Identification and characterization of a novel member of the fibroblast growth factor family

A new member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, FGF-13, has been molecularly cloned as a result of high throughput sequencing of a human ovarian cancer cell library. The open reading frame of the novel human gene (1419 bp) encodes for a protein of 216 a.a. with a molecular weight of 22 kDa. The FGF-13 sequence contains an amino-terminal hydrophobic region of 23 a.a. characteristic of a signal secretion sequence. FGF-13 is most homologous, 70% similarity at the amino acid level, to FGF-8. Northern hybridization analysis demonstrated prominent expression of FGF-13 in human foetal and adult brain, particularly in the cerebellum and cortex. In proliferation studies with BaF3 cells, FGF-13 preferentially activates cell clones expressing either FGF receptor variant, 3-IIIc or 4. The signal transduction pathways of FGF-13 and FGF-2 were compared in rat hippocampal astrocytes. The two FGFs induce an equivalent level of tyrosine phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-raf activation. However, FGF-13 is more effective than FGF-2 in inducing the phosphorylation of phospholipase C-gamma (PLC-gamma). Treatment of neuronal cultures from rat embryonic cortex with FGF-13 increases the number of glutamic acid decarboxylase immunopositive neurons, the level of high-affinity gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake, and choline acetyltransferase enzyme activity. The GABAergic neuronal response to FGF-13 treatment is rapid with a significant increase occurring within 72 h. We have identified a novel member of the FGF family that is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) and increases the number as well as the level of phenotypic differentiation of cortical neurons in vitro.     

FGF-18, a novel member of the fibroblast growth factor family, stimulates hepatic and intestinal proliferation

The fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) play key roles in controlling tissue growth, morphogenesis, and repair in animals. We have cloned a novel member of the FGF family, designated FGF-18, that is expressed primarily in the lungs and kidneys and at lower levels in the heart, testes, spleen, skeletal muscle, and brain. Sequence comparison indicates that FGF-18 is highly conserved between humans and mice and is most homologous to FGF-8 among the FGF family members. FGF-18 has a typical signal sequence and was glycosylated and secreted when it was transfected into 293-EBNA cells. Recombinant murine FGF-18 protein (rMuFGF-18) stimulated proliferation in the fibroblast cell line NIH 3T3 in vitro in a heparan sulfate-dependent manner. To examine its biological activity in vivo, rMuFGF-18 was injected into normal mice and ectopically overexpressed in transgenic mice by using a liver-specific promoter. Injection of rMuFGF-18 induced proliferation in a wide variety of tissues, including tissues of both epithelial and mesenchymal origin. The two tissues which appeared to be the primary targets of FGF-18 were the liver and small intestine, both of which exhibited histologic evidence of proliferation and showed significant gains in organ weight following 7 (sometimes 3) days of FGF-18 treatment. Transgenic mice that overexpressed FGF-18 in the liver also exhibited an increase in liver weight and hepatocellular proliferation. These results suggest that FGF-18 is a pleiotropic growth factor that stimulates proliferation in a number of tissues, most notably the liver and small intestine.     

Bim: a novel member of the Bcl-2 family that promotes apoptosis

Certain members of the Bcl-2 family inhibit apoptosis while others facilitate this physiological process of cell death. An expression screen for proteins that bind to Bcl-2 yielded a small novel protein, denoted Bim, whose only similarity to any known protein is the short (nine amino acid) BH3 motif shared by most Bcl-2 homologues. Bim provokes apoptosis, and the BH3 region is required for Bcl-2 binding and for most of its cytotoxicity. Like Bcl-2, Bim possesses a hydrophobic C-terminus and localizes to intracytoplasmic membranes. Three Bim isoforms, probably generated by alternative splicing, all induce apoptosis, the shortest being the most potent. Wild-type Bcl-2 associates with Bim in vivo and modulates its death function, whereas Bcl-2 mutants that lack survival function do neither. Significantly, Bcl-xL and Bcl-w, the two closest homologues of Bcl-2, also bind to Bim and inhibit its activity, but more distant viral homologues, adenovirus E1B19K and Epstein-Barr virus BHRF-1, can do neither. Hence, Bim appears to act as a 'death ligand' which can only neutralize certain members of the pro-survival Bcl-2 sub-family.     

All-trans-retinoic acid interacts synergistically with basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor to stimulate the production of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases from fibroblasts

This report examines the effect of all-trans-retinoic acid in combination with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) on collagenase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP) production from human foreskin and synovial fibroblasts. When 10(-5) M retinoic acid is applied in combination with 1, 10, and 100 ng/ml of either FGF or EGF to foreskin or synovial fibroblasts, this results in a dose-dependent synergistic increase in TIMP protein production which is greater than the additive effect of the agents by up to fourfold. These responses can be inhibited by the presence of specific neutralizing antibodies to bFGF and EGF, demonstrating that they result from the presence of the growth factors and not from an experimental artifact such as bacterial endotoxin. We have also found that retinoic acid potently inhibits bFGF- and EGF-stimulated collagenase protein production in both skin and synovial fibroblasts.     

