesize ecdysteroids. Phenotypic analysis reveals that dib mutant embryos produce little or no cuticle and exhibit severe defects in many late morphogenetic processes such as head involution, dorsal closure and gut development. In addition, we examined the phenotypes of several other mutants that produce defective embryonic cuticles. Like dib, mutations in the spook (spo) locus result in low embryonic ecdysteroid titers, severe late embryonic morphological defects, and a failure to induce IMP-E1. From these data, we conclude that dib and spo likely code for essential components in the ecdysone biosynthetic pathway and that ecdysteroids regulate many late embryonic morphogenetic processes such as cell movement and cuticle deposition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V M Chávez
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
142
|
Abstract
Ecdysteroids trigger major developmental transitions in Drosophila, including larval molts and metamorphosis. Recent genetic studies strongly support a role for the Ecdysteroid receptor (EcR)/Ultraspiracle (USP) heterodimer as an ecdysteroid receptor at the onset of metamorphosis, functioning as both a transcriptional activator and repressor in vivo. Genetic analysis also indicates that USP, like its vertebrate homolog retinoid X receptor (RXR), might be involved in regulatory pathways independently of EcR. The ecdysteroid hierarchy was also shown recently to regulate Drosophila oogenesis and reproduction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Kozlova
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 15 N 2030 E Rm 5100, University of Utah, UT 84112-5331, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
143
|
Lu W, Wainwright G, Webster SG, Rees HH, Turner PC. Clustering of mandibular organ-inhibiting hormone and moult-inhibiting hormone genes in the crab, Cancer pagurus, and implications for regulation of expression. Gene 2000; 253:197-207. [PMID: 10940557 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(00)00282-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Development and reproduction of crustaceans is regulated by a combination of neuropeptide hormones, ecdysteroids (moulting hormones) and the isoprenoid, methyl farnesoate (MF), the unepoxidised analogue of insect juvenile hormone-III (JH-III). MF and the ecdysteroids are respectively synthesised under the negative control of the sinus gland-derived mandibular organ-inhibiting hormones (MO-IHs) and moult-inhibiting hormone (MIH) that are produced in eyestalk neural ganglia. Previous work has demonstrated the existence of two isoforms of MO-IH, called MO-IH-1 and -2, that differ by a single amino acid in the mature peptide and one in the putative signal peptide. To study the structural organisation of the crab MIH and MO-IH genes, a genomic DNA library was constructed from DNA of an individual female crab and screened with both MO-IH and MIH probes. The results from genomic Southern blot analysis and library screening indicated that the Cancer pagurus genome contains at least two copies of the MIH gene and three copies of the MO-IH genes. Upon screening, two types of overlapping genomic clone were isolated. Each member of one type of genomic clone contains a single copy of each of the convergently transcribed MO-IH-1 and MIH genes clustered within 6.5kb. The other type contains only the MO-IH-2 gene, which is not closely linked to an MIH gene. There are three exons and two introns in all MIH and MO-IH genes analysed. The exon-intron boundary of the crab MIH and MO-IH genes follows Chambon's rule (GT-AG) for the splice donor and acceptor sites. The first intron occurs within the signal peptide region and the second intron occurs in the coding region of the mature peptide. Sequence analysis of upstream regions of MO-IH and MIH genes showed that they contained promoter elements with characteristics similar to other eukaryotic genes. These included sequences with high degrees of similarity to the arthropod initiator, TATA box and cAMP response element binding protein. Additionally, putative CF1/USP and Broad Complex Z2 transcription factor elements were found in the upstream regions of MIH and MO-IH genes respectively. The implications of the presence of the latter two putative transcription factor binding-elements for control of expression of MIH and MO-IH genes is discussed. Phylogenetic analysis and gene organisation show that MO-IH and MIH genes are closely related. Their relationship suggests that they represent an example of evolutionary divergence of crustacean hormones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W Lu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Life Sciences Building, Crown Street, L69 7ZB, Liverpool, UK
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
144
|
