Aryl Hydrocarbon (Benzo[a]pyrene) Hydroxylase Induction in Rat Liver Cells in Culture

Cyproterone acetate induces a cellular tolerance to cadmium in rat liver epithelial cells involving reduced cadmium accumulation

Several reports indicate that some steroids, in particular sex steroid hormones, can modify cadmium toxicity. We recently reported that cyproterone acetate (CA), a synthetic steroidal antiandrogen that is closely related in structure to progesterone, affects cadmium toxicity in mice. In the present study, we investigated the effect of CA on cadmium toxicity in a rat liver epithelial cell line (TRL 1215) in vitro. Cells were exposed to various concentrations of CA (0,1,10, or 50 microM) for 24 h and subsequently exposed to cadmium (0,50, or 100 microM; as CdCl2) for an additional 24 h. CA pretreatment resulted in a clear decrease in the sensitivity to cadmium. Additional time course study showed CA pretreatment provided protection against cadmium toxicity but only when given for 6 or more hours prior to cadmium exposure. Cellular cadmium accumulation was markedly reduced (60% decrease) in cells pretreated for 6 or more hours with CA. In the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors the protective effect of CA toward cadmium toxicity was abolished. However, in the presence of the GSH synthesis inhibitor, L-buthionine (S,R)-sulfoximide (BSO), the protective effect of CA toward cadmium toxicity remained. CA alone increased metallothionein (MT) levels 2.4-fold, while cadmium (50 microM) alone resulted in a 8.9-fold increase over control. However, cadmium-induced MT synthesis was markedly decreased by CA pretreatment probably because of reduced cadmium accumulation. Analysis of various metal transporters by bDNA signal amplification assay revealed that the ZnT-1 transporter gene, which encodes for a membrane protein associated with zinc efflux, was expressed three-fold more in CA treated cells than control. These data show that CA pretreatment provides protection against cadmium toxicity in vitro and indicate that this protection is due to a decreased accumulation of cadmium rather than through activation of MT synthesis. This decrease of cellular cadmium accumulation appears to be related to events that require protein synthesis and may be due to activation of the genes associated with zinc efflux.

Induction of cytochrome P450IA1 and its recombinant construct in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells

1. Our previous studies have shown that benzo(a)pyrene (BP), 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) and tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDBF) can induce the expression of the cytochrome P450IA1 mRNA in the rat hepatoma cell line, H4IIE, although the kinetics of induction differed. 2. In the present study, by using biochemical, immunochemical and recombinant DNA approaches, the effects of these inducers have been examined on the steady state level of endogenous cytochrome P450IA1 protein and on induction of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity (CAT) in the H4IIE cells transfected with pMC1CAT (a recombinant construct consisting of CAT linked to 5' upstream DNA sequence of the rat cytochrome P450IA1 gene). 3. From 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity (EROD) and immunochemical analysis of cytochrome P450IA1, the optimal concentrations of BP, 3MC and TCDBF for induction in the H4IIE cells were determined as 1, 0.1-1 and 0.1 microM, respectively. 4. The elevated expression of the protein was more sustained in the TCDBF-exposed cells than in the BP or 3MC-treated cells. 5. After 1.5 hr of treatment, little if any detectable P450IA1 protein was observed in the H4IIE cells although a considerable amount of mRNA was present. 6. In addition, no cytochrome P450IA2 protein was detected in the control or induced H4IIE cells. 7. H4IIE cells were transfected by pMC1CAT, and the induction ratio of CAT expression in the transfected H4IIE cells after BP, 3MC or TCDBF treatment was 10-, 17- and 40-fold, respectively. 8. These results indicate that the rat H4IIE cell line offers a valid homologous system for studies of the regulation of the rat cytochrome P450IA1 gene.

Induction of cytochrome P450IA1 in rat hepatoma cell by polycyclic hydrocarbons and a dioxin

In this study, the effects of benzo[a]pyrene (BP), 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) and tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDBF) on the expression of the cytochrome P450IA1 gene in the rat hepatoma cell line H4IIE were examined. The initial rate of increase in the steady-state concentration of the mRNA for this gene was similar with each of these inducers; however, the elevated level of this mRNA was more sustained after TCDBF treatment. Nuclear run-off assays suggested that the elevated level of the mRNA was caused principally by an effect upon transcription.

