IFN regulatory factor (IRF) 3/7-dependent and -independent gene induction by mammalian DNA that escapes degradation

DNase II in macrophages cleaves the DNA of engulfed apoptotic cells and of nuclei expelled from erythroid precursor cells. Macrophages in DNase II-deficient mice accumulate undigested DNA and constitutively produce IFN-beta as well as TNF-alpha. The IFN-beta causes severe anemia in the DNase II(-/-) embryos, which die prenatally. On the other hand, when the DNase II gene is inactivated postnatally, mice develop polyarthritis owing to the TNF-alpha produced by macrophages. Here, we showed that the IFN-beta gene activation in DNase II(-/-) mice is dependent on IFN regulatory factor (IRF) 3 and 7. Accordingly, DNase II(-/-)IRF3(-/-)IRF7(-/-) mice do not suffer from anemia, but they still produce TNF-alpha, and age-dependently develop chronic polyarthritis. A microarray analysis of the gene expression in the fetal liver revealed a set of genes that is induced in DNase II(-/-) mice in an IRF3/IRF7-dependent manner, and another set that is induced independent of these factors. These results indicate that the mammalian chromosomal DNA that accumulates in macrophages due to inefficient degradation activates genes in both IRF3/IRF7-dependent and -independent manners.     

Interferon‐induced TRAIL‐independent cell death in DNase II−/− embryos

The chromosomal DNA of apoptotic cells and the nuclear DNA expelled from erythroid precursors is cleaved by DNase II in lysosomes after the cells or nuclei are engulfed by macrophages. DNase II^?/? embryos suffer from lethal anemia due to IFN‐β produced in the macrophages carrying undigested DNA. Here, we show that Type I IFN induced a caspase‐dependent cell death in human epithelial cells that were transformed to express a high level of IFN type I receptor. During this death process, a set of genes was strongly activated, one of which encoded TRAIL, a death ligand. A high level of TRAIL mRNA was also found in the fetal liver of the lethally anemic DNase II^?/? embryos, and a lack of IFN type I receptor in the DNase II^?/? IFN‐IR^?/? embryos blocked the expression of TRAIL mRNA. However, a null mutation in TRAIL did not rescue the lethal anemia of the DNase II^?/? embryos, indicating that TRAIL is dispensable for inducing the apoptosis of erythroid cells in DNase II^?/? embryos, and therefore, that there is a TRAIL‐independent mechanism for the IFN‐induced apoptosis.     

A single erythroid-specific DNase I super-hypersensitive site activates high levels of human beta-globin gene expression in transgenic mice

Erythroid-specific DNase I super-hypersensitive (HS) sites that are normally located far upstream of the human beta-globin locus were inserted immediately upstream of a 4.1-kb fragment containing the human beta-globin gene. These constructs (HS beta) and a construct containing the beta-globin gene alone (beta) were microinjected into fertilized mouse eggs, and expression was analyzed in erythroid fetal liver and brain of day-16 embryos that developed. Only 7 of 23 animals that contained the beta gene alone expressed human beta-globin mRNA in erythroid tissue, and the average level of expression per gene copy was 0.3% of endogenous mouse beta-globin mRNA. In contrast, 50 of 51 transgenic mice that contained various HS beta constructs expressed the transgene specifically in erythroid tissue. The average level of expression per gene copy for constructs containing all five upstream HS sites was 109% of endogenous mouse beta-globin mRNA. Constructs that contained a single super-hypersensitive site (HS II beta) expressed 40% as much human beta-globin as mouse beta-globin mRNA per gene copy. These results demonstrate that the HS VI site, normally located downstream of the human beta-globin locus, is not required for high-level expression. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that high levels of human beta-globin gene expression can be obtained in transgenic mice even when a relatively small fragment of DNA (1.9 kb) containing erythroid-specific super-hypersensitive site II (HS II) is inserted upstream of the human beta-globin gene.     

Impaired thymic development in mouse embryos deficient in apoptotic DNA degradation

Apoptosis is often accompanied by the degradation of chromosomal DNA. Caspase-activated DNase (CAD) is an endonuclease that is activated in dying cells, whereas DNase II is present in the lysosomes of macrophages. Here, we show that CAD(-/-) thymocytes did not undergo apoptotic DNA degradation. But, when apoptotic cells were phagocytosed by macrophages, their DNA was degraded by DNase II. The thymus of DNase II(-/-)CAD(-/-) embryos contained many foci carrying undigested DNA and the cellularity was severely reduced due to a block in T cell development. The interferon-beta gene was strongly up-regulated in the thymus of DNase II(-/-)CAD(-/-) embryos, suggesting that when the DNA of apoptotic cells is left undigested, it can activate innate immunity leading to defects in thymic development.     

