Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Oncogenic activation of ras results in changes in the transcription of several genes leading to uncontrolled cell growth. In this paper, we demonstrate that transformation of fibroblast cells by the ras oncogene leads to transcriptional repression of the smooth muscle alpha-actin promoter. Transient transfection analysis of plasmids containing the 5' upstream region of the human alpha-actin gene fused to human growth hormone or bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase coding sequences into Rat-2 and ras-transformed Rat-2 (HO6) cells indicates that alpha-actin promoter is repressed in ras-transformed cells. In addition, stable rat fibroblast cell lines expressing human growth hormone or beta-galactosidase under the control of alpha-actin promoter exhibit repressed reporter gene activity following transformation by the ras oncogene. alpha-Actin promoter-driven beta-galactosidase activity is derepressed in revertants of ras-transformed stable cell lines. This revertant cell line expresses elevated levels of ras p21 protein and is resistant to retransformation by Ki and Ha-ras oncogenes. The revertant may have either a defective target protein whose activity is essential for the transforming activity of ras or an activated tumor suppressor gene which can suppress the activity of ras. These results indicate that smooth muscle alpha-actin promoter activity is a sensitive marker to follow phenotypic changes following transformation by ras and subsequent reversion. The advantages of this alpha-actin promoter-reporter gene assay system to screen for drugs that inhibit the transforming activity of ras, either directly or indirectly, are discussed.
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PMID:Regulation of smooth muscle alpha-actin promoter in ras-transformed cells: usefulness for setting up reporter gene-based assay system for drug screening. 145 76

Transgenic mice carrying a chimaeric transgene containing 730 bp of the 5'-flanking sequences and the entire first intron of the rat alpha-skeletal actin gene fused to the lacZ reporter gene have been produced by microinjection. The lacZ reporter gene was used to verify the suitability of using the rat alpha-actin promoter elements to target expression of genes of agricultural and therapeutic value exclusively to skeletal and heart muscle cells and fibres of transgenic mice. Expression of the transgene indicates a tightly regulated developmental and muscle specific control of the rat alpha-skeletal actin gene, making it a useful promoter for gene targeting to muscle tissues. The cells destined to form muscle tissues in these transgenic mice are readily visualized in intact embryos by staining for beta-galactosidase activity, making them a suitable animal model for studying the origin and development of skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues.
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PMID:Tissue specific expression of an alpha-skeletal actin-lacZ fusion gene during development in transgenic mice. 814 52

We demonstrate that in differentiating myoblasts, the mRNAs encoding two actin isoforms, beta-cytoplasmic, and alpha-cardiac, can occupy different cytoplasmic compartments within the same cytoplasm. beta-actin mRNA is localized to the leading lamellae and alpha-actin mRNA is associated with a perinuclear compartment. This was revealed by co-hybridizing, in situ, fluorochrome-conjugated oligonucleotide probes specific for each isoform. To address the mechanism of isoform-specific mRNA localization, molecular chimeras were constructed by insertion of actin sequences between the Lac Z coding region and SV-40 3'UTR in a reporter plasmid. These constructs were transiently expressed in a mixed culture of embryonic fibroblasts, myoblasts and myotubes, beta-galactosidase activity within transfectants was revealed by a brief incubation with its substrate (X-gal). Since the blue-insoluble reaction product co-localized with the specific mRNAs expressed from each construct, it was used as a bioassay for mRNA localization. Transfectants were scored as either perinuclear, peripheral or nonlocalized with respect to the distribution of the blue product. The percentage of transfectants within those categories was quantitated as a function of the various constructs. This analysis revealed that for each actin mRNA its 3'UTR is necessary and sufficient to direct reporter transcripts to its appropriate compartment; beta-actin peripheral and alpha-actin perinuclear. In contrast, sequences from the 5'UTR through the coding region of either actin gene did not localize the blue product. Therefore, 3'UTR sequences play a key role in modulating the distribution of actin mRNAs in muscle cells. We propose that the mechanism of mRNA localization facilitates actin isoform sorting in the cytoplasm.
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PMID:Isoform-specific 3'-untranslated sequences sort alpha-cardiac and beta-cytoplasmic actin messenger RNAs to different cytoplasmic compartments. 840 95

A modified CXL retrovirus was used to clone an antisense smooth muscle alpha-actin ribozyme sequence adjacent to the reporter lacZ sequence. The virus was applied to downregulate alpha-actin expression in cultured smooth muscle cells obtained from chicken aortic arch and cultured neural crest cells. After infection with the ribozyme-containing CXL retrovirus both the smooth muscle and neural crest cells showed beta-galactosidase activity accompanied by a reduction of smooth muscle alpha-actin-positive fibers. Double staining of beta-galactosidase and smooth muscle alpha-actin using immunohistochemistry revealed that single cells infected with the CXL/ribozyme showed little to no smooth muscle alpha-actin protein. The absence of smooth muscle alpha-actin was associated with a distinct change in cellular morphology of the cultured cells, suggesting that expression of smooth muscle alpha-actin in cultured neural crest cells may be associated with cytoskeletal elements rather than vascular smooth muscle phenotype.
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PMID:Smooth muscle alpha-actin downregulation in cultured chick aortic smooth muscle and neural crest cells is associated with altered cell shape. 861 87

