Matrix metalloproteinase-type 2 (MMP-2) degrades extracellular matrix, mediates cell migration and tissue remodeling, and is implicated in mediating neural crest (NC) and cardiac development. However, there is little information regarding the expression and distribution of MMP-2 during cardiogenesis and NC morphogenesis. To elucidate the role of MMP-2, we performed a comprehensive study on the temporal and spatial distribution of MMP-2 mRNA and protein during critical stages of early avian NC and cardiac development. We found that ectodermally derived NC cells did not express MMP-2 mRNA during their initial formation and early emigration but encountered MMP-2 protein in basement membranes deposited by mesodermal cells. While NC cells did not synthesize MMP-2 mRNA early in migration, MMP-2 expression was seen in NC cells within the cranial paraxial and pharyngeal arch mesenchyme at later stages but was never detected in NC-derived neural structures. This suggested NC MMP-2 expression was temporally and spatially dependent on tissue interactions or differed within the various NC subpopulations. MMP-2 was first expressed within cardiogenic splanchnic mesoderm before and during the formation of the early heart tube, at sites of active pharyngeal arch and cardiac remodeling, and during cardiac cushion cell migration. Collectively, these results support the postulate that MMP-2 has an important functional role in early cardiogenesis, NC cell and cardiac cushion migration , and remodeling of the pharyngeal arches and cardiac heart tube. Heart development begins with the formation of cardio-genic fields, specification of the cardiac-cell lineages, and designation of the anterior/posterior and right/left axis of primary heart tube. Endocardial cells and myocardial cells differentiate from splanchnic mesoderm and organize into two primitive heart rudiments that coalesce, forming a single heart tube consisting of endocardium and myocardium separated by extracellular matrix (ECM). This tubular heart loops and is remodeled into an S-shaped tube, while the primitive heart chambers expand and develop muscular septa and trabeculae. In addition, extensive remodeling of the tubular heart aligns the right and left atrioventricular (AV) canals with future left and right ventricles, reshapes the bulboventricular flange, and widens the conus arterio-sus. These remodeling events require extensive modification of both cellular and ECM components. Aside from remodeling, separation of the tubular heart into a four-chambered heart involves the formation of new mesenchymal tissue. The development of the AV septum requires the formation, migration, proliferation, and dif

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In this study, we describe the isolation and characterization of a cDNA clone C12 that encodes a new member of the cornifin/small proline-rich protein (spr) family, which we have named cornifin beta. C12 encodes a 1.1-kilobase pair mRNA and a 24.3-kDa cytosolic protein with a high proline content (19%). Its total amino acid sequence exhibits a 37-66% identity while the first 30 amino acids at the amino terminus are 87% identical to that of members of the cornifin family. At its carboxyl terminus, cornifin beta contains 21 tandem repeats of an octapeptide. Cornifin beta expression is restricted to several squamous epithelia. It is highly expressed in esophagus, tongue, and oral mucosa but, in contrast to cornifin alpha, is not detectable in the epidermis. Both retinoic acid and a retinoid selective for the nuclear retinoic acid receptors were very potent suppressors of cornifin beta expression while an analog selective for the nuclear retinoid X receptors was much less effective, suggesting that a specific retinoid signaling pathway is involved in this suppression. Cornifin beta can function through some of its Gln residues as an amine acceptor in transglutaminase-catalyzed cross-linking reactions. These results indicate that cornifin beta functions as a cross-linked envelope precursor.

