PO-182 The upregulation of EPDR1 is related to tumour invasiveness in a cohort of localised colorectal cancer patients
Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents a relevant public health problem. Despite new therapeutic advances, prognosis of patients diagnosed with advanced disease is still poor. The identification of new markers involved in the mechanisms of invasiveness represents a priority in order to better understand cancer development and generate new therapeutic targets. We describe here the possible role of EPDR1, a gene not yet well characterised, which encodes a protein related to ependymins, a family of piscine transmembrane proteins involved in cell adhesion. To evaluate the role of EPDR1, a translational investigation was planned to explore the consequences of the upregulation of EPDR1 i…
EGF-Induced Acetylation of Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins Is Dependent on KRAS Mutational Status in Colorectal Cancer Cells.
KRAS mutational status is considered a negative predictive marker of the response to anti-EGFR therapies in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, conflicting data exist regarding the variable response to EGFR-targeted therapy. The effects of oncogenic KRAS on downstream targets were studied in cell lines with different KRAS mutations. Cells harboring a single KRASG13D allele showed the most tumorigenic profile, with constitutive activation of the downstream pathway, rendering them EGF-unresponsive. Conversely, KRASA146T cells showed a full EGF-response in terms of signal transduction pathways, cell proliferation, migration or adhesion. Moreover, the global acetylome of CRC cells was al…
In vivo studies of altered expression patterns of p53 and proliferative control genes in chronic vitamin A deficiency and hypervitaminosis
Several clinical trials have revealed that individuals who were given beta-carotene and vitamin A did not have a reduced risk of cancer compared to those given placebo; rather, vitamin A could actually have caused an adverse effect in the lungs of smokers [Omenn, G.S., Goodman, G.E., Thornquist, M.D., Balmes, J., Cullen, M.R., Glass, A., Keogh, J.P., Meyskens, F.L., Valanis, B., Williams, J.H., Barnhart, S. & Hammar, S. N. Engl. J. Med (1996) 334, 1150-1155; Hennekens, C.H., Buring, J.E., Manson, J.E., Stampfer, M., Rosner, B., Cook, N.R., Belanger, C., LaMotte, F., Gaziano, J.M., Ridker, P.M., Willet, W. & Peto, R. (1996) N. Engl. J. Med. 334, 1145-1149]. Using differential display techniq…
Histone Post-Translational Modifications and Nucleosome Organisation in Transcriptional Regulation: Some Open Questions
The organisation of chromatin is first discussed to conclude that nucleosomes play both structural and transcription-regulatory roles. The presence of nucleosomes makes difficult the access of transcriptional factors to their target sequences and the action of RNA polymerases. The histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome remodelling are first discussed, from a historical point of view, as mechanisms to remove the obstacles imposed by chromatin structure to transcription. Instead of reviewing the state of the art of the whole field, this review is centred on some open questions. First, some “non-classical” histone modifications, such as short-chain acylations other than acetyl…
Interaction Between Cytokines and Oxidative Stress in Acute Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation initially localized in the pancreatic gland which may lead to local and systemic complications. The development of severe acute pancreatitis is mediated by pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the systemic inflammatory response, cytokines and oxidative stress being their components of major importance. Nevertheless, it is still unknown why an episode of acute pancreatitis remains mild or progresses to a severe form. Activated leukocytes are the main source of cytokines. Interleukin 1beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) initiate and propagate almost all the consequences of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, leading to amplifica…
Liver-specific methionine adenosyltransferase MAT1A gene expression is associated with a specific pattern of promoter methylation and histone acetylation: implications for MAT1A silencing during transformation.
Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) is the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), the main donor of methyl groups in the cell. In mammals MAT is the product of two genes, MAT1A and MAT2A. MAT1A is expressed only in the mature liver whereas fetal hepatocytes, extrahepatic tissues and liver cancer cells express MAT2A. The mechanisms behind the tissue and differentiation state specific MAT1A expression are not known. In the present work we examined MAT1A promoter methylation status by means of methylation sensitive restriction enzyme analysis. Our data indicate that MAT1A promoter is hypomethylated in liver and hypermethylated in kidney and fetal rat hepatocytes…
Hepatocyte growth factor induces MAT2A expression and histone acetylation in rat hepatocytes: role in liver regeneration 1
SPECIFIC AIMSWe have studied the molecular mechanisms and mediators behind the induction of methionine adenosyltransferase 2 A (MAT2A) gene expression in the regenerating rat liver after partial he...
