Genetic differences in 2-aminofluorene pharmacokinetics between intact C57BL/6J and A/J mice

Studies of genetically determined differences in arylamine acetylation with the model carcinogen 2-aminofluorene in C57BL/6J and A/J inbred mouse strains showed that individual differences in the pharmacokinetics of 2-aminofluorene were dependent on differences in 2-aminofluorene N-acetyltransferase activity in liver and blood. Elimination rates of 2-aminofluorene from blood of mice administered a single ip dose of 30, 50, or 100 mg/kg of 2-aminofluorene were dose-dependent in both strains. At a dose of 100 mg/kg, the average rate of 2-aminofluorene elimination was approximately three times faster in rapid acetylator (C57BL/6J) mice than in slow acetylator (A/J) mice (0.36 +/- 0.02 hr-1 vs. 0.12 +/- 0.02 hr-1), and that in B6AF1 mice was intermediate (0.24 +/- 0.02 hr-1) to the parental lines. These results support previous observations that acetylation of arylamines is controlled by intermediate dominant inheritance of two major alleles at a single locus. Comparison of the average rate of elimination of 2-aminofluorene from blood of the congenic mouse line, A.B6-NATr, (0.27 +/- 0.05 hr-1) which has the rapid acetylator allele placed on the A/J background provided evidence that modifying genes of the A/J mouse significantly reduced the effect of the rapid acetylator allele on the rate of 2-aminofluorene elimination. A trend was observed toward a greater apparent volume of distribution for 2-aminofluorene in A/J than in C57BL/6J mice.     

Acetylator genotype-dependent expression of arylamine N-acetyltransferase and N-hydroxyarylamine O-acetyltransferase in Syrian inbred hamster intestine and colon. Identity with the hepatic acetylation polymorphism

Human epidemiological studies suggest an association between rapid acetylator phenotype and the incidence of colorectal cancer. Genetic regulation of acetyl coenzyme A-dependent N-acetyltransferase (NAT) and O-acetyltransferase (OAT) enzymatic activities may play a role in the metabolic activation of arylamine chemicals in the intestine and colon. In this study, the inheritance of acetyltransferase activity in the intestine and colon was investigated in the Syrian inbred hamster model. Relatively high levels of both arylamine NAT and N-hydroxyarylamine OAT activities were expressed in hamster intestine and colon cytosols, at levels similar to those in the liver. Acetylator genotype-dependent levels of NAT activity were expressed towards p-aminobenzoic acid and the carbocyclic arylamine carcinogens 2-aminofluorene (AF), 4-aminobiphenyl, and beta-naphthylamine. However, acetylator genotype-independent activity was found with the heterocyclic arylamine carcinogens 2-aminodipyrido[1,2-a:3',2'd]imidazole, 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole, and 2-amino-9H-pyrido-[2,3,b]indole. F1 hybrid heterozygous acetylator progeny expressed unimodal levels of acetyltransferase activity intermediate between the homozygous rapid and slow acetylator parental strains. F2 generation progeny segregated into three modes (low, intermediate, and high) in a ratio of 1/2/1, and both sets of backcrosses yielded bimodal distributions of low and intermediate or high and intermediate in equal ratios. The genetic data is consistent with simple autosomal Mendelian inheritance of two codominant alleles (rapid and slow) at a single genetic locus, the polymorphic acetyltransferase gene. Levels of N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene OAT activity were acetylator genotype-dependent in liver, intestine, and colon cytosols, which correlated well with AF NAT activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Identification and kinetic characterization of acetylator genotype-dependent and -independent arylamine carcinogen N-acetyltransferases in hamster bladder cytosol

