Cloning and sequence analysis of human guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase cDNA

In a child with severe muscular hypotonia and extrapyramidal movement disorder, elevation of guanidinoacetate and deficiency of creatine in brain suggested a defect in biosynthesis of creatine at the level of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) (Stöckler, S. et al. (1994) Pediatr. Res. 36, 409-413). As a first step in the molecular analysis of GAMT deficiency, the cDNA for human GAMT was cloned using rat GAMT cDNA as a probe. For the coding region there is a 82.5% homology of the nucleotide sequence and 86.9% homology of the deduced amino acid sequence between human and rat.

Mutational specificity of 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea in the Escherichia coli lacl gene of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase-proficient and -deficient strains

Forward mutations induced by 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU) in the lacl gene of Escherichia coli were recovered from bacteria proficient (Ogt+ Ada+) and deficient (Ogt- Ada-) in O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase activity. A CCNU dose of 1 mM was selected for DNA sequence analysis. A total of 245 induced mutations were characterized. The mutations were almost exclusively (95%) GC-->AT transitions, indicating that CCNU-induced mutations arose in bacteria primarily from misreplication of O6-chloroethylguanine, in total agreement with results obtained for monofunctional alkylating agents. The distribution of CCNU-induced GC-->AT mutations was significantly altered by the presence of DNA alkyltransferase activity (P = 0.01). In the Ogt+ Ada+ mutational spectrum, guanines flanked on both sides by A:T base-pairs were on average 2.8 times more likely to mutate than those flanked by G:C base-pairs on at least one side. This bias disappeared in the Ogt- Ada- genetic background, thereby providing evidence that O6-chloroethylated guanines adjacent to G:C base-pairs are better targets for bacterial alkyltransferase than those not adjacent to G:C base-pairs. We recently reported a similar bias for ethyl methanesulfonate, strengthening the idea that CCNU is acting as a simple ethylating compound. In summary, this paper presents for the first time evidence that DNA repair by O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferases plays a major role in removing lesions responsible for GC-->AT transitions induced by CCNU, influencing their ultimate distribution with respect to sequence context.

Triazene compounds induce apoptosis in O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase deficient leukemia cell lines

Previous studies demonstrated that triazene compounds (TZC) possess antitumor, antimetastatic and immunosuppressive activity, and induce novel antigenic properties in neoplastic cells. Moreover, TZC showed marked antitumor activity in patients with acute myelogenous leukemias (AML). In most cases leukemic blasts with low levels of the repair enzyme O6-alkyl-guanine-DNA alkyltransferase (OGAT) were highly susceptible to TZC. Therefore the cytotoxic effects of TZC against human leukemic cells and the influence of OGAT modulation were investigated. Five leukemia cell lines were treated with the in vitro active derivative of dacarbazine: 5-(3-methyl-1-triazeno) imidazole-4-carboxamide (MTIC), or with temozolomide (TZM), which is readily cleaved to form the linear triazene MTIC in aqueous solution. The results showed that treatment with TZC at concentrations ranging between 62.5 and 250 microM significantly inhibited cell growth of U-937 and K-562 leukemia cell lines, both with undetectable OGAT activity. Growth inhibition was accompanied by DNA fragmentation and reduction of cell volume characteristic of cell undergoing apoptosis. In contrast, Daudi, HL-60 and Jurkat leukemia cell lines, characterized by high levels of the repair enzyme, were resistant to concentrations of TZC up to 500 microM. Treatment of resistant lines with O6-benzylguanine (BG, a specific inhibitor of OGAT) rendered HL-60 and Daudi but not Jurkat cells sensitive to cytotoxic effects and apoptosis mediated by MTIC. The results presented suggest that: (1) apoptosis is involved in cytotoxic activity of TZC; (2) OGAT could have a role in preventing programmed cell death induced by TZC; and (3) treatment with BG could potentiate cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of TZC on leukemic cell lines when high level of OGAT activity is the main factor involved in resistance to TZC.