Activation of the innate immunity in Drosophila by endogenous chromosomal DNA that escaped apoptotic degradation

Apoptotic cell death is accompanied by degradation of chromosomal DNA. Here, we established in Drosophila a null mutation in the gene for inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (ICAD) by P-element insertion. We also identified a loss-of-function mutant in Drosophila for DNase II-like acid DNase. The flies deficient in the ICAD gene did not express CAD, and did not undergo apoptotic DNA fragmentation during embryogenesis and oogenesis. In contrast, the deficiency of DNase II enhanced the apoptotic DNA fragmentation in the embryos and ovary, but paradoxically, the mutant flies accumulated a large amount of DNA, particularly in the ovary. This accumulation of DNA in the DNase II mutants caused the constitutive expression of the antibacterial genes for diptericin and attacin, which are usually activated during bacterial infection. The expression of these genes was further enhanced in flies lacking both dICAD and DNase II. These results indicated that CAD and DNase II work independently to degrade chromosomal DNA during apoptosis, and if the DNA is left undigested, it can activate the innate immunity in Drosophila.     

Extinction of globin gene expression in human fibroblast × mouse erythroleukemia cell hybrids

We have chosen human fibroblast x mouse erythroleukemia hybrid cells as a model system to examine regulation of unique genes. The globin genes were studied as a marker of erythroid differentiation. Three separate hybrid cell lines were incubated in 2% dimethylsulfoxide, an agent which induces erythroid differentiation of the parental erythroleukemia cells. Neither human nor mouse globin mRNA sequences could be detected by a sensitive molecular hybridization assay which utilized globin complementary DNA. However, DNA from one of the cell lines was shown to contain both the mouse and human globin genes. Thus, loss of the genes by chromosomal segregation did not account for their failure to be expressed. Cocultivation of the mouse erythroleukemia cells with excess human fibroblasts did not prevent erythroid differentiation of the erythroleukemia cells in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide. Similarly globin gene expression was preserved in tetraploid cells generated by fusion of two erythroleukemia lines. Thus, extinction of globin gene expression in the human fibroblast x erythroleukemia hybrids occurred at the level of mRNA production and appeared to be due to the presence of the fibroblast genome within the hybrid cell.     

不同亚群肝脏巨噬细胞在猪血清诱导大鼠免疫性肝损伤中作用

目的:我们前期研究发现在正常大鼠肝脏中存在2个巨噬细胞亚群,本实验将探讨猪血清诱导免疫性肝损伤大鼠肝脏巨噬细胞的构成及作用。方法:(1)制作大鼠免疫性肝损伤模型。(2)肝脏病理组织学及免疫荧光研究。(3)流式细胞技术研究并分离肝脏巨噬细胞。(4)实时定量PCR检测肝脏巨噬细胞、炎症及纤维化相关细胞因子及Ki67(细胞增殖抗原,MKI67)的表达。结果:(1)猪血清腹腔注射组(IPS组)大鼠肝内大量纤维间隔形成,α平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-SMA)阳性的肌成纤维细胞增生,ED2(CD163,表面抗原分化簇163)阳性细胞增多。(2)免疫荧光及印度墨注射后显示IPS组肝脏中巨噬细胞大小不一,自身荧光强弱不等,在肝内分布不同;GdCl3仅可清除体积大、自身荧光强的细胞。(3)自大鼠肝脏分离出2个巨噬细胞亚群,即ED2染色强阳性、自身荧光强的细胞(ED2high/AFhigh)和ED2染色弱阳性、自身荧光弱的细胞(ED2dim/AFdim),与对照组相比IPS组2个亚群细胞数量均显著增多。(4)ED2high/AFhigh细胞中主要表达与炎症相关的细胞因子,ED2dim/AFdim细胞则主要表达与纤维化相关的细胞因子。(5)ED2dim/AFdim细胞Ki67表达显著高于ED2high/AFhigh细胞,IPS组巨噬细胞Ki67表达显著高于对照组。结论:猪血清诱导免疫性肝脏损伤大鼠肝脏中亦存在2个巨噬细胞亚群,它们在肝脏损伤发病中发挥不同的作用,ED2dim/AFdim细胞增殖活跃,主要表达与纤维化相关的基因,可能在猪血清诱导的肝纤维化形成中起着重要作用。     

