Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder resulting from germline mutations in the NF2 gene. Bilateral vestibular schwannomas, tumors on cranial nerve VIII, are pathognomonic for NF2 disease. Furthermore, schwannomas also commonly develop in other cranial nerves, dorsal root ganglia and peripheral nerves. These tumors are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and medical therapies to treat them are limited. Animal models that accurately recapitulate the full anatomical spectrum of human NF2-related schwannomas, including the characteristic functional deficits in hearing and balance associated with cranial nerve VIII tumors, would allow systematic evaluation of experimental therapeutics prior to clinical use. Here, we present a genetically engineered NF2 mouse model generated through excision of the Nf2 gene driven by Cre expression under control of a tissue-restricted 3.9kbPeriostin promoter element. By 10 months of age, 100% of Postn-Cre; Nf2(flox/flox) mice develop spinal, peripheral and cranial nerve tumors histologically identical to human schwannomas. In addition, the development of cranial nerve VIII tumors correlates with functional impairments in hearing and balance, as measured by auditory brainstem response and vestibular testing. Overall, the Postn-Cre; Nf2(flox/flox) tumor model provides a novel tool for future mechanistic and therapeutic studies of NF2-associated schwannomas.

To elucidate the molecular events associated with the regulation of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) receptor mRNA stability during hCG-induced receptor down-regulation, we have identified an LH/hCG receptor-specific mRNA binding protein. Proteins were isolated from control and down-regulated rat ovary and were incubated with in vitro transcribed RNAs corresponding to the full-length LH/ hCG receptor, as well as 5-and 3-truncated receptor forms. Resultant ribonucleoprotein complexes were analyzed by RNA gel mobility shift. A prominent M r 50,000 ribonucleoprotein complex was identified with the following characteristics: 1) specificity for LH/hCG receptor open reading frame sequences located between nucleotides 102 and 282; 2) lack of competition by nonspecific RNAs; 3) a 3-fold increase in RNA binding activity during hCG-induced receptor down-regulation; and 4) limited tissue expression. This report describes the first evidence of an LH/hCG receptor mRNA binding protein, which we term LRBP-1, for luteinizing hormone receptor RNA binding protein-1. This protein is a candidate for a trans-acting factor involved in the hormonal regulation of LH/hCG receptor mRNA stability in rat ovary.Interaction of luteinizing hormone (LH), 1 or its human placental counterpart human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), with its receptor is a key event in the regulation of steroidogenesis in the mammalian ovary. The LH/hCG receptor belongs to the family of G s -protein-coupled receptors that mediate their biological effects through cAMP (1). LH/hCG receptors expressed on rat ovarian granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles and luteal cells are greatly diminished after an endogenous preovulatory LH surge or by the administration of a pharmacological dose of hCG (reviewed in Ref. 2). Our laboratory has demonstrated that the decline in cell surface LH/hCG receptor number that occurs during hCG-induced down-regulation is paralleled by a specific loss of LH/hCG receptor mRNA (3). Following the injection of a pharmacological dose of hCG in female rat, a rapid decline in the steady state levels of all four of the LH/hCG receptor mRNAs (6.7, 4.4, 2.6, and 1.8 kb) is seen within 12 h, with complete loss of detectable receptor mRNAs by 24 h (3). This selective loss is followed by a recovery of mRNA expression between 24 and 48 h (3). We have further reported that loss of receptor mRNA does not result from decreased transcription, but rather occurs post-transcriptionally, with an approximate 3-fold decrease in receptor mRNA half-life (4).It has been well established that the expression of specific, highly regulated mRNAs like c-fos, c-myc, and the ␤-adrenergic receptor are controlled, at least in part, at the level of mRNA degradation (5, 6). In the majority of instances of post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA, the changes in stability of a particular mRNA appear to result from changes in the binding of specific proteins to defined sequences and/or structures in the target mRNA. The RNA sequences recognized by regulator...

FSH, acting through multiple signaling pathways, regulates the proliferation and growth of granulosa cells, which are critical for ovulation. The present study investigated whether AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which controls the energy balance of the cell, plays a role in FSH-mediated increase in granulosa cell proliferation. Cells isolated from immature rat ovaries were grown in serum-free, phenol red free DMEM-F12 and were treated with FSH (50 ng/ml) for 0, 5, and 15 min. Western blot analysis showed a significant reduction in AMPK activation as observed by a reduction of phosphorylation at thr 172 in response to FSH treatment at all time points tested. FSH also reduced AMPK phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner with maximum inhibition at 100 ng/ml. The chemical activator of AMPK (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside, 0.5 mm) increased the cell cycle inhibitor p27 kip expression significantly, whereas the AMPK inhibitor (compound C, 20 microm) and FSH reduced p27kip expression significantly compared with control. FSH treatment resulted in an increase in the phosphorylation of AMPK at ser 485/491 and a reduction in thr 172 phosphorylation. Inhibition of Akt phosphorylation using Akt inhibitor VIII reversed the inhibitory effect of FSH on thr 172 phosphorylation of AMPK, whereas ERK inhibitor U0126 had no effect. These results show that FSH, through an Akt-dependent pathway, phosphorylates AMPK at ser 481/495 and inhibits its activation by reducing thr 172 phosphorylation. AMPK activation by 5-amino-imidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside treatment resulted in a reduction of cell cycle regulatory protein cyclin D2 mRNA expression, whereas FSH increased the expression by 2-fold. These results suggest that FSH promotes granulosa cell proliferation by increasing cyclin D2 mRNA expression and by reducing p27 kip expression by inhibiting AMPK activation through an Akt-dependent pathway.