A method has been developed for culturing cardiac myocytes in a collagen matrix to produce a coherently contracting 3-dimensional model heart tissue that allows direct measurement of isometric contractile force. Embryonic chick cardiomyocytes were mixed with collagen solution and allowed to gel between two Velcro-coated glass tubes. During culture, the cardiomyocytes formed spontaneously beating cardiac myocyte-populated matrices (CMPMs) anchored at opposite ends to the Velcro-covered tubes through which they could be attached to a force measuring system. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy revealed a highly organized tissue-like structure of alpha-actin and alpha-tropomyosin-positive cardiac myocytes exhibiting typical cross-striation, sarcomeric myofilaments, intercalated discs, desmosomes, and tight junctions. Force measurements of paced or unpaced CMPMs were performed in organ baths after 6-11 days of cultivation and were stable for up to 24 h. Force increased with frequency between 0.8 and 2.0 Hz (positive "staircase"), increasing rest length (Starling mechanism), and increasing extracellular calcium. The utility of this system as a test bed for genetic manipulation was demonstrated by infecting the CMPMs with a recombinant beta-galactosidase-carrying adenovirus. Transduction efficiency increased from about 5% (MOI 0.1) to about 50% (MOI 100). CMPMs display more physiological characteristics of intact heart tissue than monolayer cultures. This approach, simpler and faster than generation of transgenic animals, should allow functional consequences of genetic or pharmacological manipulation of cardiomyocytes in vitro to be studied under highly controlled conditions.
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PMID:Three-dimensional reconstitution of embryonic cardiomyocytes in a collagen matrix: a new heart muscle model system. 924 Sep 69

Treatment of cultured neonatal ventricular myocytes with oncogenic Ras increases their size and stimulates the re-expression of genes which are normally restricted to the fetal stage of ventricular development, including atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and skeletal muscle (SkM)-alpha-actin. To determine which signalling pathways mediate these responses, myocytes were transfected with oncogenic (V12) Ras mutants which interact selectively with different effectors and their effects on luciferase (LUX) reporter plasmids were examined. V12 human Ras (V12HRas), itself, activated ANF-LUX 9. 6-fold, whereas mutants of V12HRas, which selectively stimulate Ral guanine nucleotide dissociation stimulator (Ral.GDS) (E37G), c-Raf (D38E) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3-K; Y40C) enhanced ANF-LUX expression 3.0-, 3.7- and 1.7-fold respectively. The full response of ANF-LUX to V12HRas was restored by using a combination of the individual effector domain mutants. Likewise, SkM-alpha-actin-LUX expression was activated 12.0-, 3.5-, 4.5- and 3. 0-fold by V12HRas, E37G, D38E and Y40C respectively, and a similar pattern of activation was also observed using a c-fos serum-response element-LUX reporter gene. Cell size was also increased by each of the mutants, but simultaneous expression of all three mutant constructs was needed to reconstitute the full effect of V12HRas on cell size (50% increase). Transfection with a constitutively active mutant of PI-3-K (p110K227E) stimulated ANF-LUX, SkM-alpha-actin-LUX, c-fos-serum-response element-LUX and Rous sarcoma virus-LUX by 3.1-, 3.2-, 2.1- and 2.9-fold respectively, but the co-transfected cytomegalovirus-beta-galactosidase reporter gene was activated to a similar extent (1.9-fold). These results suggest that Raf, Ral.GDS and PI-3-K can all transduce transcriptional responses to V12HRas, but that the specific induction of genes associated with the hypertrophic response is not mediated through PI-3-K.
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PMID:Stimulation of gene expression in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes by Ras is mediated by Ral guanine nucleotide dissociation stimulator (Ral.GDS) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in addition to Raf. 976 20

In this report we demonstrate that soluble peptides, elastin degradation products stimulate proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells. We show that these effects are due to generation of intracellular signals transduced through the cell surface elastin receptor, which consists of peripheral 67-kDa elastin-binding protein (EBP) (spliced variant of beta-galactosidase), immobilized to the transmembrane sialidase and the protective protein. We found that elastin receptor-transduced signaling triggers activation of G proteins, opening of l-type calcium channels, and a sequential activation of tyrosine kinases: FAK, c-Src, platelet-derived growth factor-receptor kinase and then Ras-Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 phosphorylation cascade. This, in turn, causes an increase in expression of cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases, and a consequent increase in cellular proliferation. The EBP-transduced signals also induce tyrosine kinase-dependent phosphorylation of beta-tubulin, LC3, microtubule-associated protein 1, and alpha-actin and troponin-T, which could be linked to reorganization of cytoskeleton. We have also disclosed that induction of these signals can be abolished by anti-EBP antibody or by galactosugars, which cause shedding of EBP from the cell surface. Moreover, elastin-derived peptides did not induce proliferation of EBP-deficient cells derived from patients bearing a nonsense mutation of the beta-galactosidase gene or sialidase-deficient cells from patients with congenital sialidosis.
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PMID:Signaling pathways transduced through the elastin receptor facilitate proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells. 1224 48