Recent studies from our laboratory have shown relatively high levels of polymorphic N-acetyltransferase (NAT)(EC 2.3.1.5) activity toward carcinogenic arylamines in urinary bladder cytosol of humans and in the inbred hamster model of the N-acetylation polymorphism. The expression of this polymorphism is of interest because of the higher incidence of bladder cancer among human slow acetylators with documented exposures to arylamine bladder carcinogens. In this study, arylamine NAT activity was partially purified and characterized in inbred hamster urinary bladder cytosols of defined acetylator genotype. Acetylator gene-dose response relationships were observed for the N-acetylation of p-aminobenzoic acid, p-aminosalicyclic acid, and the arylamine carcinogens 2-aminofluorene, 4-aminobiphenyl, and beta-naphthylamine in hamster bladder cytosol. Partial purification of hamster bladder cytosol by anion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography yielded two NAT isozymes that catalyzed the N-acetylation of each of the arylamine substrates. The catalytic activity of the first isozyme was acetylator genotype-dependent (polymorphic), whereas the second isozyme appeared to be acetylator genotype-independent (monomorphic). Catalytic activities between homozygous rapid, heterozygous, and homozygous slow acetylator genotypes were compared with respect to both initial rates and apparent maximum velocities. Comparison of homozygous rapid and slow acetylator bladder cytosol showed that the apparent Vmax for 2-aminofluorene NAT activity was significantly higher in rapid than slow acetylators (6-fold in cytosol, 50-fold in the polymorphic NAT isozyme). These results suggest a key role for a polymorphic NAT isozyme, regulated by the acetylator genotype and expressed in urinary bladder cytosol, in the initiation of bladder cancer via arylamine carcinogens.     

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase from fast (C57BL6) and slow (A/J) N-acetylating strains of mice

Many drugs and xenobiotics which are arylamines or hydrazines are metabolized by N-acetyltransferase. The enzyme is polymorphically expressed in humans and inbred strains of laboratory animals can be classified as fast or slow acetylating strains. N-Acetyltransferase has been partially purified from livers from a fast acetylator, C57BL6, and a slow acetylator, A/J, strain of mouse. The enzyme has been purified 1900- and 955-fold, respectively from the two strains, but still represents less than 20% of the total protein. These studies show that at least 5000-fold purification is required to isolate mouse liver N-acetyltransferase from either strain. During purification, N-acetyltransferase from both strains of mice elute identically as a single peak on ion exchange chromatography. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation of N-acetyltransferase shows partial separation of the activity from A/J mice into two peaks whilst the enzyme from C57BL6 mice migrates as one peak which is distinct from both the major and minor types of N-acetyltransferase in A/J mouse liver. The hydrodynamic parameters of N-acetyltransferase from C57BL6 mice and the major peak of N-acetyltransferase from A/J mice show that these enzymes are likely to be monomers of apparent molecular weights 33,000 +/- 1000 and 30,000 +/- 2000, respectively. These results indicate that the N-acetyltransferase isozymes in liver of these two strains of mice are not identical.     

Extrahepatic expression of N-acetylator genotype in the inbred hamster

The genetic control of S-acetylcoenzyme A (AcCoA)-dependent N-acetyltransferase activity (EC 2.3.1.5) was investigated in liver, intestine, kidney, and lung cytosols derived from homozygous rapid acetylator (Bio. 87.20), heterozygous acetylator (Bio. 87.20 X 82.73/H F1), and homozygous slow acetylator (Bio. 82.73/H) Syrian inbred hamsters. AcCoA-dependent N-acetyltransferase activity was highest in hepatic cytosol, followed by intestine, kidney, and lung cytosol. In each of these tissues, cytosolic N-acetyltransferase exhibited an acetylator genotype-dependent activity with highest levels in homozygous rapid, intermediate levels in heterozygous F1 progeny, and lowest levels in homozygous slow acetylators. The ratio of N-acetyltransferase activity between acetylator genotypes was in general substrate dependent but not tissue dependent. Acetylator genotype-dependent N-acetyltransferase activity differences were highest for p-aminobenzoic acid, followed by p-aminosalicylic acid, 2-aminofluorene, and beta-naphthylamine. Expression of isoniazid N-acetyltransferase activity in each tissue was acetylator genotype independent. Determination of Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants in each tissue suggested that p-aminobenzoic acid N-acetyltransferase activity was acetylator genotype-dependent because of catalysis by an isozyme(s) that is both an apparent Km and a Vmax variant. In contrast, the acetylator genotype-independent expression of isoniazid N-acetyltransferase activity in each tissue appeared to result from a common isozyme(s) present in each tissue with equivalent kinetic constants in the two phenotypes. These data suggest that acetylator genotype-dependent expression of AcCoA-dependent N-acetyltransferase activity in extrahepatic tissues may play an important role in hereditary predisposition to toxicity and/or carcinogenesis in extrahepatic organs following exposure to arylamine drugs and foreign chemicals.     

