More than a decade ago our view of gene regulation by glucocorticoids (GC) and other steroid hormones underwent a dramatic change with the discovery of negative crosstalk (transcriptional interference) between the GC receptor (GCR) and transcription factor AP-1 (Jun:Fos). It was initially observed that induction of the collagenase type 1 gene, which is mediated through activation of AP-1 by growth factors and inflammatory cytokines, is repressed by GC. This repression was attributed to mutual negative interactions between AP-1 and GCR. Although the exact molecular mechanism underlying this particular case of transcriptional interference is yet to be determined, it has become clear that this and analogous interactions with other transcription factors (e.g. nuclear factor-kappaB) underlie the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity of GC. Recent studies conducted at the whole animal level indicate that the interactions between the AP-1 and GC signaling pathways are much more extensive. AP-1-related signaling via the Jun N-terminal kinases can lead to increased levels of circulating GC, which eventually down-modulate AP-1 activity via transcriptional interference. This negative feedback loop is likely to be of great importance for maintenance of homeostasis and regulation of stress responses, including acute and chronic inflammation.

The regulation of mouse cellular retinoic acid-binding protein-I (CRABP-I) gene expression by the retinoids and thyroid hormones was examined, by using a beta-galactosidase (lacZ) reporter gene and a CRABP-I specific antibody, in transgenic mouse embryos and a mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line P19. The CRABP-lacZ reporter gene expression recapitulated the expression pattern of endogenous CRABP-I in the developing central nervous system. In mid-gestation mouse embryos the expression of both the transgene and the endogenous protein was elevated under the condition of hypovitaminosis A, suggesting that depletion of retinoic acid (RA) induced CRABP-I expression in embryos. Consistently, this reporter was suppressed by RA in P19 cells. In co-transfection experiments it was demonstrated that the expression of RAR beta, RAR gamma or RXR alpha suppressed this reporter expression. In experiments designed to alter the thyroid hormone status in animals it was demonstrated that both the reporter gene and the endogenous CRABP-I expression were reduced by triiodothyronine injection and were elevated in a hypothyroidic condition induced by feeding with iodine-deficient diet supplemented with 6-propyl-2-thiouracil. In co-transfection experiments it was also demonstrated that the expression of T3R beta suppressed the reporter expression in P19 cells. It was concluded that RA had a suppressive effect on CRABP-I gene expression in embryos and P19 cells and the effect could be mediated through RAR beta, RAR gamma or RXR alpha. A role of thyroid hormones in CRABP-I gene expression and vitamin A metabolism in animals is discussed.

Abstract

An alternatively spliced variant of a testis-specific nuclear orphan receptor TR2-11 was identified and designated as TR2-11-t. As a result of retaining intron 5 of this gene, TR2-11-t mRNA encoded a truncated receptor with the complete ligand-binding domain deleted. Protein expression of both isoforms was confirmed using a prokaryotic expression system. In the mouse, the expression of the two TR2 isoforms was elevated in the testis with distinct profiles beginning at puberty. TR2-11 expression increased at postnatal day 18, peaked between day 20 and day 24 and remained at high levels throughout adulthood, whereas TR2-11-t expression was elevated transiently at postnatal day 24. Among separated primary germ cells and established testicular cell lines, TR2-11 was expressed highly in meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells and weakly in a Leydig cell line and a germ cell line, but not expressed in a Sertoli cell line. In contrast, TR2-11-t was expressed at a much lower level in all the testicular cell types examined. In adult testes blocked at germ cell development by vitamin A depletion or hypophysectomy, TR2-11 expression was dramatically reduced whereas TR2-11-t was highly elevated. Based upon the RNA expression patterns of these isoforms, it was suggested that TR2-11 was specific to meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells whereas TR2-11-t was enriched in early germ cell populations such as premeiotic cells. The biological activities of TR2-11 and TR2-11-t on a direct repeat 5-type retinoic acid (RA) response element (RARE)-containing reporter gene was examined in Cos cells. TR2-11 repressed RA induction of this reporter whereas TR2-11-t enhanced RA induction of the same reporter, and the opposite biological effects of these isoforms were dose-dependent. Gel-shift experiments provided evidence for a direct interaction of TR2-11, but not TR2-11-t, with DNA fragments containing this RARE. Opposite roles of TR2-11 and TR2-11-t on RA induction of promoters containing this particular RARE are suggested.

