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Endocrinology Vol. 141, No. 3 883-890
Copyright © 2000 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Autosomal Dominant Growth Hormone (GH) Deficiency Type II: The Del32–71-GH Deletion Mutant Suppresses Secretion of Wild-Type GH1

Min S. Lee, Michael P. Wajnrajch, Steve S. Kim, Leslie P. Plotnick, Julie Wang, Joseph M. Gertner, Rudolph L. Leibel and Priscilla S. Dannies

Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine (M.S.L., S.S.K., P.S.D.), New Haven, Connecticut 06520; the Department of Pediatrics, Cornell University Medical College (M.P.W., J.W., R.L.), New York, New York 10021; the Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (L.P.P.), Baltimore, Maryland 21287; and the Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (J.M.G., R.L.), New York, New York 10032

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Priscilla S. Dannies, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, Department of Pharmacology, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8066.


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Familial isolated GH deficiency type II is an autosomal dominant form of short stature, associated in some families with mutations that result in missplicing to produce del32–71-GH, a protein that cannot fold normally. The mechanism by which this mutant suppresses the secretion of wild-type GH encoded by the normal allele is not known. Coexpression of del32–71-GH with wild-type human GH in transient transfections of the neuroendocrine cell lines GH4C1 and AtT20 suppressed accumulation of wild-type GH. The suppression of wild-type GH accumulation by del32–71-GH was a posttranslational effect on wild-type GH caused by decreased stability, rather than decreased synthesis, of wild-type GH. Coexpression of del32–71-GH with human PRL did not suppress accumulation of PRL, indicating that there was not a general suppression of secretory pathway function. Accumulation of del32–71-GH protein was not necessary for the suppression of wild-type GH, because del32–71-GH did not accumulate in the neuroendocrine cell lines in which suppression of accumulation of wild-type GH was observed. Del32–71-GH did accumulate in transfected COS and CHO cells, but did not suppress the accumulation of wild-type GH in these cells. These studies suggest that del32–71-GH may cause GH deficiency in somatotropes of heterozygotes expressing both wild-type and del32–71-GH by decreasing the intracellular stability of wild-type GH.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
HUMAN GH is a 191-amino acid monomeric protein. The precursor of GH is encoded by exons 1–5 of the GH gene, GH1, and the only processing of the protein is enzymatic cleavage of the 26-amino acid leader sequence required for entry into the endoplasmic reticulum. Mature GH is a 4 {alpha}-helix bundle with 2 intramolecular disulfide bridges. The mature 22-kDa GH protein accounts for approximately 75% of circulating GH; the majority of the remaining 25% is a 20-kDa product that results from alternate splicing of the GH1 gene, deleting amino acids 32–46 (del32–46-GH) (1).

Familial isolated GH deficiency type II (IGHDII) segregates as autosomal dominant severe short stature. Several families with this disorder have mutations in the first, fifth, or sixth base pair of the donor splice site of intron 3 of the GH1 gene (2, 3, 4). Mutations in the first and sixth base pairs have been shown to result in missplicing of messenger RNA (mRNA) and loss of exon 3, so that GH produced from this message lacks amino acids 32–71 (del32–71-GH) (2, 5, 6). These amino acids constitute the entire connecting loop between helix 1 and helix 2 (7), and without them the GH molecule cannot fold normally. The mechanisms by which this del32–71 mutant apparently suppresses the secretion of wild-type GH in individuals heterozygous for the mutation are not known.

Secretory proteins fold in the endoplasmic reticulum. Unfolded or misfolded proteins synthesized in the secretory pathway are usually retained in the endoplasmic reticulum and degraded and do not usually interfere with the folding of other proteins (8, 9, 10, 11). Human GH is a relatively small, monomeric, soluble protein, and the presence of a mutant protein that cannot fold properly would not necessarily be expected to interfere with the folding of wild-type hormone. Two examples of previously identified mutations of the GH1 gene that result in forms with aberrant folding are consistent with this expectation (12, 13). In one, the first 56 amino acids have the normal GH sequence, but a subsequent 2-bp deletion results in a frame shift and altered amino acid sequence (12). In the second, a splice site mutation results in a mRNA with an altered reading frame after the first 103 amino acids (13). These changes in amino acid sequence will alter the tertiary structure of these proteins compared with that of wild-type GH. Although these proteins cannot fold normally, the mutations are phenotypically recessive, and GH produced from the wild-type gene in heterozygotes is sufficient to support normal growth.

