title: Antisense knockout of a neuropeptide gene reduces fibroblast proliferation.
abstract: The opioid peptides enkephalins are widely expressed throughout the body. While their role in the nervous system is well characterized, their function in other tissues is unclear. The antisense knockout approach was used to investigate the involvement of proenkephalin A gene in proliferation of cultured embryonic fibroblasts. Transfection of fibroblasts with enkephalin antisense vectors reduced [3H] thymidine incorporation and fibroblast colony growth. Moreover, FACS analysis indicated that transient or stable transfection with the enkephalin antisense vectors shifted fibroblasts from their normal G1 restriction point to one in the S-phase.
authors.affiliation: Dep. of Clinical Biochem., Technion Faculty of Med., Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weisinger
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zinder
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simantov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016373:DNA, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D010957:Plasmids; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013936:Thymidine / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D016373:DNA, Antisense; D004745:Enkephalins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004247:DNA; C033660:preproenkephalin; D013936:Thymidine