The hormone estradiol affects the auditory system both by itself and by its interaction with neuroprotective factors. In this study, we examined the role of estrogen receptors (ERs) in response to auditory trauma. We found a ligand-dependent protective role for ERβ in the auditory system by investigating mice deficient in ERα (ERKO mice), ERβ (BERKO mice), and aromatase (ARKO mice). Basal auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds were similar in all animals. An acoustic trauma causing a temporary hearing loss raised ABR thresholds in male and female BERKO and ARKO mice compared with WT and ERKO mice. The ERα-selective agonist, propyl(1H) pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl-trisphenol (PPT), partially protected ARKO mice from trauma, while the ERβ-selective agonist, 2,3-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionitrile (DPN), protected WT and ARKO mice. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting confirmed the expression of ERβ in cochlea of WT males and females. Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neuroprotective peptide that can be induced by estrogen, was lower in BERKO and ARKO mice compared with WT. DPN treatment increased BDNF expression in ARKO mice. These data indicate ERβ-mediated neuroprotection involving BDNF in the auditory system of males and females.
Inna Meltser, Yeasmin Tahera, Evan Simpson, Malou Hultcrantz, Konstantina Charitidi, Jan-Åke Gustafsson, Barbara Canlon
Thyroid hormone is a critical determinant of cellular metabolism and differentiation. Precise tissue-specific regulation of the active ligand 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (T3) is achieved by the sequential removal of iodine groups from the thyroid hormone molecule, with type 3 deiodinase (D3) comprising the major inactivating pathway that terminates the action of T3 and prevents activation of the prohormone thyroxine. Using cells endogenously expressing D3, we found that hypoxia induced expression of the D3 gene DIO3 by a hypoxia-inducible factor–dependent (HIF-dependent) pathway. D3 activity and mRNA were increased both by hypoxia and by hypoxia mimetics that increase HIF-1. Using ChIP, we found that HIF-1α interacted specifically with the DIO3 promoter, indicating that DIO3 may be a direct transcriptional target of HIF-1. Endogenous D3 activity decreased T3-dependent oxygen consumption in both neuronal and hepatocyte cell lines, suggesting that hypoxia-induced D3 may reduce metabolic rate in hypoxic tissues. Using a rat model of cardiac failure due to RV hypertrophy, we found that HIF-1α and D3 proteins were induced specifically in the hypertrophic myocardium of the RV, creating an anatomically specific reduction in local T3 content and action. These results suggest a mechanism of metabolic regulation during hypoxic-ischemic injury in which HIF-1 reduces local thyroid hormone signaling through induction of D3.
Warner S. Simonides, Michelle A. Mulcahey, Everaldo M. Redout, Alice Muller, Marian J. Zuidwijk, Theo J. Visser, Frank W.J.S. Wassen, Alessandra Crescenzi, Wagner S. da-Silva, John Harney, Felix B. Engel, Maria-Jesús Obregon, P. Reed Larsen, Antonio C. Bianco, Stephen A. Huang
The function of the adult thyroid is regulated by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which acts through a G protein–coupled receptor. Overactivation of the TSH receptor results in hyperthyroidism and goiter. The Gs-mediated stimulation of adenylyl cyclase–dependent cAMP formation has been regarded as the principal intracellular signaling mechanism mediating the action of TSH. Here we show that the Gq/G11-mediated signaling pathway plays an unexpected and essential role in the regulation of thyroid function. Mice lacking the α subunits of Gq and G11 specifically in thyroid epithelial cells showed severely reduced iodine organification and thyroid hormone secretion in response to TSH, and many developed hypothyroidism within months after birth. In addition, thyrocyte-specific Gαq/Gα11-deficient mice lacked the normal proliferative thyroid response to TSH or goitrogenic diet, indicating an essential role of this pathway in the adaptive growth of the thyroid gland. Our data suggest that Gq/G11 and their downstream effectors are promising targets to interfere with increased thyroid function and growth.
Jukka Kero, Kashan Ahmed, Nina Wettschureck, Sorin Tunaru, Tim Wintermantel, Erich Greiner, Günther Schütz, Stefan Offermanns
Estrogen drives both transcriptional activation and proteolysis of estrogen receptor α (ERα; encoded by ESR1). Here we observed variable and overlapping ESR1 mRNA levels in 200 ERα-negative and 50 ERα-positive primary breast cancers examined, which suggests important posttranscriptional ERα regulation. Our results indicate that Src cooperates with estrogen to activate ERα proteolysis. Inducible Src stimulated ligand-activated ERα transcriptional activity and reduced ERα t1/2. Src and ERα levels were inversely correlated in primary breast cancers. ERα-negative primary breast cancers and cell lines showed increased Src levels and/or activity compared with ERα-positive cancers and cells. ERα t1/2 was reduced in ERα-negative cell lines. In both ERα-positive and -negative cell lines, both proteasome and Src inhibitors increased ERα levels. Src inhibition impaired ligand-activated ERα ubiquitylation and increased ERα levels. Src siRNA impaired ligand-activated ERα loss in BT-20 cells. Pretreatment with Src increased ERα ubiquitylation and degradation in vitro. These findings provide what we believe to be a novel link between Src activation and ERα proteolysis and support a model whereby crosstalk between liganded ERα and Src drives ERα transcriptional activity and targets ERα for ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis. Oncogenic Src activation may promote not only proliferation, but also estrogen-activated ERα loss in a subset of ERα-negative breast cancers, altering prognosis and response to therapy.
