Persistent Mullerian duct syndrome caused by both a 27-bp deletion and a novel splice mutation in the MIS type II receptor gene

BACKGROUND

Persistent Mullerian duct syndrome (PMDS) is a rare form of male pseudohermaphroditism that is characterized by the persistence of Mullerian derivatives in otherwise normally virilized males. Mutations of the Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) gene or the MIS type II receptor (MISRII) gene have been identified in PMDS patients with autosomal recessive transmission. We analyzed a compound heterozygote PMDS patient who had a 27-bp deletion in exon 10 in one allele and a novel mutation in intron 5 in the other allele of the MISRII gene.

METHODS

Whole blood and tissue samples were obtained from a one-month-old 46,XY male with persistent PMDS and the MISRII gene was sequenced and compared to his mother's genomic DNA and that of 22 normal individuals. Serum MIS and the reproductive hormones were measured by standard immunoassays.

RESULTS

The patient's hormone levels were normal but the gene for MISRII contained several mutations, a 27-bp deletion in exon 10 on one allele (one of the most common mutations in PMDS) and a novel mutation in intron 5 in the other allele that altered splicing, resulting in retention of the intron and a frameshift, introducing a stop codon. Other mutations in introns 6 and 9 and in exon 11 might not be functionally significant.

CONCLUSIONS

This case reveals a novel mutation in the MISRII gene involving intronic sequences, which when coexisting with the already identified 27-bp deletion in exon 10, leads to PMDS.

Mullerian Inhibiting Substance induces NFkB signaling in breast and prostate cancer cells

The MIS type II receptor is expressed at high levels in the Mullerian duct and in Sertoli cells and granulosa cells of the embryonic and adult gonads. The presence of MIS type II and type I receptors in tissues and cell lines derived from breast and prostate suggests that the prostate and mammary glands may be additional targets for MIS action. In both breast and prostate cancer cells, MIS activated NFkB DNA binding activity and induced IEX-1, an immediate early gene which regulates cell growth and apoptosis. Exposure of cells to MIS inhibited growth by increasing the fraction of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and by inducing apoptosis. These results suggest that MIS may be a putative mediator of growth regulatory signals in the breast and prostate.

Eicosapentaenoic acid inhibits PDGF-induced mitogenesis and cyclin D1 expression via TGF-beta in mesangial cells

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid derived from fish oil, is efficacious in glomerular diseases where mesangial proliferation is a key event. We examined the mechanisms of action of EPA on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-stimulated rat mesangial cell mitogenesis. EPA dose-dependently inhibited PDGF-stimulated [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation. PDGF-induced PDGF receptor autophosphorylation, an initial event for PDGF signaling, was not affected by 2 micro g/ml EPA. Similarly, PDGF-stimulated activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was not altered. On the other hand, EPA inhibited cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) activation and cyclin D1 protein induction, a critical step for G1/S progression. TGF-beta secretion assessed by ELISA and bioassay was increased by EPA at 18 h. Coincubation with anti-TGF-beta antibody inhibited the EPA-induced suppression of [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation and cyclin D1 expression. SB203580, an inhibitor of p38, a downstream kinase of TGF-beta, did not affect EPA's growth inhibitory effect. These results demonstrate that EPA inhibits PDGF-stimulated mesangial cell mitogenesis and cyclin D1 expression via TGF-beta.

Mullerian-inhibiting substance regulates NF-kappa B signaling in the prostate in vitro and in vivo

Mullerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily, a class of molecules that regulates growth, differentiation, and apoptosis in many cells. MIS type II receptor in the Mullerian duct is temporally and spatially regulated during development and becomes restricted to the most caudal ends that fuse to form the prostatic utricle. In this article, we have demonstrated MIS type II receptor expression in the normal prostate, human prostate cancer cell lines, and tissue derived from patients with prostate adenocarcinomas. MIS induced NF-kappaB DNA binding activity and selectively up-regulated the immediate early gene IEX-1S in both androgen-dependent and independent human prostate cancer cells in vitro. Dominant negative IkappaBalpha expression ablated both MIS-induced increase of IEX-1S mRNA and inhibition of growth, indicating that activation of NF-kappaB signaling was required for these processes. Androgen also induced NF-kappaB DNA binding activity in prostate cancer cells but without induction of IEX-1S mRNA, suggesting that MIS-mediated increase in IEX-1S was independent of androgen-mediated signaling. Administration of MIS to male mice induced IEX-1S mRNA in the prostate in vivo, suggesting that MIS may function as an endogenous hormonal regulator of NF-kappaB signaling and growth in the prostate gland.

