scholarly journals Regional and maturation-associated expression of endothelin 2 in rat gastrointestinal tract.

1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
S M de la Monte ◽  
T Quertermous ◽  
C C Hong ◽  
K D Bloch

Endothelin 2 (ET2), also referred to as vasoactive intestinal contractor peptide, is a member of a family of vasoactive peptides. ET2 is a potent constrictor of intestinal smooth muscle, and the mRNA that encodes it has been detected in murine intestinal extracts. To further investigate the potential physiological roles of ET2, we characterized the cellular distribution of ET2 gene expression in adult rat gastrointestinal tract. Using an RNAse protection assay, an overall proximal to distal gradient of increasing ET2 gene expression was observed from stomach to colon. In situ hybridization studies confirmed this finding and demonstrated ET2 mRNA localized in lamina propria stromal cells. Moreover, ET2 gene expression in stromal cells increased from crypt to villous tip. The results demonstrate that ET2 is produced by stromal cells in villi throughout the intestine. Increased ET2 gene expression at the villous tip is associated with more mature overlying epithelial cells, suggesting a possible role for this vasoactive peptide in intestinal epithelial differentiation or secretory activity.

1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (3) ◽  
pp. C621-C627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Koyama ◽  
Tadashi Yamamoto ◽  
Tatsuo Tani ◽  
Kouei Nihei ◽  
Daisuke Kondo ◽  
...  

A family of water-selective channels, aquaporins (AQP), has been demonstrated in various organs and tissues. However, the localization and expression of the AQP family members in the gastrointestinal tract have not been entirely elucidated. This study aimed to demonstrate the expression and distribution of several types of the AQP family and to speculate on their role in water transport in the rat gastrointestinal tract. By RNase protection assay, expression of AQP1–5 and AQP8 was examined in various portions through the gastrointestinal tract. AQP1 and AQP3 mRNAs were diffusely expressed from esophagus to colon, and their expression was relatively intense in the small intestine and colon. In contrast, AQP4 mRNA was selectively expressed in the stomach and small intestine and AQP8 mRNA in the jejunum and colon. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization demonstrated cellular localization of these AQP in these portions. AQP1 was localized on endothelial cells of lymphatic vessels in the submucosa and lamina propria throughout the gastrointestinal tract. AQP3 was detected on the circumferential plasma membranes of stratified squamous epithelial cells in the esophagus and basolateral membranes of cardiac gland epithelia in the lower stomach and of surface columnar epithelia in the colon. However, AQP3 was not apparently detected in the small intestine. AQP4 was present on the basolateral membrane of the parietal cells in the lower stomach and selectively in the basolateral membranes of deep intestinal gland cells in the small intestine. AQP8 mRNA expression was demonstrated in the absorptive columnar epithelial cells of the jejunum and colon by in situ hybridization. These findings may indicate that water crosses the epithelial layer through these water channels, suggesting a possible role of the transcellular route for water intake or outlet in the gastrointestinal tract.


1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 756-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Perney ◽  
J. Marshall ◽  
K. A. Martin ◽  
S. Hockfield ◽  
L. K. Kaczmarek

1. The gene for a mammalian Shaw K+ channel has recently been cloned and has been shown, by alternative splicing, to give rise to two different transcripts, Kv3.1 alpha and Kv3.1 beta. To determine whether these channels are associated with specific types of neurons and to determine whether or not the alternately spliced K+ channel variants are differentially expressed, we used ribonuclease (RNase) protection assays and in situ hybridization histochemistry to localize the specific subsets of neurons containing Kv3.1 alpha and Kv3.1 beta mRNAs in the adult and developing rat brain. 2. In situ hybridization histochemistry revealed a heterogeneous expression pattern of Kv3.1 alpha mRNA in the adult rat brain. Highest Kv3.1 alpha mRNA levels were expressed in the cerebellum. High levels of hybridization were also detected in the globus pallidus, subthalamus, and substantia nigra reticulata. Many thalamic nuclei, but in particular the reticular thalamic nucleus, hybridized well to Kv3.1 alpha-specific probes. A subpopulation of cells in the cortex and hippocampus, which by their distribution and number may represent interneurons, were also found to contain high levels of Kv3.1 alpha mRNA. In the brain stem, many nuclei, including the inferior colliculus and the cochlear and vestibular nuclei, also express Kv3.1 alpha mRNA. Low or undetectable levels of Kv3.1 alpha mRNA were found in the caudate-putamen, olfactory tubercle, amygdala, and hypothalamus. 3. Kv3.1 beta mRNA was also detected in the adult rat brain by both RNase protection assays and by in situ hybridization experiments. Although the beta splice variant is expressed at lower levels than the alpha species, the overall expression pattern for both mRNAs is similar, indicating that both splice variants co-expressed in the same neurons. 4. The expression of Kv3.1 alpha and Kv3.1 beta transcripts was examined throughout development. Kv3.1 alpha mRNA is detected as early as embryonic day 17 and then increases gradually until approximately postnatal day 10, when there is a large increase in the amount of Kv3.1 alpha mRNA. Interestingly, the expression of Kv3.1 beta mRNA only increases gradually during the developmental time frame examined. Densitometric measurements indicated that Kv3.1 alpha is the predominant splice variant found in neurons of the adult brain, whereas Kv3.1 beta appears to be the predominant species in embryonic and perinatal neurons. 5. Most of the neurons that express the Kv3.1 transcripts have been characterized electrophysiologically to have narrow action potentials and display high-frequency firing rates with little or no spike adaptation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-274
Author(s):  
Joanna Krzowska-Firych ◽  
Hanna Fota-Markowska ◽  
Barbara Marzec-Kotarska ◽  
Roma Modrzewska ◽  
Jacek Wojcierowski

