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

Insulin-producing cells contain a cell-specific repressor activity that functions through multiple E-box sequences

The cis-acting DNA element known as the E box (consensus sequence CAxxTG) plays an important role in the transcription of a number of cell-specifically expressed genes. The rat insulin I gene, for example, contains two such sequences (IEB1 and IEB2) that are recognized specifically by a characteristic beta cell nuclear factor insulin enhancer factor 1 (IEF1). To define the role of these elements better, we tested for cooperative interactions between the IEB sequences. Transfection experiments were performed with a series of plasmids containing the elements separated by different distances. Transcriptional activity in vivo is only modestly affected (less than two-fold) when the distances between the IEB elements are changed by a half-integral number of double-helical turns. Surprisingly, plasmids bearing four and six copies of the IEB motif showed sharply reduced activity as compared to those with two copies. In vitro DNA-binding studies revealed that this effect was not due to inability of IEF1 to bind to multiple copies of IEB. Moreover, multiple copies of the IEB sequence were able to inhibit activity of a cis-linked Moloney sarcoma virus (MSV) or insulin enhancer upon transfection to beta cells but not to other cell types. The above data are consistent with the view that beta cells contain a cell-specific repressor molecule capable of binding to multiple copies of IEB and thereby inhibiting transcription. This interpretation was further strengthened by in vivo competition and trans-activation experiments. The beta-cell-specific repressor activity identified by these studies may play an important role in mediating gene expression in insulin-producing cells, perhaps by regulating the access of helix-loop-helix transcription factors to E-box sequence elements.

SCL and related hemopoietic helix-loop-helix transcription factors

The helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins are a family of transcription factors that include proteins critical to differentiation and development in species ranging from plants to mammals. Five members of this family (MYC, SCL, TAL-2, LYL-1 and E2A) are implicated in oncogenic events in human lymphoid tumors because of their consistent involvement in chromosomal translocations. Although activated in T cell leukemias, expression of SCL and LYL-1 is low or undetectable in normal T cell populations. SCL is expressed in erythroid, megakaryocyte and mast cell populations (the same cell lineages as GATA-1, a zinc-finger transcription factor). In addition, both SCL and GATA-1 undergo coordinate modulation during chemically induced erythroid differentiation of mouse erythroleukemia cells and are down-modulated during myeloid differentiation of human K562 cells, thus implying a role for SCL in erythroid differentiation events. However, in contrast to GATA-1, SCL is expressed in the developing brain. Studies of the function of SCL suggest it is also important in proliferation and self-renewal events in erythroid cells.

Positive and negative elements regulate a melanocyte-specific promoter

Melanocytes are specialized cells residing in the hair follicles, the eye, and the basal layer of the human epidermis whose primary function is the production of the pigment melanin, giving rise to skin, hair, and eye color. Melanogenesis, a process unique to melanocytes that involves the processing of tyrosine by a number of melanocyte-specific enzymes, including tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP-1), occurs only after differentiation from the melanocyte precursor, the melanoblast. In humans, melanogenesis is inducible by UV irradiation, with melanin being transferred from the melanocyte in the epidermis to the surrounding keratinocytes as protection from UV-induced damage. Excessive exposure to UV, however, is the primary cause of malignant melanoma, an increasingly common and highly aggressive disease. As an initial approach to understanding the regulation of melanocyte differentiation and melanocyte-specific transcription, we have isolated the gene encoding TRP-1 and examined the cis- and trans-acting factors required for cell-type-specific expression. We find that the TRP-1 promoter comprises both positive and negative regulatory elements which confer efficient expression in a TRP-1-expressing, pigmented melanoma cell line but not in NIH 3T3 or JEG3 cells and that a minimal promoter extending between -44 and +107 is sufficient for cell-type-specific expression. Assays for DNA-protein interactions coupled with extensive mutagenesis identified three factors, whose binding correlated with the function of two positive and one negative regulatory element. One of these factors, termed M-box-binding factor 1, binds to an 11-bp motif, the M box, which acts as a positive regulatory element both in TRP-1-expressing and -nonexpressing cell lines, despite being entirely conserved between the melanocyte-specific tyrosinase and TRP-1 promoters. The possible mechanisms underlying melanocyte-specific gene expression are discussed.

Structure and myofiber-specific expression of the rat muscle regulatory gene MRF4

We have cloned an 11.3-kb rat genomic DNA fragment encompassing the muscle regulatory factor 4 (MRF4) protein-coding sequence, 8.5 kb of 5'-flanking sequence, and 1.0 kb of 3'-flanking sequence. In order to study MRF4 gene expression, the rat myogenic cell line, L6J1-C, which expresses the endogenous MRF4 gene only in differentiated myofibers, was transfected stably with the full-length genomic clone and various 5' deletions. RNase protection assays demonstrated that MRF4 genes containing as little as 430 bp of 5'-flanking sequence exhibited an increase in expression as the cells differentiated into myofibers, indicating that elements responsible for fiber-specific expression are contained within this cloned DNA fragment. Similar up-regulation was observed with genes containing 1.5 kb of 5'-flanking sequence. Interestingly, MRF4 genes containing 5.0 kb and 8.5 kb of 5'-flanking sequence were up-regulated to even higher levels, suggesting that additional myofiber-specific regulatory elements located between 1.5 and 5.0 kb upstream from the coding region play a role in regulating the expression of this muscle-specific gene.

