title: Expression of the rat prothymosin alpha gene during T-lymphocyte proliferation and liver regeneration.
abstract: Prothymosin alpha (ProT alpha) is a widely distributed acidic protein whose function has been related to cell proliferation. We have analyzed the expression of the rat ProT alpha gene in several proliferative systems: concanavalin A (ConA)/interleukin-2-stimulated thymocytes, ConA-stimulated splenic T-lymphocytes, and hepatocytes proliferating during liver regeneration. In these systems, ProT alpha mRNA was detected in all stages of the cell cycle, with maximal increments (2-4-fold) at the beginning of the S phase. By contrast, the mRNAs for proliferating cell nuclear antigen/cyclin and histone H3, two cell-cycle-regulated proteins, were hardly detected in resting cells but increased notably at the G1/S boundary and in the S phase, respectively. Treatment of T-cells with the calcium ionophore A23187 increased ProT alpha mRNA levels 2.5-fold, whereas phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a protein kinase C activator, had no effect on ProT alpha gene expression. Incubation of ConA-stimulated T-cells with hydroxyurea, a DNA synthesis inhibitor, did not decrease the levels of ProT alpha mRNA, indicating that its expression is independent of DNA synthesis. These findings suggest that ProT alpha is required throughout all the stages of the cell cycle, resembling a constitutively expressed gene rather than one strictly involved in cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Bioloxía Molecular, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago, Galicia, Spain.
authors.forename: X R
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Bustelo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gómez-Márquez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Freire
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics; D006918:Hydroxyurea / Q000494:pharmacology; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D016196:S Phase; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C040782:prothymosin alpha; D000001:Calcimycin; D013947:Thymosin; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; D006918:Hydroxyurea