O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity in human tumors.

The distribution of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) activity in extracts of tumors from 74 patients was measured. The results demonstrated that there was considerable variation of MGMT activity in different human tumor tissues as well as in different individuals. The mean values (X +/- SD, pmol/mg of protein) in breast cancer, stomach cancer, small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, esophageal carcinoma, brain tumors, colon carcinoma and malignant melanoma were 1.071 +/- 0.374 (9), 0.515 +/- 0.107 (5), 0.509 +/- 0.251 (5), 0.461 +/- 0.227 (24), 0.329 +/- 0.246 (5), 0.273 +/- 0.376 (5), 0.244 +/- 0.175 (14), 0.242 +/- 0.308 (5) and 0.201 +/- 0.161 (2) respectively. It was notable that six samples (1/24 non-small cell lung cancer, 3/5 esophageal carcinoma, 1/14 brain tumors and 1/5 colon carcinoma) did not have any detectable level of MGMT activity. Activity of glutamine pyruvic transaminase (GPT) was also measured in the same extracts used for the assay of MGMT activity. The activity of GPT in these samples with undetectable level of MGMT activity was similar to those with significant MGMT activity. These results further strengthen the assumption that a certain fraction of human tumors are Mer-.     

O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity in human liver tumors

Previous studies have shown that in about one-fifth of human tumor cell strains, the activity of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), which can repair O6-alkylguanine in DNA produced by alkylating agents, is deficient. These strains are termed Mer- cells. To see if there is any human tumor lacking MGMT activity, we measured the MGMT activity in extracts from liver tumors of 21 patients, and compared it to the activity in normal peritumoral tissues derived from the same patients. The MGMT activity was assayed by measuring the 3H radioactivity transferred from the substrate DNA containing [methyl-3H]-labeled O6-methylguanine to an acid-insoluble protein fraction. There was considerable variation in MGMT activity among individual extracts; the interindividual variation was approximately 6-fold in normal liver tissue and much larger in liver tumors. Although in many cases similar high levels of MGMT activity were found both in liver tumors and in the normal counterpart, six tumors had greater than 3-fold less activity compared with the normal liver tissue from the same patient. Liver tumors from two patients did not have any detectable level of MGMT activity by the present method used, in spite of the fact that the corresponding normal liver samples demonstrated significant activities. We also measured in the same tissue extracts the activities of two common enzymes, glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH). The activities of GPT and LDH in the liver tumor samples that showed undetectable levels of MGMT activity were similar to those in the surrounding normal liver tissues. These results may suggest the existence of human Mer- tumors, deficient or very low MGMT activity.     

Repair of premutagenic DNA lesions in human fetal tissues: evidence for low levels of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase and uracil-DNA glycosylase activity in some tissues

The activities of the DNA repair enzymes O⁶-methylguanine-DNAmethyltransferase and uracil-DNA glycosylase, and the replicativeenzyme DNA polymerase , were measured in extracts of human fetaltissues at 18–20 weeks of gestation. In general, O⁶-methylguanine-DNAmethyltransferase activities in fetal tissues were in the samerange as in the corresponding adult tissues, except for fetalliver which had 5-fold lower activity. Uracil-DNA glycosylasewas, surprisingly, 4-fold lower in fetal tissues compared withadult tissues. Since a critical factor in carcinogenesis maybe the rate of repair relative to DNA replication, the activitiesof O⁶-methyl-guanine-DNA methyltransferase and uracil-DNA glycosylasewere compared with the DNA polymerase activity in the sameextract. When expressed in this way, O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferaseactivity was lowest in liver and brain and 2- to 14-fold higherin kidney, lung, colon, stomach, small intestine and pancreas.The ratio of uracil-DNA glycosylase to DNA polymerase variedless between different organs. These findings indicate thatseveral fetal organs may be more sensitive than adult organsto some alkylating agents that are known to occur in the environment.Furthermore, the lower capacity of DNA repair is not restrictedto repair of alkylation damage, since the activity of uracil-DNAglycosylase is also lower than in adult tissues.     

