Expression of the dominant-negative regulator Id4 is induced during adipocyte differentiation

Expression of the Id4 gene was investigated during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into mature adipocytes. Id4 is a member of a family encoding non-DNA binding helix-loop-helix proteins proposed to inhibit the activity of basic HLH (bHLH) proteins important in many developmental processes. We show here that Id4 expression is low in confluent preadipocytes and rapidly induced by treatment with the combination of hormones which causes differentiation into mature adipocytes. Id4 expression is also induced by treatment with individual hormones, especially dexamathasone. Id4 mRNA can be detected in mouse and human adipose tissue. Genes encoding E-proteins (bHLH proteins known to interact with and be regulated by Id proteins) are expressed and regulated during differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells. These data suggest that the Id4 transcriptional regulator is playing a role in adipose cell differentiation and suggest that DNA-binding HLH proteins may also be important in regulation of differentiation of these cells.

Nuclear protein binding to the 5' enhancer region of the intracisternal A particle long terminal repeat

The interactions of nuclear proteins from embryonal carcinoma cells (PCC3) with the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of murine intracisternal A particle (IAP) genes were studied. Two protein-DNA complexes were detected between PCC3 nuclear extract and IAP LTRs in a gel mobility shift assay. An additional complex was observed when enriched fractions from a heparin-agarose column were used as the source of proteins. Two regions within the LTR of IAP 81 were identified as the sites of protein interaction by DNase I protection. One region encompasses 43 nucleotides within the U3 region at the 5' end of LTR 81. The other covers a 78 base pair region lying within 100 nucleotides upstream from the transcription initiation site. Studies using constructs containing intact or deleted versions of the LTR fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene indicated that the absence of the 5' 47 base pairs reduced the level of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase transcription to 20% of that driven by the entire LTR. Southwestern analysis of PCC3 nuclear extracts and column fractions revealed that a 28,000- and a 46,000-dalton protein were the major species that interact with the 5' end of IAP LTR 81.

Cell-free transcription directed by the 422 adipose P2 gene promoter: activation by the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein

Previous investigations have shown that CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) can function as a trans-activator of the promoters of several adipocyte-specific genes--i.e., the 422 adipose P2 (422/aP2), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) genes, in 3T3-L1 mouse preadipocytes. We now describe a cell-free system prepared from nuclei of 3T3-L1 cells that carries out transcription directed by these promoters. To measure transcript formation, we employed a polymerase chain reaction-assisted analysis. Nuclear extract from 3T3-L1 adipocytes that express C/EBP supports a higher rate of transcription of chimeric 422(aP2) promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene constructs than nuclear extract from preadipocytes that lack C/EBP. A competitor oligonucleotide containing the C/EBP binding site sequence and antibodies raised against C/EBP inhibit transcription directed by the 422(aP2) promoter. The factor limiting transcription by nuclear extract from preadipocytes appears to be C/EBP, since recombinant C/EBP (rC/EBP) markedly activates transcription of the 422(aP2) promoter-CAT gene with preadipocyte extract but not with adipocyte extract. rC/EBP also activates cell-free transcription of SCD1 promoter-CAT and GLUT4 promoter-CAT chimeric genes. Point mutations within the C/EBP binding site in the 422(aP2) promoter markedly decrease transcription activated by rC/EBP. Consistent with activation by cAMP of the 422(aP2) promoter in intact preadipocytes, cAMP-dependent protein kinase activates transcription through this promoter with the cell-free system, this effect being independent of C/EBP. Thus, regulation of transcription directed by the 422(aP2) promoter in the cell-free system resembles that which occurs in intact 3T3-L1 cells.

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein gene promoter: binding of nuclear factors during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

Differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into adipocytes is accompanied by increased expression of the nuclear protein C/EBP (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein) and by transcriptional activation of a group of adipose-specific genes. We report here the isolation of the murine C/EBP gene and the characterization of its promoter. Consistent with its proposed role in coordinating transcription during preadipocyte differentiation, an increase in the rate of transcription of the C/EBP gene precedes that of several adipose-specific genes whose promoters are transactivated by C/EBP. DNase I cleavage-inhibition patterns (footprinting) of the C/EBP gene promoter by nuclear factors from differentiated and undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells identified two sites of differential factor binding. One site in the C/EBP gene promoter between nucleotides -252 and -239 binds a nuclear factor(s) present in preadipocytes that is lost or modified upon differentiation. Another site, between nucleotides -203 and -176, exhibits different but overlapping footprints by nuclear factors present in differentiated and undifferentiated cells. Gel retardation analysis with oligonucleotides corresponding to these sites revealed protein-oligonucleotide complexes containing these differentially expressed nuclear factors. The factor present in differentiated cells that binds at this site was identified as C/EBP (possibly in heterodimeric form with a homologous leucine-zipper protein), suggesting that C/EBP may regulate expression of its own gene.