Acetylator phenotype-dependent and -independent expression of arylamine N-acetyltransferase isozymes in rapid and slow acetylator inbred rat liver.

Although mouse, hamster, and rabbit models of the human N-acetylation polymorphism have been identified and characterized, many investigations of arylamine toxicity and carcinogenicity are carried out in the rat, particularly the Fischer 344 (F-344) inbred rat. We partially characterized a new rat model of the N-acetylation polymorphism by determining expression of arylamine N-acetyltransferase activities in liver cytosols derived from adult male inbred F-344, WKY, and their F1 hybrid rat strains. Levels of N-acetyltransferase activity differed significantly between the strains for many arylamine substrates, with highest levels in F-344, lowest levels in WKY, and intermediate levels in F1 hybrids of these two parental strains. However, for some other arylamine substrates, levels of N-acetyltransferase activity did not differ significantly between the rat strains. Partial purification of rat liver cytosols from the three strains resulted in identification of two N-acetyltransferase isozymes. The levels of N-acetyltransferase activity of one isozyme differed significantly between strains analogous to the pattern observed in crude cytosol. In contrast, the levels of N-acetyltransferase activity of the second isozyme did not differ between the strains. Based upon these results, the F-344 inbred strain is designated a rapid acetylator phenotype, the WKY inbred strain is designated a slow acetylator phenotype, and F1 hybrids of the two parental strains are designated intermediate acetylator phenotype. The identification of acetylator phenotype-dependent and -independent hepatic N-acetyltransferase isozymes in the inbred rat mimics the biochemical basis for acetylator phenotype-dependent and -independent expressions of N-acetylation in humans and other mammalian species.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of hepatic arylamine N-acetyltransferase from rapid and slow acetylator mice: identity with arylhydroxamic acid N,O-acyltransferase and N-hydroxyarylamine O-acetyltransferase

An inbred mouse model for the human N-acetylation polymorphism has been used to investigate the biochemical basis for the arylamine N-acetylation polymorphism and the relationship between the cytosolic enzymes arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT), arylhydroxamic acid N,O-acyltransferase, and N-hydroxyarylamine O-acetyltransferase. Biochemical studies of partially purified NAT from rapid and slow acetylator mice revealed identical molecular weights of 31,500, activation energies of 21,000 cal/mol, equivalent affinities for acetyl coenzyme A, broad pH optima, the presence of an active site sulfhydryl group, and similar behavior during purification with anion exchange, gel filtration, and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The enzymes differed in inhibition by hydrogen peroxide and dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). These observations taken in conjunction with previous investigations indicate that the rapid and slow mouse NAT enzymes are isozymes with minimal structural differences. NATs from rapid and slow acetylator mice were purified more than 10,000-fold by the following sequence of methods: homogenization and fractional centrifugation, protamine sulfate precipitation, and chromatography on DEAE-Trisacryl M, Sephadex G-100, Amethopterin-AH-Sepharose 4B, butyl agarose, and Sephacryl S-200, with a 15-25% recovery. NAT from B6 mice was purified to greater than 95% purity, as judged by silver staining of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Although only NAT appeared to be subject to a genetic polymorphism as evidenced by N-acetylation activities in liver cytosol, the purified NAT protein possessed arylhydroxamic acid N,O-acyltransferase, N-hydroxyarylamine O-acetyltransferase, and NAT activities. Thus, the cytosolic N-acetyltransferase of mouse liver may catalyze N-, O-, and N,O-acetyltransfer reactions through a common acetylated intermediate of a single protein.     

