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Previous studies suggest that bladder cancer risk may vary with GST genotype but these results are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to explore whether GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP polymorphisms were associated with increased bladder cancer risk in an Egyptian population. GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 genotype frequencies were determined in bladder cancer cases (n=72) and healthy controls with no history of malignancies (n=82) using PCR-based techniques. The GSTT1*2 genotype was particularly associated with increased risk (OR 2.71, 95%CI 1.27-5.73) and the GSTM1*2 genotype to a lesser extent (OR 1.63, 95%CI 0.85-3.10). 18.1% of cases but only 7.3% of controls were GSTP1*B*B homozygotes (OR 2.38, 95%CI 0.83-6.87). The presence of two or more a priori at-risk genotypes was associated with increased bladder cancer risk (OR 2.42; 95%CI 1.47-3.97). These results suggest that polymorphisms in the GST genes are associated with increased risk of bladder cancer among Egyptians.

The mixed function oxidase system includes the phase I drug oxidation proteins e.g. aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), N-nitrosodimethylamine-N-demethylase I (NDMA-dI) and cytochrome b5 which metabolize most carcinogens and xenobiotics into less and/or more active intermediates. These were determined in human bladder tissues diagnosed as bladder cancer only (10 samples) and bladder cancer associated with Schistosoma haematobium (12 samples) and normal bladder tissues (12 samples). In addition to the above enzymes, agents involved in Phase II drug metabolism e.g. glutathione and glutathione S-transferase as well as free radicals (detected as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, TBARS) were also determined in these tissues samples. AAH and NDMA-dI, cytochrome b5, and glutathione S-transferase activity decreased by 42, 28, 47 and 32%, respectively, in human bladder cancer tissues. In bladder cancer tissues associated with S. haematobium infection NDMA-dI and GST activity decreased further by 65 and 56%, respectively, whereas AHH activity increased by 50% and levels of reduced glutathione also increased by 43% in cancer tissue and by 29% in schistocome infected bladder cancer tissue. The level of free radicals also increased significantly (by 57%) in infected bladder cancer tissue but not at all in non-infected cancer tissue. Alterations in the activity of phase I and II of drug-metabolizing enzymes in human bladder tissues as a result of S. haematobium infection may therefore change the bladder's capacity to detoxify many endogenous compounds and may also potentiate the deleterious effects of bladder carcinogens, (e.g. N-nitrosamines) which are known to be present in relatively large quantities in the bladder of patients with schistosomiasis. The present study thus provides new insights into mechanisms for the genesis of bladder cancer initiated in association with schistosomiasis.

Putative risk factors (DNA damage) and risk modifying factors (DNA repair and cell proliferation) were examined in an experimental mouse model in which treatment with dimethylhydrazine (6.8 mg/kg DMH i.p. once weekly) for up to 20 weeks induces colon tumours in a site specific manner with 0, 43 and 87% of animals having proximal, mid and distal colon tumours respectively at the highest cumulative dose. Levels of the pro-carcinogenic DNA adduct, O(6)-methylguanine (O(6)-MeG), in colonic DNA were found to vary with time after final treatment and with location within the colon but not with total DMH dose. O(6)-MeG levels were generally lowest in proximal colon DNA and highest in distal colon DNA. Steady state O(6)-MeG levels were obtained at the highest cumulative DMH dose with O(6)-MeG levels in mid and distal colon DNA being 5 and 10 times higher those in proximal colon DNA. O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (MGMT) activity, and cell proliferation indices in the colon were also found to vary with time after final treatment but not with either location within the colon or total DMH dose. O(6)-MeG levels, MGMT activity and cell proliferation indices at specific time points as well as basal MGMT activity were not associated with differences in tumour yield within the colon. However tumour yield was associated with the cumulative amount of O(6)-MeG present in DNA over the treatment period and with the treatment induced cumulative increase in cell proliferation, particularly within regions of the colon crypt where stem cells reside but not with cumulative changes in MGMT activity. Results are consistent with an increased cancer risk arising from an increased mutation load in the target stem cell population due to increased adduct formation/persistence and cell proliferation but also suggest that other cell specific factors may help to determine tumourigenic response.

There is increasing evidence that alkylating agent exposure may increase large bowel cancer risk and factors which either alter such exposure or its effects may modify risk. Hence, in a cross-sectional study of 78 patients with colorectal disease, we have examined whether (i) metabolic genotypes (GSTT1, GSTM1, CYP2D6, CYP2E1) are associated with O(6)-methyldeoxyguanosine (O(6)-MedG) levels, O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (ATase) activity or K-ras mutations, and (ii) there was an association between ATase activity and O(6)-MedG levels. Patients with colon tumours and who were homozygous GSTT1(*)2 genotype carriers were more likely than patients who expressed GSTT1 to have their DNA alkylated (83 versus 32%, P=0.03) and to have higher O(6)-MedG levels (0.178+/-0.374 versus 0.016+/-0.023 micromol O(6)-MedG/mol dG, P=0.04) in normal, but not tumour, DNA. No such association was observed between the GSTT1 genotype and the frequency of DNA alkylation or O(6)-MedG levels in patients with benign colon disease or rectal tumours. Patients with colon tumours or benign colon disease who were CYP2D6-poor metabolisers had higher ATase activity in normal tissue than patients who were CYP2D6 extensive metabolisers or CYP2D6 heterozygotes. Patients with the CYP2E1 Dra cd genotype were less likely to have a K-ras mutation: of 55 patients with the wild-type CYP2E1 genotype (dd), 23 had K-ras mutations, whereas none of the 7 individuals with cd genotype had a K-ras mutation (P=0.04). No other associations were observed between GSTT1, GSTM1, CYP2D6 and CYP2E1 Pst genotypes and adduct levels, ATase activity or mutational status. O(6)-MedG levels were not associated with ATase activity in either normal or tumour tissue. However, in 15 patients for whom both normal and tumour DNA contained detectable O(6)-MedG levels, there was a strong positive association between the normal DNA/tumour DNA adduct ratio and the normal tissue/tumour tissue ATase ratio (r(2)=0.66, P=0.001). These results indicate that host factors can affect levels both of the biologically effective dose arising from methylating agent exposure and of a susceptibility factor, the DNA repair phenotype.

Following treatment with bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) extract and bracken spores a number of DNA adducts were detected by P-32-postlabeling. Three of these adducts have been described previously (Povey et al., Br. J. Cancer (1996) 74, 1342-1348) and in this study, using a slightly different protocol, four new adducts, with higher chromatographic mobility, were detected at levels ranging from 50 to 230% of those previously described, When DNA was treated in vitro with activated ptaquiloside (APT) and analysed by butanol extraction or nuclease P1 treatment, only one adduct was detected by P-32-postlabeling, This adduct was not present in the DNA from mice treated with bracken fern or spores, suggesting either that bracken contains genotoxins other than ptaquiloside or that the metabolism of ptaquiloside produces genotoxins not reflected by activated ptaquiloside. However, as the ATP-derived adduct has been detected previously in ileal DNA of bracken-fed calves, species-specific differences in the metabolism of bracken genotoxins may exist, thereby leading to differences in their biological outcomes. (C) 2001 Academic Press.

