Faculty Bibliography

The regulation of growth hormone gene expression by thyroid hormone in cultured GH1 cells is mediated by a chromatin-associated receptor. We have previously described a photoaffinity label derivative of 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (L-T3) in which the alanine side chain was modified to form N-2-diazo-3,3,3-trifluoropropionyl-L-T3 (L-[125I]T3-PAL). On exposure to 254 nm UV light, L-[125I]T3-PAL generates a carbene which covalently modifies two thyroid hormone receptor forms in intact GH1 cells; an abundant 47,000 Mr species and a less abundant 57,000 Mr form. We have now synthesized similar photoaffinity label derivatives of 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodo-L-thyronine (L-T4) and 3,3',5'-triiodo-L-thyronine (L-rT3). Both compounds identify the same receptor forms in intact cells and in nuclear extracts in vitro as L-[125I]T3-PAL. Labeling by L-[125I]rT3-PAL was low and consistent with the very low occupancy of receptor by L-rT3. Underivatized L-[125I]T3 and L-[125I]T4 labeled the same receptor forms at 254 nm but at a markedly lower efficiency than their PAL derivatives. In contrast, N-bromoacetyl-L-[125I]T3, a chemical affinity labeling agent, did not derivatize either receptor form in vitro. The relative efficiency of coupling to receptor at 254 nm was L-[125I]T4-PAL greater than L-[125I]T3-PAL greater than L-[125I]T4 greater than L-[125I]T3. Although L-[125I]T4-PAL has a lower affinity for receptor than L-[125I]T3-PAL, its coupling efficiency was 5-10-fold higher. This suggests that the alanine side chain of L-[125I]T4-PAL is positioned in the ligand binding region near a residue which is efficiently modified by photoactivation. With L-[125I]T4-PAL we were able to identify three different molecular weight receptor species in human fibroblast nuclei

Incubation of GH1 cells with cholera toxin for 24 h inhibits [32P]ADP-ribose incorporation into histones and non-histone nuclear proteins by more than 50%. The toxin produces a generalized decrease of incorporation into all protein acceptors and into the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated components excised from chromatin after micrococcal nuclease digestion. The cellular levels of NAD were also decreased (40 to 80%) after treatment with cholera toxin. The inhibition of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is preceded by an increase of [32P]ADP-ribose incorporation, since incubation with the toxin for 3 h caused an increase instead of a decrease of incorporation. Incubation with dibutyryl cyclic AMP for 24 h also inhibited nuclear poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation, thus showing that the effect of cholera toxin might be mediated by cyclic AMP.

The elements that we have identified in the 5'-flanking region of the rat growth hormone gene are shown in Figure 7, and the following conclusions are drawn: 1) Cell-specific expression of the rat growth hormone gene is mediated by two CSEs, which are located from -95 to -65 and from -137 to -107.2) These CSEs bind a common cell-specific trans-acting factor (GH-CSF), which is found in growth hormone-producing cells. 3) Enhanced levels of cell-specific expression may involve a protein-protein interaction when this factor binds on the same side of the DNA helix as the two CSEs. 4) A TRE is located between -208 and -178. 5) Activation of the gene by thyroid hormone appears to require both the TRE and one of the CSEs, and both are required to confer L-T3 stimulation to several heterologous promoters. 6) Our studies support the notion that stimulation by L-T3 involves the binding of the L-T3-receptor complex to the TRE, which enhances the function of the CSEs, resulting in stimulation of growth hormone gene expression

In GC cells, a growth hormone-producing rat pituitary cell line, 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (L-T3) rapidly stimulates the transcription rate of the growth hormone gene which parallels the level of chromatin-associated L-T3-receptor complexes (Yaffe, B. M., and Samuels, H. H. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 6284-6291). In this study we have functionally mapped the elements of the gene which are involved in mediating basal and hormone-regulated expression. Stable transformation studies indicate that transcriptional regulation of the gene by L-T3 is mediated by sequences in the 5'-flanking region. Transient expression studies were performed using a series of chimeric plasmids in which 5'-flanking DNA was ligated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. Transient expression occurred only in cells which expressed the endogenous growth hormone gene. Sequences between -104 and +7 were found to be essential for basal expression. One of the most highly conserved regions (-105 to -145) contains elements which further enhance the level of basal expression but are not necessary for regulated expression by L-T3. DNA between -210 and -181 was found to be essential for stimulation by L-T3 and was shown to function most efficiently with the homologous rat growth hormone promoter (-104 to +7). Sequences from -206 to -198 show about 80% homology with a sequence in the 5'-flanking region of two other rat genes which are regulated by thyroid hormone. Glucocorticoid hormones, which also transcriptionally stimulate the rat growth hormone gene, elicited only minimal effects in both stable and transient expression studies. This suggests that the elements which mediate glucocorticoid regulation of the endogenous gene are found either upstream of the cloned 5'-flanking region (1800 base pairs) or 3' of the cap site