Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) promotes proliferation of neuroprogenitor cells in culture and is up-regulated within brain after injury. Using mice genetically deficient in FGF-2 (FGF-2 ؊/؊ mice), we addressed the importance of endogenously generated FGF-2 on neurogenesis within the hippocampus, a structure involved in spatial, declarative, and contextual memory, after seizures or ischemic injury. BrdUrd incorporation was used to mark dividing neuroprogenitor cells and NeuN expression to monitor their differentiation into neurons. In the wild-type strain, hippocampal FGF-2 increased after either kainic acid injection or middle cerebral artery occlusion, and the numbers of BrdUrd͞NeuN-positive cells significantly increased on days 9 and 16 as compared with the controls. In FGF-2 ؊/؊ mice, BrdUrd labeling was attenuated after kainic acid or middle cerebral artery occlusion, as was the number of neural cells colabeled with both BrdUrd and NeuN. After FGF-2 ؊/؊ mice were injected intraventricularly with a herpes simplex virus-1 amplicon vector carrying FGF-2 gene, the number of BrdUrd-labeled cells increased significantly to values equivalent to wild-type littermates after kainate seizures. These results indicate that endogenously synthesized FGF-2 is necessary and sufficient to stimulate proliferation and differentiation of neuroprogenitor cells in the adult hippocampus after brain insult.fibroblast growth factor ͉ cerebral ischemia ͉ seizure ͉ gene delivery

Upon transforming growth factor-␤ (TGF-␤) binding to its cognate receptor, Smad3 and Smad4 form heterodimers and transduce the TGF-␤ signal to the nucleus. In addition to the Smad pathway, another pathway involving a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase family of kinases, TGF-␤-activated kinase-1 (TAK1), is required for TGF-␤ signaling. However, it is unknown how these pathways function together to synergistically amplify TGF-␤ signaling. Here we report that the transcription factor ATF-2 (also called CRE-BP1) is bound by a hetero-oligomer of Smad3 and Smad4 upon TGF-␤ stimulation. ATF-2 is one member of the ATF/CREB family that binds to the cAMP response element, and its activity is enhanced after phosphorylation by stress-activated protein kinases such as c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38. The binding between ATF-2 and Smad3/4 is mediated via the MH1 region of the Smad proteins and the basic leucine zipper region of ATF-2. TGF-␤ signaling also induces the phosphorylation of ATF-2 via TAK1 and p38. Both of these actions are shown to be responsible for the synergistic stimulation of ATF-2 trans-activating capacity. These results indicate that ATF-2 plays a central role in TGF-␤ signaling by acting as a common nuclear target of both Smad and TAK1 pathways.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid mediator that exerts multiple cellular functions through activation of G-proteincoupled receptors. Although the role of S1P on angiogenesis is well established, its role in neurogenesis is unknown. We examined the effects of S1P on G-protein activation in brain sections of rat embryo and on neural progenitor cells in culture. Intense S1P-stimulated [35 S]GTPcS labeling was observed as early as E15 in the neuroepithelium and differentiating fields throughout the brain, suggesting that functional S1P receptors are expressed in brain areas with active neurogenesis. mRNA transcripts for several S1P receptor subtypes (S1P 1 , S1P 2 , S1P 3 and S1P 5 ) were expressed in neural progenitor cells prepared from embryonic rat hippocampus. S1P induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and proliferation of neural progenitor cells as determined by BrdU incorporation in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. These effects were prevented by the ERK signaling inhibitor U0126. S1P augmented telomerase activity in neural progenitor cells with similar potency as that of FGF-2. Furthermore, S1P induced cell-cell aggregation. This morphological change was transient and prevented by Y-27632, an inhibitor of Rhoassociated kinase. These results suggest that S1P plays a pleiotropic role in neurogenesis via pathways involving S1P receptors, MAP kinases and Rho kinase.

Adipocyte differentiation is an important component of obesity, but how hormonal cues mediate adipocyte differentiation remains elusive. BMP stimulates in vitro adipocyte differentiation, but the role of BMP in adipogenesis in vivo is unknown. Drosophila Schnurri (Shn) is required for the signaling of Decapentaplegic, a Drosophila BMP homolog, via interaction with the Mad/Medea transcription factors. Vertebrates have three Shn orthologs, Shn-1, -2, and -3. Here, we report that Shn-2(-/-) mice have reduced white adipose tissue and that Shn-2(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts cannot efficiently differentiate into adipocytes in vitro. Shn-2 enters the nucleus upon BMP-2 stimulation and, in cooperation with Smad1/4 and C/EBPalpha, induces the expression of PPARgamma2, a key transcription factor for adipocyte differentiation. Shn-2 directly interacts with both Smad1/4 and C/EBPalpha on the PPARgamma2 promoter. These results indicate that Shn-2-mediated BMP signaling has a critical role in adipogenesis.