Prostate expression of N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) and 2 (NAT2) in rapid and slow acetylator congenic Syrian hamster

Arylamine carcinogens induce prostate tumours in rodent models and may contribute to the aetiology of human prostate cancers. N-acetylation and O-acetylation, catalysed by N-acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) and 2 (NAT2), activate and/or deactivate arylamines to electrophilic intermediates that bind DNA and initiate tumours in target organs. NAT1 and NAT2 are both subject to genetic polymorphism in humans, and molecular epidemiological investigations suggest that NAT1 and/or NAT2 acetylator genotype modifies risk for prostate cancers. A Syrian hamster model congenic at the NAT2 locus was used to investigate the role of acetylator genotype in N- and O-acetylation of aromatic and heterocyclic amine carcinogens in the liver and prostate. A gene dose-response (NAT2*15/*15>NAT2*15/*16A>NAT2*16A/*16A) relationship was observed in liver and prostate cytosol towards the N-acetylation of p-aminobenzoic acid, 2-aminofluorene, beta-napthylamine, 4-aminobiphenyl, and 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl. NAT1 and NAT2 were separated and partially purified from liver and prostate cytosol. NAT1 and NAT2 in liver and prostate catalysed -acetylation of the arylamines above and O-acetylation of N-hydroxy derivatives of 2-aminofluorene, 4-aminobiphenyl and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine. Rates were higher in rapid versus slow acetylators when catalysed by NAT2 but not when catalysed by NAT1. Partially purified prostate NAT2 exhibited higher apparent K(m) and V(max) than NAT1. Prostate NAT1 mRNA levels were higher than NAT2 and neither NAT1 nor NAT2 mRNA level differed with NAT2 acetylator genotype. The results provide mechanistic support for a role of NAT1 and/or NAT2 acetylator polymorphism(s) in human prostate cancer risk related to aromatic and/or heterocyclic amine carcinogens.     

Cloned mouse N-acetyltransferases: enzymatic properties of expressed Nat-1 and Nat-2 gene products.

N-Acetylation plays an important role in the metabolism of a wide variety of hydrazine drugs and arylamine drugs and carcinogens. Humans have genetically determined differences in their N-acetyltransferase activities and are phenotypically classified as rapid or slow acetylators. Mice have a similar genetic polymorphism in N-acetyltransferase activity and have been used as models of the human polymorphism in many studies of the toxicology and carcinogenicity of arylamines. Recently, two N-acetyltransferase genes, Nat-1 and Nat-2, were cloned from rapid (C57BL/6J) and slow (A/J) acetylator mouse strains. The genomic clone encoding NAT-1 is identical in rapid and slow acetylator mouse strains, whereas the clone encoding NAT-2 differs between rapid and slow strains by a single base pair, which changes the encoded amino acid from Asn99 in the rapid acetylator strain to Ile99 in the slow acetylator strain. In this report, the N-acetylation polymorphism in mice was investigated by transiently expressing the cloned N-acetyltransferase genes in COS-1 cells. The intronless coding regions of Nat-1 and Nat-2 showed different substrate specificities; isoniazid was a preferred substrate for NAT-1, whereas p-aminobenzoic acid was preferred for NAT-2(99asn) and NAT-2(99ile). All three enzymes acetylated 2-aminofluorene, but none of them acetylated sulfamethazine. Kinetic constants determined for the expressed enzymes with 2-aminofluorene and p-aminobenzoic acid indicated that Km values were not significantly different between the enzymes, although the Vmax value of NAT-2(99asn) was consistently 2-3-fold higher than that of NAT-1 or NAT-2(99ile). Nat-1 and Nat-2 encoded mRNAs of approximately 1.4 kilobases in livers of rapid and slow acetylators. Nat-2 mRNA was more abundant in liver than Nat-1 mRNA. The abundance of Nat-2 mRNA and Nat-1 mRNA was equivalent in both rapid and slow acetylator mouse strain livers. Incubation of transfected COS-1 cell cytosols at 37 degrees showed that the time for decline of NAT activity to 50% of its initial value was 45 hr for NAT-1, 60 hr for NAT-2(99asn), and 4 hr for NAT-2(99ile). This 15-fold difference in the heat stability of the rapid and slow isoforms of NAT activity was also observed in cytosols from rapid and slow acetylator livers. Comparison of the rates of translation of the rapid and slow isoforms of NAT-2 in an in vitro system showed that NAT-2(99asn) was translated at approximately twice the rate of NAT-2(99ile).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Human acetylator genotype: Relationship to colorectal cancer incidence and arylamine N-acetyltransferase expression in colon cytosol

