Autoradiographic localization of ornithine decarboxylase in mouse kidney by use of radiolabeled alpha-difluoromethylornithine

Distribution patterns of ornithine decarboxylase in cells and tissues: facts, problems, and postulates

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a key enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis. Increased polyamine levels are required for growth, differentiation, and transformation of cells. In situ detection of ODC in cells and tissues has been performed with biochemical, enzyme cytochemical, immunocytochemical, and in situ hybridization techniques. Different localization patterns at the cellular level have been described, depending on the type of cells or tissues studied. These patterns varied from exclusively cytoplasmic to both cytoplasmic and nuclear. These discrepancies can be partially explained by the (lack of) sensitivity and/or specificity of the methods used, but it is more likely that (sub)cellular localization of ODC is cell type-specific and/or depends on the physiological status (growth, differentiation, malignant transformation, apoptosis) of cells. Intracellular translocation of ODC may be a prerequisite for its regulation and function.

Nuclear translocation of antizyme and expression of ornithine decarboxylase and antizyme are developmentally regulated

The polyamines are important regulators of cell growth and differentiation. Cells acquire polyamines by energy-dependent transport and by synthesis where the highly regulated ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) catalyzes the first and rate-controlling step. Inactivation of ODC is mainly exerted by antizyme (AZ), a 20--25 kDa polyamine-induced protein that binds to ODC, inactivates it, and targets it for degradation by the 26S proteasome without ubiquitination. In the present study, we have performed a systematic analysis of the expression of ODC and AZ, at the mRNA and protein levels, during mouse development. The expression patterns for ODC and AZ were found to be developmentally regulated, suggesting important functions for the polyamines in early embryogenesis, axonogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal interaction, and in apoptosis. In addition, AZ protein was found to translocate to the nucleus in a developmentally regulated manner. The nuclear localization is consistent with the fact that the amino acid sequence of AZ exhibits features that characterize nuclear proteins. Interestingly, we found that cultivation of mandibular components of the first branchial arch in the presence of a selective proteasome inhibitor caused ODC accumulation in the nucleus of a subset of cells, suggesting that the observed nuclear translocation of AZ is linked to proteasome-mediated ODC degradation in the nucleus. The presence of AZ in the nucleus may suggest that nuclear ODC activity is under tight control, and that polyamine production can be rapidly interrupted when those developmental events, which depend on access to nuclear polyamines, have been completed.

Dietary induction of ornithine decarboxylase in male mouse kidney

In male mouse kidney, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is induced after feeding, and the induction depends on dietary protein content. 24 h after feeding with 50% casein-containing meal, ODC activity and amount of immunoreactive ODC protein increased more than 10-fold, ODC mRNA level increased 2-fold, and the ODC half-life extended 7-fold. The renal ODC induction after feeding is, therefore, due mainly to stabilization of ODC protein. Urinary excretion of putrescine increased in response to the ODC induction, but the renal polyamine contents scarcely changed. Consistently, the level of antizyme, a polyamine-inducible protein, determined as the ODC-antizyme complex level, scarcely changed after feeding, and the antizyme/ODC ratio in the kidney largely decreased, resulting in the stabilization of ODC protein. The present results suggest that the strong excretion system of the kidney for newly synthesized polyamines enables renal ODC escape from antizyme-mediated feedback regulation.

Immunocytochemical detection of ornithine decarboxylase

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a regulatory enzyme of polyamine biosynthesis, is involved in cell growth and differentiation. Lack of information about the exact cellular and subcellular localization of ODC is one of the main obstacles to precise interpretation of the biological roles of the ODC/polyamine system. Here we describe the development and optimization of an immunocytochemical method to detect ODC in cells and tissues. For this purpose a monoclonal antibody (MP16-2) against a defined epitope of ODC protein was developed. Specificity of the antibody for ODC was substantiated by Western blotting and ELISA analysis using cell and tissue homogenates. In cultured cells, optimal staining results were obtained after fixation with crosslinking fixatives followed by permeabilization with methanol. In rat tissues, ODC immunoreactivity was best preserved in paraffin sections fixed with Bouin's fixative. Antigen retrieval using SDS and citrate buffer substantially increased ODC immunostaining and decreased background staining. Localization studies of ODC in different cell lines showed that strongest staining for ODC was found in the nucleoplasm of mitotic cells, whereas confluent cells showed moderate perinuclear staining. Immunocytochemical studies of various rat tissues showed high cytoplasmic immunostaining of ODC in epithelial cells of kidney, prostate, and adrenal medulla of testosterone-treated rats, in glandular epithelium of small intestine, and in pancreas of neonatal and adult rats. (J Histochem Cytochem 47:1395-1404, 1999)

The cellular localization of the L-ornithine decarboxylase/polyamine system in normal and diseased central nervous systems