Aberrant tissue specific expression of the transgene in transgenic mice that carry the hepatitis B virus genome defective in the X gene

Summary The control mechanisms for the transgene expression in mice that carry the hepatitis B virus genome defective in the polymerase and X genes were analyzed. Ten lines of transgenic mouse were established, and in seven lines the surface and e antigens were detected in the serum. In transgenic mice from five lines examined, the transgene was markedly expressed in a broad spectrum of tissues including the kidney, heart, brain, muscle and intestine, but only poorly in the liver. In the kidney and heart the 3.5 kb and 2.1 kb mRNAs were expressed, whereas only the 0.8 kb and 4.0 kb mRNAs were detected in the testis and brain, respectively, suggesting that each of the mRNAs was transcribed through a different control mechanism. The surface, e and core antigens accumulated in the kidney and heart. DNA was hypomethylated at a region closely downstream of the enhancer in the liver, kidney and heart, and a DNase I hypersensitive site was detected upstream of the enhancer in these tissues. In the testis, however, the whole transgene was hypomethylated and the DNase I hypersensitive site was closer to the enhancer. These differences may be relevant to the preferential expression of the 0.8 kb mRNA in the testis, but cannot explain the inefficiency of transgene expression in the liver. Our observations suggest that the X protein is required for efficient expression of the viral gene in the liver but not in other tissues.     

A role for Stat1 in the regulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1beta expression.

Because the induction of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is critical to antibacterial host defenses and its excessive generation is a prominent component of sepsis, regulation of this proinflammatory cytokine is a critical factor in the immune response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We previously showed that LPS-induced IL-1beta expression was regulated by a Stat1-dependent, nitric oxide (NO)-mediated mechanism. Subsequent in vivo studies showed that whereas Stat1 had a role in the downregulation of IL-1beta expression, it had a more significant effect on its initial induction. Although both interferon-beta (IFN-beta) and IFN-gamma activate Stat1, the early appearance of IFN-beta in the circulation after LPS administration suggested its pivotal role in Stat1-mediated IL-1beta expression in vivo. Further in vitro analysis of peritoneal macrophages from IFN-beta (/), Stat1(/), and caspase-1(/) mice and their wild-type controls following LPS stimulation demonstrated that IL-1beta mRNA was expressed in these mice but not in macrophages from MyD88(/) mice. Despite the presence of IL-1beta mRNA, IL-1beta protein was markedly reduced in the absence of Stat1 activation in macrophages derived from IFN-beta (/) and Stat1(/) mice or in the absence of caspase-1 activity, which itself was dependent on Stat1 activation. These studies support the hypothesis that the expression of IL-1beta requires both the MyD88-dependent induction of IL-1beta mRNA and pro-IL-1beta as well as the MyD88-independent, Stat1-mediated processing of that gene product into active cytokine.     

小鼠植入前胚胎对输卵管上皮细胞DNA甲基转移酶1表达的影响

目的 探讨小鼠植入前胚胎对输卵管上皮细胞DNA甲基转移酶1（DNA methyltransferase 1，Dnmt1）表达的影响。方法 应用免疫组织化学方法确定Dnmt1蛋白在小鼠输卵管的组织学定位；选取植入前胚胎的2细胞期、4细胞期和8细胞期作为3个观察点，采用实时逆转录-聚合酶链反应和Western印迹分别检测正常妊娠和假孕小鼠输卵管上皮Dnmt1 mRNA和蛋白表达水平的变化。结果 Dnmt1蛋白主要表达于上皮层；妊娠组小鼠各期Dnmt1 mRNA表达水平均显著性低于同期假孕组（P〈0．05），妊娠组4细胞期Dnmt1蛋白表达水平显著性低于同期假孕组（P〈0．05）。结论 小鼠植入前期的胚胎对母体输卵管上皮Dnmt1 mRNA和蛋白表达存在调节作用，提示胚胎可能通过DNA甲基化间接调控输卵管上皮某些基因的表达，Dnmt1可能参与胚胎-母体交流的部分机制。     

