Mutational spectrum at the Hprt locus in splenic T cells of B6C3F1 mice exposed to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea

Clonality, trafficking, and molecular alterations among Hprt mutant T lymphocytes isolated from control mice versus mice treated with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea

Mutations in T lymphocytes (T-cells) are informative quantitative markers for environmental mutagen exposures, but risk extrapolations from rodent models to humans also require an understanding of how T-cell development and proliferation kinetics impact mutagenic outcomes. Rodent studies have shown that patterns in chemical-induced mutations in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene of T-cells differ between lymphoid organs. The current work was performed to obtain knowledge of the relationships between maturation events during T-cell development and changes in chemical-induced mutant frequencies over time in differing immune compartments of a mouse model. A novel reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction based method was developed to determine the specific T-cell receptor beta (Tcrb) gene mRNA expressed in mouse T-cell isolates, enabling sequence analysis of the PCR product that then identifies the specific hypervariable CDR3 junctional region of the expressed Tcrb gene for individual isolates. Characterization of spontaneous Hprt mutant isolates from the thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes of control mice for their Tcrb gene expression found evidence of in vivo clonal amplifications of Hprt mutants and their trafficking between tissues in the same animal. Concurrent analyses of Hprt mutations and Tcrb gene rearrangements in different lymphoid tissues of control versus N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-exposed mice permitted elucidation of the localization and timing of mutational events in T-cells, establishing that mutagenesis occurs primarily in the pre-rearrangement replicative period in pre-thymic/thymic populations. These findings demonstrate that chemical-induced mutagenic burden is determined by the combination of mutagenesis and T-cell clonal expansion, processes with roles in immune function and in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease and cancer.

Analysis of DNA Adducts and Mutagenic Potency and Specificity in Rats Exposed to Acrylonitrile

Acrylonitrile (ACN), which is a widely used industrial chemical, induces cancers in multiple organs/tissues of rats by unresolved mechanisms. For this report, evidence for ACN-induced direct/indirect DNA damage and mutagenesis was investigated by assessing the ability of ACN, or its reactive metabolite, 2-cyanoethylene oxide (CEO), to bind to DNA in vitro, to form select DNA adducts [N7-(2'-oxoethyl)guanine, N²,3-ethenoguanine, 1,N⁶-ethenodeoxyadenosine, and 3,N⁴-ethenodeoxycytidine] in vitro and/or in vivo, and to perturb the frequency and spectra of mutations in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene in rats exposed to ACN in drinking water. Adducts and frequencies and spectra of Hprt mutations were analyzed using published methods. Treatment of DNA from human TK6 lymphoblastoid cells with [2,3-¹⁴C]-CEO produced dose-dependent binding of ¹⁴C-CEO equivalents, and treatment of DNA from control rat brain/liver with CEO induced dose-related formation of N7-(2'-oxoethyl)guanine. No etheno-DNA adducts were detected in target tissues (brain and forestomach) or nontarget tissues (liver and spleen) in rats exposed to 0, 3, 10, 33, 100, or 300 ppm ACN for up to 105 days or to 0 or 500 ppm ACN for ∼15 months; whereas N7-(2'-oxoethyl)guanine was consistently measured at nonsignificant concentrations near the assay detection limit only in liver of animals exposed to 300 or 500 ppm ACN for ≥2 weeks. Significant dose-related increases in Hprt mutant frequencies occurred in T-lymphocytes from spleens of rats exposed to 33-500 ppm ACN for 4 weeks. Comparisons of "mutagenic potency estimates" for control rats versus rats exposed to 500 ppm ACN for 4 weeks to analogous data from rats/mice treated at a similar age with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea or 1,3-butadiene suggest that ACN has relatively limited mutagenic effects in rats. Considerable overlap between the sites and types of mutations in ACN-exposed rats and butadiene-exposed rats/mice, but not controls, provides evidence that the carcinogenicity of these epoxide-forming chemicals involves corresponding mutagenic mechanisms.

Analysis of Biomarkers of DNA Damage and Mutagenicity in Mice Exposed to Acrylonitrile

Acrylonitrile (ACN), which is a widely used industrial chemical, induces cancers in the mouse via unresolved mechanisms. For this report, complementary and previously described methods were used to assess in vivo genotoxicity and/or mutagenicity of ACN in several mouse models, including (i) female mice devoid of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), which yields the epoxide intermediate cyanoethylene oxide (CEO), (ii) male lacZ transgenic mice, and (iii) female (wild-type) B6C3F1 mice. Exposures of wild-type mice and CYP2E1-null mice to ACN at 0, 2.5 (wild-type mice only), 10, 20, or 60 (CYP2E1-null mice only) mg/kg body weight by gavage for 6 weeks (5 days/week) produced no elevations in the frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes, but induced significant dose-dependent increases in DNA damage, detected by the alkaline (pH >13) Comet assay, in one target tissue (forestomach) and one nontarget tissue (liver) of wild-type mice only. ACN exposures by gavage also caused significant dose-related elevations in the frequencies of mutations in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) reporter gene of T-lymphocytes from spleens of wild-type mice; however, Hprt mutant frequencies were significantly increased in CYP2E1-null mice only at a high dose of ACN (60 mg/kg) that is lethal to wild-type mice. Similarly, drinking water exposures of lacZ transgenic mice to 0, 100, 500, or 750 ppm ACN for 4 weeks caused significant dose-dependent elevations in Hprt mutant frequencies in splenic T-cells; however, these ACN exposures did not increase the frequency of lacZ transgene mutations above spontaneous background levels in several tissues from the same animals. Together, the Comet assay and Hprt mutant frequency data from these studies indicate that oxidative metabolism of ACN by CYP2E1 to CEO is central to the induction of the majority of DNA damage and mutations in ACN-exposed mice, but ACN itself also may contribute to the carcinogenic modes of action via mechanisms involving direct and/or indirect DNA reactivity.

Chemical Carcinogenesis Models of Cancer: Back to the Future

Over a century has elapsed since the first demonstration that exposure to chemicals in coal tar can cause cancer in animals. These observations provided an essential causal mechanistic link between environmental chemicals and increased risk of cancer in human populations. Mouse models of chemical carcinogenesis have since led to the concept of multistage tumor development through distinct stages of initiation, promotion, and progression and identified many of the genetic and biological events involved in these processes. Recent breakthroughs in DNA sequencing have now given us tools to dissect complete tumor genome architectures and revealed that chemically induced cancers in the mouse carry a high point mutation load and mutation signatures that reflect the causative agent used for tumor induction. Chemical carcinogenesis models may therefore provide a route to identify the causes of mutation signatures found in human cancers and further inform studies of therapeutic drug resistance and responses to immunotherapy, which are dependent on mutation load and genetic heterogeneity.

Characterization of a Dietary Ethanol Protocol for Cyp2e1 Induction in the CD-1 Mouse without Evident Hepatic Toxicity or Genotoxicity

Although the CD-1 mouse strain has been used to investigate the toxicity of numerous substrates of Cyp2e1, limited information is available about responses of this strain to ethanol, a potent and clinically relevant inducer of this cytochrome P450 isozyme. Our goal was to characterize a dietary ethanol protocol for greater than threefold induction of hepatic Cyp2e1 in CD-1 mice without confounding alterations to other biotransformation enzymes or injury to known target tissues. Female CD-1 mice were fed the Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing 1.4 to 6.4% ethanol (v/v) for time periods of 1 to 12 weeks. A series of range-finding experiments indicated that the stock 6.4% ethanol diet caused rapid weight loss, whereas dietary ethanol concentrations less than or equal to 3.2% produced inadequate (i.e., less than threefold) induction of hepatic Cyp2e1. Suitable responses were observed in mice fed a 4.1% ethanol diet, namely, body weight gain equivalent to both pair-fed or rodent chow control groups plus consistent and stable induction of hepatic Cyp2e1 activities by greater than threefold without evidence of hepatic lipid peroxidation or histopathology. Evaluations of other representative biotransformation activities, including bone marrow quinone reductase and hepatic aldehyde dehydrogenase, showed no alterations with the 4.1% ethanol diet, except for a modest 20% decline in hepatic glutathione peroxidase. Unlike observations in other species, Cyp2e1 induction was not evident in bone marrow or spleen by Western blot. Mice given the 4.1% ethanol diet for 6 and/or 12 weeks showed no changes in cellularity of the spleen or bone marrow, frequency of hprt mutations in splenic lymphocytes, or percentage of DNA-protein crosslinks in bone marrow cells. These parameters were monitored because ethanol at high exposures is known to cause immunosuppression and mild genotoxicity. Female CD-1 mice fed a 4.1% ethanol liquid diet showed substantial (greater than threefold) induction of hepatic Cyp2e1 without confounding detrimental effects on the fiver, spleen, or bone marrow. Thus, this dietary ethanol protocol should be useful for future investigations of the role of Cyp2e1 induction on genotoxicity responses to Cyp2e1 substrates.