Polymorphic expression of arylamine N-acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.5) may be a differential risk factor in metabolic activation of arylamine carcinogens and susceptibility to cancers related to arylamine exposures. Human epidemiological studies suggest that rapid acetylator phenotype may be associated with higher incidences of colorectal cancer. We used restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to determine acetylator genotypes of 44 subjects with colorectal cancer and 28 non-cancer subjects of similar ethnic background (i.e., approximately 25% Black and 75% White). The polymorphic N-acetyltransferase gene (NAT2) was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction from DNA templates derived from human colons of colorectal and non-cancer subjects. No significant differences inNAT2 allelic frequencies (i.e., WT, M1, M2, M3 alleles) or in acetylator genotypes were found between the colorectal cancer and non-cancer groups. No significant differences inNAT2 allelic frequencies were observed between Whites and Blacks or between males and females. Cytosolic preparations from the human colons were tested for expression of arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity. Although N-acetyltransferase activity was expressed for each of the arylamines tested (i.e., p-aminobenzoic acid, 4-aminobiphenyl, 2-aminofluorene, -naphthylamine), no correlation was observed between acetylator genotype and expression of human colon arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity. Similarly, no correlation was observed between subject age and expression of human colon arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity. These results suggest that arylamine N-acetyltransferase activity expressed in human colon is catalyzed predominantly by NAT1, an arylamine N-acetyltransferase that is not regulated byNAT2 acetylator genotype. The ability to determine acetylator genotype from DNA derived from human surgical samples should facilitate further epidemiological studies to assess the role of acetylator genotype in various cancers.     

Monomorphic and polymorphic human arylamine N-acetyltransferases: a comparison of liver isozymes and expressed products of two cloned genes

A genetic polymorphism of human liver arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT; EC 2.3.1.5) enzyme activity divides populations into distinguishable "slow acetylator" and "rapid acetylator" phenotypes. Two human genes, NAT1 and NAT2, encoding NAT proteins [DNA Cell Biol. 9:193-203 (1990)] were transiently expressed in cultured monkey kidney COS-1 cells, and the resulting recombinant NAT1 and NAT2 proteins were compared with N-acetyltransferase activities in human liver cytosol with respect to their stability, chromatographic behavior on anion exchange columns, electrophoretic mobility, and arylamine acceptor substrate specificity. NAT1 was far less stable in vitro than NAT2. Under conditions designed to optimize enzyme stability, anion exchange chromatography experiments revealed that enzymes corresponding to both recombinant NAT1 and NAT2 were expressed in human liver. Recombinant and human liver NAT1 enzymes showed the same characteristic selectivity (low apparent Km, high Vmax) for the "monomorphic" substrates p-aminosalicylic acid and p-aminobenzoic acid. Such substrates fail to discriminate between the acetylator phenotypes in vivo. The same criteria established that recombinant NAT2 was indistinguishable from one of two previously observed N-acetyltransferases (NAT2A and NAT2B) whose liver contents correlate with acetylator phenotype in human populations. Recombinant NAT2 and the liver NAT2 isoforms NAT2A and NAT2B selectivity N-acetylated the "polymorphic" substrates sulfamethazine and procainamide, whose disposition in vivo is affected by the acetylation polymorphism. Interestingly, the carcinogen 2-aminofluorene was very efficiently metabolized by both NAT1 and NAT2. Independent regulation of NAT1 and NAT2 genes was suggested by a lack of correlation of NAT1 and NAT2 enzyme activities in cytosols from 39 human livers. The results provide strong evidence that the NAT2 locus is the site of the human acetylation polymorphism. In addition, the use of recombinant NAT1 and NAT2 will allow us to predict whether any given arylamine will be polymorphically acetylated in humans.     