FSH-mediated regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in proliferating granulosa cells and the effect of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on this pathway were examined. Inhibiting mTOR activation using rapamycin significantly reduced the FSH-mediated increase in cyclin D2 mRNA expression, suggesting that mTOR plays a role in the FSH-mediated increase in granulosa cell proliferation. FSH treatment of granulosa cells showed a 2-fold increase in phosphorylation of p70S6 kinase (p70S6K), the downstream target of mTOR. The increase in p70S6K phosphorylation by FSH treatment was abolished by prior exposure to DHT, suggesting that DHT inhibits FSH-mediated activation of mTOR signaling in cultured granulosa cells. The effect of FSH and DHT treatment on tuberin (TSC2), the upstream regulator of mTOR, was then examined. FSH treatment increased TSC2 phosphorylation, and pretreatment with DHT for 24 h reduced this stimulation. These results indicate that reduced p70S6K phosphorylation observed in DHT-treated cells might be the result of reduced TSC2 phosphorylation. Because Akt is the upstream activator of TSC2 phosphorylation, the effect of Akt inhibition was examined to test whether FSH-mediated TSC2 phosphorylation proceeds through an Akt-dependent pathway. Our results show that inhibiting Akt phosphorylation did not block FSH-stimulated TSC2 phosphorylation, whereas ERK inhibition reduced FSH-mediated stimulation. These results demonstrate the involvement of ERK rather than Akt in FSH-mediated TSC2 phosphorylation in granulosa cells. Based on these observations, we conclude that in granulosa cells, FSH uses a protein kinase A-/ERK-dependent pathway to stimulate TSC2 phosphorylation and mTOR signaling, and DHT treatment significantly reduces this response.

Luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor mRNA is posttranscriptionally regulated. An ovarian cytosolic LH receptor mRNA-binding protein (LRBP) identified in our laboratory binds to a polypyrimidine-rich bipartite sequence in the coding region of LH receptor mRNA. The present studies show a role for LRBP in the regulation of LH receptor mRNA. We demonstrated that increased LH receptor mRNA degradation occurs during hormone-induced LH receptor down-regulation. Furthermore, increased degradation of LH receptor mRNA was seen when partially purified LRBP was included in an in vitro mRNA decay reaction. The LH receptor mRNA binding activity of LRBP measured by RNA electrophoretic mobility shift analysis showed an inverse relationship to LH receptor mRNA levels during different physiological states. These results suggest that LRBP is a physiological regulator of LHR mRNA expression in the ovary and provides a novel mechanism for the regulation of LH receptor expression in the ovary.The expression of luteinizing hormone receptors (LHR) 1 on the rat ovarian granulosa cells and luteal cells is decreased by an endogenous preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge or by the administration of a pharmacological dose of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a placental counterpart of LH (1-4). Studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that the decline in cell surface LHR number seen after hCG administration is paralleled by a specific loss of LHR mRNA (2, 3). Following the injection of a bolus of hCG in female rat, a rapid decline in the steady-state levels of all four LHR mRNA transcripts (6.7, 4.4, 2.6, and 1.8 kb) is seen in luteal cells within 12 h with a complete loss occurring by 24 h. This selective loss is followed by a recovery of receptor mRNA expression between 24 and 48 h (2). We have shown that the loss of LHR mRNA does not result from decreased transcription but occurs posttranscriptionally with an approximate 3-fold decrease in halflife (4). Additional studies led to the identification of a 50-kDa LHR mRNA-binding protein designated as LRBP in rat and human ovarian cytosolic fractions. During hormone-induced down-regulation of the LHR, the LHR mRNA binding activity of LRBP was increased. LRBP specifically binds to the coding region of LHR mRNA with an apparent dissociation constant of 10 -9 M (5, 6). These studies were carried out to determine the role of LRBP in LHR mRNA degradation in vitro as well as to establish a relationship between LHR mRNA expression and LRBP during ovarian development. Our results show that LHR mRNA expression inversely correlates with the LHR mRNA binding activity of LRBP during follicular maturation, ovulation, and luteinization. Furthermore, a partially purified LRBP causes accelerated decay of LHR mRNA in an in vitro reconstituted mRNA decay system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chemicals-Pregnant mare serum gonadotropin was purchased from Calbiochem. Human chorionic gonadotropin was obtained from Sigma. [␣-32 P]dCTP was purchased from ICN (Costa Mesa, CA), and [␣-32 P]UTP was from PerkinElmer ...