Natural polyamines, spermidine and spermine, and their precursor putrescine, are of considerable importance for the developing and mature nervous system. They exhibit a number of neurophysiological and metabolic effects in the nervous system, including control of nucleic acid and protein synthesis, modulation of ionic channels and calcium-dependent transmitter release. The polyamine system is also known to be involved in various brain pathologic events (seizures, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and others). While cerebral polyamine concentrations and the activities of polyamine-metabolizing enzymes have been studied in great detail, much less is known about the cells that are responsible for cerebral polyamine synthesis and interconversion. With the present review the attempt is made to show how exact knowledge about the regional distribution and cellular localization of polyamines and the polyamine-synthesizing enzymatic machinery (and especially of L-ornithine decarboxylase) may help to better understand the functional interplay between polyamines and other endogenous agents (transmitters, receptors, growth factors neuroactive drugs etc.). Polyamines have been localized both in neurones and glial cells. However, the main cellular locus of the ODC is the neuron--both in the immature and adult central nervous system. Each period of normal brain development and ageing seems to have its own, characteristic temporo-spatial pattern of neuronal ODC expression. During strong functional activation (kindling, epileptic seizures, neural transplantation) astrocytes and other non-neuronal cells do also express ODC and other polyamine-metabolizing enzymes. Astroglial expression of ODC is accompanied by an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein in these cells. This shift in the cellular mechanisms of polyamine metabolism is currently far from being understood. In human brain diseases (Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia) certain neurones show an increased expression of ODC, the first and rate-limiting enzyme of polyamine metabolism. Since polyamines are structurally related to psychoactive drugs (neuroleptics, antidepressants) the polyamine system might be of importance as a putative target for drug intervention in psychiatry.

Ornithine decarboxylase along the mouse and rat nephron

Renal arginase activity is a potent source of ornithine (Orn) for polyamine synthesis. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) was localized along the mouse and rat nephron by incubating viable nephron segments isolated by microdissection from collagenase-treated kidneys with or without D,L-2-(difluoromethyl)ornithine (DFMO), a selective inactivator of ODC. Tubules from either control or DFMO-treated animals were incubated with 100 ¿M L-[1-14C]Orn. In control mice, Orn decarboxylation occurred mainly in the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT). In DFMO-treated mice, Orn decarboxylation was dramatically reduced in PCT and in proximal straight tubules (PST). In rats, Orn decarboxylation also occurred predominantly in the proximal tubule. Addition of 10 mM DFMO to isolated tubules dramatically decreased Orn decarboxylation in PCT and in PST. Thereafter, ODC activity was demonstrated in permeabilized tubules. In Triton X-100-treated tubules from control mice, ODC was exclusively found in proximal tubules (PCT > PST). This ODC activity was strongly inhibited in DFMO-treated mice. In conclusion, the highest ODC activity was found in rat and mouse PCT, a segment devoid of arginase. We hypothesize that the filtered Orn, which is reabsorbed along the PCT,is the main source of Orn for ODC.

Effects of chronically elevated growth hormone levels on polyamine metabolism in elderly transgenic mice

The polyamines are ubiquitous, multifunctional aliphatic amines with roles in cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and malignant development. After growth stimulation, rapid and transient changes occur in polyamine regulatory enzymes. In this respect, acute effects of growth hormone (GH) injection on polyamine metabolic enzymes have earlier been shown. The present investigation comprises studies of the effects on polyamine metabolism of constitutively elevated levels of circulating GH in elderly transgenic (tg+) mice, overexpressing bovine GH. Polyamine levels were found to be constitutively altered in the liver and kidney of tg+ mice. Less changes were found in the spleen and none in the brain. The cellular uptake of polyamines in the liver from tg+ mice showed an increase and considerable changes were observed in the activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in the liver and kidney and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) in the liver. A conspicuous finding was the distribution pattern of ODC protein in the liver and both tg- and tg+ animals. The results show that the effects of chronically elevated GH levels are organ-dependent and complex, and differ from acute GH effects. Despite high ODC activity and polyamine levels in liver, these mice did not display any malignant transformation even at an advanced age, indicating that high ODC activity is not sufficient to induce tumorigenesis in vivo.

