The myoD gene family: nodal point during specification of the muscle cell lineage

hMEF2C gene encodes skeletal muscle- and brain-specific transcription factors

The myocyte enhancer-binding factor 2 (MEF2) site is an essential element of many muscle-specific enhancers and promoters that binds nuclear proteins from muscle and brain. Recently, we have cloned a family of MEF2 transcription factors produced by two genes that, at the mRNA level, are broadly expressed and produce tissue-specific isoforms by posttranscriptional processes (Y.-T. Yu, R. E. Breitbart, L. B. Smoot, Y. Lee, V. Mahdavi, and B. Nadal-Ginard, Genes Dev. 6:1783-1798, 1992). Here, we report the isolation and functional characterization of cDNA clones encoding four MEF2 factors derived from a separate gene that we have named hMEF2C. In contrast to those of the previously reported genes, the transcripts of the hMEF2C gene are restricted to skeletal muscle and brain. One of the alternate exons is exclusively present in brain transcripts. The products of this gene have DNA-binding and trans-activating activities indistinguishable from those of the previously reported MEF2 factors. The hMEF2C gene is induced late during myogenic differentiation, and its expression is limited to a subset of cortical neurons. The potential targets for this transcription factor in a subset of neurons are not known at this time. The strict tissue-specific pattern of expression of hMEF2C in comparison with the more ubiquitous expression of other MEF2 genes suggests a different mode of regulation and a potentially important role of hMEF2C factors in myogenesis and neurogenesis.

Cell-specific helix-loop-helix factor required for pituitary expression of the pro-opiomelanocortin gene

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing cells appear to be the first pituitary cells committed to hormone production. In this work, we have identified an element of the POMC promoter which confers cell-specific activity. This element did not exhibit any activity on its own and required at least one other element of the promoter to manifest its cell-specific activity. Fine mutagenesis of this element indicated that a CANNTG motif is responsible for activity. This E-box motif is typical of binding sites for helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcription factors; however, the POMC cell-specific E box cannot be replaced by other E boxes like the kappa E2 site of the immunoglobulin gene or a muscle-specific E box. Similar E boxes which are present in the insulin gene promoter were shown to contribute to the pancreatic specificity of the insulin promoter. However, E-box-binding proteins found in nuclear extracts from POMC-expressing AtT-20 cells and from insulin-expressing cells have different electrophoretic mobilities. The AtT-20 proteins were named CUTE (for corticotroph upstream transcription element-binding) proteins, and they were not found in any other cells. CUTE proteins have DNA-binding properties characteristic of HLH transcription factors. Overexpression of the dominant negative HLH protein Id or of the ubiquitous positive HLH factor rat Pan-2 decreased or augmented POMC promoter activity, respectively. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that CUTE factors might be heterodimers. This hypothesis was further supported by antibody shift experiments and by abrogation of DNA binding in the presence of bacterially expressed Id protein. Thus, the cell-specific CUTE proteins and their binding site in the POMC promoter appear to be important determinants for cell specificity of this promoter. The requirement for HLH factors in POMC transcription also presents the possibility that these factors are involved in differentiation of pituitary cells, in analogy with the role of HLH factors in muscle development.

Identification of a new family of human epithelial protein kinases containing two leucine/isoleucine-zipper domains

Using the polymerase chain reaction to study mRNA expressed in human epithelial tumor cells, a member of a new family of protein kinases was identified. The catalytic domain of this kinase has amino-acid-sequence similarity to both the Tyr-specific and the Ser/Thr-specific kinase classes. Clones representing two members of this new family have been isolated from a human colonic epithelial cDNA library and sequenced. The predicted amino-acid sequences of these clones reveal that, in addition to the unusual nature of their kinase catalytic domains, they contain two Leu/Ile-zipper motifs and a basic sequence, near their C-termini. As they possess domains associated with proteins from two distinct functional groups, these kinases have been named mixed-lineage kinases (MLK) 1 and 2. mRNA from MLK1 has been found to be expressed in epithelial tumor cell lines of colonic, breast and esophageal origin. The MLK1 gene has been mapped to human chromosome 14q24.3-31.

Cell-specific expression of helix-loop-helix transcription factors encoded by the E2A gene

The E2A gene encodes transcription factors of the helix-loop-helix family that are implicated in cell-specific gene expression as part of dimeric complexes that interact with E box enhancer elements. It has previously been shown that transcripts of the E2A gene can be detected in a wide range of cell types. We have now examined expression of the mouse E2A gene at the protein level using polyclonal antisera directed against distinct portions of the E2A protein to probe blots of cellular extracts. A 73 kDa protein was identified by this analysis: this protein is highly enriched in cell lines of B lymphoid origin as compared to pancreatic beta-cells and fibroblast cells. The detection of this protein selectively in extracts of lymphoid cells correlates with the presence of the E box-binding activity LEF1/BCF1 in these cells; this binding activity was previously shown to be efficiently recognized by antiserum directed against E2A gene products. Transfection of cells with full length E2A cDNA leads to appearance of protein co-migrating with the 73 kDa protein on SDS gel electrophoresis and co-migrating with LEF1/BCF1 on mobility shift analysis. Our results are consistent with the view that the DNA-binding activity LEF1/BCF1 is a homodimer of E2A proteins; the selective appearance of this putative cell-specific transcription factor in B lymphoid cells seems to be attributable, at least in part, to the elevated E2A protein concentrations in these cells.