O6-Alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase) is an important modulator of alkylating agent–induced toxicity and carcinogenicity, but those factors which influence the expression of this repair protein in human tissues are poorly characterised. In this study, we have determined ATase levels in macroscopically normal and tumour tissues from 76 individuals with benign or malignant colorectal disease. All tissue samples had detectable ATase activity, with values ranging from 35 to 451 fmol/mg protein. ATase activity in normal rectal tissue was significantly higher than that in normal tissue from the sigmoid colon (148 ± 76 vs. 100 ± 40 fmol/mg protein, p = 0.01), whereas ATase levels within different regions of the colon (proximal vs. sigmoid colon) were similar. In normal tissue, inter-individual variation in ATase activity was 4-fold in the colon and 6-fold in the rectum, whereas in tumour tissue the corresponding figures were approx. 13.0- and 7-fold, respectively. There was no detectable difference in normal tissue ATase activity between individuals with benign or malignant disease of the colon. Normal and tumour tissue ATase activities were strongly correlated in the sigmoid colon (r = 0.80) and rectum (r = 0.59) but not the caecum (r = −0.03). In a multivariate analysis, ATase activity in normal colon tissue increased with age (p = 0.01) and current smoking (p = 0.06), whereas tumour ATase activity increased only with use of anti-histamines (p = 0.05). In rectal tumour tissue, activity decreased with age (p = 0.05) and use of anti-muscarinic medications (p = 0.01): in normal rectal tissue, no modulating factors were identified. Int. J. Cancer 85:68–72, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

O6-alkylguanine DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase) provides protection against the toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of alkylating agents, principally by removing the promutagenic lesion O6-alkylguanine from DNA. Differences in ATase activity in human tissue may thus determine mutational susceptibility. As GC--AT transitions, which can be induced by O6-alkylguanine in DNA, are commonly observed in the K-ras oncogene of alkylating agent induced animal tumours and in human colorectal tumours, we have examined whether differences in ATase activity may affect the risk of K-ras mutations in humans with colorectal tumours. NTase activity in normal tissue from individuals with a K-ras mutation in colorectal tissue and more specifically a GC--AT transition (but not a transversion mutation) was significantly lower than that in individuals without a mutation (P0.01). Thus, individuals with low ATase activity in normal tissue (i.e. below the median) were at increased risk of having a transition (OR 10.1; 95% CI 1.9-99.0), but not a transversion mutation (OR 1.7; 95% CI 0.3-12.2). There were no significant differences in tumour ATase activity in individuals with or without a mutation. These results suggest that ATase can protect colorectal tissue against the mutagenic effects of alkylating agents and furthermore, that alkylating agent exposure plays a role in the aetiology of colorectal tumours containing a GC--AT transition in the K-ras oncogene.

Molecular and immunohistological techniques have been used to study the induction in rat liver of the DNA repair protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase), following an acute dose (60 mg/kg) of the hepatocarcinogen, 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF). An increase in ATase activity was specific to the liver, with a five- to six-fold induction being observed 72 hr after administration of 2-AAF. A similar temporal increase of both activity and ATase protein (detected by immunoblotting) was observed up to 1 week following treatment, but after 2 weeks the activity had returned to control levels. Although maximal induction of hepatic ATase mRNA was observed as early as 24 hr, the levels remained elevated at least 1 week after 2-AAF treatment. Using a rabbit antiserum raised against purified recombinant rat ATase, ATase-specific staining was observed in the nuclei of both nonhepatocytes and hepatocytes in control liver sections. There was, however, a significant differential staining of hepatocytes across the liver lobule, with ATase staining being most intense in the periportal region. In the livers of 2-AAF-treated rats, an increased intensity of staining was observed in hepatocytes throughout the liver lobule, whereas the nonparenchymal cells showed much less, or no, increase in staining. The increased expression of ATase in hepatocytes and its differential distribution across the lobule were confirmed by image analysis. Thus, ATase induction in response to 2-AAF treatment was an hepatocyte-specific response and not confined to any particular region of the liver lobule.

Most human colorectal cancers arise through the accumulation of a series of genetic alterations such as point mutations within the Ki-ras and p53 genes, but the chemical carcinogens that may be implicated in these events are still unidentified. In a previous study, we showed that DNA from human colorectal tissue contained O6-methyldeoxyguanosine (O6-MedG), a promutagenic lesion arising from exposure to as yet unidentified methylating agents. To address whether such exposure may result in oncogene activation in human colorectal tumors, we examined another series of paired normal and tumor DNA samples from the lower intestinal tract for the presence of O6-MedG in DNA (as a marker of exposure) and for mutations within the Ki-ras gene. After isolation by high pressure liquid chromatography, O6-MedG was quantified by a radioimmunoassay with a limit of detection of 0.01 μmol O6-MedG/mol dG. The frequencies of methylation were 33%, 52%, and 48% for normal DNA and 58%, 32%, and 63% for tumor DNA isolated from the cecum, sigmoid colon, and rectum, respectively. Overall, 35% of the individuals had no detectable O6-MedG in the DNA from both their tumor and normal tissue. Ki-ras mutations were initially identified by a restriction site mutation assay and then sequenced to ascertain the mutations thus detected. The frequencies of mutations in tumor DNA isolated from the cecum, sigmoid colon, and rectum were 28%, 29%, and 42%, respectively. DNA isolated from macroscopically normal tissue was found to contain Ki-ras mutations in 14% of sigmoid colon samples and 12% of rectal samples. Most base mutations were in codon 12 (72%), and 64% were GCAT transitions: 28% and 8% were GCTA and GCCG transversions, respectively. All mutations were at the second base of either codon 12 or codon 13 except for a single GCTA transversion at the first base of codon 13 in a rectal tumor sample. There was no association between the presence of O5-MedG in DNA from either normal or tumor tissue or both normal and tumor tissue and the incidence of Ki-ras mutations or GCAT transitions in mutated Ki-ras genes. It remains to be determined, however, whether there is a relationship between methylating-agent exposure and Ki-ras mutations, as (i) the presence of O6-MedG in colorectal DNA in these samples may not represent the exposure when Ki-ras mutational activation was occurring (i.e., at some unknown time in the past), (ii) interindividual differences in repair-enzyme activity may alter susceptibility to a mutational event after exposure, (iii) the predominant mutagen in the colon and rectum may not be a methylating agent (e.g., nitric oxide), and (iv) exposure to methylating agents need not result in oncogene activation in human tissues but may perhaps promote the emergence of the mutator phenotype. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Bracken toxicity to both domestic and laboratory animals is well established and tumours are formed when rodents are treated with either bracken extracts or bracken spores. In this study we have administered bracken spores and extract to mice in order to investigate whether such exposure leads to the formation of DNA adducts. DNA, isolated from the upper gastrointestinal tract and liver, was digested to 3'-nucleotides. Adducts were extracted with butanol, 32P-post-labelled, separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and visualised and quantified using storage-phosphor technology. A cluster of adducts was clearly seen in the DNA of the upper gastrointestinal tract, but not liver, 5 and 24 h after treatment with bracken extract or bracken spores. These adducts were not observed in DNA extracted from vehicle-treated animals. Whereas, after 5 h adduct levels in extract and spore-treated animals were similar, after 24 h adduct levels in the extract-treated animals had diminished by > 75%, but levels in spore-treated animals remained similar to those found after 5 h. This suggests that the DNA-reactive compounds were being released slowly from the spores, even though the spores had been sonicated before administration. Adducts were also quantified after the addition of an internal standard (deoxyinosine 3'-monophosphate) by comparing the amount of label incorporated into the adducts with that found in a known amount of the internal standard. Adduct levels using this internal standard approach were similar to those found by direct measurement of radioactivity incorporated into the adduct, indicating that the labelling of adducts was quantitative. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to synthesise ptaquiloside, the principal carcinogenic component present within bracken. However, similar patterns of adducts were observed when two other compounds, (1-(4-chlorophenyl sulphonyl)-l-cyclopropane carbonitrile and 3-cyclopropylindeno [1,2-c] pyrazol-4-(O-methyl)oxime), which both contain a cyclopropyl ring, were administered to mice. The adducts detected in bracken-treated animals may, thus, have arisen from ptaquiloside but, whether these adducts arise directly from the compounds and bracken spores/extract themselves or via an indirect mechanism, remains to be determined. As bracken-induced DNA adducts are detectable in rodent tissues by a 32P-post-labelling procedure commonly employed to investigate DNA damage in human populations, it may prove possible to apply such approaches to determine human exposure. Images Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