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) accumulation in the inner layer of the vessel wall is a key event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in vein grafts, but the origin of the cells in these lesions has yet to be shown. Herein, we use animal models of vein grafts in transgenic mice to clearly identify the sources of SMCs in atherosclerosis. Vena cava segments were isografted to carotid arteries between four types of transgenic mice, including SM-LacZ expressing beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) in vascular SMCs, SM-LacZ/apoE(-/-), ROSA26 expressing beta-gal in all tissues, and wild-type mice. beta-gal-positive cells were observed in neointimal and atherosclerotic lesions of all vein segments grafted between LacZ transgenic and wild-type mice. Double staining for beta-gal and cell nuclei revealed that about 40% of SMCs originated from hosts and 60% from the donor vessel. This was confirmed by double labeling of the Y-chromosome and alpha-actin in the lesions of sex-mismatched vein grafts. The possibility that bone marrow cells were the source of SMCs in grafts was eliminated by the absence of beta-gal staining in atherosclerotic lesions of chimeric mice. Furthermore, vein SMCs of SM-LacZ mice did not express beta-gal in situ, but did so when these cells appeared in atherosclerotic lesions in vivo, suggesting that hemodynamic forces may be crucial for SMC differentiation. Thus, we provide the first evidence of SMC origins in the atherosclerotic lesions of vein grafts, which will be essential for providing insight into new types of therapy for the disease. The full text of this article is available at http://www.circresaha.org.
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PMID:Both donor and recipient origins of smooth muscle cells in vein graft atherosclerotic lesions. 1238 39

The goal of this study was to develop an inducible gene expression system to assess functions of specific proteins in differentiated cultured skeletal muscle. We utilized and modified the ecdysone inducible system because others have used this system to express exogenous genes in vitro and in transgenic animals. A limitation of the commercially-available ecdysone system is its constitutive expression in all tissues. Hence, its application in vivo would result in expression of a cloned gene in undifferentiated and differentiated tissues. To target its expression to muscle, we removed the constitutively-active CMV promoter of pVgRXR and replaced it with a skeletal muscle alpha-actin promoter so that the regulatory features of the system would be expressed in differentiated muscle cells. We transfected our newly designed expression system into L8 muscle myoblasts and established stable cell lines via antibiotic selection. We determined that reporter gene activity was induced by ponasterone A in myotubes, a differentiated muscle phenotype, but not in myoblasts (undifferentiated cells). This proved the validity of the concept of an inducible muscle-specific expression system. We then determined that beta-galactosidase expression was dependent upon the dose of ponasterone A and duration of exposure to inducer. This creates potential to regulate both the level of expression and duration of expression of a cloned gene in differentiated muscle.
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PMID:Development of a ponasterone A-inducible gene expression system for application in cultured skeletal muscle cells. 1246 49

Grb2-associated binder-1 (Gab1) is a scaffolding/docking protein and contains a Pleckstrin homology domain and potential binding sites for Src homology (SH) 2 and SH3 domains. Gab1 is tyrosine phosphorylated and associates with protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 and p85 phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase on stimulation with various cytokines and growth factors, including interleukin-6. We previously demonstrated that interleukin-6-related cytokine, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), induced cardiac hypertrophy through gp130. In this study, we report the role of Gab1 in gp130-mediated cardiac hypertrophy. Stimulation with LIF induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Gab1, and phosphorylated Gab1 interacted with SHP2 and p85 in cultured cardiomyocytes. We constructed three kinds of adenovirus vectors, those carrying wild-type Gab1 (AdGab1WT), mutated Gab1 lacking SHP2 binding site (AdGab1F627/659), and beta-galactosidase (Adbeta-gal). Compared with cardiomyocytes infected with Adbeta-gal, longitudinal elongation of cardiomyocytes induced by LIF was enhanced in cardiomyocytes infected with AdGab1WT but inhibited in cardiomyocytes infected with AdGab1F627/659. Upregulation of BNP mRNA expression by LIF was evoked in cardiomyocytes infected with Adbeta-gal and AdGab1WT but not in cardiomyocytes infected with AdGab1F627/659. In contrast, Gab1 repressed skeletal alpha-actin mRNA expression through interaction with SHP2. Furthermore, activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) was enhanced in cardiomyocytes infected with AdGab1WT compared with cardiomyocytes infected with Adbeta-gal but repressed in cardiomyocytes infected with AdGab1F627/659. Coinfection of AdGab1WT with adenovirus vector carrying dominant-negative ERK5 abrogated longitudinal elongation of cardiomyocytes induced by LIF. Taken together, these findings indicate that Gab1-SHP2 interaction plays a crucial role in gp130-dependent longitudinal elongation of cardiomyoctes through activation of ERK5.
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PMID:Activation of gp130 transduces hypertrophic signal through interaction of scaffolding/docking protein Gab1 with tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 in cardiomyocytes. 1290 63


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