Search

This study on the in vitro micronucleus assay, comprising 11 laboratories using human lymphocytes, was coordinated by an organizing committee supported by the SFTG (the French branch of the European Environmental Mutagen Society). Nine coded substances were assessed for their ability to induce micronuclei in human lymphocytes in vitro, mitomycin C being used as a positive control. Cultures were exposed to the test substances for a short (early or late) time or for a long time, followed by a short or long recovery period, in the presence of cytochalasin B. Each chemical was evaluated, generally in two laboratories, using three treatment schedules at least twice. The data were assessed for acceptability, and then classified as negative, positive or equivocal. Two of seven genotoxic compounds, namely colchicine and bleomycin, clearly induced micronuclei. Reproducible results were difficult to obtain for some substances, which tended to be those acting at specific stages of the cell cycle. Cytosine arabinoside, diethylstilboestrol and 5-fluorouracil were classified as equivocal. Urethane and thiabendazole were classified as negative. The two presumed non-genotoxic compounds, mannitol and clofibrate, did not induce micronuclei. Repeat testing, exposing cells at both an early and late time after mitogenic stimulation, was needed to detect substances classified as equivocal. These results show the importance of achieving sufficient inhibition of nuclear division to avoid the possibility of missing an effect. The evaluation of micronuclei in mononucleated as well as binucleated cells was particularly useful to detect aneugens. There were no false positive results using lymphocytes, indicating a high specificity. It is concluded that the clastogenic or aneugenic potential in vitro of the substances tested was correctly identified in this study, but that refining the protocol to take into account factors such as the stages of the cell cycle exposed to the compound, or the duration of recovery would be likely to improve the sensitivity of detection using lymphocytes.

The multi-lab International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) project on the application of genomics to risk assessment offered the unique opportunity to investigate the influence of variability within and between laboratories on identifying biologically relevant gene expression changes. We assessed the gene expression profiles of mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells treated with hydroxyurea (HU) in three independent studies from two different laboratories, sanofi aventis and Procter & Gamble. Cells were dosed for 4 hr and harvested immediately at the end of the treatment or after a 20-hr recovery period. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were evaluated by standard assays. Statistical analysis of these data revealed that, while gene expression responses to HU treatment were markedly different at 4 hr vs. 24 hr, there was otherwise a consistent pattern of dose–response across the three studies. Therefore, the studies were merged and each time point was evaluated separately. At 4 hr, we identified 173 (P < 0.0001) dose-responsive genes with a common trend in all three studies. These were mainly associated with the cell cycle, DNA repair and DNA metabolism, and in particular, the intra-S and G2/M phase checkpoints. At 24 hr, we identified 434 dose-responsive genes common across studies. These genes were involved in lymphocyte-specific activities and the activation of apoptosis via the caspase cascade. Our results show that despite inter-laboratory variability, combining the three studies in a single statistical analysis identifies more significantly-modulated genes than in any of the individual studies, due to improved statistical sensitivity. The genes identified in our study provide information that is relevant to HU biology. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

International audience; We assessed the DNA-repair capacity of HepG2 cells, which were derived from a human hepatoma, by the unscheduled DNA synthesis assay, using the autoradiography protocol (UDS-AR). We evaluated DNA repair following exposure to direct mutagens (4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4-NQO), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)), to mutagens requiring metabolic activation (benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF), N-dimethylnitrosoamine (NDMA)) or to structurally related non-mutagens such as pyrene and 4-acetylaminofluorene (4-AAF). All positive compounds tested induced UDS in HepG2 cells. With 4-NQO and MMS, a concentration-dependent increase in net nuclear grains per cell was observed, with 73 and 90% of cells, respectively, in repair at the highest concentration. B[a]P, 2-AAF and NDMA displayed similar dose-dependent UDS responses, but the percentage of cells in repair was lower (about 45%) than that for 4-NQO and MMS. We assessed the genotoxicity of the compounds tested by determining IC(5NNG): the concentration required to induce 5NNG. The compounds studied were ranked in order of IC(5NNG) as follows: 4-NQO = B[a]P > 2-AAF > MMS > NDMA. The UDS assay discriminated between mutagens and non-mutagens, as pyrene and 4-AAF failed to induce DNA repair. The present study demonstrates that UDS can be used as an endpoint for the detection of DNA damage in HepG2 cells.

5,9-Dimethyldibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DMDBC), a potent mouse hepatocarcinogen, has been shown to induce a non-linear increase in mutant frequency in the liver of the transgenic MutaMouse. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the mutagenicity of DMDBC in vivo, DNA damage formation and removal were monitored in mouse hepatocytes over 4-144 h after a single skin application of 10 or 90 mg/kg DMDBC. DNA adducts were measured by (32)P-post-labeling. DNA repair was assessed by: (i) the unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) assay, which measures [(3)H]thymidine incorporation into hepatocyte DNA undergoing excision repair; (ii) the Comet assay, which detects DNA strand breaks transiently produced between the incision and rejoining steps of the excision repair process. A plateau of approximately 400 DNA adducts/10(8) nucleotides was reached 24 h after treatment with 10 mg/kg and remained unchanged until 144 h. UDS activity was significantly induced at 15 and 24 h, while no DNA strand breaks were observed at any sampling time. These results suggest that DNA repair mechanisms were efficiently induced and the formation of a high degree of DNA damage was avoided at this dose level. Following exposure to 90 mg/kg DMDBC, the number of DNA adducts increased sharply to a maximum at 24 h ( approximately 8000/10(8) nucleotides) and then declined to approximately 500/10(8) nucleotides at 144 h. UDS activity was markedly induced from 15 to 72 h. Low levels of DNA strand breaks were observed at 24 and 48 h. The formation of large numbers of DNA adducts and the emergence of DNA strand breaks despite a strong initial induction of UDS activity suggested that DNA repair mechanisms were saturated at this dose level. This phenomenon could partly account for the non-linear induction of gene mutations previously reported in the liver of the transgenic MutaMouse.