Trans-activation of the murine dystrophin gene in human-mouse hybrid myotubes

Myotube cultures of the myogenic cell line, C2, produce significantly lower levels of dystrophin than primary mouse cultures. We demonstrate that expression of the C2 dystrophin gene increases 10-fold in hybrid myotubes formed by fusion of C2 and dystrophin-deficient human myoblasts from a Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient. These results indicate that C2 cells are deficient in endogenous gene regulatory factors which enhance dystrophin expression, and that the C2 cell line may therefore be used to identify putative trans-acting factors involved in the regulation of dystrophin gene expression.

Developmental potential of muscle cell progenitors and the myogenic factor SUM-1 in the sea urchin embryo

During sea urchin development, esophageal muscle arises from secondary mesenchyme cells, descendants of the vegetal plate that delaminate from the coelomic epithelium at the end of gastrulation. In lithium-induced exogastrulae, where vegetal plate descendants evert rather than invaginate, myogenesis occurs normally, indicating that myocyte progenitors do not have to be near the future stomodeum for differentiation to occur. Vegetal plate descendants isolated along with the extracellular matrix at different times during gastrulation produce differentiated myocytes in culture as monitored by staining with a myosin heavy chain antibody. Vegetal isolates prepared at mid-gastrulation or later consistently produce differentiated myocytes whose form and position resembled their counterparts in the intact embryo, whereas vegetal isolates prepared a few hours earlier while capable of gut differentiation, as evidenced by the de novo synthesis of the endodermal surface marker Endo 1, did not produce differentiated myocytes. These results suggest that sometime after early gastrulation, a subset of secondary mesenchyme cells are competent to differentiate into muscle cells. RNase protection assays showed that the accumulation of sea urchin myogenic factor (SUM-1) mRNA is likely to be coincident with the earliest demonstrable commitment of myogenic precursors. Premature expression of SUM-1 coding sequences in mesenchyme blastulae resulted in the activation of muscle-specific enhancer elements, demonstrating that SUM-1 can function precociously in the early embryo. However, SUM-1 expressed in this manner did not activate the endogenous MHC gene, nor induce premature or ectopic production of muscle cells.

Cell-specific helix-loop-helix factor required for pituitary expression of the pro-opiomelanocortin gene

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing cells appear to be the first pituitary cells committed to hormone production. In this work, we have identified an element of the POMC promoter which confers cell-specific activity. This element did not exhibit any activity on its own and required at least one other element of the promoter to manifest its cell-specific activity. Fine mutagenesis of this element indicated that a CANNTG motif is responsible for activity. This E-box motif is typical of binding sites for helix-loop-helix (HLH) transcription factors; however, the POMC cell-specific E box cannot be replaced by other E boxes like the kappa E2 site of the immunoglobulin gene or a muscle-specific E box. Similar E boxes which are present in the insulin gene promoter were shown to contribute to the pancreatic specificity of the insulin promoter. However, E-box-binding proteins found in nuclear extracts from POMC-expressing AtT-20 cells and from insulin-expressing cells have different electrophoretic mobilities. The AtT-20 proteins were named CUTE (for corticotroph upstream transcription element-binding) proteins, and they were not found in any other cells. CUTE proteins have DNA-binding properties characteristic of HLH transcription factors. Overexpression of the dominant negative HLH protein Id or of the ubiquitous positive HLH factor rat Pan-2 decreased or augmented POMC promoter activity, respectively. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that CUTE factors might be heterodimers. This hypothesis was further supported by antibody shift experiments and by abrogation of DNA binding in the presence of bacterially expressed Id protein. Thus, the cell-specific CUTE proteins and their binding site in the POMC promoter appear to be important determinants for cell specificity of this promoter. The requirement for HLH factors in POMC transcription also presents the possibility that these factors are involved in differentiation of pituitary cells, in analogy with the role of HLH factors in muscle development.

Contractile protein gene expression in primary myotubes of embryonic mouse hindlimb muscles

The time course of contractile protein [actin, myosin heavy chain (MHC) and myosin light chain (MLC)] gene expression in the hindlimb muscles of the embryonic mouse (< 15 days gestation) has been correlated with the expression of genes for the myogenic regulatory factors, myogenin and MyoD, and with morphogenetic events. At 14 days gestation, secondary myotubes are not yet present in crural muscles (M. Ontell and K. Kozeka (1984) Am. J. Anat. 171, 133–148; M. Ontell, D. Bourke and D. Hughes (1988) Am. J. Anat. 181, 267–278); therefore, all transcripts for contractile proteins found in these muscles must be produced in primary myotubes. In situ hybridization, with 35S-labeled antisense cRNAs, demonstrates the versatility of primary myotubes in that transcripts for (1) alpha-cardiac and alpha-skeletal actin, (2) MHCembryonic, MHCperinatal and MHC beta/slow, and (3) MLC1A, MLC1F and MLC3F are detectable at 14 days gestation. While the general patterns of early activation of the cardiac genes and early activation of the genes for the developmental isoforms are preserved in both myotomal and limb muscles (D. Sassoon, I. Garner and M. Buckingham (1988) Development 104, 155–164 and G. E. Lyons, M. Ontell, R. Cox, D. Sassoon and M. Buckingham (1990) J. Cell Biol. 111, 1465–1476 for myotomal muscle), there are a number of differences in contractile protein gene expression. For example, in the myotome, when myosin light chain genes are initially transcribed, hybridization signal with probe for MLC1A mRNA is greater than that with probe for MLC1F transcripts, whereas the relative intensity of signal with these same probes is reversed in the hindlimb. The order in which myosin heavy chain genes are activated is also different, with MHCembryonic and MHCperinatal preceding the appearance of MHC beta/slow transcripts in limb muscles, while MHCembryonic and MHC beta/slow appear simultaneously in the myotomes prior to MHCperinatal. In the myotome, an intense hybridization signal for alpha-cardiac and a weak signal for alpha-skeletal actin transcripts are detectable prior to myosin mRNAs, whereas in the limb alpha-cardiac actin transcripts accumulate with myosin transcripts before alpha-skeletal actin mRNA is detectable. These differences indicate that there is no single coordinate pattern of expression of contractile protein genes during initial formation of the muscles of the mouse.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Expression of the rat growth-hormone gene is under the influence of a cell-type-specific silencer element