Charged particle mutagenesis at low dose and fluence in mouse splenic T cells

High-energy heavy charged particles (HZE ions) found in the deep space environment can significantly affect human health by inducing mutations and related cancers. To better understand the relation between HZE ion exposure and somatic mutation, we examined cell survival fraction, Aprt mutant frequencies, and the types of mutations detected for mouse splenic T cells exposed in vivo to graded doses of densely ionizing (48)Ti ions (1GeV/amu, LET=107 keV/μm), (56)Fe ions (1GeV/amu, LET=151 keV/μm) ions, or sparsely ionizing protons (1GeV, LET=0.24 keV/μm). The lowest doses for (48)Ti and (56)Fe ions were equivalent to a fluence of approximately 1 or 2 particle traversals per nucleus. In most cases, Aprt mutant frequencies in the irradiated mice were not significantly increased relative to the controls for any of the particles or doses tested at the pre-determined harvest time (3-5 months after irradiation). Despite the lack of increased Aprt mutant frequencies in the irradiated splenocytes, a molecular analysis centered on chromosome 8 revealed the induction of radiation signature mutations (large interstitial deletions and complex mutational patterns), with the highest levels of induction at 2 particles nucleus for the (48)Ti and (56)Fe ions. In total, the results show that densely ionizing HZE ions can induce characteristic mutations in splenic T cells at low fluence, and that at least a subset of radiation-induced mutant cells are stably retained despite the apparent lack of increased mutant frequencies at the time of harvest.

Carcinogen-specific mutations in preferred Ras-Raf pathway oncogenes directed by strand bias

Carcinogen exposures inscribe mutation patterns on cancer genomes and sometimes bias the acquisition of driver mutations toward preferred oncogenes, potentially dictating sensitivity to targeted agents. Whether and how carcinogen-specific mutation patterns direct activation of preferred oncogenes remains poorly understood. Here, mouse models of breast cancer were exploited to uncover a mechanistic link between strand-biased mutagenesis and oncogene preference. When chemical carcinogens were employed during Wnt1-initiated mammary tumorigenesis, exposure to either 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) or N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) dramatically accelerated tumor onset. Mammary tumors that followed DMBA exposure nearly always activated the Ras pathway via somatic Hras(CAA61CTA) mutations. Surprisingly, mammary tumors that followed ENU exposure typically lacked Hras mutations, and instead activated the Ras pathway downstream via Braf(GTG636GAG) mutations. Hras(CAA61CTA) mutations involve an A-to-T change on the sense strand, whereas Braf(GTG636GAG) mutations involve an inverse T-to-A change, suggesting that strand-biased mutagenesis may determine oncogene preference. To examine this possibility further, we turned to an alternative Wnt-driven tumor model in which carcinogen exposures augment a latent mammary tumor predisposition in Apc(min) mice. DMBA and ENU each accelerated mammary tumor onset in Apc(min) mice by introducing somatic, "second-hit" Apc mutations. Consistent with our strand bias model, DMBA and ENU generated strikingly distinct Apc mutation patterns, including stringently strand-inverse mutation signatures at A:T sites. Crucially, these contrasting signatures precisely match those proposed to confer bias toward Hras(CAA61CTA) versus Braf(GTG636GAG) mutations in the original tumor sets. Our findings highlight a novel mechanism whereby exposure history acts through strand-biased mutagenesis to specify activation of preferred oncogenes.

The stress response resolution assay. I. Quantitative assessment of environmental agent/condition effects on cellular stress resolution outcomes in epithelium

The events or factors that lead from normal cell function to conditions and diseases such as aging or cancer reflect complex interactions between cells and their environment. Cellular stress responses, a group of processes involved in homeostasis and adaptation to environmental change, contribute to cell survival under stress and can be resolved with damage avoidance or damage tolerance outcomes. To investigate the impact of environmental agents/conditions upon cellular stress response outcomes in epithelium, a novel quantitative assay, the "stress response resolution" (SRR) assay, was developed. The SRR assay consists of pretreatment with a test agent or vehicle followed later by a calibrated stress conditions exposure step (here, using 6-thioguanine). Pilot studies conducted with a spontaneously-immortalized murine mammary epithelial cell line pretreated with vehicle or 20 µg N-ethyl-N-nitrososurea/ml medium for 1 hr, or two hTERT-immortalized human bronchial epithelial cell lines pretreated with vehicle or 100 µM zidovudine/lamivudine for 12 days, found minimal alterations in cell morphology, survival, or cell function through 2 weeks post-exposure. However, when these pretreatments were followed 2 weeks later by exposure to calibrated stress conditions of limited duration (for 4 days), significant alterations in stress resolution were observed in pretreated cells compared with vehicle-treated control cells, with decreased damage avoidance survival outcomes in all cell lines and increased damage tolerance outcomes in two of three cell lines. These pilot study results suggest that sub-cytotoxic pretreatments with chemical mutagens have long-term adverse impact upon the ability of cells to resolve subsequent exposure to environmental stressors.

Analysis of mutations in the Pig-a gene of spleen T-cells from N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-treated fisher 344 rats

A rapid in vivo somatic cell gene mutation assay is being developed that measures mutation in the endogenous X-linked phosphatidylinositol glycan, class A gene (Pig-a). The assay detects Pig-a mutants by flow cytometric identification of cells deficient in glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI) anchor synthesis. GPI-deficient, presumed Pig-a mutant cells also can be detected in a cloning assay that uses proaerolysin (ProAER) selection. Previously, we demonstrated that ProAER-resistant (ProAER(r) ) rat spleen T-cells have mutations in the Pig-a gene. In the present study, we report on a more complete analysis of ProAER(r) rat spleen T-cell mutants and describe a mutation spectrum for mutants isolated from rats 4 weeks after treatment with three consecutive doses of 35.6 mg/kg N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). We identified a total of 55 independent mutations, with the largest percentage (69%) involving basepair substitution at A:T. The overall spectrum of Pig-a gene mutations was consistent with the types of DNA adducts formed by ENU and was very similar to what has been described for in vivo ENU-induced mutation spectra in other rodent reporter genes (e.g., in the endogenous Hprt gene and transgenic shuttle vectors). These data are consistent with the rat Pig-a assay detecting test-agent-induced mutational responses.

The functional annotation of mammalian genomes: the challenge of phenotyping

The mouse is central to the goal of establishing a comprehensive functional annotation of the mammalian genome that will help elucidate various human disease genes and pathways. The mouse offers a unique combination of attributes, including an extensive genetic toolkit that underpins the creation and analysis of models of human disease. An international effort to generate mutations for every gene in the mouse genome is a first and essential step in this endeavor. However, the greater challenge will be the determination of the phenotype of every mutant. Large-scale phenotyping for genome-wide functional annotation presents numerous scientific, infrastructural, logistical, and informatics challenges. These include the use of standardized approaches to phenotyping procedures for the population of unified databases with comparable data sets. The ultimate goal is a comprehensive database of molecular interventions that allows us to create a framework for biological systems analysis in the mouse on which human biology and disease networks can be revealed.

Hepatitis C virus causes uncoupling of mitotic checkpoint and chromosomal polyploidy through the Rb pathway

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and probably also non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. The molecular mechanisms of HCV-associated carcinogenesis are unknown. Here we demonstrated that peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from hepatitis C patients and hepatocytes infected with HCV in vitro showed frequent chromosomal polyploidy. HCV infection or the expression of viral core protein alone in hepatocyte culture or transgenic mice inhibited mitotic spindle checkpoint function because of reduced Rb transcription and enhanced E2F-1 and Mad2 expression. The silencing of E2F-1 by RNA interference technology restored the function of mitotic checkpoint in core-expressing cells. Taken together, these data suggest that HCV infection may inhibit the mitotic checkpoint to induce polyploidy, which likely contributes to neoplastic transformation.

ENU mutagenesis, a way forward to understand gene function

Arguably, the main challenge for contemporary genetics is to understand the function of every gene in a mammalian genome. The mouse has emerged as a model for this task because its genome can be manipulated in a number of ways to study gene function or mimic disease states. Two complementary genetic approaches can be used to generate mouse models. A reverse genetics or gene-driven approach (gene to phenotype) starts from a known gene and manipulates the genome to create genetically modified mice, such as knockouts. Alternatively, a forward genetics or phenotype-driven approach (phenotype to gene) involves screening mice for mutant phenotypes without previous knowledge of the genetic basis of the mutation. N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis has been widely used for both approaches to generate mouse mutants. Here we review progress in ENU mutagenesis screening, with an emphasis on creating mouse models for human disorders.

Mutational pattern and frequency of induced nucleotide changes in mouse ENU mutagenesis

Background

With the advent of sequence-based approaches in the mutagenesis studies, it is now possible to directly evaluate the genome-wide pattern of experimentally induced DNA sequence changes for a diverse array of organisms. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the mutational bias inherent in mouse ENU mutagenesis, this study describes a detailed evaluation of the induced mutational pattern obtained from a sequence-based screen of ENU-mutagenized mice.

