Macrophage type-I and type-II class-A scavenger receptors (MSR-A) are implicated in the pathological deposition of cholesterol during atherogenesis as a result of receptor-mediated uptake of modified low-density lipoproteins (mLDL). MSR-A can bind an extraordinarily wide range of ligands, including bacterial pathogens, and also mediates cation-independent macrophage adhesion in vitro. Here we show that targeted disruption of the MSR-A gene in mice results in a reduction in the size of atherosclerotic lesions in an animal deficient in apolipoprotein E. Macrophages from MSR-A-deficient mice show a marked decrease in mLDL uptake in vitro, whereas mLDL clearance from plasma occurs at a normal rate, indicating that there may be alternative mechanisms for removing mLDL from the circulation. In addition, MSR-A-knockout mice show an increased susceptibility to infection with Listeria monocytogenes or herpes simplex virus type-1, indicating that MSR-A may play a part in host defence against pathogens.

The endothelin-1 (ET-1) gene was disrupted in mouse embryonic stem cells by homologous recombination to generate mice deficient in ET-1. These ET-1-/- homozygous mice die of respiratory failure at birth and have morphological abnormalities of the pharyngeal-arch-derived craniofacial tissues and organs. ET-1+/- heterozygous mice, which produce lower levels of ET-1 than wild-type mice, develop elevated blood pressure. These results suggest that ET-1 is essential for normal mouse development and may also play a physiological role in cardiovascular homeostasis.

Streptozotocin (STZ), a glucose analogue known to induce diabetes in experimental animals, causes DNA strand breaks and subsequent activation of poly(ADPribose) polymerase (Parp). Because Parp uses NAD as a substrate, extensive DNA damage will result in reduction of cellular NAD level. In fact, STZ induces NAD depletion and cell death in isolated pancreatic islets in vitro. Activation of Parp therefore is thought to play an important role in STZ-induced diabetes. In the present study, we established Parp-deficient (Parp ؊/؊ ) mice by disrupting Parp exon 1 by using the homologous recombination technique. These mice were used to examine the possible involvement of Parp in STZ-induced ␤-cell damage in vivo. The wild-type (Parp ؉/؉ ) mice showed significant increases in blood glucose concentration from 129 mg͞dl to 218, 370, 477, and 452 mg͞dl on experimental days 1, 7, 21, and 60, respectively, after a single injection of 180 mg STZ͞kg body weight. In contrast, the concentration of blood glucose in Parp ؊/؊ mice remained normal up to day 7, slightly increased on day 21, but returned to normal levels on day 60. STZ injection caused extensive necrosis in the islets of Parp ؉/؉ mice on day 1, with subsequent progressive islet atrophy and loss of functional ␤ cells from day 7. In contrast, the extent of islet ␤-cell death and dysfunction was markedly less in Parp ؊/؊ mice. Our findings clearly implicate Parp activation in islet ␤-cell damage and glucose intolerance induced by STZ in vivo.Various types of DNA damage produced by many environmental chemicals or reactive oxygen species generated by inflammatory reactions contribute to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) through the induction of ␤-cell death in pancreatic islets (1-3). Acute exposure to streptozotocin [2-deoxy-2-(3-methyl-3-nitrosourea)l-D-glucopyranose, STZ] induces massive ␤-cell death and diabetes mellitus in experimental animals (4, 5). STZ also causes a rapid depletion of cellular NAD in islets (6-9), but this depletion is prevented by injection of nicotinamide immediately before or soon after the administration of STZ (10). Okamoto and colleagues (2, 11) demonstrated that STZ induces DNA strand breaks and activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (Parp) with subsequent reduction of NAD levels in the isolated pancreatic islets in vitro. These findings suggest the involvement of Parp as a key molecule in STZ-induced ␤-cell death and diabetes through extensive poly(ADP-ribose) formation and NAD depletion, leading to reduction of ATP level and cell death. In agreement with this hypothesis, Parp inhibitors such as 3-aminobenzamide or nicotinamide prevent the depletion of NAD and induction of STZ-induced ␤-cell death (12, 13). However, because Parp inhibitors possess other effects, such as scavenging hydrogen peroxide (14), it is not clear whether and how Parp activity contributes to ␤-cell death and the development of diabetes in vivo. Thus, engineering of a Parp-deficient animal model would be useful for investigating the role of Parp in S...