We have previously shown that a cell-type-specific negative-regulatory element, or silencer, acts to specifically restrict rat-growth-hormone(rGH)-promoter activity to pituitary cells. Here we report a detailed characterization of this element. The activity of the silencer is dependent on its position relative to the promoter. The negative regulatory effect can be diminished by cotransfection with a high-copy-number, silencer-containing competitor plasmid, suggesting that the function of the element is mediated by specific binding of a trans-acting negative-regulatory factor. The minimal region required for silencer function is contained between positions -309 and -266 relative to the start of the rGH mRNA. The specific interaction of a nuclear protein from non-pituitary cells with this rGH DNA segment was shown by DNaseI as well as dimethylsulfate methylation-interference footprinting. A detailed examination of the DNA-binding site for that protein clearly suggest that it belongs to the NF1 family of transcription factors.

Regulation of insulin gene transcription

Selective transcription of the insulin gene in pancreatic beta cells is regulated by its enhancer, located between nucleotides -340 to -91 relative to the transcription start site. The activity o f the enhancer is controlled by both positive- and negative-acting cellular factors. Cell-type-specific expression is mediated principally by a single cis-acting enhancer element, termed the insulin control element (ICE), which is acted upon by both these cellular activities. This review focuses on the role of the factors acting on the ICE and other enhancer control elements in the establishment of cell-type-specific and physiologically regulated transcription of the insulin gene.

hMEF2C gene encodes skeletal muscle- and brain-specific transcription factors

The myocyte enhancer-binding factor 2 (MEF2) site is an essential element of many muscle-specific enhancers and promoters that binds nuclear proteins from muscle and brain. Recently, we have cloned a family of MEF2 transcription factors produced by two genes that, at the mRNA level, are broadly expressed and produce tissue-specific isoforms by posttranscriptional processes (Y.-T. Yu, R. E. Breitbart, L. B. Smoot, Y. Lee, V. Mahdavi, and B. Nadal-Ginard, Genes Dev. 6:1783-1798, 1992). Here, we report the isolation and functional characterization of cDNA clones encoding four MEF2 factors derived from a separate gene that we have named hMEF2C. In contrast to those of the previously reported genes, the transcripts of the hMEF2C gene are restricted to skeletal muscle and brain. One of the alternate exons is exclusively present in brain transcripts. The products of this gene have DNA-binding and trans-activating activities indistinguishable from those of the previously reported MEF2 factors. The hMEF2C gene is induced late during myogenic differentiation, and its expression is limited to a subset of cortical neurons. The potential targets for this transcription factor in a subset of neurons are not known at this time. The strict tissue-specific pattern of expression of hMEF2C in comparison with the more ubiquitous expression of other MEF2 genes suggests a different mode of regulation and a potentially important role of hMEF2C factors in myogenesis and neurogenesis.

ME1 and GE1: basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors expressed at high levels in the developing nervous system and in morphogenetically active regions

Several class A basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors have been cloned from the developing mouse and chick nervous system. The cloned cDNAs (ME1, ME2, ME3, ME4, in the mouse and GE1, GE2 in the chick) have HLH coding regions highly homologous to other known class A bHLH genes. The genes corresponding to ME1 and GE1 are abundantly expressed during development of the central nervous system. ME1 and GE1 are expressed in proliferating neuroblasts and in cells at the initial stages of differentiation (for example in the external granule cell layer of the cerebellum and in the lateral region of the ventricular zone in the developing neural tube and cortex). They are also expressed at high levels in morphogenetically active regions such as limb buds, somites and mesonephric tubules. The expression of ME1 and GE1 decreases once cellular differentiation is over. Based on the expression of ME1 and GE1 in regions of active cellular proliferation and differentiation and on the known role of other bHLH factors in development, we suggest that ME1 and GE1 play important roles during development of the nervous system as well as in other organ systems.

An 83-nucleotide promoter of the acetylcholine receptor epsilon-subunit gene confers preferential synaptic expression in mouse muscle

The expression of the acetylcholine receptor epsilon-subunit gene is restricted to the endplate of adult muscle fibers. We have started to study the regulatory elements of the epsilon-subunit gene promoter that are important for its synaptic expression. We used, for this purpose, a rapid method of in vivo expression after DNA injection into the muscle tissue [Wolff, J. A., Malone, R. W., Williams, P., Chong, W., Acsadi, G., Jani, A. & Felgner, P. L. (1990) Science 247, 1465-1468]. Our results show that a construction containing 83 nucleotides upstream from the transcription start site is sufficient to obtain preferential endplate expression. Moreover, mutation of a MyoD binding site located around position-70 does not alter this synaptic expression. We also studied the expression of this promoter in vitro in muscle primary cultures and showed the presence of a positive element between positions -122 and -83. Comparison of in vivo and in vitro results reveals that the elements important for in vivo localization at the synapse and in vitro expression in cultured muscle cells may differ.

