Cellular and molecular changes during sex differentiation of embryonic mammalian gonads

Structural and molecular changes during sex differentiation and development of mammalian gonads from early embryonic phase until sexual maturity have been studied by morphologic and immunocytochemical methods in vivo and in experimental culture. The strategy has been to identify cellular macromolecules whose genes are differently expressed in the two sexes and to formulate a hypothetical regulatory chain of sex determination. This approach should provide new possibilities for finding the missing links between the final structural genes and the early regulatory genes, which are differentially expressed before and during gonadal differentiation. On the basis of accumulated structural and molecular evidence, the early epithelial differentiation from the precursor cells via cell aggregates to testicular cords or ovarian follicles is not sexually regulated. The biological consequences of sex determination in the differentiation of the genital organs include changes in the pattern formation of the gonadal epithelia and concomitant alterations in the synthesis and organization of the structural macromolecules.     

Helix-loop-helix proteins LYL1 and E2a form heterodimeric complexes with distinctive DNA-binding properties in hematolymphoid cells

LYL1 is a basic helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein that was originally discovered because of its translocation into the beta T-cell receptor locus in an acute lymphoblastic leukemia. LYL1 is expressed in many hematolymphoid cells, with the notable exceptions of thymocytes and T cells. Using the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a cDNA library constructed from B cells, we identified the E-box-binding proteins E12 and E47 as potential lymphoid dimerization partners for LYL1. The interaction of LYL1 with E2a proteins was further characterized in vitro and shown to require the HLH motifs of both proteins. Immunoprecipitation analyses showed that in T-ALL and other cell lines, endogenous LYL1 exists in a complex with E2a proteins. A preferred DNA-binding sequence, 5'-AACAGATG(T/g)T-3', for the LYL1-E2a heterodimer was determined by PCR-assisted site selection. Endogenous protein complexes containing both LYL1 and E2a bound this sequence in various LYL1-expressing cell lines and could distinguish between the LYL1 consensus and muE2 sites. These data demonstrate that E2a proteins serve as dimerization partners for the basic HLH protein LYL1 to form complexes with distinctive DNA-binding properties and support the hypothesis that the leukemic properties of the LYL1 and TAL subfamily of HLH proteins could be mediated by recognition of a common set of target genes as heterodimeric complexes with class I HLH proteins.     

Involvement of RBP-J in biological functions of mouse Notch1 and its derivatives

Notch is involved in the cell fate determination of many cell lineages. The intracellular region (RAMIC) of Notch1 transactivates genes by interaction with a DNA binding protein RBP-J. We have compared the activities of mouse RAMIC and its derivatives in transactivation and differentiation suppression of myogenic precursor cells. RAMIC comprises two separate domains, IC for transactivation and RAM for RBP-J binding. Although the physical interaction of IC with RBP-J was much weaker than with RAM, transactivation activity of IC was shown to involve RBP-J by using an RBP-J null mutant cell line. IC showed differentiation suppression activity that was generally comparable to its transactivation activity. The RBP-J-VP16 fusion protein, which has strong transactivation activity, also suppressed myogenesis of C2C12. The RAM domain, which has no other activities than binding to RBP-J, synergistically stimulated transactivation activity of IC to the level of RAMIC. The RAM domain was proposed to compete with a putative co-repressor for binding to RBP-J because the RAM domain can also stimulate the activity of RBP-J-VP16. These results taken together, indicate that differentiation suppression of myogenic precursor cells by Notch signalling is due to transactivation of genes carrying RBP-J binding motifs.     