␣-Tocopherol transfer protein (␣-TTP), a cytosolic protein that specifically binds ␣-tocopherol, is known as a product of the causative gene in patients with ataxia that is associated with vitamin E deficiency. Targeted disruption of the ␣-TTP gene revealed that ␣-tocopherol concentration in the circulation was regulated by ␣-TTP expression levels. Male ␣-TTP ؊/؊ mice were fertile; however, placentas of pregnant ␣-TTP ؊/؊ females were severely impaired with marked reduction of labyrinthine trophoblasts, and the embryos died at mid-gestation even when fertilized eggs of ␣-TTP ؉/؉ mice were transferred into ␣-TTP ؊/؊ recipients. The use of excess ␣-tocopherol or a synthetic antioxidant (BO-653) dietary supplement by ␣-TTP ؊/؊ females prevented placental failure and allowed full-term pregnancies. In ␣-TTP ؉/؉ animals, ␣-TTP gene expression was observed in the uterus, and its level transiently increased after implantation (4.5 days postcoitum). Our results suggest that oxidative stress in the labyrinth region of the placenta is protected by vitamin E during development and that in addition to the hepatic ␣-TTP, which governs plasma ␣-tocopherol level, the uterine ␣-TTP may also play an important role in supplying this vitamin.Vitamin E (␣-tocopherol) is the most potent lipid-soluble antioxidant in biological membranes, where it contributes to membrane stability. Patients with ataxia and isolated vitamin E deficiency (AVED) 1 have low or undetectable serum vitamin E concentrations and exhibit neurological dysfunction and muscular weakness. It is now established that ␣-tocopherol transfer protein (␣-TTP), a cytosolic liver protein known to specifically bind to ␣-tocopherol (1), is defective in AVED patients (2), indicating that ␣-TTP is a major determinant of plasma ␣-tocopherol level. Although ␣-tocopherol was initially identified as an anti-sterility factor to prevent abortion (3), the mechanism of action and the molecules responsible for its antisterility effect remain unknown. One of the reasons for this is that vitamin E is difficult to deplete from tissues and requires elaborate manipulations to cause deficiency symptoms to occur in experimental animals. In this study, we established a mouse model lacking ␣-TTP by targeted mutagenesis. This animal model for human AVED patients is suitable for examination of the complex pathophysiology of diseases associated with vitamin E deficiency and/or caused by oxidative stress. Here we examined the role of ␣-TTP in pregnancy and embryogenesis using our new animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODSGeneration of ␣-TTP Knockout Mice-An ␣-TTP targeting vector was constructed from an 8.8-kb ␣-TTP genome fragment encompassing exon 1. We inserted a fragment of PGK-neo cassette into the SmaI-SmaI site positioned 5Ј and 3Ј to exon 1 and flanked a 1.8-kb fragment of HSV-tk gene downstream of exon 2. AB2.2-Prime ES cells (Lexicon Genetics) or A3-1 ES (4) cells were transfected by electroporation with a linearized targeting vector. G418/gancyclovir-resistant clones were screened by PCR, and...

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a dominantly inherited human disorder characterized by gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyposis and mucocutaneous melanin pigmentation. LKB1 (STK11) serine͞threonine kinase is the product of the causative gene of PJS, which has been mapped to chromosome 19p13.3. However, several studies have produced results that are not consistent with a link between LKB1 gene mutation and PJS. We constructed a knockout gene mutation of Lkb1 to determine whether it is the causative gene of PJS and to examine the biological role of the Lkb1 gene. Lkb1 ؊/؊ mice died in utero between 8.5 and 9.5 days postcoitum. At 9.0 days postcoitum, Lkb1 ؊/؊ embryos were generally smaller than their age-matched littermates, showed developmental retardation, and did not undergo embryonic turning. Multiple gastric adenomatous polyps were observed in 10-to 14-month-old Lkb1 ؉/؊ mice. Our results indicate that functional Lkb1 is required for normal embryogenesis and that it is related to tumor development. The Lkb1 ؉/؊ mouse is suitable for studying molecular mechanism underlying the development of inherited gastric tumors in PJS.tumor ͉ embryo development