[Homozygote deficiency of thiopurine methyltransferase. A contraindication to the use of azathioprine in kidney transplantation]

Azathioprine-induced myelosuppression is the most important side effect observed in kidney transplantation. We report a case of severe neutropenia after kidney transplantation due to a thiopurine methyltransferase deficiency. This cause of azathioprine-induced myelotoxicity is rare, but its infectious consequences may be severe. Thiopurine methyltransferase deficiency must therefore be suspected when early and severe leukopenia occurs during azathioprine therapy. Erythrocyte thiopurine methyltransferase activity measurement confirms the diagnosis. Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine must afterwards be definitively avoided.

Azathioprine-induced myelosuppression due to thiopurine methyltransferase deficiency in a patient with autoimmune hepatitis

Azathioprine can cause severe myelosuppression. The inherited activity of the enzyme thiopurine methyltransferase has been recently recognised as a major factor in the susceptibility to myelosuppression. Thiopurine methyltransferase deficiency occurs at a frequency of one in 300 and is associated with profound myelosuppression after a short course of azathioprine. Very low thiopurine methyltransferase activity represents the TPMTL/TPMTL genotype, and can be detected before therapy with azathioprine is started. We describe the first documented case of azathioprine-induced severe myelosuppression due to thiopurine methyltransferase deficiency in autoimmune liver disease. The azathioprine dose was low (1 mg/kg) and pancytopenia occurred after 56 days therapy. It would be advisable to measure thiopurine methyltransferase activity before patients with autoimmune hepatitis are exposed to azathioprine.

DNA mismatch repair mutants do not increase N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine tolerance in O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase-deficient yeast cells

Treatment of cells with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) produces, among other lesions, mutagenic and carcinogenic lesions such as O6-methylguanine (O6MeG) and O4-methylthymine in DNA. An O6MeG DNA methyl-transferase (MTase) specifically and efficiently repairs such lesions. MTase-deficient bacterial, yeast and mammalian cells exhibit increased sensitivity not only to MNNG-induced mutagenesis, but also to MNNG-induced killing, suggesting that O6MeG-type lesions are also lethal to the cells. The lethal effect caused by O6MeG is not clear. Results from several recent experiments indicate that some MNNG-tolerant cell lines exhibit a loss of DNA mismatch binding/repair activity, suggesting that functional mismatch repair is probably responsible for the cellular sensitivity to DNA methylating agents. We tested this abortive O6MeG-T mismatch repair hypothesis in a well-defined lower eukaryote, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that while mgt1-deleted MTase-deficient yeast strains are hypersensitive to MNNG-induced killing, combination of this mutation with any of the mlh1, msh2 or pms1 mutations did not render cells more tolerant to killing. msh3 mutation also did not rescue MNNG-induced genotoxicity. Furthermore, through the isolation and characterization of MNNG-tolerant cell lines from the MTase-deficient mutants we demonstrated that a DNA mismatch repair defect is neither sufficient nor required for this process. Since both DNA repair MTases and mismatch repair proteins are highly conserved between yeast and mammalian cells, our results could suggest alternative mechanisms in the cellular tolerance to O6MeG-induced killing.

The methylation status of the gene for O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase in human Mer+ and Mer- cells

O6-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) plays an important role in protecting cells from the mutagenic potency of alkylating agents. This study addresses the role of DNA methylation in the expression of the human MGMT gene. Southern blot analysis of DNA from human Mer+ (MGMT proficient) and Mer- (MGMT deficient) cell lines demonstrated that the methylation state of a unique SmaI site in the MGMT gene promoter, previously shown by others to be invariably unmethylated in Mer+ cells and methylated in Mer- cells, did not correlate with the Mer phenotype. Neither was there any significant difference in the density of CpG methylation in the MGMT gene 5'-flanking sequences between Mer+ and Mer- cells. On the other hand, the body of the MGMT gene was less methylated in most Mer- cells relative to Mer+ cells, and in three of six Mer- cell lines the gene was essentially methylation-free. Interestingly, the Mer- cells that were hypomethylated in the MGMT gene also tended to be less methylated at other loci. Widespread hypomethylation is a frequent trait in carcinogenesis, and may be involved in development of the frequently found Mer- phenotype.