MHox: a mesodermally restricted homeodomain protein that binds an essential site in the muscle creatine kinase enhancer

Myogenic helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins, such as myogenin and MyoD, can activate muscle-specific transcription when introduced into a variety of nonmuscle cell types. Whereas cells of mesodermal origin are especially permissive to the actions of these myogenic regulators, many other cell types are refractory to myogenic conversion by them. Here we describe a novel homeodomain protein, MHox, that binds an A+T-rich element in the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) enhancer that is essential for muscle-specific transcription and trans-activation by myogenic HLH proteins. MHox is completely restricted to mesodermally derived cell types during embryogenesis and to established cell lines of mesodermal origin. In contrast to most other homeobox genes, MHox expression is excluded from the nervous system, with the highest levels observed in limb bud and visceral arches. In adult mice, MHox is expressed at high levels in skeletal muscle, heart and uterus. The DNA-binding properties and pattern of MHox expression are unique among homeobox genes and suggest a role for MHox as a transcriptional regulator that participates in the establishment of diverse mesodermal cell types.

Positive and negative elements regulate a melanocyte-specific promoter

Melanocytes are specialized cells residing in the hair follicles, the eye, and the basal layer of the human epidermis whose primary function is the production of the pigment melanin, giving rise to skin, hair, and eye color. Melanogenesis, a process unique to melanocytes that involves the processing of tyrosine by a number of melanocyte-specific enzymes, including tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP-1), occurs only after differentiation from the melanocyte precursor, the melanoblast. In humans, melanogenesis is inducible by UV irradiation, with melanin being transferred from the melanocyte in the epidermis to the surrounding keratinocytes as protection from UV-induced damage. Excessive exposure to UV, however, is the primary cause of malignant melanoma, an increasingly common and highly aggressive disease. As an initial approach to understanding the regulation of melanocyte differentiation and melanocyte-specific transcription, we have isolated the gene encoding TRP-1 and examined the cis- and trans-acting factors required for cell-type-specific expression. We find that the TRP-1 promoter comprises both positive and negative regulatory elements which confer efficient expression in a TRP-1-expressing, pigmented melanoma cell line but not in NIH 3T3 or JEG3 cells and that a minimal promoter extending between -44 and +107 is sufficient for cell-type-specific expression. Assays for DNA-protein interactions coupled with extensive mutagenesis identified three factors, whose binding correlated with the function of two positive and one negative regulatory element. One of these factors, termed M-box-binding factor 1, binds to an 11-bp motif, the M box, which acts as a positive regulatory element both in TRP-1-expressing and -nonexpressing cell lines, despite being entirely conserved between the melanocyte-specific tyrosinase and TRP-1 promoters. The possible mechanisms underlying melanocyte-specific gene expression are discussed.

zeste, a nonessential gene, potently activates Ultrabithorax transcription in the Drosophila embryo

The GAGA, NTF-1, and zeste proteins have been purified previously from Drosophila embryo extracts and shown to activate the Ultrabithorax (Ubx) promoter in vitro. Here, differently mutated Ubx-promoter constructs containing binding sites for none, one, or all three of these transcription factors have been introduced into Drosophila by P-element transformation. Binding sites for each factor activate dramatically different patterns of transcription. In zeste mutant embryos, the activation by zeste protein-binding sites is essentially abolished. These genetic data, when considered with our earlier biochemical experiments, demonstrate that zeste directly and potently activates Ubx transcription in vivo. Surprisingly, previous genetic experiments indicate that zeste is a nonessential gene shown only to act in a dispensable regulatory process termed transvection. In our transgenic experiments, zeste is not activating transcription by transvection. We propose that the function of zeste in Drosophila is much broader than assumed previously, and that it is a member of a redundant system of transcription factors that regulate and maintain the expression of Ubx and other Drosophila genes.

Molecular aspects of regeneration in developing vertebrate limbs

We review embryological as well as molecular evidence that emphasizes the idea that both the regenerate and the developing vertebrate limb bud utilize a similar set of signals that regulate pattern formation. Evidence is presented to implicate the Hox-7.1 gene in the developmental regulation of growth, differentiation, and positional assignment during limb outgrowth and the proposal is made that the expression of this gene governs the cellular activities within the progress zone during limb outgrowth. Finally, we review the limited information known about the regenerative capabilities of limb buds in organisms that cannot regenerate as adults. We content that a solution to the problem of regenerative failure among higher vertebrates will come progressively through a stepwise analysis of impaired regeneration associated with increasing developmental age.