These two mutations suggest that the production of a protein with an inability to fold is not sufficient to suppress the production of wild-type GH. The mechanisms previously proposed for autosomal dominant deficiencies related to protein folding are the toxic accumulation of misfolded or unfolded proteins, the accumulation of dysfunctional heterodimers, or a combination of the two (14, 15, 16). We investigated whether expressing del32–71-GH in pituitary cells exerts a dominant negative effect on the accumulation of wild-type hormone and whether these mechanisms play a role in such suppression.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Vectors for transfections
Human GH complementary DNA (cDNA), a gift from Drs. Frances DeNoto and Brian West, was cloned into pcDNA3 (Invitrogen) by adding XhoI and HindIII sites by PCR with primers, 5'-tgt ctc gag tat tag gac aag gct ggt-3' and 5'-aca aag ctt cct gtg gac agc tca c-3'. The sequences coding for amino acids 32–71 and 32–46 were deleted by the overlapping primer technique of Ho et al. (17), using as primers, 5'-ctc tag gtt aaa ctc ctg gta ggt gtc aaa-3' and 5'-cag gag ttt aac cta gag ctg ctc cgc-3' for deleting 32–71, and 5'-cag gag ttt aac ccc cag acc tcc ctc-3' and 5'-ctg ggg gtt aaa ctc ctg gta ggt gtc-3' for deleting 32–46. Cysteine 165 was mutated to alanine using 5'-ttc ctg aac gcg tag agc agc ccg ta-3' and 5'-ctg ctc tac gcg ttc agg aag gac-3'. To assess the effects of del32–71-GH on wild-type human PRL, we inserted the translated sequences of PRL into the untranslated 5'- and 3'-ends of the GH sequences in pcDNA3, using the primer 5'-aca aag ctt ctt gtg gac agc tga cct agc ggc aat gaa gat gaa agg atc gcc a-3' to convert the 5'-end, and 5'-atc cac aac aac aac tgc taa ctg ccc ggg tgg cat-3' and 5'-tag gtg ttg ttg ttg acg att gac ggg ccc acc gta-3' to convert the 3'-end. All constructions were confirmed by sequencing in the W. M. Keck Foundation Biotechnology Resource Laboratory (Yale University, New Haven, CT).

Cell transfections
GH4C1 cells were incubated in a 1:1 mixture of Ham’s nutrient F-10, and DMEM plus 15% horse serum with 1 nM estradiol, 5 nM epidermal growth factor, and 300 nM insulin and transiently transfected using Superfect (QIAGEN, Chatsworth, CA), using conditions determined to give maximum secretion of transfected hormones in GH4C1 cells: 1 µg total plasmid DNA plus 6 µl Superfect/50,000 cells for 3 h. COS, CHO, and AtT20 cells were transfected using the same conditions.

Hormone assays
Plates were collected 1 day after transfection and assayed for mutant and wild-type GH by SDS-PAGE and then immunoblotting or were treated first with 400 µCi Express 35S Protein Labeling Mix (NEN Life Science Products, Boston, MA), and then collected and assayed for labeled hormone by immunoprecipitation followed by SDS-gel electrophoresis (18). In some experiments, transfected cells were incubated with serum-free medium for 3 h or more, and the medium (1.5 ml) was concentrated by centrifugation using Ultrafree-MC Filters (Millipore Corp., Bedford, MA) to a volume of 20 µl followed by SDS-PAGE and then immunoblotting the entire amount of concentrated medium. The antibody used for both assays was antihuman GH GH-IC-3 antiserum from the National Hormone and Pituitary Program, NIDDK, NICHHD, the USDA, and Dr. A. F. Parlow. The antiserum was used at a dilution of 1:1000 for immunoblots and 1:400 for immunoprecipitation. The amount of antiserum bound to GH in the immunoblots was assayed by [125I]protein A binding, and both immunoblots and [35S]GH were quantified using a Molecular Imager (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Richmond, CA).