O6-Alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase) activity was measured in extracts of 55 bladder tissue samples (46 tumour and nine uninvolved mucosal tissue) from Egyptian patients with schistosome-associated bladder carcinoma. Activity varied from 2.0 to 16.2 fmole ATase/microgram DNA (mean +/- S.D.; 5.6 +/- 4.0) or from 28 to 351 fmole ATase/mg (117 +/- 71). ATase levels in schistosome-associated bladder cancer tissues (5.6 +/- 4.0 fmole ATase/microgram DNA) tended to be lower than those observed in normal human bladder mucosal tissue (8.5 +/- 4.4 fmole ATase/microgram DNA). In a previous study (Badawi et al., Carcinogenesis, 1992, 13, 877-881) DNA-alkylation damage (O6-methyldeoxyguanosine) was found in 44/46 of these schistosome-associated bladder cancer samples at levels ranging from 0.012 to 0.485 mumole O6-MedG/mole deoxyguanosine. We now report an inverse correlation between the levels of methylation damage and ATase activity (r = -0.67; P0.001). These observations encourage further investigations of the possible role of environmental alkylating agents in the aetiology of early bladder cancer associated with schistosomiasis.

Male Wistar rats were treated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) either as a single dose of 50, 125 or 250 mg/kg given by gavage or via drinking water for 28 weeks at a concentration of 40, 80 or 160 micrograms/ml, in the case of the higher concentration reverting to 80 micrograms/ml after the first 8 weeks. The single dose regimen had no effect on water intake or body weight, but the chronic exposure led to a dose-dependent reduction in water intake that was paralleled by a slower weight gain, with the final body weights at approximately 90, 84 and 79% of the control weight values. The combined yield of benign and malignant tumours (79-100% of the animals treated) occurred in the forestomach in the case of the single doses, whereas the chronic exposure resulted in a maximum yield of tumours located in the pyloric region of the glandular stomach (64-100% of animals treated). The principal histological types of tumours induced were squamous cell papilloma and carcinoma in the forestomach and adenocarcinoma in the pylorus. There was a persistent, but low yield (25-30% of animals treated) of tumours in the jejunum, mainly adenocarcinoma, after administration via drinking water, whereas after single doses, multiple solitary cysts and cholangioma (30% and 25-70% respectively of the animals treated) were found in the liver. This report differs from earlier reports in that marked effects were noted on water consumption and body weight gain and that tumour induction can be achieved after much shorter periods of exposure than previously reported in the literature. These data confirm the tissue specificity of MNNG when given either as a single or chronic dose regimen and provide a suitable model for the investigation of the target cell specificity of tumour induction.

Male and female BK-TO mice were infected with different numbers of Schistosoma mansoni cercariae under standard environmental conditions. Promutagenic methylation damage (O 6 -methyldeoxyguanosine; O 6 -MedG) was detected in liver DNA, but not in kidney, spleen or bladder DNA of infected animals. It was shown that levels of hepatic O 6 -MedG increased with increasing intensities of schistosomal infection. Possible mechanisms of action are discussed. These include the activating effects of schistosomes and their products on murine macrophages and subsequent endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds by the activated macrophages

Radioimmunoassays (RIAs) have been used to detect the promutagenic lesion O6-methyldeoxyguanosine (O6-MedG) in DNA isolated from the bladder tissues of Egyptian patients presenting with bladder carcinoma and concomitant schistosomiasis (bilharziasis), a parasitic disease known to be associated with the presence of N-nitrosamines in the urine. Alkylation damage was present in the DNA of the majority of the samples (44/46, 96%); 38 samples were of tumour tissue and 8 from uninvolved bladder mucosa. Levels of O6-MedG ranged from undetectable (ND; i.e. less than 0.01 mumol O6-MedG/mol dG) to 0.485 mumol/mol dG with an overall mean of 0.134 +/- 0.10 mumol/mol dG, including the two samples that were below the limit of detection. In contrast, methylation damage was detected in only 4/12 (33%) of the DNA samples from normal bladder tissue of European origin. In these samples levels of O6-MedG ranged from ND to 0.225 mumol/mol dG with an overall mean of 0.046 +/- 0.082 mumol O6-MedG/mol dG. These results confirm that alkylation events can be detected in the DNA of schistosome-infected human bladder tissue. The methylation of uninvolved and tumour tissue DNA to similar extents suggests that the alkylating intermediate may have been present in the urine. These results indicate the need for further investigation to determine whether relationships exist between levels of DNA damage and the prevalence of schistosome infection and/or the extent and type of bacterial infection that frequently accompanies this disease.