The neural tube/notochord complex is necessary for vertebral but not limb and body wall striated muscle differentiation

The aim of this work was to investigate the role played by the axial organs, neural tube and notochord, on the differentiation of muscle cells from the somites in the avian embryo. Two of us have previously shown that neuralectomy and notochordectomy is followed by necrosis of the somites and consecutive absence of vertebrae and of most muscle cells derived from the myotomes while the limbs develop normally with muscles. Here we have focused our attention on muscle cell differentiation by using the 13F4 mAb that recognizes a cytoplasmic antigen specific of all types of muscle cells. We show that differentiation of muscle cells of myotomes can occur in the absence of notochord and neural tube provided that the somites from which they are derived have been in contact with the axial organs for a defined period of time, about 10 hours for the first somites formed at the cervical level, a duration that progressively reduces caudalward (i.e. for thoracic and lumbar somites). Either one or the other of the two axial organs, the neural tube or the notochord can prevent somitic cell death and fulfill the requirements for myotomal muscle cell differentiation. Separation of the neural tube/notochord complex from the somites by a surgical slit on one side of the embryo gave the same results as extirpation of these organs and provided a perfect control on the non-operated side. A striking finding was that limb and body wall muscles, although derived from the somites, differentiated in the absence of the axial organs. However, limb muscles that develop after excision of the neural tube started to degenerate from E10 onward due to lack of innervation. In vitro explantation of somites from different axial levels confirmed and defined precisely the chronology of muscle cell commitment in the myotomes as revealed by the in vivo experiments.

The development of normal and ectopic sensilla in the wings of hairy and Hairy wing mutants of Drosophila

We have utilized enhancer trap markers to follow the development of ectopic sensillar precursors in the wings of Drosophila induced by the mutations hairy and Hairy wing. Normal sensilla are still present in these mutations, and can be distinguished from ectopic sensilla based upon both the position and the timing of their development. This correlates well with the development of ectopic achaete expression in these mutations: such staining is detected only after the appearance of normal staining. Thus, neither mutation appears to alter the specification of proneural clusters in the wing, as identified with anti-achaete, or the specification of sensillar precursors within these clusters. Rather, both act to induce the formation of a temporally and spatially distinct phase of sensillar development.

Point mutations in the Drosophila hairy gene demonstrate in vivo requirements for basic, helix-loop-helix, and WRPW domains

The Drosophila pair-rule gene, hairy (h), encodes a nuclear basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein that regulates embryonic segmentation and adult bristle patterning. In both cases, the h protein behaves as a transcriptional repressor. In this study, we determined the molecular nature of 12 h alleles. One mutation maps within the HLH domain, consistent with h function requiring homodimerization or heterodimerization with other HLH proteins. A second mutation lies in the basic domain, suggesting that DNA binding is required for h activity. Several mutations show that the h C terminus, in particular the WRPW domain, is also required for h activity, perhaps by interacting with other proteins to mediate transcriptional repression. We show that the h protein in Drosophila virilis closely resembles that in D. melanogaster and includes completely conserved bHLH and WRPW domains.

Expression of MRF4, a myogenic helix-loop-helix protein, produces multiple changes in the myogenic program of BC3H-1 cells

Expression of MRF4, a myogenic regulatory factor of the basic helix-loop-helix type, produced multiple changes in the myogenic program of the BC3H-1 cell line. BC3H-1 cells that stably expressed exogenous MRF4 were prepared and termed BR cell lines. Upon differentiation, the BR cells were found to have three muscle-specific properties (endogenous MyoD expression, myoblast fusion, and fast myosin light-chain 1 expression) that the parent BC3H-1 cells did not have. Of the four known myogenic regulatory factors (MyoD, myogenin, Myf-5, and MRF4), only MRF4 was capable of activating expression of the endogenous BC3H-1 myoD gene. In addition, the pattern of Myf-5 expression in BR cells was the opposite of that in BC3H-1 cells. Myf-5 expression was low in BR myoblasts and showed a small increase upon myotube formation, whereas Myf-5 expression was high in BC3H-1 myoblasts and decreased upon differentiation. Though the MRF4-transfected BR cells fused to form large myotubes and expressed fast myosin light-chain 1, the pattern of myosin heavy-chain isoform expression was the same in the BR and the nonfusing parent BC3H-1 cells, suggesting that factors in addition to the MyoD family members regulate myosin heavy-chain isoform expression patterns in BC3H-1 cells. In contrast to the changes produced by MRF4 expression, overexpression of Myf-5 did not alter BC3H-1 myogenesis. The results suggest that differential expression of the myogenic regulatory factors of the MyoD family may be one mechanism for generating cells with diverse myogenic phenotypes.

Expression of myogenic factors in skeletal muscle and electric organ of Torpedo californica

Fish electric organ is a skeletal muscle homolog in which many muscle-specific genes are inhibited while acetylcholine receptor is expressed at high levels. The molecular mechanisms underlying this discoordinate regulation have not yet been explored. We have obtained partial sequences for MyoD, myogenin, and myf5 from Torpedo californica and have measured their mRNAs in several organs, using ribonuclease protection. We have found that MyoD and myf5 are expressed at comparable levels in muscle and electric organ, whereas myogenin transcripts could not be detected in either tissue. Acetylcholine receptor alpha subunit mRNA, on the other hand, is two orders of magnitude more abundant in electric tissue. We conclude that neither the loss of contractile proteins from, nor the enhanced expression of acetylcholine receptor genes in, the differentiating electrocyte is a simple consequence of the abundance of myogenic factor messages.

