MafA is a transcription factor that binds to the promoter in the insulin gene and has been postulated to regulate insulin transcription in response to serum glucose levels, but there is no current in vivo evidence to support this hypothesis. To analyze the role of MafA in insulin transcription and glucose homeostasis in vivo, we generated MafA-deficient mice. Here we report that MafA mutant mice display intolerance to glucose and develop diabetes mellitus. Detailed analyses revealed that glucose-, arginine-, or KCl-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic ␤ cells is severely impaired, although insulin content per se is not significantly affected. MafA-deficient mice also display age-dependent pancreatic islet abnormalities. Further analysis revealed that insulin 1, insulin 2, Pdx1, Beta2, and Glut-2 transcripts are diminished in MafA-deficient mice. These results show that MafA is a key regulator of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vivo.Insulin is the only polypeptide hormone that is essential for the regulation of blood glucose levels and is synthesized exclusively in ␤ cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. The molecular mechanisms that control ␤-cell-specific insulin gene transcription are well characterized. Three conserved cis-regulatory elements within the promoter, E1, A3, and RIPE3b/ C1, respectively, appear to be indispensable for proper insulin gene regulation (22,25). Islet-restricted transcription factors Beta2/NeuroD and Pdx1 bind to the E1 and A3 elements in vitro. Gene disruption experiments in mice have revealed that both Beta2 and Pdx1 play critical roles in insulin gene regulation as well as in islet development and function (1,8,21). Furthermore, mutations in both the Beta2 and Pdx1 genes have been identified within populations of patients with type II diabetes (18,29,30).The third regulatory element, RIPE3b/C1, has also been shown to play a critical role in ␤-cell-specific insulin gene transcription as well as in glucose-regulated expression. Previous studies identified a pancreatic ␤-cell-restricted factor, called the RIPE3b1 activator, that is enriched in response to glucose in pancreatic ␤-cell nuclear extracts. Very recently, four groups reported that the RIPE3b1 activator is a member of the Maf family of transcription factors, MafA (10,12,20,26). The large Maf proteins, MafA/L-Maf/SMaf1 (2, 9, 24), MafB (11), c-Maf (23), and Nrl (31), each contain a basic motif followed by a leucine zipper, and all four family members harbor acidic domains that act as transcriptional activation domains. Although a role for MafA in insulin gene regulation was hypothesized, in vivo tests of the hypothesis have not been reported. To elucidate MafA function in insulin gene regulation, we generated MafA-deficient mice. MATERIALS AND METHODSTargeted disruption of the mafA gene. mafA genomic clones were isolated from a 129/SvJ genomic library (Stratagene) using a partial mouse MafA cDNA as a probe. The targeting vector was constructed with the bacterial lacZ gene containing a nuclear loca...

MafB is a member of the large Maf family of transcription factors that share similar basic region/leucine zipper DNA binding motifs and N-terminal activation domains. Although it is well known that MafB is specifically expressed in glomerular epithelial cells (podocytes) and macrophages, characterization of the null mutant phenotype in these tissues has not been previously reported. To investigate suspected MafB functions in the kidney and in macrophages, we generated mafB/green fluorescent protein (GFP) knock-in null mutant mice. mafB homozygous mutants displayed renal dysgenesis with abnormal podocyte differentiation as well as tubular apoptosis. Interestingly, these kidney phenotypes were associated with diminished expression of several kidney disease-related genes. In hematopoietic cells, GFP fluorescence was observed in both Mac-1-and F4/80-expressing macrophages in the fetal liver. Interestingly, F4/80 expression in macrophages was suppressed in the homozygous mutant, although development of the Mac-1-positive macrophage population was unaffected. In primary cultures of fetal liver hematopoietic cells, MafB deficiency was found to dramatically suppress F4/80 expression in nonadherent macrophages, whereas the Mac-1-positive macrophage population developed normally. These results demonstrate that MafB is essential for podocyte differentiation, renal tubule survival, and F4/80 maturation in a distinct subpopulation of nonadherent mature macrophages.

Aging leads to the disruption of the homeostatic balance of multiple biological systems. In bone marrow multipotent mesenchymal cells undergo differentiation into various anchorage-dependent cell types, including osteoblasts and adipocytes. With age as well as with treatment of antidiabetic drugs such as thiazolidinediones, mesenchymal cells favor differentiation into adipocytes, resulting in an increased number of adipocytes and a decreased number of osteoblasts, causing osteoporosis. The mechanism behind this differentiation switch is unknown. Here we show an age-related decrease in the expression of Maf in mouse mesenchymal cells, which regulated mesenchymal cell bifurcation into osteoblasts and adipocytes by cooperating with the osteogenic transcription factor Runx2 and inhibiting the expression of the adipogenic transcription factor Pparg. The crucial role of Maf in both osteogenesis and adipogenesis was underscored by in vivo observations of delayed bone formation in perinatal Maf -/-mice and an accelerated formation of fatty marrow associated with bone loss in aged Maf +/-mice. This study identifies a transcriptional mechanism for an age-related switch in cell fate determination and may provide a molecular basis for novel therapeutic strategies against age-related bone diseases.