Deficiency in rhabdomyosarcomas of a factor required for MyoD activity and myogenesis

Rhabdomyosarcoma cells express the myogenic helix-loop-helix proteins of the MyoD family but do not differentiate into skeletal muscle cells. Gel shift and transient transfection assays revealed that MyoD in the rhabdomyosarcoma cells was capable of binding DNA but was relatively nonfunctional as a transcriptional activator. Heterokaryon formation with fibroblasts resulted in the restoration of transcriptional activation by MyoD and the differentiation of the rhabdomyosarcoma cells into skeletal muscle cells. These results suggest that rhabdomyosarcomas are deficient in a factor required for MyoD activity.

Ectopic expression of MyoD1 in mice causes prenatal lethalities

A variety of differentiated cell types can be converted to skeletal muscle following transfection with the myogenic regulatory gene MyoD1. To determine whether MyoD1 is a dominant muscle regulator in vivo, mouse fertilized eggs were microinjected with a beta-actin/MyoD1 gene. Ectopic expression of MyoD1 during mouse embryogenesis led to embryonic lethalities, the cause of which is not known. Transgenic embryos died before midgestation. The majority of tested embryos between 7.5 and 9.5 days, although retarded compared to control littermates, differentiated normally into tissues representative of all three germ layers. In most transgenic embryos there was no indication of myogenic conversion. The expression of the introduced gene was detected in all ectodermal and mesodermal tissues but was absent in all endodermal cells. Forced expression of MyoD1 was associated with the activation of myogenin and MLC2 (but not myf5 or MRF4) genes in non-muscle cell types, demonstrating the dominant regulatory function of MyoD1 during development. These results demonstrate that ectopic MyoD1 expression and activation of myogenin and MLC2 have no significant effects in the determination of cell lineages or the developmental fate of differentiated mesodermal and ectodermal cell lineages.

Cellular and molecular diversity in skeletal muscle development: news from in vitro and in vivo

Skeletal muscle formation is studied in vitro with myogenic cell lines and primary muscle cell cultures, and in vivo with embryos of several species. We review several of the notable advances obtained from studies of cultured cells, including the recognition of myoblast diversity, isolation of the MyoD family of muscle regulatory factors, and identification of promoter elements required for muscle-specific gene expression. These studies have led to the ideas that myoblast diversity underlies the formation of the multiple types of fast and slow muscle fibers, and that myogenesis is controlled by a combination of ubiquitous and muscle-specific transcriptional regulators that may be different for each gene. We further review some unexpected results that have been obtained when ideas from work in culture have been tested in developing animals. The studies in vivo point to additional molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate muscle formation in the animal.

Serum-induced inhibition of myogenesis is differentially relieved by retinoic acid and triiodothyronine in C2 murine muscle cells

We recently reported that triiodothyronine (T3) enhances MyoD gene expression and accelerates terminal differentiation in murine C2 myoblasts. In this paper, we are interested in the effects of other hormones acting through related nuclear receptors. Retinoic acid (RA), but not estradiol or dexamethasone, is also able to enhance MyoD gene expression (about threefold). However, the effects of RA and T3 on myogenesis are quite distinct, with a much more potent RA action. Indeed, although T3 and RA positively regulate myogenesis with similar efficiency in poorly mitogenic conditions, in presence of high serum concentrations T3 can no longer trigger terminal differentiation whereas RA still remains efficient. Thus, serum concentration is a crucial parameter in discriminating between the effects of T3 and RA on myogenesis. The differential effects between these two hormone are likely to be related to the ability of RA-activated endogenous retinoic acid receptors (RARs) to induce C2 myoblasts growth-arrest and to extinguish AP1 activity (thought to act as an inhibitor of myogenesis) whereas T3-activated endogenous thyroid hormones receptors (THRs) are relatively inefficient. We propose that the much higher level of RARs in C2 cells versus THRs could to some extent account for the differential ability of T3 and RA to antagonize serum-regulated mitogenic pathways in myogenic cells. This study provides clear evidence for an important role of RA on MyoD gene expression and myogenesis and suggests that T3 and RA could play overlapping, but distinct, roles on muscle development.

The HAT4 gene of Arabidopsis encodes a developmental regulator

The HAT4 gene from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a homeo domain protein that contains a leucine zipper motif. Homeo domain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) proteins have not been found in animal systems, suggesting that HAT4 may define a new family of transcription factors that regulate higher plant development. To explore this possibility, functional studies of HAT4 were carried out in yeast and in transgenic plants. Point mutants of HAT4 isolated in yeast define functionally critical residues within the HD-Zip domain, many of which correspond to highly conserved positions in known homeo domains and leucine zippers. Transgenic plants bearing constructs that alter HAT4 expression exhibit a series of interesting developmental phenotypes, including changes in morphology and developmental rate. Thus, the HAT4 gene of Arabidopsis encodes an HD-Zip protein that functions as a novel developmental regulator.

A unique pattern of expression of the four muscle regulatory factor proteins distinguishes somitic from embryonic, fetal and newborn mouse myogenic cells

A unique pattern of expression of the four muscle regulatory factor (MRF) proteins was found to distinguish early somitic from embryonic, fetal and newborn limb myogenic cells in vitro. Expression of the myosin heavy chain (MHC), MyoD, myogenin, Myf-5, and MRF4 proteins was examined by immunocytochemistry in cultures of four distinct types of mouse myogenic cells: somitic (E8.5), embryonic (E11.5), fetal (E16.5) and newborn limb. In embryonic, fetal and newborn cultures, the MRF proteins were expressed in generally similar patterns: MyoD was the first MRF expressed; MyoD and myogenin were expressed by more cells than Myf-5 or MRF4; and each of the four MRFs was found both in cells that expressed MHC and in cells that did not express MHC. In cultures of somitic cells, in contrast, Myf-5 was expressed first and by more cells than MyoD or myogenin; MRF4 was not detected; and the MRFs were never found to be coexpressed with MHC in the same cell. Thus, some somitic cells had the unexpected ability to maintain MHC expression in the absence of detectable MRF protein expression. The different myogenic programs of embryonic, fetal and newborn myogenic cells are not, therefore, a simple result of qualitatively different MRF expression patterns, whereas myogenesis by somitic cells does include a unique pattern of MRF expression.

