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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in particular benzo [a]pyrene (BaP), have been identified as carcinogenic components of tobacco smoke. In mammals, the toxicological response to BaP-diol-epoxide is driven by cytochrome P450 (CYP1A1), a pathway which is absent in Caenorhabditis elegans. In contrast, in worms prominently the CYP-35 enzyme family seems to be induced after BaP exposure. In C. elegans, BaP exposure reduces the accumulation of lysosomal neutral lipids in a dose dependent manner and the deletion of cyp-35A2 results in a significant elevation of neutral lipid metabolism. A cyp-35A2:mCherry;unc-47:GFP dual-labelled reporter strain facilitated the identification of three potential upstream regulators that drive BaP metabolism in worms, namely elt-2, nhr-49 and fos-1. This newly described reporter line is a powerful resource for future large-scale RNAi regarding toxicology and lipid metabolism screens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Chemicals in commerce or under development must be assessed for genotoxicity; assessment is generally conducted using validated assays (e.g. Tk mouse lymphoma assay) as part of a regulatory process. Currently, the MutaMouse FE1 cell mutagenicity assay is undergoing validation for eventual use as a standard in vitro mammalian mutagenicity assay. FE1 cells have been shown to be metabolically competent with respect to some cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozymes; for instance, they can convert the human carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene into its proximate mutagenic metabolite. However, some contradictory results have been noted for other genotoxic carcinogens that require two-step metabolic activation (e.g. 2-acetylaminofluorene and 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline). Here, we examined three known or suspected human carcinogens, namely acrylamide, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP), together with their proximate metabolites (i.e. glycidamide, N-OH-PhIP and N-OH-4-ABP), to aid in the validation of the FE1 cell mutagenicity assay. Assessments of the parent compounds were conducted both in the presence and absence of an exogenous metabolic activation mixture S9; assessments of the metabolites were in the absence of S9. The most potent compound was N-OH-PhIP -S9, which elicited a mutant frequency (MF) level 5.3-fold over background at 5 µM. There was a 4.3-fold increase for PhIP +S9 at 5 µM, a 1.7-fold increase for glycidamide -S9 at 3.5 mM and a 1.5-fold increase for acrylamide +S9 at 4 mM. Acrylamide -S9 elicited a marginal 1.4-fold MF increase at 8 mM. Treatment with PhIP -S9, 4-ABP ±S9 and N-OH-4-ABP -S9 failed to elicit significant increases in lacZ MF with any of the treatment conditions tested. Gene expression of key CYP isozymes was quantified by RT-qPCR. Cyp1a1, 1a2 and 1b1 are required to metabolise PhIP and 4-ABP. Results showed that treatment with both compounds induced expression of Cyp1a1 and Cyp1b1 but not Cyp1a2. Cyp2e1, which catalyses the bioactivation of acrylamide to glycidamide, was not induced after acrylamide treatment. Overall, our results confirm that the FE1 cell mutagenicity assay has the potential for use alongside other, more traditional in vitro mutagenicity assays., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the UK Environmental Mutagen Society.All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Whole-genome-sequencing (WGS) of human tumors has revealed distinct mutation patterns that hint at the causative origins of cancer. We examined mutational signatures in 324 WGS human-induced pluripotent stem cells exposed to 79 known or suspected environmental carcinogens. Forty-one yielded characteristic substitution mutational signatures. Some were similar to signatures found in human tumors. Additionally, six agents produced double-substitution signatures and eight produced indel signatures. Investigating mutation asymmetries across genome topography revealed fully functional mismatch and transcription-coupled repair pathways. DNA damage induced by environmental mutagens can be resolved by disparate repair and/or replicative pathways, resulting in an assortment of signature outcomes even for a single agent. This compendium of experimentally induced mutational signatures permits further exploration of roles of environmental agents in cancer etiology and underscores how human stem cell DNA is directly vulnerable to environmental agents. VIDEO ABSTRACT., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The tumour suppressor p53, encoded by TP53, is a key player in a wide network of signalling pathways. We investigated its role in the bioactivation of the environmental carcinogen 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA)found in diesel exhaust and its metabolites 3-aminobenzanthrone (3-ABA) and N-hydroxy-3-aminobenzanthrone (N-OH-3-ABA) in a panel of isogenic human colorectal HCT116 cells differing only with respect to their TP53 status [i.e. TP53(+/+), TP53(+/-), TP53(-/-), TP53(R248W/+) or TP53(R248W/-)]. As