Sensitization of human colon tumour cell lines to carmustine by depletion of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase

In nine human colon tumour cell lines the relationship between O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (O6-AGT) activity and carmustine resistance was investigated. Three lines with O6-AGT activity below 25 fmol/mg protein had carmustine ED50 values ranging from 5.0 microM to 11.9 microM; six lines displaying an O6-AGT activity above 240 fmol/mg protein had ED50 values ranging from 28.9 microM to 69.5 microM. In lines with low O6-AGT activity, depletion of the repair protein by O6-benzylguanine resulted in a marginal increase of carmustine cytotoxicity (sensitization factors less than 2). In the majority of cell lines with high O6-AGT activity, pretreatment with O6-benzylguanine resulted in a pronounced sensitization to carmustine. In one line, an optimal time schedule for sensitization of colon tumour cells by O6-benzylguanine was assessed; continuous exposure to O6-benzylguanine > or = 16 h after carmustine exposure) was superior to short-term exposure limited to a period before carmustine treatment.

Genetic suppression and phenotypic masking of a Myxococcus xanthus frzF- defect

An insertion of transposon Tn5-lac, omega 4519, generates a lacZ fusion with a Myxococcus xanthus promoter expressed during both vegetative growth and development. Sequence analysis of the junction of omega 4519 with M. xanthus DNA shows that the insertion is in frzF, a homologue of cheR from Salmonella typhimurium. When frzF- (or frzCD-) cells are starved for nutrients at modest densities, they aggregate to form a radial pattern and produce fewer than 1% of the wild-type complement of spores. At higher densities, frzF::omega 4519 cells form 'frizzy' aggregates and produce 80-90% of the wild-type complement of spores. In contrast, when cells with both a frzF- (or frzCD-) and an sglA1 mutation are allowed to develop at either low or high cell densities, they produce frizzy aggregates containing a near wild-type complement of heat-resistant spores. In addition to suppressing the density dependence of fruiting-body morphogenesis, the sglA1 mutation also suppresses the sporulation defect caused by two different frzF- mutations and a frzCD- mutation. In contrast, a mutation in a different S motility gene, sglG1, does not suppress the frz- mutations. Thus, the suppression of frz- mutations by sgl- mutations is allele-specific, and depends on the sgl allele, but not the frz allele. Because the phenotypes of frz- mutations have been determined in a (suppressing) sglA1 genetic background, the frz genes may play more central roles in development than initially recognized.

Comparison of mutation spectra induced by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea in the hprt gene of Mer+ and Mer- diploid human fibroblasts

N-Ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) forms several major adducts upon reaction with DNA, of which ethylation at the O6 position of guanine and the O4, O2 and N3 positions of thymine have been implicated to be mutagenic lesions. To investigate what specific kinds of ENU-induced mutations were affected by the repair ability of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), we examined the mutations in the hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase gene (hprt) in 87 independent mutants derived from ENU-treated AGT proficient (Mer+) or deficient (Mer-) diploid human fibroblasts. Of the characterized mutations, 97% were single base substitutions. The major difference in the mutation spectra was that the frequency of G.C to A.T transitions was significantly higher in Mer- mutants (16/38) than in Mer+ mutants (4/33). The results indicate that AGT removes O6-ethylguanine, thus protecting human cells from parts of the cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of ENU. A high frequency of T.A to A.T transversions induced by ENU was observed in both Mer+ (52%) and Mer- (34%) mutants. This type of mutation was less frequently observed (10%) in N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced mutants derived from the same Mer+ cells in our previous report (J. Mol. Biol., 221, 421, 1991). Comparison of alkylating lesions formed by MNNG and ENU indicates that O2-ethylthymine and N3-ethylthymine are potent mutational adducts for T to A transversions. The occurrence of ENU-induced T.A base pair transversions showed a strong strand bias; 35/37 were located on the non-transcribed strand, assuming thymine is the mutagenic lesion. The result suggests a difference in repair capacity of ethylthymine on the two strands. In addition, this type of mutation preferentially occurred at 5'-Pu-T sequences.

The initiation cascade for chromosome replication in wild-type and Dam methyltransferase deficient Escherichia coli cells

'Newborn' Escherichia coli B/r cells, obtained by membrane elution, were used to study the cell cycles of wild-type and Dam methyltransferase mutants. In wild-type cells, initiation of chromosome replication was synchronous and tightly controlled. In dam mutants, initiation was altered, but not random. We propose that this is due to the absence of an initiation cascade caused by liberated DnaA molecules, and that this cascade normally synchronizes initiation. The dam- cells contained mainly two, three or four replication origins, and this affected nucleoid partitioning as well as cell division. In cultures growing with a 50 min doubling time, a variety of cell cycles were present and half the origins were used every 25 min. Some cells had a 25 min interdivision time, whereas others had an interdivision time longer than the generation time. Partitioning of nucleoids containing unequal numbers of replication origins could also be readily observed by fluorescence microscopy in the dam mutant. Based upon these observations we propose that the dam mutant is also an initiation cascade mutant.