Expression of amphiregulin, a novel gene of the epidermal growth factor family, in human gastric carcinomas

The expression of mRNA for amphiregulin (AR), a novel gene of the epidermal growth factor family, was examined in 8 human gastric carcinoma cell lines and 32 gastric carcinoma tissues as well as corresponding normal mucosa. Of the 8 gastric carcinoma cell lines, 7 expressed 1.4 kb AR mRNA at various levels. The expression of AR mRNA by TMK-1 and MKN-28 cells was increased by treatment with epidermal growth factor or transforming growth factor a. In surgical cases, all the gastric carcinoma tissues and their adjacent normal mucosa expressed AR mRNA. Interestingly, 20 (62.5%) out of 32 tumors expressed AR mRNA at higher levels than their corresponding normal mucosas (tumor/normal > or = 1.2). No obvious correlation was observed between the AR mRNA levels and the histological types or tumor staging of gastric carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, AR protein was localized to the cytoplasm and/or nucleus in tumor cells. These results suggest that AR produced by tumor cells may be involved in the pathogenesis and/or progression of human gastric carcinoma.     

A novel nucleic acid-binding protein that interacts with human rad51 recombinase

Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we isolated a cDNA encoding a novel human protein, named Pir51, that strongly interacts with human Rad51 recombinase. Analysis in vitro confirmed the interaction between Rad51 and Pir51. Pir51 mRNA is expressed in a number of human organs, most notably in testis, thymus, colon and small intestine. The Pir51 gene locus was mapped to chromosome 12p13.1-13. 2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The Pir51 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to near homogeneity. Biochemical analysis shows that the Pir51 protein binds both single- and double-stranded DNA, and is capable of aggregating DNA. The protein also binds RNA. The Pir51 protein may represent a new member of the multiprotein complexes postulated to carry out homologous recombination and DNA repair in mammalian cells.     

Characterization of Brx, a novel Dbl family member that modulates estrogen receptor action

Regulation of gene activation by the estrogen receptor (ER) is complex and involves co-regulatory proteins, oncoproteins (such as Fos and Jun), and phosphorylation signaling pathways. Here we report the cloning and initial characterization of a novel protein, Brx, that contains a region of identity to the oncogenic Rho-guanine nucleotide exchange (Rho-GEF) protein Lbc, and a unique region capable of binding to nuclear hormone receptors, including the ER. Western and immunohistochemistry studies showed Brx to be expressed in estrogen-responsive reproductive tissues, including breast ductal epithelium. Brx bound specifically to the ER via an interaction that required distinct regions of ER and Brx. Furthermore, overexpression of Brx in transfection experiments using an estrogen-responsive reporter revealed that Brx augmented gene activation by the ER in an element-specific and ligand-dependent manner. Moreover, activation of ER by Brx could be specifically inhibited by a dominant-negative mutant of Cdc42Hs, but not by dominant negative mutants of RhoA or Rac1. Taken together, these data suggest that Brx represents a novel modular protein that may integrate cytoplasmic signaling pathways involving Rho family GTPases and nuclear hormone receptors.     

Immunocytochemical localization of transforming growth factor alpha, epidermal growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptor in the cat endometrium and placenta

Hoxb-5 is one of the few homeobox genes strongly expressed in the developing mouse lung. To explore the hypothesis that Hoxb-5 acts to regulate epithelial cell fate and branching morphogenesis in the developing lung, we studied the temporal, spatial, and cell-specific expression of Hoxb-5 from gestational day (d) 13.5 to postnatal day (P) 2. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated regional localization of Hoxb-5 protein to developing conducting airways and surrounding mesenchyme. The cellular expression pattern changed from diffusely positive nuclei of mesenchymal cells on d13.5 to become more localized to nuclei of subepithelial fibroblasts and some adjacent columnar and cuboidal epithelial cells on d14.5. After d14.5, Hoxb-5 protein expression continued to decrease in mesenchymal cells distal from developing airways, but persisted in fibroblasts underlying conducting airways. Hoxb-5 protein expression persisted in nuclei of columnar and cuboidal epithelial cells on d16.5 and d17.5, with expression in low cuboidal epithelial cells as well from d17.5 to P2. Western blot analysis showed temporal and quantitative changes in Hoxb-5 protein expression with peak expression on d14.5-15.5. We conclude that Hoxb-5 protein is developmentally regulated in a temporal, spatial, and cell-specific manner throughout the pseudoglandular, canalicular, and terminal saccular periods of lung development in the mouse. This localization and expression pattern suggests that Hoxb-5 may influence branching morphogenesis, cell-cell communication, cell fate, and differentiation of conducting airway epithelia.     