Localization of D-amino acid oxidase mRNA in the mouse kidney and the effect of testosterone treatment

D-Amino acid oxidase (DAO), which catalyzes oxidative deamination of D-amino acids, is known to be highly expressed in the kidney. This study was designed to examine the localization of DAO mRNA in the mouse kidney using in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISH). For comparison, ISH for mRNA of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), which is also highly expressed in the mouse kidney, was simultaneously performed. Adult, male mice which received 1 mg of testosterone propionate or vehicle injection, were sacrificed 14 h after injection and their kidneys were removed and processed for ISH. Hybridization signals for both mRNAs were exclusively located over the epithelial cells of the proximal tubule in the vehicle-treated animals. Signals for the DAO mRNA were observed at nearly the same hybridization intensity throughout the proximal tubule, whereas hybridization signals for the ODC mRNA were observed exclusively in the pars convoluta. Following testosterone treatment, ODC mRNA in the pars convoluta was expressed with a stronger intensity than that in the vehicle-injected animals. ODC mRNA was also expressed in the pars recta with a weaker intensity than in the pars convoluta. On the other hand, DAO mRNA expression was little affected by testosterone treatment. These results indicate that, although both genes are possibly expressed in the same cells, the expression of these genes is regulated by different mechanisms.

Localization of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase in murine tissues by immunohistochemistry

S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC), one of three key enzymes in polyamine biosynthesis, is present in minute concentrations in adult tissues, whereas increased AdoMetDC activity occurs in conjunction with differentiation and growth. The occurrence of AdoMetDC in tissues has earlier been studied by biochemical technique only. In this work, an antiserum against recombinant human AdoMetDC was used to investigate the localization of the enzyme in different mouse tissues. In all tissues studied, immunolabeling was seen in cytoplasm, while cell nuclei were negative. In the kidney, AdoMetDC immunoreactivity was confined to the inner part of the cortex; the outer part of the cortex and the medulla displayed only a weak AdoMetDC immunoreaction. In the cortex, renal tubules were strongly reactive, while renal corpuscules were weakly immunolabeled. In developing teeth, AdoMetDC immunoreactivity displayed a gradient of distribution, the immunolabeling intensity being increased from the cervical region to the tip of the cusps. In the incisor, post-secretory ameloblasts were strongly labeled. In the oral mucosa, epithelial cells demonstrated stronger immunolabeling than did cells of the subjacent connective tissue. As for muscle cells, immunoreactive material was confined to the periphery of the fibers. In vitro, treatment with DL-alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) or methylglyoxal bis-(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG) led to an increase in AdoMetDC. It can be concluded that antibodies to recombinant human AdoMetDC provide a tool for the immunohistochemical localization of AdoMetDC, and that the distribution of the enzyme in the tissues studied gives further support to the importance of polyamines in the development and functions of these organs.

Heterogeneous expression of ornithine decarboxylase gene in the proximal tubule of the mouse kidney following testosterone treatment

The expression of the ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) gene in the mouse kidney following testosterone treatment was examined using in situ hybridization histochemistry. Testosterone (n = 5) or vehicle (n = 5) was subcutaneously injected (1 mg/animal) into male BALB/c mice (8 weeks in age) 14 h before sacrifice. Animals were sacrificed under ether anesthesia, their kidneys were removed and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen. Frozen sections (10-microns-thick) were cut on a cryostat. Sections were hybridized with 35S-labeled sense or antisense RNA probe. The hybridization continued for 24 h at 50 degrees C and emulsion autoradiography was subsequently performed. A marked increase in ODC mRNA was exclusively detected in the proximal tubule of the renal cortex in the testosterone-treated animals. The hybridization signal was greater in the outer portion of the proximal tubule than in the inner portion. No significant hybridization signal was detected either in the distal tubule, renal corpuscle or peritubular tissues. These results indicate that testosterone induces the expression of the ODC gene in the proximal tubule of the renal cortex, leading to the increase in ODC activity in the same region.

Preparation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against ornithine decarboxylase

In order to develop a method for the immunocytochemical detection of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), EC 4.1.1.17, we have prepared and characterized monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against ODC. The primary structure of rat ODC (Rattus Norvegicus) was used for the selection of an epitope by computer calculations. The epitope (P16), a hexadecapeptide representing ODC-(345-360), was synthesized by means of solid phase peptide synthesis and coupled to a carrier protein. A bovine serum albumin conjugate of the P16 peptide was used as the immunogen for the production of MAbs in mice. Hybridoma clones were screened and the specificity of the monoclonal antibodies was tested in an ELISA utilizing a thyroglobulin conjugate of the hexadecapeptide. Two hybridoma cell lines were developed, i.e., MP16-2 and MP16-3. The epitope specificity of the MAbs produced by these cell lines was characterized in an ELISA using a set of small peptides representing parts of the P16 hexadecapeptide chain. MP16-2 recognized the ODC-(355-360) portion whereas MP16-3 reacted with the ODC-(345-350) part of the hexadecapeptide. Further studies showed that both MAbs also recognized native ODC but not the inhibited (i.e., ODC labelled with 3H-DFMO) enzyme indicating that the selected epitope was associated with the active site of ODC or a locus in its direct vicinity.