Journal of Endocrinology (1997) 152, 245–255

SUMMARY

Previous studies indicated that ³⁶Cl-labelled perchlorate is concentrated by rat and rabbit thyroid gland. However, the extent of concentration of radioactive perchlorate in the gland was much less than that of iodide. Since perchlorate itself has a marked effect on anion transport in the thyroid and the specific activity of available [³⁶C]perchlorate is very low, the stable anion as a carrier present in the injected radioactive perchlorate solution may affect the uptake of this radioactive compound by the gland. In this study, radioactive solutions of perchlorate and iodide containing different amounts of stable perchlorate or iodide (dosages ranged from 0·005 to 5 m-equiv./kg. body weight) were injected into groups of rats and guineapigs, and the thyroid: plasma concentration ratios of radioactive perchlorate and iodide were calculated and compared. These experiments were also repeated in animals pretreated with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), after chronic administration of propylthiouracil (PTU), as well as in hypophysectomized animals. At the same dose levels of perchlorate, there was no difference in thyroid: plasma concentration ratios of radioactive perchlorate and iodide in control rats and guinea-pigs or in treated ones.

Perinatal skeletal muscle growth rates are a function of protein and myonuclear accretion. Precocious exposure of the fetus to glucocorticoids (GLC) in utero impairs muscle growth. Reduced muscle protein synthesis rates contribute to this response, but the consequences for myonuclear hyperplasia are unknown. To test the hypothesis that blunting of Pax7+ muscle progenitor cell proliferative activity by GLC in vivo also contributes to reduced fetal muscle growth, pregnant rats were administered dexamethasone (DEX: 1 mg/L drinking water) from embryonic day (ED) 13 to ED21. Their responses were compared to pair-fed (PF) and ad libitum-fed controls (CON). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was administered before delivery to measure myonuclear accretion. Fetal hind limb and diaphragm muscles were collected at term and analyzed for myofiber cross-sectional area (CSA), total and BrdU+ myonuclei, Pax7+ nuclei, MyoD and myogenin protein and mRNA abundance and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform composition. Mean fiber CSA, myonuclei/myofiber and Pax7+ nuclei/myofiber ratios were reduced in DEX compared to those in CON and PF muscles; CSA/myonucleus, BrdU+/total myonuclei and BrdU+ myonuclei/Pax7+ nuclei were similar among groups. Myogenin abundance was reduced and MyHC-slow was increased in DEX fetuses. The data are consistent with GLC inhibition of muscle progenitor cell proliferation limiting satellite cell and myonuclear accretion. The response of PF-fed compared to CON muscles indicated that decreased food consumption by DEX dams contributed to the smaller myofiber CSA but did not affect Pax7+ nuclear accretion. Thus, the effect on satellite cell reserve and myonuclear number also contributes to the blunting of fetal muscle growth by GLC.

