Genistein attenuates glucocorticoid-induced bone deleterious effects through regulation Eph/ephrin expression in aged mice

OBJECTIVE

This study was performed to investigate bone deteriorations and the involvement of skeletal Eph/ephrin signaling pathway of GIOP aged mice in response to the treatment of genistein.

METHODS

The biomarkers in serum and urine were measured, tibias were taken for the measurement on gene and protein expression and histomorphology analysis, and femurs were taken for the measurement on bone Ca and three-dimensional architecture of trabecular bone.

RESULTS

Genistein showed a greater increase in bone Ca, BMD and significantly increased FGF-23 and OCN, reduced TRACP-5b, PTH and CTX in GIOP mice. Genistein reversed DXM-induced trabecular deleterious effects and stimulated bone remodeling. The treatment of DXM group with genistein significantly elevated the ratio of OPG/RANKL. Moreover, genistein administration down-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of Eph A2 and ephrin A2 in tibia of the GIOP mice. In contrast, the mRNA and protein expression of Eph B4 and ephrin B2 were increased in mice treated by DXM with genistein as compared to the DXM single treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

DXM-induced trabecular bone micro-structure deterioration in aged mice was involved in the regulation of the Eph receptors and ephrin ligands. Genistein might represent a therapy with bone-forming as well as an anti-resorptive activity in GIOP mice. The underlying mechanism was mediated, at least partially, through regulation Eph/ephrin signaling.

Ephrin-As and patterned retinal activity act together in the development of topographic maps in the primary visual system

The development of topographic maps in the primary visual system is thought to rely on a combination of EphA/ephrin-A interactions and patterned neural activity. Here, we characterize the retinogeniculate and retinocollicular maps of mice mutant for ephrins-A2, -A3, and -A5 (the three ephrin-As expressed in the mouse visual system), mice mutant for the beta2 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (that lack early patterned retinal activity), and mice mutant for both ephrin-As and beta2. We also provide the first comprehensive anatomical description of the topographic connections between the retina and the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. We find that, although ephrin-A2/A3/A5 triple knock-out mice have severe mapping defects in both projections, they do not completely lack topography. Mice lacking beta2-dependent retinal activity have nearly normal topography but fail to refine axonal arbors. Mice mutant for both ephrin-As and beta2 have synergistic mapping defects that result in a near absence of map in the retinocollicular projection; however, the retinogeniculate projection is not as severely disrupted as the retinocollicular projection is in these mutants. These results show that ephrin-As and patterned retinal activity act together to establish topographic maps, and demonstrate that midbrain and forebrain connections have a differential requirement for ephrin-As and patterned retinal activity in topographic map development.

Chemorepellent axon guidance molecules in spinal cord injury

Regenerating axons stop growing when they reach the border of the glial-fibrotic scar, presumably because they encounter a potent molecular barrier inhibiting growth cone advance. Chemorepulsive axon guidance molecules provide a non-permissive environment restricting and channeling axon growth in the developing nervous system. These molecules could also act as growth-inhibitory molecules in the regenerating nervous system. The receptors for repulsive guidance cues are expressed in the mature nervous system, suggesting that adult neurons are sensitive to the activity of developmentally active repulsive proteins. In this review, we summarize recent observations on semaphorins, ephrins, and slits in the injured brain and spinal cord, providing evidence that these proteins are major players in inhibiting axonal regeneration and establishing the glial-fibrotic scar.

Eph/Ephrin Membrane Proteins: A Mammalian Expression Vector pTIg- BOS-Fc Allowing Rapid Protein Purification

There is an urgent need for high purity, single chain, fully functional Eph/ephrin membrane proteins. This report outlines the pTIg-BOS-Fc vector and purification approach resulting in rapid increased production of fully functional single chain extracellular proteins that were isolated with high purity and used in structure-function analysis and pre-clinical studies.

