Cloning, characterization, and regulation of the human type II IMP dehydrogenase gene

Human type II inosine 5{prime}-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH, EC 1.1.1.205) is the rate-limiting enzyme in de novo guanine nucleotide biosynthesis. Regulated IMPDH activity is associated with cellular proliferation, transformation, and differentiation. The authors cloned and sequenced the entire gene for type II IMPDH and here provide details regarding the organization of the gene and the characterization of its promoter. The gene spans approximately 5 kb and is disrupted by 12 introns. The transcriptional start sites were determined by S1 nuclease mapping to be somewhat heterogeneous but predominated at 102 and 85 nucleotides from the translational initiation codon. Through the use of heterologous gene constructs and transient transfection assays, a minimal promoter from {minus}206 to {minus}85 was defined. This promoter is TATA-less and contains several transcription factor motifs including four potential Sp 1 binding sites. The minimal promoter is GC-rich (69%) and resembles a CpG island. Through the use of gel mobility shift assays, nuclear proteins were shown to specifically interact with this minimal promoter. Stable transfectants were used to demonstrate that the down-regulation of IMPDH gene expression in response to reduced cellular proliferation occurs by a transcriptional mechanism

Increased inosine 5{prime}-monophosphate dehydrogenase gene expression in replicating cells: A response to growth factors, not to changes in cell cycle parameters

The authors have analyzed levels of inosine 5{prime}-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH; E.C. 1.1.1.205) type II mRNA levels in a human melanoma cell line, SK-MEL-131, and a Chinese hamster ovary cell line synchronously progressing through the cell cycle following treatment with aphidicolin. Following release from the aphidicolin block at the G{sub 1}-S phase boundary, the type II IMPDH gene was found to be constitutively expressed at a similar level during all stages of the cell cycle. To analyze growth regulation, as opposed to cell cycle regulation, stable SK-MEL-131 transfectants that express a type II IMPDH-promoted heterologous construct were assayed following deprivation of serum growth factors and after restimulation with fresh serum. Serum deprivation resulted in down-regulation of both steady state type II IMPDH mRNA levels and promoter activity, while restimulation with serum resulted in up-regulation of these parameters. These findings support the conclusion that the increase in IMPDH type II gene expression in replicating cells is mainly due to growth factor regulation rather than changes in cell cycle parameters and that this regulation is mediated primarily by a transcriptional mechanism. The increased level of IMPDH expression and activity found in many tumors may therefore also be due to a transcriptionally mediated response to growth factors

Validity and Qualitative Research: An Oxymoron?

qualitative research, legitimation, validity, criteria, standards, rigor, accountability,