An auxiliary mode of apoptotic DNA fragmentation provided by phagocytes

CAD (caspase-activated DNase) can cause DNA fragmentation in apoptotic cells. Transgenic mice that ubiquitously express a caspase-resistant form of the CAD inhibitor (ICAD) were generated. Thymocytes prepared from the mice were resistant to DNA fragmentation induced by a variety of stimuli. However, similar numbers of TUNEL-positive cells were present in adult tissues of transgenic and wild-type mice. Exposure to gamma-irradiation caused a striking increase in the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the thymus of wild-type, but not transgenic, mice. TUNEL-positive nuclei in transgenic mice were confined to thymic macrophages. When apoptotic thymocytes from the transgenic mice were cocultured with macrophages, the thymocytes underwent phagocytosis and their chromosomal DNA underwent fragmentation. This DNA fragmentation was sensitive to inhibitors that block the acidification of lysosomes. Hence, we conclude that the DNA fragmentation that occurs during apoptosis not only can result cell-autonomously from CAD activity but can also be attributed to a lysosomal acid DNase(s), most likely DNase II, after the apoptotic cells are engulfed.     

A major positive regulatory region located far upstream of the human alpha-globin gene locus

We have identified a remote, tissue-specific, positive regulatory element that is of major importance in determining the level of human alpha-globin gene expression. Stable transformants containing this DNA segment linked to the alpha gene in mouse erythroleukemia cells expressed human alpha mRNA at levels that are indistinguishable from those seen in interspecific hybrids containing the human alpha genes in their normal context on chromosome 16. Furthermore, all transgenic mice containing the alpha genes linked to this region expressed alpha-globin mRNA at high levels in erythroid tissues; and in one such mouse, readily detectable levels of human alpha-globin chains could be demonstrated in the peripheral blood. There is considerable similarity in the position, structure, and function of this region upstream of the alpha-globin complex with previously described elements within the beta-globin dominant control region (DCR). This is m marked contrast to other structural and functional differences between the two gene clusters. It seems likely that these critical, positive regulatory regions might provide target sequences through which coordinate regulation of the alpha- and beta-like globin genes is achieved.     

Dysregulation of DNA repair pathways in a transforming growth factor alpha/c-myc transgenic mouse model of accelerated hepatocarcinogenesis

Previous work from our laboratory has implicated oxidative DNA damage and genetic instability in the etiology of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGFalpha)/c-myc-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. In contrast, oxidative DNA damage was lower in c-myc single-transgenic mice, consistent with less chromosomal damage and with later and more benign tumor formation. We examined whether defects in the DNA repair pathways contribute to the acceleration of liver cancer in TGFalpha/c-myc mice. A cDNA expression array containing 140 known genes and multiplex RT-PCR were used to compare the basal levels of expression of DNA repair genes at the dysplastic stage. Thirty-five percent (8/23) and 43% (10/23) of DNA repair genes were constitutively up-regulated in 10-week-old TGFalpha/c-myc and c-myc transgenic livers, respectively, compared with wild-type controls. The commonly up-regulated genes were OGG1 and NTH1 of base excision repair; ERCC5, RAD23A, and RAD23B of nucleotide excision repair; and RAD50, RAD52, and RAD54 involved in DNA strand break repair. Additional treatment with a peroxisome proliferator, Wy-14,643, known to increase the level of oxidants in the liver, failed to induce a further increase in the expression level of DNA repair enzymes in TGFalpha/c-myc but not in c-myc or wild-type livers. Moreover, expression of several genes, including Ku80, PMS2, and ATM, was decreased in TGFalpha/c-myc livers, suggesting a fault or inefficient activation of the DNA repair pathway upon induction of oxidative stress. Together, the results show that DNA damage response is attenuated in TGFalpha/c-myc mice, creating a condition that may contribute to acceleration of liver cancer in this model.     

Central role for type I interferons and Tyk2 in lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxin shock

Toll-like receptor-4 activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces the expression of interferon-beta (IFN-beta) in a MyD88-independent manner. Here we report that mice devoid of the JAK protein tyrosine kinase family member, Tyk2, were resistant to shock induced by high doses of LPS. Basal and LPS-induced expression of IFN-beta and IFN-alpha4 mRNA in Tyk2-null macrophages were diminished. However, Tyk2-null mice showed normal systemic production of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines and the in vivo response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was unperturbed. IFN-beta-null but not STAT1-null mice were also resistant to high dose LPS treatment. Together, these data suggest that Tyk2 and IFN-beta are essential effectors in LPS induced lethality.