Analysis of the promoter sequence and the transcription initiation site of the mouse 5-HT1C serotonin receptor gene

The serotonin 1c (5-HT1C) receptor is found in many brain regions, but is particularly enriched on the epithelial cells of the choroid plexus. A major challenge in neurobiology is to delineate the molecular processes that regulate the specific pattern of neuronal gene expression in the brain. As an initial step towards identifying cis-acting DNA sequences that control the expression of the 5-HT1C receptor, we have isolated the promoter sequence of its gene. Sequence analysis of a 1.8 kb fragment indicated that the 3' end of this fragment overlaps with the 5' untranslated region of the 5-HT1C receptor mRNA, and primer extension using mouse brain poly(A)+ RNA mapped the transcription initiation site within this fragment. There are a number of sequence elements upstream from the transcription initiation site that are homologous to regulatory elements found in other eucaryotic genes. To determine the promoter activity, a plasmid was constructed that contains this fragment as promoter region and the cDNA for the 5-HT1C receptor as the reporter. When injected into the nucleus of Xenopus oocytes, this construct resulted in functional expression of the reporter gene. Primer extension using the RNA extracted from the injected oocytes indicated a single transcription initiation site of the reporter mRNA. These results suggest that the 5-HT1C receptor was functionally expressed under the promoter activity of the 1.8 kb 5' sequence of its gene. This system will be useful for further analysis of the cis-acting elements in the promoter region of the 5-HT1C receptor gene and the trans-acting factors that regulate tissue-specific expression of the receptor.

Studies on the evolution and function of different forms of the mouse myogenic gene Myo-D1 and upstream flanking region

The product of the murine Myo-D1 gene is able to initiate the complete sequence of genetic events required for formation of skeletal muscle. Because efficiency of regeneration of skeletal muscle is more pronounced in SJL/J mice, as compared to other strains, differences in the structure of Myo-D1 and the upstream regulatory region were sought to determine whether efficiency of tissue repair was influenced by the structure of the gene itself. Analysis of the restriction-fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of genomic DNA from SJL/J and different sub-strains of mouse indicated that there are at least three different structural forms of Myo-D1, one of which is unique to SJL/J mice and may have been derived from a double recombinational event involving founder forms of Myo-D1. The unique form of Myo-D1 in SJL/J mice also exhibits a PvuII RFLP upstream from the gene, which may reflect some form of rearrangement or variation in methylation of a potential Myo-D1-binding region. Reference to the size of fragments hybridising with the Myo-D1 probe, following digestion of genomic DNA with TaqI, suggests that in most tissues, adenine residues within Myo-D1 may be extensively methylated. Segregation of Myo-D1 allotypes with response to mechanical injury to skeletal muscle in F2 offspring derived from SJL/J and BALB/c parental strains reveals that increased efficiency of tissue repair is associated with the SJL/J type of Myo-D1 gene. These observations provide new approaches to investigation of genetic control of tissue regeneration and cellular differentiation and proliferation in general.

Sex determining gene expression during embryogenesis

The Y-linked gene Sry acts during a critical period of gonadal differentiation to divert the normal or default pathway of gene activity that would otherwise lead to the development of ovaries into one that leads to the development of testes. It acts cell autonomously, probably within the cell lineage that gives rise to Sertoli cells in the testis or follicle cells in the ovary. The remaining cell types within the gonad, each of which has a developmental choice, then become fated to follow the testicular pathway. This process must depend on cell-cell interactions as Sry is not required within these other cell types for their differentiation. Subsequent male development of the animal as a whole is dependent on the production of testosterone and other factors by the testis. Sry encodes a DNA binding protein of the HMG box class, and presumably acts to regulate the expression of other genes which then confer cellular phenotype. However, rather than operating like other classes of transcription factor, it has been shown to induce a dramatic bend in its DNA binding sites, and may not directly affect transcription of target genes. Instead, it may permit other factors to interact, which in turn either activate or repress transcription. Sequence comparisons between Sry genes from various species suggest that the HMG box is the only functional part of the protein. This part is responsible for DNA binding, and both mouse and human SRY bind the same consensus sequence at high affinity in vitro. However, the human gene fails to cause female to male sex reversal in transgenic mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The homeobox gene goosecoid controls cell migration in Xenopus embryos

Goosecoid (gsc), a homeobox gene expressed specifically in the dorsal blastopore lip of the Xenopus gastrula, is considered to play an important role in Spemann's organizer phenomenon. Lineage tracing and time-lapse microscopy were used to follow the fate of embryonic cells microinjected with gsc mRNA. Microinjected gsc has non-cell autonomous effects, recruiting neighboring uninjected cells into a twinned dorsal axis. Ectopic expression of gsc mRNA in ventral blastomeres as well as overexpression of gsc in dorsal blastomeres leads to cell movement toward the anterior of the embryo. The results suggest a function for gsc in the control of gastrulation movements in groups of cells, but not in dissociated cells, and demonstrate that a vertebrate homeobox gene can regulate region-specific cell migration.