Concentrations of human GH and human PRL in the medium were assayed by RIA with the reagents provided by the National Hormone and Pituitary Program and Dr. A. F. Parlow. At the dilution of the antisera used for RIAs, there was no cross-reaction with rat GH or rat PRL from GH4C1 cells.

RNA extraction and Northern analysis were carried out as previously described (18).

Quantitative comparisons of hormone synthesis or accumulation were always made using cells that were transfected and assayed in the same experiment. The values in the text are the mean ± SE of three or more independent experiments unless otherwise indicated. The mean of two experiments is given ± the range.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Effect of coexpressing human wild-type GH with del32–71-GH in GH4C1 cells
We transfected several cell types with cDNA for wild-type and mutant GHs in proportions designed to mimic the ratio of respective DNA sequences in normal subjects, heterozygotes, and homozygously affected individuals. A total of 1 µg DNA was transfected in all instances; thus, cells were transformed with 1 µg DNA (vector containing human wild-type GH, vector containing a mutant GH, or a mixture of half wild-type and half mutant).

In rat pituitary GH4C1 cells transfected with wild-type GH alone, human GH was detected by immunoblotting after electrophoresis (Fig. 1AGo, lanes 2 and 6), and there was little or no cross-reaction with rat GH produced by GH4C1 cells at the dilutions of antiserum used (Fig. 1AGo, lanes 1 and 5). Cells transfected with del32–71-GH alone contained little or no immunoreactive product at 17.5 kDa, the predicted size of the del32–71 mutant protein (Fig. 1AGo, lane 3). Cells transfected with the same total amount of DNA, as a mixture of half wild-type and half del32–71-GH, would be expected to contain 50% as much wild-type GH if coexpression of del32–71-GH did not affect the accumulation of wild-type GH. The amount of intracellular wild-type GH in cells transfected with the mixture of wild-type GH and del32–71-GH was consistently less than 50% (Fig. 1AGo, lane 4), averaging 11 ± 2.7% of the intracellular GH in cells transfected with wild-type GH alone.



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Figure 1. Immunoblots of human wild-type GH, del32–71-GH, and del32–46-GH from rat GH4C1 cell lysates and incubation medium. A, Samples of cell lysates; B, samples of incubation medium. The labels above the lanes of the gels indicate the micrograms of DNA used to transfect the cells. wt, Vector containing human wild-type GH sequences; {Delta}32–71, vector containing human del32–71-GH; {Delta}32–46, vector containing human del32–46-GH. In a separate experiment, we found that wild-type human GH migrated to the same position as standard human GH from the NIH.

 
We cotransfected wild-type GH with other cDNAs to demonstrate that the suppression of wild-type GH by del32–71-GH was not simply an effect of reducing the amount of vector coding for wild-type hormone by half. One control was a cDNA encoding the naturally occurring 20-kDa form of GH (del32–46-GH), which results from alternate splicing of the wild-type gene. This form is missing only a portion of the connecting loop between helix 1 and helix 2 and is therefore able to fold to almost the same conformation as wild-type hormone (19). Unlike human del32–71-GH, del32–46-GH was easily detected after transfection in GH4C1 cells (Fig. 1AGo, lane 7) and did not decrease the accumulation of wild-type hormone (Fig. 1AGo, lane 8). The average accumulation of wild-type GH in cells transfected with the mixture of wild-type and del32–46-GH was 64 ± 9.8% of that in cells transfected with wild-type alone. The average accumulation of del32–46-GH in cells transfected with the mixture of wild-type and del32–46-GH was 44 ± 10.0% of that in cells transfected with del32–46-GH alone.