Results

Based on a large-scale screening data, we derive the sequence-based estimates of the nucleotide-specific pattern and frequency of ENU-induced base replacement mutation in the mouse germline, which are then combined with the pattern of codon usage in the mouse coding sequences to infer the spectrum of amino acid changes obtained by ENU mutagenesis. We detect a statistically significant difference between the mutational patterns in phenotype- versus sequence-based screens, which presumably reflects differential phenotypic effects caused by different amino acid replacements. We also demonstrate that the mutations exhibit strong strand asymmetry, and that this imbalance is generated by transcription, most likely as a by-product of transcription-coupled DNA repair in the germline.

Conclusion

The results clearly illustrate the biased nature of ENU-induced mutations. We expect that a precise understanding of the mutational pattern and frequency of induced nucleotide changes would be of practical importance when designing sequence-based screening strategies to generate mutant mouse strains harboring amino acid variants at specific loci. More generally, by enhancing the collection of experimentally induced mutations in unambiguously defined genomic regions, sequence-based mutagenesis studies will further illuminate the molecular basis of mutagenic and repair mechanisms that preferentially produce a certain class of mutational changes over others.

Relative mutagenic potencies of several nucleoside analogs, alone or in drug pairs, at the HPRT and TK loci of human TK6 lymphoblastoid cells

Experiments were performed to investigate the impact of didanosine (ddI), lamivudine (3TC), and stavudine (d4T) on cell survival and mutagenicity in two reporter genes, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) and thymidine kinase (TK), using a cell cloning assay for assessing the effects of individual nucleoside analogs (NRTIs)/drug combinations in human TK6 B-lymphoblastoid cells. Three-day treatments with 0, 33, 100, or 300 microM ddI, 3TC, or ddI-3TC produced positive trends for increased HPRT and TK mutant frequencies. While dose-related trends were too small to reach significance after treatments with d4T or d4T-3TC, pairwise comparisons with control cells indicated that exposure to 100 microM d4T or d4T-3TC caused significant elevations in HPRT mutants. Measurements of mutagenicity in cells exposed to d4T (or d4T-3TC) were complicated by the cytotoxicity of this NRTI. Enhanced increases in mutagenic responses to combined NRTI treatments, compared with single drug treatments, occurred as additive to synergistic effects in the HPRT gene of cells exposed to 100 microM ddI-3TC or 100 microM d4T-3TC, and in the TK gene of cells exposed to 100 or 300 microM ddI-3TC. Comparisons of these data to mutagenicity studies of other NRTIs in the same system (Meng Q et al. [2000c]: Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:12667-126671; Torres SM et al. [2007]: Environ Mol Mutagen) indicate that the relative mutagenic potencies for all drugs tested to date are: AZT-ddI > ddI-3TC > AZT-3TC congruent with AZT-3TC-ABC (abacavir) > AZT >/=ddI > d4T-3TC > 3TC > d4T >/= ABC. These collective data suggest that all NRTIs with antiviral activity against HIV-1 may cause host cell DNA damage and mutations, and impose a cancer risk.

Mutagenicity of zidovudine, lamivudine, and abacavir following in vitro exposure of human lymphoblastoid cells or in utero exposure of CD-1 mice to single agents or drug combinations

Experiments were performed to investigate the impact of zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine (3TC), and abacavir (ABC) on cell survival and mutagenicity in two reporter genes, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) and thymidine kinase (TK), using cell cloning assays for assessing the effects of individual drugs/drug combinations in (1) TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells exposed in vitro and (2) splenic lymphocytes from male CD-1 mice exposed transplacentally on days 12-18 of gestation. In TK6 cells, dose-related increases in HPRT and TK mutant frequencies were found following 3 days of exposure to AZT or 3TC alone (33, 100, or 300 microM), or to equimolar amounts of AZT-3TC. Compared with single drug exposures, AZT-3TC coexposures generally yielded enhanced elevations in HPRT and TK mutant frequencies. Mutagenicity experiments with ABC alone, or in combination with AZT-3TC, were complicated by the extreme cytotoxicity of ABC. Exposure of cells either to relatively high levels of AZT-3TC short-term (100 microM, 3 days), or to peak plasma-equivalent levels of AZT-3TC for an extended period (10 microM, 30 days), resulted in similar drug-induced mutagenic responses. Among sets of mice necropsied on days 13, 15, or 21 postpartum, Hprt mutant frequencies in T-cells were significantly elevated in the AZT-only (200 mg/kg bw/day) and AZT-3TC (200 mg AZT + 100 mg 3TC/kg bw/day) groups at 13 days of age. These results suggest that the mutagenicity by these nucleoside analogs is driven by cumulative dose, and raises the question of whether AZT-3TC has greater mutagenic effects than AZT alone in perinatally exposed children.

Spectrum of ENU-induced mutations in phenotype-driven and gene-driven screens in the mouse

N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis in mice has become a standard tool for (i) increasing the pool of mutants in many areas of biology, (ii) identifying novel genes involved in physiological processes and disease, and (iii) in assisting in assigning functions to genes. ENU is assumed to cause random mutations throughout the mouse genome, but this presumption has never been analyzed. This is a crucial point, especially for large-scale mutagenesis, as a bias would reflect a constraint on identifying possible genetic targets. There is a significant body of published data now available from both phenotype-driven and gene-driven ENU mutagenesis screens in the mouse that can be used to reveal the effectiveness and limitations of an ENU mutagenesis approach. Analysis of the published data is presented in this paper. As expected for a randomly acting mutagen, ENU-induced mutations identified in phenotype-driven screens were in genes that had higher coding sequence length and higher exon number than the average for the mouse genome. Unexpectedly, the data showed that ENU-induced mutations were more likely to be found in genes that had a higher G + C content and neighboring base analysis revealed that the identified ENU mutations were more often directly flanked by G or C nucleotides. ENU mutations from phenotype-driven and gene-driven screens were dominantly A:T to T:A transversions or A:T to G:C transitions. Knowledge of the spectrum of mutations that ENU elicits will assist in positional cloning of ENU-induced mutations by allowing prioritization of candidate genes based on some of their inherent features.

Age-, gender-, and species-dependent mutagenicity in T cells of mice and rats exposed by inhalation to 1,3-butadiene

Experiments were performed: (i) to investigate potential age- and gender-dependent differences in mutagenic responses in T cells following exposures of B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats by inhalation for 2 weeks to 0 or 1250 ppm butadiene (BD), and (ii) to determine if exposures for 2 weeks to 62.5 ppm BD produce a mutagenic effect in female rats. To evaluate the effect of age on mutagenic response, mutant manifestation curves for splenic T cells of female mice exposed at 8-9 weeks of age were defined by measuring Hprt mutant frequencies (MFs) at multiple time points after BD exposure using a T cell cloning assay and comparing the resulting mutagenic potency estimate (calculated as the difference of areas under the mutant manifestation curves of treated versus control animals) to that reported for female mice exposed to BD in the same fashion beginning at 4-5 weeks of age. The shapes of the mutant T cell manifestation curves for spleens were different [e.g., the maximum BD-induced MFs in older mice (8.0+/-1.0 [S.D.]x10(-6)) and younger mice (17.8+/-6.1 x 10(-6)) were observed at 8 and 5 weeks post-exposure, respectively], but the mutagenic burden was the same for both age groups. To assess the effect of gender on mutagenic response, female and male rodents were exposed to BD at 4-5 weeks of age and Hprt MFs were measured when maximum MFs are expected to occur post-exposure. The resulting data demonstrated that the pattern for mutagenic susceptibility from high-level BD exposure is female mice>male mice>female rats>male rats. Exposures of female rats to 62.5 ppm BD caused a minor but significant mutagenic response compared with controls (n=16/group; P=0.03). These results help explain part of the differing outcomes/interpretations of data in earlier Hprt mutation studies in BD-exposed rodents.

Measurement of plasma or urinary metabolites and Hprt mutant frequencies following inhalation exposure of mice and rats to 3-butene-1,2-diol

Studies were performed to determine if the detoxification pathway of 1,3-butadiene (BD) through 3-butene-1,2-diol (BD-diol) is a major contributor to mutagenicity in BD-exposed mice and rats. First, female and male mice and rats (4-5 weeks old) were exposed by nose-only for 6h to 0, 62.5, 200, 625, or 1250 ppm BD or to 0, 6, 18, 24, or 36 ppm BD-diol primarily to establish BD and BD-diol exposure concentrations that yielded similar plasma levels of BD-diol, and then animals were exposed in inhalation chambers for 4 weeks to BD-diol to determine the mutagenic potency estimates for the same exposure levels and to compare these estimates to those reported for BD-exposed female mice and rats where comparable blood levels of BD-diol were achieved. Measurements of plasma levels of BD-diol (via GC/MS methodology) showed that (i) BD-diol accumulated in a sub-linear fashion during single 6-h exposures to >200 ppm BD; (ii) BD-diol accumulated in a linear fashion during single or repeated exposures to 6-18 ppm BD and then in a sub-linear fashion with increasing levels of BD-diol exposure; and (iii) exposures of mice and rats to 18 ppm BD-diol were equivalent to those produced by 200 ppm BD exposures (with exposures to 36 ppm BD-diol yielding plasma levels approximately 25% of those produced by 625 ppm BD exposures). Measurements of Hprt mutant frequencies (via the T cell cloning assay) showed that repeated exposures to 18 and 36 ppm BD-diol were significantly mutagenic in mice and rats. The resulting data indicated that BD-diol derived metabolites (especially, 1,2-dihydroxy-3,4-epoxybutane) have a narrow range of mutagenic effects confined to high-level BD (>or=200 ppm) exposures, and are responsible for nearly all of the mutagenic response in the rat and for a substantial portion of the mutagenic response in the mouse following high-level BD exposures.

