No description available.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) markedly stimulates cell proliferation in a variety of mammalian systems. For this reason, EGF and factors related to EGF were examined for a possible role in the promotion and maintenance of the uncontrolled growth state that is a characteristic of malignant neoplasias. Phorbol ester tumor promoters, compounds that are capable of promoting tumors in the mouse skin carcinogenesis assay, act synergistically with EGF to stimulate DNA synthesis in cultured fibroblasts despite an inhibitory effect on the binding of EGF to its cellular receptor. Sparing of EGF degradation in combination with recovery of EGF binding was postulated to be responsible for the increased role of DNA synthesis in cells exposed to the phorbol esters. The hypothesis is presented that the hyperplasiogenic component of tumor promotion may be mediated, at least in part, by local alterations in growth factor levels. Recent evidence suggests the existance of a family of molecules related to EGF as defined by the ability to bind to the EGF receptor. These factors (transforming growth factors) appear to be responsible for the phenotypic alterations characteristic of transformed cells. Using a radioreceptor assay, two EGF-like factors were isolated from mouse submaxillary gland. These factors were not transforming growth factors and appeared to be modified EGF molecules. Two EGF-like factors, molecular weight 27,000 and 13,000, were identified in medium conditioned by Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-transformed cells and were shown to possess the characteristics of a transforming growth factor. In addition, rat fetus extracts contained a 55,000 molecular weight EGF-like factor with the properties of a transforming growth factor. The EGF-effector system may therefore play an important role in embryonic development and in the maintenance of the neoplastic phenotype. The difference in the molecular weights of the RSV-factor and the fetus factor indicates that there are numerous members of the class of EGF-like molecules, and that RSV-transformation probably does not induce the re-expression of a fetal growth stimulatory factor. The results of these experiments suggest that EGF and EGF-like factors are biologically important growth-stimulating molecules that must be tightly regulated to maintain normal physiological conditions.

This study elucidates the temporal expression and regulation of transglutaminase (TGase) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODCase) during cell proliferation and differentiation. In synchronized CHO cells, there were two peaks of TGase activity expressed in G₁ and a smaller peak of activity in mid S phase. ODCase exhibited a single peak of expression in mid G₁ which was inhibited by the administration of both cycloheximide and actinomycin D. In contrast, the increase in TGase activity was not inhibited at any time measured by administration of either cycloheximide or actinomycin D to these cells. TGase activity in CHO cells was not affected by the addition of analogs of cyclic AMP, whereas ODCase activity was increased at all times measured. Retinol administration increased TGase activity 1 hr after release in CHO cells and the activity remained elevated for 4 hr. Retinol administration resulted in the inhibition of ODCase expression in these cells. The administration of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) to mouse melanoma cells resulted in a biphasic increase of TGase activity and a single peak of ODCase activity within 7 hr. In melanoma cells, addition of cycloheximide abolished the first peak of TGase activity but not the second peak. Actinomycin D did not inhibit either peak of TGase expression. The administration of both cycloheximide and actinomycin D inhibited ODCase activity after MSH stimulation. Analogs of cyclic AMP, when added to log phase mouse melanoma cells, increased ODCase but not TGase activity at all points measured. In these cells, retinoic acid plus MSH markedly enhanced the activity of the initial TGase peak compared to MSH alone. ODCase expression was attenuated with retinoic acid plus MSH. Dexamethasone (DEX) induced the first peak of TGase activity but not the second peak seen with MSH administration alone. Administration of DEX resulted in a peak expression of ODCase activity approximately 30% of that seen with MSH alone. In general, chelation of extracellular calcium with EGTA totally blocked ODCase expression with MSH, retinoic acid or DEX. Partial or total ablation of TGase expression was seen with addition of MSH or retinoic acid, but very little inhibition of this enzyme was evident when EGTA was added with DEX or DEX plus MSH. Addition of calcium after all CA⁺⁺-blocks restored the expression of both enzymes.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The development of biofilms at solid-liquid interfaces has been investigated extensively, whereas the yield of planktonic cells from biofilms has received comparatively little attention. The detachment of single cells from biofilms has been attributed mainly to the erosive action of flowing liquid or the dispersal of cells from within biofilm microcolonies. The result has been an underestimation of the active role that biofilms can play in microbial proliferation through the production and release of planktonic cells to the environment. In this study, the cultivation of Pseudomonas sp. strain CT07 biofilms in conventional flowcells, glass tubes and a novel CO2 evolution measurement system was utilized to show that biofilm-derived planktonic cell yield was initiated within 6 hours of initial surface colonization and increased in conjunction with biofilm development. The magnitude of the yield was influenced by the metabolic activity of the biofilm, which was in turn dependent on environmental conditions, such as carbon availability. The physiologically active region of the biofilm was responsible for the yield of significant numbers of planktonic cells (~107 CFU.cm-2.h-1), whereas a less active biofilm zone was optimized for survival during unfavourable conditions and shown to be responsible for the subsequent re-establishment of biofilm structure, activity and cell yield. Despite the yield of numerically considerable numbers of planktonic cells (~1010 CFU), a carbon balance revealed that the carbon investment required to maintain this yield was insignificant (~1%) compared to the amount of carbon channelled into CO2 production (~54%). Together, these results indicate that biofilm-derived planktonic cell yield represents an efficient proliferation mechanism and support the view that the biofilm lifestyle affords microbes a dual survival-proliferation strategy, where the dominant strategy depends on the prevailing environmental conditions. An alternative model of biofilm development is presented to account for planktonic cell yield during all stages of biofilm development.