Induction of cell differentiation by human immunodeficiency virus 1 vpr

Cell lines from rhabdomyosarcomas, which are tumors of muscle origin, have been used as models of CD4-independent HIV infection. These cell lines can be induced to differentiate in vitro. We report here that the vpr gene of HIV1 is sufficient for the differentiation of the human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line TE671. Differentiated cells are characterized by great enlargement, altered morphology, lack of replication, and high level expression of the muscle-specific protein myosin. We have also observed the morphological differentiation and inhibition of proliferation of two other transformed cell lines. vpr-transfected cells remain fully viable in culture for extended periods. These observations elucidate a potential role for vpr in the virus life cycle and raise the possibility that some aspects of HIV-induced pathologies may be caused by a disturbance of cells by vpr.

A new transcriptional-activation motif restricted to a class of helix-loop-helix proteins is functionally conserved in both yeast and mammalian cells

Previous studies demonstrated that the amino-terminal portions of E2A and E2-2 are crucial for transactivation. Subsequent findings showed that the same amino-terminal region of E2A is involved in two different translocation events contributing to the induction of a pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and a pro-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These results led us to focus on the amino-terminal region of E2A to better understand its normal role in transcriptional regulation and its aberrant involvement in the two leukemias. We report here the identification of two conserved boxes in the E2A amino-terminal domain that show extensive homology within the transactivation domains of E12, E47, E2-2, HEB, and daughterless, all members of the same class of helix-loop-helix proteins. Together, both boxes are crucial for transcriptional activation and have the potential to form a new activation motif, that of a loop adjacent to an amphipathic alpha-helix, designated the loop-helix (LH) motif. A minimal region containing the LH motif is sufficient for transcriptional activation. Point mutations in the amphipathic helix of the minimal region reduce its transactivation capabilities dramatically. The same constructs expressed in yeast cells show identical patterns of activation, suggesting that the LH motif and its target proteins are functionally conserved in yeast cells. We propose that the LH motif represents a novel transactivation domain that is distinct from the previously characterized acidic blob, proline-rich, and glutamine-rich activation motifs. In addition, the LH motif is the first activation motif restricted to one class of DNA binding proteins.

Interaction of myogenic factors and the retinoblastoma protein mediates muscle cell commitment and differentiation

The experiments reported here document that the tumor suppressor retinoblastoma protein (pRB) plays an important role in the production and maintenance of the terminally differentiated phenotype of muscle cells. We show that pRB inactivation, through either phosphorylation, binding to T antigen, or genetic alteration, inhibits myogenesis. Moreover, inactivation of pRB in terminally differentiated cells allows them to reenter the cell cycle. In addition to its involvement in the myogenic activities of MyoD, pRB is also required for the cell growth-inhibitory activity of this myogenic factor. We also show that pRB and MyoD directly bind to each other, both in vivo and in vitro, through a region that involves the pocket and the basic-helix-loop-helix domains, respectively. All the results obtained are consistent with the proposal that the effects of MyoD on the cell cycle and of pRB on the myogenic pathway result from the direct binding of the two molecules.

Cell fate determination in the peripheral nervous system: the sympathoadrenal progenitor

Studies of postnatal chromaffin cells, sympathetic neurons and Small Intensely Fluorescent (SIF) cells have suggested that these cells develop from a common progenitor, the sympathoadrenal (SA) progenitor, whose fate is determined by the relative levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and glucocorticoid (GC) in its environment (Unsicker et al., 1978, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75:3498-3502; Doupe et al., 1985a, J. Neurosci. 5:2119-2142). Recent studies have identified such a bipotential SA progenitor in the rat embryo. Surprisingly, this progenitor is initially unresponsive to NGF; neuronal differentiation is instead promoted by fibroblast growth factor (FGF). However, FGF appears to promote NGF responsiveness, suggesting that neuronal differentiation involves a relay or cascade of growth factor action. Furthermore, chromaffin cell differentiation appears to involve two sequential, GC-dependent events: the inhibition of neuronal differentiation and the induction of epinephrine synthesis. The former event is a prerequisite to the latter. Thus both the chromaffin and neuronal pathways of differentiation follow a series of dependent events, involving changes in the responsiveness of SA progenitors to environmental factors. Such changes correlate with changes in antigenic marker expression that can be observed in vivo. In addition to choosing between neuronal and endocrine fates, SA progenitors must also express an appropriate neurotransmitter phenotype. For example, sympathetic neurons can become either noradrenergic or cholinergic. This cholinergic potential is already present in uncommitted SA progenitors, as evidenced by their ability to synthesize acetylcholine. Recent studies suggest that these cells may have yet other developmental capacities, including the ability to synthesize serotonin. This capacity is consistent with the hypothesis that SA progenitors are closely related to progenitors of enteric neurons, an idea supported by recent observations using novel antigenic markers. The SA progenitor may be, therefore, a "master" neuroendocrine progenitor for the peripheral nervous system.

Delayed somite formation in a quail line exhibiting myofiber hyperplasia is accompanied by delayed expression of myogenic regulatory factors and myosin heavy chain

A myofiber hyperplastic quail line P has been developed through selection for heavy body weight. Since the number of muscle fibers is determined early in development and skeletal muscle originates from somites, we compared somite formation and muscle-specific gene expression in P- and control C-line quail embryos. At 47 hours of incubation, C embryos had 18 somite pairs and P embryos had 14.3. By 72 and 120 hours, both lines appeared to be at the same stage of somite development. To determine whether the delay in the formation of the brachial somites was accompanied by alterations in muscle-specific gene expression, we conducted whole-mount in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence studies. At 47 hours of incubation, C embryos were expressing qmf1 in the first 12 somites, while in P embryos only the first 7 somites showed qmf1 activation. Delays in expression were also observed for qmf3 at 43 hours and for all three myogenic factors (qmf1, qmf2 and qmf3) at 60 hours. At 65 hours, C embryos expressed myosin heavy chain in the first 15 somite pairs and P embryos in the first 7. At 72 hours, the transient delay in somite formation had disappeared and there was no lag in myosin heavy chain expression between the lines. The phase delay in brachial somite formation, myogenic factors and myosin heavy chain expression may be associated with the observed myofiber hyperplasia in P-line quail by allowing an increase in the muscle stem cell population.