3,4-Epoxy-1-butene, a reactive metabolite of 1,3-butadiene, induces somatic mutations in Xpc-null mice

Xpc-null (Xpc-/-) mice, deficient in the global genome repair subpathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER-GGR), were exposed by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection to a 300 mg/kg mutagenic dose of 3,4-epoxy-1-butene (EB), to investigate NER's potential role in repairing butadiene (BD) epoxide DNA lesions. Mutagenic sensitivity was assessed using the Hprt assay. Xpc-/- mice were significantly more sensitive to EB exposure, exhibiting an average 2.8-fold increase in Hprt mutant frequency (MF) relative to those of exposed Xpc+/+ (wild-type) mice. As a positive control for NER-GGR, additional mice were exposed by i.p. injection to a 150 mg/kg mutagenic dose of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). The Xpc-/- mice had MFs 2.9-fold higher than those of exposed Xpc+/+ mice. These results suggest that NER-GGR plays a role in recognizing and repairing some of the DNA adducts formed following in vivo exposure to EB. Additional research is needed to examine the response of Xpc-/- mice, as well as other NER-deficient strains, to inhaled BD. Furthermore, it is likely that alternative DNA repair pathways also are involved in restoring genomic integrity compromised by BD-epoxide DNA damage. Collaborative studies are currently underway to address these critical issues.

Hprt mutant frequencies in splenic T-cells of male F344 rats exposed by inhalation to propylene

Propylene is a major industrial intermediate and atmospheric pollutant to which humans are exposed by inhalation. In this study, 6-week-old male F344 rates were exposed to 0, 200, 2000, or 10,000 ppm propylene by inhalation for 4 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week), and mutant frequencies were determined in the Hprt gene of splenic T-lymphocytes. Twenty milligrams of cyclophosphamide monohydrate (CPP)/kg bw, given on the penultimate day of propylene exposure, was used as a positive control mutagen. Rats (n = 8/group) were necropsied for isolation of T-cells 8 weeks after the last dose, a sampling time that produced peak spleen Hprt mutant frequencies (Mfs) in a preliminary mutant manifestation study using CCP treatment. Hprt Mfs were measured via the T-cell cloning assay, which was performed without knowledge of the animal treatment groups. Mean Hprt Mfs were significantly increased over control values (mean Mf = 5.24 +/- 1.55 (SD) x 10(-6)) in CPP-treated rats (10.37 +/- 4.30 x 10(-6), P = 0.007). However, Hprt Mfs in propylene-exposed rats were not significantly increased over background, with mean Mfs of 4.90 +/- 1.84 x 10(-6) (P = 0.152), 5.05 +/- 3.70 x 10(-6) (P = 0.895), and 5.95 +/- 2.49 x10(-6) (P = 0.500) for animals exposed to 200, 2000, or 10,000 ppm propylene, respectively. No significant increase in F344 rat or B6C3F1 mouse cancer incidence was reported in the National Toxicology Program carcinogenicity studies of propylene across this same exposure range. Taken together, these findings support the conclusion that inhalation exposure of rats to propylene does not cause mutations or cancer.

Transgenic and knockout mice for DNA repair functions in carcinogenesis and mutagenesis

Genetically modified mouse models with defects in DNA repair pathways, especially in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and mismatch repair (MMR), are powerful tools to study processes like carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. The use of mutant mice in these studies has many advantages over using normal wild type mice with respect to costs, number of animals, predictive value towards carcinogenic compounds and the duration of study. Short-term carcinogenicity assays still require considerable number of animals and extensive pathological analyses. Therefore, alternatives demanding less animals and shorter exposure times would be desirable. In this respect, one approach could be the use of transgenic mice harbouring marker genes, that can easily detect mutagenic features of carcinogenic compounds, especially when such models are in a DNA repair deficient background. Here, we review the progress made in the development and use of DNA repair deficient mouse models as replacements for long-term cancer assays and discuss the applicability of enhanced gene mutant frequencies as early indicators of tumourigenesis. Although promising models exist, there is still a need for more universally responding and highly sensitive mouse models, since it is likely that non-genotoxic carcinogens will go undetected in a DNA repair deficient mouse. One attractive candidate mouse model, having a presumptive broad detective range, is the Xpa/p53 mutant mouse model, which will be discussed in more detail.

The in vivo but not the in vitro am3 revertant frequencies increase linearly with increased ethylnitrosourea doses in spleen of mice transgenic for phiX174 am3, cs70 using the single burst assay

The am3 revertant frequencies (RF) in spleens from male mice transgenic for phiX174 am3, cs70 were analyzed 14 weeks after ethylnitrosourea (ENU) treatment, both by the single burst assay (SBA) and the mixed burst assay (MBA). The mean in vivo (burst size >30/assay plate) revertant frequency (MRF) for the vehicle control was 2.6x10(-7). The ENU induced in vivo RF were linear over the dose range 0-150mg/kg, (r(2)=0.999). The concomitant in (burst size <or=30/assay plate) was independent of dose (r(2)=0.216). The only viable revertants are base pair substitutions of the center base pair in the am3 nonsense (TAG) codon in the phiX174 lysis E gene. Sequenced revertants chosen randomly from in vitro plates and in vivo untreated control plates were A-->G transitions. Sequence analysis of in vivo revertants from ENU treated animals revealed revertants that were 17% A-->G transitions and 83% A-->T transversions, the latter being consistent with the reported A:T base pair alterations induced by ENU. No A-->C transitions were seen. This suggests the occurrence of an ENU-induced O(2) ET-dT lesion leading to a dT base mismatch. The observations in this report both confirm and validate the use of the SBA for distinguishing between in vivo mutations that are fixed in the animal and in vitro mutations that arise from other sources. The ability of the SBA to distinguish the in vivo from the in vitro origin of mutations has increased the specificity, sensitivity and utility of the phiX transgenic system.

A model of sensitivity: 1,3-butadiene increases mutant frequencies and genomic damage in mice lacking a functional microsomal epoxide hydrolase gene

The specific role that polymorphisms in xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes play in modulating sensitivity to 1,3-butadiene (BD) genotoxicity has been relatively unexplored. The enzyme microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is important in detoxifying the mutagenic epoxides of BD (butadiene monoepoxide [BDO], butadiene diepoxide [BDO(2)]). Polymorphisms in the human mEH gene appear to affect the function of the enzyme. We exposed mice with normal mEH activity (WT) and knockout mice without mEH activity (KO) to 20 ppm BD (inhalation) or 30 mg/kg BDO(2) (intraperitoneal [IP] injection). We then compared Hprt mutant frequencies (MFs) among these groups. KO mice exposed to BD exhibited a significant (P < 0.05) 12.4-fold increase in MF over controls and a significant 5.4-fold increase in MF over exposed WT mice. Additionally, KO mice exposed to BDO(2) exhibited a significant 4.5-fold increase in MF over controls and a significant 1.7-fold increase in MF over exposed WT mice. We also compared genomic damage in WT and KO mice (comet tail moment) following IP exposure to 3 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg BDO(2). KO mice exposed to 3 mg/kg exhibited significantly more DNA damage than controls (7.5-12.1-fold increase) and exposed WT mice (3 mg/kg; 4.8-fold increase). KO mice exposed to 30 mg/kg BDO(2) exhibited significantly more DNA damage than all other groups (2.3-27.9-fold increase). Correlation analysis indicated that a significant, positive relationship (r(2) = 0.92) exists between comet-measured damage and Hprt MFs. The lack of mEH activity increases the genetic sensitivity of mice exposed to BD and BDO(2). This model should facilitate a mechanistic understanding of the observed variation in human genetic sensitivity following exposure to BD.