Sequences that direct rat tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression

Investigation of neuroendocrine genes has revealed that transcription is regulated via multiple DNA binding sites, including the cyclic AMP response element (CRE). We show here that for the neuronal and chromaffin-specific gene tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a 70-bp region (-229 to -160) lacking the CRE is sufficient, in either orientation, to confer levels of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter expression equivalent to or greater than that conferred by 4.8 kb of the rat TH enhancer/promoter region. The 70-bp region contains potential binding sites for AP2, AP1, E2A/MyoD, and POU transcription factors, and functions when linked to the TH promoter, but not when joined to a heterologous RSV promoter. This demonstrates that promoter as well as enhancer elements are important for TH expression. In gel-shift assays, the 70-bp fragment forms a cell type-specific complex with nuclear extracts from TH-expressing cells. which is effectively competed by an oligonucleotide containing AP2, AP1, and E2A/MyoD (E box) sites, but not by one containing the POU site. These data suggest that the AP2, AP1, and/or E box sites may be involved in forming the cell-specific complex. Although it lacks an authentic CRE, the 70-bp region also mediated a twofold transcriptional response to forskolin, equivalent to that found with the endogenous gene. A different region (-60 to -29) bearing a consensus CRE mediated a sixfold increase in transcription in response to forskolin, but only minimally activated basal transcription from the TH promoter in the absence of forskolin.

Point mutations in the Drosophila hairy gene demonstrate in vivo requirements for basic, helix-loop-helix, and WRPW domains

The Drosophila pair-rule gene, hairy (h), encodes a nuclear basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein that regulates embryonic segmentation and adult bristle patterning. In both cases, the h protein behaves as a transcriptional repressor. In this study, we determined the molecular nature of 12 h alleles. One mutation maps within the HLH domain, consistent with h function requiring homodimerization or heterodimerization with other HLH proteins. A second mutation lies in the basic domain, suggesting that DNA binding is required for h activity. Several mutations show that the h C terminus, in particular the WRPW domain, is also required for h activity, perhaps by interacting with other proteins to mediate transcriptional repression. We show that the h protein in Drosophila virilis closely resembles that in D. melanogaster and includes completely conserved bHLH and WRPW domains.

Signal transduction: the nuclear target

Fos and jun heterodimers activate the transcription of genes containing an AP-1 site. The activity of Fos and Jun proteins is regulated by post-translational modification. The activity of the rel/NF-kappa family of transcriptional factors is regulated by their sequestration in the cytoplasm in association with the inhibitor protein, I kappa B. An ankyrin repeat motif in I kappa B proteins is required for their direct association with rel/NF-kappa B.

Analysis of binding and activating functions of the chick muscle acetylcholine receptor gamma-subunit upstream sequence

1. The skeletal muscle acetylcholine receptor comprises several subunits whose coordinated expression during myogenesis is probably controlled by cis elements in the individual subunit genes. We have previously analyzed promoter regions of the alpha and delta genes (Wang et al., 1988, 1990); to gain further insight into receptor regulation, we have now studied the promoter of the chick muscle gamma-subunit gene. 2. This analysis was faciliated by the close upstream proximity of the coding region of the delta-subunit gene and the consequent brevity (740 bp) of the untranslated linker connecting the two genes (Nef et al., 1984). Nuclease protection and primer extension analysis revealed that transcription of the gamma-subunit gene starts at position 56 upstream of the translational initiation site. 3. Nested deletions of the promoter region were employed to identify functionally important elements. A 360-bp sequence (-324 to +36) was found to activate transcription, in a position- and orientation-independent manner, during myotube formation. This sequence comprises 5 M-CAT (Nikovits et al., 1986) similarities and contains, at positions -52/-47 and -33/-28, two CANNTG (Lassar et al., 1989) motifs. 4. Binding experiments were performed by means of gel retardation, gel shift competition, and footprint analysis. The CANNTG motifs were found to bind MyoD and myogenin fusion proteins and to interact with proteins in nuclear extracts from cultured myotubes. 5. Point mutations in the CANNTG motifs revealed that these elements are crucial for full promoter activity in myotubes and essential in fibroblasts cotransfected with a myogenin expression vector. 6. We conclude that the activity of the gamma-subunit gene is determined largely by E boxes, which in vivo are likely to be activated by MyoD family proteins; in addition, other transactivators such as the M-CAT binding protein presumably play a role. Both CANNTG elements and M-CAT motifs are also present in the alpha- and delta-subunit enhancer and may therefore account for the coordinate expression of the three subunits during muscle differentiation.

The dioxin and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors: nuclear receptors in search of endogenous ligands

Dioxins and peroxisome proliferators represent two diverse classes of xenobiotic compounds that induce transcription of specific genes encoding cytochrome P-450 drug-metabolizing enzymes. Signal transduction by these chemicals is mediated by two distinct nuclear receptors, one of which has recently been demonstrated to be a member of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors. However, no endogenous ligand has so far been identified for either of these nuclear receptors. Lorenz Poellinger, Martin Göttlicher and Jan-Ake Gustafsson review properties of both these xenobiotic receptor systems and discuss how the molecular details in the receptor activation pathways compare with those of nuclear hormone receptors.