We also examined the effect of cotransfecting wild-type GH and vector either with no insert or with cDNA for human PRL as an insert. The average accumulation of wild-type GH protein in cells transfected with the mixture of wild-type protein and vector with no insert was 55 ± 4% (n = 2) of that in cells transfected with wild-type protein alone, and the average accumulation of wild-type GH in cells transfected with the mixture of wild-type GH and human PRL was 58 ± 4% (n = 2) of that in cells transfected with wild-type GH alone. Therefore, the suppression of wild-type GH accumulation by coexpression in GH4C1 cells is specific to del32–71-GH.

Secretion of human GH from transfected GH4C1 cells was assessed by immunoblots of concentrates of serum-free medium after several hours of incubation with the transfected cells. GH4C1 cells secreted wild-type GH (Fig. 1BGo, lanes 2 and 6) and del32–46-GH (Fig. 1BGo, lanes 7 and 8), and there was no immunoreactivity at the 17.5-kDa position expected for del32–71-GH (Fig. 1BGo, lane 3). We also measured by RIA the amount of human GH immunoreactivity accumulated in serum-containing medium during the 24-h incubation after transfection. No immunoreactive product accumulated in the medium of GH4C1 cells transfected with del32–71-GH alone. In those experiments with transfected GH4C1 cells in which intracellular GH levels assayed by immunoblots were compared with secretion over 24 h by RIA, the results achieved with the two different methods were similar. Therefore, coexpression of wild-type and del32–71-GH suppressed both secretion and intracellular accumulation of wild-type GH.

Del32–71-GH mRNA accumulated in transfected GH4C1 cells (Fig. 2Go, lane 3). Most of the mRNA that hybridized with the probe for wild-type or del32–71-GH migrated as high mol wt forms near the top of the gel, indicating that the transcription termination signal in the pcDNA3 vector did not function as effectively as the initiation signal at the CMV promoter, so that RNA polymerase transcribes the entire vector more than once. Such high mol wt mRNA molecules also accumulated in COS cells (not shown). The amounts of GH mRNA were approximately the same whether cells were transfected with wild-type, del32–71-GH, or the mixture of half wild-type and half del32–71-GH (Fig. 2Go, lanes 2–4).



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Figure 2. Northern analysis of GH mRNA from extracts of GH4C1 cells. Blots hybridized with human [32P]GH sequences. The labels above the lanes of the gels indicate the micrograms of DNA used to transfect the cells. wt, Vector containing human wild-type GH sequences; {Delta}32–71, vector containing human del32–71-GH.

 
Effect of coexpression in other cell lines
The dominant negative effect of del32–71-GH cotransfection on intracellular accumulation of wild-type GH protein, without accumulation of the del32–71 mutant protein itself, also occurred in a mouse pituitary cell line, AtT20, that does not produce endogenous GH (Fig. 3Go). Secretion of wild-type GH assessed by RIA in AtT20 cells transfected with half wild-type and half del32–71-GH was 23 ± 4.7% of that secreted by cells transfected with wild-type GH alone.



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Figure 3. Immunoblots of human wild-type GH and mutants in neuroendocrine cells. A, Immunoblots of human wild-type and del32–71-GH in lysates of mouse AtT20 cells. The labels above the lanes of the gels indicate the micrograms of DNA used to transfect the cells. wt, Vector containing human wild-type GH sequences; {Delta}32–71, vector containing human del32–71-GH. B, Immunoblots of wild-type human GH, del32–71-GH, and C165A-GH in GH4C1 cell lysates. {Delta}32–71 and C165A, Vectors containing human del32–71 and C165A-GH.

 
Coexpression of del32–71-GH did not suppress accumulation of wild-type GH in all cell types. In extracts of COS cells transfected with del32–71-GH, two bands were detected: one at approximately 17.5 kDa, the predicted molecular mass of del32–71-GH, and a smaller band at approximately 14 kDa (Fig. 4AGo, lane 2). No del32–71-GH was detected in the incubation medium of COS cells (Fig. 4BGo, lanes 3 and 4); this result was expected, as proteins that cannot fold are not usually secreted from cells. Accumulation of wild-type GH in the incubation medium of COS cells transfected with half-wild-type and half del32–71-GH was 63 ± 6% (n = 2) of that in the medium from cells transfected with wild-type GH alone. COS cells, therefore, differed from the neuroendocrine cell lines, GH4C1 and AtT20, by virtue of intracellular accumulation of the mutant and by the absence of a dominant negative effect of del32–71-GH on wild-type GH accumulation. Transfection of CHO cells gave results similar to those for COS cells (data not shown).



