bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Retinoic acid and tumour necrosis factor-α act in concert to control the level of alkaline phosphatase mRNA
Authors: Ng K. W. , Hudson P. J. , Power B. E. , Manji S. S. , Gummer P. R. , Martin T.J. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Retinoic acid has a specific role in cellular differentiation and is believed to act by regulating the transcription of specific genes. In the present work, evidence is provided to show that alkaline phosphatase (ALP) gene expression is mediated by retinoic acid in a model clonal cell line (UMR 201) derived from rat neonatal calvaria. These cells have the characteristics of relatively undifferentiated mesenchymal cells with a very low basal ALP activity which is dramatically increased by retinoic acid. Messenger RNA for ALP was clearly demonstrated when the cells were treated with 1 μm retinoic acid for 24 h. Recombinant human tumour necrosis factor-α (recombinant TNF-α) interacted with retinoic acid to potentiate the rise in ALP activity, although recombinant TNF-α alone had no effect. The potentiation of retinoic acid-induced ALP activity was correlated with an increased amount of mRNA for ALP with the combined treatment. By observing the rate of decay of mRNA for actin and ALP, we were able to demonstrate that the interaction between retinoic acid and recombinant TNF-α modulated the steady state of ALP mRNA. The mode of action of recombinant TNF-α may serve as a model for other paracrine regulators of cell function.
Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis of the putative cDNA for the precursor molecule of the chicken LH-β subunit
Authors: Noce T. , Ando H. , Ueda T. , Kubokawa K. , Higashinakagawa T. , Ishii S. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
A cDNA expression library was constructed from poly(A)+ RNA of broiler chicken adenohypophyses using λ gt11 as a vector. After screening with a rabbit antiserum against chicken LH, a cDNA clone (L12) containing a 436 bp insert was obtained. Using a subclone of L12 in pUC19 (pL12) as the hybridization probe, another cDNA clone (LF127) with a 533 bp insert was isolated. The LF127 contained the full-length cDNA encoding the putative chicken LH-β subunit precursor molecule. Hybridization of the pL12 cDNA insert to adenohypophysial RNA showed that chicken and Japanese quail adenohypophyses contained RNA species of about 0·8 and 1·0 kb respectively. The amount of this RNA species was ten times higher in adult male quails kept under long days at room temperature than in those kept under short days at 7 °C. In-situ hybridization experiments showed the exclusive distribution of the signal in the LH cells of the adenohypophysis. The similarity of the nucleotide sequence of the apoprotein-coding region of LH-β cDNA of the chicken to that of mammals is lower than that among mammals. The deduced amino acid sequence of the chicken LH-β subunit supports the hypothesis that the number of proline residues increases in the LH-β subunit the closer phylogenetically the vertebrate is to mammals.
Gonadal and sex steroid feedback regulation of gonadotrophin mRNA levels and secretion in neonatal male and female rats
Authors: Pakarinen P. , Huhtaniemi I. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Serum and pituitary LH and FSH, and their pituitary mRNA levels, were measured in neonatal male and female rats after gonadectomy and after gonadectomy with sex steroid replacement. The animals were gonadectomized on day 3 of life, and those given sex steroid replacement were implanted with silicone elastomer capsules containing testosterone for males and diethylstilboestrol for females. Shamoperated rats served as controls. The animals were killed 4 or 8 days later and the sera and pituitaries collected. Pituitary contents of mRNAs for the α subunit, FSH-β and LH-β were determined by blot hybridization using corresponding cDNAs. Distinct sex differences were found in the mRNA responses to gonadectomy and steroid replacement. In the males, gonadectomy increased all mRNA levels at 7 days of age. In the females, a rise on day 7 was detected only for FSH-β; the other mRNAs were increased on day 11 of age. The steroid replacements reversed all the post-gonadectomy increases of mRNAs in both sexes. Moreover, the common α and LH-β mRNAs of the male animals were consistently suppressed below control levels. The serum concentrations of gonadotrophins increased after gonadectomy on day 7 in the males but only on day 11 in the females. The steroid replacements also suppressed the post-gonadectomy increases in serum gonadotrophins, but only the serum concentration of FSH in the females was reduced below controls. Pituitary gonadotrophin concentrations were not affected by gonadectomy, but the steroids suppressed LH in the males and FSH in the females.