Genomic imprinting. Imprinting with and without methylation

Methyltransferase-deficient mice reveal that DNA methylation is required for the somatic-cell maintenance of parental imprinting, which alters the expression of a gene according to the parent from which it was inherited.

Congenital thiopurine methyltransferase deficiency and 6-mercaptopurine toxicity during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Two children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) taking daily 6-mercaptopurine as part of a national UK therapeutic trial repeatedly developed profound myelosuppression on 25% of the standard protocol dose. Both were found to have undetectable intracellular activity of thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT), an enzyme controlling one of the major alternative catabolic pathways of 6-mercaptopurine, and both produced higher concentrations of cytotoxic drug metabolites at 10-25% of the protocol dose than other patients taking 100%. It is supposed that these patients represent the 0.33% of the normal population constitutionally lacking TPMT. It is important to recognise such individuals both to avoid fatal bone marrow failure through inadvertent overdosage, and to be reassured that an adequate drug effect can be achieved at around 10% of the standard dose.

Depletion of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase correlates with potentiation of temozolomide and CCNU toxicity in human tumour cells

Temozolomide (8-carbamoyl-3-methylimidazo[5,1-d]-1,2,3,5-tetrazin-4-(3H)-one) has shown promising activity in Phase I trials against some brain (glioma) and skin (melanoma, mycosis fungoides) cancers. Temozolomide and lomustine (CCNU) showed parallel toxicity in seven human tumour cell lines and this generally correlated (correlation coefficients 0.87 and 0.92 respectively) with the level of expression of the DNA repair protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (ATase, EC 2.1.1.63). Pretreating cells with the ATase inhibitor, O6-benzylguanine (BG), potentiated cytotoxicity to a similar degree with both drugs, but did not sensitise a cell line (ZR-75-1) expressing very low levels of this protein. When BG pretreatment was combined with repeat doses of temozolomide a dramatic potentiation (300 fold) was seen in MAWI cells, which express high levels of ATase, but not in a cell line (U373) expressing lower levels of ATase. [14C]-labelled temozolomide uptake was similar in sensitive and resistant lines. Human ATase-cDNA transfected xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) fibroblasts were more resistant than XP control cells to temozolomide and the related chloroethylating agent mitozolomide and although BG completely suppressed ATase activity in these cells, resistance was still greater than in control cells.

Depletion of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase by O6-benzylguanine in three-dimensional collagen cultures of normal human breast epithelial cells

O6-Alkylguanine--DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) is a protein which removes the promutagenic O6-alkylguanine lesion induced in DNA by alkylating agents. Our results demonstrate that freshly isolated organoids from reduction mammoplasty specimens contain significant levels of AGT activity. AGT activity in breast epithelial cells shows interindividual variation. Constitutive levels of AGT activity remain unchanged during short-term serum-free culture of breast epithelial cells inside three-dimensional rat-tail collagen gel matrix. In the present study, we optimized conditions for depleting AGT activity in human breast epithelial cells cultured in three-dimensional collagen gel matrix using O6-methylguanine and O6-benzylguanine which are substrates for AGT. AGT activity was efficiently inactivated by exposure of cells to O6-methylguanine or O6-benzylguanine. Inactivation with O6-benzylguanine was more rapid, of greater magnitude and consistency and occurred at lower concentrations than with O6-methylguanine. Near-complete inactivation (> 99.5%) of AGT activity was reproducibly achieved with 50 microM O6-benzylguanine. In contrast, 500 microM O6-methylguanine was needed to obtain a maximal effect and this reduced AGT activity by only 53-93% of control. Within 30 min of adding the free base, 50 microM O6-benzylguanine depleted 95% of the levels of AGT compared to 30% inhibition with 500 microM O6-methylguanine. The profile for restoration of AGT activity was different following a 24 h incubation and subsequent removal of each of the guanine derivatives. AGT activity levels remained undetectable for at least 2 days after removal of 50 microM O6-benzylguanine from the medium and recovered to only 53% of control values after an additional 3 days. AGT activity levels remained undetectable for at least 2 days after removal of 50 microM O6-benzylguanine from the medium and recovered to only 53% of control values after an additional 3 days. In contrast, following removal of 500 microM O6-methylguanine, the activity was restored from its nadir of 16% of control values reaching pretreatment levels after 5 days. These results suggest that treatment with O6-benzylguanine may be used to modulate the incidence of transforming mutations in cultured human breast epithelial cells treated with chemical carcinogens which give rise to O6-alkylguanine adducts.

