Mice develop normally without tenascin

Tenascin, an extracellular matrix protein, is expressed in an unusually restricted pattern during embryogenesis and has been implicated in a variety of morphogenetic phenomena. To directly assess the function of tenascin in vivo, we generated mutant mice in which the tenascin gene was nully disrupted by replacing it with the lacZ gene. In mutant mice, lacZ was expressed in place of tenascin, and no tenascin product was detected. Homozygous mutant mice were, however, obtained in accordance with Mendelian laws, and both females and males produced offspring normally. No anatomical or histological abnormalities were detected in any tissues, and no major changes were observed in distribution of fibronectin, laminin, collagen, and proteoglycan. The existence of these mutant mice, lacking tenascin yet phenotypically normal, casts doubt on the theory that tenascin plays and essential role in normal development.

A novel ES cell line, TT2, with high germline-differentiating potency

In producing mutant mice by gene-targeting and gene-trapping in embryonic stem (ES) cells, the efficient colonization of the mutant ES cells into germline is still a critical matter. We have established a new line of ES cells, TT2, from an F1 embryo between a C57BL/6 female and a CBA male. When the TT2 cells were injected into blastocysts, the colonization into each tissue was very low. However, when injected into eight-cell embryos, the cells segregated inside the blastomeres, localized in an inner cell mass of blastocysts developed 1 day later, and colonized efficiently in each tissue of the pups. The pups were disproportionately male, about half of which were composed of TT2-derived cells primarily; in more than 70% of the males, TT2-derived cells were dominant, accounting for over half of the total cells. When these males were mated, they exclusively yielded TT2-derived offspring. The germline-differentiating potency was stable during 3 weeks of culture. Twenty-one of 24 mutant clones independently isolated yielded germline chimeras, and 19 clones yielded them in a rate comparable to that of the parent cells. Thus, TT2 cells can serve as a valuable vehicle for the production of mutant mice.

MesP1 is expressed in the heart precursor cells and required for the formation of a single heart tube

The Mesp1 gene encodes the basic HLH protein MesP1 which is expressed in the mesodermal cell lineage during early gastrulation. Disruption of the Mesp1 gene leads to aberrant heart morphogenesis, resulting in cardia bifida. In order to study the defects in Mesp1-expressing cells during gastrulation and in the specification of mesodermal cell lineages, we introduced a (beta)-galactosidase gene (lacZ) under the control of the Mesp1 promoter by homologous recombination. The early expression pattern revealed by (beta)-gal staining in heterozygous embryos was almost identical to that observed by whole mount in situ hybridization. However, the (beta)-gal activity was retained longer than the mRNA signal, which enabled us to follow cell migration during gastrulation. In heterozygous embryos, the Mesp1-expressing cells migrated out from the primitive streak and were incorporated into the head mesenchyme and heart field. In contrast, Mesp1-expressing cells in the homozygous deficient embryos stayed in the primitive streak for a longer period of time before departure. The expression of FLK-1, an early marker of endothelial cell precursors including heart precursors, also accumulated abnormally in the posterior region in Mesp1-deficient embryos. In addition, using the Cre-loxP site-specific recombination system, we could determine the lineage of the Mesp1-expressing cells. The first mesodermal cells that ingressed through the primitive streak were incorporated as the mesodermal component of the amnion, and the next mesodermal population mainly contributed to the myocardium of the heart tube but not to the endocardium. These results strongly suggest that MesP1 is expressed in the heart tube precursor cells and is required for mesodermal cells to depart from the primitive streak and to generate a single heart tube.

Differential usage of three exons generates at least five different mRNAs encoding human leukocyte common antigens

Leukocyte common antigens (LCAs, also known as T200 and CD 45) are integral membrane proteins expressed exclusively on hematopoietic cells. These molecules exhibit varying molecular masses and epitopes when expressed in different cell types. To determine the genetic bases for the generation of this diversity, three classes of human LCA cDNA clones that are different near their 5' ends have been isolated. These differences arose as a result of differential usage of three exons as determined from an analysis of a genomic DNA clone. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis with LCA exon-specific probes demonstrates the existence of at least two more LCA mRNA forms that are generated by differential splicing. A comparison of the human and mouse LCA protein sequences revealed a marked difference only in the extracellular domain.