Expression of MRF4, a myogenic helix-loop-helix protein, produces multiple changes in the myogenic program of BC3H-1 cells

Expression of MRF4, a myogenic regulatory factor of the basic helix-loop-helix type, produced multiple changes in the myogenic program of the BC3H-1 cell line. BC3H-1 cells that stably expressed exogenous MRF4 were prepared and termed BR cell lines. Upon differentiation, the BR cells were found to have three muscle-specific properties (endogenous MyoD expression, myoblast fusion, and fast myosin light-chain 1 expression) that the parent BC3H-1 cells did not have. Of the four known myogenic regulatory factors (MyoD, myogenin, Myf-5, and MRF4), only MRF4 was capable of activating expression of the endogenous BC3H-1 myoD gene. In addition, the pattern of Myf-5 expression in BR cells was the opposite of that in BC3H-1 cells. Myf-5 expression was low in BR myoblasts and showed a small increase upon myotube formation, whereas Myf-5 expression was high in BC3H-1 myoblasts and decreased upon differentiation. Though the MRF4-transfected BR cells fused to form large myotubes and expressed fast myosin light-chain 1, the pattern of myosin heavy-chain isoform expression was the same in the BR and the nonfusing parent BC3H-1 cells, suggesting that factors in addition to the MyoD family members regulate myosin heavy-chain isoform expression patterns in BC3H-1 cells. In contrast to the changes produced by MRF4 expression, overexpression of Myf-5 did not alter BC3H-1 myogenesis. The results suggest that differential expression of the myogenic regulatory factors of the MyoD family may be one mechanism for generating cells with diverse myogenic phenotypes.

Identification of the Ah receptor nuclear translocator protein (Arnt) as a component of the DNA binding form of the Ah receptor

The Ah (dioxin) receptor binds a number of widely disseminated environmental pollutants, including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mediates their carcinogenic effects. The ligand-bound receptor activates Cyp 1a1 gene transcription through interaction with specific DNA sequences, termed xenobiotic responsive elements (XREs). The Ah receptor nuclear translocator protein (Arnt) is required for Ah receptor function. Arnt is now shown to be a structural component of the XRE binding form of the Ah receptor. Furthermore, Arnt and the ligand-binding subunit of the receptor were extracted as a complex from the nuclei of cells treated with ligand. Arnt contains a basic helix-loop-helix motif, which may be responsible for interacting with both the XRE and the ligand-binding subunit.

MyoD protein expression in Xenopus embryos closely follows a mesoderm induction-dependent amplification of MyoD transcription and is synchronous across the future somite axis

The MyoD-related genes code for key regulators of skeletal muscle commitment and differentiation. In this study, expression of MyoD protein has been examined during Xenopus development. Protein is first detected in presumptive mesoderm at early gastrulation, directly following a dramatic increase in MyoD transcription that occurs in response to mesoderm induction. The pattern of expression resembles the muscle fate map at this time. Protein accumulates synchronously along the future somite axis, with no evidence of a spatial regulation which would explain the anterior/posterior wave of myogenic differentiation that follows MyoD expression. During gastrulation, the highest levels of MyoD are in cells next to the developing notochord, suggesting a role for the notochord in induction or maintenance of MyoD expression. After muscle differentiation, MyoD protein is degraded with a half-life of several hours, leading to very low expression in mature somites. These studies support a role for MyoD in induction of muscle mesoderm, but also point to the multi-layered regulation of these events.

Myocardial activation of the human cardiac alpha-actin promoter by helix-loop-helix proteins

The cardiac alpha-actin gene is expressed in both heart and skeletal muscle. In skeletal myogenic cells, the 177-base-pair promoter of the human cardiac alpha-actin (HCA) gene requires three transcription factors for activation: Sp1, serum response factor (SRF), and MyoD. However, MyoD is undetectable in heart. To search for a functional equivalent of MyoD, we analyzed the transcriptional regulation of the HCA promoter in primary cultures of rat cardiac myocytes. The same DNA sequence elements recognized by SRF, Sp1, and MyoD and required for HCA transcription in skeletal muscle cells were also found to be necessary for expression in cardiomyocytes. Overexpression of Id, a negative regulator of basic helix-loop-helix proteins, selectively attenuated expression of the HCA promoter. Cardiomyocyte nuclei contain a protein complex that specifically interacts with the same required sequence (E box) in the HCA promoter that is bound by MyoD in skeletal myogenic cells. Furthermore, these complexes contain a peptide that is a member of the E2A family of basic helix-loop-helix proteins. Cardiomyocyte nuclei appear to be enriched for a protein that can bind to the E-box site as dimers with the E12 protein. These results suggest that a member of the basic helix-loop-helix family, together with SRF and Sp1, activates the HCA promoter in heart. Alternative strategies for myocardial transcription of HCA are discussed.

Inhibition of myeloid differentiation by the helix-loop-helix protein Id

Id is a helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein that represses activity of several basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins involved in cell type--specific transcription and cell lineage commitment. The myeloid precursor cell line 32DC13(G) expressed Id messenger RNA, which was transiently decreased when cells were induced to terminally differentiate with granulocyte--colony-stimulating factor. Concomitant with the decrease of Id messenger RNA was the appearance in nuclear extracts of DNA binding proteins that recognized a canonical E-box motif, a DNA binding site for some bHLH proteins. Constitutive expression of an Id complementary DNA in 32DC13(G) cells blocked their ability to differentiate and to induce E-box-binding activity. These results suggest that Id and, hence, bHLH proteins function in the process of myeloid differentiation.

Regulatory elements that control the lineage-specific expression of myoD

The molecular basis of skeletal muscle lineage determination was investigated by analyzing DNA control elements that regulate the myogenic determination gene myoD. A distal enhancer was identified that positively regulates expression of the human myoD gene. The myoD enhancer and promoter were active in myogenic and several nonmyogenic cell lines. In transgenic mouse embryos, however, the myoD enhancer and promoter together directed expression of a lacZ transgene specifically to the skeletal muscle lineage. These data suggest that during development myoD is regulated by mechanisms that restrict accessibility of myoD control elements to positive trans-acting factors.