It is concluded that the onset of negative-feedback regulation of gonadotrophin synthesis by gonads and/or gonadal steroids starts earlier in male rats, before 7 days of age. In female rats these responses appear between 7 and 11 days of age. Clear sex differences were observed in how gonadotrophin mRNAs and pituitary and serum hormone levels responded to gonadectomy and steroid replacement in the neonatal period. Some of the responses differed from those previously reported in adult animals.
Cytoplasmic pH in cultured porcine thyroid cells: alkalinization by Ca2+
Authors: Takasu N. , Komiya I. , Nagasawa Y. , Asawa T. , Shimizu Y. , Yamada T. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
The role of calcium in cytoplasmic pH (pHi) changes was studied using 2′,7′-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and 6-)carboxyfluorescein, an internalized fluorescent pH indicator, in cultured porcine thyroid cells. The Ca2+ ionophores A23187 and ionomycin stimulated thyroid cell alkalinization. An increase in cytoplasmic free calcium resulted in activation of Na+/H+ exchange which alkalinized the cells.
Insulin-like growth factor-I and its autocrine role in growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture
Authors: Freed K. A. , Herington A. C. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Human MCF-7 breast cancer cells have been studied to determine their suitability as an autocrine model for the synthesis, secretion and action of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). Secretion of immunoreactive (ir-) IGF-I into serum-free medium was very low (<500 pg/106 cells per day). Northern blot hybridization detected at least two IGF-I messenger RNA transcripts (∼4·6 and ∼1·8 kb) which were similar in size to those reported in other human and rat tissues. IGF-II mRNA was also detected but at low abundance. Cell proliferation was stimulated in a dose-responsive manner by exogenous IGF-I (10–30 ng/ml). Addition of a monoclonal antibody against IGF-I to MCF-7 cells in serum-free medium caused an inhibition of cell proliferation, suggesting that endogenous locally produced IGF-I does play an autocrine/paracrine role in MCF-7 cell growth. Proliferation of MCF-7 cells was sensitive to oestradiol (10 nm) in the absence but not in the presence of the weakly oestrogenic pH indicator phenol red. Neither IGF-I secretion nor IGF-I mRNA synthesis, however, was affected by addition of oestradiol. Similarly, GH, dexamethasone or dexamethasone plus oestradiol had no effect on either parameter.
These data indicate that MCF-7 cells synthesize, secrete and respond to IGF-I. The very low levels of ir-IGF-I produced and their apparent lack of hormonal modulation suggest, however, that further studies are required to establish whether IGF-I plays a major physiological role in growth and development of MCF-7 cells.
Sex-steroid receptors in the diethylnitrosamine model of hepatocarcinogenesis: modifications by gonadal ablation and steroid replacement therapy
Authors: Tejura S. , Rodgers G. R. , Dunion M. H. , Parsons M. A. , Underwood J. C. E. , Ingleton P. M. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
The results of this study confirm our previous report of increased androgen receptor expression in livers of female SUAH Wistar rats during development of liver tumours induced by diethylnitrosamine (DENA). In adult female rats not treated with DENA, removal of the ovary increased liver androgen receptor levels but testosterone did not further enhance the androgen receptor status of ovariectomized rats. In normal adult males the testis and/or testosterone maintained high levels of androgen receptors but oestrogen reduced them in castrated rats. Oestrogen receptor levels were not significantly changed in either males or females by gonadectomy. Treatment of female rats with DENA for 10 and 16 weeks increased liver androgen receptors but oestrogen receptors were only reduced by 16 weeks of DENA treatment, whether the rats were intact or ovariectomized. Concentrations of liver androgen receptors were increased in intact and castrated male rats by 10 and 16 weeks of DENA treatment, an increase not seen in the previous experiments. Oestrogen appeared to inhibit both the increases in liver androgen receptor expression and liver tumour development in rats treated with the weakly carcinogenic dose of 10 weeks of DENA. However, the full carcinogenic dose of 16 weeks of DENA increased liver androgen receptors and decreased oestrogen receptors in female rats regardless of sex-steroid status. Development of malignant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was associated with both an increase in liver androgen receptors and a decrease in oestrogen receptors. Maintenance of relatively high levels of liver oestrogen receptors appeared to protect the liver against development of HCC.
EXPRESSION OF THE RAT AMYLIN (IAPP / DAP) GENE.
