Telomerase expression extends the proliferative life-span and maintains the osteogenic potential of human bone marrow stromal cells

Human bone marrow stromal cells (hMSCs) were stably transduced by a retroviral vector containing the gene for the catalytic subunit of human telomerase (hTERT). Transduced cells (hMSC-TERTs) had telomerase activity, and the mean telomere length was increased as compared with that of control cells. The transduced cells have now undergone more than 260 population doublings (PD) and continue to proliferate, whereas control cells underwent senescence-associated proliferation arrest after 26 PD. The cells maintained production of osteoblastic markers and differentiation potential during continuous subculturing, did not form tumors, and had a normal karyotype. When implanted subcutaneously in immunodeficient mice, the transduced cells formed more bone than did normal cells. These results suggest that ectopic expression of telomerase in hMSCs prevents senescence-associated impairment of osteoblast functions.

The interferon alpha induced protein ISG12 is localized to the nuclear membrane

Interferons exert their biological function mainly through the activation of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). ISG12 (originally designated p27) belongs to a family of small, interferon alpha inducible genes of unknown function. We have determined the 5' end sequence of ISG12 cDNA from the human cell lines HeLa and AMA by RACE. Comparing this sequence to ISG12 sequences in the expressed sequence tag (EST) database revealed the presence of two alternative splice variants of ISG12 in human cells exhibiting the same open reading frame. We have sequenced the promoter region of the ISG12 gene and found ISRE, IRF1/IRF2, and STAT elements correlating to the interferon alpha inducibility of the gene. Subsequently, we have expressed human ISG12, a 12-kDa hydrophobic protein in the baculovirus expression system and with a C-terminal FLAG-tag in the human cell line 293. Recombinant ISG12 sediments in the nuclear envelope in both cell types. Finally, we have been able to demonstrate the prevalence of the ISG12 gene product in the nuclear envelope of HeLa cells treated with interferon alpha by immunocytochemical analyses. ISG12 is the first interferon induced protein found localizing to the nuclear envelope.

Functional expression of eukaryotic polypeptide chain release factors 1 and 3 by means of baculovirus/insect cells and complex formation between the factors

Translation termination in eukaryotes is governed by termination codons in mRNA and two release factors, eRF1 and eRF3. In this work, human eRF1 and eRF3 have been produced in insect cells using a recombinant baculovirus expression system for the corresponding human cDNAs. Purification of eRF1 has led to a homogeneous 50-kDa protein active in promoting ribosome-dependent and termination-codon-dependent hydrolysis of formylmethionyl-tRNAf(Met). Purification of eRF3 yielded a full-length protein and shorter polypeptides. Microsequencing of the N-terminus of the shortest form detected a site of proteolytic cleavage between Arg91 and Gly92, probably due to exposed region(s) hypersensitive to proteolysis. The mixture of full-length and truncated forms of eRF3 as well as bacterially expressed eRF3 lacking 138 N-terminal amino acids (eRF3Cp) are active as an eRF1-dependent and ribosome-dependent GTPase and in stimulating the GTP-dependent release activity of eRF1. Complex formation between eRF1 and eRF3Cp was demonstrated by affinity and gel-filtration chromatographies and by native-gel electrophoresis. An abnormal electrophoretic mobility observed for eRF1 as compared with the complex points to a significant conformational change of either eRF1 or both factors in the complex. Co-expression of both factors in baculovirus-infected insect cells and a yeast two-hybrid assay were applied to monitor complex formation in vivo. In yeast cells, both eRF1 and eRF3 are either in a monomeric or in a heterodimeric but not in a homodimeric state.