Mesp2: a novel mouse gene expressed in the presegmented mesoderm and essential for segmentation initiation

We isolated a novel bHLH protein gene Mesp2 (for mesoderm posterior 2) that cross-hybridizes with Mesp1 expressed in the early mouse mesoderm. Mesp2 is expressed in the rostral presomitic mesoderm, but down-regulated immediately after the formation of the segmented somites. To determine the function of MesP2 protein (MesP2) in somitogenesis, we generated Mesp2-deficient mice by gene targeting. The homozygous Mesp2 (-/-) mice died shortly after birth and had fused vertebral columns and dorsal root ganglia, with impaired sclerotomal polarity. The earliest defect in the homozygous embryos was a lack of segmented somites. Their disruption of the metameric features, altered expression of Mox-1, Pax-1, and Dll1, and lack of expression of Notch1, Notch2, and FGFR1 suggested that MesP2 controls sclerotomal polarity by regulating the signaling systems mediated by notch-delta and FGF, which are essential for segmentation.

The making of the somite: molecular events in vertebrate segmentation

The reiterated structures of the vertebrate axial skeleton, spinal nervous system and body muscle are based on the metameric structure of somites, which are formed in a dynamic morphogenetic process. Somite segmentation requires the activity of a biochemical oscillator known as the somite-segmentation clock. Although the molecular identity of the clock remains unknown, genetic and experimental evidence has accumulated that indicates how the periodicity of somite formation is generated, how the positions of segment borders are determined, and how the rostrocaudal polarity within somite primordia is generated.

MesP1 and MesP2 are essential for the development of cardiac mesoderm

The transcription factors, MesP1 and MesP2, sharing an almost identical bHLH motif, have an overlapping expression pattern during gastrulation and somitogenesis. Inactivation of the Mesp1 gene results in abnormal heart morphogenesis due to defective migration of heart precursor cells, but somitogenesis is not disrupted because of normal expression of the Mesp2 gene. To understand the cooperative functions of MesP1 and MesP2, either a deletion or sequential gene targeting strategy was employed to inactivate both genes. The double-knockout (dKO) embryos died around 9.5 days postcoitum (dpc) without developing any posterior structures such as heart, somites or gut. The major defect in this double-knockout embryo was the apparent lack of any mesodermal layer between the endoderm and ectoderm. The abnormal accumulation of cells in the primitive streak indicates a defect in the migratory activity of mesodermal cells. Molecular markers employed to characterize the phenotype revealed a lack of the cranio-cardiac and paraxial mesoderm. However, the axial mesoderm, as indicated by brachyury (T) expression, was initially generated but anterior extension was halted after 8.5 dpc. Interestingly, a headfold-like structure developed with right anterior-posterior polarity; however, the embryos lacked any posterior neural properties. The persistent and widely distributed expression of Cerberus-like-1(Cer1), Lim1 and Otx2 in the anterior endoderm might be responsible for the maintenance of anterior neural marker expression. We also performed a chimera analysis to further study the functions of MesP1 and MesP2 in the development of mesodermal derivatives. In the chimeric embryos, dKO cells were scarcely observed in the anterior-cephalic and heart mesoderm, but they did contribute to the formation of the somites, notochord and gut. These results strongly indicate that the defect in the cranial-cardiac mesoderm is cell-autonomous, whereas the defect in the paraxial mesoderm is a non-cell-autonomous secondary consequence.

