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2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a common environmental pollutant causing public concern. Its toxic effects include disruption of the immune, endocrine, and reproductive systems, impairment of fetal development, carcinogenicity, and lethality in rodents. Here, we report that TCDD induces apoptosis in two cultured human leukemic lymphoblastic T cell lines. This cell death was found not to be dependent on an aryl hydrocarbon receptor and to be inhibited by the inhibitor of tyrosine kinases and caspases. Apoptosis-linked c-Jun N-terminal kinase is rapidly activated in these cells by the treatment with TCDD. A dominant-negative mutant of c-Jun N-terminal kinase prevented cell death in the treatment with TCDD. Furthermore, TCDD decreases the Bcl-2 protein level in these cell lines. These findings will help in the understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying TCDD-mediated immunotoxicity.

Three benzimidazole compounds, omeprazole (OP), thiabendazole (TBZ), and lansoprazole (LP), were compared with respect to the induction of CYP1A1-mRNA in human hepatoma cells, HepG2. OP was the most potent inducer among the three compounds, but LP was found to be a weak inducer. Induction by TBZ was at an intermediate level. None of these compounds induced CYP1A1-mRNA in a mouse hepatoma cell line, Hepa-1. The transient expression of mouse Cyp1a1-CAT gene into HepG2 cells showed that OP treatment of the transfectants induced CAT activity to the same degree as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin treatment. Therefore, the cellular factors in human cells were able to work on the mouse regulatory element. The expression of human aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor in the mouse Hepa-1 mutant cell line cl-19, which is defective in Ah receptor, did not increase the induction level of CYP1A1-mRNA by OP treatment. When the cultured medium of HepG2 cells in the presence of OP was added to the mouse Hepa-1 cell culture medium, CYP1A1-mRNA was not induced in Hepa-1 cells. It is thus concluded that metabolites of OP in human cells are not the ligands for the human Ah receptor. Therefore, in human cells, but not mouse cells, there must be an OP-sensitive activation factor for the human Ah receptor.

BACKGROUND In a previous study, morphometry and multivariate cluster analysis was performed on 97 lesions. These consisted of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH), considered to be an important lesion corresponding to a step of carcinogenesis for adenocarcinoma of the human lung, Clara cell type, and type 2 pneumocyte type adenocarcinomas. Although AAH and the two types of adenocarcinoma were re-classified into three clusters and AAH was defined in clear morphologic terms, the biologic nature of AAH has yet to be clarified. In the present study, immunohistochemical analysis was performed to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between AAH and the two types of adenocarcinoma, and to compare the results with those obtained by morphometry. METHODS The 97 lesions analyzed by morphometry were submitted to immunohistochemical analyses using antibodies against surfactant apoprotein A, urine protein 1, carcinoembryonic antigen and cytochrome P-450s (1A1-2, 2B1-2, 2E1). Also examined, as controls, were 17 lesions with adenomatous hyperplasia (AH), a non-neoplastic reactive change of bronchiolo-alveolar cells, 30 areas of normal Clara cells, and 36 areas of normal type 2 pneumocytes. The immunoreactivity was graded by introducing a semi-quantitative scoring system. RESULTS Immunohistochemically, AAHs behaved quite similarly to the lesions classified as Clara cell type or type 2 pneumocyte type adenocarcinomas. For any of the antibodies employed, no significant difference in immunoreactivity was demonstrated among these lesions. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest, in accordance with our previous morphometry, that AAH is a lesion closely related with Clara cell type and type 2 pneumocyte type adenocarcinomas, probably as their common precursor. However, the two types of adenocarcinomas, despite their characteristic morphologic features, are indistinguishable using the biological indicators applied in this study. Cancer 1996; 77:665-74.

Prevention is an important and effective measure for reducing death caused by cancer. Thus information on individual susceptibility to cancer is valuable in suggesting high risk individuals to avoid intake of carcinogenic substances and receive frequent physical screening. To this end, polymorphisms found within cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes implicated in the metabolism of procarcinogens are expected to be good genetic targets in assessing human cancer susceptibility. We have found polymorphisms in the CYP2E1 and CYP1A1 genes associated with lung cancer susceptibility, though there were some discrepancies from observations made by other investigators. Discrepancies among investigators from different regions, however, are very common in these pharmacogenetic studies. We present an explanation for these discrepancies, difficulties associated with prediction of relative risk of individuals, and future directions.