An allelic series of mutations in Smad2 and Smad4 identified in a genotype-based screen of N-ethyl-N- nitrosourea-mutagenized mouse embryonic stem cells

Using selectable genes as proof of principle, a new high-throughput genotype-based mutation screen in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells was developed [Chen et al. (2002) Nat. Genet. 24, 314-317]. If expanded to nonselectable genes, this approach would allow one to proceed quickly from sequence to whole-animal phenotypes. Here data are presented showing that a screen of a cryopreserved library of clonal, germ line competent, N-ethyl-N-nitrosurea (ENU) mutagenized ES cells can identify a large series of allelic mutations in Smad2 and Smad4, two nonselectable genes of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily of signaling molecules. Whole animal phenotypic analyses of some of these alleles provided evidence for novel developmental processes mediated by these components of transforming growth factor beta signaling, demonstrating the utility of non-null alleles created by chemical mutagens. The accurately assessed mutation load of the ES cell library indicates that it is a valuable resource for developing mouse lines for genetic and functional studies. This methodology can conceptually be applied for the generation of an allelic series of subtle mutations at any locus of interest in the mouse.

Mutant frequency and mutational spectra in the Tk and Hprt genes of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-treated mouse lymphoma cellsdagger

The mouse lymphoma assay (MLA) utilizing the Tk gene is widely used to identify chemical mutagens. The autosomal location of the Tk gene allows for the detection of a wide range of mutational events, from point mutations to chromosome alterations. However, chemically induced point mutation spectra in the Tk gene of mouse lymphoma cells have not been characterized. In this study, we determined and compared the mutagenicity and mutational spectra of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) in the Tk and Hprt genes of mouse lymphoma cells. Treatment of L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells with 100 microg/ml ENU induced a Tk mutant frequency of 756 x 10(-6) and an Hprt mutant frequency of 311 x 10(-6). Sequence analysis of Tk and Hprt mutant cDNAs showed a similar overall mutation pattern in the two genes with base-pair substitutions accounting for 83% of non-loss of heterozygosity mutations in the Tk gene and 75% of all mutations in the Hprt gene. The most common point mutation induced by ENU was G:C --> A:T transition (36 and 28% of independent mutations detected in the Tk and Hprt genes, respectively). The mutation spectra induced by ENU in both the Tk and Hprt genes were different from the respective patterns produced in mutants from untreated cells. About 9% of Tk and 7% of Hprt mutations from control cells were in-frame deletions, whereas no such mutations were found among the ENU-induced Tk and Hprt mutations. Our results indicate that ENU produces a chemical-specific point mutational profile in the Tk gene of mouse lymphoma cells that is remarkably similar to that found in the X-linked Hprt gene. This study provides evidence that the MLA can be used not only to detect point mutagens but also for analysis of mutational spectra.

Elevated in vivo frequencies of mutant T cells with altered functional expression of the T-cell receptor or hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase genes in p53-deficient mice

We have studied the effects of a defect in the p53 gene on spontaneous and radiation-induced somatic mutation frequencies in vivo by measuring T-cell receptor (TCR) and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) mutant frequencies (MFs) in p53 deficient mice both before and after exposure to X-irradiation. In the absence of irradiation, the TCR and HPRT mutant frequencies were roughly two-fold higher in p53 null (-/-) mice than in wild-type (+/+) mice. Unexpectedly, the TCR and HPRT MFs were slightly lower in heterozygote p53 (+/-) than in wild-type (+/+) mice, however. After 2 weeks 2Gy whole body irradiation the TCR and HPRT MFs were about two-fold higher in the p53 null (-/-) and p53 (+/-) mice than in the wild-type. Taken together, these findings suggest that a defect in the p53 gene may lead to TCR and HPRT mutants being recovered at higher frequencies in both irradiated and unirradiated mice, but it should be emphasized that the effects we have observed are not particularly strong, albeit that they are statistically significant. Interestingly, several of the highest TCR MF values that we observed in the course of our experiments were recorded in p53 (-/-) animals that had developed thymomas and hence appeared to be cancer prone.

Reduced sensitivity to and ras mutation spectrum of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced thymic lymphomas in adult C.B-17 scid mice

Scid mice are defective in the ability to repair DNA double strand breaks and, as a consequence, their cells are radiosensitive. Further, they have been shown to be prone to develop thymic lymphomas (TLs) after small doses of ionizing radiation. Little is known, however, on the role of scid mutation in chemical carcinogenesis. To determine if scid mutation increased predisposition to chemical carcinogenesis, we examined both the susceptibility of scid mice to N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced lymphomagenesis and the involvement of ras gene activation. Adult female mice at 8 weeks of age were given ENU in their drinking water at 400 ppm for 2-10 weeks. Contrary to expectations, we observed a two to three-fold reduction in TL development in the scid mice. The highest incidence was achieved by ENU treatment for 8 weeks for scid and wild-type C.B-17 mice, of 42 and 85%, respectively (P<0.05). We investigated whether this was attributable to the usage of the ras mutation pathway. There was, however, no significant difference in the frequency and spectrum of K-ras mutation between the scid and wild-type C.B-17 mice. Most of the K-ras mutations were either GGT to GAT transition in codon 12 (11/23: 48%) or CAA to CCA transversion in codon 61 (8/23: 35%) that was independent of scid background. The incidence of N-ras mutation was very low. These results indicate that scid mice are less susceptible to ENU-induced lymphomagenesis and ras gene mutation frequently occurs in both scid and wild-type C.B-17 mice.

Assays to predict the genotoxicity of the chromosomal mutagen etoposide -- focussing on the best assay

The topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide is used routinely to treat a variety of cancers in patients of all ages. As a result of its extensive use in the clinic and its association with secondary malignancies it has become a compound of great interest with regard to its genotoxic activity in vivo. This paper describes a series of assays that were employed to determine the in vivo genotoxicity of etoposide in a murine model system. The alkaline comet assay detected DNA damage in the bone marrow mononuclear compartment over the dose range of 10--100mg/kg and was associated with a large and dose dependent rise in the proportion of cells with severely damaged DNA. In contrast, the bone marrow micronucleus assay was found to be sensitive to genotoxic damage between the doses of 0.1--1mg/kg without any corresponding increases in cytotoxicity. An increase in the mutant frequency was undetectable at the Hprt locus at administered doses of 1 and 10mg/kg of etoposide, however, an increase in the mutant frequency was seen at the Aprt locus at these doses. We conclude that the BMMN assay is a good short-term predictor of the clastogenicity of etoposide at doses that do not result in cytotoxic activity, giving an indication of potential mutagenic effects. Moreover, the detection of mutants at the Aprt locus gives an indication of the potential of etoposide to cause chromosomal mutations that may lead to secondary malignancy.

Transplacental mutagenicity of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea at the hprt locus in T-lymphocytes of exposed B6C3F1 mice

Previous studies have compared age-related differences in total mutagenic burden in mice of differing age (preweanling, weanling, or young adult) after single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of ethylnitrosourea (ENU). The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the effects of time elapsed since treatment on the frequency of hprt mutant T-cells (Mf) from mice treated transplacentally with single acute vs. multiple split doses of ENU. To this end, pregnant C57BL/6 mice (n = 13-16/group), which had been bred to C3H males, were given i.p. injections of 40 mg ENU/kg bw in a single dose on day 18 of gestation, in a split dose of 6 mg ENU/kg bw on days 12 through 18 of gestation, or DMSO vehicle alone. Groups of pups were necropsied on days 10, 13, 15 (single dose only), 17, 20, 40, and 70 postpartum for T-cell isolations and hprt Mf measurements using the T-cell cloning assay. The time required to reach maximum Mfs in T-cells isolated from thymus of transplacentally treated animals was 2 weeks, the same time span as previously observed after ENU treatment of adult, weanling, and preweanling mice. Mfs in T-cells isolated from spleens of control animals averaged 2.1 +/- 0.3 (SE) x 10(-6). In spleens of mice treated transplacentally with ENU in a single dose, Mfs reached a maximum at 15 days postpartum [84.7 +/- 15.8 (SE) x 10(-6)] and decreased to lower but still elevated levels at 40 days postpartum. In spleens of mice treated transplacentally with ENU in a split dose, Mfs reached a maximum at 13 days postpartum [74.0 +/- 16.3 (SE) x 10(-6)] and decreased to background levels at 40 days postpartum. The areas under the curves describing the change in hprt Mfs over time for ENU-treated vs. control mice estimate the mutagenic potency for transplacental single- and split-dose exposures to be 1.9 and 0.8 x 10(3), respectively. Comparison of the mutagenic potency estimates for mice exposed to ENU in utero to 4-week-old mice given a similar dose of the same lot number of ENU indicates that the mouse is more susceptible to ENU-induced mutagenesis during fetal life.

