The sequence of the mouse genome is a key informational tool for understanding the contents of the human genome and a key experimental tool for biomedical research. Here, we report the results of an international collaboration to produce a high-quality draft sequence of the mouse genome. We also present an initial comparative analysis of the mouse and human genomes, describing some of the insights that can be gleaned from the two sequences. We discuss topics including the analysis of the evolutionary forces shaping the size, structure and sequence of the genomes; the conservation of large-scale synteny across most of the genomes; the much lower extent of sequence orthology covering less than half of the genomes; the proportions of the genomes under selection; the number of protein-coding genes; the expansion of gene families related to reproduction and immunity; the evolution of proteins; and the identification of intraspecies polymorphism.

/pdf/initial-sequencing-and-comparative-analysis-of-the-mouse-5a9n62pifj.pdf

Initial sequencing and comparative analysis of the mouse genome.

Epidermal growth factor-related peptides and their receptors in human malignancies

Prolactin is a protein hormone of the anterior pituitary gland that was originally named for its ability to promote lactation in response to the suckling stimulus of hungry young mammals. We now know that prolactin is not as simple as originally described. Indeed, chemically, prolactin appears in a multiplicity of posttranslational forms ranging from size variants to chemical modifications such as phosphorylation or glycosylation. It is not only synthesized in the pituitary gland, as originally described, but also within the central nervous system, the immune system, the uterus and its associated tissues of conception, and even the mammary gland itself. Moreover, its biological actions are not limited solely to reproduction because it has been shown to control a variety of behaviors and even play a role in homeostasis. Prolactin-releasing stimuli not only include the nursing stimulus, but light, audition, olfaction, and stress can serve a stimulatory role. Finally, although it is well known that dopamine of hypothalamic origin provides inhibitory control over the secretion of prolactin, other factors within the brain, pituitary gland, and peripheral organs have been shown to inhibit or stimulate prolactin secretion as well. It is the purpose of this review to provide a comprehensive survey of our current understanding of prolactin's function and its regulation and to expose some of the controversies still existing.

/pdf/prolactin-structure-function-and-regulation-of-secretion-3w4x6fqbg3.pdf

Prolactin: Structure, Function, and Regulation of Secretion

Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are well known as key regulators of energy metabolism and growth. There is now considerable evidence that these hormones and the signal transduction networks they regulate have important roles in neoplasia. Epidermiological, clinical and laboratory research methods are being used to investigate novel cancer prevention and treatment strategies related to insulin and IGF signalling. Pharmacological strategies under study include the use of novel receptor-specific antibodies, receptor kinase inhibitors and AMP-activated protein kinase activators such as metformin. There is evidence that insulin and IGF signalling may also be relevant to dietary and lifestyle factors that influence cancer risk and cancer prognosis. Recent results are encouraging and have justified the expansion of many translational research programmes.