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein binds and activates the promoter of the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), a DNA binding protein originally isolated from rat liver, activates the transcription of a number of liver-specific genes. We studied the effect of C/EBP on the transcription of the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene. Purified C/EBP was shown to bind to a segment of the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter between position -10 and -22. Nuclear extracts isolated from rat liver contained a heat stable factor(s) that also bound to this sequence. Cotransfection experiments in HepG2 cells showed transactivation of alcohol dehydrogenase promoter-CAT fusion constructs by an expression vector containing wild-type C/EBP. Expression vector containing a mutated C/EBP that failed to bind DNA also failed to activate the promoter. These experiments demonstrate that C/EBP expression can activate the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter.

Insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase and glucose transport

We identified the earliest events in autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor after insulin addition. Insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation at specific sites in the tyrosine kinase domain of the receptor's beta-subunit is correlated kinetically with activation of kinase-catalyzed phosphorylation of a model substrate (reduced and carboxyamidomethylated lysozyme; RCAM-lysozyme). To identify these sites, the deduced amino acid sequence of the 3T3-L1 adipocyte insulin receptor of the mouse was determined. Insulin-induced activation of substrate phosphorylation was shown to require autophosphorylation of three neighboring tyrosines (Tyr1148, Tyr1152, and Tyr1153) in the mouse receptor. A search for cellular substrates of the receptor kinase revealed that insulin causes accumulation of a 15,000-Mr phosphorylated (on tyrosine) cytosolic protein (pp15) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with oxophenylarsine (PAO). PAO blocks turnover of the phosphoryl group of pp15, causing its accumulation, and thereby appears to interrupt signal transmission from the receptor to the glucose-transport system. Two membrane-bound protein phosphotyrosine phosphatases that are inhibited by PAO and are apparently responsible for the turnover of the pp15 phosphoryl group have been purified from 3T3-L1 adipocytes and characterized. These and other results support the hypothesis that turnover of the phosphoryl group of pp15, a product of insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase action, couples signal transmission to the glucose-transport system. [32P]pp15 was purified to homogeneity from 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Amino acid and radiochemical sequence analysis of the purified tryptic [32P]phosphopeptide revealed that pp15 is the phosphorylation product of 422(aP2) protein, a 15,000-Mr adipocyte protein whose cDNA we previously cloned and sequenced. 422(aP2) protein was found to bind fatty acids. When exposed to a free fatty acid, notably oleic acid, 422(aP2) protein becomes an excellent substrate of the isolated insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase. Compelling evidence indicates that on binding fatty acid, 422(aP2) protein undergoes a conformational change whereby Tyr19 becomes accessible to the receptor tyrosine kinase and undergoes O-phosphorylation. Adipose tissue and skeletal and heart muscle, which exhibit insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, express a specific insulin-responsive glucose transporter. A cDNA (GT2) that encodes this protein was isolated from a mouse 3T3-L1 adipocyte library and sequenced. We also isolated and characterized the corresponding mouse gene GLUT4. DNase I footprinting with nuclear extracts from 3T3-L1 cells revealed that a differentiation-specific nuclear factor binds to the GLUT4 promoter. The purified transcription factor C/EBP binds at the same position.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Differentiation-induced gene expression in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes: CCAAT/enhancer binding protein interacts with and activates the promoters of two adipocyte-specific genes

Previous studies have shown that differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes leads to the transcriptional activation of a group of adipose-specific genes. As an approach to defining the mechanism responsible for activating the expression of these genes, we investigated the binding of nuclear factors to the promoters of two differentiation-induced genes, the 422(aP2) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) genes. DNase I footprinting and gel retardation analysis identified two binding regions within the promoters of each gene that interact with nuclear factors present in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. One differentiation-induced nuclear factor interacts specifically with a single binding site in the promoter of each gene. Competition experiments showed that the interaction of this nuclear factor with the SCD1 promoter was prevented specifically by a synthetic oligonucleotide corresponding to the site footprinted in the 422(aP2) promoter. Several lines of evidence indicate that the differentiation-induced nuclear factor is CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), a DNA-binding protein first isolated from rat liver. Bacterially expressed recombinant C/EBP binds to the same site at which the differentiation-specific nuclear factor interacts within the promoter of each gene. Northern analysis with RNA from 3T3-L1 cells shows that C/EBP mRNA abundance increases markedly during differentiation. Transient cotransfection studies using a C/EBP expression vector demonstrate that C/EBP can function as a trans-activator of both the 422(aP2) and SCD1 gene promoters.