A ubiquitous factor (HF-1a) and a distinct muscle factor (HF-1b/MEF-2) form an E-box-independent pathway for cardiac muscle gene expression

Recent studies have identified a conserved 28-bp element (HF-1) within the rat cardiac MLC-2 gene which confers cardiac muscle-specific and inducible expression during myocardial cell hypertrophy. Utilizing a combination of independent experimental approaches, this study characterizes two cardiac nuclear factors which bind to HF-1, a ubiquitous factor (HF-1a), and an A + T-rich binding factor (HF-1b) which is preferentially expressed in differentiated cardiac and skeletal muscle cells. The HF-1a binding site is located in a core region of the 28-bp conserved element, immediately upstream from the A + T-rich HF-1b site, which is homologous to the MEF-2 site found in a number of muscle genes. By a number of separate criteria (gel mobility shift, competition, and mutagenesis studies), HF-1b and MEF-2 appear to be indistinguishable and thus are either identical or closely related muscle factors. Transient assays of luciferase reporter genes containing point mutations throughout the 28-bp HF-1 regulatory element document the importance of both the HF-1a and HF-1b sites in transient assays in ventricular muscle cells. In the native 250-bp MLC-2 promoter fragment, mutations in the single E box had little effect on cardiac muscle specificity, while point mutations in either the HF-1a or HF-1b binding site significantly reduced promoter activity, underscoring the importance of both the HF-1a and HF-1b sites in the transcriptional activation of this cardiac muscle gene. Thus, this study provides evidence that a novel, ubiquitous factor (HF-1a) and a muscle factor (HF-1b/MEF-2) can form a novel, E-box-independent pathway for muscle-specific expression in ventricular cardiac muscle cells.

DNA binding and transcriptional regulatory activity of mammalian achaete-scute homologous (MASH) proteins revealed by interaction with a muscle-specific enhancer

The MASH genes are vertebrate homologues of achaete-scute, genes required for neuronal determination in Drosophila. The sequence of MASH1 and MASH2 contains a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) motif that is present in other transcriptional regulators such as MyoD and E12. In the absence of an authentic target for the MASH proteins, we examined their DNA binding and transcriptional regulatory activity by using a binding site (the E box) from the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) gene, a target of MyoD. Like myogenic bHLH proteins, the MASH proteins form heterooligomers with E12 that bind the MCK E box with high affinity in vitro. Unexpectedly, however, MASH1 and MASH2 also activate transcription of both exogenous and endogenous MCK in transfected C3H/10T1/2 fibroblasts. However, they do not induce myogenesis. Myogenic activity is not exclusively a property of the MyoD basic region, as substitution of this domain fails to confer myogenic activity on MASH1. These data suggest that different bHLH proteins may activate overlapping but distinct sets of target genes in the same cell type.

HEB, a helix-loop-helix protein related to E2A and ITF2 that can modulate the DNA-binding ability of myogenic regulatory factors

Proteins containing the basic-helix-loop-helix (B-HLH) domain have been shown to be important in regulating cellular differentiation. We have isolated a cDNA for a human B-HLH factor, denoted HEB, that shares nearly complete identity in the B-HLH domain with the immunoglobulin enhancer binding proteins encoded by the E2A and ITF2 genes (E proteins). Functional characterization of the protein expressed from this cDNA indicates that HEB is a third member of the E-protein class of B-HLH factors. HEB mRNA was found to be expressed in several tissues and cell types, including skeletal muscle, thymus, and a B-cell line. HEB, ITF2, and the E12 product of the E2A gene all bound to a similar spectrum of E-box sequences as homo-oligomers. All three factors also formed hetero-oligomers with myogenin, and the DNA-binding specificity and binding off-rates (dissociation rates) were modulated after hetero-oligomerization. Both homo- and hetero-oligomers of these proteins were able to distinguish between very closely related E-box sequences. In addition, HEB was shown to form hetero-oligomers with the E12 and ITF2 proteins. Finally, HEB was able to activate gene expression. These data demonstrate that HEB shares characteristics with other E proteins and show that HEB can interact with members of both the myogenic regulatory class and the E-protein class of B-HLH factors. HEB is therefore likely to play an important role in regulating lineage-specific gene expression.

Mammalian muscle cells bear a cell-autonomous, heritable memory of their rostrocaudal position

We previously documented a greater than 100-fold rostrocaudal gradient of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) expression in the muscles of adult mice that bear a myosin light chain-CAT transgene: successively more caudal muscles express successively higher levels of CAT. Here we studied the development and maintenance of this positional information in vitro. CAT levels reflect the rostrocaudal positions of the muscles from which the cells are derived in cultures established from adult muscles, in clones derived from individual adult myogenic (satellite) cells, in cultures prepared from embryonic myoblasts, and in cell lines derived by retrovirus-mediated transfer of an oncogene to satellite cells. Our results suggest that myoblasts bear a positional memory that is established in embryos, retained in adults, cell autonomous, heritable, stable to transformation, and accessible to study in clonal cell lines.