Blood neutrophils are extremely short-lived cells that are programmed for rapid apoptosis after differentiation in bone marrow. Recently, glucocorticoids have been shown to prolong survival of human and rodent neutrophils, but the mechanisms and implications for leukocyte homeostasis and health are unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of endogenous and exogenous glucocorticoids on Fas expression in bovine neutrophils because Fas is a major death receptor that stimulates apoptosis in circulating cells. Our study subjects were four periparturient dairy cows whose blood concentrations of cortisol peaked at calving, 15 dexamethasone-treated steers and three untreated steers whose neutrophils were exposed to dexamethasone in vitro. Fas mRNA abundance changes in collected neutrophils were monitored numerous times relative to the in vivo glucocorticoid challenges, and the relationships between these data and circulating neutrophil counts were estimated by correlation analyses. Fas mRNA and protein abundance, caspase 8 activity, and survival of neutrophils in vitro were also monitored in the presence and absence of dexamethasone. In the periparturient cows, Fas mRNA abundance in circulating neutrophils showed a sharp decrease between calving and 12 h postpartum. Based on PROC CORR analysis (SAS), this correlated negatively with blood neutrophil count (r=−0.634; P=0.0009) and serum cortisol concentration (r=−0.659; P<0.0001), but showed no relationship with serum progesterone or estradiol concentrations (P ≥0.09). Administration of dexamethasone to steers also caused a pronounced reduction in neutrophil Fas mRNA abundance that persisted for 12 h and correlated negatively with blood neutrophil count (r=–0.748; P=0.0021). In vitro, dexamethasone caused dose-dependent loss of GR proteins from the cytosol of neutrophils concurrently with Fas mRNA downregulation, which was inhibited by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist, RU486. Dexamethasone treatment of cultured neutrophils also reduced surface Fas expression, spontaneous and sFasL-induced caspase 8 activity, and rate of apoptosis in the cells. Taken together, these in vivo and in vitro results suggest that glucocorticoids inhibit Fas expression in bovine blood neutrophils via GR activation, possibly contributing to the cells’ increased longevity in culture and the pronounced neutrophilia observed in parturient cows and hormone-treated steers. We thus conclude that glucocorticoid-activated GR may change the homeostasis of circulating neutrophils, in part through its negative effects on Fas gene expression and downstream apoptosis signaling pathways.

Obestatin, a product of post-translational processing of the ghrelin prohormone, has been reported to act in the brain to inhibit thirst. We extended our initial studies on water drinking by examining the effects of obestatin on hypovolemia-induced water and saline drinking and vasopressin release in male rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of obestatin significantly inhibited water, but not saline (0.3 M NaCl) drinking in response to a hypovolemic challenge. Obestatin also inhibited, in a dose-related fashion, dehydration-induced vasopressin secretion without affecting plasma oxytocin levels. Vasopressin release induced by central angiotensin II administration was attenuated significantly by prior administration of obestatin. Finally, central administration of an antiserum specific to obestatin resulted in an exaggerated basal vasopressin release and an increased vasopressin response to overnight water deprivation. Antiserum treatment also resulted in significantly increased ad libitum water drinking and drinking in response to dehydration. We conclude that this product of post-translational processing of the ghrelin prohormone may be an important contributor to the physiologic regulation of fluid and electrolyte homeostasis.

Obestatin, a 23 amino acid peptide recently isolated from the rat stomach, is encoded by the same gene that encodes ghrelin. With the use of an antiserum directed against the mouse/rat obestatin, obestatin immunoreactivity (irOBS) was detected in cells of the gastric mucosa, myenteric plexus, and in Leydig cells of the testis in Sprague–Dawley rats. Double labeling the myenteric plexus with obestatin antiserum and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) antiserum revealed that nearly all irOBS neurons were ChAT positive and vice versa. For comparative purposes, myenteric ganglion cells, cells in the gastric mucosa, and Leydig cells of the testis were shown to be immunoreactive to preproghrelin. The biological activity of obestatin on rat central neurons was assessed by the calcium microfluorimetric Fura-2 method. Obestatin (100 nM) administered to dissociated and cultured rat cerebral cortical neurons elevated cytosolic calcium concentrations [Ca²⁺]_i in a population of cortical neurons. The result provides the first immunohistochemical evidence that obestatin is expressed in cells of the gastric mucosa and myenteric ganglion cells, and also in Leydig cells of the testis; the peptide is biologically active on central neurons.