Authors: Ferrier G J M , Pierson A M , Jones P M , Bloom S R , Girgis S I , Legon S 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
We have used the polymerase chain reaction with mixed sequence primers to generate a probe for rat amylin and have used this to detect expression in various rat tissues. Amylin mRNA is found in greatest concentrations in the pancreas where a single mRNA species can be detected giving a hybridisation signal intensity approximately 10% that of insulin mRNA. When the beta cell population was depleted with streptozotocin, both amylin and insulin mRNAs were reduced to a similar extent. Consistent with its supposed role in the control of carbohydrate metabolism, amylin mRNA was also found in the stomach. Unlike the related peptide, CGRP, amylin mRNA is not present in the thyroid and is not widely distributed in the central nervous system. The only nervous tissue in which it could be detected was the dorsal root ganglion. Surprisingly, amylin mRNA was also found in the lung though only at very low levels.
MELATONIN INHIBITS CYCLIC AMP PRODUCTION IN CULTURED OVINE PARS TUBERALIS CELLS
Authors: Morgan P.J. , Lawson W. , Davidson G. , Howell H.E. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Primary cultures of ovine pars tuberalis (PT) cells of the pituitary were established to investigate the mode of action of melatonin. The heterogeneous population of cells was shown to bind the radioligand 2-[125I]-melatonin over 72 h in culture, although there was a progressive decline in specific binding with time. In cells cultured for 24 h, forskolin (1 μmol/l) was found to stimulate a 12-fold increase in cyclic AMP accumulation. This response could be inhibited by melatonin in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 of approx. 6 pmol/l. However, melatonin did not inhibit basal levels of cyclic AMP.
In homogenates of ovine PT, forskolin stimulated a dose-dependent increase in cyclic AMP, although the magnitude of this response was found to be lower than that observed in cells. This response was not inhibited by either 10 nmol or 1 μmol melatonin/l, and was also unaffected by GTP.
These results provide the first evidence that the melatonin-binding site on ovine PT, recently characterized using the radioligand 2-[125I]-melatonin, functions as a physiological receptor.
Feedback-inhibition of growth hormone (GH) secretion in fowl: GH-induced down-regulation of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone binding to pituitary membranes
Authors: Harvey S. , Baidwan J. S. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Administration of ovine GH to immature domestic fowl blunted their subsequent GH response to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH), a GH secretagogue in birds. The in-vivo administration of GH also reduced the ability of radiolabelled TRH to bind to plasma membranes of the pituitary caudal lobe, in which GH cells predominate. These inhibitory effects of GH were mediated by extrapituitary actions, since GH had no direct inhibitory effects on TRH-induced GH release or on pituitary TRH binding in vitro. GH inhibition of GH secretion and TRH binding would not appear to be mediated by hypothalamic somatostatin (SRIF) or peripheral somatomedin (IGF-I), since SRIF and IGF-I had no direct effects in vitro.
Synergistic effects of progesterone and oestradiol on rat LH subunit mRNA
Authors: Corbani M. , Counis R. , Wolinska-Witort E. , d'Angelo-Bernard G. , Moumni M. , Jutisz M. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
The effects of oestradiol and progesterone on LH-subunit mRNA levels were investigated in ovariectomized rats. Four weeks after ovariectomy, rats were implanted with silicone elastomer capsules containing oestradiol and/or injected daily with progesterone in oil (5 mg/rat) for 8 days. The levels of pituitary mRNA encoding α and LH-β were determined using direct hybridization with specific [32P]cDNA probes. After oestradiol implantation in ovariectomized rats, both α and LH-β mRNA decreased with time, with maximum inhibition after 6–8 days of treatment. Progesterone injected alone did not show any effect on α and LH-β mRNA. Cytosolic progesterone receptors, determined using [3H]methyl-17α-progesterone as ligand, were undectable in control ovariectomized rats. In contrast, 2 days after oestradiol implantation, the number of receptors increased to 287·5 ± 35·4 (s.e.m.) fmol/pituitary and reached a plateau of 400 ± 21·8 fmol/pituitary after 4 days. The effects of progesterone were therefore examined by first implanting ovariectomized rats with oestradiol to induce progesterone receptors and then injecting progesterone daily for a further period of 6 days. As a result of this treatment, progesterone induced a decrease in the pituitary gland contents of both α and LH-β mRNAs, and LH release was significantly greater than that observed in the group receiving oestradiol alone. Moreover, the mRNA levels in the animals treated with oestradiol plus progesterone were lower after 8 days of treatment than those observed in ovariectomized rats treated with a tenfold higher dose of oestradiol alone.
