Secretory and inductive properties of Drosophila wingless protein in Xenopus oocytes and embryos

Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 355-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Chakrabarti ◽  
G. Matthews ◽  
A. Colman ◽  
L. Dale

Like its vertebrate homologues, Xenopus wnt-8 and murine wnt-1, we find that Drosophila wingless (wg) protein causes axis duplication when overexpressed in embryos of Xenopus laevis after mRNA injection. In many cases, the secondary axes contain eyes and cement glands, which reflect the induction of the most dorsoanterior mesodermal type, prechordal mesoderm. We show that the extent of axis duplication is dependent on the embryonic site of expression, with ventral expression leading to a more posterior point of axis bifurcation. The observed duplications are due to de novo generation of new axes as shown by rescue of UV-irradiated embryos. The true dorsal mesoderm-inducing properties of wg protein are indicated by its ability to generate extensive duplications after mRNA injection into D-tier cells of 32-cell embryos. As revealed by lineage mapping, the majority of these D cell progeny populate the endoderm; injections into animal blastomeres at this stage are far less effective in inducing secondary axes. However, when expressed in isolated animal cap explants, wg protein induces only ventral mesoderm, unless basic fibroblast growth factor is added, whereupon induction of muscle and occasionally notochord is seen. We conclude that in intact embryos, wg acts in concert with other factors to cause axis duplication. Immunolocalisation studies in embryos indicate that wg protein remains localised to the blastomeres synthesizing it and has a patchy, often perinuclear distribution within these cells, although some gets to the surface. In oocytes, the pool of wg protein is entirely intracellular and relatively unstable. When the polyanion suramin is added, most of the intracellular material is recovered in the external medium.

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1469
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Rusu ◽  
Andrea Y. Chan ◽  
Mathias Heikenwalder ◽  
Oliver J. Müller ◽  
Adam J. Rose

Prior studies have reported that dietary protein dilution (DPD) or amino acid dilution promotes heightened water intake (i.e., hyperdipsia) however, the exact dietary requirements and the mechanism responsible for this effect are still unknown. Here, we show that dietary amino acid (AA) restriction is sufficient and required to drive hyperdipsia during DPD. Our studies demonstrate that particularly dietary essential AA (EAA) restriction, but not non-EAA, is responsible for the hyperdipsic effect of total dietary AA restriction (DAR). Additionally, by using diets with varying amounts of individual EAA under constant total AA supply, we demonstrate that restriction of threonine (Thr) or tryptophan (Trp) is mandatory and sufficient for the effects of DAR on hyperdipsia and that liver-derived fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is required for this hyperdipsic effect. Strikingly, artificially introducing Thr de novo biosynthesis in hepatocytes reversed hyperdipsia during DAR. In summary, our results show that the DPD effects on hyperdipsia are induced by the deprivation of Thr and Trp, and in turn, via liver/hepatocyte-derived FGF21.


2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (04) ◽  
pp. 674-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Martens ◽  
Lambert Dorssers ◽  
Jan Klijn ◽  
John Foekens ◽  
Anieta Sieuwerts

SummaryIn breast stroma urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is predominantly expressed by fibroblasts located in the near vicinity of tumor cells, and fibroblast-derived insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) may be involved in inhibiting the expression of uPA in these fibroblasts. To investigate a possible role for fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), we evaluated the expression of components of the PA system and the IGF system in normal and tumor-tissue-derived human breast fibroblasts exposed to various FGFs in vitro. mRNA analysis revealed that FGF-1, FGF-2 and FGF-4 induced the mRNA expression levels of uPA, tPA, uPAR, PAI-1 and PAI-2, and reduced those of IGF-1, IGF-1R, IGF-2R and IGFBP-4, without significantly affecting the levels of IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5 and IGFBP-6 mRNA. Concerning the expression of IGF-2 mRNA, the effects mediated by FGF-1, FGF-2 and FGF-4 were divergent. In general, the effects elicited by FGF-1 on the various mRNA levels studied were rapid and short-term. Those mediated by FGF-2 overall lagged behind but were longer-lasting. For FGF-4 an in between pattern was observed. Blocking transcription and translation demonstrated that a) both the FGF-1 and FGF-2 induced effects were the result of altered gene transcription or mRNA stability, b) the short-term effects mediated by FGF-1 and FGF-2 required de novo protein synthesis, and c) the long-term effects elicited by FGF-2 did not depend on de novo protein synthesis during the first 24 h, but were triggered by proteins produced or made available thereafter. The data presented propose that of the FGFs studied (FGF-1, -2, -4, -5, and -7), FGF-2 is the most attractive target for therapeutical strategies aimed at diminishing the contribution of stromal fibroblasts in the PA-directed breast tumor proteolysis.


Pteridines ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunichi Shimizu ◽  
Yoshiyuki Miyasaka ◽  
Shinichiro Yamamoto ◽  
Masakazu Ishii ◽  
Yuji Kiuchi

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine whether basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) synthesis in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells. BH4 content was determined by oxidation under acidic conditions as biopterin and analysed with reversed-phase high Performance liquid chromatography. Measurement of the mRNA level of QTP-cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH), which is the rate-limiting enzyme of the de novo pathway of BH4 synthesis. The addition of bFGF to endothelial cells increased the BH4 content and GTPCH mRNA levels in an incubation period- and a concentration-dependent manner. 2,4-Diamino-6- hydroxypyrimidine, an inhibitor of GTPCH, strongly reduced the bFGF-induced increase in BH4 content. These findings suggest that bFGF stimulates BH4 synthesis via a de novo pathway with the induction of GTPCH.


1998 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 1062-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kawaguchi ◽  
K. Toriyama ◽  
E. Nicodemou-Lena ◽  
K. Inou ◽  
S. Torii ◽  
...  

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