Cytokine production regulating Th1 and Th2 cytokines in hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is caused by the hyperactivation of T cells and macrophages. The clinical characteristics associated with this disease result from overproduction of Th1 cytokines including interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). In this study, we analyzed the production of IL-12 and IL-4, which determine Th1 and Th2 response, respectively, and IL-10, which antagonizes Th1 cytokines, in 11 patients with HLH. IL-12 was detected in plasma in all patients (mean peak value, 30.0 +/- 5.0 pg/mL), while IFN-gamma was massively produced in nine patients (mean peak value, 79.2 +/- 112.0 U/mL). IL-4 was not detected in any of the patients. Plasma IL-10 levels were elevated in all patients (mean peak value, 2,698.0 +/- 3,535.0 pg/mL). There was a positive correlation between the levels of IFN-gamma and IL-10 (P < .01). The plasma concentrations of these cytokines were initially high, before decreasing after the acute phase. However, the decrease in IL-10 levels was slower than that of IFN-gamma. Although the concentration of IL-12 was high at the acute phase, in some patients, a peak in the level was delayed until the chronic phase. Thus, in HLH, production of cytokines that promote development of Th1 cells appears to be predominant over that for Th2 cell development. Overproduction of IL-10 was also observed indicating that a mechanism suppressing hyperactivation of Th1 cells and monocytes/macrophages functions in patients with this disease.     

Abnormalities of basal cell keratin in epidermolysis bullosa simplex do not affect the expression patterns of suprabasal keratins and cornified cell envelope proteins

Basal keratins, suprabasal keratins, filaggrin, and cornified cell envelope (CCE) precursor proteins are expressed during the differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. These molecules are coordinately expressed during epidermal differentiation. The present study investigated the expression patterns of keratins and CCE precursor proteins in 15 patients with epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS), which is caused by mutations in the genes that encode for the basal keratins, keratins 5 and 14. The patterns of expression of keratins 5, 14, 1 and 10, filaggrin, and of the three major CCE precursor proteins, involucrin, loricrin and small proline-rich proteins 1 and 2 (SPRs), were studied immunohistochemically and by electron microscopy. In 14 of the 15 patients with EBS, the distribution pattern of keratins was not altered. In one neonate with EBS, basal cell keratins were expressed in the suprabasal layers. Ultrastructurally, numerous clumped tonofilaments were observed in the basal and suprabasal cells. In all cases, findings were positive for filaggrin in the granular cells, with positivity for involucrin in the upper spinous and granular cells. The upper spinous cells and granular cells were positive for SPRs 1 and 2, and loricrin was expressed in granular cells. Ultrastructurally, no marked abnormality was observed in the suprabasal layers such as a decrease in, or agglutination of, keratin filaments, except in one neonate. A CCE about 15 nm thick was formed normally in the cell membrane of cornified cells. The patterns of distributions of basal cell keratins, suprabasal keratins, filaggrin, and CCE precursor proteins, as well as the ultrastructural findings, resembled those of normal skin. Thus, the abnormality in basal cell keratins in patients with EBS did not appear to alter the patterns of expression of the keratins and CCE precursor proteins.     

bHLH transcription factors and mammalian neuronal differentiation

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) factor Mash1 is expressed in the developing nervous system. Null mutation of Mash1 results in loss of olfactory and autonomic neurons and delays differentiation of retinal neurons, indicating that Mash1 promotes neuronal differentiation. Other bHLH genes, Math/NeuroD/Neurogenin, all expressed in the developing nervous system, have also been suggested to promote neuronal differentiation. In contrast, another bHLH factor, HES1, which is expressed by neural precursor cells but not by neurons, represses Mash1 expression and antagonizes Mash1 activity in a dominant negative manner. Forced expression of HES1 in precursor cells blocks neuronal differentiation in the brain and retina, indicating that HES1 is a negative regulator of neuronal differentiation. Conversely, null mutation of HES1 up-regulates Mash1 expression, accelerates neuronal differentiation, and causes severe defects of the brain and eyes. Thus, HES1 regulates brain and eye morphogenesis by inhibiting premature neuronal differentiation, and the down-regulation of HES1 expression at the right time is required for normal development of the nervous system. Interestingly, HES1 can repress its own expression by binding to its promoter, suggesting that negative autoregulation may contribute to down-regulation of HES1 expression during neural development. Recent studies indicate that HES1 expression is also controlled by RBP-J, a mammalian homologue of Suppressor of Hairless [Su(H)], and Notch, a key membrane protein that may regulate lateral specification through RBP-J during neural development. Thus, the Notch-->RBP-J-->HES1-Mash1 pathway may play a critical role in neuronal differentiation.