Extinction of tyrosine aminotransferase gene activity in somatic cell hybrids involves modification and loss of several essential transcriptional activators

Extinction is defined as the loss of cell type-specific gene expression that occurs in somatic cell hybrids derived by fusion of cells with dissimilar phenotypes. To explore the basis of this dominant-negative regulation, we have studied the activities of the control elements of the liver-specific gene encoding tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) in hepatoma/fibroblast hybrid crosses. We show that extinction in complete somatic cell hybrids is accompanied by the loss of activity of all known cell type-specific control elements of the TAT gene. This inactivity is the result of first, lack of expression of genes coding for the transcriptional activators HNF4 and HNF3 beta and HNF3 gamma, which bind to essential elements of the enhancers; and second, loss of in vivo binding and activity of ubiquitous factors to these enhancers, including CREB, which is the target for repression by the tissue-specific extinguisher locus TSE1. Complete extinction of TAT gene activity is therefore a multifactorial process affecting all three enhancers controlling liver-specific and hormone-inducible expression. It results from lack of activation, rather than active repression, and involves both post-translational modification and loss of essential transcriptional activators.

A new transcriptional-activation motif restricted to a class of helix-loop-helix proteins is functionally conserved in both yeast and mammalian cells

Previous studies demonstrated that the amino-terminal portions of E2A and E2-2 are crucial for transactivation. Subsequent findings showed that the same amino-terminal region of E2A is involved in two different translocation events contributing to the induction of a pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and a pro-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These results led us to focus on the amino-terminal region of E2A to better understand its normal role in transcriptional regulation and its aberrant involvement in the two leukemias. We report here the identification of two conserved boxes in the E2A amino-terminal domain that show extensive homology within the transactivation domains of E12, E47, E2-2, HEB, and daughterless, all members of the same class of helix-loop-helix proteins. Together, both boxes are crucial for transcriptional activation and have the potential to form a new activation motif, that of a loop adjacent to an amphipathic alpha-helix, designated the loop-helix (LH) motif. A minimal region containing the LH motif is sufficient for transcriptional activation. Point mutations in the amphipathic helix of the minimal region reduce its transactivation capabilities dramatically. The same constructs expressed in yeast cells show identical patterns of activation, suggesting that the LH motif and its target proteins are functionally conserved in yeast cells. We propose that the LH motif represents a novel transactivation domain that is distinct from the previously characterized acidic blob, proline-rich, and glutamine-rich activation motifs. In addition, the LH motif is the first activation motif restricted to one class of DNA binding proteins.

Expression of smooth muscle-specific proteins in myoepithelium and stromal myofibroblasts of normal and malignant human breast tissue

The expression of several differentiation markers in normal human mammary gland myoepithelium and in certain stromal fibroblasts ("myofibroblasts") associated with breast carcinomas was studied by immunofluorescence microscopy of frozen sections. Several antibodies to smooth muscle-specific proteins (smooth muscle alpha-actin, smooth muscle myosin heavy chains, calponin, alpha 1-integrin, and high molecular weight caldesmon) and to epithelial-specific proteins (cytokeratins, E-cadherin, and desmoplakin) were used to show that myoepithelial cells concomitantly express epithelial and smooth muscle markers whereas adjacent luminal cells express only epithelial markers. The same antibodies were used to establish that stromal myofibroblasts exhibit smooth muscle phenotypic properties characterized by the expression of all the smooth muscle markers examined except for high molecular weight caldesmon. In addition, both myoepithelium and myofibroblasts show a significant degree of heterogeneity in smooth muscle protein expression. Thus, myoepithelial cells and stromal myofibroblasts are epithelial and mesenchymal cells, respectively, which coordinately express a set of smooth muscle markers while maintaining their specific original features. The dual nature of myoepithelial cells and the phenotypic transition of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts are examples of the plasticity of the differentiated cell phenotype.

achaete-scute feminizing activities and Drosophila sex determination

Sex determination in Drosophila depends on X-linked ‘numerator’ genes activating early Sex-lethal (Sxl) transcription in females. One numerator gene, sisterless-b (sis-b), corresponds to the achaete-scute (AS-C) T4 basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) gene. Two other closely related AS-C bHLH genes, T3 and T5, appear not to function as numerator elements. We analyzed endogenous AS-C expression and show that T4 is the major AS-C numerator gene because it is expressed earlier and more strongly than are T3 and T5. Only T4 expression is detectable during the early syncytial stages when Sxl state is being determined. Nevertheless, the effects of ectopic AS-C gene expression show that T3 and T5 proteins display weak but significant feminizing activities, enhancing male-lethality, and rescuing the female-lethality of sis mutations. Detailed examination of Sxl expression in rescued embryos suggests that female cells may be viable in the absence of detectable Sxl protein expression.