A method for genotyping murine arylamine N-acetyltransferase type 2 (NAT2): a gene expressed in preimplantation embryonic stem cells encoding an enzyme acetylating the folate catabolite p-aminobenzoylglutamate.

Mice have three arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) isoenzymes (NAT1, NAT2, and NAT3) of which NAT2 is known to be polymorphic. Humans have two polymorphic isoenzymes, NAT1 and NAT2. The isoenzymes mouse NAT1 and human NAT2 are expressed predominantly in the liver and intestine and are involved in drug and xenobiotic metabolism. Mouse NAT2 and human NAT1 have a widespread tissue distribution and the folate catabolite p-aminobenzoylglutamate (pAB-Glu) has been proposed as a candidate endogenous substrate. All mice have detectable NAT2 activity, although inbred mouse strains have either a fast or slow acetylator phenotype conferred by the presence of either NAT2*8 (fast) or NAT2*9 (slow) alleles at the NAT2 locus. In this report, we describe a simple method for distinguishing these murine alleles by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. We compared the tissue distribution of the acetylation activity found in both fast (C57BL/6J) and slow (A/J) acetylating strains of mice using pAB-Glu and p-aminobenzoic acid as probe substrates. It has previously been demonstrated that murine NAT2 is expressed in the neural tube prior to closure (Stanley L, Copp A, Rolls S, Smelt V, Perry VH and Sim E, Teratology 58: 174-182, 1998). We demonstrate here that murine NAT2 is expressed in preimplantation embryonic stem cells. Murine NAT2 is likely to be expressed prior to neurulation and this may be important in view of the protective role of folate in neural tube development.     

Metabolic, molecular genetic and toxicological aspects of the acetylation polymorphism in inbred mice.

Over the past 10 years, much fascinating information has been obtained concerning the biochemistry, genetics, toxicological implications and molecular genetics of the N-acetylation polymorphism in mice. Using C57BL/6J (B6) mice as representative of rapid acetylation and A/J (A) mice as representing slow acetylation, it has been shown that the polymorphism observed in N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity in liver also occurs in kidney, bladder, blood, and other tissues. The development of congenic acetylator mouse lines derived from B6 and A, have provided the necessary tools to study the role of the acetylation polymorphism, on either the B6 or A genetic background, free of nearly all other genetic differences between these strains. Eliminating genes which modify and complicate the differences due to the acetylator genes make the congenic lines very useful in toxicology studies, particularly those involving carcinogenesis. The molecular genetic basis of the acetylator polymorphism in B6 and A mice involves two Nat genes. Nat-1 encodes a protein termed NAT1 which is identical in rapid and slow acetylator strains. Nat-2, however, differs between rapid and slow strains by a single nucleotide change in the coding region. The corresponding NAT2 proteins differ by a single change at amino acid 99: an hydrophilic asparagine in rapid acetylator NAT2 to an hydrophobic isoleucine in NAT2 from slow acetylators. The mechanistic basis for the differences between rapid and slow acetylation in mice appears to be that NAT2 from the rapid B6 strain is 15-fold more stable at 37 degrees C and is transcribed/translated with a maximal efficiency twice that of the enzyme from slow acetylator A mice. Results discussed in this review indicate that mice provide an excellent system for studying the N-acetyltransferase polymorphism and also are useful for modelling several aspects of the human N-acetyltransferase polymorphism.     

N-acetylation of aromatic amines: genetic polymorphism in inbred rat strains.

The inheritance of rat liver N-acetyltransferase polymorphism was investigated with reciprocal genetic crosses between slow (NSD/N) and rapid (Peth/N) acetylator strains. Rat liver N-acetyltransferase activity was determined using a spectrophotometric assay which measured the amount of arylamine substrate present after incubation with N-acetyltransferase in vitro. Male N-acetyltransferase activities assayed in liver preparations using p-aminobenzoic acid and p-toluidine as substrates indicate bimodality of the parental strains and unimodality of the F-1 generation; limited data suggest trimodality (not significantly different from a 1:2:1 ratio) of the F-2 generation. Reciprocal crosses of WKY/N, another slow acetylator strain, and the Peth/N strain gave results similar to those of the NSD/N x Peth/N cross. Female N-acetyltransferase activities in all strains studied were lower than male N-acetyltransferase activities, but were similarly distributed in the parental and F-1 generations. The male/female N-acetyltransferase activity ratio was substrate- and genotype-dependent. Results show that regulation of the variation of rat liver N-acetyltransferase activity is consistent with autosomal Mendelian inheritance of two major alleles at a single gene locus.     

