Plasminogen activators are important mediators of extracellular metabolism. In the nervous system, plasminogen activators are thought to be involved in the remodeling events required for cell migration during development and regeneration. We have now explored the expression of the plasminogen activator/ plasmin system in the adult murine central nervous system. Tissue-type plasminogen activator is synthesized by neurons of most brain regions, while prominent tissue-type plasminogen activator-catalyzed proteolysis is restricted to discrete areas, in particular whithin the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Our observations indicate that tissue-type plasminogen activatorcatalyzed proteolysis in neural tissues is not limited to ontogeny, but may also contribute to adult central nervous system physiology, for instance by influencing neuronal plasticity and synaptic reorganization. The identification of an extracellular proteolytic system active in the adult central nervous system may also help gain insights into the pathogeny of neurodegenerative disorders associated with extracellular protein deposition. (J. Clin. Invest. 1993. 92:679-685.)

The plasminogen activator (PA) produced by freshly purified human monocytes-macrophages and histiocytic, lymphoma-derived U 937 cells was analyzed by zymography after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and found to migrate with an apparent Mr of 55,000, identical to that of urokinase (Uk). By immunoprecipitation with antibodies specific for the two different types of PA, the enzyme was shown to be immunologically related to urokinase, and not to tissue PA. Urokinase was secreted in the form of the inactive Mr 55,000 zymogen prourokinase , and could be converted to the active Mr 55,000 enzyme by limited proteolysis with plasmin. Conditioned media from cultures of U 937 cells and monocytes-macrophages inhibited the fibrinolytic activity of exogenously added urokinase. Using [125I]-labeled urokinase we observed the formation of an enzyme-ligand complex, which was not dissociated by boiling in SDS and migrated with an apparent Mr 40,000 daltons higher than the free enzyme; since complexed urokinase was functionally inactivated as a PA, the ligand is an inhibitor of urokinase. This inhibitor is different from fibroblast-produced protease- nexin , in that it did not interact with thrombin. These results suggest that plasminogen activation by mononuclear phagocytes can be modulated through the secretion of both (pro)enzyme and a specific inhibitor.

Background Connexins are a family of transmembrane proteins that are widely expressed in the human body. Connexins play an important role in cell-cell communication and homeostasis in various tissues by forming gap junction channels, which enable a direct passage of ions or metabolites from one cell to another. Twenty-one different connexins are expressed in humans, each having distinct expression patterns and regulation properties. Knowledge on this family of proteins can be gained by making an inventory of mutations and associated diseases in human.

Two forms of plasminogen activators inhibitor 2 (PAI‐2) are synthesized by human and murine monocytes/macrophages: one accumulates in the cytosol, while the other is translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum, glycosylated and secreted. We show here that a single mRNA encodes both forms of PAI‐2. Firstly, a single PIA‐2 mRNA was detected by Northern blot hybridization and by RNase protection. Secondly, transfection of a PAI‐2 cDNA led to the synthesis of both forms of PAI‐2. Finally, in vitro translation of an mRNA transcript of the PAI‐2 cDNA in the presence of microsomal membranes generated two topologically distinct forms of PAI‐2. The cytosolic and secreted forms of PAI‐2 do not result from the use of two translation start sites, since their synthesis initiates at the same AUG, in a sequence context that is conserved between the human and murine genes. Thus, the accumulation of one polypeptide into two topologically distinct cellular compartments can be achieved by facultative translocation.

Clusterin is a serum glycoprotein endowed with cell aggregating, complement inhibitory, and lipid binding properties, and is also considered as a specific marker of dying cells, its expression being increased in various tissues undergoing programmed cell death (PCD). However, no study has so far directly shown that cells expressing clusterin in these tissues are actually apoptotic as defined by morphological and biochemical criteria.We have studied cellular clusterin gene expression in vitro using three different models of PCD: (a) ultraviolet B (UV-B) irradiation of human U937, HeLa, and A431 cell lines, (b) in vitro aging of human peripheral blood neutrophils (PMNs), and (c) dexamethasone-induced cell death of the human Iymphoblastoid cell line CEM-C7. In all three models, the classical morphological and biochemical features of PCD observed did not correlate with an increase, but with either a marked decrease or an absence of clusterin gene expression as assessed by Northern blot analysis. In situ hybridization of U937 and A431 cells after UV-B irradiation revealed, in addition, that only morphologically normal cells that are surviving continue to express the clusterin gene.Our results demonstrate that in the human myeloid, lymphoid, and epithelial cell types studied, clusterin gene expression is not a prerequisite to their death by apoptosis. In addition, and most interestingly, in situ hybridization of U937 and A431 cells revealed that only surviving cells express the clusterin gene after the induction of PCD, thus providing novel evidence suggesting that clusterin may be associated with cell survival within tissues regressing as a consequence of PCD. (J.