In the present study we describe the full length cDNA sequence for rabbit transglutaminase type I as well as the sequence for a 2.9-kilobase (kb) promoter fragment of the gene. Transglutaminase type I mRNA expression was inhibited in squamous differentiating epithelia by retinoic acid (RA) in a dose-dependent (EC50 = 1-2 nM) and transcriptional manner. In human epidermal keratinocytes transglutaminase type I mRNA was induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treatment, and this induction could be inhibited by bryostatin 1. In contrast, TPA treatment inhibited the expression of c-myc mRNA. Bryostatin 1 but not RA could prevent this decrease in c-myc mRNA expression, indicating that transglutaminase type I mRNA expression was associated with differentiation and not growth arrest. An SP1 element was found within 50 base pairs 5' of the transcription initiation site. A TATA-like element (CATAAAC) was found but was not capable of activating transcription. In addition, putative response elements for C-MYC, Ker1/AP2, 2 AP1 sites, a CK-8-mer, and an AP2 site were present in the 2.9-kb fragment. Transfection of RbTE cells with the 2.9-kb fragment ligated to a promoterless luciferase vector resulted in 2.2-fold more luciferase expression in differentiated vs. undifferentiated cells. Furthermore, luciferase activity was induced 7.4-fold in human epidermal keratinocytes induced to differentiate with TPA. TPA-induced luciferase activity was inhibited by both bryostatin 1 and RA. No known RA response elements were identified in the promoter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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In cultured, undifferentiated normal human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells, transglutaminase activity was localized predominantly in the cytosolic fraction of cell lysates. Upon squamous differentiation, this cytosolic activity declined and was replaced by a 40-fold increase in the activity of particulate (membrane-associated) transglutaminase. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that the cytosolic transglutaminase was Type II (tissue) transglutaminase and that squamous differentiation shifted gene expression to the Type I (epidermal) transglutaminase. Retinoic acid, an inhibitor of squamous cell differentiation, suppressed the increase in Type I transglutaminase. The decrease in Type II transglutaminase activity was unaffected by retinoic acid. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) enhanced Type II transglutaminase activity about 10-fold in the undifferentiated cells but did not increase Type I transglutaminase or cholesterol sulfate, two early markers of squamous differentiation. TGF-beta 2 was equivalent to TGF-beta 1 in inducing Type II transglutaminase and in inhibiting the growth of HBE cells. The differentiation-related and TGF-beta-induced changes in transglutaminase activity were reflected in the level of transglutaminase Type I and Type II protein and mRNA. Expression of transglutaminases in lung carcinoma cell lines was variable. No correlation was observed between the expression of Type I transglutaminase and the classification of the cells as squamous cell carcinoma. Several lung carcinoma cell lines exhibited high levels of Type II transglutaminase activity that were increased several-fold by TGF-beta 1 treatment. Retinoic acid was ineffective in altering transglutaminase expression in most cell lines but induced Type II transglutaminase in a time- and dose-dependent manner in NCI-HUT-460 cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

To examine the role of nuclear retinoic acid (RA) receptors (RARs) in the regulation of squamous differentiation in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK), we analyzed binding activity, mRNA expression, and transcriptional activity of the endogenously expressed RARs. Specific RA-binding activity eluted from size-exclusion HPLC with an apparent mol wt of 50 kilodaltons and was predominantly (greater than 95%) associated with the NHEK nuclear cell fraction. This RAR-binding activity represented in part the expression of RAR alpha and RAR gamma genes, whose transcripts were expressed in similar abundance in undifferentiated NHEK. Differentiation resulted in lower mRNA expression of RAR alpha relative to the mRNA expression of RAR gamma. Treatment of NHEK cells with 10(-6) M RA did not induce expression of RAR beta mRNA. Similarly, three squamous cell carcinoma cell lines derived from human skin and oral cavity expressed RAR alpha and RAR gamma transcripts, but not RAR beta transcripts. Transfection of NHEK with chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter plasmids indicated that the endogenously expressed RARs could activate transcription through the RAR beta response element in a concentration-dependent manner with doses of 10(-9) M RA and higher. CAT expression was not activated through TRE, a palindromic thyroid hormone response element with purported RA responsiveness. The competitive binding of benzoic acid derivatives of RA to RAR correlated with the ability of each analog to suppress mRNA expression of the squamous cell markers, involucrin, type I transglutaminase, and SQ37, and to activate transcription of the RAR beta response element-CAT reporter. These results demonstrate that the control of NHEK differentiation by RA is consistent with the interaction of the retinoid with RAR and the regulation of transcription by that ligand-receptor complex.