a measure of metabolic competence, DNA adduct formation was determined using 32P-postlabelling. Wild-type (WT) p53 did not affect the bioactivation of 3-NBA; no difference in DNA adduct formation was observed in TP53(+/+), TP53(+/-) and TP53(-/-) cells. Bioactivation of both metabolites 3-ABA and N-OH-3-ABA on the other hand was WT-TP53 dependent. Lower 3-ABA- and N-OH-3-ABA-DNA adduct levels were found in TP53(+/-) and TP53(-/-) cells compared to TP53(+/+) cells, and p53's impact was attributed to differences in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 expression for 3-ABA whereas for N-OH-3-ABA, an impact of this tumour suppressor on sulphotransferase (SULT) 1A1/3 expression was detected. Mutant R248W-p53 protein function was similar to or exceeded the ability of WT-p53 in activating 3-NBA and its metabolites, measured as DNA adducts. However, identification of the xenobiotic-metabolising enzyme(s) (XMEs), through which mutant-p53 regulates these responses, proved difficult to decipher. For example, although both mutant cell lines exhibited higher CYP1A1 induction after 3-NBA treatment compared to TP53(+/+) cells, 3-NBA-derived DNA adduct levels were only higher in TP53(R248W/-) cells but not in TP53(R248W/+) cells. Our results show that p53's influence on carcinogen activation depends on the agent studied and thereby on the XMEs that mediate the bioactivation of that particular compound. The phenomenon of p53 regulating CYP1A1 expression in human cells is consistent with other recent findings; however, this is the first study highlighting the impact of p53 on sulphotransferase-mediated (i.e. SULT1A1) carcinogen metabolism in human cells.

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a unique, chronic renal disease frequently associated with upper urothelial cancer (UUC). It only affects residents of specific farming villages located along tributaries of the Danube River in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania where it is estimated that ~100,000 individuals are at risk of BEN, while ~25,000 have the disease. This review summarises current findings on the aetiology of BEN. Over the last 50 years, several hypotheses on the cause of BEN have been formulated, including mycotoxins, heavy metals, viruses, and trace-element insufficiencies. However, recent molecular epidemiological studies provide a strong case that chronic dietary exposure to aristolochic acid (AA) a principal component of Aristolochia clematitis which grows as a weed in the wheat fields of the endemic regions is the cause of BEN and associated UUC. One of the still enigmatic features of BEN that need to be resolved is why the prevalence of BEN is only 3-7 %. This suggests that individual genetic susceptibilities to AA exist in humans. In fact dietary ingestion of AA along with individual genetic susceptibility provides a scenario that plausibly can explain all the peculiarities of BEN such as geographical distribution and high risk of urothelial cancer. For the countries harbouring BEN implementing public health measures to avoid AA exposure is of the utmost importance because this seems to be the best way to eradicate this once mysterious disease to which the residents of BEN villages have been completely and utterly at mercy for so long., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

In this study, the accuracy of the assumption that genotoxic, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) act via similar mechanisms of action as benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), the reference PAH used in the human health risk assessment of PAH-containing complex mixtures, was investigated. Adult male Muta™Mouse were gavaged for 28 days with seven individual, genotoxic PAHs. Global gene expression profiles in forestomach, liver, and lung (target tissues of exposure) were determined at 3 days post-exposure. The results are compared with our previously published results from mice exposed to BaP via the same exposure regimen. Although all PAHs showed enhanced ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity, DNA adduct formation, and lacZ mutant frequency in the lungs, the unsupervised cluster analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed that the transcriptional changes are both PAH- and tissue-specific, with lung showing the most response. Further bioinformatics-/pathway-based analysis revealed that all PAHs induce expression of genes associated with carcinogenic processes, including DNA damage response, immune/inflammatory response, or cell signaling processes; however, the type of pathways and the magnitude of change varied for each PAH and were not the same as those observed for BaP. Benchmark dose modeling showed transcriptomic data closely reflected the known tumor incidence for the individual PAHs in each tissue. Collectively, the results suggest that the underlying mechanisms of PAH-induced toxicity leading to tumorigenesis are tissue-specific and not the same for all PAHs; based on the tissue type considered, use of BaP as a reference chemical may overestimate or underestimate the carcinogenic potential of PAHs.