MesP1: a novel basic helix-loop-helix protein expressed in the nascent mesodermal cells during mouse gastrulation

A subtractive hybridization strategy was used to isolate putative genes involved in the development of mouse primordial germ cells (PGC). Complimentary DNA was amplified on RNA isolated from the base of the allantois where PGC are located in the 7.5 days post coitum (dpc) mouse embryo. It was then subtracted by hybridization with cDNA amplified on RNA of the anterior region where PGC are absent. A novel gene thus isolated is designated as Mesp1 and encodes a possible transcription factor MesP1 containing a basic helix-loop-helix motif. Its earliest expression was observed at the onset of gastrulation, as early as 6.5 dpc, in the nascent mesodermal cells that first ingressed at the end of the primitive streak. These expressing cells in the lateral and extraembryonic mesoderm showed a wing-shaped distribution. Its initial expression was soon down-regulated at 7.5 dpc before the completion of gastrulation, except at the proximal end of the primitive streak which included the extraembryonic mesoderm and the base of allantois. At 8 dpc, the expression at the base of the allantois moved laterally. This distribution between 7.0 and 8.0 dpc was similar to that of PGC detected by the alkaline phosphatase activity. However, the expression of Mesp1 was down-regulated thereafter, when PGC entered in the migration stage. After birth, Mesp1 expression was detected only in mature testes, but in a different isoform from that expressed in the embryo. Mesp1 was mapped to the mid region of chromosome 7, near the mesodermal deficiency gene (mesd). However, a Southern hybridization study clearly showed that Mesp1 was distinctly different from mesd. The amino acid sequence and its expression pattern suggest that MesP1 plays an important role in the development of the nascent mesoderm including PGC.

Mesp1 expression is the earliest sign of cardiovascular development

Understanding the molecular mechanism leading to formation of the heart and vasculature during embryogenesis is critically important because malformation of the cardiovascular system is the most frequently occurring type of birth defect. While the hearts of all vertebrates are derived from bilateral paired fields of primary mesodermal cells that are specified to the cardiac lineage during gastrulation, the mechanism for lineage restriction, and the origin of the myocardium and endocardium have not been defined. Recently, we found that a transcription factor, Mesp1, is expressed in almost all precursors of the cardiovascular system and plays an essential role in cardiac morphogenesis. Mesp1 may play a key role in the early specification for cardiac precursor cells.

Mesp2 initiates somite segmentation through the Notch signalling pathway

The Notch-signalling pathway is important in establishing metameric pattern during somitogenesis. In mice, the lack of either of two molecules involved in the Notch-signalling pathway, Mesp2 or presenilin-1 (Ps1), results in contrasting phenotypes: caudalized versus rostralized vertebra. Here we adopt a genetic approach to analyse the molecular mechanism underlying the establishment of rostro-caudal polarity in somites. By focusing on the fact that expression of a Notch ligand, Dll1, is important for prefiguring somite identity, we found that Mesp2 initiates establishment of rostro-caudal polarity by controlling two Notch-signalling pathways. Initially, Mesp2 activates a Ps1-independent Notch-signalling cascade to suppress Dll1 expression and specify the rostral half of the somite. Ps1-mediated Notch-signalling is required to induce Dll1 expression in the caudal half of the somite. Therefore, Mesp2- and Ps1-dependent activation of Notch-signalling pathways might differentially regulate Dll1 expression, resulting in the establishment of the rostro-caudal polarity of somites.

Zebrafish Mesp family genes, mesp-a and mesp-b are segmentally expressed in the presomitic mesoderm, and Mesp-b confers the anterior identity to the developing somites

Segmentation of a vertebrate embryo begins with the subdivision of the paraxial mesoderm into somites through a not-well-understood process. Recent studies provided evidence that the Notch-Delta and the FGFR (fibroblast growth factor receptor) signalling pathways are required for segmentation. In addition, the Mesp family of bHLH transcription factors have been implicated in establishing a segmental prepattern in the presomitic mesoderm. In this study, we have characterized zebrafish mesp-a and mesp-b genes that are closely related to Mesp family genes in other vertebrates. During gastrulation, only mesp-a is expressed in the paraxial mesoderm at the blastoderm margin. During the segmentation period, both genes are segmentally expressed in one to three stripes in the anterior parts of somite primordia. In fused somites (fss) embryos, in which all early somite boundary formation is blocked, initial mesp-a expression at the gastrula stage remains intact, but the expression of mesp-a and mesp-b is not detected during the segmentation period. This suggests that these genes are downstream targets of fss at the segmentation stage. Comparison with her1 expression (Muller, M., von Weizsacker, E. and Campos-Ortega, J. A. (1996) Development 122, 2071–2078) suggests that, like her1, mesp genes are not expressed in primordia of the first several somites. Furthermore, we found that zebrafish her1 expression oscillates in the presomitic mesoderm. The her1 stripe, which first appears in the tailbud region, moves in a caudal to rostral direction, and it finally overlaps the most rostral mesp stripe. Thus, in the trunk region, both her1 and mesp transcripts are detected in every somite primordium posterior to the forming somites. Ectopic expression of Mesp-b in embryos causes a loss of the posterior identity within the somite primordium, leading to a segmentation defect. These embryos show a reduction in expression of the posterior genes, myoD and notch5, with uniform expression of the anterior genes, FGFR1, papc and notch6. These observations suggest that zebrafish mesp genes are involved in anteroposterior specification within the presumptive somites, by regulating the essential signalling pathways mediated by Notch-Delta and FGFR.

