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Maintenance-type DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt1) is usually down-regulated in non-proliferating cells. In the present study, we detected significant expression of Dnmt1 protein in adult mouse brain where the majority of the cells are in a post-mitotic state. A significant amount of Dnmt1 protein was fractionated into the post-nuclear fraction for both cerebrum and cerebellum. The Dnmt1 in this fraction was enzymatically active. An immunofluorescence study revealed that Dnmt1 protein was mainly expressed in neurons and seemed to be localized in the cytoplasmic compartment. Primary culturing of neurons confirmed the expression and localization of Dnmt1 in the cytoplasmic compartment. The findings that the Dnmt1 transcript in the brain utilized the somatic-type exon and that the apparent size of the Dnmt1 protein in the cytoplasm was identical to that in proliferating culture cells indicate that the cytoplasmic Dnmt1 in neurons was of the somatic-type.

Mutations in the LDL receptor gene (LDLR) cause familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a common autosomal dominant disorder. The LDLR database is a computerized tool that has been developed to provide tools to analyse the numerous mutations that have been identified in the LDLR gene. The second version of the LDLR database contains 140 new entries and the software has been modified to accommodate four new routines. The analysis of the updated data (350 mutations) gives the following informations: (i) 63% of the mutations are missense, and only 20% occur in CpG dinucleotides; (ii) although the mutations are widely distributed throughout the gene, there is an excess of mutations in exons 4 and 9, and a deficit in exons 13 and 15; (iii) the analysis of the distribution of mutations located within the ligand-binding domain shows that 74% of the mutations in this domain affect a conserved amino-acid, and that they are mostly confined in the C-terminal region of the repeats. Conversely, the same analysis in the EGF-like domain shows that 64% of the mutations in this domain affect a non-conserved amino-acid, and, that they are mostly confined in the N-terminal half of the repeats. The database is now accessible on the World Wide Web at http://www.umd.necker.fr

MT-SP1 (membrane-type serine protease 1)/matriptase is an epithelial-derived integral membrane enzyme. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the enzyme exists on the basolateral side of simple columnar epithelial cells, such as enterocytes, of normal adult animals. Using COS-1 monkey kidney cells transiently transfected with rat MT-SP1/matriptase expression plasmids, we found that the enzyme is post-translationally processed by the cleavage between Gly149 and Ser150, that a portion of the C-terminal part (Ser150-Val855) remains in the cells by association with the NTF (N-terminal fragment) (Met1-Gly149), while the other portions are released into the medium and that the release is increased on activation by co-expression with hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type-1. Western-blot analysis of crude membranes prepared from rat jejunum demonstrated the presence of the NTF but negligible or no occurrence of the C-terminal part of the protein. Fractionation of the crude membranes by ultracentrifugation with Percoll followed by Western-blot analysis showed that the fractionation profile of the NTF correlated significantly with that of E-cadherin, an adhesion molecule on the lateral membrane. Immunostaining of the jejunum demonstrated the occurrence of the NTF on the lateral membranes but not on the apical membranes. These results suggest that considerable MT-SP1/matriptase molecules occur on the basolateral sides of normal epithelial cells and support our hypothesis that a possible physiological function of this enzyme is the control of epithelial-cell turnover by regulating cell-cell and/or cell-substratum adhesions.

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Matriptase is a type II transmembrane serine protease. The activation (i.e. conversion of the single-chain pro-form to the disulphide-linked-two-chain active form) of this enzyme is known to occur via a mechanism requiring its catalytic triad. We reported previously that the activated enzyme was produced in the conditioned medium when full-length rat matriptase was expressed in monkey kidney COS-1 cells. The present study aimed to address when and where the matriptase activation occurs. COS-1 cells expressing matriptase were labelled with a membrane-impermeable biotin derivative and then solubilized with Triton. Both activated and non-activated matriptase molecules were detected in the avidin precipitants of Triton extracts, whereas only the non-activated molecules were detected in the flow-through fraction of avidin-precipitation procedure. Single-chain matriptase has been thought to have an inherent activity. Indeed, a secreted single-chain variant of recombinant matriptase bearing mutation at the activation-cleavage site was found to exhibit the activity in hydrolyzing a synthetic peptide substrate at pH 7.5. However, the variant had little activity at pH 5.5, as found in the lumen of post-Golgi secretory vesicles. Altogether, it is concluded that the activation of matriptase may occur when the enzyme reaches the cell surface.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common genetic disorder caused by mutations of the LDL-receptor gene. In the present study, we investigated four Japanese FH homozygotes and identified five point mutations: a splice site mutation in intron 12 (the 1845 + 2 T-->C mutation), a missense mutation in exon 7 (the C317S mutation), a nonsense mutation in exon 17 (the K790X mutation), a missense mutation in exon 14 (the P664L mutation), and a missense mutation in exon 4 (the E119K mutation). We developed simple methods for detecting these mutations. When we examined the presence of these mutations in 24 unrelated FH homozygotes, the 1845 + 2 T-->C mutation was found in 7 of them, and the other four mutations were unique for each proband. We also screened 120 unrelated FH heterozygotes for these mutations and found that the frequencies of the 1845 + 2 T-->C, C317S, K790X, P664L, and E119K mutations were 13.3% (16/120), 6.7% (8/120), 6.7% (8/120), 3.3% (4/120), and 1.7% (2/120), respectively. These mutations were found in more than 30% of unrelated Japanese FH patients. By using the detection methods developed in this study, the diagnosis of more than 30% of the genetic bases of Japanese FH heterozygotes is expected.