Abstract

To investigate the effect of hypophyseal transection (HST) on GH secretagogue activity of the non-peptidyl GH secretagogue L-692,585 in the conscious pig, male castrated swine were randomly assigned to either a hypophyseal stalk transection group (HST; n=3) or to a sham-operated control group (SOC; n=3). Treatments administered were L-692,585 (100 γg/kg), human GH-releasing factor(1–29)NH₂ (GRF; 20 γg/kg) or L-692,585 (100 γg/kg) + GRF (20 γg/kg) on days −7 to −3 before surgery and days +3 to +8 after surgery. To evaluate the integrity of the pituitary gland, the animals were challenged with corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH; 150 γg) or GnRH (150 ng/kg) both before and after surgery. Blood was collected from −60 to +180 min post treatment and assayed for GH, cortisol and LH.

Before surgery, no significant difference (P>0·05) in peak GH response (ng/ml) was present between the two groups (SOC vs HST) in response to L-692,585 (101 ± 12 vs 71 ± 9) or L-692,585 + GRF (171 ± 21 vs 174 ± 21). Only two out of three SOC vs three out of three HST pigs responded to GRF (13 ± 2 vs 25 ± 3) resulting in a significant difference between groups. Following surgery, significant differences were present in peak GH response (ng/ml) between SOC and HST groups following L-692,585 (79 ± 6 vs 13·8 ± 1·0); however, the response to L-692,585 + GRF was similar (115 ± 8 vs 94 ± 7). All animals responded to GRF; however, a significant difference was present between groups due to the magnitude of the responses. Whereas the cortisol responses (ng/ml) to L-692,585 in the SOC and HST groups were similar before surgery, a significant difference was present after surgery (44·4 ± 6·4 vs 14·6 ± 2·1). No significant difference was noted between the HST and SOC groups in response to CRH or GnRH either before or after surgery.

These results indicated that L-692,585 induced an immediate GH response in the intact animal in contrast to GRF where the GH release was variable. L-692,585 also stimulated an immediate increase in cortisol levels. Transection of the hypophyseal stalk dramatically decreased but did not ablate the GH or cortisol response to L-692,585. Co-administration of L-692,585 + GRF induced an immediate GH response of similar magnitude in the intact and HST animal. We conclude that L-692,585 has a direct but limited action at the level of the pituitary and that an intact hypophyseal stalk is required for a maximal GH and cortisol response. L-692,585 acts with GRF at the level of the pituitary to induce a maximal GH response. These findings suggest that L-692,585 stimulates GH secretion by acting in combination with GRF and interrupting the inhibitory tone of somatostatin on the somatotroph.

Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 148, 371–380

For centuries, Berberine has been used in the treatment of enteritis in China, and it is also known to have anti-hyperglycemic effects in type 2 diabetic patients. However, as Berberine is insoluble and rarely absorbed in gastrointestinal tract, the mechanism by which it works is unclear. We hypothesized that it may act locally by ameliorating intestinal barrier abnormalities and endotoxemia. A high-fat diet combined with low-dose streptozotocin was used to induce type 2 diabetes in male Sprague Dawley rats. Berberine (100 mg/kg) was administered by lavage to diabetic rats for 2 weeks and saline was given to controls. Hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance improved in the Berberine group, although there was no significant decrease in blood glucose. Berberine treatment also led to a notable restoration of intestinal villi/mucosa structure and less infiltration of inflammatory cells, along with a decrease in plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) level. Tight junction protein zonula occludens 1 (ZO1) was also decreased in diabetic rats but was restored by Berberine treatment. Glutamine-induced glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP2) secretion from ileal tissue decreased dramatically in the diabetic group but was restored by Berberine treatment. Fasting insulin, insulin resistance index, plasma LPS level, and ZO1 expression were significantly correlated with GLP2 level. In type 2 diabetic rats, Berberine treatment not only augments GLP2 secretion and improves diabetes but is also effective in repairing the damaged intestinal mucosa, restoring intestinal permeability, and improving endotoxemia. Whether these effects are mechanistically related will require further studies, but they certainly support the hypothesis that Berberine acts via modulation of intestinal function.