Diet- and age-dependent modulation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase levels in mouse tissues

Methylation of guanine in the O6 position by N-nitrosodimethylamine is higher in liver DNA of mice fed a diet restricted in essential amino acids than in controls. A diminished content of the repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (AAT) may be responsible for the elevated level of O6-methylguanine observed after amino acid deficiency. A delayed repair of O6-methylguanine can be ascribed to diminished AAT activity in amino-acid-restricted mice. In adults, but not in subadults, the diminished AAT activity in liver correlated well with a 40% decrease in overall protein synthesis.     

Quantitation of S-methylcysteine formed in O6-methylguanine-DNA:methyltransferase

The O6-methylguanine-DNA:methyltransferase is known to transfer the methyl group from O6-methylguanine (O6-mG) in DNA to the cysteinyl residue of the methyl acceptor protein which is the methyltransferase itself. We developed a novel method to estimate the amount of S-methylcysteine formed in the acceptor protein, utilizing O6-[methyl-3H]methylguanine-containing DNA as the methyl donor. Following hydrolysis of the methyl-incorporated macromolecules in formic acid--HCl, S-[methyl-3H]methylcysteine is chromatographically isolated on a small column of Dowex-50(H+). Utilizing this method, we measured O6-mG DNA:methyltransferase activity in rat liver during neonatal development; the activity increases from 0.013 pmol methyl transferred/mg protein at 2 days postnatally to 0.06 pmol/mg at 8 weeks, the latter being equal to the adult liver activity.     

O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activities in biopsies of human melanoma tumours.

Tumour samples obtained from one primary melanoma and several lymph node and skin metastases were analysed for O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) activity. While lymph node and skin metastases had similar average MGMT activity, the variance was significantly higher in lymph node metastases. Variability in MGMT activity was frequently observed in different metastases in the same individual and to a lesser extent within metastases.     

Mutations of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene in esophageal cancer tissues from Northern China

Epidemiologic studies have implicated the involvement of environmental factors in the etiology of esophageal cancer (EC). Our previous data have indicated that EC patients and their blood relatives show genomic instability and are deficient in repair of DNA damage induced by N-nitroso-compounds and related genotoxic agents. Thus, exposure to high levels of N-alkylnitrosamines, which are known animal carcinogens and which induce alkyl adducts in DNA, may be causally linked to EC. Among the alkyl adducts, O⁶-alkylguanine was shown to be the critical one related to carcinogenic lesions; its repair varies widely in a tissue-specific fashion. O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is responsible for its repair. Hence, inactivating mutations in this protein would impair the efficiency of the repair process. To screen for possible mutations in the MGMT polypeptide in EC patients, we analyzed a highly conserved region of the MGMT gene in 40 EC tissues and lymphocytes of 6 high-risk EC family members from high EC areas of Northern China by polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism and by direct sequencing of PCR products. Ten base substitutions (point mutations) within 8 codons of 7 EC samples were identified. However, no germline mutation was found in the high EC families studied so far. Concurrent study in 30 pairs of fresh EC tissues and their adjacent normal mucosa by Southern blot and Western blot analyses showed deletion of the MGMT gene in 2 samples. Thus, the high frequency of mutations (7/40) and deletions (2/30) of the MGMT gene may be partially responsible for the overall high mutation rate observed in EC tissues. Int.J.Cancer71:719-723, 1997.© 1997 Wiley-Liss Inc.     

Smoking-related increase of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase expression in human lung carcinomas

Eighty-three non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) of previously untreated patients were analysed for expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) by means of immunohistochemistry. Expression of MGMT was detected in 62 of 83 tumours (75%). There was a significant difference in MGMT staining between smokers and non-smokers (P = 0.001). Tumours of smokers expressed more frequently MGMT than tumours of non-smokers. There was a trend of MGMT expression to be higher in tumours of patients smoking >20 cigarettes/day than patients smoking <20 cigarettes/day. Abstinence from smoking resulted in a significant decrease in MGMT expression (lin reg r = -0.59, P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that MGMT expression in human lung carcinomas is influenced by smoking habits of the patients.      