The tumour suppressor p53 is one of the most important cancer genes. Previous findings have shown that p53 expression can influence DNA adduct formation of the environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in human cells, indicating a role for p53 in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1-mediated biotransformation of BaP in vitro. We investigated the potential role of p53 in xenobiotic metabolism in vivo by treating Trp53(+/+), Trp53(+/-) and Trp53(-/-) mice with BaP. BaP-DNA adduct levels, as measured by (32)P-postlabelling analysis, were significantly higher in liver and kidney of Trp53(-/-) mice than of Trp53(+/+) mice. Complementarily, significantly higher amounts of BaP metabolites were also formed ex vivo in hepatic microsomes from BaP-pretreated Trp53(-/-) mice. Bypass of the need for metabolic activation by treating mice with BaP-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide resulted in similar adduct levels in liver and kidney in all mouse lines, confirming that the influence of p53 is on the biotransformation of the parent compound. Higher BaP-DNA adduct levels in the livers of Trp53(-/-) mice correlated with higher CYP1A protein levels and increased CYP1A enzyme activity in these animals. Our study demonstrates a role for p53 in the metabolism of BaP in vivo, confirming previous in vitro results on a novel role for p53 in CYP1A1-mediated BaP metabolism. However, our results also suggest that the mechanisms involved in the altered expression and activity of the CYP1A1 enzyme by p53 in vitro and in vivo are different.

We compared mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and fibroblasts (MEFs) for their ability to metabolically activate the environmental carcinogens benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) and aristolochic acid I (AAI), measuring DNA adduct formation by (32)P-postlabelling and expression of xenobiotic-metabolism genes by quantitative real-time PCR. At 2 μM, BaP induced Cyp1a1 expression in MEFs to a much greater extent than in ES cells and formed 45 times more adducts. Nqo1 mRNA expression was increased by 3-NBA in both cell types but induction was higher in MEFs, as was adduct formation. For AAI, DNA binding was over 450 times higher in MEFs than in ES cells, although Nqo1 and Cyp1a1 transcriptional levels did not explain this difference. We found higher global methylation of DNA in ES cells than in MEFs, which suggests higher chromatin density and lower accessibility of the DNA to DNA damaging agents in ES cells. However, AAI treatment did not alter DNA methylation. Thus mouse ES cells and MEFs have the metabolic competence to activate a number of environmental carcinogens, but MEFs have lower global DNA methylation and higher metabolic capacity than mouse ES cells., (Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), was compared to dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) and combinations of three environmental PAH mixtures (coal tar, diesel particulate and cigarette smoke condensate) using a two stage, FVB/N mouse skin tumor model. DBC (4nmol) was most potent, reaching 100% tumor incidence with a shorter latency to tumor formation, less than 20 weeks of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) promotion compared to all other treatments. Multiplicity was 4 times greater than BaP (400 nmol). Both PAHs produced primarily papillomas followed by squamous cell carcinoma and carcinoma in situ. Diesel particulate extract (1 mg SRM 1650b; mix 1) did not differ from toluene controls and failed to elicit a carcinogenic response. Addition of coal tar extract (1 mg SRM 1597a; mix 2) produced a response similar to BaP. Further addition of 2 mg of cigarette smoke condensate (mix 3) did not alter the response with mix 2. PAH-DNA adducts measured in epidermis 12 h post initiation and analyzed by ³²P post-labeling, did not correlate with tumor incidence. PAH-dependent alteration in transcriptome of skin 12 h post initiation was assessed by microarray. Principal component analysis (sum of all treatments) of the 922 significantly altered genes (p<0.05), showed DBC and BaP