In silico RNA-seq and experimental analyses reveal the differential expression and splicing of EPDR1 and ZNF518B genes in relation to KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer cells.
Several drugs used for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) are targeted at the epidermal growth factor receptor, but mutations in genes of the RAS family cause resistance to these drugs. Thus, extensive research is being carried out to counterbalance this resistance. The G13D mutation of KRAS is common in humans, and we previously reported that this mutation results in the epigenetic modification of hnRNP proteins, involved in RNA splicing. As aberrant splicing often results in oncogenicity, the present study aimed to identify the genes which show altered splicing patterns in connection with the G13D KRAS mutation. To accomplish this, we first carried out an in silico analysis of RNA-s…
On the ubiquitous presence of histone acetyltransferase B in eukaryotes
AbstractHistone acetyltransferase B activity has been found in pea (Pisun sativum) seedlings. The enzyme has been partially purified and it has been found that it is highly specific for H4. The results confirm that histone acetyltransferase B occurs in 3 eukaryotic kingdoms.
Epigenetic modifiers are necessary but not sufficient for reprogramming non-myelinating cells into myelin gene-expressing cells.
Background Modifications on specific histone residues and DNA methylation play an essential role in lineage choice and cellular reprogramming. We have previously shown that histone modifications or combinatorial codes of transcription factors (TFs) are critical for the differentiation of multipotential progenitors into myelinating oligodendrocytes. In this study we asked whether combining global manipulation of DNA methylation and histone acetylation together with the expression of oligodendrocyte- specific TFs, was sufficient to switch the identity of fibroblasts into myelin gene-expressing cells. Methodology/Principal Findings Transfection of six oligodendrocyte-specific TFs (Olig1, Olig2…
Bioenergetic Failure in Rat Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells Treated with Cerebrospinal Fluid Derived from Multiple Sclerosis Patients
In relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) subtype, the patient's brain itself is capable of repairing the damage, remyelinating the axon and recovering the neurological function. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is in close proximity with brain parenchyma and contains a host of proteins and other molecules, which influence the cellular physiology, that may balance damage and repair of neurons and glial cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning myelin repair in distinct clinical forms of MS and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients by studying the effect of diseased CSF on glucose metabolism and ATP synthesis. A cellular model with primary…
Potential Biomarkers Associated with Multiple Sclerosis Pathology
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that involves an intricate and aberrant interaction of immune cells leading to inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. Due to the heterogeneity of clinical subtypes, their diagnosis becomes challenging and the best treatment cannot be easily provided to patients. Biomarkers have been used to simplify the diagnosis and prognosis of MS, as well as to evaluate the results of clinical treatments. In recent years, research on biomarkers has advanced rapidly due to their ability to be easily and promptly measured, their specificity, and their reproducibility. Biomarkers are classified into several categor…
Early impairment of epigenetic pattern in neurodegeneration: Additional mechanisms behind pyrethroid toxicity
Abstract Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid extensively used as anti-woodworm agent and for indoor and outdoor pest control. The main route of human exposure is through fruit, vegetable and milk intake. Low dosage exposure to permethrin during neonatal brain development (from postnatal day 6 to postnatal day 21) leads to dopamine decrease in rat striatum nucleus, oxidative stress and behavioural changes linked to the development of Parkinson's like neurodegeneration later in life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of genes involved in the dopaminergic pathway and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in adolescent rats treated with permethrin during neonatal brain developmen…
Distinct Site Specificity of Two Pea Histone Deacetylase Complexes
We report on the site specificity of two intact pea histone deacetylase complexes. HD1 deacetylates lysines 5 and 16 of H4 in the order K16 > K5, while in the case of H3 the preferred order is K4 >> K18 approximately K9. The specificity of the HD2 complex is markedly different. The preferred residues in H4 are K8 approximately K5 > K16, while in H3 deacetylation, the complex HD2 prefers sites 4 and 18. To obtain these results, we have used a novel procedure based on the SPOT technique, a method to synthesize peptides on membrane supports. Different sets of membranes with sequentially overlapping histone peptides containing acetylated lysines in the sites corresponding to all in vivo acetyla…
ZNF518B gene up-regulation promotes dissemination of tumour cells and is governed by epigenetic mechanisms in colorectal cancer
AbstractMost of colorectal cancer CRC-related death is due to metastasis and the finding of markers for prognosis of invasiveness, constitutes an appealing challenge. Here, after analysing cDNA array containing 43 tumour and 5 normal mucosa samples, we report that the expression of the ZNF518B gene as a whole and that of its two major splicing isoforms are significantly increased in tumours. The canonical isoform was also up-regulated in a patients’ cohort containing 70 tumour and 69 adjacent tissue samples. The effects of silencing ZNF518B on the phenotype of CRC cell lines were then studied. The gene does not affect cell proliferation, but plays a significant role in cell migration and in…
Nucleosome-specific, Time-dependent Changes in Histone Modifications during Activation of the Early Growth Response 1 (Egr1) Gene
Histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome remodeling are coordinate events involved in eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. There are relatively few data on the time course with which these events occur in individual nucleosomes. As a contribution to fill this gap, we first describe the nature and time course of structural changes in the nucleosomes -2, -1, and +1 of the murine Egr1 gene upon induction. To initiate the transient activation of the gene, we used the stimulation of MLP29 cells with phorbol esters and the in vivo activation after partial hepatectomy. In both models, nucleosomes -1 and +1 are partially evicted, whereas nucleosomes +1 and -2 slide downstream durin…
DNA methylation and histone acetylation of rat methionine adenosyltransferase 1A and 2A genes is tissue-specific.
Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) catalyzes the biosynthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet). In mammals MAT activity derives from two separate genes which display a tissue-specific pattern of expression. While MAT1A is expressed only in the adult liver, MAT2A is expressed in non-hepatic tissues. The mechanisms behind the selective expression of these two genes are not fully understood. In the present report we have evaluated MAT1A and MAT2A methylation in liver and in other tissues, such as kidney, by methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme digestion of genomic DNA. Our data indicate that MAT1A is hypomethylated in liver and hypermethylated in non-expressing tissues. The opposite situ…
Oxidative and nitrosative stress in acute pancreatitis. Modulation by pentoxifylline and oxypurinol
Item does not contain fulltext Reactive oxygen species are considered mediators of the inflammatory response and tissue damage in acute pancreatitis. We previously found that the combined treatment with oxypurinol - as inhibitor of xanthine oxidase- and pentoxifylline - as inhibitor of TNF-alpha production-restrained local and systemic inflammatory response and decreased mortality in experimental acute pancreatitis. Our aims were (1) to determine the time-course of glutathione depletion and oxidation in necrotizing pancreatitis in rats and its modulation by oxypurinol and pentoxifylline; (2) to determine whether TNF-alpha is responsible for glutathione depletion in acute pancreatitis; and (…
Perturbed Glucose Metabolism: Insights into Multiple Sclerosis Pathogenesis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex debilitating disease of the central nervous system perceived to result from the autoimmune effect of T cells in damaging myelin sheath. However, the exact pathogenesis of the disease remains elusive. Initial studies describing the possibility of defective pyruvate metabolism in MS were performed in 1950s. The group observed elevated blood pyruvate level in both fasting and postprandial times in MS patients with relapse. Similarly, other investigators also reported increased fasting pyruvate level in this disease. These reports hint to a possible abnormality of pyruvate metabolism in MS patients. In addition, increase in levels of Krebs cycle acids like a…
A short-range gradient of histone H3 acetylation and Tup1p redistribution at the promoter of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 gene.
Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays are used to map H3 and H4 acetylation over the promoter nucleosomes and the coding region of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 gene, under repressed and derepressed conditions, using wild type and mutant strains. In wild type cells, a high level of H3 acetylation at the distal end of the promoter drops sharply toward the proximal nucleosome that covers the TATA box, a gradient that become even steeper on derepression. In contrast, substantial H4 acetylation shows no such gradient and extends into the coding region. Overall levels of both H3 and H4 acetylation rise on derepression. Mutation of GCN5 or SNF2 lead to substantially reduced SUC2 expression; in…
Properties of the yeast nuclear histone deacetylase.