A simplified assay for O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity and its application to human neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissues

A rapid assay of O⁶-MeG-DNA methyltransferase activity is described.Following incubation of cell extracts with O⁶-[³H]MeG-containingDNA, remaining radioactive DNA was hydrolyzed in trichloroaceticacid and separated from methylated radioactive protein by filtrationor centrifugation. Transfer of radioactive methyl from DNA toprotein was proportional to the amount of protein added, andwas not linear with time. More than 90% of the radioactivityprecipitated after acid hydrolyses was in S-methyl cysteineresidues. The method was used to measure O⁶-MeG-DNA methyltransferaseactivity in extracts of 24 neoplastic tissues from human organs.Although five tumor tissues had 28–84% lower activityof O⁶-MeG-DNA methyltransferase than the corresponding normaltissue from the same patient, higher or similar levels of activitywere found more frequently. Thus, a lack of O⁶-MeG-DNA methyltransferaseactivity in human tumors appears not to be a frequent event.The DNA repair enzyme uracil-DNA glycosylase was also measuredin the same extracts. Most frequently the level of uracil-DNAglycosylase activity was essentially similar in tumors and normaltissues but significantly higher or lower levels were also observed.     

Production and characterization of antipeptide antibodies against human O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase

Four synthetic peptides from the sequence of human O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), three corresponding to different hydrophilic regions and one corresponding to the sequence containing the alkyl acceptor residue cysteine 145, were used to immunize rabbits. The antibody against Peptide III (residues 171-184) was highly specific, and MGMT protein could be detected on Western blots of soluble protein extracts containing as little as 1 fmol of active MGMT. Antibodies against all of the peptides were able to immunoprecipitate denatured MGMT, while only the antibody against Peptide III was able to react with active enzyme. The antibody against Peptide III did not cross-react with methyltransferase from mice. The use of synthetic peptides has led to the production of a highly sensitive, specific antibody that recognizes native and denatured human MGMT. This antibody should prove useful in studies involving the detection, purification, and characterization of this enzyme.     

O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter hypermethylation in colorectal carcinogenesis

Epigenetic alterations have been reported in colorectal neoplasia which can either complement or in some cases be predisposed to genetic alterations such as K-ras mutations. We examined the promoter methylation status of the CDKN2A and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) genes, after sodium bisulfite conversion and DNA amplification with methylation specific PCR. Moreover, we searched for G to A transitions in codons 12 and 13 of the K-ras oncogene in normal colorectal mucosae, aberrant crypt foci (ACF, early premalignant lesions) and carcinomas. CDKN2A hypermethylation was an infrequent event in ACF (2 of 26, 7.7%). On the contrary, MGMT hypermethylation was found in the normal mucosae (3 of the 12 samples, 25%), in 14 of the 26 ACF (53.8%) and in 7 of the 9 (77.8%) carcinomas examined. K-ras mutations were evident in 6 ACF (23%) and in 3 carcinomas (33.3%), mostly associated with MGMT promoter hypermethylation. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in the early steps of colorectal carcinogenesis.     

Expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase in childhood medulloblastoma

Medulloblastomas (MB) are the most common malignant brain tumors in childhood. Alkylator-based drugs are effective agents in the treatment of patients with MB. In several tumors, including malignant glioma, elevated O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) expression levels or lack of MGMT promoter methylation have been found to be associated with resistance to alkylating chemotherapeutic agents such as temozolomide (TMZ). In this study, we examined the MGMT status of MB and central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) cells and two large sets of primary MB. In seven MB/PNET cell lines investigated, MGMT promoter methylation was detected only in D425 human MB cells as assayed by the qualitative methylation-specific PCR and the more quantitative pyrosequencing assay. In D425 human MB cells, MGMT mRNA and protein expression was clearly lower when compared with the MGMT expression in the other MB/PNET cell lines. In MB/PNET cells, sensitivity towards TMZ and 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU) correlated with MGMT methylation and MGMT mRNA expression. Pyrosequencing in 67 primary MB samples revealed a mean percentage of MGMT methylation of 3.7?C92% (mean: 13.25%, median: 10.67%). Percentage of MGMT methylation and MGMT mRNA expression as determined by quantitative RT-PCR correlated inversely (n = 46; Pearson correlation r ² = 0.14, P = 0.01). We then analyzed MGMT mRNA expression in a second set of 47 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded primary MB samples from clinically well-documented patients treated within the prospective randomized multicenter trial HIT??91. No association was found between MGMT mRNA expression and progression-free or overall survival. Therefore, it is not currently recommended to use MGMT mRNA expression analysis to determine who should receive alkylating agents and who should not.     