The Ah receptor is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH)-PAS protein and functions as a ligand-activated DNA binding protein directly interacting with target genes by binding to xenobiotic responsive elements. We have sought to identify possible cellular proteins that can interact with the Ah receptor. The bHLH domain of the Ah receptor was fused to glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and the resulting fusion protein was used as a probe to help us to identify receptor associated protein(s). At least one such protein, 45kDa (p45), was detected in mouse liver extracts, but it does not bind to the bHLH domain of the Ah receptor nuclear translocator, nor to the transactivation domain of Ah receptor or GST alone.

A genomic clone encoding the hamster CYP1A1 gene was isolated from a hamster EMBL-3 genomic library and characterized. The CYP1A1 gene contained seven exons including the noncoding first exon as determined for CYP1A1 of other species. DNA sequence analysis up to -2307 bp of the CYP1A1 gene revealed the occurrence of five consensus xenobiotic responsive elements (XREs) and one basal transcription element (BTE) in addition to the canonical TATA box. For functional analysis, transfection experiments were performed in human hepatoma HepG2 cells with reporter gene constructs consisting of fragments with various lengths of the 5'-flanking region of the CYP1A1 gene and bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. External deletion of the upstream region from the reporter gene resulted in a stepwise decrease of the CAT activity, suggesting that XREs were responsible for inducible expression of CYP1A1 gene by 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). A negative regulatory element (NRE) was also identified in the 5'-flanking region at -833 to -642. Removal of the NRE from the CYP1A1-CAT fusion gene resulted in about 3-fold increase of MC-inducible CAT activity. Using gel retardation assays with HepG2 nuclear extract, we demonstrated the presence of a specific protein which bound to the NRE fragment. Further competition analysis and methylation interference assays revealed that the nuclear protein bound to a 22-base fragment (from -688 to -709) of the NRE region, whose sequences were conserved among hamster, human, and rat CYP1A1 genes.

Polymorphic metabolism of certain chemical carcinogens may result in differences in susceptibility to cancers. Human CYP2E1 (cytochrome P450IIE1) is an enzyme involved in the metabolic activation of precarcinogens such as nitrosamines. We detected a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the human CYP2E1 gene for the restriction endonuclease Dra I. The distribution of this polymorphism was examined among lung cancer patients (n = 91), patients with cancer of the digestive tract (n = 45) and controls (n = 76). A significant difference in the distribution was observed between lung cancer patients and controls (chi 2 = 11.4 with 2 df; p < 0.005). On the other hand, there was no significant difference between patients between cancer of the digestive tract and controls (chi 2 = 4.87 with 2 df; NS). This finding suggests that the Dra I polymorphism of the CYP2E1 gene is associated with susceptibility to lung cancer. In addition, an association was found between the amount of lifelong smoking exposure and the distribution of the genotypes of the RFLP among lung cancer patients. The distribution pattern seemed deviated from that of controls especially in the population of low smoking exposure. Our Northern blot analysis data using RNA from human liver autopsy samples suggest that the Dra I polymorphism might be associated with the gene expression of CYP2E1 at mRNA level.

Human cytochrome P450IIE1 (CYP2E) is involved in the metabolic activation of procarcinogens such as N-nitrosodimethylamine, benzene and ethyl carbamate. We screened DNA from 28 individuals for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) is the human P450IIE1 gene and detected an RFLP for the restriction endonuclease DraI. The distribution of the genotypes of this polymorphisms among lung cancer patients (n = 74) differed from that among controls (n = 73) with statistical significance of p < 0.05. In addition, the distribution among patients with cancers of the digestive system (n = 38) was also different from that among controls. Our findings indicate an association between the DraI polymorphism of the IIE1 gene and susceptibility to cancers of the lung and the digestive system.

We present a novel differentiation technique for several kinds of textile fabric using terahertz (THz) transmittance spectroscopy. Our goal is to establish a new method for identification of each of wools from their animal species, as a simple, rapid and reliable method to confront fake textile problem in the market. As demonstrations, several kinds of fabrics were milled at 77K, and were examined by using GaP THz spectrometer in the measurement range from 0.5 to 6.0 THz. The absorption spectra of wool showed quite different spectra from plant-derived fibers and synthetic fibers. Furthermore, the spectra of pure wools showed different transmittance spectra between goat-wool and sheep-wool, in addition among the species of sheep.