to cluster distinct from PAH mixtures and each other. BaP and mixtures up-regulated phase 1 and phase 2 metabolizing enzymes while DBC did not. The carcinogenicity with DBC and two of the mixtures was much greater than would be predicted based on published Relative Potency Factors (RPFs)., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Approximately 50% of human tumors have a mutation in TP53. The pattern and spectra of TP53 mutations often differ between cancer types, perhaps due to different etiological factors. The Hupki (human TP53 knock-in) mouse embryo fibroblast (HUF) immortalization assay is useful for studying mutagenesis in the human TP53 gene by environmental carcinogens. Prior to initiating an immortalization assay, carcinogen treatment conditions must be optimized, which can require a large number of cells. As primary HUF cultures senesce within 2 weeks, restricting their use, we investigated whether immortalized HUFs retaining wild-type TP53 can be surrogates for primary HUFs in initial treatment optimization. DNA damage by eight compounds found in diesel exhaust, benzo[a]pyrene, 3-nitrobenzanthrone, 1-nitropyrene, 1,3-dinitropyrene, 1,6-dinitropyrene, 1,8-dinitropyrene, 6-nitrochrysene, and 3-nitrofluorene, was assessed by (32) P-postlabeling and the alkaline comet assay in primary HUFs and in an immortal HUF cell line J201. For most compounds, higher levels of DNA adducts accumulated in J201 cells than in primary HUFs. This difference was not reflected in the comet assay or by cell viability changes. Experiments in three additional immortal HUF cell lines (AAI49, U56, and E2-143) confirmed strong differences in DNA adduct levels compared with primary HUFs. However, these did not correlate with the protein expression of Nqo1 or Nat1/2, or with gene expression of Cyp1a1 or Cyp1b1. Our results show that using immortal HUFs as surrogates for primary HUFs in genotoxicity screening has limitations and that DNA adduct formation is the best measure of genotoxicity of the nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons tested in HUFs., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objectives: Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) are carcinogens, which frequently occur in the human diet. Their metabolic activation to reactive species binding to DNA is mediated by cytochromes P450 (CYPs) 1A1 and 1A2. Thus, levels and activities of these CYPs are crucial for initiation of BaP- and PhPI-mediated carcinogenesis. Here, the effect of CYP1A1/2 induction due to their prototype flavonoid inducer, β-naphthoflavone (BNF), on BaP- and PhPI-derived DNA adduct formation in rats was examined., Methods: Male rats pretreated with BNF were treated with a single dose of either carcinogen by oral gavage. Nuclease P1 version of 32P-postlabeling assay and online column-switching liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry were used to detect and quantify covalent DNA adducts formed by BaP and PhIP in-vivo, respectively. Expression of CYP1A1/2 enzymes was examined by Western blot. Enzymatic activities of CYP1A1/2 were assessed using their marker substrates (ethoxyresorufin and methoxyresorufin)., Results: Treatment of rats with a single dose of BNF produced an increase in levels CYP1A1/2 and CYP1A1 proteins in liver and small intestine, respectively. An increase in CYP1A1 protein expression found in both organs correlated well with specific activities of these CYPs. The CYP1A1 expression levels and its specific activity in small intestine decreased along the length of the organ, being highest in its proximal part and lowest in its distal part. The BNF induction of CYP1A1/2 resulted in a significant increase in the formation of BaP- and PhIP-DNA adducts in liver and in the distal part of the small intestine, respectively. Thus, pretreatment of rats with BNF did not prevent the PhIP and BaP activation, but vice versa, enhanced their genotoxicity., Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that the administration of only a single dose of CYP-inducing flavonoid prior to the intake of food carcinogens may increase the risk of a tumor formation.

