Key Early Events Research Articles

Evidence that phospholipase D mediates ADP ribosylation factor-dependent formation of Golgi coated vesicles.

Formation of coatomer-coated vesicles from Golgi-enriched membranes requires the activation of a small GTP-binding protein, ADP ribosylation factor (ARF). ARF is also an efficacious activator of phospholipase D (PLD), an activity that is relatively abundant on Golgi-enriched membranes. It has been proposed that ARF, which is recruited onto membranes from cytosolic pools, acts directly to promote coatomer binding and is in a 3:1 stoichiometry with coatomer on coated vesicles. We present evidence that cytosolic ARF is not necessary for initiating coat assembly on Golgi membranes from cell lines with high constitutive PLD activity. Conditions are also described under which ARF is at most a minor component relative to coatomer in coated vesicles from all cell lines tested, including Chinese hamster ovary cells. Formation of coated vesicles was sensitive to ethanol at concentrations that inhibit the production of phosphatidic acid (PA) by PLD. When PA was produced in Golgi membranes by an exogenous bacterial PLD, rather than with ARF and endogenous PLD, coatomer bound to Golgi membranes. Purified coatomer also bound selectively to artificial lipid vesicles that contained PA and phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2). We propose that activation of PLD and the subsequent production of PA are key early events for the formation of coatomer-coated vesicles.

FGF2 regulates proliferation of neural crest cells, with subsequent neuronal differentiation regulated by LIF or related factors

Two of the key early events in the development of the peripheral nervous system are the proliferation of neural crest precursor cells and their subsequent differentiation into different neural cell types. We present evidence that members of the fibroblast growth factor family, (FGF1 or FGF2) act directly on the neural crest cells in vitro to stimulate proliferation in the presence of serum. These findings correlate with in situ hybridisation analysis, which shows FGF2 mRNA is expressed in cells both in the neural tube and within newly formed sensory ganglia (dorsal root ganglia, DRG) at embryonic day 10 in the mouse, when neural crest precursors are proliferating within the DRG. This data infers an autocrine/paracrine loop for FGF regulation of proliferation. Evidence supporting this notion is provided by the finding that part of the endogenous proliferative activity in the NC cultures is related to FGF. It was also found, in early neural crest cultures, that exogenous FGF completely inhibited neuronal differentiation, probably as a direct consequence of its mitogenic activity. In order to stimulate neuronal differentiation significantly, it was necessary to remove the FGF and replace it with leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) or related factors. Under these conditions, 50% of the cells differentiated into neurons, which developed a sensory neuron morphology and were immunoreactive for the sensory markers CGRP and substance P. These data support a model of neural crest development, whereby multipotential neural crest precursor cells are stimulated to divide by FGF and subsequent development into sensory neurons is regulated by LIF or other cytokines with a similar signalling mechanism.

4-hydroxyaminoquinoline 1-oxide metabolism and DNA adducts in the early stage of tumorigenesis in rats: Comparison of target organ pancreas with non-target organ liver

In order to probe key early molecular events which might be responsible for the initiation of rat pancreatic tumorigenesis by 4-hydroxyaminoquinoline 1-oxide (4-HAQO), the uptake and metabolism of carcinogen and the formation and subsequent repair of DNA adducts were monitored under conditions of high and low tumorigenicity, respectively in partially pancreatectomized and non-operated animals, and in the liver, a non-target organ for this carcinogen. Although uptake of radioactively labelled 4-HAQO was higher in the liver than in the pancreas, generation of DNA adducts was 20 times greater in the latter organ. This discrepancy was probably due to a difference in the metabolic profile of 4-HAQO. The spectrum of the adducts was qualitatively similar in both organs. No qualitative or quantitative differences could be established under the high and low tumorigenicity conditions with regard to DNA adduct formation or persistence. The major difference was the presence of a relatively large extent of pancreatic DNA replication under the high tumorigenic condition. The results indicated that metabolic profile of 4-HAQO, quantity of DNA adducts and levels of DNA replication are key factors involved in initiation of tumorigenesis.