A nuclear histone deacetylase from yeast was partially purified and some of its characteristics were studied. Histone deacetylase activity was stimulated in vitro by high-mobility-group nonhistone chromatin proteins 1 and 2 and ubiquitin and inhibited by spermine and spermidine, whereas n-butyrate had no significant inhibitory effect. Like the mammalian enzyme, partially purified histone deacetylase from yeast was strongly inhibited by trichostatin A. However, in crude extract preparations the yeast enzyme was not inhibited and treatment with trichostatin in vivo did not show any effect, either on the histone acetylation level or on cell viability. At low ionic strength, the enzyme can be i…
Enzymes involved in the dynamic equilibrium of core histone acetylation ofPhysarum polycephalum
DEAE-Scpharose chromatography of extracts from plasmodia of the myxomyccte PI~.~suru~~t ,~/.~crpl~~ho~~ revealed the presence of multiple histone acetyltransferases and histonc deacctylascs. A cyloplasmic histonc acctyltransferase B, specific for histonc H4, and two nuclear acetyltransferases Al and A2 were identilied; Al acetylates all core hislones with a preference for l-13 and H2A. whereas A2 is specific for H3 and also slightly for H2B. Two hislone deacetylases. HDI and HD2, could be discriminated. They differ with respect to subslralc speciliciiy and pH dependence. For the first time the substrate specificity of histonc deacetylascs was determined using HPLC-purilicd individual core h…
Role of Redox Signaling, Protein Phosphatases and Histone Acetylation in the Inflammatory Cascade in Acute Pancreatitis: Therapeutic Implications
Acute pancreatitis starts as a local inflammation of the pancreatic tissue but often leads to the systemic inflammatory response syndrome and death by multiple organ failure. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly TNF-alpha and Il-1beta, play a pivotal role together with oxidative stress and glutathione depletion in the inflammatory response in this disease. Most inflammatory mediators act through mitogen activated protein kinases and nuclear factor kB. Nevertheless, elucidation of the precise mechanisms involved in activation and attenuation phases of the inflammatory cascade is still underway. Redox signaling mediated by inactivation of protein phosphatases and histone acetylation trigg…
Coordinated Sumoylation and Ubiquitination Modulate EGF Induced EGR1 Expression and Stability
Background Human early growth response-1 (EGR1) is a member of the zing-finger family of transcription factors induced by a range of molecular and environmental stimuli including epidermal growth factor (EGF). In a recently published paper we demonstrated that integrin/EGFR cross-talk was required for Egr1 expression through activation of the Erk1/2 and PI3K/Akt/Forkhead pathways. EGR1 activity and stability can be influenced by many different post-translational modifications such as acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination and the recently discovered sumoylation. The aim of this work was to assess the influence of sumoylation on EGF induced Egr1 expression and/or stability. Methods We …
Glutamate cysteine ligase up-regulation fails in necrotizing pancreatitis
Glutathione depletion is a key factor in the development of acute pancreatitis. Our aim was to study the regulation of glutamate cysteine ligase, the rate-limiting enzyme in glutathione synthesis, in edematous or necrotizing pancreatitis in rats. Glutathione levels were kept low in necrotizing pancreatitis for several hours, with no increase in protein or mRNA levels of glutamate cysteine ligase subunits, despite binding of RNA polymerase II to their promoters and coding regions. The survival signal pathway mediated by ERK and c-MYC was activated, and c-MYC was recruited to the promoters. The failure in gene up-regulation seems to be due to a marked increase in cytosolic ribonuclease activi…
Histone deacetylase A key enzyme for the binding of regulatory proteins to chromatin
AbstractCore histones can be modified by reversible, posttranslational acetylation of specific lysine residues within the N-terminal protein domains. The dynamic equilibrium of acetylation is maintained by two enzyme activities, histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase. Recent data on histone deacetylases and on anionic motifs in chromatin- or DNA-binding regulatory proteins (e.g. transcription factors, nuclear proto-oncogenes) are summarized and united into a hypothesis which attributes a key function to histone deacetylation for the binding of regulatory proteins to chromatin by a transient, specific local increase of the positive charge in the N-terminal domains of nucleosomal c…
Subcellular localization and nucleosome specificity of yeast histone acetyltransferases
We have previously reported [López-Rodas et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19028-19033] that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains four histone acetyltransferases, which can be resolved by ion-exchange chromatography, and their specificity toward yeast free histones was studied. In the present contribution we show that three of the enzymes are nuclear, type A histone acetyltransferases and they are able to acetylate nucleosome-bound histones. They differ in their histone specificity. Enzyme A1 acetylates H2A in chicken nucleosomes, although it is specific for yeast free H2B; histone acetyltransferase A2 is highly specific for H3, and histone acetyltransferase A3 preparations acetylate…
Multiple sclerosis patient-derived CSF induces transcriptional changes in proliferating oligodendrocyte progenitors.
Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is in contact with brain parenchyma and ventricles, and its composition might influence the cellular physiology of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) thereby contributing to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease pathogenesis. Objective: To identify the transcriptional changes that distinguish the transcriptional response induced in proliferating rat OPCs upon exposure to CSF from primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) or relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients and other neurological controls. Methods: We performed gene microarray analysis of OPCs exposed to CSF from neurological controls, or definitive RRMS or PPMS disease course. R…
Id2 leaves the chromatin of the E2F4-p130-controlled c-myc promoter during hepatocyte priming for liver regeneration
The Id (inhibitor of DNA binding or inhibitor of differentiation) helix–loop–helix proteins are involved in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation and cancer. The fact that the molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration are not completely understood prompted us to study the fate of Id2 in proliferating liver. Id2 increases in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, following the early induction of its gene. Co-immunoprecipitation shows that Id2 forms a complex with E2F4, p130 and mSin3A in quiescent liver and all these components are present at the c-myc promoter as shown using ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation). Activation of c-myc during hepatocyte priming (G0–G1 transitio…
Protein phosphatases and chromatin modifying complexes in the inflammatory cascade in acute pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas that may lead to systemic inflammatory response syndrome and death due to multiple organ failure. Acinar cells, together with leukocytes, trigger the inflammatory cascade in response to local damage of the pancreas. Amplification of the inflammatory cascade requires up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and this process is mediated not only by nuclear factor κB but also by chromatin modifying complexes and chromatin remodeling. Among the different families of histone acetyltransferases, the p300/CBP family seems to be particularly associated with the inflammatory process. cAMP activates gene expression via the cAMP-responsive eleme…
RNAPol-ChIP: a novel application of chromatin immunoprecipitation to the analysis of real-time gene transcription.
We describe a procedure, RNAPol-ChIP, to measure actual transcriptional rate. It consists of the detection, by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), of RNA polymerase II within the coding region of genes. To do this, the DNA immunoprecipitated with polymerase antibodies is analysed by PCR, using an amplicon well within the coding region of the desired genes to avoid interferences with polymerase paused at the promoter. To validate RNAPol-ChIP, we compare our results to those obtained by classical methods in several genes induced during either liver regeneration or acute pancreatitis. When short half-life mRNA genes are studied (e.g. c-fos and egr1), RNAPol-ChIP gives results similar to thos…
Epigenetic Regulation of Early- and Late-Response Genes in Acute Pancreatitis
Abstract Chromatin remodeling seems to regulate the patterns of proinflammatory genes. Our aim was to provide new insights into the epigenetic mechanisms that control transcriptional activation of early- and late-response genes in initiation and development of severe acute pancreatitis as a model of acute inflammation. Chromatin changes were studied by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis, nucleosome positioning, and determination of histone modifications in promoters of proinflammatory genes in vivo in the course of taurocholate-induced necrotizing pancreatitis in rats and in vitro in rat pancreatic AR42J acinar cells stimulated with taurocholate or TNF-α. Here we show that the upregulat…
Blockade of the trans-sulfuration pathway in acute pancreatitis due to nitration of cystathionine β-synthase
© 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Disturbed Glucose Metabolism in Rat Neurons Exposed to Cerebrospinal Fluid Obtained from Multiple Sclerosis Subjects
Axonal damage is widely accepted as a major cause of permanent functional disability in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In relapsing-remitting MS, there is a possibility of remyelination by myelin producing cells and restoration of neurological function. The purpose of this study was to delineate the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning axonal injury through hitherto unknown factors present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that may regulate axonal damage, remyelinate the axon and make functional recovery possible. We employed primary cultures of rat unmyelinated cerebellar granule neurons and treated them with CSF obtained from MS and Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients. We performed microarray …
Cross-talk between oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines in acute pancreatitis: a key role for protein phosphatases.
Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory process localized in the pancreatic gland that frequently involves peripancreatic tissues. It is still under investigation why an episode of acute pancreatitis remains mild affecting only the pancreas or progresses to a severe form leading to multiple organ failure and death. Proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress play a pivotal role in the early pathophysiological events of the disease. Cytokines such as interleukin 1beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha initiate and propagate almost all consequences of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. On the other hand, depletion of pancreatic glutathione is an early hallmark of acute pancreat…
Redox signaling and histone acetylation in acute pancreatitis
Histone acetylation via CBP/p300 coordinates the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the activation phase of inflammation, particularly through mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) pathways. In contrast, histone deacetylases (HDACs) and protein phosphatases are mainly involved in the attenuation phase of inflammation. The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the inflammatory cascade is much more important than expected. Mitochondrial ROS act as signal-transducing molecules that trigger proinflammatory cytokine production via inflammasome-independent and inflammasome-dependent pathways. …
Pentoxifylline and Oxypurinol: Potential Drugs to Prevent the “Cytokine Release (Storm) Syndrome” Caused by SARS-CoV-2?
