Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
 14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Northern-blot analysis was used to demonstrate that an increase in extracellular glucose concentration increased the content of preproinsulin mRNA 2.3-fold in the beta-cell line HIT T15. A probe for the constitutively expressed glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was used as a control. Mannoheptulose blocked this effect of glucose. A stimulatory effect on preproinsulin mRNA levels was also observed in response to mannose and to 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate. However, galactose and arginine were ineffective. Glucagon, forskolin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP also elicited an increase in HIT-cell preproinsulin mRNA. The ability of the 5' upstream region of the preproinsulin gene to mediate the effect of glucose and other metabolites on transcription was studied by using a bacterial reporter gene technique. HIT cells were transfected with a plasmid, pOK1, containing the upstream region of the rat insulin-1 gene (-345 to +1) linked to chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT). Co-transfection with a plasmid pRSV beta-gal containing beta-galactosidase driven by the Rous sarcoma virus promoter was used as a control for the efficiency of transfection; expression of CAT activity in transfected HIT cells was normalized by reference to expression of beta-galactosidase. Glucose caused a dose-dependent increase in expression of CAT activity, with a half-maximal effect at 5.5 mM and a maximum response of 4-fold. Mannoheptulose blocked this effect of glucose. Other metabolites (mannose, 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate and leucine plus glutamine) were also able to increase insulin promoter-driven CAT expression, but galactose and arginine were ineffective. The stimulatory effect of glucose on CAT expression was not blocked by verapamil and was inhibited by increasing extracellular Ca2+ from 0.4 to 5 mM. Both dibutyryl cyclic AMP and forskolin caused an increase in insulin promoter-driven gene expression in the presence of 1 mM-glucose, but neither agent further increased the level of expression occurring in the presence of a maximally stimulating glucose concentration. The phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) also increased insulin promoter-driven CAT expression in the presence of 1 mM-, but not 11 mM-glucose. Staurosporine blocked the stimulatory effect not only of PMA but also of glucose and of dibutyryl cyclic AMP. We conclude that the 5' upstream region of the insulin gene contains sequences responsible for mediating the stimulatory effect of glucose on insulin-gene transcription.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Control of insulin gene expression by glucose. 132 37

In the new high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign, receptor functional assays, 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), intracellular [Ca(2)+](i), phosphatidylinositol turnover, and reporter-based assays are being used as primary screens as they are now developed as homogeneous and automation-friendly assays. FlashPlate assay and scintillation proximity assay using radiolabeled cAMP have been used for measuring cAMP. A nonradioactive homogeneous HTS assay using HitHunter trade mark enzyme fragment complementation (EFC) technology was evaluated for measuring cAMP in adherent and suspension cells overexpressing a Galpha(s)-coupled receptor. In the EFC-cAMP assay, the beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) donor fragment-cAMP (ED-cAMP) conjugate complements with the beta-gal enzyme acceptor (EA) fragment to form an active beta-gal enzyme. Binding of ED-cAMP conjugate to the anti-cAMP antibody prevents its complementation with the EA fragment to form an active enzyme. Cyclic AMP in the samples compete with ED-cAMP to bind to the anti-cAMP antibody, thus increasing the free ED-cAMP that can complement with the EA fragment to form an active enzyme that is assayed with a luminescent substrate. Thus, this assay results in a positive signal unlike other technologies, wherein the signal is completed by cAMP in the sample. Glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 binds to GLP-1 receptor (with a Kd of 0.2 nM) signals through Galpha(s) to activate adenylate cyclase, which results in an increase of intracellular cAMP (EC(50) of 0.3 nM). GLP-1 stimulation of cAMP levels measured by the EFC method was similar in both adherent and suspension cell formats (EC(50)~0.3 nM) at different cell numbers. The assay was further validated with forskolin, exendin, and several active GLP-1 peptide analogues. The stimulation of cAMP by GLP-1 and forskolin was effectively inhibited by the adenylate cyclase inhibitors MDL-12330A and SQ-22536, confirming that the increased cAMP is through the AC pathway. The assay tolerates dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) up to 10%, and tartrazine does not interfere with the assay with the adherent cells up to 1 mM and affects minimally up to 10 microM in suspension cells. The assay is very robust, with a Z' value of 0.7 to 0.8. The assay was validated with several plates of low molecular weight nonpeptide compounds and peptide agonists with different potencies. The suspension cell protocol is a robust homogeneous assay that involves fewer steps than the adherent cell protocol and is suitable for HTS. The cAMP assay using EFC technology is advantageous in that it has a greater dynamic range of detection; is nonradioactive, very sensitive, robust; has minimal interference from DMSO and colored compounds; and is amenable for automation. An added advantage of this assay is that the cAMP is measured as a positive signal, thereby reducing the incidence of false positives.
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PMID:A homogeneous enzyme fragment complementation cyclic AMP screen for GPCR agonists. 1459 49

Type 1 diabetes results from insulin deficiency caused by destruction of pancreatic beta cells. Glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 stimulates beta cell growth and differentiation. To determine whether continuous expression of GLP-1 in vivo can regenerate beta cells and remit type 1 diabetes in mice for a prolonged time, we constructed an adenoviral vector containing the cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer and albumin leader sequence followed by GLP-1 cDNA (rAd-GLP-1). A single administration of rAd-GLP-1 via the tail vein into streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice resulted in remission of diabetes within 10 days; normoglycemia remained until the experiment was terminated. The number of insulin-positive cells in the pancreas and insulin secretion significantly increased in rAd-GLP-1-treated mice compared with STZ-induced diabetic mice treated with rAd-beta-galactosidase. Glucose tolerance tests in mice that achieved normoglycemia after treatment with rAd-GLP-1 showed that the kinetics of glucose clearance was similar to normal NOD/SCID mice. Treatment of autoimmune diabetic mice with rAd-GLP-1 restored normoglycemia, which was maintained for 1 year when mice were also treated with an immunoregulator to halt the autoimmune response to beta cells. We suggest that regeneration of insulin-producing cells by GLP-1 gene therapy may be a potential method for prolonged control of type 1 diabetes in humans.
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PMID:Prolonged remission of diabetes by regeneration of beta cells in diabetic mice treated with recombinant adenoviral vector expressing glucagon-like peptide-1. 1716 79