Correlation between N-acetyltransferase activities in uroepithelia and in vivo acetylator phenotype.

The relationship between in vivo acetylator phenotype of individuals and N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity in the cytosol of their cultured uroepithelia was examined in four urology patients. In vivo acetylator phenotypes were assigned by determining the ratio of N-acetyl vs. total [N-acetyl+free] sulfamethazine in urine and blood following a single oral dose (1 gm) of sulfamethazine. From the same patients, a surgical specimen of the ureter was obtained, uroepithelial cells were cultured in vitro, and the cytosols prepared. NAT activities were determined by measuring the amount of 4-acetylaminobiphenyl formed from incubation of uroepithelial cytosol with the substrate, 4-aminobiphenyl, and the cofactor [14C]acetyl coenzyme A. The two individuals phenotyped as "slow acetylators" by the in vivo method had NAT activities of 8.3 and 16.2 pmol 4-acetylaminobiphenyl/mg protein/min. In contrast, the two individuals phenotyped as "rapid acetylators" showed activities of 50.9 and 109.5 pmol 4-acetylaminobiphenyl/mg protein/min. The rapid acetylators exhibit about 6-fold greater uroepithelial NAT activities than slow acetylators, thus showing a direct correlation between the NAT activity in the uroepithelium, the target tissue of the human bladder carcinogen 4-aminobiphenyl, and the in vivo acetylator phenotype. These results imply that susceptibility of individuals to arylamine-induced bladder cancer might be associated with NAT activities in their target cells and that in vivo acetylator phenotyping could serve as a useful and relevant biochemical screening marker to assess the risk of developing bladder cancer.     

Distribution, excretion, and metabolism of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and B6D2F1/J mice

The strains of mice, C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and B6D2F1/J, have been used as models to study the mechanism of action of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The distribution, excretion, and metabolism of this compound was studied in male C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and B6D2F1/J mice following the intraperitoneal administration of radiolabeled TCDD at a dose of 10 micrograms/kg. In all strains, the liver and adipose tissue were the major sites for the accumulation of 3H-TCDD, with more 3H-TCDD being distributed to the livers of the C57BL/6J and B6D2F1/J strains as compared to the DBA/2J strain. While in all strains the feces were the major route of elimination, the total amount of 3H-TCDD-derived radioactivity excreted in the feces amounted to approximately 72% of the original dose in the C57BL/6J and B6D2F1/J strains whereas this was only 54% in the DBA/2J strain. The half-lives for the cumulative excretion of radioactivity in the feces were similar in all strains. The half-life for the excretion of radioactivity in the urine was considerably greater in the DBA/2J strain as compared to the C57BL/6J and B6D2F1/J strains. The estimated half-lives for the total cumulative excretion of 3H-TCDD-derived radioactivity by all routes was 11.0, 24.4, and 12.6 days for the C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, and B6D2F1/J strains, respectively. Greater than 85% of the total radioactivity excreted in urine, bile, and feces from all three mouse strains was present as metabolites of TCDD.     