Tertiary hypothyroidism and hyperglycemia in mice with targeted disruption of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone gene

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is a brain hypothalamic hormone that regulates thyrotropin (TSH) secretion from the anterior pituitary and is ubiquitously distributed throughout the brain and other tissues including pancreas. To facilitate studies into the role of endogenous TRH, we have used homologous recombination to generate mice that lack TRH. These TRH-/- mice are viable, fertile, and exhibit normal development. However, they showed obvious hypothyroidism with characteristic elevation of serum TSH level and diminished TSH biological activity. Their anterior pituitaries exhibited an apparent decrease in TSH immunopositive cells that was not due to hypothyroidism. Furthermore, this decrease could be reversed by TRH, but not thyroid hormone replacement, suggesting a direct involvement of TRH in the regulation of thyrotrophs. The TRH-/- mice also exhibited hyperglycemia, which was accompanied by impaired insulin secretion in response to glucose. These findings indicate that TRH-/- mice provide a model of exploiting tertiary hypothyroidism, and that TRH gene abnormalities cause disturbance of insulin secretion resulting in marked hyperglycemia.

Role of the Y1 receptor in the regulation of neuropeptide Y-mediated feeding: comparison of wild-type, Y1 receptor-deficient, and Y5 receptor-deficient mice

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) increases food intake through the action of hypothalamic NPY receptors. At least six subtypes of NPY, peptide YY (PYY), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) receptors have been identified in mice. Although the involvement of Y1 and Y5 receptors in feeding regulation has been suggested, the relative importance of each of these NPY receptors and the participation of a novel feeding receptor are still unclear. To address this issue, we generated a Y1 receptor-deficient (Y1-/-) and a Y5 receptor-deficient (Y5-/-) mouse line in which we directly compared the orexigenic effects of NPY and its analogs after intracerebroventricular (icv) administration. The icv NPY-induced food intake was remarkably reduced in Y1-/- mice, but was not significantly altered by inactivation of the Y5 receptor. The Y1 receptor therefore plays a dominant role in NPY-induced feeding. Stimulation of feeding by moderately selective Y5 agonists [PYY-(3-36), human PP, and bovine PP] was reduced in Y5-/- mice, although food intake did not decrease to vehicle control levels. These results indicate that the Y5 receptor functions as one of the feeding receptors. In addition, the finding that Y5-preferring agonists still induce food intake in Y5-/- mice suggests a role for another NPY receptor(s), including the possibility of novel NPY receptors. Surprisingly, despite the limited efficacy of PYY-(3-36) and PPs at the Y1 receptor, food consumption induced by these agonists was significantly diminished in Y1-/- mice compared with that in wild-type controls. These observations suggest that the feeding stimulation induced by NPY and its analogs may be directly or indirectly modulated by the action of the Y1 receptor. We conclude that multiple NPY receptors, possibly including the novel feeding receptor, are involved in the feeding response evoked by NPY and its analogs. Among them, the Y1 receptor plays a key role in NPY-induced feeding in mice.