Luteinizing hormone receptor and follicle stimulating hormone receptor play a crucial role in female and male reproduction. Significant new information has emerged about the structure, mechanism of activation, and regulation of expression of these receptors. Here we provide an overview of the current information on those aspects with an in-depth discussion of the recent developments in the post-transcriptional mechanism of LH receptor expression mediated by a specific LH receptor mRNA binding protein, designated as LRBP. LRBP was identified by electrophoretic gel mobility shift assay using cytosolic fractions from ovaries in the down regulated state. LRBP was purified, its binding site on LH receptor mRNA was identified and characterized. During ligand-induced down regulation, LRBP expression is increased through the cAMP/PKA and ERK signaling pathway, is translocated to translating ribosomes, binds LH receptor mRNA and forms an untranslatable ribonucleoprotein complex. This complex is then routed to the mRNA degradation machinery resulting in diminished levels of both LHR mRNA and cell surface expression of LH receptor. The studies leading to these conclusions are presented.

Post-transcriptional mechanisms play a major role in regulating luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor mRNA expression in the ovary. An ovarian cytosolic protein that we have identified in rats and humans, which binds to a polypyrimidine-rich bipartitate sequence in the coding region of LHR mRNA, acts as a trans-acting factor in this process. In the present study, we isolated and characterized this LH receptor mRNA-binding protein (LRBP) from rat ovary. LRBP was purified to homogeneity by cation exchange chromatography followed by Northwestern analysis and subsequent elution of the single protein band from SDS-polyacrylamide gel. Purified LRBP was subjected to N-terminal microsequencing followed by homology search, which revealed its identity as mevalonate kinase. Purified rat mevalonate kinase antibody recognized the gel-purified LRBP on Western blots performed with one-and two-dimensional SDSpolyacrylamide gels. When recombinant mevalonate kinase produced in human embryonic kidney cells ( The interaction of luteinizing hormone (LH) 1 with its cell surface receptors controls reproductive functions including steroidogenesis in the gonad (1). In the ovary, luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), a member of G s -protein coupled receptors, regulates ovarian function mainly through increased production of cAMP (2-4). The cell surface expression of LHR varies during different stages of the ovarian cycle. Its expression in granulosa cells and luteal cells is greatly decreased by an endogenous preovulatory LH surge or by the administration of a pharmacological dose of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a placental counterpart of LH (5-8). We have shown that the decline in cell surface LHR expression seen after hCG administration is paralleled by a specific loss of all four LHR mRNA transcripts (6.7, 4.4, 2.6, and 1.8 kb) in the ovary (9). Furthermore, the loss of LHR mRNA does not result from decreased transcription but occurs post-transcriptionally with a 3-fold decrease in half-life (8).Regulation of mRNA turnover is one of the major control mechanisms of gene expression in all organisms. mRNA halflives are influenced by the interaction of various cytoplasmic proteins (trans-acting factors) with regulatory regions (cis-acting elements) in the mRNA, forming ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes (10). The formation and disruption of RNP complexes in response to various cellular stimuli mainly controls the turnover of cytoplasmic mRNA. Studies have indicated the presence of cis-acting regulatory elements in the 5Ј-untranslated region, coding region, and 3Ј-untranslated region of mRNA (10). A number of cytoplasmic trans-acting factors, some of which shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm, have been identified as mRNA-stabilizing, destabilizing, or translational repressor proteins (11-16). c-Fos, c-Myc, tropoelastin, thymidylate synthase, and dihydrofolate reductase are some of the mRNAs containing regulatory elements in the coding region for trans-acting factors (17-24).We have identified a LHR mRNA-binding protein in rat and hu...

The LH/hCG receptor, a member of the G protein coupled receptor family mediates the cellular actions of LH in the ovary. A considerable amount of information regarding its structure, mechanism of activation, and regulation of expression has emerged in recent years. Here we provide a brief overview of the current information on the structural organization of the receptor and the mechanism of receptor mediated signaling as well as an in-depth discussion on recent developments pertaining to the regulation of receptor expression. Specifically, we describe studies from our laboratory showing that the posttranscriptional regulation of the receptor involves an LH/hCG receptor mRNA-binding protein. We also propose a model to explain the loss of steady-state LH/hCG receptor mRNA levels during receptor down-regulation.