Does increase in DNA repair allow “Tolerance‐to‐Insult” in chemical carcinogenesis? Skin tumor experiments with MGMT‐overexpressing mice

Several genotoxicity endpoints have been evaluated to define nonlinear dose‐responses for S_N1 and S_N2 alkylating genotoxicants. Dose‐response studies acknowledging the process of multistage tumorigenesis are important; however, data pertaining nonlinearity are not yet available. In this communication, the role of DNA repair in the dose‐response relationship for benign papillomas was examined using the two‐stage skin carcinogenesis protocol. The data obtained with O⁶‐methylguanine‐DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) overexpressing mice in which papillomas were induced by a single topical treatment with N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosourea (MNU) followed by promotion with 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate are reported. As MGMT efficiently protects cells from mutations by repairing O⁶‐methylguanine, a miscoding lesion induced by MNU, the question whether MGMT is able to nullify carcinogenic lesions to an extent where they would be considered nonhazardous has been addressed. It is shown here that MGMT overexpression significantly protects against, but does not completely nullify, the effect of MNU in tumor initiation. The possible mechanisms involved have also been discussed. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 55:145–150, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Glial cell-specific differences in response to alkylation damage

Oligodendrocytes are preferentially sensitive to the toxic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects of methylnitrosourea (MNU). The mechanisms responsible for this enhanced sensitivity have not been fully elucidated. One of the most vulnerable cellular targets for this chemical is mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). To determine if differences in mtDNA damage and repair capacity exist among the different CNS glial cell types, the effects of MNU exposure on oligodendroglia, astroglia, and microglia cultured separately from neonatal rat brain were compared. Quantitative determinations of mtDNA initial break frequencies and repair efficiencies showed that whereas no cell type-specific differences in initial mtDNA damage were detected, mtDNA repair in oligodendrocytes, oligodendrocyte progenitors, and microglia was significantly reduced compared to that of astrocytes. In astrocytes, and all other cell types previously evaluated in our laboratory, >60% of N-methylpurines were removed from the mtDNA by 24 hr. In contrast, only 35% of lesions were removed from mtDNA of oligodendrocytes, oligodendrocyte progenitors, and microglia during the same time period. Mitochondrial perturbations by a variety of xenobiotics have been linked to apoptosis. In the present study, apoptosis, as determined by DNA laddering and ultrastructural analysis, was clearly induced by MNU treatment of cultured oligodendrocyte progenitors and microglia, but not in astroglia. These data demonstrate a correlation between diminished mtDNA repair capacity and the induction of apoptosis. However, further experimentation is necessary to determine if a causal relationship exists and contributes to the vulnerability of oligodendroglia following exposure to N-nitroso compounds in the environment or in chemotherapeutic regimen. GLIA 24:304–312, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis of steroidal nitrosoureas as antitumor activity

Steroidal nitrosoureas have been synthesized and their antitumor activity on L1210 cells was evaluated. N-(2-Chloroethyl)-N-nitrosocarbamoyl-3-aza-A-homo-5α-cholestane (5a) showed significantly low ED₅₀ value of 1.6μg/ml whose activity is equivalent to that of methyl-CCNU (ED₅₀=1.7mg/ml).     

The Viracept-EMS case: Impact and outlook

This perspective first considers the potential impact of the Viracept-EMS case in the framework of the current understanding of the low-dose effects of DNA-reactive chemicals and the approaches used to estimate health risks from genotoxins occurring as impurities in pharmaceutical products or as contaminants in the environment or workplace. It also presents an outlook on the nature of additional research building upon the Viracept-EMS case to test assumptions underlying thresholded dose–response relationships and to establish biologically based risk assessment models in lieu of default models for DNA-reactive compounds.     

T-cell phenotypes in chemically induced leukemia in mice

T-cell leukemias were induced in adult BDF mice by a single i.v. injection of 50 mg kg-1 of methylnitrosourea (MNU). Leukemic cells from the thymus and other organ sites showed the theta antigen and were peanut-negative, but were heterogeneous with respect to Lyt-1 and Lyt-2. The acute cytotoxic effect of the MNU showed no preferential toxicity to a special T-cell subset in the thymus. During the latency period of leukemogenesis a continuous fall in peanut-positive cells in the thymus was found.     