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Figure 4. Immunoblots of human wild-type and del32–71-GH from COS cell lysates and incubation medium. A, Samples of cell lysates; B, samples of medium in a separate experiment. Lanes 3 and 4 in A are replicates that showed more variation between samples than most experiments. The labels above the lanes of the gels indicate the micrograms of DNA used to transfect the cells. wt, Vector containing human wild-type GH sequences; {Delta}32–71, vector containing human del32–71-GH.

 
Decreased stability of wild-type GH when coexpressed with del32–71-GH
Coexpression of del32–71-GH and wild-type GH in neuroendocrine cells may reduce the accumulation of wild-type GH by two mechanisms: 1) suppressing the synthesis of wild-type GH, or 2) inducing degradation of the protein once it is synthesized. We assayed GH synthesis by measuring 35S-labeled amino acid incorporation for 7 min into wild-type GH (Fig. 5Go, top panel, section A), using AtT20 cells because rat GH normally made by GH4C1 cells was also precipitated at the concentrations of antiserum necessary to immunoprecipitate human GH. Cells transfected with half wild-type and half del32–71-GH would be expected to synthesize 50% as much wild-type GH as cells transfected with wild-type GH alone if coexpression of del32–71-GH did not affect the synthesis of wild-type GH. AtT20 cells cotransfected with wild-type and del32–71-GH contained 50.1 ± 4.5% as much wild-type [35S]GH at the end of the 7-min pulse (Fig. 6AGo), indicating that synthesis of wild-type GH was not suppressed. We assayed GH degradation by measuring the amounts of [35S]GH that remained in the cultures 4 h after the 7-min pulse of 35S-labeled amino acids (Fig. 5Go, top panel, sections B and C). (The quantitation of human GH in arbitrary units in the experiment shown in Fig. 5Go, top panel, is as follows: cells transfected with wild-type GH alone: pulse 108; chase in cells, 30; in medium, 147; and cells transfected with both: pulse, 62; chase in cells, 2; chase in medium, 46.) In cells transfected with wild-type GH alone, the [35S]GH present at the end of the 7-min pulse was still present 4 h later in the cells and medium (Fig. 6BGo); in some experiments the amount of [35S]GH even increased, most likely because the incorporation of 35S-labeled amino acids was not completely prevented during the 4-h chase period. In cells transfected with the mixture of wild-type and del32–71-GH, however, [35S]GH in the cells and medium after 4 h was about 40% less than that present at the end of the 7-min pulse (Fig. 6BGo). Therefore, wild-type GH was stable in AtT20 cells expressing wild-type protein alone, but was degraded in cells transfected with the mixture.



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Figure 5. Immunoprecipitates of human [35S]GH from lysates and incubation medium. Top panel, Mouse AtT20 cells. Section A, Immunoprecipitates from cell lysates after 7 min of incubation with 35S-labeled amino acids; section B, immunoprecipitates from cell lysates 4 h after the 7-min pulse with 35S-labeled amino acids; section C, immunoprecipitates from medium 4 h after the 7-min pulse with 35S-labeled amino acids. Bottom panel, COS cells. Section A, Immunoprecipitates from cell lysates after 8 min of incubation with 35S-labeled amino acids; section B, immunoprecipitates from cell lysates 40 min after removal of 35S-labeled amino acids; section C, immunoprecipitates from medium 40 min after removal of 35S-labeled amino acids. The labels above the lanes of the gels indicate the micrograms of DNA used to transfect the cells. wt, Vector containing human wild-type GH sequences; {Delta}32–71, vector containing human del32–71-GH.