Inhibition of growth of primary human tumour cell cultures by a 4-anilinoquinazoline inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor family of tyrosine kinases

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is thought to mediate the action of the mitogens EGF and tumour growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) in a variety of cancers, including those of the lung, breast and ovary. A number of new selective inhibitors of EGFR tyrosine kinase have now been developed as potential new antitumour agents. We used a potent inhibitor of this tyrosine kinase, 6-amino-4-[(3-bromophenyl)amino]-7-(methylamino)quinazoline (SN 25531; PD 156273), to determine the responses of primary cultures derived from patients with cancer of the lung, ovary, breast, cervix and endometrium. Cells were cultured in 96-well plates and proliferation assessed by incorporation of 3H-thymidine. Measured growth inhibitory concentrations IC50 values) varied from 1 nM to 14 microM with a 1000-fold differential between sensitive and resistant cultures. Results were compared with rates of proliferation, estimated using a paclitaxel-based method. We also measured the IC50 values for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor using a number of established human cell lines, and compared them with EGFR content using fluorescent antibody staining and flow cytometry. The presence of EGFR was found to be necessary, but not sufficient, for in vitro response. Only a small number of cell lines (3 of 7 for lung, 1 of 7 for ovarian, 2 of 3 squamous cell and 0 of 12 for melanoma) were sensitive to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In contrast, 40 of the 50 primary cultures (including 14 of 15 lung cancer samples and 14 of 19 ovarian cancer samples) were sensitive.     

Molecular cloning of a novel cytokine cDNA encoding the ninth member of the fibroblast growth factor family, which has a unique secretion property

Glia-activating factor (GAF) is a novel heparin-binding growth factor purified from the culture supernatant of a human glioma cell line. It shows a spectrum of activity slightly different from those of other known growth factors. We have isolated the cDNA which encodes human GAF. A homology search revealed that GAF would be the ninth member of the FGF family, and we therefore call it FGF-9. The human FGF-9 cDNA cloned by using oligonucleotide probes encoded a polypeptide consisting of 208 amino acids. Sequence similarity to other members of the FGF family was estimated to be around 30%. Two cysteine residues and other consensus sequences in family members were also well conserved in the FGF-9 sequence. FGF-9 was found to have no typical signal sequence in its N terminus like those in acidic FGF and basic FGF. Acidic FGF and basic FGF are known not to be secreted from cells in a conventional manner. However, FGF-9 was found to be secreted from cells after synthesis despite its lack of a typical signal sequence. It could be detected exclusively in the culture medium of cDNA-transfected COS cells. The amino acid sequence of proteins purified from culture supernatant of the CHO cell line, which was cDNA transfected and selected as a high producer of FGF-9, showed that no peptides were cleaved from the N terminus except the initiation methionine. The rat FGF-9 cDNA was also cloned, and the structural analysis indicated that the PGF-9 gene is highly conserved. Expression of the FGF-9 gene could be detected in the brain and kidney of the adult rat. Restricted gene expression in organs and the unique secretion nature of the protein suggest that FGF-9 plays a physiological role which differs from those of well-characterized acidic FGF and basic FGF.     

Molecular characterization of a novel fission yeast gene spUAP2 that interacts with the splicing factor spU2AF59

A protein essential for pre-mRNA splicing, the U2 auxiliary factor (U2AF), is composed of a large and small subunit. Previously we cloned and characterized both subunits, spU2AF59 and spU2AF23, from fission yeast. We now report a novel U2AF-associated-protein, spUAP2, which interacts with both subunits. SpUAP2 contains a classical and a degenerate RNA recognition motif (RRM), both of which are required for interaction with spU2AF59. Interaction also requires the arginine/serine-rich region and the first RRM of spU2AF59. A null allele of the gene for spUAP2 is lethal.     

Binding interaction of the heregulinbeta egf domain with ErbB3 and ErbB4 receptors assessed by alanine scanning mutagenesis

Individual residues of the heregulinbeta (HRG) egf domain were mutated to alanine and displayed monovalently on phagemid particles as gene III fusion proteins. Wild type HRGbeta egf domain displayed on phage was properly folded as evidenced by its ability to bind ErbB3 and ErbB4 receptor-IgG fusion proteins with affinities close to those measured for bacterially produced HRGbeta egf domain. Binding to ErbB3 and ErbB4 receptors was affected by mutation of residues throughout the egf domain; including the NH2 terminus (His2 and Leu3), the two beta-turns (Val15-Gly18 and Gly42-Gln46), and some discontinuous residues (including Leu3, Val4, Phe13, Val23, and Leu33) that form a patch on the major beta-sheet and the COOH-terminal region (Tyr48 and Met50-Phe53). Binding affinity was least changed by mutations throughout the Omega-loop and the second strand of the major beta-sheet. More mutants had greater affinity loss for ErbB3 compared with ErbB4 implying that it has more stringent binding requirements. Many residues important for HRG binding to its receptors correspond to critical residues for epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor alpha binding to the EGF receptor. Specificity may be determined in part by bulky groups that prevent binding to the unwanted receptor. All of the mutants tested were able to induce phosphorylation and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation through ErbB4 receptors and were able to modulate a transphosphorylation signal from ErbB3 to ErbB2 in MCF7 cells. An understanding of binding similarities and differences among the EGF family of ligands may facilitate the development of egf-like analogs with broad or narrow specificity.     

Requirement for c-Src catalytic activity and the SH3 domain in platelet-derived growth factor BB and epidermal growth factor mitogenic signaling

The Src family protein-tyrosine kinases are required for mitogenic signaling from the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), colony stimulating factor-1, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor protein-tyrosine kinases (RPTK) (Twamley-Stein, G. M., Pepperkok, R., Ansorge, W., and Courtneidge, S. A. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 90, 7696-7700; Roche, S., Koegl, M., Barone, M. V., Roussel, M. F., and Courtneidge, S. A.(1995) Mol. Cell. Biol. 15, 1102-1109). In NIH3T3 fibroblasts, c-Src, Fyn, and c-Yes associate with the activated PDGF receptor, are substrates for receptor phosphorylation, and are themselves activated. Src family catalytic function is required for RPTK mitogenic signaling as evidenced by the SH2-dependent dominant negative phenotype exhibited by kinase-inactive Src and Fyn mutants (Twamley-Stein, G. M., Pepperkok, R., Ansorge, W., and Courtneidge, S. A.(1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 90, 7696-7700). Here, we have generated clonal Src- murine fibroblast cell lines overexpressing various murine c-Src mutants and studied the effect of these mutant Src proteins on PDGF- and EGF-induced mitogenesis. Two c-Src SH3 domain mutants, Y133F and Y138F, each inhibited PDGF BB- and EGF-induced DNA synthesis in quiescent cells. This demonstrates an involvement of the Src SH3 domain in PDGFbeta and EGF receptor mitogenic signaling. Since both Tyr-133 and Tyr-138 are located on the ligand binding surface of the SH3 domain, these results suggest that the c-Src SH3 domain is required for PDGF and EGF mitogenic signaling. The dominant negative effect of either single mutant on PDGF receptor signaling was reversed by a second SH2-inactivating mutation. We conclude that the c-Src SH3 domain function requires the SH2 domain in the case of the PDGF receptor, presumably because binding of c-Src to the receptor via its SH2 domain is a prerequisite for the SH3 domain function. In contrast, SH2 function is apparently not essential for the SH3 function in EGF receptor signaling.     

Mitogenic activity of neu differentiation factor/heregulin mimics that of epidermal growth factor and insulin-like growth factor-I in human mammary epithelial cells

BACKGROUND: Twin registers provide a valuable source for research into disease causation. The existing population-based registers comprise mostly old twins. In order to be able to study diseases which occur in childhood and youth a new Danish twin register has been established. METHODS: The register is based on the Danish Civil Registration, with information on number of twin births from the Danish Vital Statistics Office as the source of validation. All twins resident in Denmark at 1 March 1991 were sent a one-side questionnaire asking about diabetes, willingness to participate in other research projects and similarity in the twins. RESULTS: The register, comprising 20,888 twin pairs, covers 74.4% of all twin pairs born 1953-1967 (incl.) and 97.4% of those born 1968-1982 (incl.). The response rate to the questionnaire study was 92.3%. The responders represented 19,180 twin pairs distributed as 5304 monozygotic pairs, 6861 same-sex dizygotic pairs, 6244 opposite-sex dizygotic pairs and 771 pairs of unknown zygosity. Of the respondent twins, 96% declared their willingness to participate in additional studies. An analysis of trends in the twinning rates for the years 1968-1982 showed that the rate of monozygotic twinning is increasing and the twinning rate of opposite-sex twin pairs is decreasing. CONCLUSIONS: Earlier estimated trends in twinning rates have been confirmed. Due to the high response rate and opportunities for linkage with other Danish registers, the present material provides a valuable resource for twin studies in diseases and human traits.