Growth factor receptors in hematopoietic stem cells: EPH family expression in CD34+ and CD133+ cell populations from mobilized peripheral blood

Cell-surface antigen expression of hematopoietic stem cells has a crucial role in characterizing cell subpopulation with distinct functional properties. The Eph receptors are the largest receptor tyrosine kinase family being involved in processes like vascular remodelling during development and physiological and pathological angiogenesis. Some Eph/Ephrin members are expressed in hematopoietic cells. The ability to isolate purified cell populations co-expressing CD34 and CD133 antigens as most commonly used markers for identification of hematopoietic progenitors has provided the opportunity to identify their surface-receptor profile. As positively expressed CD34 and CD133 cells take place not only in hematopoietic but also in endothelial differentiation, we aimed to define the Eph/Ephrin characteristic of these cells and relate these findings to new therapy strategies. Positive selections of CD34 and CD133 cells from PBPC in lymphoma patients were performed using magnetic beads and AutoMACS (Miltenyi Biotec) device. The purity of isolated cells was tested by flow cytometry. Immunocytochemistry was used to assess the Eph/Ephrin expression profile of positively selected samples. Our study revealed that all samples (10 from CD34+ and 8 from CD133+ cells) expressed one or more of Eph/Ephrin antigens in different proportions. All CD34+ cell samples, and 6 of 8 in the CD133+ cell fraction were strongly immunoreactive for EphA2. EphB2 was strongly expressed in all CD133+ cases, but 50% of the CD34 positive group lacked or weakly expressed this receptor. EphB4 was negative in 9 of 10 CD34+ cases and in all CD133+ cells. Thus, we have shown the surface marker profile of positively selected CD34 and CD133 cells in leukapheresis samples from lymphoma patients with regard to Eph/Ephrin receptors and discussed their biological clinical potential.

Hypoxia up-regulates expression of Eph receptors and ephrins in mouse skin

Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ligands (ephrins) are key players during the development of the embryonic vasculature; however, their role and regulation in adult angiogenesis remain to be defined. Both receptors and ligands have been shown to be up-regulated in a variety of tumors. To address the hypothesis that hypoxia is an important regulator of Ephs/ephrins expression, we developed a mouse skin flap model of hypoxia. We demonstrate that our model truly represents segmental skin hypoxia by applying four independent methods: continuous measurement of partial cutaneous oxygen tension, monitoring of tissue lactate/pyruvate ratio, time course of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) induction, and localization of stabilized HIF-1alpha by immunofluorescence in the hypoxic skin flap. Our experiments indicate that hypoxia up-regulates not only HIF-1alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, but also Ephs and ephrins of both A and B subclasses in the skin. In addition, we show that in Hep3B and PC-3 cells, the hypoxia-induced up-regulation of Ephs and ephrins is abrogated by small interfering RNA-mediated down-regulation of HIF-1alpha. These novel findings shed light on the role of this versatile receptor/ligand family in adult angiogenesis. Furthermore, our model offers considerable potential for analyzing distinct mechanisms of neovascularization in gene-targeted mice.

Methylmercury Alters Eph and Ephrin Expression During Neuronal Differentiation of P19 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells

Developmental exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) induces a spectrum of neurological impairment characterized by cognitive disturbance, sensory/motor deficit, and diffuse structural abnormalities of the brain. These alterations may arise from neural path-finding errors during brain development, resulting from disturbances in the function of morphoregulatory guidance molecules. The Eph family of tyrosine kinase receptors and their ligands, the ephrins, guide neuronal migration and neurite pathfinding mainly via repulsive intercellular interactions. The present study examined the effects of MeHg on mRNA and protein expression profiles of Ephs and ephrins in the P19 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line and its neuronal derivatives. Undifferentiated control P19 cells displayed low- to undetectable levels of mRNA for ephrins or Ephs, with the sole exception of EphA2 which was highly expressed. Upon differentiation into neurons, the ephrin expression increased progressively through day 10. Similarly, expression of the Ephs, including EphsA3, -A4, -A8, -B2, -B3, -B4, and -B6, increased significantly. In contrast, EphA2 expression decreased in day 2, 6 and 10 control neurons. Treatment with MeHg did not affect the expression of mRNA for ephrins or Ephs in undifferentiated P19 cells. However, treatment of differentiating neurons with MeHg for 24 h caused consistent increases in ligand mRNA expression, particularly ephrin-A5, -A6, -B1, and -B2. Similarly, MeHg induced variable increases in mRNA expression of receptors EphA2, -A3, -B3, and -B6. A trend toward a concentration-response relationship was observed for the alterations in Eph receptor mRNA expression although increases at the low and mid concentrations did not reach statistical significance. Immunoblots for ligand and receptor proteins mirrored the increases in the mRNA levels at the 0.5 and 1.5 microM MeHg concentrations but showed decreased protein levels compared to controls at the 3.0 microM concentration. Alterations in the Eph/ephrin family of repulsion molecules may represent an important mechanism in developmental MeHg neurotoxicity.

Ephrin A receptors and ligands in lesions and normal-appearing white matter in multiple sclerosis

Complexes of the tyrosine kinase ephrin ligands (ephrins) and their receptors (Ephs) provide critical cell recognition signals in CNS development. Complementary ephrin/Eph expression gradients present topographic guidance cues that may either stimulate or repulse axon growth. Some ephrin/Ephs are upregulated in adult CNS injury models. To assess their involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS), ephrin A1-5 and Eph A1-8 expression was analyzed in CNS tissues using immunohistochemistry. Control samples showed distinct expression patterns for each ephrin/Eph on different cell types. Perivascular mononuclear inflammatory cells, reactive astrocytes and macrophages expressed ephrin A1-4, Eph A1, -A3, -A4, -A6 and -A7 in active MS lesions. Axonal ephrin A1 and Eph A3, -A4, and -A7 expression was increased in active lesions and was greater in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) adjacent to active lesions than within or adjacent to chronic MS lesions, in contralateral NAWM, or in control samples. As in development, therefore, there are temporally dynamic, lesion-associated axonal ephrin/Eph A expression gradients in the CNS of MS patients. These results indicate that ephrin/Eph As are useful cell markers in human CNS tissue samples; they likely are involved in the immunopathogenesis of active lesions and in neurodegeneration in MS NAWM; and they represent potential therapeutic targets in MS.

Expression of ephrin-A ligands and EphA receptors in the developing mouse tooth and its supporting tissues

Ephrins are cell-membrane-bound ligands for Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and regulate a variety of developmental processes. In order to investigate the potential roles of the ephrin-Eph system in tooth formation, we studied the cellular mRNA expression of Ephrin-A1-A5 and EphA2, EphA3, EphA4, EphA7, and EphA8 receptors during embryonic histomorphogenesis of the mouse first molar (embryonic days 11.5-18.5). Ephrin-A1, ephrin-A5, EphA2, EphA3, EphA4, and EphA7 were expressed in the tooth germ at the epithelial thickening stage, and later, ephrin-A1, ephrin-A5, EphA2, EphA4, and EphA7 showed distinct expression patterns in the enamel organ undergoing epithelial folding morphogenesis. Prior to birth, ephrin-A1, ephrin-A5, EphA2, and EphA4 transcripts were present in the cuspal area of the dental papilla including the preodontoblasts. In addition, ephrin-A1 and ephrin-A5 were seen in the forming blood vessels and alveolar bone, respectively. In contrast, ephrin-A2, ephrin-A3, and ephrin-A4 showed ubiquitous expression during odontogenesis, whereas EphA8 transcripts were not observed. During dental trigeminal axon pathfinding (embryonic days 12.5-13.5), ephrin-A2, ephrin-A4, and ephrin-A5 were evenly distributed in the trigeminal ganglion, whereas EphA7 was expressed in a subset of ganglion cells. These results suggest regulatory roles for ephrin-A/EphA signaling in the formation of the tooth organ proper and its supporting tissues.