Normal human breast tissue maintained as xenografts in female Balb/c (nu/nu) athymic mice is capable of metabolising N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) to active intermediates that will react with DNA. Administration of NDMA to mice with slow-release implants of 17 beta-oestradiol which provide human physiological (luteal phase) circulating oestrogen levels and increase cell proliferation in the xenograft (Laidlaw et al., 1992), leads to an apparent increase in the extent of reaction with DNA compared to controls without oestrogen implants. In mice with oestrogen implants, measurements of the amounts of the promutagenic lesion, O6-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine formed in DNA clearly indicated a dose related increase in the extent of reaction. Detection of O6-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine using immunohistochemical procedures revealed that the nuclei of cells of the glandular epithelium, supportive tissue and adipose tissue, in decreasing order of prevalence, were positively stained for the presence of this DNA lesion. Epithelial cells, which are the putative target cells for carcinogenesis in the breast, are therefore prone to promutagenic damage as a result of exposure to an environmental nitrosamine. Images Figure 2 Figure 3

Two direct-acting mutagens, N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) and N-nitroso-N-ethylurea (NEU), and two agents requiring metabolic activation, 1-2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), were administered i.p. to mice. Sections of crypts of the small intestine were assayed for acute histological cell death at various times up to 12 h after treatment. Dead or dying cells exhibited the typical light microscopic morphological features of apoptosis. The incidence of apoptosis at each cell position along the side of longitudinal crypt sections was recorded and frequency plots of the incidence against cell position were determined. NEU (50 mg/kg) produced the highest incidence of cell death but this was closely followed by NDMA (50 mg/kg) and NMU (200 mg/kg). DMH (40 or 80 mg/kg) was the least cytotoxic but even here significantly elevated levels of cell death were observed. The highest incidence of cell death occurred 4-5 h after treatment with NEU, NMU and DMH and at 6 h after NDMA. The data obtained at 4 h after NEU suggest that approximately 22 cells out of a total crypt population of 250 cells are killed, but that for some cell positions near the crypt base (stem cell regions) up to 24% of the cells may be killed. Analysis of the changing shape of the frequency plots with time after treatment enabled the target cell position in the crypts for cytotoxicity to be estimated. This was at cell position 4 for NEU, NMU and DMH and at cell position 5 for NDMA. The stem cells in the crypts are believed to be located at the fourth cell position and hence at least NEU, NMU and DMH are targeting the stem cells with some specificity.

A rat O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase) cDNA has been isolated from a rat liver cDNA library by hybridization with the human homologue. The candidate 806 bp cDNA was sequenced and shown to contain a 630 bp open reading frame that could encode a protein of 22.2 kd. Fluorography of labelled ATase indicates a 24 kd protein which is consistent with several previous reports. The derived amino acid sequence demonstrated 81% similarity with the human ATase and 94% identity over a 67 residue region encompassing the putative alkyl acceptor site. Peptide sequences derived from cleaved homogeneous rat ATase have been located in the predicted protein providing additional confirmation of the identity of the cDNA. A 1.05 kb mRNA has been detected in rat liver by Northern analysis; treatment of adult rats with 2-acetylaminofluorene causes an approximately 10-fold induction of this message in liver. Following site directed mutagenesis of the 806 bp cDNA, the 630 bp protein coding sequence has been ligated into an Escherichia coli expression vector to achieve ATase levels of greater than 3% of total protein in bacterial extracts.

Schistosoma haematobium–infected patients are more likely to develop bladder cancer and be more exposed to carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds than uninfected patients. As N7-methylguanine is a marker of exposure to methylating agents of this type, we have measured N7-methyldeoxyguanosine 3′-monophosphate (N7-MedGp) by 32P postlabeling. DNA was isolated from 42 paired normal and tumor tissue of Egyptians with bladder cancer. N7-MedGp was detected in DNA from 93% of the tumors and 74% of the normal bladder tissue samples. Adduct levels were highly variable and ranged from 0.04 to 6.4 and from 0.02 to 0.72 μmol/mol deoxyguanosine 3′-monophosphate (dGp) in tumor and normal DNA, respectively. N7-MedGp levels in normal and tumor DNA were highly correlated with one another (P = 0.007). The mean difference (95% confidence interval) in adduct levels between tumor and normal DNA was 0.21 (0.13-0.32) μmol/mol dGp and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The adduct ratio (tumor DNA/normal DNA) varied between 0.2 and 136 (median, 4.6). N7-MedGp levels were not associated with gender, age, or the presence of schistosomiasis. However, lower N7-MedGp levels were found in normal DNA from individuals lacking the GSTM1 gene (P = 0.03) but not the GSTT1 gene or in subjects with the Ile105Val GSTP1 polymorphism. These results show that exposure to methylating agents is widespread and suggest that such exposure may play a role both in tumor initiation and progression. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(4):740–3)

O6-methylguanine (O6-MeG), a procarcinogenic DNA adduct that arises from exposure to methylating agents, has been detected in human colorectal DNA at levels comparable to those that cause adverse effects in model systems. O6-MeG levels vary within the colon, being higher in the cancer-prone regions of the large bowel. In rats and mice, O6-MeG persistence in colon DNA is associated with the induction of colon tumors after treatment with methylating agents. These tumors frequently contain K-ras GC-->AT transition mutations, which is consistent with the mutagenic properties of O6-MeG: such mutations are also commonly found in human colorectal cancers. O6-Alkylguanine adducts are removed by the DNA repair protein, O6-alkylguanine DNA-alkyltransferase (MGMT). MGMT overexpression in transgenic mice reduces the formation of K-ras GC-->AT mutations and tumors induced by methylating agents. Interindividual variations in human colon MGMT activity are large and large bowel tumors can occur in regions of low activity. Low MGMT activity in normal mucosa has been associated with the occurrence of K-ras GC-->AT mutations, whereas reduced MGMT expression and an increased frequency of K-ras GC-->AT mutations in colorectal cancers have been linked to MGMT promoter methylation. MGMT activity is also lower in adenomas than in adjacent normal tissue but only in those adenomas with this specific mutation. These results are entirely consistent with the hypothesis that GC-->AT mutations in the K-ras oncogene result from the formation and persistence of O6-alkylguanine lesions in colorectal DNA. Human exposure to endogenous or exogenous alkylating agents may thus be an environmental determinant of colorectal cancer risk.

Mixed-function oxidase enzymes metabolize most xenobiotic agents. Western blotting was used to investigate the effect ofSchistosoma mansoniinfection on the expression of various cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozymes and specific enzyme assays to study related metabolic functions in mouse liver microsomes. Male BK-TO mice were infected with 200 cercariae per mouse and their livers were assayed at 6, 15, 30 and 45 days post-infection (p.i.) and compared with appropriately matched controls. The expression of each of the CYP isozymes (1A1, 2B1/2, 2C6, and 4A) was either unaffected or transiently increased up to 30 days post-infection. By 45 days, a significant loss of signal was observed, particularly for CYP 1A1 and 2B1/2 where no signal could be detected. Evidence supporting these findings was obtained from enzyme assays specific for particular CYP isozymes. The activity of ethoxyresorufinO-deethylase (CYP 1A1) was reduced by 97% and that of pentoxyresorufinO-depentylase (CYP 2B1/2) by 96% at 45 days p.i. Similarly, the activity of ethoxycoumarin hydroxylase was progressively reduced over the period under study. It is believed thatN-nitrosamines are activated principally byN-nitrosodimethylamineN-demethylase I which was significantly increased at both 30 and 45 days p.i. To further investigate metabolic competency followingS. mansoniinfection, thein vitrobinding of benzo(a)pyrene metabolites to DNA was measured, using isolated liver microsomes to activate benzo(a)pyrene. Benzo(a)pyrene-DNA adduct formation was markedly increased at 6, 15 and 30 days with a maximum at 15 days, but decreased at 45 days p.i. It was concluded thatS. mansoniinfection changes the expression of different CYP isozymes and also the activity of phase I drug-metabolizing enzymes at different periods of infection and may thus change the liver's capacity to activate or detoxify many endogenous and exogenous compounds. Such alterations may also change the therapeutic actions of drugs that are primarily metabolized by the P450 system, when administered to patients with schistosomiasis.