Morphological transformation of C3H10T12 CL8 cells by alkylating agents

The standard method of the $\text{C}\text{3}\text{H}\text{10}\text{T}\text{1}\text{2}$ CL8 cell transformation assay cannot adequately detect alkylating agents. A modification of the standard procedure as described by Bertram and Heidelberger using a large number of synchronized cells and high levels of toxicity was evaluated for transformation using several alkylating agents. By using this method, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), β-propiolactone (BPL), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), methylnitrosourea (MNU) and 1,3-propane sultone (PS) transformed these cells. However, methyl iodide (M1) failed to induce any transformed foci.     

Induction of Congenital Malformations in Mice by Paternal Methylnitrosourea Treatment

ABSTRACT A single dose of methylnitrosourea (MNU, 25–100 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally into ICR strain male mice. The males were mated to untreated females of the same strain on days 1–21 and 64–80 after the treatment. On day 18 of pregnancy, the fetuses were examined for external and skeletal abnormalities. MNU treatment of paternal germ cells caused significant increases in the incidence of abnormal fetuses over the control level. The induction rate per live fetus per unit dose in mg/kg by treating spermatogonial stem cells was estimated to be 3.0 × 10⁻⁴, which is quite similar to the rate previously estimated for the same endpoint at the same germ cell stage with the fractionated doses of MNU (daily doses at 5–25 mg/kg for 5 days). Cleft palate and dwarfism were the most frequent external abnormalities in the MNU-treated and the control series. Malformed ribs was the most frequent skeletal abnormality in the treated series. It was concluded that congenital malformations induced after treating male mice with a single dose of MNU were quantitatively and qualitatively similar to those induced after treating male mice with the fractionated doses of MNU.     

Autochthonous prostate adenocarcinomas in Lobund-Wistar rats: a model system

An experimental model system for autochthonous prostate adenocarcinoma (PA) has been developed in Lobund-Wistar (L-W) rats. Large primary PAs were induced in 31 of 40 (77.5%) L-W rats within an average of 10.7 months after a single dose of methylnitrosourea (MNU) and subcutaneous implants of testosterone. Metastatic tumors had developed in over 60% of the tumor-bearing rats. In addition, localized in situ PAs had developed in 5 of the 40 test rats. At 14 months 50 untreated L-W rats were free of demonstrable PAs. Two of 20 (10%) L-W rats developed PA at 14 months after inoculation of MNU alone. Six of 42 (14%) L-W rats developed PAs within 14 months after s.c. administration of testosterone implants. Thus, testosterone acted as a tumor promoter of PA for cells that had been initiated by MNU. The manifestations of the PAs in the L-W rats resembled many aspects of the counterpart disease in man.     

NF-κB/IκBα在MNU致实验性大鼠视网膜损伤中的变化

目的 观察核因子KappaB（NF-κB）在N-甲基-N-亚硝脲（MNU）诱导大鼠视网膜光感受器细胞凋亡中的的变化,探讨MNU损伤视网膜的机制。方法 给生后50d的雌性SD大鼠一次腹腔注射MNU60mg／kg．分别在MNU处理不同时间后处死动物。光学显微镜观察视网膜的形态学变化;TUNEL试剂盒检测光感受器细胞凋亡：Western blotting分析NF-κB。结果 MNU处理后24h,视网膜光感受器细胞核固缩和光感受器细胞层外节部定向障碍：7d后．外颗粒层和光感受层几乎完全消失。光感受器细胞凋亡在MNU处理后24h达高峰。在凋亡发生的过程中,仅在MNU作用12h和24h后,胞核内有低水平的p65蛋白。相反,胞浆和胞核内的KB蛋白水平呈时间依赖性地显著增加。结论 NF-κB／IKBa信号通路的激活可能介导了MNU所致的视网膜损伤。