Jones G, Jones D. Considerations on the structural evidence of a ligand-binding function of ultraspiracle, an insect homolog of vertebrate RXR. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2000; 30:671-679. [PMID: 10876110 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(00)00038-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This analysis considers the structural evidence of a ligand-binding function of the nuclear receptor ultraspiracle (USP). The positions and nature of residues in the ligand-binding domain of USP from six higher insects is evaluated in comparison to the function of conserved residues vertebrate receptors that have been co-crystallized with ligand. USP appears to conserve residues that in vertebrate receptors (1) form the hydrophobic ligand-binding pocket, (2) contact oxygen-containing moieties on ligands, such as hydroxyl, keto and carboxyl groups, and (3) in response to ligand-binding conformationally change to form a multi-helix hydrophobic groove for recruitment of transcriptional co-activators. These structural features are consistent with the recent report that USP can bind the epoxymethylfarnesoates (juvenile hormones) and thereupon is induced to change conformation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Jones
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
145
|
Abstract
Studies of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have identified genetic and molecular mechanisms controlling temporal patterns of developmental events. Mutations in genes of the C. elegans heterochronic pathway cause altered temporal patterns of larval development, in which cells at certain larval stages execute cell division patterns or differentiation programs normally specific for other stages. The products of the heterochronic genes include transcriptional and translational regulators and two different cases of novel small translational regulatory RNAs. Other genes of the pathway encode evolutionarily conserved proteins, including a homolog of the Drosophila Period circadian timing regulator, and a member of the nuclear receptor family of proteins. These regulators interact with each other to elaborate stage-specific regulatory switches and act through downstream effectors to control the timing of cell-type-specific developmental events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Ambros
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover 03755, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
146
|
Palli SR, Ladd TR, Ricci AR, Sohi SS, Retnakaran A. Cloning and development expression of Choristoneura hormone receptor 75: a homologue of the Drosophila E75A gene. DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS 2000; 20:36-46. [PMID: 9094210 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6408(1997)20:1<36::aid-dvg5>3.0.co;2-a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Cloning and characterization of a cDNA of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, that showed high amino acid similarity with the deduced amino acid sequences of E75 cDNAs cloned from Manduca sexta, Galleria melonella, and Drosophila melanogaster are described. Initially, a cDNA fragment and then a full length cDNA were cloned from C. fumiferana. The longest open reading frame of this cDNA had 690 codons and its deduced amino acid sequence had all five domains typical of a steroid hormone nuclear receptor. The deduced amino acid sequence of this cDNA showed the highest identity with the deduced amino acid sequence of E75A cDNAs cloned from M. sexta, G. melonella, and D. melanogaster, and is therefore named Choristoneura hormone receptor 75A (CHR75A). The CHR75A cDNA probe detected a 2.6 kb mRNA that was abundant at the time of the ecdysteroid peaks during molting in the embryonic, larval and pupal stages. In the sixth instar larvae, CHR75 mRNA was detected in the epidermis, fat body and midgut, and maximum expression was observed during the prepupal peak of ecdysteroids in the hemolymph. CHR75 mRNA was induced in ecdysone treated CF-203 cells and in the midgut, fat body and epidermis of larvae that were fed the non-steroidal ecdysteroid agonist, RH-5992. In vitro transcription and translation of the CHR75A cDNA yielded a 79 kDa protein that bound to the retinoic acid receptor related orphan receptor response element (RORE).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S R Palli
- Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
147
|
Perera SC, Palli SR, Ladd TR, Krell PJ, Retnakaran A. The ultraspiracle gene of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana: cloning of cDNA and developmental expression of mRNA. DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS 2000; 22:169-79. [PMID: 9581288 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6408(1998)22:2<169::aid-dvg6>3.0.co;2-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cloning and characterization of a Choristoneura fumiferana ultraspiracle (Cfusp) cDNA are described. First, a PCR fragment and then a cDNA clone (4.4 kb) were isolated from spruce budworm cDNA libraries. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of this cDNA with the sequences in Genbank showed that this sequence had high homology with the ultraspiracle cDNAs cloned from Drosophila melanogaster (Dmusp), Bombyx mori (Bmusp), Manduca sexta (Msusp), and Aedes aegypti (Aausp). The Cfusp cDNA contained all the regions that are typical for a steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily member. The DNA binding domain or C region was the most conserved sequence among all the usps. The A/B, D, and E regions also showed high amino acid identity with the amino acid sequences of Dmusp, Msusp, Bmusp, and Aausp. The Cfusp 4.5-kb mRNA was present in the embryos, in all larval stages, and in the pupae. The Cfusp mRNA levels in the midgut increased during the sixth-instar larval development and reached peak levels during the ecdysteroid raises for the pupal molt. However, Cfusp mRNA levels remained unchanged in the midgut of fifth-instar larvae, and in the epidermis and fat body of sixth-instar larvae indicating both a tissue- and stage-specific regulation of Cfusp mRNA expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S C Perera
- Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
148
|
Wurtz JM, Guillot B, Fagart J, Moras D, Tietjen K, Schindler M. A new model for 20-hydroxyecdysone and dibenzoylhydrazine binding: a homology modeling and docking approach. Protein Sci 2000; 9:1073-84. [PMID: 10892801 PMCID: PMC2144669 DOI: 10.1110/ps.9.6.1073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The ecdysone receptor (ECR), a nuclear transcription factor controlling insect development, is a novel target for insecticides such as dibenzoylhydrazines with low environmental and toxicological impacts. To understand the high selectivity of such synthetic molecules toward ECR, two homology models of the Chironomus tentans ECR ligand-binding domain (LDB) have been constructed by taking as templates the known LBD crystal structures of the retinoic acid and vitamin D receptors. Docking of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and dibenzoylhydrazines to the receptor suggests a novel superposition of the natural and synthetic molecules; the N-tert-butyl substituent of the dibenzoylhydrazines extends significantly beyond the 20E volume. Our ECR-LBD protein models rationalize how 20E and dibenzoylhydrazines interact with the ligand-binding pocket. The homology model complexes provide new insights that can be exploited in the rational design of new environmentally safe insecticides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J M Wurtz
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, Illkirch, C.U. de Strasbourg, France.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
149
|
Sapone A, Peters JM, Sakai S, Tomita S, Papiha SS, Dai R, Friedman FK, Gonzalez FJ. The human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha gene: identification and functional characterization of two natural allelic variants. PHARMACOGENETICS 2000; 10:321-33. [PMID: 10862523 DOI: 10.1097/00008571-200006000-00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha-null mice have a defect in fatty acid metabolism but reproduce normally. The lack of a detrimental effect of the null phenotype in development and reproduction opens up the possibility for null or variant PPARalpha gene (PPARA) alleles in humans. To search the coding region and splice junctions for mutant and variant PPARalpha alleles, the human PPARalpha gene was cloned and characterized, and sequencing by polymerase chain reaction was carried out. Two point mutations in the human gene were found in the DNA binding domain at codons for amino acids 131 and 162. The allele containing the mutation in codon 162 (CTT to GTT, L162V) designated PPARA*3, was found at a high frequency in a Northern Indian population. Transfection assays of this mutant showed that the non-ligand dependent transactivation activity was less than one-half as active as the wild-type receptor. PPARA*3 was also unresponsive to low concentrations of ligand as compared to the wild-type PPARA*1 receptor. However, the difference is ligand concentration-dependent; at concentrations of the peroxisome proliferator Wy-14 643 > 25 microM, induction activity was restored in this variant's transactivation activity to a level five-fold greater as compared with wild-type PPARA*1 with no ligand. The mutation in codon 131 (CGA to CAA, R131Q), designated PPARA*2 is less frequent than PPARA*3, and the constitutive ligand independent activity was slightly higher than PPARA*1. Increasing concentrations of Wy-14 643 activated PPARA*2 similar to that observed with PPARA*1. The biological significance of these novel PPARalpha alleles remains to be established. It will be of great interest to determine whether these alleles are associated with differential response to fibrate therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Sapone
- Laboratory of Metabolism, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
150
|
Nicolaï M, Bouhin H, Quennedey B, Delachambre J. Molecular cloning and expression of Tenebrio molitor ultraspiracle during metamorphosis and in vivo induction of its phosphorylation by 20-hydroxyecdysone. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2000; 9:241-249. [PMID: 10886407 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2583.2000.00181.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Using a RT-PCR approach, the Tenebrio molitor homologue of Drosophila Ultraspiracle (TmUSP) was characterized. Its DNA binding domain shows a degree of identity with those of the other insect USPs. However, the ligand binding domain is closer to those of retinoid X receptors. Using an antibody raised against DmUSP, Western blot analysis of proteins from epidermis and other tissues revealed five immunoreactive bands, corresponding to different phosphorylated forms of a unique polypeptide, as shown by lambda-phosphatase treatment. The nuclear form of TmUSP seems unphosphorylated. An in vivo 20-hydroxyecdysone treatment increases considerably and rapidly the phosphorylated forms of TmUSP. This post-translational modification may play a role in the 20-hydroxyecdysone response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Nicolaï
- UMR CNRS 5548 Développement-Communication Chimique, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|