Regulation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase by methionine in human tumour cells.

Methionine (MET)-dependent cell lines require MET to proliferate, and homocysteine (HCY) does not act as a substitute for this requirement. From six O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)-efficient (mer+) cell lines tested, two medulloblastomas (Daoy and D-341) and a lung non-small-cell adenocarcinoma with metastatic potential (H-1623) were most sensitive to MET deprivation, while two glioblastomas (U-138, D-263) and a small-cell lung carcinoma H-1944 were moderately to weakly dependent. Regardless of the degree of MET dependence, all of these lines down-regulated their MGMT activity within 48-72 h of transfer from MET+HCY- to MET-HCY+ media, long before the eradication of the culture. Reduction of MGMT activity was due to a decline of both MGMT mRNA and protein levels. However, the reduction was not related to the methylation status of the MGMT promoter at the SmaI site or the HpaII sites in the body of the gene; such sites have been shown to be associated in MGMT regulation and in defining the mer phenotype. MET-dependent, mer+ tumour cells cultured in MET-HCY+ were more sensitive to BCNU (IC50 = 5-10 microM) than those cultured in MET+HCY-(IC50 = 45-90 microM), while MET-independent or mer- cell lines were unaffected. This indicates that reduction of MGMT, imposed by the absence of MET, renders mer+ tumour cells more susceptible to alkylating agents. The relatively selective suppression of MGMT activity in mer+ MET-dependent tumour cells, in combination with the inability of such cells to proliferate in the absence of MET, may lead to the development of more effective treatment strategies for mer+ MET-dependent tumours.     

Changes in O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase expression during immortalization of cloned human fibroblasts

Suppressed expression of the DNA repair enzyme O⁶-methylguanine-DNAmethyltransferase (MGMT), characterized as the Mer^– phenotype,occurs only in malignant or transformed cell lines. To investigatethe relationship between the transformation process and lossof MGMT expression, we derived 20 cloned lines of IMR90 normalfibroblasts transfected with the plasmid pSV3neo expressingthe SV40 large-T antigen. Of the five lines that were grownuntil crisis phase, four emerged as continuously proliferatingimmortal lines. Of these, only one retained MGMT, the otherthree having become Mer^–. In every case the loss of MGMTcoincided with the final phase of immortalization followingcrisis. Because these were cloned cell lines it is clear thatthe phenotypic change to Mer^– is not merely due to selectionof a Mer^– cell from the initial population, but must involvea cellular change in MGMT regulation, but must involve a cellularchange in MGMT regulation. It is not clear if increased mutationrate associated with loss of MGMT results in increased frequencyof an immortalization event or if an immortalization event,such as telomere disruption, results in MGMT suppression. Inaddition, we have shown that, consistent with previous observations,both hypermethylation in promoter sequences and hypomethylationof downstream sequences in the body of the gene were closelyassociated with loss of MGMT expression. These studies alsoillustrate the utility of these new cloned cell lines for characterizingmolecular events associated with transformation and immortalization.     

Cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of methylnitrosourea in two human fetal fibroblast strains differing in O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity.