Sequence, tissue distribution, and differential expression of mRNA for a putative insulin-responsive glucose transporter in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes

The cDNAs for two putative glucose transporters from mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes were isolated and sequenced. One of these cDNAs encodes the murine homolog of the human hepG2/erythrocyte glucose transporter, termed GT1. GT1 mRNA is most abundant in mouse brain and is expressed in both 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and adipocytes. The other cDNA encodes a glucose transporter-like protein, termed GT2, that has a unique amino acid sequence and tissue distribution. GT2 cDNA encodes a protein with 63% amino acid sequence identity and a similar structural organization to GT1. GT2 mRNA is found at high levels in mouse skeletal muscle, heart, and adipose tissue, all of which exhibit insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. GT2 mRNA is absent from 3T3-L1 preadipocytes but is induced dramatically during differentiation into adipocytes. This increase in mRNA content correlates closely with the acquisition of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. We propose that GT2 is an insulin-regulated glucose transporter.

Mechanism of regulation of the 422(aP2) gene by cAMP during preadipocyte differentiation

During differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into adipocytes, expression of the gene encoding adipocyte 422(aP2) protein is activated. We have shown that the first 248 base pairs of the 422(aP2) gene promoter (which lacks a consensus cAMP response element) are sufficient to confer inducibility of a reporter gene by cAMP in preadipocytes. We now demonstrate by deletion analysis that this DNA segment contains overlapping negative and positive regulatory elements. The positive regulatory element contains a consensus activator protein 1 (AP-1) binding sequence. The effect of the negative regulatory element is observed in preadipocytes but not in fully differentiated adipocytes, suggesting that it is an important component of the regulatory mechanism governing expression of the 422(aP2) gene during differentiation. cAMP activates the 422(aP2) promoter in confluent preadipocytes but not in proliferating preadipocytes or fully differentiated adipocytes. The stimulatory effect of cAMP is abolished by deletions that enter the negative element, suggesting that cAMP increases expression by relieving the inhibitory effect of the negative regulatory element.

Differentiation-induced gene expression in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Characterization of a differentially expressed gene encoding stearoyl-CoA desaturase

Previous studies have shown that differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes leads to the activation of transcription of an unidentified gene which encodes a 4.9-kilobase (kb) mRNA. Several cDNAs that include the complete sequence of this mRNA were obtained and used to isolate and characterize the gene. Analysis of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of both cDNA and genomic clones revealed that the gene encodes the mouse stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), an enzyme known to be expressed upon differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The predicted amino acid sequence (355 residues) of the mouse 3T3-L1 adipocyte SCD exhibits 92% identity to that of the rat liver SCD. There is also a high degree of nucleotide sequence identity between the mouse and rat mRNAs in their unusually long approximately 3.5-kb 3'-untranslated regions. Mice fed a diet containing unsaturated triacylglycerides express SCD mRNA only in adipose tissue, whereas mice starved and refed a fat-free diet, express SCD mRNA in both liver and adipose tissue. The mouse gene for the desaturase spans approximately 15 kb and contains 6 exons and 5 introns with all intron-exon junctions conforming to the GT/AG splicing rule. As determined by S1 nuclease mapping and primer extension analysis, the transcriptional initiation site maps 152 nucleotides upstream from the initiation methionine codon. A canonical promoter "TATA" box is located 30 base pairs upstream of the Cap site. A typical "CCAAT" box sequence is not present in the adjacent 5'-flanking region; however, there is a GC-rich sequence (at nucleotide -215) similar to the binding site for the nuclear transcription factor Sp1. Upstream from the transcriptional initiation site are elements with homology (approximately 75%) to the putative fat-specific transcriptional element FSE2 and core consensus sequences for cAMP and glucocorticoid regulatory elements. A chimeric construct, containing 363 base pairs of 5'-flanking sequence and 30 nucleotides of 5'-untranslated sequence of the mouse SCD gene ligated to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene, was transfected into 3T3-L1 cells. When cells were induced to differentiate into adipocytes, expression of the SCD chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene increased approximately 63-fold, suggesting that the SCD promoter region contains elements that mediate the response to adipogenic agents which induce differentiation.