Isabel Chu, Angel Arnaout, Sophie Loiseau, Jun Sun, Arun Seth, Chris McMahon, Kathy Chun, Bryan Hennessy, Gordon B. Mills, Zafar Nawaz, Joyce M. Slingerland
The initiation of mammalian puberty and the maintenance of female reproductive cycles are events controlled by hypothalamic neurons that secrete the decapeptide gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH secretion is, in turn, controlled by changes in neuronal and glial inputs to GnRH-producing neurons. The hierarchical control of the process is unknown, but it requires coordinated regulation of these cell-cell interactions. Here we report the functional characterization of a gene (termed enhanced at puberty 1 [EAP1]) that appears to act as an upstream transcriptional regulator of neuronal networks controlling female reproductive function. EAP1 expression increased selectively at puberty in both the nonhuman primate and rodent hypothalamus. EAP1 encoded a nuclear protein expressed in neurons involved in the inhibitory and facilitatory control of reproduction. EAP1 transactivated genes required for reproductive function, such as GNRH1, and repressed inhibitory genes, such as preproenkephalin. It contained a RING finger domain of the C3HC4 subclass required for this dual transcriptional activity. Inhibition of EAP1 expression, targeted to the rodent hypothalamus via lentivirus-mediated delivery of EAP1 siRNAs, delayed puberty, disrupted estrous cyclicity, and resulted in ovarian abnormalities. These results suggest that EAP1 is a transcriptional regulator that, acting within the neuroendocrine brain, contributes to controlling female reproductive function.
Sabine Heger, Claudio Mastronardi, Gregory A. Dissen, Alejandro Lomniczi, Ricardo Cabrera, Christian L. Roth, Heike Jung, Francesco Galimi, Wolfgang Sippell, Sergio R. Ojeda
Insulin resistance is a major factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and is strongly associated with obesity. Increased concentrations of intracellular fatty acid metabolites have been postulated to interfere with insulin signaling by activation of a serine kinase cascade involving PKCθ in skeletal muscle. Uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) has been postulated to dissipate the mitochondrial proton gradient and cause metabolic inefficiency. We therefore hypothesized that overexpression of UCP3 in skeletal muscle might protect against fat-induced insulin resistance in muscle by conversion of intramyocellular fat into thermal energy. Wild-type mice fed a high-fat diet were markedly insulin resistant, a result of defects in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and hepatic insulin resistance. Insulin resistance in these tissues was associated with reduced insulin-stimulated insulin receptor substrate 1– (IRS-1–) and IRS-2–associated PI3K activity in muscle and liver, respectively. In contrast, UCP3-overexpressing mice were completely protected against fat-induced defects in insulin signaling and action in these tissues. Furthermore, these changes were associated with a lower membrane-to-cytosolic ratio of diacylglycerol and reduced PKCθ activity in whole-body fat–matched UCP3 transgenic mice. These results suggest that increasing mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle may be an excellent therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Cheol Soo Choi, Jonathan J. Fillmore, Jason K. Kim, Zhen-Xiang Liu, Sheene Kim, Emily F. Collier, Ameya Kulkarni, Alberto Distefano, Yu-Jin Hwang, Mario Kahn, Yan Chen, Chunli Yu, Irene K. Moore, Richard M. Reznick, Takamasa Higashimori, Gerald I. Shulman
Immunophilin FKBP52 serves as a cochaperone to govern normal progesterone (P4) receptor (PR) function. Using Fkbp52–/– mice, we show intriguing aspects of uterine P4/PR signaling during pregnancy. Implantation failure is the major phenotype found in these null females, which is conserved on both C57BL6/129 and CD1 backgrounds. However, P4 supplementation rescued implantation and subsequent decidualization in CD1, but not C57BL6/129, null females. Surprisingly, experimentally induced decidualization in the absence of blastocysts failed in Fkbp52–/– mice on either background even with P4 supplementation, suggesting that embryonic signals complement uterine signaling for this event. Another interesting finding was that while P4 at higher than normal pregnancy levels conferred PR signaling sufficient for implantation in CD1 null females, these levels were inefficient in maintaining pregnancy to full term. However, elevating P4 levels further restored PR signaling to a level optimal for successful term pregnancy with normal litter size. Collectively, the results show that the indispensability of FKBP52 in uterine P4/PR signaling is a function of genetic disparity and is pregnancy stage specific. Since there is evidence for a correlation between P4 supplementation and reduced risks of P4-resistant recurrent miscarriages and remission of endometriosis, these findings have clinical implications for genetically diverse populations of women.