 


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Figure 6. Synthesis and stability of newly synthesized [35S]GH in AtT20 cells transfected with wild-type GH alone (W) or half wild-type and half 32–71-GH (W+M). Results are the mean ± SE of four experiments, of which the data in Fig. 5Go are an example. To compare results from different experiments, the amount of [35S]GH present in cells transfected with wild-type GH alone at the end of a 7-min pulse in each experiment was set at 100%, and all other samples from the pulse or chase period in the same experiment were expressed as a percentage of this value. A, [35S]GH present in cells after a 7-min pulse. B, [35S]GH (cells plus medium) present in cultures 4 h after a 7-min pulse.

 
In both GH4C1 cells and AtT20 cells, we did not usually detect incorporation of 35S-labeled amino acids into del32–71-GH after a 7-min incubation, but we could detect its synthesis in COS cells. In COS cells transfected with del32–71-GH alone, 35S-labeled amino acids were incorporated into two bands that migrated during electrophoresis to the same positions as those found in immunoblots, approximately 17.5 and 14 kDa (Fig. 5Go, bottom panel, section A, lane 3). During a 40-min chase, the amount of 35S-labeled 17.5-kDa protein decreased and that of 35S-labeled 14.5-kDa protein increased, consistent with the conversion of the 17.5-kDa protein to the 14-kDa form with time (Fig. 5Go, bottom panel, sections A and B, lanes 3). (The quantitation of human GH in the experiment shown in Fig. 5Go, bottom panel, in arbitrary units was as follows: cells transfected with wild-type GH alone: pulse, 169; chase in cells, 81; chase in medium, 59; cells transfected with del32–71-GH alone, the 17.5-kDa form: pulse, 116; chase, 30; and the 14-kDa form: pulse, 55; chase, 63.)

Incorporation of 35S-labeled amino acids into 17.5- and 14-kDa forms was detected in AtT20 cells after a 30-min incubation with 35S-labeled amino acids (Fig. 7Go, lane 2), and the intensities of these bands increased when proteasome inhibitors were added during the incubation (Fig. 7Go, lane 3), indicating at least some del32–71-GH is synthesized by AtT20 cells.



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Figure 7. Immunoprecipitates of human [35S]del32–71-GH from lysates of AtT20 cells. The labels above the lanes of the gels indicate the micrograms of DNA used to transfect the cells. {Delta}32–71, Vector containing human del32–71-GH. Cells in lane 3 were incubated with 10 µM lactacystin, 10 µM M6–13L, and 8 µM proteasome inhibitor I for 1 h, and cells in lane 2 were incubated with vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide) alone. Cells in all lanes were then incubated with 35S-labeled amino acids for 30 min.

 
Functioning of the secretory pathway
Expression of del32–71-GH in GH4C1 cells did not disrupt functioning of the secretory pathway, because del32–71-GH did not suppress PRL production (Fig. 8Go). In GH4C1 cells transfected with equal amounts of human PRL and wild-type GH, the mean ratio of human GH to human PRL in the incubation medium was 1.03 ± 0.19, indicating that the PRL and GH vectors induce similar levels of protein expression. GH4C1 cells produced as much human PRL when cotransfected with del32–71-GH as they did when cotransfected with wild-type GH (Fig. 8Go), indicating that coexpressing del32–71-GH did not suppress the production of PRL.



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Figure 8. Human PRL secreted into the medium from GH4C1 cells. The labels below the bars indicate the micrograms of DNA used to transfect the cells. PRL, Vector containing human wild-type PRL coding sequences; wtGH, vector containing human wild-type GH sequences; {Delta}32–71-GH, vector containing human del32–71-GH. PRL in the medium was measured by RIA. The values are expressed as a percentage of the amount produced by cells transfected with human PRL alone and are the mean ± range of values from two independent experiments.

 
Removal of the unpaired sulfhydryl group
Deletion of amino acids 32–71 of human GH not only removes the connecting loop for the first and second {alpha}-helices, but also removes cysteine 53. Consequently, the normal disulfide bond with cysteine 165 cannot form, leaving an unpaired sulfhydryl group. An unpaired sulfhydryl group, however, is not necessary for the dominant negative effect on accumulation of wild-type GH, because del32–71,C165A-GH, which has an alanine substituted for the unpaired cysteine, also prevents the accumulation of wild-type GH in GH4C1 cells (Fig. 3Go). The results obtained with the various mutants in the different cell lines are summarized in Table 1Go.