Invasiveness of breast carcinoma cells and transcript profile: Eph receptors and ephrin ligands as molecular markers of potential diagnostic and prognostic application

The Eph family of receptors, with 14 members in humans, makes up the largest group of receptor tyrosine kinases. These Eph receptors, along with their ligands, the 8 members of the ephrin family of ligands are involved in diverse developmental functions, including hindbrain development in vertebrates, tissue patterning, and angiogenesis. These Eph receptors and ephrin ligands have also been identified as important regulators in the development and progression of cancer. We have presented here a systematic and comprehensive investigation of the Eph/ephrin expression profiles of MCF-10A, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cells representing normal breast, non-invasive breast tumor, and invasive tumor, respectively, based on their characteristic phenotypes in Matrigel matrix. The data have allowed us to correlate the gene expression profile with the cell phenotype that has potential application in tumor diagnostics. We demonstrate here that upregulation of EphA2, A7, A10, and ephrinA2 and B3 is likely involved in tumorigenesis and/or invasiveness, while downregulation of EphA1, A3, A4, A8, B3, B4, B6, and ephrinA1 and B1 may be particularly important in invasiveness. Based on these results we discuss the role of EphA2 and ephrinA1 combination in malignancy. The data have provided clues as to the importance of these molecules in the progression of breast cancer and specifically identified EphB6, a kinase-deficient receptor, which is downregulated in the most aggressive cell line, as reported for several other cancer types including neuroblastoma and melanoma suggesting its potential as a prognostic indicator in breast cancer as well.

Differential gene expression of Eph receptors and ephrins in benign human tissues and cancers

BACKGROUND

Eph receptors and their ligands, the ephrins, represent a large class of cell-cell communication molecules with well-defined developmental functions. Their role in healthy adult tissues and in human disease is still largely unknown, although diverse roles in carcinogenesis have been postulated.

METHODS

We established a set of fluorescent PCR probes and primers for the definition of individual gene expression profiles of 12 different Eph receptors and 8 ephrins in 13 different healthy tissues. The mRNA expression profiles were studied in human lung, colorectal, kidney, liver, and brain cancers.

RESULTS

The family of Eph receptors/ephrins was widely expressed in adult tissues with organ-site-specific patterns: EphB6 was highest in the thymus, compatible with an involvement in T-cell maturation. Brain and testis shared a unique pattern with EphA6, EphA8, and EphB1 being the most prominent. EphA7 had a high abundance in the kidney vasculature. Ephrin-A3 was up-regulated 26-fold in lung cancer, and EphB2 was up-regulated 9-fold in hepatocellular carcinoma. EphA8 was down-regulated in colon cancer, and EphA1/EphA8 was down-regulated in glioblastomas.

CONCLUSION

Eph/Ephrin genes are widely expressed in all adult organs with certain organ-site-specific patterns. Because their function in adult tissues remains unknown, further analysis of their role in disease may disclose new insights beyond their well-defined meaning in development.

Compartmentalized Eph receptor and ephrin expression in the thymus

The maturation of T cells is an intricate process involving the interaction of developing thymocytes with discrete microenvironments within the thymus. Numerous studies have indicated that distinct thymic compartments provide signals required for each stage of thymocyte maturation. In this study we performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression patterns of Eph-A receptors and ephrins-A in the thymus using in situ hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and show that expression of these molecules is highly compartmentalized. Based on these expression patterns and the known mechanisms of action of Eph receptor/ephrin interactions in other organs, these data suggest that differential Eph receptor expression on discrete subsets of thymic stromal cells may be important in establishing compartment boundaries and preventing intermingling of stromal cell subtypes. Further, together with chemotactic signals such as those provided by chemokines, regulated Eph receptor/ephrin expression on thymocytes may play a role in thymocyte migration.