p8 ist ein erstmals im Zusammenhang mit akuter Pankreatitis beschriebenes Protein, das im exokrinen und endokrinen Pankreas mit vermehrtem Zellwachstum assoziiert ist. Bei der Analyse seiner Primärstruktur wurde ein speziesübergreifend hoch konservierter Abschnitt, eine sogenannte NLS, ausgemacht, der HMG-Y/I-Proteinen ähnelt. Da HMG-Proteine oft als Transkriptionsfaktoren wirken, wurde die Hypothese formuliert, auch p8 sei ein HMG-Y/I-Protein und wirke als Transkriptionsfaktor im Nukleus. Um die Bedeutung der rp8-NLS näher zu charakterisieren, wurde in INS-1 beta-Zellen ein rp8(NLS-)-EGFP Fusionsprotein ektopisch exprimiert, um dessen subzelluläre Lokalisation zu untersuchen. Es zeigte sich, ähnlich wie bei Kontrollzellen mit ektoper Expression von EGFP allein, eine gleichmäßige Verteilung von rp8(NLS-)-EGFP zwischen Zytoplasma und Nukleus. Da rp8(NLS-) trotz fehlender NLS dennoch in den Kern translozieren kann, scheint die NLS für diesen Vorgang nicht essentiell zu sein. Diese Annahme wird gestützt durch die Beobachtung, dass einzeln exprimiertes rp8(NLS-) seine Proliferation induzierende Wirkung nicht verliert. In Zellzählungsexperimenten zeigte sich, dass ein rp8- bzw. p8(NLS-)-EGFP Fusionsprotein keinen proliferationsfördernden Einfluss in INS-1 und hMSC-TERT Zellen hat. Bei ektoper Expression von rp8 bzw. rp8(NLS-) und hrGFP als Einzelproteine konnte jedoch eine zwischen beiden rp8-Varianten ähnliche und insgesamt signifikante Stimulation der Zellvermehrung beobachtet werden. Dies belegt, dass die Fusion von rp8 an EGFP dessen biologische Funktion inhibiert, während die Deletion der NLS keinen Einfluß darauf hat. Da der proliferative Stimulus von p8 in menschlichen hMSC-TERT Zellen unabhängig von der Herkunft von p8 aus Ratte oder Mensch ist, scheint p8 bei Säugern hoch konserviert zu sein und speziesübergreifend zu wirken. Aus der hier vorgestellten Arbeit geht hervor, dass der molekulare Mechanismus, über den p8 glukoseabhängig proliferationsinduzierend in INS-1 beta-Zellen wirkt, nicht über die NLS vermittelt wird. Weitere Untersuchungen der Wirkungsweise von p8 auf molekularer Ebene könnten in Zukunft einen Ansatz zur in vitro-Generierung ausreichender Mengen an beta-Zellen zur Zelltherapie des Diabetes mellitus bilden. / The protein p8 was first described as a proliferative factor in the exocrine and endocrine pancreas during an acute pancreatitis. An analysis of the amino acid sequence showed a highly conserved area with strong similarities to a nuclear localisation sequence (NLS) of HMG-Y/I proteins. These proteins act very often as transcription factors and therefore it was hypothesized that p8 also acts as transcription factor. In order to explore the functionality of the rat p8 NLS sequence, an rp8(NLS-)-EGFP fusion protein was transfected into INS1 beta cells and the sub cellular localisation of the protein analyzed. This experiment showed an equal distribution of the fusion protein between nucleus and cytoplasm as it was also observed for control cells which were only transfected with EGFP. It seems that the NLS sequence is not essential for the translocation of rp8 to the nucleus. This is also supported by the observation that rp8(NLS-) still has its proliferative function. Cell counting experiments showed that rp8 and rp8(NLS-)-EGFP fusion proteins had no proliferative effect in INS-1 or hMSC-TERT cells whereas the expression of rp8 and rp8(NLS-) as single proteins caused a significant proliferation augmentation. This led to the conclusion that the fusion protein of p8 and EGFP has lost its biological function whereas the NLS is not essential for the function of p8 as a single protein. The independence of the proliferative effect in hMSC-TERT cells from rat or human p8 may indicate a highly conserved role for p8 in mammals. This work showed that the proliferative effect of p8 in glucose stimulated INS-1 beta cells is independent of its supposed nuclear localisation sequence. The molecular mechanisms of p8 function has still to be revealed by further experiments but once elucidated it may lead to in-vitro generation of beta cells for a cell therapy of diabetes mellitus.