Mullerian inhibiting substance regulates NFkappaB signaling and growth of mammary epithelial cells in vivo

Müllerian inhibiting substance (MIS) inhibits breast cancer cell growth in vitro through interference with cell cycle progression and induction of apoptosis, a process associated with NFkappaB activation and up-regulation of one of its important target genes, IEX-1S (Segev, D. L., Ha, T., Tran, T. T., Kenneally, M., Harkin, P., Jung, M., MacLaughlin, D. T., Donahoe, P. K., and Maheswaran, S. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 28371-28379). Here we demonstrate that MIS activates the NFkappaB signaling cascade, induces IEX-1S mRNA, and inhibits the growth of MCF10A, an immortalized human breast epithelial cell line with characteristics of normal cells. In vivo, an inverse correlation was found to exist between various stages of mammary growth and MIS type II receptor expression. Receptor mRNA significantly diminished during puberty, when the ductal system branches and invades the adipose stroma and during the expansive growth at lactation, but it was up-regulated during involution, a time of regression and apoptosis. Peripartum variations in MIS type II receptor expression correlated with NFkappaB activation and IEX-1S mRNA expression. Administration of MIS to female mice induced NFkappaB DNA binding and IEX-1S mRNA expression in the breast. Furthermore, exposure to MIS in vivo increased apoptosis in the mouse mammary ductal epithelium. Thus, MIS may function as an endogenous hormonal regulator of NFkappaB signaling and growth in the breast.

Mechanisms of mitogen-activated protein kinase activation in experimental diabetes

Various growth factors and vasoactive substances are implicated in the pathogenesis of renal growth seen in early diabetes mellitus (DM). Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is an important mediator of these extracellular stimuli. Protein kinase C (PKC), an enzyme known to be stimulated in DM, also activates MAPK. Thus, MAPK activity was examined in glomeruli from streptozotocin-induced DM rats. MAPK activity, measured as myelin basic protein kinase, was elevated by approximately 50% in DM versus controls (CON). Increased protein contents of p42mapk and p44mapk, as well as increased tyrosine phosphorylation and mobility shift of p42mapk, were also observed in DM. Tyrosine dephosphorylation of pp42mapk, on the other hand, assessed by incubating glomerular membrane with or without sodium orthovanadate (vanadate), was significantly diminished in DM. Protein expression of MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), a dual specificity phosphatase that inactivates MAPK, was approximately 60% of CON. Reduction in MKP-1 was reproduced in cultured mesangial cells grown under high glucose (30 mM; HG). The suppression of MKP-1 was PKC-dependent since incubation of HG cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate for 24 h abolished it. Furthermore, calcium ionophore A23187 reversed the suppression, suggesting that blunted Ca2+ signalling, characteristic of HG cells secondary to PKC stimulation, may be the cause. These results demonstrate that glomerular MAPK is activated in DM by multiple mechanisms i.e., increases in protein contents, increased phosphorylation, and decreased dephosphorylation of the enzyme due to suppression of MKP-1. These alterations may have an implication in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.

Trapidil inhibits platelet-derived growth factor-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade

Trapidil, an antiplatelet drug, has been shown to reduce restenosis after angioplasty. It exerts its action, at least in part, by inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, antagonizing platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). We examined its site of action on PDGF cellular signaling. Exposure of cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells to increasing concentrations of trapidil for 18 hours resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in PDGF-BB-stimulated [3H] thymidine incorporation. Trapidil (400 microg/mL) increased PDGF beta-receptor protein by 28+/-8%, whereas PDGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PDGF beta-receptor remained unchanged. PDGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase Cgamma, the p85 regulatory subunit of phosphatidyl-inositol 3 kinase, Ras GTPase-activating protein, and an adaptor molecule Shc were also not altered. On the other hand, trapidil inhibited PDGF-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) activity by 35+/-7% at 10 minutes and by 32+/-10% at 6 hours. Activation of Raf-1, an upstream activator of MAP kinase, by PDGF was also attenuated by trapidil. Moreover, protein content of MAP kinase phosphatase-1, which inactivates MAP kinase, was elevated in trapidil-treated cells. These actions of trapidil may be mediated by cAMP. Thus, there was a 1.9-fold increase in cellular cAMP generation in trapidil-treated cells. The present results demonstrate that trapidil antagonizes PDGF-induced mitogenesis and MAP kinase activation in vascular smooth muscle cells, probably through cAMP.