The purpose of this work was to investigate the impact of cell proliferation on liver mutagenesis. The genotoxic hepatocarcinogen 5, 9-dimethyldibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DMDBC) was administered to lacZ transgenic MutaTMMice at a non-hepatotoxic dose of 10 mg/kg, which induces only a slight increase in the liver lacZ mutant frequency (MF). To determine if cell proliferation stimuli enhanced DMDBC mutagenicity, MF was analyzed in mice first receiving DMDBC 10 mg/kg, then approximately 2 weeks later, either carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, a cytotoxic agent inducing regenerative cell proliferation) or phenobarbital (PB, a mitogenic agent inducing direct hyperplasia). In preliminary studies, the extent of cell proliferation induced by CCl4, PB and DMDBC was determined in non-transgenic CD2F1 mice by means of 5-bromodeoxyuridine labeling. The labeling index was significantly increased after CCl4 and PB, while no change was detected with DMDBC. MF was then determined in MutaTMMice 28 days after initial DMDBC treatment. No increase in MF was detected in mice receiving CCl4 or PB alone. A 2- to 3-fold increase in MF was detected in mice treated with 10 mg/kg DMDBC alone. In contrast, MF was markedly increased in mice receiving DMDBC followed by proliferative treatment (15-fold with CCl4 and 25-fold with PB). These results demonstrate that expression of DMDBC-induced mutations in mouse liver largely depends on the induction of cell proliferation (by a cytotoxic or mitogenic stimulus) and illustrate that MutaTMMouse is a valuable tool to investigate the early events of liver carcinogenesis.

7H-Dibenzo[c,g]carbazole (DBC) is an environmental pollutant that produces DNA adducts and tumors in mouse liver and skin following subcutaneous injection and topical application. The two synthetic derivatives 5,9-dimethyl-DBC (DMDBC) and N7-methyl-DBC (NMDBC) induce tissue-specific lesions. DNA adducts and tumors are observed only in liver following exposure to DMDBC and only in skin following exposure to NMDBC. We used the positive selection MutaMouse model to measure the induction of mutations in the two target organs, 28 days after a single subcutaneous injection or topical application of DBC, DMDBC and NMDBC. In liver, DBC and DMDBC induced 30- to 50-fold increases in mutant frequency (MF), while NMDBC had only a weak effect, regardless of the route of administration. After topical application, DBC and NMDBC produced 3.4- to 7.9-fold increases in MF in skin, while DMDBC had a weak effect. After subcutaneous injection, the three compounds had no or weak effect in skin. This study shows gene mutations arise in the respective target organs in which primary DNA damage and tumors are observed. These results illustrate the relevance of the MutaMouse model for testing organ-specific mutagens.

As part of the Germ Cell Collaborative Study, we used the positive-selection Muta™Mouse model to evaluate the effects of two direct alkylating agents, ethylnitrosourea (ENU) and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), on male germ cells. The LacZ mutation frequency in seminiferous tubule cells and epididymis spermatozoa was measured 3, 14, 25 and 50 days after a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 150 mg/kg ENU and 3 and 14 days after a single i.p. administration of 40 mg/kg MMS. Three and 14 days after ENU treatment, the mutation frequency was slightly but significantly increased in seminiferous tubule cells (3.5- and 3.6-fold, respectively), while it remained unchanged in epididymis spermatozoa. After 25 and 50 days, time-dependent increase in the mutation frequency was observed in seminiferous tubule cells (8.9- and 14.3-fold, respectively) and epididymis spermatozoa (3.4- and 7.9-fold, respectively), confirming the sensitivity of premeiotic cells to the mutagenic activity of ENU. Three and 14 days after MMS administration, the mutation frequency remained unchanged in seminiferous tubule cells and epididymis spermatozoa. The inability of Muta™Mouse model to reveal the mutagenic activity of MMS was confirmed in bone marrow cells, 14 days after treatment. These data indicate that the Muta™Mouse model can be used to detect the induction of gene mutations but not chromosome damage in germ cells.

The Ames test is now widely used as a short-term test for the detection of mutagens. Different strains are available with various genetic characteristics, and in the past decade various authors have recommended different associations of strains to give maximum detection potential. However, few studies have been done to compare the sensitivity of individual strains towards a wide range of compounds in a single study. In order to define the best association of strains for screening or regulatory purpose, we have tested 103 direct mutagens (reference genotoxins or in-house compounds) on 7 strains of Salmonella typhimurium: TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA97, TA98, TA100 and TA102. 126 different associations of strains have been studied in terms of sensitivity and percentage overlap. Optimum associations of 2, 3, 4 or 5 strains included strains both with and without plasmid pKM101. However, the specificity of detection is greatly diminished by the presence of plasmid pKM101 in the strain, as shown by the high degree of overlap in associations constituted entirely of strains containing the plasmid. The association of strains TA1538 and TA100 detected 86% of the chemicals tested and is therefore recommended for large-scale screening. A rate of detection of 100% was obtained when 6 strains were used. The best associations of 4 and 5 strains, which detected 97 and 99% chemicals respectively, all contained strains TA1537, TA1538 and TA102. Finally, the associations of 4 strains (TA1537, TA1538, TA100, TA102) or 5 strains (TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA97, TA102) seemed well adapted to the optimum detection of mutagenic compounds.