Detection of mutations in transgenic fish carrying a bacteriophage lambda cII transgene target

To address the dual needs for improved methods to assess potential health risks associated with chemical exposure in aquatic environments and for new models for in vivo mutagenesis studies, we developed transgenic fish that carry multiple copies of a bacteriophage lambda vector that harbors the cII gene as a mutational target. We adapted a forward mutation assay, originally developed for lambda transgenic rodents, to recover cII mutants efficiently from fish genomic DNA by lambda in vitro packaging. After infecting and plating phage on a hfl- bacterial host, cII mutants were detected under selective conditions. We demonstrated that many fundamental features of mutation analyses based on lambda transgenic rodents are shared by transgenic fish. Spontaneous mutant frequencies, ranging from 4.3 x 10(-5) in liver, 2.9 x 10(-5) in whole fish, to 1.8 x 10(-5) in testes, were comparable to ranges in lambda transgenic rodents. Treatment with ethylnitrosourea resulted in concentration-dependent, tissue-specific, and time-dependent mutation inductions consistent with known mechanisms of action. Frequencies of mutants in liver increased insignificantly 5 days after ethylnitrosourea exposure, but increased 3.5-, 5.7- and 6. 7-fold above background at 15, 20, and 30 days, respectively. Mutants were induced 5-fold in testes at 5 days, attaining a peak 10-fold induction 15 days after treatment. Spontaneous and induced mutational spectra in the fish were also consistent with those of lambda transgenic rodent models. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of in vivo mutation analyses using transgenic fish and illustrate the potential value of fish as important comparative animal models.

Biomarkers of exposure and effect as indicators of potential carcinogenic risk arising from in vivo metabolism of ethylene to ethylene oxide

The purposes of the present study were: (i) to investigate the potential use of several biomarkers as quantitative indicators of the in vivo conversion of ethylene (ET) to ethylene oxide (EO); (ii) to produce molecular dosimetry data that might improve assessment of human risk from exogenous ET exposures. Groups (n = 7/group) of male F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed by inhalation to 0 and 3000 p. p.m. ET for 1, 2 or 4 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week) or to 0, 40, 1000 and 3000 p.p.m. ET for 4 weeks. N:-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine (HEV), N:7-(2-hydroxyethyl) guanine (N7-HEG) and HPRT: mutant frequencies were assessed as potential biomarkers for determining the molecular dose of EO resulting from exogenous ET exposures of rats and mice, compared with background biomarker values. N7-HEG was quantified by gas chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS), HEV was determined by Edman degradation and GC-HRMS and HPRT: mutant frequencies were measured by the T cell cloning assay. N7-HEG accumulated in DNA with repeated exposure of rodents to 3000 p.p.m. ET, reaching steady-state concentrations around 1 week of exposure in most tissues evaluated (brain, liver, lung and spleen). The dose-response curves for N7-HEG and HEV were supralinear in exposed rats and mice, indicating that metabolic activation of ET was saturated at exposures >/=1000 p.p.m. ET. Exposures of mice and rats to 200 p.p.m. EO for 4 weeks (as positive treatment controls) led to significant increases in HPRT: mutant frequencies over background in splenic T cells from exposed rats and mice, however, no significant mutagenic response was observed in the HPRT: gene of ET-exposed animals. Comparisons between the biomarker data for both unexposed and ET-exposed animals, the dose-response curves for the same biomarkers in EO-exposed rats and mice and the results of the rodent carcinogenicity studies of ET and EO suggest that too little EO arises from exogenous ET exposure to produce a significant mutagenic response or a carcinogenic response under standard bioassay conditions.

Comparison of the mutations at Hprt exon 3 of T-lymphocytes from B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats exposed by inhalation to 1,3-butadiene or the racemic mixture of 1,2:3,4-diepoxybutane

Experiments were conducted to define the spectra of mutations occurring in Hprt exon 3 of T-cells isolated from spleens of female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats exposed by inhalation to 1,3-butadiene (BD) or its reactive metabolite, (+/-)-diepoxybutane (DEB). Hprt mutant frequencies (Mfs) in BD-exposed (1250 ppm for 2 weeks or 625 ppm for 4 weeks; 6 h/day, 5 days/week) and DEB-exposed (2 or 4 ppm for 4 weeks or 5 ppm for 6 weeks; 6 h/day, 5 days/week) mice and rats were significantly increased over concurrent control values. Mutant T-cell colonies from control and treated animals were screened for mutations in Hprt exon 3 using PCR amplification of genomic DNA and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, followed by sequence analysis. Exon 3 mutations were found at the following frequencies: 20/394 (5%) in control mice, 56/712 (8%) in BD-exposed mice, 59/1178 (5%) in BD-exposed rats, 66/642 (10%) in DEB-exposed mice, and 51/732 (7%) in DEB-exposed rats. Mutations in exposed animals included base substitutions, small deletions (1 to 74 bp), and small insertions (1 to 8 bp), with base substitutions predominating. Among the types of base substitutions observed in mice, the proportions of G.C-->A.T transitions (p=0.035, Fisher's Exact Test) and G.C-->C.G transversions (p=0.05) were significantly different in control vs. BD-exposed animals. Given the small number of exon 3 mutants analyzed, there was a high degree of overlap in the mutational spectra between BD-exposed mice and rats, between BD- and DEB-exposed mice, and between BD- and DEB-exposed rats in terms of the sites with base substitutions, the mutations found at those mutated sites, the relative occurrence of the most frequently observed base substitutions, and the occurrence of a consistent strand bias for the most frequently observed base substitutions. The spectra data suggest that adduction of both G.C and A.T bps is important in the induction of in vivo mutations by BD metabolites in exposed mice and rats.

7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mutation in the Tk gene of Tk(+/-) mice: automated scoring of lymphocyte clones using a fluorescent viability indicator

7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) is a rodent carcinogen and a potent in vivo mutagen for the X-linked hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) gene of rats and for the lacI transgene of Big Blue mice and rats. Although DMBA is also a powerful clastogen, molecular analysis of these DMBA-induced hprt and lacI mutations indicates that most are single base-pair (bp) substitutions and 1- to 3-bp frameshifts. In the present study, we evaluated the types of mutations induced by DMBA in the autosomal thymidine kinase (Tk) gene of Tk(+/-) mice. Male and female 5- to 6-week-old animals were injected i.p. with DMBA at a dose of 30 mg/kg. Five weeks after the treatment, hprt and Tk mutant frequencies were determined using a limiting dilution clonal assay in 96-well plates. We established conditions for the automated identification of wells containing expanded lymphocyte clones using the fluorescent indicator alamarBlue. This procedure allowed the unbiased identification of viable clones and calculation of mutant frequencies. In male mice, DMBA treatment increased the frequency of hprt mutants from 1.8 +/- 1.1 to 34 +/- 9 x 10(-6), and Tk mutants from 33 +/- 12 to 78 +/- 26 x 10(-6); treated female mice had a significant but lower increase in hprt mutant frequency than did males. Molecular analysis of DMBA-induced Tk mutants revealed that at least 75% had the entire wild-type Tk allele missing. The results indicate that the predominant types of DMBA-induced mutation detected by the autosomal Tk gene are different from those detected by the X-linked hprt gene. The Tk gene mainly detects loss of heterozygosity mutation, whereas the majority of mutations previously found in the hprt gene were point mutations.

Relationships between exposure, cell loss and proliferation, and manifestation of Hprt mutant T cells following treatment of preweanling, weanling, and adult male mice with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea

Experiments were performed to characterize the age-related patterns of appearance and frequency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Hprt) mutant T lymphocytes in thymus and spleen following exposure of preweanling (12-day-old), weanling (22-day-old), and young adult (8-week-old) male B6C3F1 mice to ethylnitrosourea (ENU). Mice were given single i.p. injections of 0 or 40 mg ENU/kg and then groups of animals were necropsied from 2 h to 116 days after treatment to examine the relationships between exposure, cell loss and proliferation, and the frequency of Hprt mutant T cells in thymus and spleen. Hprt mutant frequency (Mf) data for thymus of ENU-exposed (0, 11.7, 35, 58, or 72 mg/kg, or five weekly doses of 1.7 mg/kg i.p.) male C57BL/6 mice (12- or 62-week-old), obtained during an earlier study of spleen cells [I.M. Jones, K. Burkhart-Schultz, C.L. Strout, T.L. Crippen, Factors that affect the frequency of thioguanine-resistant lymphocytes in mice following exposure to ethylnitrosourea, Environ. Mutagen, 9 (1987) 317-329.], were compared to results in B6C3F1 mice. Isolated T cells were cultured in the presence of mitogen, growth factor, and 6-thioguanine to detect Hprt mutants. The time required to achieve maximum Mfs in thymus was uniformly found at 2 weeks after ENU treatment, while the times needed to reach peak values in spleen were proportional to animal age at treatment. These data indicate that age-related differences in the appearance of Hprt mutant cells in spleen are largely defined by the physiologically based, age-dependent trafficking of mutant cells from or through the thymus. Three modes of handling the resulting Hprt Mf data were evaluated: (i) comparing the Mfs at a single time point, (ii) comparing the maximum Mfs observed, and (iii) comparing the change in Mfs over time (or the mutant T cell 'manifestation' curves in treated vs. control mice) in each age group post-exposure. Measuring the Mfs in spleen at multiple time points after cessation of exposure and integrating the frequency of mutants as a function of time appeared to be the superior method for comparing mutagenic responses in different age groups. Some of the underlying assumptions of this approach, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, are discussed.

