Teresa M. Gunn

A biochemical function for attractin in agouti-induced pigmentation and obesity.

Agouti protein, a paracrine signaling molecule normally limited to skin, is ectopically expressed in lethal yellow (Ay) mice, and causes obesity by mimicking agouti-related protein (Agrp), found primarily in the hypothalamus. Mouse attractin (Atrn) is a widely expressed transmembrane protein whose loss of function in mahogany (Atrnmg-3J/ Atrnmg-3J) mutant mice blocks the pleiotropic effects of Ay. Here we demonstrate in transgenic, biochemical and genetic-interaction experiments that attractin is a low-affinity receptor for agouti protein, but not Agrp, in vitro and in vivo. Additional histopathologic abnormalities in Atrnmg-3J/Atrn mg-3J mice and cross-species genomic comparisons indicate that Atrn has multiple functions distinct from both a physiologic and an evolutionary perspective.

Identification and preliminary characterization of mouse Adam33

BackgroundThe metalloprotease-disintegrin family, or ADAM, proteins, are implicated in cell-cell interactions, cell fusion, and cell signaling, and are widely distributed among metazoan phyla. Orthologous relationships have been defined for a few ADAM proteins including ADAM10 (Kuzbanian), and ADAM17 (TACE), but evolutionary relationships are not clear for the majority of family members. Human ADAM33 refers to a testis cDNA clone that does not contain a complete open reading frame, but portions of the predicted protein are similar to Xenopus laevis ADAM13.ResultsIn a 48 kb region of mouse DNA adjacent to the Attractin gene on mouse chromosome 2, we identified sequences very similar to human ADAM33. A full-length mouse cDNA was identified by a combination of gene prediction programs and RT-PCR, and the probable full-length human cDNA was identified by comparison to human genomic sequence in the homologous region on chromosome 20p13. Mouse ADAM33 is 44% identical to Xenopus laevis ADAM13, however a phylogenetic alignment and consideration of functional domains suggests that the two genes are not orthologous. Mouse Adam33 is widely expressed, most highly in the adult brain, heart, kidney, lung and testis.ConclusionsWhile mouse ADAM33 is similar to Xenopus ADAM13 in sequence, further examination of its embryonic expression pattern, catalytic activity and protein interactions will be required to assess the functional relationship between these two proteins. Adam33 is expressed in the mouse adult brain and could play a role in complex processes that require cell-cell communication.

Distribution of Mahogany/Attractin mRNA in the rat central nervous system.

The Mahogany/Attractin gene (Atrn) has been proposed as a downstream mediator of Agouti signaling because yellow hair color and obesity in lethal yellow (A y) mice are suppressed by the mahogany (Atrn mg) mutation. The present study examined the distribution of Atrn mRNA in the brain and spinal cord by in situ hybridization. Atrn mRNA was found widely distributed throughout the central nervous system, with high levels in regions of the olfactory system, some limbic structures, regions of the brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord. In the hypothalamus, Atrn mRNA was found in specific nuclei including the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the supraoptic nucleus, the medial preoptic nucleus, the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, and the arcuate nucleus. These results suggest a broad spectrum of physiological functions for the Atrn gene product.

Molecular Pharmacology of Agouti Protein in Vitro and in Vivo

ABSTRACT: Agouti protein and Agouti‐related protein (Agrp) are paracrine signaling molecules that act by antagonizing the effects of melanocortins, and several alternatives have been proposed to explain their mechanisms of action. Genetic crosses in a sensitized background uncover a phenotypic difference between overexpression of Agouti and loss of Mc1r function, demonstrate that a functional Mc1r is required for the pigmentary effects of Agouti, and suggest that Agouti protein can act as an agonist of the Mc1r in a way that differs from α‐MSH stimulation. In vitro, Agouti protein inhibits melanocortin action by two mechanisms: competitive antagonism that depends on the carboxy‐terminus of the protein, and downregulation of melanocortin receptor signaling that depends on the aminoterminus. Our findings provide evidence of a novel signaling mechanism whereby α‐MSH and Agouti protein function as independent ligands that inhibit each others binding and transduce opposite signals through a single receptor.

Mahogany/Attractin: Enroute from Phenotype to Function

The mouse mahogany mutation affects melanocortin signaling pathways that regulate energy homeostasis and hair color. The gene mutated in mahogany mice encodes attractin, a large transmembrane protein that is broadly expressed and conserved among multicellular animals. Mouse attractin is likely to have additional roles outside melanocortin signaling, and cloning of the gene provides information that can be used to form testable hypotheses about its biochemical function.

GENETIC AND BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF THE AGOUTI-ATTRACTIN SYSTEM

ABSTRACT Pleiotropic effects of melanocortin signaling were first described nearly 100 years ago when mice carrying the lethal yellow (Ay) allele of the Agouti coat color gene were recognized to develop increased growth and adiposity. Work from our laboratory and others over the last several years has demonstrated that the non-pigmentary effects of Au2005y are caused by ectopic expression of Agouti protein, a paracrine signaling molecule whose normal function is to inhibit signaling through the melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r), but which can mimic the effects of Agouti-related protein (Agrp), a homologous neuropeptide produced in the medial portion of the arcuate nucleus that acts as a potent antagonist of the Mc3r and Mc4r. Recently we have used the genetics of pigmentation as an in vivo screening system to analyze other mutations in the Agouti–melanocortin pathway, leading to the identification of Attractin (Atrn), a widely expressed type I transmembrane protein that serves as an accessory receptor for Agouti protein. Surprisingly, homologs of Atrn are found in fruitflies and nematodes, even though Agouti and/or Agouti-related protein are found only in vertebrates. Insight into this apparent paradox now comes from studies of different Atrn alleles, in which we find hyperactivity, abnormal myelination, and widespread CNS vacuolation. We suggest that the neurodegenerative phenotype reflects the ancestral function of Atrn to facilitate and/or maintain cell–cell interactions in the nervous system. Expression in neurectodermal cells during vertebrate evolution may have allowed Atrn to be recruited by the Agouti–melanocortin system to control coat color.