We present here the results of applying a membrane method to terahertz (THz) transmittance spectroscopy of amino acids. Two kinds of amino acids dissolved in water or bovine serum were dropped and dried on polymer membranes. Absorbance spectra of the membranes were obtained with a GaP THz spectrometer. The frequency range was 0.6 - 6.0 THz and the line width was 3 GHz. Characteristic absorption peaks attributable to the amino acids were observed with membranes made of suitable materials.

Two cDNA clones, 2C19 and 4C1, were isolated from a lung cDNA library of 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-treated hamster by using rat P-450c cDNA as a probe. The cDNA determined from 2C19 and 4C1 was 2,916 bp long and contained an entire coding region for 524 amino acids with a molecular weight of 59,408. The deduced amino acid sequence showed a 85% identity with that of rat P-450c indicating 2C19 and 4C1 encode the hamster P-450IA1 protein. Another cDNA clone, designated H28, was isolated from a MC-induced hamster liver cDNA library by using the hamster lung 2C19 or 4C1 cDNA clone as a probe. H28 was 1,876 bp long and encoded a polypeptide of 513 amino acids with a molecular weight of 58,079. The N-terminal 20 residues deduced from nucleotide sequence of H28 were identical to those determined by sequence analysis of purified hamster hepatic P-450MCI. The high similarity of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences between H28 and P-450IA2 of other species indicated that H28 encoded a P-450 protein which belongs to the P-450IA2 family. Northern blot analysis revealed that the mRNAs for hamster P-450IA1 and IA2 were about 2.9 and 1.9 kb long, respectively. Hamster P-450IA1 mRNA was induced to the same level in lungs as in livers by MC treatment, whereas hamster P-450IA2 mRNA was induced and expressed only in hamster liver.

Sub-terahertz imaging for construction materials has been performed using room-temperature operating oscillators. Invisible defects in woods, and mixed foreign bodies and cracks in concrete were detected effectively by power transmission imaging. In addition, rusty area covered with paint on the steel was distinguished by power reflection imaging. So, Sub-terahertz imaging is one of the promising tools for the safe structural engineering.

KIKUCHI, H., SEKIYA, T., NISHIMURA, S. and WATANABE, M. Repetitive Sequences in the Rat Genome that Have Cleavage Sites for the Restriction Endonuclease Taq I. Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1990, 161 (2), 91-99-A cleavage of rat DNA with restriction endonuclease Tag I produced at least 8 discrete bands. One of the bands, 0.29 kilobase pairs (kb) long, was isolated and cloned in plasmid. The hybridization of this fragment to genomic DNA digested with Taq I showed 1.6kb, 1.2kb and 0.29kb band in a smear hybridization signal. A repetition of the DNA sequence of this fragment was about 12, 500 copies haploid genome of both Buffalo and Sprague-Dawley rats by the Cot-hybridization analysis. Four independent clones of 0.29kb Taq I fragment share high homology (97%).

Oxidative stress has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD). Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a key enzyme in heme catabolism, also functions as an antioxidant enzyme. Here, we show that a (GT)n repeat in the human HO-1 gene promoter region is highly polymorphic, although no particular alleles are associated with AD or PD. This newly identified genetic marker should allow us to study the possible involvement of HO-1 in certain human diseases.

Cytochrome P450IIE1 (P450IIE1) is involved in metabolic activation of carcinogenic nitrosamines, aniline and benzene. We detected a restriction fragment length polymorphism of the human P450IIE1 gene with the restriction endonuclease DraI. The population was thus divided into three genotypes, namely, heterozygotes (CD) and two forms of homozygotes (CC and DD). The distribution of these genotypes among lung cancer patients differed from that among controls with statistical significance of P less than 0.05 (chi 2 = 7.01 with 2 degrees of freedom). This result strongly suggests that host susceptibility to lung cancer is associated with the DraI polymorphism of the P450IIE1 gene.

Most chemical carcinogens require metabolic activation before they interact with cellular macromolecules, nucleic acid and protein, and can cause initiation and/or promo tion in chemical carcinogenesis in cells. Many cytochrome P450 (CYP) mediating oxidative enzymes and the related other drug metabolizing enzymes, cloned and characterized in human tissues,1 show genetic and phenotypic polymorphisms. They have been sug gested to contribute to individual cancer susceptibility as genetic modifiers of cancer risk against exposure to environmental chemical carcinogens.