Susanne Tranguch, Haibin Wang, Takiko Daikoku, Huirong Xie, David F. Smith, Sudhansu K. Dey
Prenatal stress or glucocorticoid administration has persisting “programming” effects on offspring in rodents and other model species. Multiple doses of glucocorticoids are in widespread use in obstetric practice. To examine the clinical relevance of glucocorticoid programming, we gave 50, 120, or 200 μg/kg/d of dexamethasone (dex50, dex120, or dex200) orally from mid-term to a singleton-bearing nonhuman primate, Chlorocebus aethiops (African vervet). Dexamethasone dose-dependently reduced maternal cortisol levels without effecting maternal blood pressure, glucose, electrolytes, or weight gain. Birth weight was unaffected by any dexamethasone dose, although postnatal growth was attenuated after dex120 and dex200. At 8 months of age, dex120 and dex200 offspring showed impaired glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia, with reduced (approximately 25%) pancreatic β cell number at 12 months. Dex120 and dex200 offspring had increased systolic and diastolic blood pressures at 12 months. Mild stress produced an exaggerated cortisol response in dex200 offspring, implying hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis programming. The data are compatible with the extrapolation of the glucocorticoid programming hypothesis to primates and indicate that repeated glucocorticoid therapy and perhaps chronic stress in humans may have long-term effects.
Annick de Vries, Megan C. Holmes, Areke Heijnis, Jürgen V. Seier, Joritha Heerden, Johan Louw, Sonia Wolfe-Coote, Michael J. Meaney, Naomi S. Levitt, Jonathan R. Seckl
In humans, inactivating mutations in the gene of the thyroid hormone transporter monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8; SLC16A2) lead to severe forms of psychomotor retardation combined with imbalanced thyroid hormone serum levels. The MCT8-null mice described here, however, developed without overt deficits but also exhibited distorted 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) serum levels, resulting in increased hepatic activity of type 1 deiodinase (D1). In the mutants’ brains, entry of T4 was not affected, but uptake of T3 was diminished. Moreover, the T4 and T3 content in the brain of MCT8-null mice was decreased, the activity of D2 was increased, and D3 activity was decreased, indicating the hypothyroid state of this tissue. In the CNS, analysis of T3 target genes revealed that in the mutants, the neuronal T3 uptake was impaired in an area-specific manner, with strongly elevated thyrotropin-releasing hormone transcript levels in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and slightly decreased RC3 mRNA expression in striatal neurons; however, cerebellar Purkinje cells appeared unaffected, since they did not exhibit dendritic outgrowth defects and responded normally to T3 treatment in vitro. In conclusion, the circulating thyroid hormone levels of MCT8-null mice closely resemble those of humans with MCT8 mutations, yet in the mice, CNS development is only partially affected.
Marija Trajkovic, Theo J. Visser, Jens Mittag, Sigrun Horn, Jan Lukas, Veerle M. Darras, Genadij Raivich, Karl Bauer, Heike Heuer
Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) due to defects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion and/or action is a developmental disorder of sexual maturation. To date, several single-gene defects have been implicated in the pathogenesis of IHH. However, significant inter- and intrafamilial variability and apparent incomplete penetrance in familial cases of IHH are difficult to reconcile with the model of a single-gene defect. We therefore hypothesized that mutations at different IHH loci interact in some families to modify their phenotypes. To address this issue, we studied 2 families, one with Kallmann syndrome (IHH and anosmia) and another with normosmic IHH, in which a single-gene defect had been identified: a heterozygous FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) mutation in pedigree 1 and a compound heterozygous gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GNRHR) mutation in pedigree 2, both of which varied markedly in expressivity within and across families. Further candidate gene screening revealed a second heterozygous deletion in the nasal embryonic LHRH factor (NELF) gene in pedigree 1 and an additional heterozygous FGFR1 mutation in pedigree 2 that accounted for the considerable phenotypic variability. Therefore, 2 different gene defects can synergize to produce a more severe phenotype in IHH families than either alone. This genetic model could account for some phenotypic heterogeneity seen in GnRH deficiency.
Nelly Pitteloud, Richard Quinton, Simon Pearce, Taneli Raivio, James Acierno, Andrew Dwyer, Lacey Plummer, Virginia Hughes, Stephanie Seminara, Yu-Zhu Cheng, Wei-Ping Li, Gavin Maccoll, Anna V. Eliseenkova, Shaun K. Olsen, Omar A. Ibrahimi, Frances J. Hayes, Paul Boepple, Janet E. Hall, Pierre Bouloux, Moosa Mohammadi, William Crowley Jr.