3-Methylcholanthrene does induce mixed function oxidase activity in hepatopancreas of spiny crab Maja crispata

1. Type II inducers (7,8-benzoflavone, benzo(a)-pyrene and 3-methylcholanthrene) as well as Aroclor 1254, significantly increase benzo(a)pyrene monooxygenase activity in crab hepatopancreas while type I inducer (phenobarbital) does not enhance benzo(a)pyrene monooxygenase activity. 2. 3-methylcholanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene treatment of crabs significantly increase cytochrome P-450 content. 3. Benzo(a)pyrene monooxygenase induction in hepatopancreas of 3-methylcholanthrene treated crabs was inhibited by simultaneous treatment with cycloheximide but not by actinomycin D. 4. Actinomycin D insensitivity can be explained involving a regulatory pattern of induction on the posttranscriptional and/or translational, rather than transcriptional level.

Failure to induce mutations in Chinese hamster V79 cells and WB rat liver cells by the polybrominated biphenyls, Firemaster BP-6, 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl, 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl, and 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl

Firemaster BP-6 (FM), a mixture of polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and the congeners 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (2,4,5-HBB), 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (3,4,5-HBB), and 3,3',4,4'-tetrabromobiphenyl (3,4-TBB) were tested for their ability to induce mutations in mammalian cells in culture. A rat liver microsome-mediated (S 15) Chinese hamster V79 cell mutation assay was used to test the mutagenicity of PBB and 3,4-TBB. V79 cells and WB rat liver cells were used to detect the mutagenicity of 2,4,5-HBB and 3,4,5-HBB. No mutagenic effects were detected at the dose levels tested. The possibility that these compounds promote liver neoplasms via a nongenotoxic mechanism is discussed.

Gene structure and nucleotide sequence for rat cytochrome P-450c

Two clones from rat genomic libraries that contain the entire gene for rat cytochrome P-450c have been isolated. lambda MC4, the first clone isolated from an EcoR1 library, contained a 14-kb insert. A single 5.5-kb EcoR1 fragment from lambda MC4, the EcoR1 A fragment, hybridized to a partial cDNA clone for the 3' end of the cytochrome P-450c mRNA. This fragment was sequenced using the dideoxynucleotide chain termination methodology with recombinant M13 bacteriophage templates. Comparison of this sequence with the complete cDNA sequence of cytochrome P-450MC [Yabusaki et al. (1984) Nucleic. Acids Res. 12, 2929-2938] revealed that the EcoR1 A fragment contained the entire cytochrome P-450c gene with the exception of a 90-bp leader sequence. The gene sequence is in perfect agreement with the cDNA sequence except for two bases in exon 2. A second genomic clone, lambda MC10, which was isolated from a HaeIII library, contains the missing leading sequence as well as 5' regulatory sequences. The entire gene is about 6.1 kb in length with seven exons separated by six introns, all of the intron/exon junctions being defined by GT/AG. Amino- and carboxy-terminal information are contained in exons 2 and 7, respectively. These exons contain the highly conserved DNA sequences that have been observed in other cytochrome P-450 species. Potential regulatory sequences have been located both 5' to the gene as well as within intron I. A comparison of the coding information for cytochrome P-450c with the sequence of murine cytochrome P3-450 and rat cytochrome P-450d revealed a 70% homology in both the DNA and amino acid sequence, suggesting a common ancestral gene. Genomic blot analyses of rat DNA indicated that the 3-methylcholanthrene-inducible family of cytochrome P-450 isozymes is more limited in number compared to the phenobarbital-inducible isozymes. Cross-hybridization studies with human DNA suggest a high degree of conservation between rat cytochrome P-450c and its human homolog although gross structural differences do exist between the two genes.

Activation of polycyclic hydrocarbons in Reuber H4-II-E hepatoma cells. An in vitro system for the induction of SCEs

Activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was examined in the Reuber H4-II-E established cell line without the use of exogenous enzyme preparations. Metabolism of PAHs to genotoxic products was determined by the induction of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs). The induction of SCEs followed a dose-response pattern with plateaus at high doses of PAH. The effects of metabolic enzyme inducers (3-methylcholanthrene, phenobarbital, Aroclor 1254) and the epoxide hydrase inhibitor 1,1,1-trichloropropylene oxide were assessed as changes in SCE induction and enhanced production of water-soluble metabolites. Results indicate that Reuber H4-II-E cells can be employed in the testing of carcinogens activated by the P1-450 monooxygenase system and would be a useful in vitro system for the study of mechanisms of metabolic induction and their effect on genetic toxicity.