Insulin and insulin-like growth factor signalling in neoplasia

PRL is an anterior pituitary hormone that, along with GH and PLs, forms a family of hormones that probably resulted from the duplication of an ancestral gene. The PRLR is also a member of a larger family, known as the cytokine class-1 receptor superfamily, which currently has more than 20 different members. PRLRs or binding sites are widely distributed throughout the body. In fact, it is difficult to find a tissue that does not express any PRLR mRNA or protein. In agreement with this wide distribution of receptors is the fact that now more than 300 separate actions of PRL have been reported in various vertebrates, including effects on water and salt balance, growth and development, endocrinology and metabolism, brain and behavior, reproduction, and immune regulation and protection. Clearly, a large proportion of these actions are directly or indirectly associated with the process of reproduction, including many behavioral effects. PRL is also becoming well known as an important regulator of immune function. A number of disease states, including the growth of different forms of cancer as well as various autoimmune diseases, appear to be related to an overproduction of PRL, which may act in an endocrine, autocrine, or paracrine manner, or via an increased sensitivity to the hormone. The first step in the mechanism of action of PRL is the binding to a cell surface receptor. The ligand binds in a two-step process in which site 1 on PRL binds to one receptor molecule, after which a second receptor molecule binds to site 2 on the hormone, forming a homodimer consisting of one molecule of PRL and two molecules of receptor. The PRLR contains no intrinsic tyrosine kinase cytoplasmic domain but associates with a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase, JAK2. Dimerization of the receptor induces tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of the JAK kinase followed by phosphorylation of the receptor. Other receptor-associated kinases of the Src family have also been shown to be activated by PRL. One major pathway of signaling involves phosphorylation of cytoplasmic State proteins, which themselves dimerize and translocate to nucleus and bind to specific promoter elements on PRL-responsive genes. In addition, the Ras/Raf/MAP kinase pathway is also activated by PRL and may be involved in the proliferative effects of the hormone. Finally, a number of other potential mediators have been identified, including IRS-1, PI-3 kinase, SHP-2, PLC gamma, PKC, and intracellular Ca2+. The technique of gene targeting in mice has been used to develop the first experimental model in which the effect of the complete absence of any lactogen or PRL-mediated effects can be studied. Heterozygous (+/-) females show almost complete failure to lactate after the first, but not subsequent, pregnancies. Homozygous (-/-) females are infertile due to multiple reproductive abnormalities, including ovulation of premeiotic oocytes, reduced fertilization of oocytes, reduced preimplantation oocyte development, lack of embryo implantation, and the absence of pseudopregnancy. Twenty per cent of the homozygous males showed delayed fertility. Other phenotypes, including effects on the immune system and bone, are currently being examined. It is clear that there are multiple actions associated with PRL. It will be important to correlate known effects with local production of PRL to differentiate classic endocrine from autocrine/paracrine effects. The fact that extrapituitary PRL can, under some circumstances, compensate for pituitary PRL raises the interesting possibility that there may be effects of PRL other than those originally observed in hypophysectomized rats. The PRLR knockout mouse model should be an interesting system by which to look for effects activated only by PRL or other lactogenic hormones. On the other hand, many of the effects reported in this review may be shared with other hormones, cytokines, or growth factors and thus will be more difficult to study. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Prolactin (PRL) and Its Receptor: Actions, Signal Transduction Pathways and Phenotypes Observed in PRL Receptor Knockout Mice

The replication of Nb 2 Node rat lymphoma cells in suspension culture is specifically stimulated by lactogenic hormones. Human (hPRL), ovine, bovine, and rat PRLs stimulated replication in a dose-dependent manner in the concentration range of 10 pg/ml to 1 ng/ml. Human, ovine, and bovine placental lactogens were similarly active. In addition, cell replication was stimulated by human GH (hGH), which is known to have lactogenic activity. Other hormones and growth factors examined were inactive. The growth stimulatory effects of hPRL and hGH were completely inhibited when excess anti-hPRL and anti-hGH, respectively, were added to the medium. A bioassay based on the response of the Nb 2 Node lymphoma cells to lactogenic hormones has been developed. Human serum stimulated cell replication. The effect was completely abolished if excess antibodies to both hPRL and hGH were present. The stimulation obtained with a number of human serum samples correlated very well with the sum of the hPRL and hGH concentrations in the sera, as determined by RIA (r = 0.95; P < 0.001). The concentrations of either hPRL or hGH in human serum could be individually determined by specifically blocking the growth stimulatory effect of the other hormone by adding excess anti-hGH or anti-hPRl. The sensitivity of this bioassay for PRL and hGH in serum exceeds that of RIAs.

A New Sensitive and Specific Bioassay for Lactogenic Hormones: Measurement of Prolactin and Growth Hormone in Human Serum*

The specific binding of 125I-labeled insulin, hGH and oPRL was surveyed in crude membrane preparations of various tissues of the monkey, rat, guinea pig, rabbit, sheep, pigeon, and frog. Binding varied greatly with the species examined. The highest binding of 125I-insulin was seen in guinea pig tissues, especially kidney, fetal placenta and liver. Significant binding of 125I-insulin was seen in many but not all known target tissues, and in other tissues as well (viz. placental, adrenal, brain). The binding of 125I-hGH and 125I-oPRL paralleled each other, except in rabbit liver, and was highest in rabbit liver and adrenal, female rat liver, frog kidney, and several sheep tissues. There was no relation between phylogenetic proximity to man and the level of specific binding of 125I-hGH observed. The lowest binding of 125I-hGH was in male rat liver and various tissues of the mpnkey and guinea pig, a high proportion of which showed significant binding of 125I-insulin. 125I-insulin was displaced from the membra...