The aromatic hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) is a basic helix-loop-helix-PAS protein which forms a heterodimer with aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), this heterodimer mediating the signal transduction in response to the various xenobiotics such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and directly interacting with target genes by binding to xenobiotic responsive elements. An anti-ARNT antibody was raised in rabbits against the bacterially expressed ARNT of amino acids 21-328 from the N-terminal. Using this antibody, besides ARNT itself, we detected at least one protein, 120 kDa, in the immunoprecipitate of anti-ARNT antibodies in HepG2 cells as well as in Hepa-1 cells. However, this protein is not present in the immunoprecipitate of the anti-AHR antisera nor in that of the preimmune sera of the rabbits used for the immunization.

We have isolated new benzo[a]pyrene-resistant clones, cl-21 and cl-32, of the mouse hepatoma line, Hepa-1. CYP1A1-dependent aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity is not inducible by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or 3-methylcholanthrene in these two cell lines. However, mRNA of CYP1A1 is inducible in cl-21 and cl-32 cells, as in the wild-type cells, in spite of an undetectable level of cytosolic Ah receptor. The cl-21 cDNA of Cyp1a-1 was found to have a single mutation leading to an amino acid substitution from Leu (118) to Arg (118). However, the CYP1A1 protein band was not detected on Western immunoblots. The cDNA of cl-32 was found to have a single mutation leading to an amino acid change from Arg (359) to Trp (359). The presence of the mature protein in cl-32 was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Somatic cell hybridization experiments demonstrated that the phenotype of cl-21 and cl-32 is recessive and that these clones belong to the same complementation group. These data suggest that there may be a non-Ah receptor-mediated mechanism of CYP1A1 induction.

Most chemcicals formed in our environment require metabolic activation to exert their deleterious effects in target cells. The major activation pathway is oxidative metabolism mainly catalyzed by cytochrome P-450 (P-450)-dependent monooxygenase systems which have been resolved into at least two catalytic components, namely a species of P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome c (P-450) reductase. Furthermore, multiple forms of P-450 have been isolated and purified from some species of experimental animals including Syrian golden hamster and from human (Watanabe, M. et al., 1987; Guengerich, F.P. 1987; Mizokami, K. et al., (1983).

Enzymatic DNA amplification and direct DNA sequencing were used to detect a mutation in the tyrosinase gene of an albino patient. Single-base change could be detected by direct sequencing. This base change (G to A) is thought to result in an amino acid change (Arg to Gln) in tyrosinase of the patient.

Cytochrome P-450MC was induced in pulmonary microsomes of 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats and also at low level in that of isosafrole-treated rats. Cytochrome P-450d was not detected in the lungs of 3-methylcholanthrene- or isosafrole-treated rats by the method of Western blot analysis with a polyclonal antibody raised against cytochrome P-450c which is equally effective against P-450d, nor by the method of Northern hybridization probed with pcP450mc3 (P-450d probe). Complementary DNA of P-450MC was isolated from rat pulmonary cDNA library and the nucleotide sequence of pulmonary cDNA was compared with that of hepatic P-450c cDNA reported by Yabusaki et al. There was no gross change in nucleotide sequences of cDNA between pulmonary P-450MC and hepatic P-450c.

Administration of ethanol in drinking water to Syrian golden hamsters for 1–3 weeks caused alterations of microsomal cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase activities in the liver accompanied by a slight elevation in cytochrome P-450 content. Ethanol treatment resulted in an increase in the activities for ethanol oxidation, aniline p -hydroxylation and dimethylnitrosamine N -demethylation. In particular, when dimethylnitrosamine was used as a substrate, the rate of formaldehyde formation was enhanced by 2- to 2.7-fold, while ethanol oxidation and aniline p -hydroxylation were increased by 1.5- to 2- and 1.2- to 1.3-fold, respectively. On the other hand, the activities of 7-ethoxycoumarin O -deethylase, benzphetamine N -demethylase and benzo[ a ]pyrene 3-hydroxylase were apparently decreased after ethanol treatment. These results for hamsters were significantly different from those reported for rats.

The metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene in reconstituted pulmonary mono-oxygenase systems has been studied. Metabolites formed by pulmonary cytochrome P450MC, a major form of pulmonary cytochrome P-450 isolated from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats, were analysed by h.p.l.c. The profiles of benzo[a]pyrene metabolites formed by the reconstituted P-450MC systems were different from that obtained with rat-lung microsomes, indicating the presence of several unknown metabolites in the reconstituted systems containing NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and epoxide hydrolase. 3-Hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene was a major product formed by pulmonary cytochrome P-450MC, in the absence or presence of epoxide hydrolase. The addition of purified epoxide hydrolase to the reconstituted systems increased the formation of dihydrodihydroxy-benzo[a]pyrenes, particularly 7,8-dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene. The 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene was the major dihydrodiol formed by pulmonary cytochrome P-450MC. By the addition of epoxide hydrolase the total amount of phenols decreased in parallel with an increased production of dihydrodiol, but the amount of quinones was not changed. Similar results concerning the related production of phenols and dihydrodiols, in the absence and presence of epoxide hydrolase, were obtained in reconstituted systems of hepatic cytochrome P-450MC, the major form of hepatic cytochrome P-450 from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats.

Male Wistar rats (200–230 g) were treated with bromobenzene in soybean oil intraperitoneally (i.p.) (4 mmol/kg) once a day for 1 or 2 days while control rats received soybean oil alone. δ-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) activity was depressed to 80% and 43% in bone marrow after 24 h and 48 h, respectively. ALA-D activity was also depressed significantly in the liver after the administration of bromobenzene while the activity in peripheral erythrocytes was not altered. After the administration of bromobenzene, the concentration of reduced non-protein sulfhydryls in liver was the lowest at 24 h and increased thereafter. No significant change was observed in the activity of δ-aminolevulinate synthase in liver. The decrease of ALA-D activity was also reproducible in vitro. The 105 000 g supernatant fractions of rat bone marrow lyzates as ALA-D source were incubated with liver microsomes prepared from rats treated with phenobarbital. ALA-D activity was decreased by bromobenzene but no decrease was observed when the microsomes were preincubated with CO to inhibit cytochrome P -450. The effect of bromobenzene on ALA-D purified from rat erythroid cells was studied in incubations containing a reconstituted cytochrome P -450 system prepared from rat liver. The decrease of ALA-D activity was proportional to both the incubation time and to the concentration of P -450 while no decrease was detected when P -450 was inhibited by CO before the incubation.

Two forms of cytochrome P-450 (P-450MC1 and P-450MC2) were purified from liver microsomes of crab-eating monkeys (Macaca irus) treated with 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). Monkey P-450MC1 preparation had a specific content of 14.0 nmol/mg protein and showed a main protein band with a minimum molecular weight of 52,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Monkey P-450MC2 preparation had a specific content of 12.1 nmol/mg protein and a minimum molecular weight of 54,000. The carbon monoxide-reduced difference spectral peaks of monkey P-450MC1 and P-450MC2 were at 448 and 447 nm, respectively. In the reconstituted system, monkey P-450MC2 had high activities for benzo[a]pyrene 3-hydroxylation and 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation. Monkey P-450MC1 had low activities toward these two substrates and a high activity for benzphetamine N-demethylation. Monkey P-450MC1 and P-450MC2 were detected by immunoblotting using an antibody prepared against rat cytochrome P-450c, which is a major form of cytochrome P-450 in liver microsomes of MC-treated rats. These results suggested that the molecular properties of cytochrome P-450 in liver microsomes of crab-eating monkeys treated with MC are similar to those in rats.

Pulmonary cytochrome P-448 from 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated rats was partially purified approximately 20-fold. The purified preparations containing 1.74 nmol per mg protein were essentially free of NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, and included a small amount of cytochrome b5 spectrophotometrically. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the partially purified cytochrome P-448 gave one major band and several minor bands when stained with Coomassie blue. The major band on which the presence of peroxidase activity could be determined had the apparent molecular weight of 57,000. In the presence of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, lipid and NADPH, the pulmonary cytochrome P-448 was active in hydroxylation of benzo-[a]pyrene, but catalyzed N-demethylation of benzphetamine in a slow rate.