A non-transformed human fibroblast strain, GM11, established from the skin of a therapeutically aborted fetus, has been reported to exhibit the Mer- phenotype, i.e. inability to support the growth of adenovirus 5 damaged with 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine. In the present study we determined (i) loss of colony-forming ability and frequency of mutants resistant to 6-thioguanine (6TG) on exposure to the SN1 alkylating agent methylnitrosourea (MNU) and (ii) amount of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), the protein responsible for repairing O6-methylguanine (O6mG) produced by MNU, in GM11 cells compared to GM10, a Mer+ human fetal fibroblast strain. Irrespective of in vitro culture age, GM10 cells responded normally to the cytotoxic action of the alkylating agent, i.e. their clonogenic survival curves exhibited a shoulder at low MNU concentrations (less than or equal to 0.4 mM) and a D10 (dose reducing survival to 10%) of approximately 1.4 mM. By contrast, no shoulder was observed on the survival curves of GM11 cells and their D10 values decreased from approximately 0.6 mM at passage 4 to 0.1 mM at passage 27. In GM10 (Mer+) cells, unlike the biphasic dose response seen for cell killing, the frequency of 6TG-resistant mutants increased as a linear function of chemical concentration delivered (range 0.05-1.2 mM); the induced mutation frequency in these cells (passage 16-20) was equal to 220 x 10(-6)/mM MNU, a yield some 5-fold greater than that reported by others for non-fetal human fibroblasts. GM11 cells proved to be only approximately 1.5 times more mutable by MNU than GM10 cells at late passage, and the susceptibility of the former strain to MNU-induced mutations did not change significantly as a function of culture age (i.e. 316 x 10(-6) and 326 x 10(-6) mutants/mM MNU at passages 4 and 16-20 respectively). The GM10 strain contained approximately 75,000 MGMT molecules/cell at all passages (4-20) examined, whereas the GM11 strain harbored deficient amounts of the protein (approximately 22,500 molecules/cell) at the lowest passage available (4), and this residual activity decreased precipituously to undetectable amounts by passage 16. Together, these data demonstrate that in the two human fetal strains examined the constitutive level of cellular MGMT activity correlates much better with resistance to reproductive inactivation than with mutagenesis by MNU, implying that inefficient repair of O6meG lesions impacts more severely on cell lethality than on mutation induction in at least some biological systems.     

Certain imidazotetrazines escape O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase and mismatch repair

Resistance to temozolomide (TMZ), conferred by O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) or mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, presents obstacles to successful glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment. Activities of novel TMZ analogs, designed to overcome resistance, were tested against isogenic SNB19 and U373 GBM cell lines (V = vector control, low MGMT; M = MGMT overexpression). TMZ and triazene MTIC demonstrated >9-fold resistance in SNB19M cells (cf SNB19V). N-3 methyl ester analog 11 and corresponding triazene 12 inhibited growth of TMZ-sensitive (V) and TMZ-resistant (M) cells (GI(50) <50 μM). Ethyl ester 13 and triazene 14 gave similar profiles. MMR-deficient colorectal carcinoma cells, resistant to TMZ (GI(50) >500 μM), responded to analog 11 and 13 treatment. Cross-resistance to these agents was not observed in cell lines possessing acquired TMZ resistance (SNB19VR; U373VR). Methyl ester 11 blocked SNB19V, SNB19M and SNB19VR cells in S and G(2)/M, causing dose- and time-dependent apoptosis. DNA damage, recruiting excision repair was detected by alkaline comet assay; H2AX phosphorylation indicated a lethal DNA double-strand break formation following analog 11 exposure. Compounds 11 and 13 demonstrated 3.7- and 5.1-fold enhanced activity in base excision repair-deficient Chinese hamster ovary cells; furthermore, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 inhibition potentiated HCT-116 cells' sensitivity to analog 11. In conclusion, analogs 11 and 13 exert anticancer activity irrespective of MGMT and MMR.     

Variation in the loss of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase during immortalization of human fibroblasts

We have examined O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MT) activity in four human fibroblast cell lines during immortalization. Transfection of primary fibroblasts with the plasmid pSV3gpt or pSV3neo, which encode the SV40 large T antigen, confers a transformed phenotype but not immediate immortality. After a period of growth (pre-crisis) the cells enter a quiescent phase (crisis) from which an immortal clone of cells eventually grows out. From measurements of MT activity in extracts of cells taken at different defined stages of the immortalization process, we conclude that the establishment of a Mex- (MT-deficient) cell population is not specifically associated with cellular transformation or with any particular stage of immortalization. It appears that in different cell populations the change from Mex+ to Mex- may occur at different times during the immortalization process and that the change may be very abrupt.