Myogenes and myotubes

Investigation of the congenital myopathies has been limited by a lack of knowledge regarding basic mechanisms involved in normal myogenesis of human muscle and the relative rarity of these diseases. A newly recognized family of regulatory genes has been shown to be necessary for myogenesis to proceed to formation of normal mature muscle. It is likely that investigation of patients with one or more types of structural myopathy may show that abnormalities of the regulatory basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) genes may be responsible for disease.

Muscle basic helix-loop-helix proteins and the regulation of myogenesis

Significant progress has been made in defining the structural motifs that distinguish the muscle-specific from other basic helix-loop-helix proteins. Evidence is accumulating for multiple levels of regulation of the expression and action of the muscle basic helix-loop-helix factors.

A ubiquitous factor (HF-1a) and a distinct muscle factor (HF-1b/MEF-2) form an E-box-independent pathway for cardiac muscle gene expression

Recent studies have identified a conserved 28-bp element (HF-1) within the rat cardiac MLC-2 gene which confers cardiac muscle-specific and inducible expression during myocardial cell hypertrophy. Utilizing a combination of independent experimental approaches, this study characterizes two cardiac nuclear factors which bind to HF-1, a ubiquitous factor (HF-1a), and an A + T-rich binding factor (HF-1b) which is preferentially expressed in differentiated cardiac and skeletal muscle cells. The HF-1a binding site is located in a core region of the 28-bp conserved element, immediately upstream from the A + T-rich HF-1b site, which is homologous to the MEF-2 site found in a number of muscle genes. By a number of separate criteria (gel mobility shift, competition, and mutagenesis studies), HF-1b and MEF-2 appear to be indistinguishable and thus are either identical or closely related muscle factors. Transient assays of luciferase reporter genes containing point mutations throughout the 28-bp HF-1 regulatory element document the importance of both the HF-1a and HF-1b sites in transient assays in ventricular muscle cells. In the native 250-bp MLC-2 promoter fragment, mutations in the single E box had little effect on cardiac muscle specificity, while point mutations in either the HF-1a or HF-1b binding site significantly reduced promoter activity, underscoring the importance of both the HF-1a and HF-1b sites in the transcriptional activation of this cardiac muscle gene. Thus, this study provides evidence that a novel, ubiquitous factor (HF-1a) and a muscle factor (HF-1b/MEF-2) can form a novel, E-box-independent pathway for muscle-specific expression in ventricular cardiac muscle cells.

Proto-oncogenes in the regulatory circuit for myogenesis

Skeletal muscle cells have provided an auspicious system for dissecting the mechanisms through which growth factor signals disrupt programs for cellular differentiation. Insight into the molecular mechanisms that control muscle differentiation has recently been obtained through the cloning of a family of muscle-specific transcription factors, often referred to as the MyoD family, that can activate myogenesis. The expression and activity of these factors are negatively regulated by growth factor signals and by activated oncogenes whose products transduce growth signals from the cell membrane to the nucleus. This review will focus on the role of proto-oncogenes in the transduction of growth factor signals that regulate myogenesis and on the cross-talk between the regulatory circuits that control myoblast proliferation and differentiation.

Fos and Jun repress transcriptional activation by myogenin and MyoD: the amino terminus of Jun can mediate repression

Myogenin and MyoD belong to a family of muscle-specific helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins that have the potential to activate muscle-specific genes in nonmyogenic cells. Peptide growth factors can block the ability of myogenin and MyoD to activate their target genes. Here, we show that the growth factor-inducible proto-oncogenes c-fos, c-jun, and junB mimic the effects of exogenous growth factors and suppress trans-activation of the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) enhancer by myogenin and MyoD. In contrast, JunD, which shares DNA-binding specificity with JunB and c-Jun but is expressed constitutively in muscle cells, is an inefficient inhibitor of the trans-activating capacity of myogenin and MyoD. Transcriptional repression by Fos and Jun is specific to myogenic HLH proteins and is not observed with the widely expressed HLH protein E47, which recognizes the same DNA sequence. Repression of the MCK enhancer by Fos and Jun is targeted at the myogenin and MyoD DNA recognition sequence and can be mediated by the amino terminus of c-Jun. Comparison of several myogenin mutants for their responsiveness to Fos and Jun shows that repression is directed at the basic-HLH region. These results indicate that members of the Jun family can be distinguished on the basis of their effects on muscle-specific transcription and suggest there is cross talk between transcription factors that control myogenesis and those involved in cell proliferation.

HEB, a helix-loop-helix protein related to E2A and ITF2 that can modulate the DNA-binding ability of myogenic regulatory factors

Proteins containing the basic-helix-loop-helix (B-HLH) domain have been shown to be important in regulating cellular differentiation. We have isolated a cDNA for a human B-HLH factor, denoted HEB, that shares nearly complete identity in the B-HLH domain with the immunoglobulin enhancer binding proteins encoded by the E2A and ITF2 genes (E proteins). Functional characterization of the protein expressed from this cDNA indicates that HEB is a third member of the E-protein class of B-HLH factors. HEB mRNA was found to be expressed in several tissues and cell types, including skeletal muscle, thymus, and a B-cell line. HEB, ITF2, and the E12 product of the E2A gene all bound to a similar spectrum of E-box sequences as homo-oligomers. All three factors also formed hetero-oligomers with myogenin, and the DNA-binding specificity and binding off-rates (dissociation rates) were modulated after hetero-oligomerization. Both homo- and hetero-oligomers of these proteins were able to distinguish between very closely related E-box sequences. In addition, HEB was shown to form hetero-oligomers with the E12 and ITF2 proteins. Finally, HEB was able to activate gene expression. These data demonstrate that HEB shares characteristics with other E proteins and show that HEB can interact with members of both the myogenic regulatory class and the E-protein class of B-HLH factors. HEB is therefore likely to play an important role in regulating lineage-specific gene expression.