Macrophages have been linked to tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and treatment resistance. However, the transcriptional regulation of macrophages driving the protumor function remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the transcription factor c-Maf is a critical controller for immunosuppressive macrophage polarization and function in cancer. c-Maf controls many M2-related genes and has direct binding sites within a conserved noncoding sequence of the Csf-1r gene and promotes M2-like macrophage-mediated T cell suppression and tumor progression. c-Maf also serves as a metabolic checkpoint regulating the TCA cycle and UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis, thus promoting M2-like macrophage polarization and activation. Additionally, c-Maf is highly expressed in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and regulates TAM immunosuppressive function. Deletion of c-Maf specifically in myeloid cells results in reduced tumor burden with enhanced antitumor T cell immunity. Inhibition of c-Maf partly overcomes resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy in a subcutaneous LLC tumor model. Similarly, c-Maf is expressed in human M2 and tumor-infiltrating macrophages/monocytes as well as circulating monocytes of human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients and critically regulates their immunosuppressive activity. The natural compound β-glucan downregulates c-Maf expression on macrophages, leading to enhanced antitumor immunity in mice. These findings establish a paradigm for immunosuppressive macrophage polarization and transcriptional regulation by c-Maf and suggest that c-Maf is a potential target for effective tumor immunotherapy.

No abstract

Gata3 mutant mice expire of noradrenergic deficiency by embryonic day (E) 11 and can be rescued pharmacologically or, as shown here, by restoring Gata3 function specifically in sympathoadrenal (SA) lineages using the human DBH promoter to direct Gata3 transgenic expression. In Gata3-null embryos, there was significant impairment of SA differentiation and increased apoptosis in adrenal chromaffin cells and sympathetic neurons. Additionally, mRNA analyses of purified chromaffin cells from Gata3 mutants show that levels of Mash1, Hand2 and Phox2b (postulated upstream regulators of Gata3) as well as terminally differentiated SA lineage products (tyrosine hydroxylase, Th, and dopamine ␤-hydroxylase, Dbh) are markedly altered. However, SA lineage-specific restoration of Gata3 function in the Gata3 mutant background rescues the expression phenotypes of the downstream, as well as the putative upstream genes. These data not only underscore the hypothesis that Gata3 is essential for the differentiation and survival of SA cells, but also suggest that their differentiation is controlled by mutually reinforcing feedback transcriptional interactions between Gata3, Mash1, Hand2 and Phox2b in the SA lineage.

This Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency project focused on elucidating the impacts of partial gravity (partial g) and microgravity (μg) on mice using newly developed mouse habitat cage units (HCU) that can be installed in the Centrifuge-equipped Biological Experiment Facility in the International Space Station. In the first mission, 12 C57BL/6 J male mice were housed under μg or artificial earth-gravity (1 g). Mouse activity was monitored daily via downlinked videos; μg mice floated inside the HCU, whereas artificial 1 g mice were on their feet on the floor. After 35 days of habitation, all mice were returned to the Earth and processed. Significant decreases were evident in femur bone density and the soleus/gastrocnemius muscle weights of μg mice, whereas artificial 1 g mice maintained the same bone density and muscle weight as mice in the ground control experiment, in which housing conditions in the flight experiment were replicated. These data indicate that these changes were particularly because of gravity. They also present the first evidence that the addition of gravity can prevent decreases in bone density and muscle mass, and that the new platform ‘MARS’ may provide novel insights on the molecular-mechanisms regulating biological processes controlled by partial g/μg.

Masculinization of external genitalia is an essential process in the formation of the male reproductive system. Prominent characteristics of this masculinization are the organ size and the sexual differentiation of the urethra. Although androgen is a pivotal inducer of the masculinization, the regulatory mechanism under the control of androgen is still unknown. Here, we address this longstanding question about how androgen induces masculinization of the embryonic external genitalia through the identification of the v-maf avian musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog B (Mafb) gene. Mafb is expressed prominently in the mesenchyme of male genital tubercle (GT), the anlage of external genitalia. MAFB expression is rarely detected in the mesenchyme of female GTs. However, exposure to exogenous androgen induces its mesenchymal expression in female GTs. Furthermore, MAFB expression is prominently down-regulated in male GTs of androgen receptor (Ar) KO mice, indicating that AR signaling is necessary for its expression. It is revealed that Mafb KO male GTs exhibit defective embryonic urethral formation, giving insight into the common human congenital anomaly hypospadias. However, the size of Mafb KO male GTs is similar with that of wild-type males. Moreover, androgen treatment fails to induce urethral masculinization of the GTs in Mafb KO mice. The current results provide evidence that Mafb is an androgen-inducible, sexually dimorphic regulator of embryonic urethral masculinization.Mafb | masculinization | urethra | hypospadias | androgen receptor