Id expression during mouse development: a role in morphogenesis

We have characterized the spatial and temporal pattern of Id transcription during mouse embryogenesis. The Id gene encodes a helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein which can heterodimerize with the ubiquitously expressed HLH protein products of the E2A gene, and prevent them from binding DNA either alone or as a heterodimer with tissue specific HLH transcription factors such as the muscle determination gene, MyoD1 (Benezra et al., 1990: Cell 61:49-59). Since Id has been shown to be down-regulated during induced differentiation in several cell lines, it has been postulated that Id plays a general inhibitory role in cell differentiation (Benezra et al., 1990). In situ analysis of Id mRNA expression in the mouse embryo was performed in order to determine whether the pattern of Id expression is consistent with this postulate. A detailed study throughout the entirety of mouse postimplantation development reveals that Id is expressed upon gastrulation at very high levels in almost all regions of the mouse embryo and expression declines as embryogenesis proceeds. In skeletal muscle, in which the inhibitory action of Id has been established in tissue culture models (Benezra et al., 1990), Id and the HLH myogenic factors are expressed in a mutually exclusive manner suggesting that myogenic precursors do not express both types of HLH gene products. In addition, Id colocalizes both spatially and temporally with Hox-7.1, a murine homeobox gene which is associated with regions of high cell proliferation and positional fate assignment.

Cross-coupling of signal transduction pathways: the dioxin receptor mediates induction of cytochrome P-450IA1 expression via a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism

Signal transduction by dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) is mediated by the intracellular dioxin receptor which, in its dioxin-activated state, regulates transcription of target genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes, such as cytochrome P-450IA1 and glutathione S-transferase Ya. Exposure of the dioxin receptor to dioxin leads to an apparent translocation of the receptor to the nucleus in vivo and to a rapid conversion of the receptor from a latent, non-DNA-binding form to a species that binds to dioxin-responsive positive control elements in vitro. This DNA-binding form of receptor appears to be a heterodimeric complex with the helix-loop-helix factor Arnt. In this study, we show that activation of the cytochrome P-450IA1 gene and minimal dioxin-responsive reporter constructs by the dioxin receptor was inhibited following prolonged treatment of human keratinocytes with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Inhibition of the receptor-mediated activation response was also achieved by treatment of the cells with a number of protein kinase inhibitors, one of which, calphostin C, shows selectivity for protein kinase C. Taken together, these data suggest that protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation may play an essential role in the dioxin signaling pathway. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that pretreatment of the cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate inhibited the DNA-binding activity of the dioxin receptor in vivo. In vivo, the dioxin receptor was found to be a phosphoprotein. In vitro, dephosphorylation of the ligand-activated, heteromeric dioxin receptor form or dephosphorylation of the individual ligand-binding and Arnt receptor subunits inhibited the xenobiotic response element-binding activity. Moreover, dephosphorylation experiments with the individual receptor subunits prior to assembly of the xenobiotic response element-binding receptor form indicated that phosphorylation seemed to be important for the DNA-binding activity per se of the receptor, whereas Arnt appeared to require phosphorylation to interact with the receptor. Finally, a protein kinase C inhibitor-sensitive cytosolic catalytic activity that could restore the DNA-binding activity of the dephosphorylated dioxin receptor form was identified.

Molecular mechanisms of cardiac gene expression

Although the physiological properties of the myocardium and their dynamic character have been the focus of intense research during the past three decades, the biochemical and molecular correlates underlying cardiac development and performance have, until recently, remained poorly understood. The development of modern cellular and molecular biology has provided the necessary tools to undertake the study of the mechanisms involved in cardiac development and to understand the basis for important clinical and experimental problems in cardiovascular physiology. Most of the gene encoding contractile proteins have been cloned and characterized. The availability of molecular probes and the ability to introduce genes into individual cell types and tissues of living animals, are the most important breakthroughs of molecular and cell biology. This permits not only to analyze basic mechanisms of gene expression but has also significant practical applications for gene therapy. It is now possible to analyze the role of different regulatory gene sequences and identify their corresponding trans-active factors. In addition, direct gene injection makes it possible to study gene expression in a natural context, under conditions that are physiologically relevant and controllable.

Cross-coupling of signal transduction pathways: the dioxin receptor mediates induction of cytochrome P-450IA1 expression via a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism

Signal transduction by dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) is mediated by the intracellular dioxin receptor which, in its dioxin-activated state, regulates transcription of target genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes, such as cytochrome P-450IA1 and glutathione S-transferase Ya. Exposure of the dioxin receptor to dioxin leads to an apparent translocation of the receptor to the nucleus in vivo and to a rapid conversion of the receptor from a latent, non-DNA-binding form to a species that binds to dioxin-responsive positive control elements in vitro. This DNA-binding form of receptor appears to be a heterodimeric complex with the helix-loop-helix factor Arnt. In this study, we show that activation of the cytochrome P-450IA1 gene and minimal dioxin-responsive reporter constructs by the dioxin receptor was inhibited following prolonged treatment of human keratinocytes with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Inhibition of the receptor-mediated activation response was also achieved by treatment of the cells with a number of protein kinase inhibitors, one of which, calphostin C, shows selectivity for protein kinase C. Taken together, these data suggest that protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation may play an essential role in the dioxin signaling pathway. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that pretreatment of the cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate inhibited the DNA-binding activity of the dioxin receptor in vivo. In vivo, the dioxin receptor was found to be a phosphoprotein. In vitro, dephosphorylation of the ligand-activated, heteromeric dioxin receptor form or dephosphorylation of the individual ligand-binding and Arnt receptor subunits inhibited the xenobiotic response element-binding activity. Moreover, dephosphorylation experiments with the individual receptor subunits prior to assembly of the xenobiotic response element-binding receptor form indicated that phosphorylation seemed to be important for the DNA-binding activity per se of the receptor, whereas Arnt appeared to require phosphorylation to interact with the receptor. Finally, a protein kinase C inhibitor-sensitive cytosolic catalytic activity that could restore the DNA-binding activity of the dephosphorylated dioxin receptor form was identified.