TP53 is one of the most commonly mutated genes in human tumours. Variations in the types and frequencies of mutations at different tumour sites suggest that they may provide clues to the identity of the causative mutagenic agent. A useful model for studying human TP53 mutagenesis is the partial human TP53 knock-in (Hupki) mouse containing exons 4-9 of human TP53 in place of the corresponding mouse exons. For an in vitro assay, embryo fibroblasts from the Hupki mouse can be examined for the generation and selection of TP53 mutations because mouse cells can be immortalized by mutation of Tp53 alone. Thus far, four environmental carcinogens have been examined using the Hupki embryo fibroblast immortalization assay: (a) UV light, which is linked to human skin cancer; (b) benzo[a]pyrene, which is associated with tobacco smoke-induced lung cancer; (c) 3-nitrobenzanthrone, a suspected human lung carcinogen linked to diesel exposure; and (d) aristolochic acid, which is linked to Balkan endemic nephropathy-associated urothelial cancer. In each case, a unique TP53 mutation pattern was generated that corresponded to the pattern found in human tumours where exposure to these agents has been documented. Therefore, the Hupki embryo fibroblast immortalization assay has sufficient specificity to make it applicable to other environmental mutagens that putatively play a role in cancer aetiology. Despite the utility of the current Hupki embryo fibroblast immortalization assay, it has several limitations that could be addressed by future developments, in order to improve its sensitivity and selectivity.

Carcinogens induce complex transcriptional responses in cells that may hold key mechanistic information. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) modulation of transcription may occur through the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) or through responses to DNA damage. To characterize further the expression profiles induced by BaP in HepG2 and MCF-7 cells obtained in our previous study, they were compared to those induced by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), which activates AHR but does not bind to DNA, and anti-benzo(a)pyrene- trans-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE), which binds directly to DNA but does not activate AHR. A total of 22 genes had altered expression in MCF-7 cells after both BaP and TCDD exposure, and a total of 29 genes had altered expression in HepG2 cells. In both cell lines, xenobiotic metabolism was upregulated through induction of NQO1, MGST1, and CYP1B1. A total of 78 expression changes were induced by both BaP and BPDE in MCF-7 cells, and a total of 29 expression changes were induced by both BaP and BPDE in HepG2 cells. These genes were predominantly involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and DNA repair. BaP and BPDE caused the repression of histone genes in both cell lines, suggesting that regulation of these genes is an important component of the DNA damage response. Interestingly, overlap of the BPDE and TCDD gene expression profiles was also observed. Furthermore, some genes were modulated by BaP but not by TCDD or BPDE, including induction of CRY1 and MAK, which may represent novel signaling pathways that are independent of both AHR activation and DNA damage. Promoter analysis identified candidate genes for direct transcriptional regulation by either AHR or p53. These analyses have further dissected and characterized the complex cellular response to BaP.

Nitrated-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) and diesel exhaust particle extracts (DEPE) induced apoptosis in Hepa1c1c7 cells with the following potency: 1,3-dinitropyrene (1,3-DNP)>1-nitropyrene (1-NP) >> DEPE >> 1,8-dinitropyrene (1,8-DNP). The compounds induced cyp1a1, and activated various intracellular signalling pathways related to apoptosis. The CYP inhibitor alpha-naphthoflavone strongly reduced 1,3-DNP-induced cell death, whereas cell death induced by 1-NP was rather increased. Toxic 1,3-DNP and 1-NP were found to induce a concentration-dependent lipid peroxidation. 1,3-DNP caused pro-apoptotic events, including increased phosphorylation and accumulation of p53 in the nucleus, cleavage of bid and of caspases 8 and 3, down-regulation of bcl-x(L) and phosphorylation of p38 and JNK MAPK. Furthermore, 1,3-DNP increased the activation of survival signals including phosphorylation of Akt and inactivation (phosphorylation) of pro-apoptotic bad. Although less potent, rather similar effects were observed following exposure to DEPE, compared to 1-NP. The most important finding was that the most mutagenic and carcinogenic compound tested, 1,8-DNP, induced little (if any) cell death, despite the fact that this compound seemed to give the most DNA damage as judged by DNA adduct formation, increased phosphorylation of p53 and accumulation of cells in S-phase. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that the p53 protein did not accumulate into the nucleus suggesting that 1,8-DNP inactivated the pro-apoptotic function of the p53 protein by a non-mutagenic event. These results suggest that after exposure to 1,8-DNP more cells may survive with DNA damage, thereby increasing its mutagenic and carcinogenic potential.