These data demonstrate that progesterone, together with oestradiol, is capable of negatively regulating the mRNAs encoding subunits in vivo, provided that progesterone receptors are present in the pituitary gland.
Transmembrane Na+/H+ exchange in the rat thyroid cell strain FRTL-5: a possible role in insulin-like growth factor-I-mediated proliferation
Authors: Woods D. J. , Soden J. , Tomlinson S. , Bidey S. P. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Using the fluorescent pH indicator 2′7′-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5′-(6′)-carboxyfluorescein to monitor intracellular pH (pHi), we have investigated whether transmembrane Na+/H+ exchange, as measured by experimental changes in pHi under bicarbonate-free incubation conditions, may be involved in the early growth-promoting actions of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on the rat thyroid cell stain FRTL-5. In initial studies to characterize Na+/H+ exchange in FRTL-5 cell suspensions, the recovery of a resting pHi in acid-loaded cells was shown to be dependent upon the presence of extracellular Na+, was enhanced by the presence of the sodium ionophore monensin and was abolished by amiloride, an antagonist of Na+/H+ antiport activity.
Unlike TSH, which was without effect on the pHi of FRTL-5 cells for up to 15 min after addition, IGF-I (1000 μg/1) caused a rapid and sustained increase within 3 min, which was abolished in medium in which Na+ had been replaced with an iso-osmotic level of choline chloride. The change in pHi in response to IGF-I was mimicked by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 100 nmol/1), an activator of thyroid cell proliferation. In the presence of TSH, exposure of cells to IGF-I or PMA had no additional effect on the cytoplasmic alkalinization induced by either of these two agonists alone. However, blockade of transmembrane Na+/H+ exchange with amiloride inhibited both the individual actions of IGF-I and PMA on [methyl-3H]thymidine incorporation, and the synergistic interaction between TSH and IGF-I. These findings are consistent with a differential mode of action of TSH and IGF-I on the early events associated with FRTL-5 cell proliferation, and suggest involvement of an amiloride-sensitive transmembrane Na+/H+ exchange in mediating the early cellular response to the latter. Furthermore, the later actions of PMA, which are also dependent upon early transmembrane Na+/H+ exchange, differ from those of IGF-I with respect to interaction with the growth-promoting actions of TSH.
Thyrotrophin regulation of apical and basal exocytosis of thyroglobulin by porcine thyroid monolayers
Authors: Chambard M. , Depetris D. , Gruffat D. , Gonzalvez S. , Mauchamp J. , Chabaud O. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Exocytosis, the ultimate step in thyroglobulin secretion, has been studied in porcine thyroid cells cultured in monolayers on the permeable bottom of culture chambers. We have previously demonstrated, using this culture system, that apical secretion accounts for 85–95% of total secretion of newly synthesized thyroglobulin. When cells were cultured for several days with bovine TSH (25 μU/ml) in the basal medium, the rate of glycoprotein accumulation in the upper compartment was three times higher than that in the absence of TSH. In contrast, the rate of thyroglobulin released into the basal medium (5–15% of total secreted thyroglobulin) appeared unmodified by chronic TSH stimulation. To investigate the effect of acute TSH stimulation on thyroglobulin exocytosis in the apical and basal compartments, pulse-chase experiments were carried out with the same culture system. The release of radiolabelled thyroglobulin (1·5-h pulse) into the apical medium was increased threefold during the 2-h chase period under TSH stimulation. The radiolabelled thyroglobulin released into the basal medium was increased only 1·5- to 2-fold, and stimulation disappeared after 1 h. The effect of TSH was maximal when the chase medium contained 50 μU TSH/ml. However, cells cultured for several days in the presence of 25 μU TSH/ml before the pulse-chase experiment, appeared desensitized to acute TSH stimulation. Similar responses were observed when the chase medium contained 8-chloro-cyclic AMP or cholera toxin. This study provides another example of the pleiotropic effect of TSH, mediated by cyclic AMP, on the sequential steps of thyroglobulin gene expression in cultured thyroid cells in which the polar character of the epithelial cells is well preserved.