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Table 1. Ability of mutant GH to suppress wild-type GH production when cotransfected

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Specific autosomal dominant disorders are attributed to defects in protein folding (14, 16). One explanation for how altered protein folding of a mutant molecular species exerts a dominant effect on the product of the normal allele is that accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum causes toxic effects, leading to cell death. A second possibility that applies to proteins made of more than one polypeptide chain is that the mutant and wild-type polypeptide chains combine to form proteins that do not function properly. There is experimental evidence to support these explanations in some disorders (14, 16).

Autosomal dominant deficiencies in PTH, vasopressin, and GH have been identified that are attributable to defects in protein folding (2, 3, 5, 6, 15, 20, 21). In PTH, the mutation results in a single amino acid substitution, and in vasopressin, the mutations include single amino acid substitutions, a single amino acid deletion, and a prematurely terminated polypeptide chain (15, 20, 21). The mechanism for autosomal dominant vasopressin deficiency has been explored by stably transfecting cells with vasopressin mutants. The mutant proteins are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, consistent with a lack of proper folding (15, 20), and in some conditions accumulation of the mutants is toxic to the cells (15). Neuro2A cells can be induced to resemble postmitotic neurons; under inducing conditions, clones of Neuro2A cells expressing mutant vasopressins die, unlike the clone expressing wild-type vasopressin (15). These results support the explanation that cell-toxic effects of misfolded proteins cause dominant negative genetic phenomena.

Toxic accumulation of misfolded proteins or formation of dysfunctional oligomers have also been proposed as explanations for autosomal dominant GH deficiency, particularly in cases in which mutations in the GH1 gene result in deletion of exon 3 (13, 15, 22). GH is active as a monomer, and dysfunctional aggregates have been proposed to form through intermolecular disulfide bond formation. We demonstrated that transfecting del32–71-GH with wild-type GH in neuroendocrine cells suppresses the accumulation and secretion of wild-type hormone by a mechanism that differs from either cell-toxic accumulation or dysfunctional oligomers. Transfecting del32–71-GH did not cause general toxic effects in neuroendocrine cells over the timespan of these experiments, because PRL production was not affected by del32–71-GH cotransfections in GH4C1 cells, and wild-type GH synthesis was not suppressed by del32–71-GH cotransfection in AtT20 cells. Del32–71-GH did not accumulate in either cell type, and its synthesis was barely detectable, so it cannot form appreciable amounts of aggregates with wild-type GH to cause suppression. On the contrary, in COS cells in which the mutant did accumulate, there was no suppression of wild-type GH accumulation. No higher mol wt forms of GH were detected in immunoblots of GH4C1 cell extracts run under nonreducing conditions (not shown). Such higher mol wt aggregates would be expected if intermolecular disulfide bonds had formed in wild-type GH. In addition, the del32–71-GH mutant that lacks a sulfhydryl group (del32–71,C165A-GH) was incapable of suppressing wild-type GH accumulation, indicating that the unpaired sulfhydryl group is not necessary for the effect.

The reduced accumulation of wild-type GH caused by del32–71-GH occurs because the stability of wild-type GH is decreased. Synthesis of wild-type GH (measured by 35S-labeled amino acid incorporation) in AtT20 cells cotransfected with wild-type and del32–71-GH was 50% of that in cells transfected with wild-type GH alone, but accumulation of wild-type GH in the cotransfected cultures was 23% of that in cells transfected with wild-type GH alone. The difference between synthesis and accumulation is due to the decreased stability of wild-type GH that we measured in cells cotransfected with del32–71-GH. Decreased stability of wild-type GH without accumulation of the mutant isoform (del32–71-GH) has not been previously described as a mechanism for dominant negative effects of a misfolded protein.