An estradiol-responsive mouse endometrial cell strain with inducible aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity

A mouse endometrial cell population has been isolated by mild tryptic digestion of the uterine lining. The cells were morphologically similar to endometrial gland cells in the intact mouse endometrial gland. The endometrial cells had a modal chromosome number of 66. The cells were adherent to glass as well as plastic and contained numerous large refractile, osmophilic, non-membrane-limited granules which stain with periodic acid-Schiff reagent but do not stain with oil red O, Sudan black, or Alcian blue. Cell growth was responsive to 17 beta-estradiol; cell number increased 1.34-fold in 4 days in the presence of 10(-8) M estradiol. The cells are not tumorigenic. The cells showed induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity when 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) was added to the growth media for 24 h. AHH activity and its induction were investigated with cells grown in the presence and absence 10(-8) M estradiol. Cells grown in media containing estradiol exhibited a 6.2-fold induction by TCDD; cells grown without estradiol gave an 8.4-fold induction of AHH activity. AHH activity and its induction by TCDD were demonstrated in cells grown with fetal calf serum that had been pretreated with dextran-coated charcoal to remove endogenous steroids. Benzanthracene failed to induce AHH activity significantly.

Microspectrofluorometry of carcinogens in living cells

A microspectrofluorometric approach has been used to follow the changes undergone by the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene in malignant L cells, inducible Buffalo rat liver (BRL) cells and oncogenic mouse embryo C3H/10 T 1/2, clone 8 (CCL 226) cells. Since it is known that benzo(a)pyrene (BP) is converted metabolically to at least 40 metabolites, including phenols, epoxides, quinones, dihydrodiols, diol epoxides, and water-soluble conjugates, the interpretation of blue- and red-spectral shifts in fluorescence emission observed in BP-treated cells, compared to the original BP emission, undoubtedly presents considerable difficulties, but a certain number of facts clearly emerge. The sequence of blue-red shifts expressive of intracellular interactions and detoxification of the carcinogen is accelerated in the induced BRL compared to non-induced, and it is also generally accelerated in the malignant and inducible lines compared to the oncogenic line. The detection of highly reactive molecules (? of ultimate carcinogens) representing a small fraction of bulk fluorescence, still remains elusive, but two promising approaches are described: the use of phase-specific fluorescence quenchers which enable us to probe for the presence of metabolites in aqueous, hydrophobic or membrane phases of the cell, and the matrix analysis based on plotting of excitation-emission at different wavelengths for resolution of complex spectra. The former approach has enabled some separation or enhancement of red-blue emissions, and the second has helped to differentiate between emission of BP per se and its intracellular conversion products. Finally, observations at nuclear and cytoplasmic sites open the possibility of studying carcinogen interactions at different target sites.

Juvenile hormones inhibit murine cell cycle progression and expression of type C viruses

Juvenile hormones (JH), congeners of retinoic acid, were examined for their capacity to inhibit cell cycle progression and chemically induced expression of endogenous xenotropic retrovirus in Kirsten sarcoma virus-transformed BALB (K-BALB) mouse cells. JHI, II, and III were found to inhibit induction of virus by 5-iododeoxyuridine (IUdR) and histidinol (Hdl) in a concentration-dependent fashion. Some inhibition of macromolecular synthesis was observed upon culture of the cells with JH; the most affected was RNA synthesis, which was reduced 27 to 40% within 4 h by the juvenoids. Epoxide hydrase (EH) activity, as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), was present in amounts sufficient for the cells to convert the hormones metabolically to an ultimate form. A contact-inhibited K-BALB variant was synchronized by mitotic arrest and the cell cycle-specific effect of JHIII on virus induction during S phase was studied. JHIII added during G1 phase, and followed by induction, inhibited virus expression 95 and 76% by IUdR and Hdl, respectively. Induction was inhibited only 35% when JHIII was added during S phase concomitantly with the inducers and no inhibition was observed when JHIII was added during G2 phase followed by the inducers. JHIII added to synchronous cells in G1 phase inhibited progression of cells into S phase and the onset of DNA synthesis. The results indicate that mouse fibroblasts have a juvenile hormone-sensitive restriction point in G1 phase that might relate to the effects these hormones have on cell replication and differentiation.