To further explore how ethanol may act at the DNA level, studies have been made of DNA repair mechanisms in male Wistar rats given ethanol either as an acute intragastric dose (5 g/kg) or continuously in a liquid diet (5% w/v) to provide 36% of the caloric intake. These treatments generate significant levels of free radicals with evidence of damage to DNA. The acute ethanol dose significantly inhibited O(6)-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (ATase) activity by 21-32% throughout the 24-h post-treatment period and this was confirmed by immunohistochemical detection of the ATase protein in hepatic nuclei. Twelve hours after the ethanol treatment, the activities of the DNA glycosylases, alkylpurine-DNA-N-glycosylase (APNG) and 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase (OXOG glycosylase) were each increased by approximately 44%. In contrast, when given chronically via the liquid diet, ethanol initially had no effect on ATase activity, but after 4 weeks ATase activity was increased by 40%. Following ethanol withdrawal, ATase activity remained elevated for at least 12 h, but, by 24 h, the activity had fallen to the uninduced control level. DNA glycosylase activities were again affected differently. After 1 week of dietary ethanol exposure, there was no effect on APNG activity but it was inhibited by 19% at 4 weeks. OXOG glycosylase activity, on the other hand, was increased by 53% after 1 week, but decreased by 40% after 4 weeks. Although some of these changes in DNA repair capacity were relatively small, over time, their potential impact on the repair of endogenous or exogenous alkylation and/or oxidation damage in DNA would be substantial. These studies indicate possible mechanisms for the co-carcinogenic effects of ethanol.

BACKGROUND—The pro-mutagenic lesion O6-methyldeoxyguanosine (O6-MedG), a marker of exposure to many N-nitroso compounds (NOC), can be detected in normal and tumour DNA isolated from colorectal tissue. The biological significance of this exposure is, as yet, unknown but in situ NOC formation is bacterially catalysed suggesting that NOC formation and potentially DNA alkylation will vary throughout the large bowel. AIMS—To determine if O6-MedG levels in colorectal DNA vary within the large bowel. PATIENTS—We studied 62 men and women undergoing surgery for colorectal tumours in the north west of England. METHODS—O6-MedG levels were measured in paired normal and tumour DNA samples. DNA was digested to nucleosides, fractionated by HPLC, and purified O6-MedG quantified by a radioimmunoassay. RESULTS—O6-MedG was detected in 27 out of a total of 62 (43%) normal DNA samples and in 30 of 58 (52%) tumour DNA samples: it was present at concentrations of

In this study we have investigated the relationship between the dose of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) and the yield (and location) of tumours in a mouse strain susceptible to colon tumour induction. Female SWR mice were injected with 6.8 mg/kg DMH i.p. once a week for 1, 5, 10 and 20 weeks and the animals were followed for almost 2 years. Administration of increasing doses of DMH resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in survival time. Colon tumours developed in 26, 76 and 87% of mice given a total dose of 34, 68 and 136 mg/kg DMH, respectively: no tumours were detected in animals treated with a total dose of 6.8 mg/kg. Most colon tumours (79%) were located in the distal colon with the remainder being found in the mid colon and none were detected in either the proximal colon or small intestine. As mutations in the K-ras gene are thought to be key events in the pathogenesis of human and rodent colon tumours, we determined the frequency of codon 12 and 13 K-ras mutations in these tumours by restriction site mutation analysis and/or DNA sequencing. A total of 50 colon tumour samples were analysed for codon 12 mutations and of these 29 were also screened for codon 13 mutations. No mutations were detected in either of these codons. The mutational activation of the K-ras gene is not an essential step in the development of DMH-induced colon tumours in female SWR mice and if similar considerations apply to humans, then the aetiological role of alkylating agents may be underestimated from the prevalence of K-ras GC-->AT transitions in human tumours.

Transgenic mice expressing DNA-repair genes are an instructive model with which to study the protective role of DNA-repair pathways in both spontaneous and chemical carcinogenesis. Of particular interest in chemical carcinogenesis is the DNA-repair protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (alkyltransferase) which repairs O6-alkylguanine-DNA adducts. Transgenic mice carrying expression constructs for the alkyltransferase gene--either the human MGMT cDNA or the bacterial ada gene--express increased levels of alkyltransferase and have increased capacity to remove O6-methylguanine-DNA adducts. Protection from the DNA damaging effects of N-nitroso compounds occurs specifically in the cells and tissues in which the alkyltransferase transgene is expressed. For instance, mice carrying the PEPCKada construct have increased alkyltransferase in the liver and more rapid removal of O6methylguanine-DNA adducts. The protective effect is noted in hepatocytes, which express PEPCK-linked genes, not in nonparenchymal cells of the liver, which do not. Other tissues that express the transgene in the various models include the thymus, spleen, testes, muscle, stomach and brain. Mice expressing the human alkyltransferase in the thymus have a reduced incidence of thymic lymphomas following exposure to methyl nitrosourea (MNU), evidence of a role for this DNA-repair protein in protection from carcinogenesis due to N-nitroso compounds. Protection has also been observed in the induction of hepatic tumors by N-nitroso-dimethylamine (NDMA). These models will be used to identify whether overexpression of a single DNA-repair gene can block the carcinogenic process of N-nitroso compounds in many different tissues.

Several potential cancer risk factors have been monitored concurrently in the upper gastrointestinal tract of young adult male Wistar rats given single (i.g.) doses of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) which readily induces forestomach tumours under these conditions. Radioimmunoassay was used to determine the formation of O6-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (O6-MedG) in DNA after MNNG doses of 1, 5, 25 or 50 mg/kg and was found to be highest in the pylorus, with progressively lower levels in the corpus, forestomach, duodenum, oesophagus and jejunum. Immunohistochemical procedures showed that cells with nuclei containing O6-MedG were heterogeneously distributed in these tissues. O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase activity in untreated animals was highest in the mucosae of the corpus, lower and relatively similar in that of the pylorus, duodenum and jejunum and lowest in the tissues of oesophagus and forestomach. Estimates of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation indicated a 5-fold increase in the DNA labelling index in the forestomach whereas perturbations of DNA synthetic activity in the other tissues of the upper gastrointestinal tract were much less marked. As a result of these changes, cells with nuclei that contained O6-MedG and were also undergoing DNA synthesis (determined by sequential immunohistochemical analysis and autoradiography) were found most commonly in the forestomach and to a lesser extent in the pylorus. This distribution of replicating damaged cells corresponds with the relative tumour yields in these upper gastrointestinal tract tissues and such cells are the probable targets in this single dose carcinogenesis regime. Thus, whilst the highest concentration of O6-MedG did not correlate tumour incidence, the overall risk for tumour induction did correlate with a significant level of DNA damage, a lower capacity for DNA repair and a marked increase in DNA synthesis over the constitutive level in the target cells. Carcinogenic risk in this system is therefore more readily determined by studying several risk factors simultaneously.