Expression of the differentiation-induced gene for fatty acid-binding protein is activated by glucocorticoid and cAMP

We have isolated and characterized a fragment of the gene encoding adipose fatty acid-binding protein (gene 422) from a 3T3-L1 adipocyte genomic library. The 5'-flanking sequence of the 422 gene contains potential regulatory regions for adipose-specific expression. At position -120 there is a fat-specific element that occurs in several genes expressed as preadipocytes differentiate, and at position -393 there is a glucocorticoid regulatory element core sequence. Chimeric constructs were prepared by ligating 858 base pairs or 248 base pairs of 5'-flanking sequence and 22 nucleotides of 5'-untranslated sequence of the 422 gene to the bacterial gene encoding chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT); these constructs (delta 858.CAT and delta 248.CAT) were transfected into 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. When differentiation was initiated by the adipogenic agents methylisobutylxanthine (a cAMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor), dexamethasone, and insulin, expression of both constructs increased, reaching maximal levels within 24 hr. Both constructs were maximally induced 48 hr before appreciable accumulation of the endogenous 422 mRNA. Expression of delta 858.CAT, but not of delta 248.CAT, was induced by dexamethasone, which correlates with deletion of the potential glucocorticoid regulatory element. Expression of both constructs was induced by 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, thus implicating the first 248 base pairs of 5'-flanking sequence of the 422 gene in the response to cAMP. Indirect effects by the adipogenic factors on CAT protein or mRNA synthesis and turnover were ruled out, since replacing the 5'-flanking region of the 422 gene constructs with viral promoters abolished the effects of dexamethasone and 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate on CAT expression. We conclude that the first 858 base pairs of 5'-flanking sequence of the 422 gene contains elements that mediate activation by dexamethasone and cAMP.

Functional analysis of the long terminal repeats of intracisternal A-particle genes: sequences within the U3 region determine both the efficiency and direction of promoter activity

The transcriptional activity of five intracisternal A-particle (IAP) long terminal repeats (LTRs) in mouse embryonal carcinoma PCC3-A/1 cells and in Ltk- cells was determined. We tested the promoter activity of the LTRs by coupling them to the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) or guanosine-xanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (gpt). Each LTR was tested for promoter function in both the sense (5' to 3') and antisense (3' to 5') orientation preceding the reporter gene. The transcriptional activity of individual IAP gene LTRs varied considerably, and the LTR from IAP81 possessed promoter activity in both directions. The bidirectional activity of the IAP81 LTR confirmed by monitoring Ecogpt expression in stably transfected Ltk- cells, with the initiation sites for sense and antisense transcription being localized to within the IAP81 LTR by S1 nuclease mapping. Deletions of LTR81 show that for normal 5'-to-3' gene transcription (sense direction), the 3'U3/R region determines the basal level of transcription, whereas sequences within the 5'U3 region enhance transcription four- to fivefold. Deletion mapping for antisense transcription indicates that a 64-base-pair region (nucleotides 47 to 110) within the U3 region is essential for activity. These data indicate that the U3 region contains all the regulatory elements for bidirectional transcription in IAP LTRs.

Murine A type retroviruses promote high levels of gene expression in embryonal carcinoma cells

The expression of Intracisternal A Particle (IAP) genes in the mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line PCC3 was investigated by cDNA cloning and transient gene expression assays. A group of 26 IAP cDNA clones, products of transcriptionally active IAP proviruses, were selected from a cDNA library made from undifferentiated PCC3 cell RNA. Several of these clones were characterized by restriction enzyme mapping and DNA sequence analysis. The DNA sequence in both the promoter and structural regions of two cDNAs closely resembles those of IAP genomic clones. Three new sequence elements were identified within the U3 region, an Sp1 transcription-factor-binding site, an adenovirus E1a enhancer sequence and a region of homology to a promoter element of adenovirus E4 gene. Hybrid constructs were made that place the U3/R region of the IAP cDNAs immediately 5′ to the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene. IAP-CAT constructs were transfected into PCC3 cells, and cell extracts prepared and analysed for CAT enzyme activity and CAT RNA levels. IAP-CAT transfected cells were shown to contain substantial levels of CAT enzyme activity and to accumulate much greater levels of CAT RNA than two standard promoters, pRSVcat and pSV2cat. The ability of these A type retroviral promoters to function in PCC3 cells is in direct contrast to the near total restriction of normal C type retroviral expression in EC cells.