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice

A five-compartment physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) model was developed to describe the time course of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in the tissues of both C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. The PB-PK model included binding in blood and two hepatic binding sites, one in the cytosol and the other in the microsomes. First-order metabolism occurred in the liver. Model simulations were compared to literature results for the disposition of a single intraperitoneal dose of 10 micrograms/kg of [3H]TCDD, reported by Gasiewicz et al. [Drug Metab. Dispos. 11 (1983) 397-403]. In contrast to previous speculation, the greater accumulation of TCDD in the liver of the C57BL/6J mouse, as compared to the DBA/2J mouse, was not attributable to the higher fat content in the DBA/2J mouse. Instead, the disposition of TCDD in these mice was more dependent on the affinity of the microsomal binding proteins than on fat content. The microsomal dissociation constant in the C57BL/6J mouse estimated by the PB-PK model was about one-third its value in the DBA/2J mouse (20 versus 75 nM), i.e. there is more avid microsomal binding in the liver of the C57BL/6J mouse. In the concentration range covered in these time-course studies, the cytosolic receptor, with its low capacity and very high affinity binding characteristics, does not play a major role in determining the overall tissue distribution pattern. The concentration and affinity of the microsomal binding protein in the liver appear to be primarily responsible for explaining the differences in the liver/fat concentration ratios between various strains and species of laboratory animals.     

A verification of previously identified QTLs for cocaine-induced activation using a panel of B6.A chromosome substitution strains (CSS) and A/J x C57Bl/6J F2 mice

Background

The objective of this study was to confirm provisional quantitative trait loci (QTL) for cocaine-induced locomotor activation, on chromosomes 1, 5, 6, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, and 18, previously identified in the AXB/BXA recombinant inbred (RI) and AcB/BcA recombinant congenic (RC) strains of mice derived from A/J (A) and C57BL/6J (B6) progenitors. This was accomplished through a genetic analysis of cocaine-induced activity in an AxB6 F2 cross and a phenotypic survey across a panel of B6.A chromosome substitution strains (CSS) mice. Mice were tested for cocaine-induced activity, following administration of saline and cocaine (20 mg/kg), utilizing an open-field procedure.

Results

Among AxB6 F2 mice, differences in cocaine-induced activity were associated with loci on chromosome 1 (D1Mit305), 5 (D5Mit409), 16 (D16Mit131), and 18 (D18Mit189). A survey of the CSS panel confirmed cocaine QTLs on chromosomes 5 and 15, previously identified in RI or RC strains. Overall, the regions on chromosomes 5 and 18 represent verification of QTL previously identified in both the RC and RI strains. Additionally, the B6 allele for these QTL was consistently associated with greater relative cocaine activation.

Conclusions

Collectively, chromosome 5 and 18 QTL have now been replicated in multiple independent crosses derived from the A/J and C57BL/6J progenitors. The use of an in silico analysis highlighted potential candidate genes on chromosomes 5 and 18. The present results complement the targeted gene approach currently prevalent in the study of cocaine and provide a broader empirically based focus for subsequent candidate gene studies.     

Differential metabolism of 1,1-dichloroethylene in livers of A/J, CD-1, and C57BL/6 mice.

1,1-Dichloroethylene (DCE) causes hepatocellular necrosis that preferentially affects centrilobular hepatocytes. The cytotoxic lesion has been attributed to DCE oxidation mediated mainly by CYP2E1, resulting in formation of reactive intermediates including the DCE epoxide. Here, we have tested the hypothesis that differing levels of hepatic CYP2E1 in A/J, CD-1, and C57BL/6 (B6) mice lead to differences in magnitudes of DCE metabolism and severities of hepatotoxicity. Our results showed that amounts of the CYP2E1 protein were higher in A/J mice than in B6 and CD-1 mice. Covalent binding of DCE to liver proteins was variable in the three strains of mice and was higher in A/J than in B6 mice; intermediate levels were found in CD-1 mice. Levels of a DCE epoxide-derived glutathione conjugate detected in liver cytosol correlated with those present in bile extracts and were significantly higher in A/J than in CD-1 and B6 mice. Immunohistochemical studies showed that formation of DCE epoxide-cysteine protein adducts was enhanced in the livers of A/J mice, compared with those produced in the livers of CD-1 and B6 mice. Similarly, centrilobular necrosis was more severe in the livers of A/J mice than in those in either CD-1 or B6 mice. Levels of glutathione were similar in the three strains of untreated mice and were diminished at comparable levels in all mice. These results indicated that high expression of hepatic CYP2E1 in A/J mice coincided with increased DCE metabolism and enhanced severity of hepatotoxicity, relative to those in CD-1 and B6 mice.