Several potential cancer risk factors have been monitored concurrently in the upper gastrointestinal tract of young male Wistar rats given N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) via the drinking water, a regimen that induces a high yield of tumours in the pylorus and to a lesser extent in the duodenum. Radioimmunoassay was used to determine the amounts of O6-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (O6-MedG) formed in the tissue DNA of rats given MNNG at doses of 40 or 80 micrograms/ml for periods of 3, 6 and 12 weeks. The highest adduct concentration was found in the pylorus with progressively lower concentrations in the corpus and duodenum, jejunum, forestomach and oesophagus. Between 3 and 12 weeks these adduct levels decreased in all tissues and there was no evidence of a dose dependent accumulation of O6-MedG. When analysed by immunohistochemistry the distribution of cells with nuclei containing O6-MedG was seen to be heterogeneous in the various tissues. O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase activity increased during the 12 weeks of MNNG treatment in oesophagus and forestomach, but decreased to approximately 50% of the initial value in the corpus, pylorus, duodenum and jejunum. The major changes in DNA synthesis and cell proliferation were the marked upward expansion (i.e. towards the lumen) of the zone of replicating cells in the glands of the pylorus and the greatly increased numbers of replicating damaged cells (i.e. cells that contained O6-MedG whilst undergoing DNA synthesis) as determined by sequential immunohistochemical analysis and autoradiography. Such cells are the probable target cells in this chronic dose carcinogenesis regime. Although similar changes also occurred in the glands of the corpus these were of lesser extent and the changes of labelling index in the oesophagus and forestomach were relatively minor. In the duodenum, MNNG treatment led to erosion of the upper part of the glands so that the zone of cells containing O6-MedG overlapped with the zone of proliferating cells resulting in the formation of many replicating damaged cells. Thus, as in the single dose study (see preceding paper) the distribution of replicating damaged cells coincides with the tumour yield in the tissues of the upper gastrointestinal tract. As in the case of single doses of MNNG the risk factors for carcinogenesis are, a significant level of DNA damage, a lower capacity for DNA repair and an increased DNA synthetic activity, again suggesting that carcinogenic risk cannot readily be determined by studying risk factors individually.

The ability of four mutagenic/carcinogenic chemicals administered as single doses to induce a programmed form of cell death (apoptosis) in the BDF1 mouse large bowel was studied and compared with a previous study on the small intestine using the same mice. The number of apoptotic cells was counted following treatment with the direct-acting agents N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) and N-nitroso-N-ethylurea (NEU) and two agents which require metabolic activation 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). DMH (80 mg/kg) was the most effective at inducing acute cell death and this was closely followed by NMU (200 mg/kg). The least effective agent in the large bowel was NDMA. The peak yield of apoptosis occurred between 4 h (NEU) and 8 h (DMH) after treatment. An analysis of the changing shapes of the frequency plots of apoptosis at each cell position in the crypt at various times after exposure permits an estimate to be made of the position in the crypt of the primary target cells for the cytotoxic action at time t = 0. For the agents studied, this is in the range of the 5th to the 10th position from the base of the crypt. This distribution for the target cells for apoptotic cell death is not coincident with that for the presumptive stem cells, which is at cell position 1 or 2. Comparisons with results previously obtained in the small intestine (ileum) of the same mice show that the relative cytotoxic effectiveness of the four agents differs. Furthermore, the position of the target cells is at about the 4th position from the bottom of the crypt in the ileum, and here the distribution is coincident with that presumed for the stem cells. Our interpretation of the data is that damaged cells in the stem cell region of the small bowel are removed by the activation of a cell suicide programme, which effectively removes potentially harmful genetic alterations. In contrast, in the large bowel, cell death is not initiated particularly strongly in the stem cell region but tends to occur higher in the crypt. The absence of this selective deletion process may result in the perpetuation of deleterious mutations in the colonic stem cell population and this may explain in part, the higher incidence of cancers observed in the large bowel.

O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (ATase) activity was determined in crude sonicates of tissues obtained from the F2 offspring of human ATase transgenic founder mice. In certain cases, samples were analyzed both before and after administration of zinc sulfate in the drinking water for 2 wk to upregulate the mouse metallothionein-1 promoter that controls the expression of the transgene. In liver samples obtained by partial hepatectomy, the ATase activities of nontransgenic mice ranged from 63 to 139 fmol/mg total protein (mean of 10 mice, 95.3 +/- 23 fmol/mg), whereas in positive transgenic mice, the range was from 503 to 2119 fmol/mg (mean of 10 mice, 963 +/- 475 fmol/mg). The difference between the mean ATase values for these two groups of mice is highly significant (P less than 0.001). All positive mice expressed ATase and in those examined using the human ATase coding sequence as a probe, isoschizomeric-restriction endonuclease digestion showed no evidence of cytosine methylation in the transgene. After zinc sulfate induction, the ATase levels in residual liver tissue were for the controls 84-191 fmol/mg (mean of 10 mice, 123 +/- 31.5 fmol/mg) and for positive mice 908-3273 fmol/mg (mean of 10 mice, 1960 +/- 724 fmol/mg). Induction thus caused a 1.4- to 3.2-fold increase in ATase activity in the tissues of individual transgenic mice (mean, 1.8-fold; P less than 0.003), with the greatest increase generally occurring in those mice that had the lowest preinduction levels. Hepatic ATase levels were thus increased up to 28 times higher in transgenic mice than in nontransgenic mice. When data from other groups of transgenic and nontransgenic mice (eight of each) was included and analyzed in an independent rather than paired fashion, the mean values for zinc-treated controls and transgenic mice, respectively, were 106 fmol/mg and 1415 fmol/mg, still a highly significant (P less than 0.001) difference. In two mice given a single intraperitoneal dose of cadmium chloride, hepatic ATase increased 2.1- and 4.9-fold, respectively. The effect of partial hepatectomy alone was also considered: for transgenic mice the mean ATase level increased from 453 to 661 fmol/mg protein after 48 h. In other offspring subjected to either unilateral nephrectomy or orchidectomy, induction of ATase activity by zinc sulfate was also seen in kidney (5.7- and 8.4-fold) and testis (1.7- and 3.1-fold), although these observations were made with small numbers of mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Damage arising from putative environmental sources has been found in the DNA of the gastric and colorectal mucosae of patients presenting with gastrointestinal disorders from the South Manchester area. O6-Methylguanine (O6-MeG) in the range 0.010- greater than 0.300 mu moles mole-1 adenine was heterogeneously distributed both between and within individuals. The pattern of alkylation of tissue DNA appears to differ when comparison is made between gastric and colorectal samples. Most of the gastric tumour DNA samples were alkylated (5/6; 0.087 +/- 0.097), whereas the DNA of the associated mucosa was alkylated less frequently (2/7) and to a lesser extent; (0.017 +/- 0.030; P = 0.07). Conversely, colorectal tumour DNA was alkylated infrequently (1/7) and to a lower extent (0.003 +/- 0.007) than the DNA of the adjacent mucosa (8/10 samples alkylated with a mean of 0.083 +/- 0.106; P = less than 0.01), or indeed of any other tissue. Although increased levels of DNA damage in tissue associated with malignant disease have been indicated by independent studies of DNA damage at other cancer sites, significant differences were not observed in the present report, neither was there any suggestion of a relationship with smoking or alcohol consumption. The data provided by this report indicate that exposure to putative environmental alkylating agents occurs in the UK at levels comparable to those previously detected in areas of higher cancer risk. Although we cannot determine the extent to which this DNA damage is attributable to normal background exposures, it is evident that the alkylation of tissue DNA occurs and is not uniform. In conjunction with other reports, therefore these differences may begin to provide indications of mechanisms that could be of relevance in the aetiology of gastrointestinal cancers.

A truncated human O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase) cDNA was ligated into an expression vector under the control of the mouse metallothionein-1 gene promotor and upstream of part of the human growth hormone gene to provide splice and polyadenylation signals. Transfection of this construct into human cells resulted in very high levels of ATase expression (more than 300 fmoles/mg protein versus less than 2 fm/mg protein in parent vector transfected control cells). Microinjection of a 4.2 kb fragment of this vector into B6D2F2 mouse embryos and implantation of survivors into pseudopregnant females has so far generated 35 offspring. Southern analysis of tail tip DNA has shown that 11 of the offspring are transgenic for the human ATase gene, between 1 and at least 30 copies of the gene being detected. Human ATase transcripts were detected in total RNA extracted from liver obtained from two male transgenic mice by partial hepatectomy. Cell free extracts of liver samples from five transgenic mice showed up to 4 times higher ATase levels than control livers.

Ivermectin is widely used against parasitic infections in veterinary and human medicine and was found to promote the growth of lesions leading to neoplasia when given continuously in the diet to Wistar rats receiving a single low dose of N-methyl-N1-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). No tumors or pathological lesions were observed in the forestomach of the control animals or those given ivermectin alone. However, compared to animals receiving MNNG alone, rats maintained on a diet containing ivermectin (2 ppm) and given MNNG (12.5 mg/kg) by gavage showed an increased number of neoplasms (9/26 vs 3/18; p = 0.30) and a statistically significant fourfold increase in the number of pathological lesions (18/26 vs 3/18; p = 0.002), which include preneoplasia in the forestomach. In all cases, the pathological lesions were more severe in the animals receiving ivermectin and MNNG, compared to those receiving MNNG alone.

Further evidence for the preferential interaction of carcinogens with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been obtained. In rats treated with high doses of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) or N-nitroso-N-butylurea (NBU), hepatic mtDNA contains 1.4 times more O6-methyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (O6-MedG) or 2.3 times more O6-butyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (O6-BudG) than does nuclear DNA (nDNA). The kinetics of removal of O6-MeG from mtDNA and nDNA are similar at both high (20 mg/kg) and low (2 mg/kg) doses of NDMA, and the removal of O6-MeG can be increased by pretreating the animals with 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF), indicating that O6-MeG is repaired in the mitochondrion by a mechanism similar to that which functions in the nucleus. In contrast, O6-BudG is removed very slowly from mtDNA and rapidly from nDNA, an observation which is consistent with the absence of a nucleotide excision mechanism in the mitochondrion and the repair of O6-BudG, predominantly by an excision mechanism, in the nucleus of mammalian cells. A 23-kd methyltransferase (MT) protein, similar to the one found in the nucleus, has been isolated from hepatic mitochondria and is present in mitochondria from which the outer membrane has been removed. It is suggested that O6-MeG, but not O6-BuG can be repaired from mtDNA by a MT protein that is nuclear encoded and transported across the mitochondrial membrane.

A 10-16 fold increase in rat liver cytoplasmic DNA polymerase (DNA polymerase-alpha) was observed by 24 hrs after two thirds partial hepatectomy. Injection of either N,N-dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) or methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) At 6 or 12 hrs after partial hepatectomy completely inhibited this increased production of polymerase, but when given at 20 hours they had less effect. Neither compound altered the molecular size distribution of the enzyme. These data indicate that the lowered levels of DNA polymerase-alpha could play a major role in the reduction in DNA synthesis which occurs after carcinogen treatment.

Further confirmation is provided to support the identity of the product formed by the in vitro eaction of isoniazid (INH) with cytosine as 4-deamino-4-isoniazidocytosine (INH-cytosine). Use of INH-treated mice, in which the tissue DNA is prelabelled by the neonatal administration of [3H]-deoxycytidine, has revealed the presence of two other DNA products in addition to INHytosine. Tissue differences in the persistence of these three DNA products suggest the presence of repair eactions for certain adducts. These processes and the effects of hepatotoxicity lead to a selective etention of adducts in the DNA of lung which is the target tissue for INH-carcinogenicity in mice. INH-modified DNA templates are weakly promutagenic during in vitro DNA synthesis. The implications of these observations for the role of INH as an initiating agent and for the pecies differences in its carcinogenicity are discussed.

An examination was made of the effect of treatment with methylating agents of varying carcinogenic potency and with stress inducing hormones upon DNA synthesis in the resting liver of the rat. With the methylating agents an early stimulation of DNA synthesis was observed, but this was depressed below the control levels at later times and with higher doses; hormone administration also resulted in a depression of DNA synthesis but, without any initial stimulation at the dosage employed. Under conditions of induced stress it was found that the extent of reaction of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea with cellular macromolecules was enhanced. This appeared to be a general effect upon the liver cell since both DNA and rRNA were affected in a similar manner.

Poly- l -lysine (PL) binds to about 50% of chromatin DNA, rendering it resistant to degradation by DNAase I. Separation of the unbound DNA as acid-soluble nucleotides allows the fractionation of chromatin DNA into two zones. After in vivo administration of N , N -di[ 14 C]methylnilrosamine, the amount of alkylation in DNA was found to be lower in the polylysine-binding regions. Some possible reasons for this heterogeneous distribution are discussed.

Pretreatment of rats by the repeated administration of certain alkylating carcinogens has been shown to stimulate the removal of O6-alkylguanine from hepatic DNA. Prolonged feeding with the aromatic amide 2-acetylaminofluorene has a similar effect. In this report, aflatoxin B1, an agent from another chemically distinct class of carcinogen, is shown to be capable of stimulating the repair of O6-methylguanine in hepatic DNA. The sensitivity of this system is shown by the fact that this repair response can be fully stimulated as early as 1 day after treatment with a single dose.

The rate of loss of 7-methylguanine from the liver DNA of rats injected with single doses of N,N- di -[ 14 C]methylnitrosamine (2 mg/kg) was determined after partial hepatectomy. In order to follow the dilution of methylated DNA with newly synthesised material, rat liver DNA was prelabelled by administering [5-3H]orotic acid to neonatal animals. The 3H-labelled DNA was shown to be uniformly distributed in the different lobes of the liver and this allowed liver removed at the time of operation to be used as a control for individual animals. The results suggested that the loss of 7-methylguanine from DNA was not influenced by events related to cell division. The rate of loss of the methylated base approximated to first order kinetics with a half-life of about 3.0 days which corresponded to that previously found in the intact liver.

Exposure to phenobarbital (PB) (0.05% in drinking water) markedly increased the rate of repair of O6-methylguanine (O6-MeG) from the hepatic DNA of rats given N-nitrosodimethylamine (2 mg/kg). No effect of comparable magnitude was seen for the repair of O4-methylthymine. During 21 weeks of exposure to PB the increased repair of O6-MeG exhibited a biphasic response and was maximal at approximately 3 weeks of treatment. Although this increased repair was readily observed when direct measurements were made of the loss of O6-MeG from hepatic DNA in vivo, no corresponding increased level of methyltransferase activity was detected in cell-free liver extracts, indicating that the methyltransferase protein was induced in a relatively limited population of cells. Immunohistochemical procedures have been used to demonstrate the formation of O6-MeG in, and its repair from, the DNA of hepatocytes in the centrilobular region of the liver lobule. Comparison with published data, for changes in the level of asialoglycoprotein receptors [Evarts et al. (1985) Carcinogenesis, 6, 1767-1773] and for the induction of cytochrome P450 [Schwartz et al. (1987) Carcinogenesis, 8, 1355-1357] in hepatocytes during PB administration, indicate that PB is acting at membrane sites in a relatively limited population of cells associated with the central vein. These observations show that the methyltransferase activity responsible for the repair of the major promutagenic base O6-MeG can be induced by a membrane active agent, without recourse to the genotoxic action of initiators and toxins, or the induction of restorative hyperplasia, previously employed for this purpose.

Extracts of the adult worms of both Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium can metabolise some typical P450 substrates but to differing degrees. S. mansoni worm extracts displayed a approximately 12-fold higher specific activity for an aminopyrine substrate than rat liver microsomes. At 4 mM substrate concentration the demethylation reaction with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) (5 nmol HCHO/mg protein/min) was only half that of rat liver microsomes, whereas in extracts of S. haematobium, no detectable activity was found towards NDMA. Using ethylmorphine as substrate the demethylation activity of S. mansoni extracts (1.82 nmol HCHO/mg protein/min) was 5.5-fold lower than that of rat liver microsomes. Benzphetamine demethylase activity was also readily detectable in S. mansoni worm extracts at 6.79 nmol HCHO/mg protein/min compared with 10.20 nmol HCHO/mg protein/min in the case of rat liver microsomes. When aniline was used as substrate, surprisingly, no activity was found in worm extracts of either S. mansoni or S. haematobium, whereas rat liver microsomes showed high activity towards this amine. The anti-P450 2E1 and 2B1/2 cross-reacted with both worm homogenates and gave a specific band corresponding to a protein of molecular weight of approximately 50.0 kDa. A study with anti-P450 IVA antibody revealed that while this protein was strongly expressed in S. haematobium worm extracts, no immunoreactivity was observed with extracts of S. mansoni. Immunoblotting analyses with anti-P450 IIIA and P450 1A1 did not detect immunoreactive protein in either S. mansoni or S. haematobium.

The “adaptive” response in bacteria may be defined in terms of a reduction in the toxicity and mutagenicity of certain agents by pre-exposure to low levels of the agent and the effect is intimately associated with an enhanced DNA repair process1,2,3. In mammals it is premature to conclude that an equivalent system exists since none of these parameters have been examined simultaneously but there are now a number of systems in which pretreatment with various carcinogenic agents has been shown to enhance the capacity of certain tissues to repair O6-alkylguanine lesions in DNA. These systems are outlined here and the possible relationship of this phenomenon to carcinogenicity is considered.

The distribution of methylated purines in different regions of liver chromatin DNA has been examined after treating rats with [14C]dimethylnitrosamine (2 mg/kg). At different times after administration of the carcinogen, liver nuclei were isolated and fractionated by micrococcal nuclease digestion and low and high salt extractions into an active chromatin fraction, two fractions comprising the bulk of the genome, and a nuclear matrix fraction. Regions of active chromatin and nuclear matrix tended to be methylated more readily than bulk chromatin, with respect to formation of both O6-methylguanine and N-methyl purines. Removal of both 7-methylguanine and 3-methyladenine (by repair and depurination reactions) occurred at a relatively uniform rate in all chromatin fractions. In contrast, repair of O6-methylguanine proceeded more rapidly from active chromatin than from bulk chromatin, whereas repair of this lesion from nuclear matrix DNA was much slower than for bulk DNA. Pretreatment of rats for 4 weeks with non-radioactive dimethylnitrosamine before the administration of [14C]dimethylnitrosamine enhanced the rate of repair of radioactive O6-methylguanine from all chromatin fractions. Nevertheless the rate of loss of the adduct was still faster from active chromatin and slower from matrix DNA than from the bulk of the genome. Since pretreatment also elevated the rate of liver DNA synthesis especially in the nuclear matrix fraction, there is an increased probability of the fixation of mutations due to the presence of O6-methylguanine in this selected region of the genome. The implications of this persistent O-alkylation of matrix DNA, and rapid repair of O6-alkylguanine in active chromatin for the toxicity and carcinogenicity of alkylating agents are discussed.

The reactions of alkylating agents with DNA are now widely considered to be major determinants in the toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic and other biological properties of these compounds. Until recently, it has not been possible to begin to confirm the relevance of such observations for human disease, but techniques now permit preliminary studies of these potentially initiating events in human tissues.

The stabilities of several alkylated nucleic acid components have been examined in the presence of cytosol extracts from a variety of rat tissues. An activity capable of demethylating O6-methyldeoxyguanosine was readily detectable in all tissues examined; arranged in approximate order of decreasing specific activity these are as follows: small intestine, spleen, kidney, lung, liver, skin, heart and brain. The in vitro requirements for the activity derived from liver and the observations that O6-methylguanine and its deoxynucleoside 5'-monophosphate are insensitive to the action of these extracts suggests that this activity may be due to an enzyme which resembles adenosine deaminase. In contrast to the ready degradation of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine the corresponding ethyl derivative was degraded very much more slowly but there was no evidence for other activities against the O4- and O2-methyldeoxythymidines. Similarly, no demethylation of the N-substituted deoxynucleosides, 3-methyldeoxycytidine 3-methldeoxythymidine, 1-methyldeoxyadenosine and 7-methyldeoxyguanosine, was detected.

DNA-dependent DNA polymerase has been extracted from the soluble cytoplasmic fraction of regenerating rat liver and purified using phosphocellulose and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Glycerol gradient analysis showed that the enzyme was predominantly DNA polymerase α, having a sedimentation coefficient of 10.5 S at low ionic strength and of 6–8 S at higher salt concentrations. The fidelity of purified enzyme was assessed using the co-polymer poly(dA-dT) · poly(dA-dT) as a template for DNA synthesis. For both the aggregated (10.5 S) and disaggregated (6–8 S) forms, fidelities in the range of 1 wrong base in 100,000–150,000 complementary bases were obtained.

The in vivo stability of 3-methyladenine in rat liver DNA has been assessed in animals treated with low doses of 14C-labelled methyl methanesulphonate. The half life for the loss of this base is approximately 3 h. The biological implications of this rapid in vivo loss of 3-methyladenine and the possibility of enzyme involvement are considered in relation to the results of in vitro measurements.