Localization of mRNAs coding for CMD1, myogenin and the alpha-subunit of the acetylcholine receptor during skeletal muscle development in the chicken

Myogenin and CMD1, the chicken homologue of MyoD, transactivate the promoter of the alpha-subunit of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in chicken fibroblasts. The expression of these three genes was followed by in situ hybridization. In two-day-old embryos the CMD1 gene is expressed shortly before the AChR alpha-subunit and the myogenin genes. At day 19 extrajunctional AChR mRNA clusters have disappeared and myogenin mRNAs are no longer detected in PLD muscle. Moreover, both myogenin and CMD1 mRNA levels increase after muscle denervation in chicks. These data are compatible with a role for myogenic factors in the induction and maintenance of extra-junctional expression of the AChR genes during early muscle development. Using digoxygenin labelled RNA probes, we also show that the mRNAs for the AChR alpha-subunit display a punctated, probably perinuclear distribution, whereas mRNAs for myogenic genes accumulate in the sarcoplasm around subsets of nuclei in the muscle fiber.

Localization of endoderm-specific mRNAs in differentiating F9 embryoid bodies

Primitive endoderm in the peri-implantation mouse embryo differentiates into two separate lineages, visceral and parietal endoderm (VE and PE). F9 teratocarcinoma cells, when grown in suspension in the presence of retinoic acid (RA), differentiate into embryoid bodies (EBs) which can be used as a model system to study the spatially appropriate induction of VE- and PE-specific gene expression. We have used a whole mount in situ hybridization technique to follow the localization of VE-specific AFP and PE-specific tPA mRNAs during EB differentiation. We show that the putative endoderm-specific markers are localized to the endoderm in mature EBs, and that AFP mRNA is localized to the apical edge of the VE in RA EBs. Surprisingly, prior to localization of endoderm-specific markers at the periphery of EBs, these genes are expressed at low to moderate levels in all cells of the EB. Our data suggest that the establishment of endoderm in EBs is position dependent and not the result of sorting out of predetermined, randomly distributed cells. Our observations also suggest a two-step process for establishing endoderm-specific gene expression, involving up-regulation of transcripts throughout the EB prior to the restriction of their expression to the outer differentiating cell layer.

The role of ascorbic acid in mesenchymal differentiation

Survival of all higher vertebrates requires that they either synthesize vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or obtain it from their diet. The role of ascorbic acid as a reductant for the iron prosthetic group of hydroxylase enzymes involved in collagen biosynthesis is well established. In contrast, the relationship between the biochemical functions of ascorbic acid and the broad defects in connective tissue formation associated with vitamin C deficiency is less obvious. This review will develop the hypothesis that vitamin C is required for the differentiation of mesenchyme-derived connective tissues such as muscle, cartilage, and bone. It is proposed that the collagen matrix produced by ascorbic acid-treated cells provides a permissive environment for tissue-specific gene expression.

MyoD, myogenin independent differentiation of primordial myoblasts in mouse somites

The accumulation of two myogenic regulatory proteins, MyoD and myogenin, was investigated by double-immunocytochemistry and correlated with myosin heavy chain expression in different classes of myoblasts in culture and during early myogenesis in vivo. During in vitro differentiation of fetal myoblasts, MyoD-positive cells were detected first, followed by the appearance of cells positive for both MyoD and myogenin and finally by the appearance of differentiated myocytes and myotubes expressing myosin heavy chain (MHC). A similar pattern of expression was observed in cultures of embryonic and satellite cells. In contrast, most myogenic cells isolated from newly formed somites, expressed MHC in the absence of detectable levels of myogenin or MyoD. In vivo, the appearance of both myogenin and MyoD proteins was only detected at 10.5 d postcoitum (d.p.c.), when terminally differentiated muscle cells could already be identified in the myotome. Parasagittal sections of the caudal myotomes of 10.5-d-old embryos showed that expression of contractile proteins preceded the expression of myogenin or MyoD and, when coexpressed, MHC and myogenin did not co-localize within all the cells of the myotome. In the limb bud, however, many myogenin (or MyoD) positive/MHC negative cells could be observed in the proximal region at day 11. During further embryonic development the expression of these proteins remained constant in all the muscle anlagens examined, decreasing to a low level during the late fetal period. Western and Northern analysis confirmed that the myogenin protein could only be detected after 10.5 d.p.c. while the corresponding message was clearly present at 9.5 d.p.c., strongly suggesting a posttranscriptional regulation of myogenin during this stage of embryonic development. These data show that the first myogenic cells which appear in the mouse myotome, and can be cultured from it, accumulate muscle structural proteins in their cytoplasm without expressing detectable levels of myogenin protein (although the message is clearly accumulated). Neither MyoD message or protein are detectable in these cells, which may represent a distinct myogenic population whose role in development remains to be established.