3-Nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) is a suspected human carcinogen identified in diesel exhaust and air pollution. This article reviews the results of our laboratories showing which of the phase I and II enzymes are responsible for 3-NBA genotoxicity, participating in activation of 3-NBA and its human metabolite, 3-aminobenzanthrone (3-ABA), to species generating DNA adducts. Among the phase I enzymes, the most of the activation of 3-NBA in vitro is attributable to cytosolic NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), while N,O-acetyltransferase (NAT), NAT2, followed by NAT1, sulfotransferase (SULT), SULT1A1 and, to a lesser extent, SULT1A2 are the major phase II enzymes activating 3- NBA. To evaluate the importance of hepatic cytosolic enzymes in relation to microsomal NADPH:cytochrome P450 (CYP) oxidoreductase (POR) in the activation of 3-NBA in vivo, we treated hepatic POR-null and wild-type C57BL/6 mice with 3-NBA or 3-ABA. The results indicate that 3-NBA is predominantly activated by cytosolic nitroreductases such as NQO1 rather than microsomal POR. In the case of 3-ABA, CYP1A1/2 enzymes are essential for the oxidative activation of 3-ABA in liver. However, cells in the extrahepatic organs have the metabolic capacity to activate 3-ABA to form DNA adducts, independently from CYP-mediated oxidation in the liver. Peroxidases such as prostaglandin H synthase, lactoperoxidase, myeloperoxidase, abundant in several extrahepatic tissues, generate DNA adducts, which are formed in vivo by 3-ABA or 3-NBA. The results suggest that both CYPs and peroxidases may play an important role in metabolism of 3-ABA to reactive species forming DNA adducts, participating in genotoxicity of this compound and its parental counterpart, 3-NBA.

3-Nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) an extremely potent mutagen and suspected human carcinogen identified in diesel exhaust and in airborne particulate matter was shown to form multiple DNA adducts in vitro and in vivo in rats. In order to investigate whether human N,O-acetyltransferases (NATs) and sulfotransferases (SULTs) contribute to the metabolic activation of 3-NBA we used a panel of newly constructed Chinese hamster lung fibroblast V79MZ derived cell lines expressing human NAT1, human NAT2 or human SULT1A1, as well as TA1538-derived Salmonella typhimurium strains expressing human NAT1 (DJ400) or human NAT2 (DJ460) and determined DNA binding and mutagenicity. The formation of 3-NBA-derived DNA adducts was analysed by (32)P-postlabelling after exposing V79 cells to 0.01 micro M 3-NBA or 0.1 micro M N-acetyl-N-hydroxy-3-aminobenzanthrone (N-Ac-N-OH-ABA), a potential metabolite of 3-NBA. Similarly up to four major and two minor adducts were detectable for both compounds, the major ones being identical to those detected previously in DNA from rats treated with 3-NBA. Comparison of DNA binding between different V79MZ derived cells revealed that human NAT2 and, to a lesser extent, human NAT1 and human SULT1A1, contribute to the genotoxic potential of 3-NBA and N-Ac-N-OH-ABA to form DNA adducts. However, the extent of DNA binding by 3-NBA was higher in almost all V79 cells at a 10-fold lower concentration than by N-Ac-N-OH-ABA, suggesting that N-Ac-N-OH-ABA is not a major intermediate in the formation of 3-NBA-derived adducts. 3-NBA showed a 3.8-fold and 16.8-fold higher mutagenic activity in Salmonella strains expressing human NAT1 and human NAT2, respectively, than in the acetyltransferase-deficient strain, whereas N-Ac-N-OH-ABA was only clearly (but weakly) mutagenic in Salmonella DJ460 expressing human NAT2. This finding suggests that N-Ac-N-OH-ABA is not a major reactive metabolite responsible for the high mutagenic potency of 3-NBA in Salmonella. Collectively our results indicate that O-acetylation and O-sulfonation by human NATs and SULTs may contribute significantly to the high mutagenic and genotoxic potential of 3-NBA. Moreover, the yet-unidentified four major 3-NBA-derived adducts may be DNA adducts without an N-acetyl group.