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Transcription factor Glioblastoma-3 (Gli3) is cleaved in the anterior region of the limb bud to generate its repressor form. In contrast, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling from the posterior zone of polarizing activity blocks Gli3 processing and then induces the expression of Gli3 target genes, including Gli1. Here we report that the Ski corepressor binds to Gli3 and recruits the histone deacetylase complex. The Gli3-mediated repression was impaired by anti-Ski antibody and in Ski-deficient fibroblasts, and Shh-induced Gli1 gene transcription mediated by fulllength Gli3 was inhibited by Ski. Furthermore, a Ski mutation enhanced the digit abnormalities caused by the Gli3 gene mutation. Thus, Ski plays an important role in pattern formation. In Drosophila, a transcription factor Cubitus interruptus (Ci) mediates Hedgehog (Hh) signaling (Alexandre et al. 1996;Domíguez et al. 1996). In the absence of Hh signaling, Ci is processed into a repressor, whereas Hh signaling prevents this Ci cleavage, generating a full-length Ci activator (Aza-Blanc et al. 1997). In mice, three Cirelated transcription factors (Gli1, Gli2, and Gli3) have been identified (Ruppert et al. 1990). Glioblastoma-3 (Gli3) is processed to a repressor form (Gli3 Rep ) in a manner similar to Ci (Dai et al. 1999;Ruiz-I-Altaba 1999;Shin et al. 1999;Wang et al. 2000), whereas Gli1 is not (Dai et al. 1999). Overexpression of Gli1 in cultured cells or transgenic embryos can induce transcription of Hh target genes in the absence of Hh activity (Hynes et al. 1997;Sasaki et al. 1997;Ruiz-I-Altaba 1999). Sonic hedgehog (Shh) up-regulates Gli1 transcription but down-regulates Gli3 expression (Marigo et al. 1996;Lee et al. 1997). Molecular analysis suggests that Gli3 can be processed into a repressor form (Gli3 Rep ) that suppresses the Gli1 promoter, whereas the full-length form of Gli3 (FL-Gli3) directly mediates the activation of a Gli1 promoter in response to a Shh signal (Dai et al. 1999). Gli3 plays an important role in the development of limb bud, and mice with a mutation in Gli3 have dominant preaxial polydactyly (Hui and Joyner 1993).Ski and its related protein Sno act as corepressors, and directly bind to two other corepressors, N-CoR/SMRT and mSin3A (Nomura et al. 1999). These three corepressors (N-CoR/SMRT, mSin3, and Ski/Sno) form a complex with histone deacetylases (HDACs) and are necessary for the transcriptional repression mediated by nuclear hormone receptors, Mad, and possibly other repressors. Ski also directly binds to Smad proteins, which induce the transcription of target genes on TGF-␤ (tumor growth factor) stimulation (Massagué and Wotton 2000.). By recruiting the HDAC complex to Smad proteins, Ski inhibits TGF-␤ signaling. The Ski-deficient mice display various abnormalities of pattern formation depending on the genetic background (Berk et al. 1997;Colmenares et al. 2002). However, the molecular mechanism of those defects remains unknown. In this study, we have demonstrated that Ski is required for the Gli3Rep -mediated repression, and it n...

A key step in T cell development involves the positive selection of cells that recognize antigen presented by self-major histocompatibility complex. Yet, the signals that are activated by T cell receptor engagement and lead to cell survival remain unclear. We show here that mice lacking the transcription factor Schnurri-2 (Shn-2), a large metal-finger protein, had severely defective positive selection of CD4+ and CD8+ cells. Drosophila Shn acts as a cofactor of Smad homolog and is required for Decapentaplegic signaling. Vertebrates have at least three Shn orthologs (Shn-1, Shn-2 and Shn-3), which are thought to act as nuclear targets in the bone morphogenetic protein-transforming growth factor-beta-activin signaling pathways. These data raised the possibility that the Smad-Shn-2 complex is involved in the thymic selection of T cells.

Both p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) are known to play important roles in neuronal apoptosis. However, the relationship between these kinases and caspases, another key mediator of apoptosis, is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the possible effects of SB203580 [(4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-methylsulfinylphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)-i mid azole], an inhibitor of p38, on caspase activation and apoptosis of cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons. In granule neurons, SB203580 prevented apoptosis that was induced by lowering the concentration of KCl in the culture medium for 24 hr. SB203580 also prevented augmentation of caspase-3-like protease activity at 8 hr after the low KCl treatment. The IC50 values of SB203580 for both events were between 3 microM and 10 microM. Expression and phosphorylation of c-Jun, potently induced by low KCl treatment, were prevented by SB203580 at 10 microM. Z-Asp-CH2-DCB, a caspase inhibitor with anti-apoptotic activity, did not inhibit the induction and phosphorylation of c-Jun. Granule neurons displayed high levels of p38 and JNK activities. SB203580 inhibited not only p38 but also JNK activities extracted from granule neurons. These results suggest that activation of c-Jun by p38 and/or JNK mediates the activation of caspase in the low KCl-induced apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons.