Endocrinology Vol. 141, No. 6 2166-2173
Copyright © 2000 by The Endocrine Society
Down-Regulation of Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 Gene Expression in Fetal Lung Hypoplasia Is Restored by Glucocorticoids1
Alejandro Losada2,
Juan A. Tovar,
Hui M. Xia,
Juan A. Diez-Pardo and
Pilar Santisteban
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto
Sols", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (A.L., P.S.), 28029 Madrid;
and Servicio de Cirugía Pediátrica, Hospital Infantil La
Paz, (A.L., J.A.T., H.M.X., J.A.D-P), 28046 Madrid, Spain
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Pilar Santisteban, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Arturo Duperier 4, E-28029 Madrid, Spain. E-mail: psantisteban{at}iib uam.es.
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Abstract
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The thyroid transcription factor (TTF)-1 has an essential role in lung
morphogenesis and development. It is involved in the transcription of
surfactant proteins (SP), which are critical in respiratory function.
Neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia die of respiratory
failure caused by pulmonary hypoplasia with associated biochemical
immaturity. To gain new insights into the causes of this disorder and
the effect of prenatal hormonal treatment on reducing mortality in
these infants, we evaluated the expression of TTF-1 as marker of lung
morphogenesis and SP-B as marker of lung maturity. Using a rat model of
lung immaturity, we show that TTF-1 and SP-B messenger RNA (mRNA)
levels are drastically reduced in congenital lung hypoplasia.
Interestingly, prenatal dexamethasone (Dex) treatment increased both
TTF-1 and SP-B mRNAs over control levels when administered to rats with
lung hypoplasia, but it had no effect on TTF-1 or a moderate effect on
SP-B mRNA when administered to control rats. TRH alone also increases
TTF-1 and SP-B mRNA levels but to a lesser extent than Dex. When
administered together with Dex, TRH counteracts the induction observed
with the glucocorticoid. The decrease in TTF-1 mRNA levels in lung
hypoplasia is paralleled by a down-regulation of TTF-1 protein levels,
as well as by a decrease in the TTF-1/DNA complex when the
TTF-1-binding site of the SP-B promoter was used as a probe. Both
parameters were reestablished after glucocorticoid treatment. Moreover,
the regulation of TTF-1 gene expression described in this report is
accompanied by the same regulation in its promoter activity, as
demonstrated in transfection experiments performed in H-441 human
lung-derived adenocarcinoma cells. In conclusion, our data demonstrate,
for the first time, that lung hypoplasia and the associated respiratory
dysfunction caused by SP-B deficiency are caused, in part, by
down-regulation of TTF-1 gene expression. The observations that
prenatal glucocorticoid treatment induces the expression of TTF-1
supports routine in utero glucocorticoid treatment of
patients expected to have lung hypoplasia.
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Introduction
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LUNG MORPHOGENESIS and development are
known to require the presence of transcription factors (1) that
activate or repress the expression of specific genes. In both
processes, members of the forkhead family, HNF-3
and HNF-3ß
(hepatocyte nuclear factors 3
and ß), the homeodomain proteins
Hoxa5 and TTF-1 (thyroid transcription factor 1), and members of the
nuclear receptor superfamily (including receptors for glucocorticoids,
thyroid hormones, and retinoids) are involved. TTF-1 is a
homeodomain-containing transcription factor (2), expressed in two of
the many structures derived from the foregut endoderm, the thyroid, and
the lung (3). TTF-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) is detectable within the
ventral migrating edge of the lung bud on embryonic day (E) 9.5 in the
rat (3). In E11.5, a strong signal can be detected in both branches of
the primitive bronchi, and from E13.5E15.5, TTF-1 mRNA is expressed
in the bronchial epithelium. In late gestation stages (E17.5), TTF-1 is
present in epithelial cells of the bronchioli. TTF-1 is involved in the
transcription of pulmonary surfactant proteins (SP-A, SP-B, and SP-C)
and clara cell secretory protein (4, 5, 6, 7), as well as in
thyroid-specific genes such as thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidase, TSH
receptor, and Na+/I-
symporter (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14). Surfactant protein B (SP-B) is a hydrophobic protein
that enhances the spreading and stability of surfactant phospholipids
in the alveolus. Ablation of the SP-B gene in transgenic mice
demonstrates the critical role of SP-B in the initiation of lung
inflation at birth. Homozygous SP-B (-/-) mice died of respiratory
failure immediately after birth (15), and their lungs, normally
developed, remained atelectatic. An essential role for TTF-1 in
lung and thyroid morphogenesis has been established, because homozygous
TTF-1 null mutant mice show dilated sac-like structures in the pleural
cavity rather than normal lungs (16). These structures had a
rudimentary bronchial tree (but no bronchioli, alveoli, or pulmonary
parenchyma) and an abnormal epithelium. This mutant died of respiratory
distress immediately after birth and lacked the thyroid; the
hypothalamus was severely affected (16) and have defects in
tracheoesophageal morphogenesis (17). Other transcription factors are
required for normal lung morphogenesis, such as HNF-3
and HNF-3ß,
both of which are expressed in endoderm derivatives during
embryogenesis and lung development (18, 19) and are involved in
regulation of TTF-1 gene expression (20). The role during
development of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) was investigated by
generation of GR-deficient mice (21). GR null mice show respiratory
distress at birth and die within a few hours. The lungs are severely
atelectatic, and development is impaired from day 15.5 of gestation.
These observations suggest: 1) a possible role for these transcription
factors in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypoplasia; and 2) prompt
research into how their expression is altered in this disorder during
embryogenesis.
Newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a malformation that
occurs in up to 1:2200 births, still have a poor prognosis, in spite of
recent therapeutic progress. This high mortality rate is attributable
mainly to neonatal respiratory failure caused by the associated severe
pulmonary hypoplasia, with physiological and biochemical immaturity.
Aiming at better understanding the pathophysiology of pulmonary
hypoplasia, a reproducible animal model was developed in neonatal rats
by feeding nitrofen (NF) (2,4-dichlorophenyl-p-nitrophenyl ether) to
timed-mated pregnant rats in an appropriate embryological window (22).
Lung hypoplasia (23) and immaturity (24), observed in rat fetuses born
to exposed females, are very similar to those found in the human
disorders. In this rat model, the most severe pulmonary defects were
observed only after exposure to NF between E9E11, and not before this
stage (22). Nitrofen is detected in the embryonic compartment, 3 h
after administration, with a peak, 72 h later, that corresponds to
E12E14 (25). Nitrofen is thus present in the embryo at the time at
which TTF-1 is expressed in lung. These observations suggest a possible
alteration of TTF-1 in lung hypoplasia. Using the above rat model, we
determined TTF-1 expression as a marker of adequate lung morphogenesis,
and SP-B expression as an indirect marker of lung maturity. We report
here that expression of TTF-1 is severely decreased in lung
hypoplasia.
Glucocorticoids are used clinically to induce lung maturation and
surfactant production in human fetuses expected to be delivered
prematurely. This antenatal hormonal therapy is known to accelerate
pulmonary development in premature neonates and has decreased the
incidence of respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary complications
of preterm birth (26, 27), but the mechanism remains unclear. The
addition of TRH therapy is no more beneficial than glucocorticoids
alone (28). We investigated the effect of this antenatal hormonal
therapy on TTF-1 expression. Our results show that glucocorticoid
therapy to animals with lung hypoplasia restores the expression of this
transcription factor, supporting routine in utero
glucocorticoid treatment for patients expected to suffer lung
hypoplasia.
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Materials and Methods
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Animals
Sprague Dawley rats, maintained in environmental conditions with
controlled temperature and an artificial dark-light cycle, were used
throughout the study. Animals were fed ad libitum with a
standard laboratory diet. We used animals weighing approximately
250 g. Females were caged with fertile males overnight, and mating
was confirmed by the presence of spermatozoa in a vaginal plug (day 0).
All animals were treated according to an experimental protocol approved
by our institutional research committee that ensures that all
requirements for animal research (EC86/liter609) are followed.
Experimental design
A scheme representing the animal treatment appears in Fig. 1
and was carried out as follows. After
light ether anesthesia, time-mated pregnant rats received
intragastrically, on day 9.5 of gestation, either 100 mg NF (NF group)
(Wako Chemicals, Neuss, Germany) diluted in pure olive oil (1)
or the same volume of vehicle (control group). Dams of both groups also
received different hormonal therapies to accelerate pulmonary
development. The dexamethasone (Dex) and NF + Dex groups received 0.4
mg/kg Dex ip on days 19 and 20. The TRH and NF + TRH groups were
implanted ip on day 18 with an osmotic minipump (Alzet, model 2ML2;
Alza Corp., Palo Alto, CA) containing 100 µg/kg TRH,
after which 25 µg/kg TRH were ip injected. Other groups of animals
were treated with combined hormonal treatment (Dex + TRH and NF + Dex +
TRH groups), receiving Dex and TRH as described for Dex and TRH groups.
To reproduce all manipulations, animals not treated with TRH had an
Alzet minipump containing saline buffer, and animals not treated with
Dex received ip saline buffer. TRH and Dex were purchased from
Sigma (St. Louis, MO). The fetuses were recovered on day
21 by cesarean section, examined, weighed, and dissected under a
binocular operating microscope for diaphragm inspection and lung
recovery. Rat fetuses were weighed and their lungs immediately frozen
for subsequent RNA and nuclear protein extraction. Fetal lung weight/BW
ratio (mg/g) was significantly smaller (P < 0.05) in
NF-treated rats (16.68 ± 1.02), compared with control groups
(31.33 ± 1.15), indicating that NF clearly produces lung
hypoplasia, thus validating our model of study. Dex reverts the effect
of NF on lung hypoplasia (24.05 ± 1.95), making its effect
statistically significant (P < 0.05).

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Figure 1. Experimental design. Adult female Sprague Dawley
rats were mated with fertile males. The gestational ages are indicated
by numbers (vaginal plug positive, day 0; full-term, day 22).
Left diagonal arrows, Intragastrically fed with NF
(NF-treated groups) or with oil (Control groups). Dams of both groups
were subdivided into different groups, according to the subsequent
treatment received. The groups are indicated in the left
portion of the figure. Vertical arrows, ip injection of
the hormonal therapies (or the placebo solution) on the corresponding
gestational day; shadow long arrows, infusion with
osmotic minipump from day 18 with TRH or with the placebo solution
(open long arrows); right diagonal
arrows, cesarean section performed 1 day before term; Dex +
TRH, combined hormonal treatment.
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Cell culture
The human lung-derived adenocarcinoma cell line H-441 (or
NCI-H441, ATCC HTB 174) was obtained from American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA) and was maintained in RPMI 1640 medium
supplemented with 10% FBS (Life Technologies, Inc.,
Gaithersburg, MD). These cells express TTF-1 (29, 30) and
pulmonary-specific SPs A and B (30, 31).
RNA isolation and Northern blot analysis.
Fetal lungs from different groups were pooled separately, and
total RNA was isolated with guanidine isothiocyanate and cesium
chloride centrifugation (32). Total RNA was electrophoresed on a
formaldehyde-1% agarose gel and transferred to nytran membrane
(Schleicher & Schuell, Inc., Keene, NH). Hybridization was
carried out using a 0.6-kb EcoRI fragment of rat TTF-1 (2)
and a 0.5-kb PstI fragment of rat SP-B (33). All probes were
isolated and labeled with [
-32P]
deoxycytidine triphosphate (ICN Biochemicals,
Irvine, CA.) by random oligopriming to a specific activity of 1 x
109 cpm/DNA. Northern blot images were analyzed
quantitatively using a scanning densitometer and image software and
normalized with the methylene blue-stained 18S ribosomal RNA.
Transfection assays
Ten micrograms of a luciferase-linked chimeric construct,
spanning 2.8 kb of the human TTF-1 5'-flanking region subcloned in the
reporter vector pSV0AL-A
5' (34), were transiently transfected into
H-441 cells by the calcium phosphate precipitation method (35). The
plasmid RSV-CAT (2 µg) (36) was also transfected and used to
normalize transfection efficiency. After transfection, cells maintained
under different conditions were harvested. Luciferase and CAT
activities were measured as described (35, 37). In the experiments
indicated, 2 µg of the TTF-1 expression vector (pCMV-THA) (38) or the
corresponding empty vector (pRC-CMV) were cotransfected.
Electrophoretic mobility shift assays
Nuclear extracts from lungs were prepared, following the method
of Gorski et al. (39). Protein concentration was determined
with the Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. kit (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Richmond, CA) and BSA as standard. Gel shift
assays were performed with the TTF-1-binding site of human SP-B
promoter as probe (4). The oligonucleotide SPB-f1, derived from
positions -113 to -90 of human SP-B promoter, was labeled with
T4 polynucleotide kinase and
[
-32P] ATP (ICN., Irvine, CA) and annealed
as described (40). For binding reactions, 10 µg of nuclear proteins
were preincubated in a binding reaction mixture containing 40
mM HEPES (pH 7.9), 200 mM
KCl, 0.5 mM dithiothreitol, 0.2
mM EDTA, 5% Ficoll, and 3 µg poly (dI-dC) for
15 min on ice. In competition experiments, the unlabeled
oligonucleotide was added in excess (100x). Labeled oligonucleotide
was added to the mixture and incubated for 30 min at room temperature.
For supershift assay, 1 µl anti-TTF-1 antibody (3) was added before
the addition of the probe and was incubated for 3 h. As a control
of supershift specificity, a preimmune serum was used and incubated in
the same conditions. The resulting DNA-protein complexes were separated
from free DNA on a 5% polyacrylamide gel (29:1,
acrylamide-bisacrylamide). Gels were resolved at 20 mA in a cold room
in 0.5 x TBE [1 x TBE is 90 mM Tris,
90 mM boric acid, and 1 mM
EDTA (pH 8)] before being vacuum dried and exposed to x-ray film at
-70 C.
Immunoblotting analysis
Nuclear protein extracts (40 µg) were separated in SDS-PAGE.
Proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes (Schleicher & Schuell, Inc.), in a buffer containing 25 mM Tris,
200 mM glycine, and 20% methanol. After blocking the
membranes with 10% low-fat dried milk in Tris-buffered saline
containing 0.05% Tween-20, immunodetection was performed using the
antibody anti-TTF-1 (3). After probing with the antibodies, membranes
were incubated with a streptavidin-conjugated antirabbit-specific
secondary antibody. Immunoreactive bands were visualized using the
luminol reagent (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa
Cruz, CA). To assess specificity and equivalent loading of the samples,
the same blots were reprobed with a specific anticonstitutive
transcription factor anti-CTF/NF-1 antibody (sc-870) (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.).
Statistical analysis
Statistical significance between different treatments was
determined using Students t test. Differences are
considered significant at P < 0.01.
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Results
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TTF-1 and SP-B gene expression is down-regulated in lung
hypoplasia, and glucocorticoids rescued their expression over control
values
We studied whether TTF-1 gene expression is altered in lung
hypoplasia. To do so, we performed Northern blot analysis with 30 µg
total RNA extracted from control or hypoplastic lungs of fetuses after
NF treatment. TTF-1 mRNA levels are strongly decreased in the
hypoplastic lungs (NF group) (Fig. 2A
).
The values obtained after quantitation were 75% lower than the
corresponding control (Fig. 2C
, compare Control and NF groups). Based
on the extensively use of Dex as a treatment to induce lung maturation,
we next studied its effect in TTF-1 mRNA levels of control and
hypoplastic fetal lungs. Pregnant rats, untreated or treated with NF,
received Dex, as described in Materials and Methods. Total
RNA was extracted from fetal lungs, and the TTF-1 mRNA levels were
analyzed by Northern blot. Interestingly, Dex treatment markedly
increased (10-fold) TTF-1 mRNA levels when it was administered to
NF-treated rats (Fig. 2
, A and C, compare NF with NF + Dex groups), but
it had no significant effect on control rats (Fig. 2
, A and C, compare
Control with Dex groups). The observation that Dex treatment of
hypoplastic lungs not only rescues the TTF-1 mRNA levels but also
increases these levels over control values (3-fold) (Fig. 2
, A and C,
compare Control with NF + Dex groups) is very important. It has been
suggested that combined antenatal glucocorticoid and TRH treatment
result in synergistic improvement of lung function of premature
neonates (41). We studied the role of this combined treatment in lung
hypoplasia. TRH was administered alone or with Dex to pregnant mothers,
untreated or previously treated with NF, as described in
Materials and Methods. The results obtained in Northern blot
analysis show that TRH alone increases TTF-1 mRNA levels (5-fold) when
given to NF-treated rats (Fig. 2
, A and C, compare NF and NF + TRH
groups), but it has no a significant effect when given to control rats
(Fig. 2
, A and C, compare Control and TRH groups). It is important to
mention that the increase obtained with TRH was approximately half of
that obtained with Dex and that, when both hormones were coadministered
to NF rats, TRH decreased by 2-fold the marked effect obtained with Dex
on TTF-1 mRNA levels (Fig. 2
, A and C, compare NF + Dex with NF + Dex +
TRH groups). The combined Dex and TRH treatment did not induce a
significative effect on TTF-1 mRNA levels when administered to control
rats (Fig. 2
, A and C, compare Control and Dex + TRH groups).

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Figure 2. Effect of NF, Dex, and TRH on TTF-1 and SP-B mRNA
levels in rat fetal lungs. Total RNA (30 µg) was extracted from
rats fetal lungs, treated under the experimental protocol described
in the Fig. 1 legend, then hybridized with the TTF-1 (A) or the SP-B
probe (B). Arrows, mRNA size. The
lower panel shows the methylene blue staining of 18S
ribosomal RNA (rRNA) for loading control. C and D, Quantitation of
TTF-1 and SP-B mRNAs, respectively, after correction with the 18 S, by
densitometer scanning of autoradiograms from three independent
experiments. The TTF-1 and the SP-B mRNA levels, expressed as arbitrary
units, refers to its control (= 1) in each case. The data are mean
± SEM of three independent experiments. Significant
differences among groups are indicated, and means. *,
P < 0.01 (one group vs. control
group); , P < 0.01 (one group
vs. NF group); ø, P < 0.01 (one
group vs. NF + Dex group).
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Because of the low TTF-1 mRNA levels in hypoplastic lungs and their
reversion over the control values with Dex, we determined the SP-B mRNA
levels. The same Northern blots were hybridized with the SP-B probe.
The results show a decrease in SP-B mRNA levels in hypoplastic lungs
(NF), when compared with control values (60% lower than controls)
(Fig. 2
, B and D). The hormone therapy has an action on the SP-B mRNA
levels similar to that obtained for TTF-1 transcript, although some
differences have been observed. Thus, Dex markedly increased SP-B mRNA
levels, both in NF-treated (18-fold) and control (7-fold) rats (Fig. 2
, B and D). TRH, alone or combined with Dex, increased SP-B mRNA levels
more than TTF-1 mRNA levels, although to a lesser extent than the
glucocorticoid alone. The effect was observed in both NF-treated and
untreated (control) rats. It is important to comment on two
observations: 1) the maximum effect on SP-B mRNA levels was obtained in
hypoplastic lungs treated with Dex, with increases of 7- to 8-fold over
control values; and 2) the TRH effect counteracts the Dex effect when
administered to hypoplastic lungs. From these data, we conclude that
TTF-1 and SP-B are strongly decreased in lung hypoplasia. Furthermore,
SP-B is under hormonal regulation in both normal and hypoplastic lungs,
whereas TTF-1 is regulated only in hypoplastic lungs. These results
suggest that SP-B is regulated by TTF-1-dependent and -independent
mechanisms and that TTF-1-mediated regulation is an important mechanism
of control in lung hypoplasia.
Because Dex treatment induces the maximal effect on TTF-1 mRNA levels,
when administered to rats with hypoplastic lungs, we next determined
whether this effect is correlated with protein levels. We assayed TTF-1
protein, by immunoblotting analysis, in nuclear protein extracts (Fig. 3
) and found that TTF-1 protein levels
are drastically reduced in hypoplastic lungs (NF), as compared with the
control group. Again, Dex has no effect when administered to control
animals (Dex), but it increased TTF-1 protein levels, over the control,
when administered to NF-treated rats (NF + Dex). The effect is
specific, as demonstrated by reprobing the same Western blots with the
constitutive CTF/NF-1 transcription factor, also expressed in lungs
(42). These results suggest that lung hypoplasia is caused by
down-regulation of the homeotic transcription factor TTF-1. The
possible mechanism of the therapeutic action of glucocorticoids in lung
hypoplasia, inducing lung maturation and surfactant production, may be
explained, at least in part, by an increase in TTF-1 gene
expression.

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Figure 3. TTF-1 protein levels in control and hypoplastic
fetal lungs, untreated or Dex-treated. Representative Western blot was
performed with 40 µg of nuclear proteins extracted from fetal lungs
of control and NF groups, untreated or treated with Dex, and probed
with specific anti-TTF-1 antibody. CTF/NF-1 protein was used as the
loading control.
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The binding activity of nuclear factor TTF-1 to the SP-B proximal
promoter is reduced in hypoplastic lungs and reestablished after
glucocorticoid treatment
SP-B and TTF-1 are under TTF-1 control; thus, we hypothesized that
the decreased levels of both mRNAs may reflect changes in TTF-1 protein
bound to DNA. Gel shift assays were performed with an oligonucleotide
derived from the TTF-1-binding site of the SP-B promoter (SPB-f1 probe)
(4) and with nuclear extracts from control and NF-treated fetal lungs.
The data in Fig. 4
show a retarded
protein/DNA complex in the control groups (lane 2), which is
consistently reduced in NF-treated rats (lane 8). The complex is
specific, as demonstrated in competition experiments with a 100-fold
excess of a related (lane 3) or an unrelated (lane 4) oligonucleotide.
We also investigated the effect of hormonal therapy in the gel shift
assay. Dex, TRH, or both hormones together did not modify the intensity
of the DNA complex when nuclear extracts from control groups were
studied (Fig. 4
, compare lane 2 with lanes 57). Interestingly, the
administration of Dex to NF-treated rats showed a marked increase in
the intensity of the complex (Fig. 4
, compare lanes 8 and 9), whereas
TRH (lane 10) or TRH plus Dex (lane 11) increased it only slightly.
Supershift assays were performed to confirm TTF-1 implication in
complex decrease or increase (Fig. 5
).
The complex formed with nuclear extract from control lungs (lane 2) was
recognized by a specific
-TTF-1 antibody inducing a clear supershift
(lane 5). The protein/DNA (lane 6) and TTF-1 supershift (lane 8)
complexes decreased in NF-treated rats; and again, Dex restored both
complexes (lane 9 and 11) over control levels when administered to
hypoplastic lungs. The specificity of the complex was assayed with the
corresponding 100-fold excess of the related (lanes 3, 7, and 10) and
unrelated (lane 4) oligonucleotides. As a control of the supershift
assay, the labeled oligonucleotide was preincubated with the
-TTF-1
antibody alone, but this failed to produce the supershifted band (lane
12). Furthermore, the incubation with a preimmune serum did not
induce a supershift in control nuclear extracts (lanes 14 and
15). From these results, we conclude that the variation observed on
TTF-1 mRNA levels in all the experimental approaches studied in this
work parallels the variation found in TTF-1 protein levels and in its
binding activity.

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Figure 4. TTF-1/DNA binding in rat fetal lungs after
different treatments. Nuclear extracts from control (lane 2) or NF
groups (lane 8) [untreated or treated with Dex (lanes 5 and 9), TRH
(lanes 6 and 10), or both hormones together (lanes 7 and 11)] were
incubated with a radiolabeled synthetic oligonucleotide (SPB-f1)
derived from the TTF-1-binding-site of the SP-B promoter. Free and
bound DNA were resolved in a gel shift assay. For competition, a
100-fold excess of unlabeled related SPB-f1 oligonucleotide (lane 3) or
an unrelated oligonucleotide (lane 4) was used.
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Figure 5. TTF-1 supershift assay in control or hypoplastic
fetal lungs, untreated or treated with Dex. Gel shift assay was
performed as described in Fig. 4 [using nuclear extracts from control
(lane 2), NF (lane 7), or NF plus Dex (NF + Dex) (lane 9) groups]. The
specificity of the retarded complex was established by competition with
a 100-fold excess of a related (lanes 3, 7, and 10) or unrelated (lane
4) oligonucleotide and by supershift with an anti-TTF-1-specific
antibody (lanes 5, 8, and 11). The preimmune serum (lane 15) and the
antibody alone, without nuclear extracts (lane 12), were used as
control of supershift specificity.
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Nitrofen decreases TTF-1 gene promoter activity
To elucidate the molecular mechanism that induces down-regulation
of TTF-1 gene expression in our animal lung hypoplasia model, we used
the H441 pulmonary cell line. This cell line is used extensively in
studies of lung-specific gene expression (4, 29, 30, 31, 34), and we have
shown that, in these cells (as well as in rat fetal lung), NF reduces
TTF-1 mRNA levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with maximal
inhibition using 1.5 µM NF after 72 h of treatment
(43). The doses studied were calculated in accordance with
pharmacokinetic and biotransformation data previously described for NF
(25, 44). The dose used corresponded to the cellular absorption of NF
found in the embryonic compartment (25, 44). To determine whether the
down-regulation of TTF-1 gene expression described in this work
correlates with a decrease in TTF-1 promoter activity, and whether Dex
reverses this effect, a construct spanning 2.8 kb of the human TTF-1
5'-flanking region (34), linked to a luciferase reporter gene (Fig. 6A
), was transiently transfected into
H441 cells. In all transfections, the reporter vector pSV0AL-A
5 (34)
was transfected in parallel as control. After transfection, cells were
maintained in medium containing only 0.2% FBS, with or without 1.5
µM NF, for the following 48 h. The low serum was
used to detect the Dex effect more clearly; as in 10% serum, the
hormone effect is masked by the endogenous glucocorticoid content of
serum (45). The cells were then treated, or not, for another 24 h
with 100 nM Dex. Nitrofen decreased TTF-1 promoter activity
approximately 3-fold, relative to control cells (Fig. 6B
). Dex
treatment increased the promoter activity in NF-treated cells but not
in control cells.

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Figure 6. Regulation of TTF-1 promoter activity by NF and
Dex. A, Schematic diagram of the 2.8-kb human TTF-1 promoter linked to
the luciferase (LUC) reporter gene. The arrows
represent the TTF-1-binding sites. The TTF-1 promoter activity was
obtained either after transfection of the above construct to H441 cells
(B) or by cotransfection with the expression vectors RC-CMV with no
insert or harboring the cDNA for TTF-1 (CMV-THA). Transfected cells
were maintained for 48 h in 0.2% serum, plus or minus NF, then
incubated alone or with Dex for another 24 h. Luciferase activity
was determined as relative light units normalizing to CAT activity
derived from the RSV-CAT transfected to adjustments of transfection
efficiency. The data are mean ± SEM of three
independent experiments. Significant differences among groups are
indicated, and means: *, P < 0.01
(one group vs. control group); ,
P < 0.01 (one group vs.
CMV-THA group); ø, P < 0.01 (one group
vs. NF group).
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In light of the results obtained, we questioned whether the NF action
on TTF-1 occurs by interference of this compound with the TTF-1
synthesis mechanism or by direct interference with its transcriptional
activity. To approach this question, H441 cells were cotransfected with
a 2.8-kb fragment of the human TTF-1 promoter and an expression vector
for the TTF-1 complementary DNA (cDNA) (38). Overexpression of TTF-1
increased TTF-1 promoter activity 2-fold (Fig. 6C
), because of the
existence of multiple TTF-1-binding sites in this promoter (Fig. 6A
)
(34). The down-regulation of TTF-1 elicited by NF, as well as the
reestablishment of activity induced by Dex, also occurred when the
exogenous transcription factor was cotransfected (Fig. 6C
). These data
suggest that NF may act through a mechanism that impairs the
transcriptional activity of TTF-1 and that the glucocorticoids would
counteract this mechanism.
 |
Discussion
|
|---|
Hypoplastic lungs of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia
seem to be delayed in their advancement through developmental stages.
One consequence of this developmental delay is that the hypoplastic
lungs have fewer bronchial branches and a delay in epithelial cell
differentiation, with a clear SP deficiency. Teratogens, administered
to pregnant rats on the appropriate gestational days, disturb
organogenesis during early embryonic life and induce malformations that
provide good models for several human disorders. Nitrofen-exposed rat
fetuses have lung hypoplasia with biochemical immaturity. This fetal
rat model is, therefore, the most appropriate for our study, because it
reproduces the same lung morphological changes described in
human (22, 23, 24).
Using the above model, we demonstrate that the homeodomain
transcription factor TTF-1 has an essential role in the pathogenesis of
lung hypoplasia (16, 29). This role has been also demonstrated in mice
lacking TTF-1 expression. Mutant Hoxa-5 mice (46) also have defects in
lung ontogeny caused by reduction of TTF-1 expression, inducing a
significant decrease in SP proteins that cause respiratory dysfunction
similar to the respiratory distress syndrome described in premature
human infants. Our results show that hypoplastic lungs have severely
decreased TTF-1, mRNA, and protein levels and a consequential reduction
in TTF-1-binding activity to the proximal SP-B promoter. Moreover, the
upstream DNA of the rat and human TTF-1 gene possesses many putative
TTF-1-binding sites (34, 47), suggesting that TTF-1 gene may be
autoregulated (34). In consequence, a reduction in TTF-1 binding to its
own promoter should have an effect at the transcriptional level. We
have shown that NF, the herbicide that induces lung hypoplasia in rats,
down-regulates the 2.8-kb fragment of the TTF-1 promoter
activity, which includes the putative TTF-1-binding sites. In
consequence, less transcription factor is synthesized. These results
support the possible autoregulation of TTF-1, confirming that TTF-1 is
a transcription factor essential in lung formation, and that its low
expression is essential in the pathogenesis of lung hypoplasia.
