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Deoxynivalenol (DON), one of the most common mycotoxin contaminants of raw and processed cereal food, adversely affects the gastrointestinal tract. Since DON acts as a protein synthesis inhibitor, the constantly renewing intestinal epithelium could be particularly sensitive to DON. We analyzed the toxicological effects of DON on intestinal epithelial protein synthesis and barrier integrity. Differentiated Caco-2 cells, as a widely used model of the human intestinal barrier, were exposed to realistic intestinal concentrations of DON (50, 500 and 5000 ng/ml) during 24h. DON caused a concentration-dependent decrease in total protein content associated with a reduction in the incorporation of [(3)H]-leucine, demonstrating its inhibitory effect on protein synthesis. DON simultaneously increased the paracellular permeability of the monolayer as reflected through a decreased transepithelial electrical resistance associated with an increased paracellular flux of the tracer [(3)H]-mannitol. A concentration-dependent reduction in the expression level of the tight junction constituent claudin-4 was demonstrated by Western blot, which was not due to diminished transcription, increased degradation, or NF-kappaB, ERK or JNK activation, and was also observed for a tight junction independent protein, i.e. intestinal alkaline phosphatase. These results demonstrate a dual toxicological effect of DON on differentiated Caco-2 cells consisting in an inhibition of protein synthesis as well as an increase in monolayer permeability, and moreover suggest a possible link between them through diminished synthesis of the tight junction constituent claudin-4., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Exposure to chromium(VI) increases the incidence of cancer, respiratory distress, and pulmonary fibrosis. The latter is a pathological disorder characterized by decreased urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) activity and fibrinolysis. In this study, treatment of alveolar type II cells (A549) with 1 to 5 microM chromium(VI) for 4 and 12 h decreased both the specific activity and the amount of uPA protein. Chromium reduced uPA protein levels by inhibiting protein synthesis and had no effect on uPA mRNA levels or the rate of uPA protein degradation. In contrast, both mRNA and protein levels for the uPA receptor (uPAR) were increased by treatment with concentrations of chromium(VI) that did not completely inhibit protein synthesis. The chromium-induced increase in uPAR resulted from increased message stability. These data indicate that chromium has differential effects on expression of the proteins in the pulmonary fibrinolytic cascade. The net loss of uPA activity may promote fibrosis following inhalation of chromium(VI)., (Copyright 1999 Academic Press.)

Because the majority of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts express the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) receptor, we are developing a fusion toxin consisting of a truncated diphtheria toxin (DT388) linked to human GM-CSF for multi-drug resistant AML. Our goal was to determine the toxicity and pharmacokinetics of DT388-GM-CSF in C57BL/6 mice. Because human GM-CSF does not cross-react with the mouse GM-CSF receptor, the toxicity observed should be nonspecific toxicity of DT388. We injected C57BL/6 mice i.p. with 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 3.5, 5.0, or 10 micrograms/day of DT388-GM-CSF for 5 consecutive days. For pharmacokinetics, blood samples were drawn at 20, 40, 60, 120, and 180 min after i.p. administration of 81 micrograms/kg of DT388-GM-CSF. In mice, the LD10 of DT388-GM-CSF is between 84.4 (1.5) and 104.4 (1.75) micrograms/kg (microgram) when administered for 5 consecutive days. All mice receiving > or = 201 micrograms/kg (3.5 micrograms) for 5 consecutive days died. Histopathologic examination of morbid animals showed only renal toxicity with acute proximal tubular necrosis. DT388-GM-CSF is stable in vivo based on nonreducing SDS-PAGE gel of plasma samples of 125I-labeled DT388-GM-CSF injected i.p.. The peak concentration of DT388-GM-CSF was 3.3 x 10(-8) M at 40 min and exhibited a t1/2 of 24 min. Based on its half-life, DT388-GM-CSF concentrations in the plasma are above the concentration inhibiting 50% protein synthesis and inducing apoptosis in 50% of HL-60 cells (AML cell line) for 5.2 h. Only four of 17 mice developed a weak immune response (0.9-160 ng/mL) 3 weeks after treatment. DT388-GM-CSF exhibits a short t1/2, but concentrations exceed those required in vitro to inhibit AML cell lines.

Mercuric ion is cytotoxic and mutagenic to cells; however, the mechanisms of mercuric ion-induced cytotoxicity are not well understood. Numerous studies have suggested that these effects may be due in part to the alteration and inhibition of a variety of cellular processes including DNA replication, DNA repair, RNA transcription, and protein synthesis. Studies utilizing whole cells to examine these activities are not able to specifically identify the precise mechanism or site of the effect. Other studies carried out using whole cell extracts and variously purified DNA polymerases are not able to adequately represent the highly ordered environment in which DNA replication occurs in the intact cell. We report here, for the first time, the use of an intact human cell multiprotein complex (which we have termed the DNA synthesome) to carry out full-length DNA replication and DNA synthesis in the presence of Hg2+ ion in vitro. In this study we report that DNA replication and DNA polymerase activity, as well as DNA replication fidelity of the human cell DNA synthesome, are specifically inhibited by physiologically attainable concentrations of mercuric ion.