Background: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a potentially lethal, rapidly-expanding pandemic and many efforts are being carried out worldwide to understand and control the disease. COVID-19 patients may display a cytokine release syndrome, which causes severe lung inflammation, leading, in many instances, to death. Objective: This paper is intended to explore the possibilities of controlling the COVID-19-associated hyperinflammation by using licensed drugs with anti-inflammatory effects. Hypothesis: We have previously described that pentoxifylline alone, or in combination with oxypurinol, reduces the systemic inflammation caused by experimentally-induced pancreatitis in rats. Pentoxifyl…
Reciprocal regulation of the human sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1a promoter by Sp1 and EGR-1 transcription factors.
AbstractSterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1a is a transcription factor that is highly expressed in actively growing cells, and is involved in the biosynthesis of cholesterol, fatty acids and phospholipids. We have mapped the minimal human SREBP-1a promoter region to 75bp upstream of the translation start site where we discovered a functional role for the 3 GC-boxes containing overlapping sites for the Sp1 and EGR-1 transcription factors. Intact SP1-binding sites are essential for promoter activity, whereas EGR-1 suppresses the transcription of the human SREBP-1a promoter. These results reveal a novel physiologically relevant transcriptional mechanism for the reciprocal regul…
ZNF518B as a transcriptional factor involved in colorectal cancer progression through the epithelial to mesenchymal transition
Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents a relevant public health problem. The identification of new markers involved in the mechanisms of invasiveness represents a priority in order to better understand cancer development and generate new therapeutic targets. Recently, our group demonstrated overexpression of ZNF518B gene, which encodes an unknown zinc finger transcription factor, in CRC. A transcriptome-wide gene expression profile revealed its implication in different biological processes related to the progression of CRC, especially in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods To study the biological processes regulated by ZNF518B, we performed a ClariomS Arr…
Pentoxifylline Prevents Loss of PP2A Phosphatase Activity and Recruitment of Histone Acetyltransferases to Proinflammatory Genes in Acute Pancreatitis
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are considered major signal transducers early during the development of acute pancreatitis. Pentoxifylline is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor with marked anti-inflammatory properties through blockade of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and tumor necrosis factor alpha production. Our aim was to elucidate the mechanism of action of pentoxifylline as an anti-inflammatory agent in acute pancreatitis. Necrotizing pancreatitis induced by taurocholate in rats and taurocholate-treated AR42J acinar cells were studied. Phosphorylation of ERK and ERK kinase (MEK1/2), as well as PP2A, PP2B, and PP2C serine/threonine phosphatase activiti…
EPDR1 up-regulation in human colorectal cancer is related to staging and favours cell proliferation and invasiveness
The finding of novel molecular markers for prediction or prognosis of invasiveness in colorectal cancer (CRC) constitutes an appealing challenge. Here we show the up-regulation of EPDR1 in a prospective cohort of 101 CRC patients, in a cDNA array of 43 patients and in in silico analyses. EPDR1 encodes a protein related to ependymins, a family of glycoproteins involved in intercellular contacts. A thorough statistical model allowed us to conclude that the gene is significantly up-regulated in tumour tissues when compared with normal mucosa. These results agree with those obtained by the analysis of three publicly available databases. EPDR1 up-regulation correlates with the TNM staging parame…
Yeast contains multiple forms of histone acetyltransferase.
We have assayed several methods to quantitatively recover yeast histone acetyltransferases in an attempt to study the multiplicity of enzymatic activities. Two methods, namely (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and salt dissociation of chromatin in 0.5 M NaCl, yielded convenient preparations of total histone acetyltransferases. DEAE-Sepharose chromatography of the crude extracts resulted in the separation of three peaks of activity when total yeast histones were used as substrate. However, the scanning of the enzymatic activity toward individual histones along the chromatography, achieved by determining the specific activity of the individual histones after incubating whole histones and [14C]acetyl-Co…
Growth Arrest Specific 1 (Gas1) Gene Overexpression in Liver Reduces the In Vivo Progression of Murine Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Partially Restores Gene Expression Levels.