The lack of accumulation of del32–71-GH could reflect low rates of synthesis, rapid degradation, or both. In general, proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum that do not fold properly are rapidly degraded (11). An important mechanism for such degradation is transport of the proteins back across the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol, where they are cleaved by proteasomes (23, 24, 25). The mechanisms of such protein degradation are not fully elucidated, but it has been shown that proteins need not be completely transported into the endoplasmic reticulum, and possibly not even completely synthesized, for reverse transport and degradation to occur (26). The simplest explanation for the lack of accumulation of del32–71-GH is that the mutant protein is synthesized, but degraded immediately thereafter. The presence of mRNA for del32–71-GH in amounts similar to those of the mRNA for wild-type GH and the ability of proteasome inhibitors to enhance [35S]del32–71-GH accumulation are consistent with this explanation.

Binder et al. measured GH secretion of Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocytes derived from an individual heterozygous for the del32–71-GH mutation and from two control subjects (22). The transformed lymphocytes from the heterozygote secreted as much human GH as one of the controls, although the other control secreted 10 times more than either of the others, so that the dominant negative effect of del32–71-GH was not apparent in lymphocytes. The apparent lack of effect in lymphocytes may reflect the tissue specificity that we found. Using transient transfections, we found dominant suppression of wild-type GH by del32–71-GH in neuroendocrine cells, but not in the other cell types that we tested.

Mutations in the GH1 gene that result in deletion of exon 3 are an apparent cause of autosomal dominant GH deficiency and severe growth failure, because these mutations are present in all affected members of several families with this deficiency (3, 13, 22, 27). The data presented here support this genetic evidence by demonstrating that del32–71-GH suppresses intracellular accumulation and secretion of wild-type GH in transfected cultures. The decreased intracellular stability of wild-type GH may provide a mechanism for IGHDII associated with mutations that cause synthesis of this deletion mutant. The decreased stability of wild-type GH is apparent within 1 day of cotransfection with del32–71-GH and does not exclude the possibility that other mechanisms may also reduce the production of wild-type hormone over a longer time. Several cellular responses to unfolded proteins have been characterized, including increased transcription of genes for chaperones that have an unfolded protein response element upstream of their promoters (28, 29), activation of transcription factor NF-{kappa}B (30, 31), and phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (32, 33). Phosphorylation of initiation factor-2 decreases overall protein synthesis. Such a general mechanism does not appear to be triggered in neuroendocrine cells by del32–71-GH, because PRL production is not reduced in GH4C1 cells, and wild-type GH synthesis is not suppressed in AtT20 cells. Synthesis of the mutant may, however, activate other characterized or as yet unrecognized pathways to interfere chronically with GH mRNA accumulation or somatotrope development in addition to the direct suppression of GH protein accumulation reported here.

Cells that express the del32–71-GH mutant are capable of synthesizing wild-type GH, but are rendered less capable of a subsequent step in the secretion of GH, so that some of the newly synthesized wild-type hormone is degraded, rather than released. The del32–71-GH mutant may directly compete with wild-type hormone for a protein, such as a chaperone, necessary for the correct folding or transport of the wild-type GH. Alternatively, expressing this mutant protein may induce changes in the secretory pathway of neuroendocrine cells that result in decreased ability to fold or transport wild-type hormone. An obvious difference in the secretory pathways of GH4C1 and AtT20 vs. COS and CHO cells is the former’s ability to store hormone. CHO and COS cells export proteins without storing them, and the two neuroendocrine cell lines store concentrated hormones in secretory granules. The mechanisms by which neuroendocrine cells concentrate proteins for storage are not known (34, 35). It is possible that differences in the responses of neuroendocrine and other cells to the expression of del32–71-GH are caused by cell-specific differences in the handling of protein hormones in the secretory pathway that are necessary for this concentration.


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank Drs. Frances DeNoto and Brian West for the human GH cDNA, and Dr. Sharon Milgram for the AtT20 cells.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was supported by NIH Grant DK-46807 and a grant from the American Diabetes Association (to P.S.D.), NIH Grants DK-52431 (to R.L.L.) and DK-02569, and a Clinical Scholar Award from the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society (to M.P.W.). Back

Received September 14, 1999.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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