Measurement of HPRT mutations in splenic lymphocytes and haemoglobin adducts in erythrocytes of Lewis rats exposed to ethylene oxide

Young adult male Lewis rats were exposed to ethylene oxide (EO) via single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections (10-80 mg kg-1) or drinking water (4 weeks at concentrations of 2, 5, and 10 mM) or inhalation (50, 100 or 200 ppm for 4 weeks, 5 days week-1, 6 h day-1) to measure induction of HPRT mutations in lymphocytes from spleen by means of a cloning assay. N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-nitrosourea (HOENU) were used as positive controls. Levels of N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine (HOEtVal) adducts in haemoglobin (expressed in nmol g-1 globin) were measured to determine blood doses of EO (mmol kg-1 h, mM h). Blood doses were used as a common denominator for comparison of mutagenic effects of EO administered via the three routes. The mean HPRT mutant frequency (MF) of the historical control was 4.3 x 10(-6). Maximal mean MFs for ENU (100 mg kg-1) and HOENU (75 mg kg-1) were 243 x 10(-6) and 93 x 10(-6), respectively. In two independent experiments, EO injections led to a statistically significant dose-dependent induction of mutations, with a maximal increase in MF by 2.3-fold over the background. Administration of EO via drinking water gave statistically significant increases of MFs in two independent experiments. Effects were, at most, 2.5-fold above the concurrent control. Finally, inhalation exposure also caused a statistically significant maximal increase in MF by 1.4-fold over the background. Plotting of mutagenicity data (i.e., selected data pertaining to expression times where maximal mutagenic effects were found) for the three exposure routes against blood dose as common denominator indicated that, at equal blood doses, acute i.p. exposure led to higher observed MFs than drinking water treatment, which was more mutagenic than exposure via inhalation. In the injection experiments, there was evidence for a saturation of detoxification processes at the highest doses. This was not seen after subchronic administration of EO. The resulting HPRT mutagenicity data suggest that EO is a relatively weak mutagen in T-lymphocytes of rats following exposure(s) by i.p. injection, in drinking water or by inhalation.

Mutagenicity of the racemic mixtures of butadiene monoepoxide and butadiene diepoxide at the Hprt locus of T-lymphocytes following inhalation exposures of female mice and rats

The purpose of this study was to determine if Hprt mutant frequency (Mf) data from rodents exposed directly to individual epoxy metabolites of 1,3-butadiene (BD) can be used to identify the relative significance of each intermediate in the mutagenicity of BD in mice vs. rats. To this end, the relative contributions of the racemic mixtures of BD monoepoxide (BDO) and BD diepoxide (BDO(2)) to BD-induced mutagenicity was investigated by exposing mice and rats to selected concentrations of BDO and BDO(2) (i.e., 2.5 and 4.0 ppm, respectively) and comparing the mutagenic potency of each intermediate to that of BD (at 62.5 ppm) when comparable blood levels of metabolites are achieved (in the mouse). Female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats (4-5 weeks old) were exposed to rac-BDO (0, 2.5, or 25 ppm) or (+/-)-BDO(2) (0, 2, 4 ppm) by inhalation for 4 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week), and then groups of control and exposed animals (n=3-12/group) were necropsied at multiple time points post-exposure for measuring Hprt Mfs in splenic lymphocytes (via the T-cell cloning assay) and estimating mutagenic potencies (represented by the difference in the areas under the mutant T-cell 'manifestation' curves of treated vs. control animals). The resulting Mf data, along with the extant metabolism data, suggest that at lower BD exposures (</=62.5 ppm) (+/-)-BDO(2) is a major contributor to the mutagenicity of BD in mice, whereas other metabolites and stereochemical configurations are responsible for mutations in BD-exposed rats and for the incremental mutagenic effects at higher BD exposures in mice. These studies indicate that additional work is needed to determine more definitively the relative contributions of these and other metabolites and stereochemical forms to BD-induced mutagenicity. Also, the novel approach of measuring mutagenic potencies as the change in Hprt Mfs over time in T-cells of exposed vs. control animals, as used in this study, can be valuable for predicting the potential role of these intermediates in each species.

Mutagenicity of 1,3-butadiene at the Hprt locus of T-lymphocytes following inhalation exposures of female mice and rats

The species specific response to 1,3-butadiene (BD), an important industrial chemical, was investigated by determining the influence of exposure duration and exposure concentration on the mutagenicity of BD in mice and rats and by defining the spectra of mutations in the Hprt gene T-cell mutants from control and BD-exposed mice. Female B6C3F1 mice and F344 rats (4-5 weeks old) were exposed by inhalation to 0, 20, 62.5, or 625 ppm of BD for up to 4 weeks (6 h/day, 5 days/week). Groups of control and exposed animals (n=4-12/group) were necropsied at multiple time points after exposure and the T-cell cloning assay was used to measure Hprt mutant frequencies in lymphocytes isolated from spleen. Mutant clones collected from control and BD-exposed mice were propagated and analyzed by RT-PCR to produce Hprt cDNA for sequencing. In animals necropsied 4 weeks after 2 or 4 weeks of BD exposure (0 or 625 ppm), the rate of accumulation of mutations was greater in mice than in rats. Supra-linear dose-response curves were observed in BD-exposed mice, indicating a higher efficiency of mutant induction at lower concentrations of BD. The mutagenic potency estimates (represented by the differences in the areas under the mutant T-cell 'manifestation' curves of treated vs. control animals) in mice were 11 and 61 following 4 weeks of exposures to 62.5 and 625 ppm of BD, respectively, while mutant frequencies (Mfs) in rats were significantly increased only at 625 ppm BD (mutagenic potency of 7). Molecular analysis of Hprt cDNA from expanded T-cell clones from control and BD-exposed mice demonstrated an increased frequency of mutants in exposed animals that likely contain large deletions in the Hprt gene (P=0.016). These data indicate that both exposure duration and exposure concentration are important in determining the magnitude of mutagenic response to BD, and that mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of BD in mice may be related more to the ability of its metabolites to cause chromosomal deletions than to produce point mutations.

Ethylnitrosourea-induced mutation and molecular analysis of transgenic mice containing the gpt shuttle vector

Novel transgenic mice were developed in order to study the in vivo mutagenesis. The transgenic mice carried pCGK shuttle vector, which contained the Escherichia coli gpt gene as a mutational target, the kanamycin-resistant gene (Kanr) and cos region derived from bacteriophage lambda. The shuttle vector can be recovered from the transgenic mouse genome into the gpt-deficient E. coli by an in vitro packaging method and is selectable as a Kanr phenotype. Mutations induced at the gpt gene can be easily detected with a selective agent, 6-thioguanine (6-TG). In the previous study, the pCGK shuttle vector was incorporated into Chinese hamster CHL/IU cells and the resultant transgenic cell line was shown to be a useful system to study in vitro mutagenesis at the gpt gene. Therefore, an advantage of the shuttle vector is that in vivo mutational data obtained from the transgenic mouse can be compared with those of transgenic cell line in vitro. A transgenic CD-1 mouse line, designated as #128, that carried approximately 50 copies of pCGK shuttle vectors, was selected among 4 transgenic mouse lines. To investigate the sensitivity of the #128 line, the transgenic mice were treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of 250 mg/kg of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) or with 50 mg kg-1 day-1 of ENU for 5 consecutive days, and bone marrow, spleen and liver were dissected to investigate their mutational responses. The background mutant frequency was between 18x10(-6) and 75x10(-6) among all tissues tested. ENU induced significant increases in the mutant frequency above the background level in all three tissues at 14 days after single or 5-day treatment with the chemical. The increases in the mutant frequencies in bone marrow, spleen and liver were 6.4- to 6.8-fold, 3.0- to 5.6-fold and 3.0- to 3.3-fold, respectively. The shuttle vector DNA was recovered from the bone marrow of both spontaneous and ENU-treated mice and the gpt gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The amplified DNA was subject to DNA sequence analysis. Out of 79 spontaneous and 52 ENU-induced mutants, the gpt gene could be amplified from 28 spontaneous and 46 ENU-induced mutants. DNA sequence analysis showed that predominant mutations were identified as A:T to T:A transversions (22 out of 46 sequenced mutants) and G:C to A:T transitions (9/46) in ENU-induced mutants, whereas G:C to T:A transversions (7 out of 28 sequenced mutants) were predominant in spontaneous mutants. These results demonstrate that this transgenic mouse, in combination with the transgenic CHL/IU cell line, is a useful system to study in vivo and in vitro mutational events at the same target gene.