Effects of pituitary hormones on the cell-specific expression of the KAP gene

The expression of kidney androgen-regulated protein (KAP) gene in mouse kidney is regulated in a multihormonal fashion. As determined by in situ hybridization analysis, epithelial cells of proximal convoluted tubules of cortical nephrons express KAP mRNA in response to androgenic stimulation while similar cells in the juxtamedullary S3 segment of the tubules express KAP mRNA under estrogenic and pituitary hormonal control. In situ hybridization analysis of kidney sections using hypophysectomized (hypox) mice resulted in a total absence of KAP mRNA suggesting the participation of a pituitary hormone(s) in the constitutive expression of KAP mRNA in S3 cells. Treatment of hypox mice with steroid hormones showed that androgens restored the ability of cortical tubule cells to synthesize KAP mRNA. Estrogen treatment, on the other hand, partially induced KAP gene expression only in S3 cells. These results indicated that the androgenic response of the gene is independent of pituitary function, while expression in S3 cells, although partially induced by the direct action of estrogens, is primarily regulated by a pituitary factor. In order to elucidate which hormone(s) is responsible for KAP gene expression in S3 cells, individual pituitary hormones were administered to hypox normal animals and to strains of mice genetically deficient in certain pituitary hormones. Surgically treated C57BL/6 female and male mice were implanted for 7 days with osmotic pumps containing individual pituitary hormones, after which the kidneys were analyzed by in situ hybridization. Mice injected with growth hormone (GH), corticotropin (ACTH), prolactin (PRL), or vehicle failed to express KAP mRNA. Mice treated with thyrotropin (TSH), follitropin (FSH), and lutropin (LH) exhibited high levels of KAP mRNA in S3 cells of females as well as in the renal cortex of male animals. Expression in the cortex in response to LH and FSH may be due to their gonadotropic effect on testosterone production. Similarly, contamination of TSH samples with small amounts of the gonadotropins may explain the cortical response to TSH. TSH produced the strongest response in S3 cells suggesting that it is responsible for the permissive effect of the pituitary on KAP gene expression. This conclusion was supported by studies performed with the dwarf mouse (dw/dw) which lacks PRL, GH, and TSH due to a mutation in the pit-1 gene. In situ hybridization analysis of dwarf mice kidney sections showed a complete lack of KAP gene expression. The possible participation of GH and PRL was eliminated on the basis of the hormone replacement studies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Progressive induction of mRNA synthesis for androgen-responsive genes in mouse kidney

A number of mRNAs present in kidney are selectively induced by the administration of androgen to mice. Using a pulse-labelling method to measure in vivo rates of mRNA synthesis, seven androgen-responsive mRNAs were tested. The time courses of induction following testosterone treatment indicated that androgen-responsive mRNA synthesis increases progressively. Depending on the mRNA examined, it took 2-10 days after the start of hormone administration for synthesis rates to reach a maximum. Even the fastest of these inductions is slow compared to response times in other steroid-responsive systems, and is very slow compared to the time required for androgen-receptor complex to accumulate in the nucleus. We conclude that gene activation in response to androgen is a prolonged and incremental process rather than a single event. Two alternative models are proposed: (1) these genes are actually responding to intermediate transcription factors that accumulate progressively in response to androgen; (2) the androgen-responsive genes contain multiple binding sites that have a cumulative effect on transcription as the number of receptor complexes bound increases.

Localization of ornithine decarboxylase in the chick embryo during organogenesis

The localization of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a key enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis and thus in cell growth, was determined in the 4.5-day-old chick embryo, using two independent methods of analysis. ODC protein was identified by indirect immunofluorescence with a monospecific ODC antibody, and catalytically active ODC was identified by autoradiography with alpha-(5-3H) difluoromethylornithine. Both methods revealed a basically similar distribution of ODC within the embryo. Among the organs, the brain exhibited the highest ODC levels. ODC levels were also high in spinal cord, mesonephric tubules and heart. Similar levels, but confined to limited areas, were found in liver tissue, head mesenchyme, and the oral and pharyngeal regions. Organs that exhibited high ODC levels are all engaged in rapid growth, as well as in extensive tissue remodeling and differentiation.

Ornithine decarboxylase as target of chemotherapy

Ornithine decarboxylase is a key enzyme in polyamine synthesis and growth of mammalian cells. In this chapter I review recent reports on the purification and properties of the pure enzyme, and on the localization, synthesis and regulation of the enzyme in the cell. The use of monospecific antibodies, radiolabeled irreversible inhibitors and cDNA clones for studying enzyme localization, turnover and regulation, is briefly described. This first part is meant to serve as a basis for the analysis of ornithine decarboxylase as a target of chemotherapy. A selection of the most potent inhibitors of ornithine decarboxylase is presented and the effects of some of these in cell culture, in animals and in the clinical setting are reviewed.