Nucleotide sequence and nuclease hypersensitivity of the Chinese hamster dihydrofolate reductase gene promoter region

We have sequenced the 1240 base pairs (bp) upstream from the translation start site of the hamster dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene. The DNA in the 5' flanking region contains several elements that are homologous in both sequence and relative location to corresponding elements in the human and murine DHFR genes: an 11-bp element adjacent to the ATG codon, a 19-bp element that coincides with the major transcription start site, and two 29-bp upstream elements that are represented 4 times in the murine DHFR gene but only once in the human gene. Two clusters of short, G/C-rich elements conforming to the consensus binding sequence for the transcription factor Spl are located in the upstream region in all three genes. The symmetrical placement of the G/C boxes coincides with a symmetrical DNase I hypersensitive pattern in the chromatin, suggesting that the Spl protein may be involved in maintaining chromatin structure in this region.

Complete nucleotide sequence of an EcoRI-1.35-kb repeated element of mouse: homology with the cellular flanking region between two intracisternal A-particle genes

The complete DNA sequence (1369 bp) of an EcoRI-1.35-kb repeated element (ER-1) of the mouse BamHI family has been determined. Analysis of this sequence revealed that a portion of the 3' end (positions 1277-1369) of ER-1 was found to share 91% homology with the flanking cellular sequence between two adjacent intracisternal A-particle (IAP) genes, IAP-19A and IAP-19B.

Nucleotide sequences of murine intracisternal A-particle gene LTRs have extensive variability within the R region

Nucleotide sequences of the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of four murine intracisternal A-particle (IAP) genes IAP62, 19, 81 and 14 were determined. Each IAP LTR contains three sequence domains, 5'-U3-R-U5-3', and each is bound by 4 bp imperfect inverted repeats. The transcriptional regulatory sequences, CAAT and TATA, as well as the enhancer core sequence GTGGTAA are conserved and precisely positioned within the U3 region. In the R region, the sequence AATAAA is located twenty base pairs preceding the dinucleotide CA, the polyadenylation site. In IAP19 and IAP81, the 5' and 3' LTRs are flanked by a six nucleotide direct repeat of cellular sequences representing the possible integration sites for these IAP proviruses. Both the size and sequences of different IAP LTRs vary considerably, with the majority of the variation localized within the R regions. The size of R varies from 66 bp in IAP14 to 222 bp in IAP62; in contrast, the U3 and U5 regions are all similar in size. These extra sequences within the R region of large LTRs consist of several unusual directly repeating sequences which account for this variability.

Indomethacin causes a simultaneous decrease of both prolactin binding and fluidity of mouse liver membranes

Indomethacin suppressed the numbers of prolactin receptors detectable in the liver membranes of both male and female C3H mice. This occurred in a dose-dependent fashion with 7.5 mug/gm body weight injected every 4 hours exerting a maximal effect within 20 hours. While injection of 50 mug prolactin every 4 hr increased the number of prolactin receptors in control animals it could not in the indomethacin-treated animals. Membrane fluidity was estimated by fluorescence polarization techniques using the lipid probe 1, 6-diphenylhexatriene. Indomethacin caused a decrease in membrane fluidity, whereas, exogenous prolactin increased the fluidity of the recipients' liver membranes but again could not overcome these suppressive effects of indomethacin. The data suggest that prolactin induces its own membrane-associated receptor by means of the prostaglandin cascade, perhaps by altering the fluidity of the supporting lipid bilayer.

Prostaglandin synthesis by murine mammary gland is modified by the state of the estrus cycle

Mammary glands were excised from female C3H mice at various stages of their estrus cycle. Homogenates incubated at 37 degrees C +/- 10(5) M indomethacin synthesized prostaglandins (PG) E and f2 alpha at rates that varied as a function of the stage at estrus. The rate of PGF2 alpha synthesis was maximal at 1330 pg per mg protein per 2 hr in early diestrus and fell to undetectable levels in early estrus. PGE synthesis exhibited a similar pattern, being maximal at 83 pg per mg protein per 2 hr in early diestrus. These observations suggest that prostaglandins play a role in the cyclic changes observed within the mammary gland.