Evidence for differential effects of noradrenaline and somatostatin on intracellular messenger systems in rat islets of Langerhans
Authors: Hurst R. D. , Morgan N. G. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
The mechanisms involved in inhibition of insulin secretion by somatostatin and noradrenaline were compared in order to establish whether the receptors for these agents are coupled to similar effector systems in the pancreatic B cell. Both agents significantly reduced forskolin-induced adenylate cyclase activity in islet homogenates, although noradrenaline was more effective than somatostatin. The capacity of noradrenaline to inhibit insulin secretion was largely unaffected by agents that increase intracellular cyclic AMP, whereas the effect of somatostatin as an inhibitor was markedly reduced under these conditions. Both noradrenaline and somatostatin inhibited the stimulation of insulin secretion induced by K+ depolarization, but different mechanism were involved. Somatostatin significantly inhibited K+-stimulated 45Ca2+ efflux and influx in islets, while noradrenaline exerted only a minor influence on these processes. The data indicate that noradrenaline controls insulin secretion by a mechanism which operates beyond the level of intracellular messenger generation. In contrast, somatostatin exerts at least part of its inhibitory effect on insulin secretion by directly controlling islet cell Ca2+ influx in a manner which may be regulated by cyclic AMP.
Activation of mouse osteoblast growth hormone receptor: c-fos oncogene expression independent of phosphoinositide breakdown and cyclic AMP
Authors: Slootweg M. C. , van Genesen S. T. , Otte A. P. , Duursma S. A. , Kruijer W. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Addition of human GH (hGH) to primary mouse osteoblasts resulted in rapid and transient induction of the c-fos and c-myc proto-oncogenes and preceded hGH-induced mitogenesis. Human GH-induced c-fos expression was maximal after 30 min, resulting in a 10- to 15-fold increase over unstimulated cells, and returned to prestimulation levels within 60 min of the addition of hGH. Induction of the c-fos gene by hGH was dose dependent and also occurred in the absence of protein synthesis, resulting in superinduction of the c-fos gene. The induction of the c-fos gene by hGH was mediated by a somatotrophic (GH) rather than a lactogenic (prolactin) receptor on primary mouse osteoblasts, as indicated by a 10- to 100-fold greater potency of hGH compared with ovine prolactin in stimulating the expression of the c-fos gene. Primary mouse osteoblasts also induced the c-fos gene in response to epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor-I and several agents, including phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA), forskolin and A23187, that are known to activate signal transduction pathways involved in the action of growth factors.
Addition of hGH to primary mouse osteoblasts did not result in increased phosphoinositide breakdown, while selective deactivation of the diacylglycerol—protein kinase C and inositol 1,4,5—trisphosphate—Ca2+ pathways by long-term TPA pretreatment or depleting intracellular Ca2+ stores had no effect on hGH-induced c-fos expression. Human GH did not alter basal cyclic AMP levels in mouse osteoblasts. The immediate consequences of GH—receptor interaction as well as the mechanism of signal transduction leading to induction of the c-fos gene remain, therefore, unresolved.
Pregnancy-blocking progesterone antibody targets specifically the uterus through its progesterone-binding sites
Authors: Wang M.-W. , Whyte A. , Heap R. B. , Taussig M. J. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Passive immunization with a mouse monoclonal antibody against progesterone, designated DB3, blocks pregnancy in several species. We have previously reported that DB3 localizes in the mouse uterine epithelium shortly before normal implantation. This phenomenon is pregnancy dependent and specific for the progesterone antibody. In this study we demonstrate that DB3 is present in the lumen of the uterus 36 h after an i.p. injection; this correlates with the time of maximum antibody reaction on the uterine epithelium. Incubation of DB3 with free progesterone, progesterone-hemisuccinate or progesterone—bovine serum albumin before administration prevented its localization on the epithelium, indicating that the localization requires free progesterone-binding sites and thus probably depends upon progesterone binding. In addition, studies in vitro show that DB3 can effectively bind to progesterone carried by high-affinity progesterone-binding protein purified from coypu plasma. We suggest that specific targeting of DB3 may be through progesterone associated with a progesterone-binding molecule on the membrane of the uterine epithelia. This may be an important part of the mechanism of antibody action against implantation.