A major form of pulmonary cytochrome P-450 (pulmonary P-450MC) was purified approximately 313 fold from lung microsomes of 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-treated rats. The purified preparation contained 12.5 nmol of cytochrome P-450 per mg protein and was essentially free from NADPH-cytochrome c-reductase, NADH-cytochrome b5-reductase, and cytochrome b5. By SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molecular weight of pulmonary P-450MC was estimated to be 54,000, which is smaller than that of a major form of hepatic cytochrome P-450 (hepatic P-450MC) purified from MC-treated rats. The peptide patterns of the purified pulmonary P-450MC were apparently different from those of hepatic P-450MC on partial proteolysis with either S. aureus V8 protease or papain, indicating that the primary structure of pulmonary P-450MC is different from that of hepatic P-450MC. In reconstituted systems, pulmonary P-450MC efficiently catalyzed benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylation and ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation, but showed a low activity for benzphetamine N-demethylation. Pulmonary P-450MC formed a single precipitation line with the antibody prepared against hepatic P-450MC in Ouchterlony double diffusion analysis. The pulmonary and hepatic P-450MC activities of benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylation and ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation were inhibited in the same manner by the antibody against hepatic P-450MC. These results suggest that pulmonary P-450MC is immunologically very similar to hepatic P-450MC.

Most chemical carcinogens and toxicants formed in our environment require metabolic activation or detoxification to exert their harmful effects or be rendered harmless, respectively, in their target cells and tissues. The major activation pathway is oxidative metabolism, usually catalyzed by cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase systems. Multiple forms of cytochrome P-450 have been isolated and characterized from certain species of experimental animals. In this review we attempt to present a discussion of 1) specificity of catalytic activity in cytochrome P-450 enzymes in chemical carcinogenesis, 2) distribution of cytochrome P-450 enzymes in different species of experimental animals, 3) specificity of cytochrome-P-450 enzymes in extrahepatic tissues, and 4) genetic regulation in the susoeptibility to cancer in experimental animals and human. One of the important problems is to evaluate the role of extrahepatic cytochrome P-450 in chemical carcinogenesis and toxicity. We know some forms of cytochrome P-450 are highly localized in particular regions or cells, as for example, in non-ciliated bronchiolar (Clara) cells of the lung. Whether or not cytochrome P-450 enzymes and other drug metabolizing enzymes play significant roles in the expression of chemical toxicity in target tissues, may depend on the stability of biologically reactive intermediates mediated in vivo by the liver, the major organ for these enzymes. It is of interest that there is an apparent tissue difference in the expression of the cytochrome P-450IAl gene and in the inducibility of benzo [a] pyrene hydroxylation by 3-methyl-cholanthrene between lung and liver in Syrian golden hamsters. Whenever we attempt to postulate a process explaining the primary prophylaxis leading to chemical carcinogenesis in human, we have to deal with the question of which similarities of cytochrome P-450 and the related drug-metabolizing enzymes encountered in the animal model situations may extend to those of interest in the human populations at potential risk.

A major form of pulmonary cytochrome P-450 (pulmonary P-450MC) was purified approximately 165-fold from lung microsomes of 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-treated hamsters. The purified preparation contained 14.2 nmol of cytochrome P-450 (P-450) per mg protein and was essentially free from NADPH-cytochrome P-450 (cytochrome c)-reductase (NADPH-reductase) and epoxide hydrolase. Pulmonary P-450MC exhibits an absorption maximum at 446.5 nm in the difference spectrum of reduced hemoprotein-CO complex, and a low-spin state of ferric iron in the heme. By sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molecular weight of pulmonary P-450MC was estimated to be 56,000. In a reconstituted system, pulmonary P-450MC efficiently catalyzed benzo(a)pyrene (BP) hydroxylation, but showed low activities for 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation and benzphetamine N-demethylation. In Ouchterlony double diffusion analysis, hamster pulmonary P-450MC reacted to the antibody prepared against rat hepatic P-450MC to form a faint precipitation line with a spur, indicating that the two P-450MCs have a common antigenic site but are not immunologically identical. When incubated with [14C]BP in a reconstituted system containing NADPH-reductase and epoxide hydrolase, hamster pulmonary P-450MC formed much higher amounts of BP diols, especially 7,8-diol, than were formed by rat pulmonary P-450MC.