Acute oral exposure of B6C3F1 mice to vomitoxin (VT) has been previously shown to induce expression of mRNAs for cytokines that are characteristically produced in lymphoid tissues by macrophage and T cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of VT dose on the expression of mRNAs for a cytokine profile consisting of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-12, IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12, and TGF-beta and to measure the kinetics of these responses. The effects of a single oral exposure to 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, and 25 mg/kg BW of VT on cytokine mRNA abundance in spleen and Peyer's patches (indicators of systemic and mucosal immune compartments, respectively) were assessed at 2 hr postexposure using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in combination with hybridization analysis. Both 5 and 25 mg/kg VT significantly induced the mRNAs for the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha; the T helper 1 cytokines IFN-gamma and IL-2; and the T helper 2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-10, whereas lower doses had no effect. IL-12p40 mRNA was also induced but not IL-12p35 mRNA. The effects were more pronounced in spleen than in the Peyer's patches. IL-5 and TGF-beta mRNAs were expressed constitutively in spleen and Peyer's patches but were not affected by VT. When cytokine mRNA levels were measured at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hr after oral exposure to 25 mg/kg BW of VT, mRNA expression kinetics varied among cytokines or between spleen and Peyer's patches. The duration of elevated mRNA expression in spleen was 1-8 hr for TNF-alpha, IL-6, IFN-gamma, and IL-10 and was 1-4 hr for IL-1beta, IL-12p40, IL-2, and IL-4. In Peyer's patches, duration periods were 1-8 hr for IL-6, IL-2, and IL-10; 1-4 hr for IL-1beta, IL-12p40, and TNF-alpha; and 1-2 hr for IFN-gamma. Serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IFN-gamma were elevated 3 hr after exposure to 25 mg/kg VT, thus suggesting that elevation of splenic and Peyer's patch mRNA abundance correlated with increases in systemic production of these cytokines. Taken together, the results indicate that a single VT exposure rapidly induces gene expression in vivo for a wide range of cytokines with apparently complete recovery occurring after 24 hr. Elevated cytokine expression may play an important role in the pathophysiologic effects of VT and other trichothecenes.

Mammalian Sertoli cells are responsible for the formation and secretion of seminiferous tubule fluid (STF) which provides the nutritional and hormonal microenvironment necessary for spermatogenesis. Exposure of rats to 2,5-hexanedione (2,5-HD) results in testicular injury characterized by a decrease of STF secretion which immediately precedes bulk germ cell necrosis. The earliest biochemical change in 2,5-HD-exposed rats is an alteration in testicular microtubule assembly kinetics. In this study, we investigate the relationship between microtubule-dependent processes and STF secretion in adult Sprague-Dawley CD rats by exposing seminiferous tubules to two types of toxicants: (1) those which alter microtubules (colchicine and 2,5-HD) and (2) an inhibitor of protein secretion (brefeldin A, [BFA]). Secretion of STF is quantitated by monitoring the rate of transport of a microinjected oil droplet in the lumen of isolated seminiferous tubules using time-lapse stereoscopic microscopy. The rate of oil droplet transport in seminiferous tubules isolated from testis pretreated in vivo for 2 hr with colchicine (40 micrograms/testis) was significantly decreased. Exposure of isolated seminiferous tubules to BFA (10 micrograms/ml) for 40 min also significantly decreased the transport of lumenal oil droplets. Exposure of rats to 1%, 2,5-HD in drinking water decreased transport of injected oil droplets in seminiferous tubules beginning at 3 weeks of exposure in the absence of significant alterations in testicular morphology. These data demonstrate that normal STF secretion requires an intact, microtubule-dependent intracellular membrane transport pathway and strengthen the association between 2,5-HD-induced disruption of Sertoli cell STF secretion and 2,5-HD-induced alterations in Sertoli cell microtubules.

The role of apoptosis in the mechanism of toxicity of hexavalent chromium, a human carcinogen, was investigated. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were treated with 150 or 300 microM sodium chromate for 2 hr, doses which decreased colony-forming efficiency to 53 and 5% of control, respectively. Cell growth was inhibited at least up to Day 8 after treatment. DNA synthesis was inhibited to 30 and 19% of control at 1 hr after treatment, and did not begin to recover until Day 4 after treatment. Protein synthesis was inhibited by 52 and 60% in 150 and 300 microM treated cells, respectively, 1 h after treatment, and recovered to 142 and 93%, respectively, at 24 hr. Incubation of cells with nontoxic doses of cycloheximide for 24 hr after treatment produced synergistic toxicity with chromate in colony-forming efficiency assays. Ion gradients persisted to Day 2 as revealed by exclusion of trypan blue dye in 97% of treated cells. Fluorescence microscopy of acridine orange-stained cells revealed morphological features of apoptosis including nuclear fragmentation in more than 90% of detached nonadherent cells and up to 22% of adherent cells by Day 2 after treatment. Untreated cells remained morphologically normal. Transmission electron microscopy of chromate treated cells showed characteristic features of apoptosis including chromatin margination and fragmentation, and cytoplasmic condensation with intact membrane and organelle structure. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation (IDF) was delayed for at least 24 hr, whereafter it was detected in both adherent and nonadherent cells through Day 5 after treatment. These results indicate apoptosis as the mode of cell death caused by chromium and imply that apoptosis must be considered as a component of chromium-induced multistage carcinogenesis.