Characteristics of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in rat mammary epithlial cells grown in primary culture

Rat mammary epithelial cells grown in primary culture contain the microsomal enzyme, aryl hydrocarbon (benzo[a]pyrene) hydroxylase (AHH), which catalyses the oxidative conversion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to more polar derivatives. Constitutive AHH activity, measured with an established fluorometric method, was 46 pmol/mg protein/h in homogenates of rat mammary epithelial cells after 5 days in culture. The addition of dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), benz[a]anthracene (BA), or 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) to the cell culture medium increased AHH activity 5.3-, 4.7- and 2.4-fold, respectively. Kinetic studies revealed that maximal hydroxylase induction occurred 16 h after 1 micro M DMBA was added to the culture medium. The decay of the DMBA-induced hydroxylase was biphasic: one component had a t1/2 of 15--30 min and another a t1/2 of 4 h. Norepinephrine, 17 beta-estradiol and 5,6-benzoflavone also increased AHH activity in mammary epithelial cells in vitro, however, sodium phenobarbital had no effect. Fetal bovine serum (FBS), previously shown to be a potent in vitro inducer of AHH activity, had no effect on either constitutive or DMBA-induced mammary epithelial hydroxylase activities following treatment with 1% activated charcoal. Metyrapone and 7,8-benzoflavone, inhibitors of microsomal mixed function oxidase activity, reduced both constitutive and DMBA-induced AHH activities when added to homogenates of untreated and DMBA-treated mammary epithelial cells. The addition of 7,8-benzoflavone reduced both constitutive and DMBA-induced hydroxylase activities by approx. 80%, whereas metyrapone addition inhibited these activities by 20%. The study demonstrates several in vitro factors which alter AHH activity in primary cultures of rat mammary epithelial cells.

Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase induction in mouse liver cells--relationship to position in the cell cycle

The inducibility of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) by benzo[a]-pyrene (BaP) has been studied in synchronously grown cultures of mouse liver cells. These cells (NMuLi cl 8) have low basal levels of AHH which can be induced greater than 100-fold by BaP. Cells were synchronized in G1(G0) by serum starvation and in S by release from serum starvation in combination with excess thymidine. When released from G1(G0) by replating at lower cell density in fresh medium with 20% serum, cells began entering S with a lag of 12 h. Addition of BaP (1 microgram/ml) 8 h before serum stimulation, at the time of stimulation or 7.5 h after stimulation all gave similar induction kinetics: the AHH activity peaked as the cells began entering S regardless of when the BaP was added. Cells blocked in various parts of S by excess thymidine were inducible for AHH activity as efficiently as cells moving through S and into G2. These results indicate that the inducibility of AHH is greater when cells are actively proliferating and may be a contributing factor to why growing cells are more sensitive to mutagenesis and transformation than quiescent cells.

Michaelis--Menten kinetic analysis of the hepatic microsomal benzpyrene hydroxylase from control, phenobarbital- and methyl-3-cholanthrene-treated rats

The sensitive fluorimetric assay for hydroxy-3-benzpyrene (3-OH-BP) described by Dehnen et al., was used to study the effect of microsomal membrane concentration of the benzpyrene hydroxylase activity. Microsomes from phenobarbital (PB) and methyl-3-cholanthrene (3-MC)-treated rats were used in comparison with the microsomal fraction from control animals. At very low protein concentration, benzpyrene hydroxylase follows as Michaelis--Menten type kinetics. When the concentration of microsomal membrane is higher than a minimal value (+/- 6 mug protein/ml) the Km increases with increasing concentration of protein due to competitive inhibition by reversible and non-specific binding of the substrate. The Ki's for such a binding have been calculated. Pretreatment of rats with 3-MC selectively shortens the time linearity, decreases the Ks value, and has no effect on Vmax, while the administration of PB prolongs the time linearity, decreases Vmax and does not modify the Ks. 3-MC and PB specifically act on cytochrome P-450 and do not modify the physico-chemical properties of the microsomal membrane as measured by the non-specific binding of benzpyrene (BP).

Inhibition of hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase by 3-methylcholanthrene, 7,8-benzoflavone and other inducers added in vitro

A close correlation has been observed between the ability of aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons and 7,8-benzoflavone (7,8-BF) to induce hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) in vivo and to inhibit the induced enzyme system in vitro. The activity of this mono-oxygenase was measured by the conversion of 14C-labeled dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) or benzo(a)pyrene (BP) to water-soluble products by rat liver preparations (8000 X g supernatant). DMBA as substrate had the advantage over BP in giving a wider range of ethyl acetate-soluble metabolites and allowing the observation of changes in the pattern of these products following injection or addition of the inducing agents. This property was used to detect low concentration (0.1 muM) of polycyclic hydrocarbons which are strong AHH inducers and which may also be carcinogenic. The liver preparation was active for several months when stored at --20 degrees. A possible mechanism of action for the in vitro behaviour of polycyclic hydrocarbons and 7,8-BF towards AHH is proposed.