Chinese hamster ovary cells deficient or proficient in O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase activity are equally sensitive to X-rays

In mammalian cells, under aerobic conditions, ionizing radiations and radiomimetic chemical agents can induce an enzymatic activity involved in DNA repair, O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (O6-AT). This catalytic protein is active against alkyl-radical-induced DNA damages. This induction was proposed to be linked to the formation of hydroxyl radicals. The possible involvement of O6-AT in the defense mechanism of the cell against aerobic radiation damage was investigated by comparing the X-ray sensitivity of two Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines, the first deficient (CHO mex-) and the second proficient by transfection of O6-AT (CHO mex+). The colony-forming ability after X-irradiation was appreciably reduced in CHO mex- in comparison to CHO mex+ cells. Nevertheless, pretreatment of proficient cells with O6-methylguanine, a specific inhibitor of O6-AT, reduced the DNA repair activity but did not modify the degree of sensitivity to X-rays of the CHO mex+ cells. Since the glutathione concentrations as well as the DNA damage amounts induced by X-irradiation were comparable in the variously treated cell lines, these results suggest that the observed induction of O6-AT by ionizing radiation in aerobic conditions could be a generalized rather than a specific response to damage by radicals.

Genomic differences between O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase proficient (Mex+) and deficient (Mex−) cell lines: Possible role of genetic and epigenetic changes in conversion of Mex+ into Mex−

Cell lines that possess O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) repair activity (Mex+ phenotype) or are deficient for MGMT (Mex-) are compared at genomic level. It is shown that 1) 208F rat cells do not contain the MGMT gene, as detected by Southern blot hybridization. 2) Mex- HeLa MR and CHO-9 cells express very low amounts of MGMT mRNA, as detected by PCR. The size of the MGMT specific PCR product was slightly smaller than that generated from Mex+ HeLa S3 cells. 3) HeLa MR, compared to various human Mex+ cell lines, shows a restriction fragment length polymorphism indicating mutational alteration of MGMT gene sequences. 4) Mex- cells (HeLa MR) and cells that express very low MGMT activity (GM637) exhibit hypomethylation of the MGMT gene as revealed by MspI/HpaII restriction digests. 5) Exposure of Mex- cells to 5-azacytidine and selection with N-hydroxyethyl-N-chloroethylnitrosourea (HeCNU) did not yield Mex+ revertants. With V79 cells treated with 5-azacytidine clones resistant to HeCNU were isolated. These cells were MGMT deficient and not cross-resistant to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine indicating the existance of a defence mechanism other than MGMT against chloroethylating agents. The data suggest down-regulation of MGMT transcription accompanied by decreasing CpG methylation, but in some cell lines also mutational alterations to be involved in extinction of the Mex+ phenotype.

Homocystinuria, arteriosclerosis, methylmalonic aciduria, and methyltransferase deficiency: a key case revisited

The original case of Cb1 C disease with homocystinuria, cystathioninuria, methylmalonic aciduria, and hypomethioninemia was reexamined because of its importance in the discovery of the homocysteine theory of arteriosclerosis. The vascular lesions in the case consist of proliferative fibrous intimal plaques and focal necrosis of the artery wall, which are attributed to effects of excess homocysteine thiolactone on aggregation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and on respiration of endothelial cells. Atrophic, metaplastic, and dysplastic changes within the gastric mucosa are attributed to effects of excess homocysteine thiolactone on synthesis of keratin, sulfomucins, and nucleoproteins within affected cells. The case illustrates how investigation of an inborn error of metabolism illuminates pathophysiological disease processes, normal metabolic pathways, and important aspects of cellular function.