The distribution of tenascin-X is distinct and often reciprocal to that of tenascin-C

We have isolated a cDNA encoding mouse tenascin-X (TN-X), a new member of the family of tenascin genes. The TN-X gene lies in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class III region, as it is the case for its human counterpart. On Northern blots we detected a TN-X mRNA of approximately 13 kb in most tissues analyzed, whereas in various mouse cell lines mRNAs of approximately 11 and 13 kb were detected, suggesting the possibility of alternative splicing of TN-X transcripts. We raised antibodies against mouse TN-X fragments expressed in bacteria and used these antibodies to identify the TN-X protein in heart cell extracts and in the conditioned medium of a renal carcinoma cell line. The subunit molecular size of TN-X is approximately 500 kD, suggesting that the protein may contain up to 40 fibronectin type III repeats, making it the largest tenascin family member known yet. TN-X in conditioned medium, as well as the purified protein bind to heparin, but no binding to tenascin-C (TN-C), fibronectin, laminin or collagens could be detected. Thus the heparin-binding activity may be a common feature of the tenascins. The TN-X mRNA as well as the protein are predominantly expressed in heart and skeletal muscle, but the mRNA is found in most tissues at a low level. Immunostaining showed the protein to be associated with the extracellular matrix of the muscle tissues and with blood vessels in all of the tissues analyzed. Although the TN-X gene lies in the MHC class III locus, it is not expressed in the lymphoid organs analyzed, except for the staining around blood vessels. In skin and tissues of the digestive tract often a reciprocal distribution of TN-X and TN-C was observed.

Cloning of Ly-5 cDNA

A notable feature of Ly-5, among immunogenetic systems that identify glycoproteins of the cell surface and define the surface phenotype of cells according to their lineage, is that the Ly-5 locus specifies a range of molecular isoforms that distinguish cells of different stages and branches of hematopoietic development. The composition of the Ly-5 locus is of much interest in regard to how these isoforms are constructed and differentially regulated according to cell lineage. We describe here a cDNA clone, pLy-5-68, that identifies Ly-5. The Ly-5 specificity of the pLy-5-68 clone was first indicated by a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), which in Southern blotting distinguishes genomic DNA of C57BL/6 (B6) mice (Ly-5a) from that of B6-Ly-5b congeneic mice whose genome is the same as B6 except for the segment of chromosome 1 that bears Ly-5b. For the following reasons it is unlikely that pLy-5-68 represents a gene linked to Ly-5 that was carried over with Ly-5b during serial backcrossing to make the B6-Ly-5b congeneic strain. In all mouse strains tested, the serological Ly-5 allotype (Ly-5.1 vs. Ly-5.2) accorded with the RFLP pattern. Cells of the ST/bJ mouse strain have unique Ly-5 serological reactions and ST/bJ DNA gives a unique (third) RFLP pattern (Ly-5c) with pLy-5-68. All Ly-5+ cell types reacted positively with pLy-5-68 in RNA transfer blotting, and all Ly-5- cell types tested did not. The difference in size of mRNA reactive with pLy-5-68 in cells expressing the 200-kDa Ly-5 isoform as compared with cells expressing the 220-kDa Ly-5 isoform corresponded with the difference in size of the protein components of those isoforms.

Murine tenascin: cDNA cloning, structure and temporal expression of isoforms

Mouse tenascin (TN)-encoding cDNA clones were isolated from a cDNA library of the 2H6GR mammary tumor cell line. Nucleotide (nt) and deduced amino acid (aa) sequences revealed the characteristic primary structure, which begins with a signal peptide and TN unique sequences, follows with 14 1/2 epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like repeats and 13 fibronectin type-III repeats (FN repeat), and concludes with fibrinogen-homologous sequences. Similar to chicken and human TN, the mouse TN cDNA contains five consecutive insertional FN repeats, as well as eight constitutive FN repeats. Three different cDNA clones that may have been generated by alternative splicing of these insertional FN repeats were identified and characterized. Based upon the deduced as sequence, a polyclonal antibody was produced against a synthetic TN peptide. It specifically recognized two TN isoforms of 230 kDNA and 190 kDa in protein extracts of mouse tissues. The tissue distributions of mouse TN mRNAs, revealed by Northern blot analysis, suggest that there is tissue-specific expression of TN isoforms. Two distinct mRNA transcripts (7 kb and 5.5 kg) were detected in brain, skeletal muscle, digestive tract and bladder, but only one was observed in lung, kidney (7 kg) and thymus (5.5 kg). TN mRNA expression was down-regulated 1 month after birth in most tissues. However, the 5.5-kb transcript persisted in cerebellum, thymus, and colon. The spatial and temporal patterns of TN expression seem to be controlled at the level of transcription, because analysis of various tissues by Western blots showed the same pattern as that seen in Northern blots.