Two forms of cytochrome P -450 (hepatoma P -450 MCI and P -450 MCII were purified from hepatoma 5123D microsomes of tumor-bearing rats treated with 3-methylcholanthrene. Hepatoma P -450 MCI had a specific content of 18.4 nmol/mg protein and showed a main protein band with a minimum molecular weight of 56,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. Hepatoma P -450 MCII had a specific content of 7.38 nmol/mg protein and a minimum molecular weight of 50,000. The carbon monoxidereduced difference spectral peak of hepatoma P -450 MCI was at 446.5 nm, whereas the peak of hepatoma P -450 MCII was at 451 nm. In the reconstituted system, hepatoma P -450 MCI catalyzed 3-hydroxylation of benzo[ a ]pyrene and O -deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin, but showed low activities for N -demethylation of benzphetamine and aminopyrine, O -demethylation of p -nitroanisole, and p -hydroxylation of aniline. On the other hand, hepatoma P -450 MCII did not catalyze hydroxylation of any of the substrates tested. By Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis, hepatoma P -450 MCI was immunologically indistinguishable from rat liver cytochrome P -450 c , but hepatoma P -450 MCII was distinct from hepatoma P -450 MCI and rat liver cytochrome P -450 c . Peptide maps of hepatoma P -450 MCI and rat liver cytochrome P -450 c after proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease demonstrated the similarity of the two cytochromes P -450.

In many hepatic tumors the reduced activities of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) hydroxylase or drug-metabolizing enzymes were observed, when compared to the enzyme activities in normal adult liver, from which hepatic tumor was originated (Adamson and Fouts, 1961). Conney et al. (1957) described the remarkable and now widely recognized induction of BP hydroxylase activity in rat liver by the prior administration of BP itself, or 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), or other polycyclic hydrocarbons. An apparent induction of the drug-metabolizing enzymes by an inducer, such as MC or phenobarbital (PB), was also demonstrated in some lines of “slow-growing” Morris hepatoma (Conney and Burns, 1963; Hart et al., 1965; Watanabe et al., 1970, 1975a, 1975b), but not in Morris hepatoma 7777 (Miyake et al., 1974), Novikoff hepatoma (Hart etal., 1965), and some lines of Yoshida ascites hepatoma (Sugimura et al., 1966), all of which were considered as lines of rapidly growing tumors (Morris,1972). It was then observed that the activity and the inducibility by inducers of the drug-metabolizing enzymes were roughly correlated with the growth rate of the tumor in the host. On the other hand, very low activities of some of the drug-metabolizing enzymes were detected in the liver from newborn and fetal animals, compared with those in the liver from the corresponding adult animals (Hart et al., 1962; Watanabe et al., 1970). The inducibility of BP hydroxylation enzyme sometimes appears to be a determinant factor among those which affect the sensitivity of animals to chemical carcinogens (Watanabe et al., 1975; Nebert et al., 1978).

Four strains of guinea pigs (Hartley, No. 2, No. 13 and JY-1) were examined for the effects of intraperitoneal treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene on aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity, total cytochrome P-450 content in liver and lung microsomes, and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity in liver microsomes. Following treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity and cytochrome P-450 content in liver were both increased in all the strains used, and the activity of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase in liver was also increased in all strains except No. 13. While the cytochrome P-450 content in lung was increased in all the strains except No. 13, there was no increase in the aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in lung from any strain of guinea pig examined. When the dose of 3-methylcholanthrene was increased to 250 mg/kg body weight, an apparent induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase was detected in the lung from the Hartley strain of guinea pigs, but not in the other three strains. In summary, marked differences were seen in sensitivity to 3-methylcholanthrene between liver and lung, and apparent strain differences were observed among the guinea pigs used in this experiment.

A method utilizing coppor-chelate chromatography has been developed for the fractionation of nonhistone proteins under mild conditions. Specific proteins adsorbed on the column were eluted with the buffer containing glycine, histamine, and histidine. Using this method, RNA polymerase B stimulatory factor was partially purified from nonhistone proteins of rat liver nuclei.

The effects of dietary phenobarbital (PB) on RNA polymerase II (nucleoside triphosphate: RNA nucleotidyltransferase, EC 2. 7. 7. 6) in the liver of male Sprague-Dawley rats previously administered diethylnitrosamine (DENA) were studied. When a diet containing 0.05% phenobarbital was administered, the activity of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II in the liver nuclei of rats was temporarily increased 1 and 2 weeks after the onset of feeding and expressed to be relatively higher afterwards, compared with the activity in rats fed the control diets.