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the expression of TNFRp55 mRNA and to examine if the antisense inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encoded EBNA1 gene product alters the expression of gene encoding TNFRp55 in lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL). The experiment was performed on LCL derived from EBV infected human peripheral blood B lymphocytes. The lymphocytes were isolated and cultured. RNA was isolated and examined according to the RNase protection assay. The hybridisation was done with HCR-4 probe. RNA was quantified by densitometry and presented in extinction units. The level of expression was calculated with TotaILab software programme. The results of the study suggest that EBV gene, responsible for the synthesis of EBNA1 protein, has an inhibitory effect on human TNFRp55 gene expression in LCL.


Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 1239-1249 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Whittaker ◽  
D.W. DeSimone

Adhesion of cells to extracellular matrix proteins is mediated, in large part, by transmembrane receptors of the integrin family. The identification of specific integrins expressed in early embryos is an important first step to understanding the roles of these receptors in developmental processes. We have used polymerase chain reaction methods and degenerate oligodeoxynucleotide primers to identify and clone Xenopus integrin alpha subunits from neurula-stage (stage 17) cDNA. Partial cDNAs encoding integrin subunits alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 5, alpha 6 and an alpha IIb-related subunit were cloned and used to investigate integrin mRNA expression in early embryos by RNase protection assay and whole-mount in situ hybridization methods. Considerable integrin diversity is apparent early in development with integrins alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, alpha 5 and alpha 6 each expressed by the end of gastrulation. Both alpha 3 and alpha 5 are expressed as maternal mRNAs. Zygotic expression of alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4 and alpha 6 transcripts begins during gastrulation. Integrin alpha 5 is expressed at relatively high levels during cleavage, blastula and gastrula stages suggesting that it may represent the major integrin expressed in the early embryo. We demonstrated previously that integrin beta 1 protein synthesis remains constant following induction of stage 8 animal cap cells with activin (Smith, J. C., Symes, K., Hynes, R. O. and DeSimone, D. W. (1990) Development 108, 289–298.). Here we report that integrin alpha 3, alpha 4 and alpha 6 mRNA levels increase following induction with 10 U/ml activin-A whereas alpha 5, beta 1 and beta 3 mRNA levels remain unchanged. Whole-mount in situ hybridization reveals that alpha 3 mRNAs are expressed by cells of the involuting mesoderm in the dorsal lip region of early gastrulae. As gastrulation proceeds, alpha 3 expression is localized to a stripe of presumptive notochordal cells along the dorsal midline. In neurulae, alpha 3 mRNA is highly expressed in the notochord but becomes progressively more restricted to the caudalmost portion of this tissue as development proceeds from tailbud to tadpole stages. In addition, alpha 3 is expressed in the forebrain region of later stage embryos. These data suggest that integrin-mediated adhesion may be involved in the process of mesoderm involution at gastrulation and the organization of tissues during embryogenesis.


Reproduction ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihoko Kinoshita ◽  
Daniela Rodler ◽  
Kenichi Sugiura ◽  
Kayoko Matsushima ◽  
Norio Kansaku ◽  
...  

The avian perivitelline layer (PL), a vestment homologous to the zona pellucida (ZP) of mammalian oocytes, is composed of at least three glycoproteins. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the matrix's components, ZP3 and ZPD, are synthesized in ovarian granulosa cells. Another component, ZP1, is synthesized in the liver and is transported to the ovary by blood circulation. In this study, we report the isolation of cDNA encoding quail ZP2 and its expression in the female bird. By RNase protection assay and in situ hybridization, we demonstrate that ZP2 transcripts are restricted to the oocytes of small white follicles (SWF). The expression level of ZP2 decreased dramatically during follicular development, and the highest expression was observed in the SWF. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses using the specific antibody against ZP2 indicate that the 80 kDa protein is the authentic ZP2, and the immunoreactive ZP2 protein is also present in the oocytes. Moreover, ultrastructural analysis demonstrated that the immunoreactive ZP2 localizes to the zona radiata, the perivitelline space, and the oocyte cytoplasm in the SWF. By means of western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy, we detected a possible interaction of the recombinant ZP2 with ZP3 and that this interaction might lead to the formation of amorphous structure on the cell surface. These results demonstrate for the first time that the avian ZP gene is expressed in the oocyte, and that the ZP2 protein in the oocyte might play a role for the PL formation in the immature follicles of the ovary.