Identification and characterization of LMO4, an LMO gene with a novel pattern of expression during embryogenesis

LMO4 is a novel member of the LIM-only (LMO) subfamily of LIM domain-containing transcription factors. LMO1, LMO2, and LMO4 have distinct expression patterns in adult tissue, and we demonstrate that nuclear retention of LMO proteins is enhanced by the nuclear LIM interactor (NLI). In situ hybridization to early mouse embryos of 8-14.5 days revealed a complex pattern of LMO4 expression spatially overlapping with NLI and LHX genes. LMO4 expression in somite is repressed in mice mutant for the segment polarity gene Mesp2 and expanded in Splotch mutants. During jaw and limb outgrowth, LMO4 and LMO2 expression define mesenchyme that is uncommitted to regional fates. Although both LMO2 and LMO4 are activated in thymic blast cells, only LMO4 is expressed in mature T cells. Mesenchymal and thymic blast cell expression patterns of LMO4 and LMO2 are consistent with the suggestion that LMO genes inhibit differentiation.

Alternative use of 5' exons in the specification of Ly-5 isoforms distinguishing hematopoietic cell lineages

Previous inferences that Ly-5 glycoprotein isoforms of murine hematopoietic cells are generated by alternative splicing of primary transcripts of a single Ly-5 gene are supported by the present study. A cDNA library was prepared from B cells by extension from primer representing a known T-cell cDNA sequence. Three different Ly-5 clones from this library included sequences missing in T-cell cDNA clones. From the constitution of cDNA clones and of the Ly-5 gene, and from S1 nuclease mapping, it is concluded that at least two exons, provisionally numbered Ex-6(B) and Ex-7(B), in the 5'-proximal region are mainly represented in mRNA of the B-cell lines examined but not of the T-cell lines examined. Also, exons 1 and 2 appear to be used alternatively in different species of B-cell mRNA and probably also in different species of T-cell mRNA.

Sequences of Ly-5 cDNA: isoform-related diversity of Ly-5 mRNA

The Ly-5 system of the mouse is expressed exclusively by hematopoietic cells and comprises a series of glycoprotein isoforms that typify different hematopoietic cell lineages. The 200-kDa isoform of T cells and the 220-kDa isoform of B cells are known to differ in peptide composition. The complete 1152 amino acid sequence of the 200-kDa isoform protein deduced from cDNA sequence appears to comprise a leader sequence of some 30 residues, an external N-terminal domain of 370 residues, a probably single transmembrane domain of 22 residues, and an unusually large cytoplasmic domain of 730 residues. Both the external and cytoplasmic domains include regions of internal homology suggestive of evolution from a smaller ancestral gene. RNA transfer blotting has previously shown that B-cell mRNA for Ly-5 is larger than T-cell mRNA. S1 nuclease protection mapping with Ly-5 cDNA probes suggests that this difference can be ascribed to interpolation of an extra B-cell sequence located at the 5' end of B-cell mRNA, probably immediately following the leader sequence. From restriction mapping of overlapping Ly-5 genomic clones spanning 60 kilobases it is concluded that Ly-5 isoforms are generated by differential processing of transcripts of a single gene, rather than from a family of linked Ly-5 genes.