Tk+/- mouse model for detecting in vivo mutation in an endogenous, autosomal gene

Tk+/- transgenic mice were created using an embryonic stem cell line in which one allele of the endogenous thymidine kinase (Tk) gene was inactivated by targeted homologous recombination. Breeding Tk+/- parents produced viable Tk-/- knockout (KO) mice. Splenic lymphocytes from KO mice were used in reconstruction experiments for determining the conditions necessary for recovering Tk somatic cell mutants from Tk+/- mice. The cloning efficiency of KO lymphocytes was not affected by the toxic thymidine analogues 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) or trifluorothymidine (TFT), or by BrdUrd in the presence of lymphocytes from Tk+/- animals; however, it was easier to identify clones resistant to BrdUrd than to TFT when Tk+/- cells were present. Tk+/- mice were treated with vehicle or 100 mg/kg of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), and after 4 months, the frequency of Tk mutant lymphocytes was measured by resistance to BrdUrd. The frequency of Tk mutants was 22+/-5.9x10-6 in control animals and 80+/-31x10-6 in treated mice. In comparison, the frequency of Hprt mutant lymphocytes, as measured by resistance to 6-thioguanine, was 2.0+/-1.2x10-6 in control animals and 84+/-28x10-6 in the ENU-treated mice. Analysis of BrdUrd-resistant lymphocyte clones derived from the ENU-treated animals revealed point mutations in the non-targeted Tk allele. These results indicate that the selection of BrdUrd-resistant lymphocytes from Tk+/- mice may be used for assessing in vivo mutation in an endogenous, autosomal gene.

Correlation between sequence-dependent glycosylase repair and the thermal stability of oligonucleotide duplexes containing 1, N6-ethenoadenine

Previous experiments on DNA sequence context reported that base modification, replication, and repair are affected by the nature of neighbor bases. We now report that repair by mammalian alkylpurine-DNA-N-glycosylases (APNG) of 15-mer oligonucleotides with a central 1,N6-ethenoadenine (epsilonA), flanked by 5' and 3' tandem bases, is also highly sequence dependent. Oligonucleotides with the central sequences -GGepsilonAGG- or -CCepsilonACC- are repaired 3-5-fold more efficiently than those containing -AAepsilonAAA- or -TTepsilonATT- when using human or mouse APNG. Melting curves of the same duplexes showed that oligomers with G.C/C. G neighbors were less denatured than those with A.T/T.A neighbors at 37 degreesC. This sequence-dependent difference in denaturation correlates with the relative thermodynamic stability of oligomers with G.C/C.G or A.T/T.A neighbors. The dependence of repair on thermal stability was confirmed by enzyme reactions performed over 0-45 degreesC. Under these conditions, repair of epsilonA flanked by G.C/C.G was dramatically increased at 37 degreesC with continuous increase up to 45 degreesC, in contrast to that with flanking A.T/T. A pairs, which was in agreement with the degree of denaturation of these duplexes. These results indicate that the thermodynamic stability conferred by base pairs flanking epsilonA plays an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the duplex structure which is necessary for repair.

Alkylation-induced frameshift mutagenesis during in vitro DNA synthesis by DNA polymerases alpha and beta

We have analyzed the mutational spectra produced during in vitro DNA synthesis by DNA polymerase alpha-primase and DNA polymerase beta. The polymerase mutation frequency as measured in the in vitro herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) forward assay was increased when reactions utilized single-stranded DNA templates randomly modified by 20 mM N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), relative to solvent-treated templates. A 20- to 50-fold increase in the frequency of G-->A transition mutations was observed for both polymerases, as expected due to mispairing by O6-ethylguanine lesions. Strikingly, ENU treatment of the template also resulted in a five- to 12-fold increased frequency of frameshift errors at heteropolymeric (non-repetitive) template sequences produced by polymerase beta and polymerase alpha-primase, respectively. The increased proportion of frameshift mutations at heteropolymeric sequences relative to homopolymeric (repetitive) sequences produced by each polymerase in response to ENU damage was statistically significant. For polymerase alpha-primase, one-base deletion errors at template guanine residues was the second most frequent mutational event, observed at a frequency only four-fold lower than the G-->A transition frequency. In the polymerase beta reactions, the frequency of insertion errors at homopolymeric (repetitive) sequences was increased six-fold using alkylated templates, relative to solvent controls. The frequency of such insertion errors was only three-fold lower than the frequency of G-->A transition errors by polymerase beta. Although ENU is generally regarded as a potent base substitution mutagen, these data show that monofunctional alkylating agents are capable of inducing frameshift mutations in vitro. Alkylation-induced frameshift mutations occur in both repetitive and non-repetitive DNA sequences; however, the mutational specificity is dependent upon the DNA polymerase.

Carcinogen-induced loss of heterozygosity at the Aprt locus in somatic cells of the mouse

Genetic events leading to the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) have been shown to play a crucial role in the development of cancer. However, LOH events do not occur only in genetically unstable cancer cells but also have been detected in normal somatic cells of mouse and man. Mice, in which one of the alleles for adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (Aprt) has been disrupted by gene targeting, were used to investigate the potency of carcinogens to induce LOH in vivo. After 7,12-dimethyl-1,2-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA) exposure, a 3-fold stronger mutagenic response was detected at the autosomal Aprt gene than at the X chromosomal hypoxantine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene in splenic T-lymphocytes. Allele-specific PCR analysis showed that the normal, nontargeted Aprt allele was lost in 70% of the DMBA-induced Aprt mutants. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis demonstrated that the targeted allele had become duplicated in almost all DMBA-induced mutants that displayed LOH at Aprt. These results indicate that the main mechanisms by which DMBA caused LOH were mitotic recombination or chromosome loss and duplication but not deletion. However, after treatment with the alkylating agent N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea, Aprt had a similar mutagenic response to Hprt while the majority (90%) of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced Aprt mutants had retained both alleles. Unexpectedly, irradiation with x-rays, which induce primarily large deletions, resulted in a significant increase of the mutant frequency at Hprt but not at Aprt. This in vivo study clearly indicates that, in normal somatic cells, carcinogen exposure can result in the induction of LOH events that are compatible with cell survival and may represent an initiating event in tumorigenesis.

Rapid characterization of mutations in amplified human hprt cDNA by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Compiling hprt mutation spectra involves the isolation and analysis of numerous 6-thioguanine-resistant clones for identifying characteristic point mutations. Since cDNA amplificates are compulsory intermediates in most mutant classification protocols, we suggest their preliminary characterization by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for the rapid distinction of clonal and independent mutants and for streamlining mutant analysis procedures. Based on the human hprt cDNA sequence a strategy was developed for mapping missing exons by analytical digests with a small panel of restriction enzymes. In mutant classification schemes, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of AluI-digested cDNA amplificates increased the sensitivity for detecting RT-PCR products of reduced size, e.g., in the case of missing exon 5. Restriction analysis of cDNA amplificates from 109 independent mutant clones showed a significant increase of exon loss after NNK induction as compared to spontaneous or BaP-induced mutants. The determination of exon loss from cDNA amplificates, as carried out for 39 independent mutant PCR products, might direct towards the genomic target sequences carrying the point mutations, that caused the aberrant splicing, thus eliminating the need of laborious multiplex PCR comprising all exons. For single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of five known point mutations, sub-amplificates comprising exons 7 and 8 of hprt cDNA were obtained. After a combined heat and alkali denaturation of the double-stranded PCR products, the samples were separated in pre-cast polyacrylamide gels under non-denaturing conditions. Five known nucleotide substitutions within the amplified region, including the C508T hot spot mutation, resulted in mobility shifts of single-strand bands relative to the wild type pattern.

Functional genomics in the mouse: phenotype-based mutagenesis screens

Significant progress has been made in sequencing the genomes of several model organisms, and efforts are now underway to complete the sequencing of the human genome. In parallel with this effort, new approaches are being developed for the elucidation of the functional content of the human genome. The mouse will have an important role in this phase of the genome project as a model system. In this review we discuss and compare classical genetic approaches to gene function-phenotype-based mutagenesis screens aimed at the establishment of a large collection of single gene mutations affecting a wide range of phenotypic traits in the mouse. Whereas large scale genome-wide screens that are directed at the identification of all loci contributing to a specific phenotype may be impractical, region-specific saturation screens that provide mutations within a delimited chromosomal region are a feasible alternative. Region-specific screens in the mouse can be performed in only two generations by combining high-efficiency chemical mutagenesis with deletion complexes generated using embryonic stem (ES) cells. The ability to create and analyze deletion complexes rapidly, as well as to map novel chemically-induced mutations within these complexes, will facilitate systematic functional analysis of the mouse genome and corresponding gene sequences in humans. Furthermore, as the extent of the mouse genome sequencing effort is still uncertain, we underscore a necessity to direct sequencing efforts to those chromosomal regions that are targets for extensive mutagenesis screens.

Expansion of rat 6-thioguanine-resistant T-lymphocyte clones by stimulation with ionomycin and a phorbol ester

Previous molecular analyses of the mutations produced in the rat lymphocyte hprt assay were hindered by difficulties encountered in growing mutant lymphocytes from 6-thioguanine-resistant clones. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the calcium ionophore, ionomycin, and the tumor promotor, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, to stimulate clone expansion. A medium containing these two agents, along with mitogen-free conditioned medium, was found to expand 64% of 276 mutant clones to at least 5 x 10(5) cells in nine days of culture. Some clones were expanded to more than 4 x 10(6) cells. The procedure appears suitable for propagating rat lymphocyte clones for mutation analysis.