Studies of insulin, growth hormone and prolactin binding: tissue distribution, species variation and characterization.

A radioreceptor assay with a sensitivity of 5 nanograms per milliliter has been developed for mammalian and avian pituitary prolactin, placental lactogenic hormones, and humnan growth hormone, using a membrane receptor preparation isolated from rabbit mammary glands. Prolactin preparations inhibited the binding of [(125)I]prolactin to receptors in direct proportion to the biological potency of these preparations. Thus, the radioreceptor assay provides a convenient and simnple assay for hormones which have lactogenic activity.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/180/4089/968.full.pdf

Radioreceptor Assay for Prolactin and Other Lactogenic Hormones

Regulation of c-myc expression is known to be sensitive to a variety of mitogenic stimuli in various cell types. Since estrogen is a well documented mitogen of estrogen-responsive human breast cancer (HBC) cells, we studied the influence of estradiol and its antagonist tamoxifen on the expression of c-myc in HBC cell lines. Using Northern hybridization analysis, we monitored the accumulation of c-myc mRNA in a number of HBC cell lines. The cell lines studied included the estrogen-responsive, estrogen receptor positive (ER+) MCF-7, T-47D, the nonresponsive, estrogen receptor negative (ER-) MDA-MB-231, BT-20, and a nontumorous breast cell line, HBL-100. The effects of endogenous estrogen were minimized by culturing the cells in medium containing 10% (v/v) charcoal-treated fetal bovine serum and tamoxifen (10(-6) M) for 48 h prior to estradiol (10(-7) M) treatment. In the ER+ cell lines the addition of estradiol resulted in a noticeable increase in c-myc expression after 15 min with a maximal (greater than 10-fold) induction in 1-2 h. In the ER- cell lines the level of c-myc mRNA was high and was unaffected by estrogen or tamoxifen; in the ER- cancer cell lines, neither amplification nor rearrangement of the c-myc gene was observed. In contrast, the expression of another oncogene, c-H-ras, remained constant in both ER+ and ER- cell lines and was insensitive to estrogen and antiestrogen. These results suggest that regulation of c-myc expression may be an important step in estrogen-induced proliferation of HBC cells.

https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/47/24_Part_1/6517.full.pdf

Stimulation of c-myc oncogene expression associated with estrogen-induced proliferation of human breast cancer cells.

Receptors for human, simian, ovine, bovine and murine prolactin, human growth hormone and human placental lactogen have been identified in plasma-membrane-containing subcellular particles isolated from rabbit mammary glands. The association and dissociation of 125I-labelled prolactin are time- and temperature-dependent processes, both being maximal at 37°C. 125I-labelled prolactin prepared by the enzymic iodination procedure with lactoperoxidase binds better to receptors than does the preparation obtained by using chloramine-t as the oxidizing agent. The binding of 125I-labelled prolactin to receptors is strongly influenced by pH and ionic composition but not by many low-molecular-weight compounds tested, e.g. steroids, nucleotides and several drugs. Receptor activity is sensitive to trypsin and phospholipase C digestion, suggesting that protein and phospholipid moieties are essential for the binding of 125I-labelled prolactin. The binding of 125I-labelled prolactin to receptors is a saturable and reversible process. Scatchard and Lineweaver–Burk analyses suggest that 125I-labelled prolactin has a high affinity for its receptor. Binding of 125I-labelled prolactin to receptors does not result in the destruction of the hormone. Considerable prolactin-binding activity is also observed in subcellular fractions isolated from the adrenal gland, liver, ovary and kidney of the pregnant rabbit, a finding that is consistent with other reported actions of prolactin in these organs.

Robert P. C. Shiu

Papers

A New Sensitive and Specific Bioassay for Lactogenic Hormones: Measurement of Prolactin and Growth Hormone in Human Serum*

Studies of insulin, growth hormone and prolactin binding: tissue distribution, species variation and characterization.

Radioreceptor Assay for Prolactin and Other Lactogenic Hormones

Stimulation of c-myc oncogene expression associated with estrogen-induced proliferation of human breast cancer cells.

Properties of a prolactin receptor from the rabbit mammary gland