The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients is usually poor, the size of tumors being a limiting factor for surgical treatments. Present results suggest that the overexpression of Gas1 (growth arrest specific 1) gene reduces the size, proliferating activity and malignancy of liver tumors. Mice developing diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma were subjected to hydrodynamic gene delivery to overexpress Gas1 in liver. This treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the number of large tumors, while the difference in the total number of lesions was not significant. Moreover, the number of carcinoma foci in the liver and the number of lung metastases were reduced. These resu…
Epigenetic Transcriptional Regulation of the Growth Arrest-Specific gene 1 (Gas1) in Hepatic Cell Proliferation at Mononucleosomal Resolution
Background Gas1 (growth arrest-specific 1) gene is known to inhibit cell proliferation in a variety of models, but its possible implication in regulating quiescence in adult tissues has not been examined to date. The knowledge of how Gas1 is regulated in quiescence may contribute to understand the deregulation occurring in neoplastic diseases. Methodology/Principal Findings Gas1 expression has been studied in quiescent murine liver and during the naturally synchronized cell proliferation after partial hepatectomy. Chromatin immunoprecipitation at nucleosomal resolution (Nuc-ChIP) has been used to carry out the study preserving the in vivo conditions. Transcription has been assessed at real …
Interaction between N-terminal domain of H4 and DNA is regulated by the acetylation degree.
Abstract To study whether the acetylation of one or more of the four acetylatable lysines of histone H4 affects its binding to DNA, we have designed a protection experiment with a model system consisting in phage lambda DNA as substrate, Stu I as restriction endonuclease and histone H4 with different degrees of acetylation as the protective agent. It can be deduced from the experimental data that the protection afforded by the histone is not dependent on the number of positive charges lost by acetylation. Thus, non-acetylated H4 and mono-acetylated H4 cause similar protection, while di-acetylation of the histone seems to be the crucial step in significantly weakening the interaction between…
ACTIVIDAD DE LA SER/THR FOSFATASA PP2A Y REGULACIÓN EPIGENÉTICA DE GENES PRO-INFLAMATORIOS EN LA PANCREATITIS AGUDA
Objetivos 1) Estudiar el papel de las serin/treonin protein fosfatasas en la induccion de genes pro-inflamatorios en el pancreas en la pancreatitis aguda, 2) Investigar el papel de las serin/treonin fosfatasas en el mecanismo de accion de la pentoxifilina como agente inflamatorio en la PA. Diseno Modelo de PA necrotica en ratas inducida por taurocolato sodico al 3,5%. Determinacion en pancreas de ratas de la fosforilacion de ERK y MEK1/2 (western blotting), las actividades de las serin/treonin fosfatasas PP2A, PP2B y PP2C, la induccion de genes pro-inflamatorios (RT-PCR e immunoprecipitacion de la cromatina) y el reclutamiento de factores de transcripcion e histonas acetiltransferasas/deace…
Role for Chromatin Remodeling Factor Chd1 in Learning and Memory
Precise temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression in the brain is a prerequisite for cognitive processes such as learning and memory. Epigenetic mechanisms that modulate the chromatin structure have emerged as important regulators in this context. While posttranslational modification of histones or the modification of DNA bases have been examined in detail in many studies, the role of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factors (ChRFs) in learning- and memory-associated gene regulation has largely remained obscure. Here we present data that implicate the highly conserved chromatin assembly and remodeling factor Chd1 in memory formation and the control of immediate early gene (IEG) r…
Transcription of the MAT2A gene, coding for methionine adenosyltransferase, is up-regulated by E2F and Sp1 at a chromatin level during proliferation of liver cells
Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) is an essential enzyme because it catalyzes the formation of S-adenosylmethionine, the main methyl donor. Two MAT-encoding genes (MAT1A, MAT2A) are found in mammals. The latter is expressed in proliferating liver, dedifferentiation and cancer, whereas MAT1A is expressed in adult quiescent hepatocytes. Here, we report studies on the molecular mechanisms controlling the induction of MAT2A in regenerating rat liver and in proliferating hepatocytes. The MAT2A is up-regulated at two discrete moments during liver regeneration, as confirmed by RNApol-ChIP analysis. The first one coincides with hepatocyte priming (i.e. G0-G1 transition), while the second one tak…