Low response rate of second-line chemotherapy for recurrent or refractory clear cell carcinoma of the ovary: a retrospective Japan Clear Cell Carcinoma Study

Clear cell carcinoma (CCC) of the ovary has been recognized to show resistance to anticancer agents in the first-line chemotherapy. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of second-line chemotherapy in a retrospective study. A total of 75 patients diagnosed with CCC and treated between 1992 and 2002 in collaborating hospitals were reviewed. Criteria for the patients' enrollment were 1) diagnosis of pure-type CCC at the initial operation, 2) treatment after one systemic postoperative chemotherapy, 3) measurable recurrent or refractory tumor, 4) at least two cycles of second-line chemotherapy and assessable for the response, and 5) adequate clinical information. Regimens of first-line chemotherapy were conventional platinum-based therapy in 33 cases, paclitaxel plus platinum in 24 cases, irinotecan plus platinum in 9 cases, and irinotecan plus mitomycin C in 7 cases. Treatment-free periods were more than 6 months in 24 cases (group A) and less than 6 months in 51 cases (group B). In group A, response was observed in two cases (8%): one with conventional platinum therapy and another with irinotecan plus platinum. In group B, three cases (6%) responded: two with platinum plus etoposide and one case with irinotecan plus platinum. Median overall survival was 16 months in group A and 7 months in group B (P = 0.04). These findings suggest recurrent or resistant CCC is extremely chemoresistant, and there is only small benefit of long treatment-free period in CCC patients. Another strategy including molecular-targeting therapy is warranted for the treatment of recurrent or refractory CCC.

Genetic rescue of segmentation defect in MesP2-deficient mice by MesP1 gene replacement

Gene knock-out and knock-in strategies are employed to investigate the function of MesP1. MesP1 belongs to the same family of bHLH transcription factors as MesP2. The early expression pattern observed in the early mesoderm at the onset of gastrulation is restricted to Mesp1, while the later expression pattern in the anterior presomitic mesoderm during somitogenesis is almost the same for Mesp1 as for Mesp2. Homozygous Mesp1 null mice exhibited growth retardation after 7.5 dpc and died before 10.5 dpc with many developmental defects. The function of MesP1 during somitogenesis was not clearly revealed because of their early death and the possible compensation by MesP2. In order to examine the functions of MesP1 during somitogenesis, we replaced the Mesp2 gene with Mesp1 cDNA, using a gene knock-in strategy. The introduced Mesp1 cDNA could rescue the defects caused by Mesp2 deficiency in a dosage-dependent manner. Mice which lacked Mesp2 expression but had four copies of the Mesp1 gene survived into the adulthood and were fertile. The skeletal defects and the reduction in expression of Notch1, Notch2 and FGFR-1 previously observed in Mesp2 null mice were almost completely rescued by the introduced MesP1. Thus, it is concluded that the functions of MesP1 during somitogenesis, like MesP2, are also mediated via notch-delta and FGF signaling systems.

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of R207910

The first asymmetric synthesis of a very promising antituberculosis drug candidate, R207910, was achieved by developing two novel catalytic transformations; a catalytic enantioselective proton migration and a catalytic diastereoselective allylation of an intermediate alpha-chiral ketone. Using 2.5 mol % of a Y-catalyst derived from Y(HMDS)(3) and the new chiral ligand 9, 1.25 mol % of p-methoxypyridine N-oxide (MEPO), and 0.5 mol % of Bu(4)NCl, alpha-chiral ketone 3 was produced from enone 4 with 88% ee. This reaction proceeded through a catalytic chiral Y-dienolate generation via deprotonation at the gamma-position of 4, followed by regio- and enantioselective protonation at the alpha-position of the resulting dienolate. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggested that a Y: 9: MEPO = 2: 3: 1 ternary complex was the active catalyst. Bu(4)NCl markedly accelerated the reaction without affecting enantioselectivity. Enantiomerically pure 3 was obtained through a single recrystallization. The second key catalytic allylation of ketone 3 was promoted by CuF.3PPh(3).2EtOH (10 mol %) in the presence of KO(t)Bu (15 mol %), ZnCl(2) (1 equiv), and Bu(4)PBF(4) (1 equiv), giving the desired diastereomer 2 in quantitative yield with a 14: 1 ratio without any epimerization at the alpha-stereocenter. It is noteworthy that conventional organometallic addition reactions did not produce the desired products due to the high steric demand and a fairly acidic alpha-proton in substrate ketone 3. This first catalytic asymmetric synthesis of R207910 includes 12 longest linear steps from commercially available compounds with an overall yield of 5%.