Prenatal glucocorticoid therapy accelerates pulmonary development in
premature infants (26, 27), and the addition of prenatal TRH therapy is
no more beneficial than the use of glucocorticoids alone (28). Our
results show that glucocorticoid treatment induces expression of TTF-1
mRNA and TTF-1 protein and, in consequence, induces an increase in
TTF-1-binding activity to the SP-B proximal promoter, only in
hypoplastic lungs. This increase is reproduced in TTF-1 promoter
activity, although only in NF-treated cells. Glucocorticoids may thus
restore TTF-1 and SP-B levels by increasing the TTF-1 autoregulatory
mechanism. As a consequence, there is an increase in the TTF-1 protein
level, which may then bind at a high ratio to its target promoter
genes. We also have shown that treatment with TRH alone, or combined
with Dex, had minimal consequences, as compared with the Dex effect in
hypoplastic fetal lungs. These results are in agreement with a previous
work that has shown that prenatal corticoid therapy improves pulmonary
morphology in NF-treated rats, whereas TRH had minimal beneficial
effects (48). Results also are in accordance with data on prevention of
lung disease in human preterm infants (26).
Because NF induces a delay in lung development, the morphology of lungs
from NF-treated fetuses is different from that of control, having
proportionately more mesenchimal than epithelial cells (49). We believe
that the effect of NF in fetal lung takes place mainly in epithelial
cells affecting directly lung-specific genes expression. This idea is
reinforced by the fact that the same results obtained in rats were
found in epithelial culture of H441 cells. The intrinsic molecular
mechanism of NF and glucocorticoids on TTF-1 gene expression is
unknown. TTF-1 regulation has been extensively studied in FRTL-5 cells,
showing down-regulation by TSH via cAMP (13, 50). To our knowledge,
however, there is no evidence that NF increases cAMP in lung cells.
Interestingly, clear down-regulation of TTF-1-binding activity is
induced by an oxidative state (51), and reduction/oxidation (redox)
reactions are intimately involved in the control of biological
processes, including modulation of transcription factor function,
e.g. AP-1 and NF-kB (52, 53). Antioxidant compounds are also
described to reverse fetal rat lung hypoplasia (54), and Dex increases
antioxidant enzymes (55). In addition, no functional glucocorticoid
response elements have been reported in the promoter region of TTF-1.
It thus seems that glucocorticoid response element-mediated gene
induction is not the basis of this regulation. Based on these
observations, we hypothesized that a possible mechanism for
down-regulation of TTF-1 by NF and its restoration by glucocorticoids
may be elicited by redox mechanisms. This idea is supported by the fact
that cellular glucocorticoid responsiveness is coordinately modulated
by the redox state and thioredoxin levels (56). This plausible
mechanism remains to be studied; however, our data, showing that
activity of exogenous TTF-1 cotransfected to H441 cells is also
regulated by both NF and glucocorticoids, reinforce this
hypothesis.
In conclusion, the data reported in this study demonstrate that lung
hypoplasia is induced, at least in part, by an alteration of one of the
main transcription factors involved in lung organogenesis. This work
also supports routine in utero glucocorticoid treatment for
patients expected to have lung hypoplasia.
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
We are indebted to Dr. R. Di Lauro (Stazione Zoologica, Naples,
Italy) for rat TTF-1 probe, TTF-1 expression vector, and anti-TTF-1
antibody; Dr. J. Floros (Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA)
for the rat SP-B probe; and Dr. S. Kimura (National Cancer
Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD) for the human TTF-1 promoter. Our
thanks to C. Marks for her linguistic assistance.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
1 This work was supported by Grants DGICYT (PB970065), CAM
08.1/0025/1997, and FIS (96/005901 and 98/0518) (Spain). 
2 Recipient of a fellowship from the Spanish Ministerio de
Educación y Cultura. 
Received December 28, 1999.
 |
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