Blood ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 83 (12) ◽  
pp. 3509-3516 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Yamazaki ◽  
T Tsujimura ◽  
E Morii ◽  
K Isozaki ◽  
H Onoue ◽  
...  

Abstract The Wsh is a mutant allele at the W (c-kit) locus of mice, but no significant abnormalities are found at the coding region of the Wsh allele. Since cultured mast cells derived from the spleen of Wsh/Wsh mice do not express messenger RNA (mRNA) of c-kit, we studied the interrelation between the number of mast cells and the magnitude of c- kit mRNA expression in the skin of Wsh/Wsh mice of various ages. The number of mast cells in the skin of Wsh/Wsh embryos of 18 days postcoitum (pc) was approximately 40% that of normal control (+/+) embryos, but the number of mast cells decreased exponentially after birth; the number dropped to 0.6% that of +/+ mice at day 150 after birth. A weak but apparent signal of c-kit mRNA was detectable in the skin of 18-day pc Wsh/Wsh embryos by RNase protection assay but not in the skin of 5-day-old Wsh/Wsh mice. The number of c-kit protein- containing cells was significantly greater in the skin of 18-day pc Wsh/Wsh embryos than in the skin of 5-day-old Wsh/Wsh mice. The abolishment of c-kit mRNA expression appeared to be specific, because the expression of mast cell carboxypeptidase A mRNA but not of c-kit mRNA was detectable by in situ hybridization in skin mast cells of 5- day-old Wsh/Wsh mice. Taken together, the expression of c-kit mRNA was abolished first, then the content of c-kit protein dropped to undetectable levels, and then the disappearance of Wsh/Wsh mast cells themselves followed.


2004 ◽  
Vol 286 (6) ◽  
pp. E891-E895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamal Rahmouni ◽  
Allyn L. Mark ◽  
William G. Haynes ◽  
Curt D. Sigmund

Adipose tissue represents an important source of angiotensinogen (AGT). We investigated the effect of obesity induced by a high-fat diet on the expression of mouse (mAGT) and human AGT (hAGT) genes in liver, kidney, and heart and different adipose depots in normal mice (C57BL/6J), and in transgenic mice expressing the hAGT gene under the control of its own promoter. Mice were fed a high-fat diet (45% kcal) or normal chow (10% kcal) for 10 and 20 wk. The expression of mAGT and hAGT mRNA was quantified using an RNAse protection assay. Mice on the high-fat diet exhibited increased weight, fat mass, and plasma leptin. Expression of mAGT or hAGT genes was not affected by high-fat diet in nonadipose tissues, brown adipose tissue, or subcutaneous white fat. In contrast, high-fat diet increased both mAGT and hAGT gene expression in visceral adipose depots (omental, reproductive, and perirenal fat). Thus obesity-induced by a high-fat diet is associated with a tissue-specific increased expression of both mouse and human AGT genes in intra-abdominal adipose tissue. Our findings also suggest that 1.2 kb of regulatory sequences present in the hAGT transgene are sufficient to transcriptionally respond to a high-fat diet in an adipose-specific and depot-specific manner.


1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 3952-3958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Ragno ◽  
Iris Estrada-Garcia ◽  
Robert Butler ◽  
M. Joseph Colston

ABSTRACT We have investigated changes in gene expression in mouse peritoneal macrophages following infection with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Using differential-display reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), we have identified a gene that was markedly down-regulated within 6 h of infection and remained so for the duration of the experiment (5 days). On sequencing, this gene was found to encode the murine cytochrome c oxidase subunit VIIc (COX VIIc). Down-regulation of COX VIIc during M. tuberculosisinfection was confirmed by three independent techniques: limiting-dilution RT-PCR, RNase protection assay, and Northern analysis. Limiting-dilution RT-PCR and Northern analysis were also used to analyze the specificity of this regulation; heat-killed M. tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis BCG, and latex beads had no effect on expression of COX VIIc. Down-regulation of this enzyme was also confirmed by using adherent cells isolated from spleens of M. tuberculosis-infected mice. These ex vivo macrophages showed apoptotic features, suggesting a possible involvement of cytochrome c oxidase in the programmed cell death of the host cells.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (5) ◽  
pp. G807-G815 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ouhtit ◽  
P. A. Kelly ◽  
G. Morel

Several effects of prolactin have been characterized in various tissues of the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, the expression of short and long forms of prolactin receptor was explored and quantified in the digestive tract and correlated to the prolactin specific functions. Sections of all digestive tissues were analyzed by in situ hybridization, using 35S-labeled oligoprobes unique to each form of receptor. Macroautoradiogram signals were quantified and expressed in arbitrary units. In rat liver, prolactin receptor mRNAs are expressed to a much greater degree in females than in males. The short-form transcript is significantly expressed to a greater degree in liver, whereas the long form predominates in the pancreas and esophagus. In the remainder of the gastrointestinal tract, there is an equivalent distribution of short- and long-form transcripts. Relatively high signal intensities are seen in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and colon, whereas the rectum is essentially negative. The identification of prolactin receptor gene expression to limited regions should help establish specific functions associated with this hormone in the digestive tissues.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document