Distribution of 7-alkyl-2'-deoxyguanosine adduct levels in human lung

Emerging Technologies in Mass Spectrometry-Based DNA Adductomics

The measurement of DNA adducts, the covalent modifications of DNA upon the exposure to the environmental and dietary genotoxicants and endogenously produced electrophiles, provides molecular evidence for DNA damage. With the recent improvements in the sensitivity and scanning speed of mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation, particularly high-resolution MS, it is now feasible to screen for the totality of DNA damage in the human genome through DNA adductomics approaches. Several MS platforms have been used in DNA adductomic analysis, each of which has its strengths and limitations. The loss of 2′-deoxyribose from the modified nucleoside upon collision-induced dissociation is the main transition feature utilized in the screening of DNA adducts. Several advanced data-dependent and data-independent scanning techniques originated from proteomics and metabolomics have been tailored for DNA adductomics. The field of DNA adductomics is an emerging technology in human exposure assessment. As the analytical technology matures and bioinformatics tools become available for analysis of the MS data, DNA adductomics can advance our understanding about the role of chemical exposures in DNA damage and disease risk.

Use of rodent data for cancer risk assessment of smokeless tobacco in the regulatory context

To support risk management decisions, information from different fields has been integrated in this presentation to provide a realistic quantitative cancer risk assessment of smokeless tobacco. Smoking among Swedish men is currently below 10%, while about 20% use a special smokeless tobacco (snus) as a substitute for cigarettes. Epidemiological data and molecular biomarkers demonstrate that rodent bioassays with tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA) overestimate cancer risk from snus by more than one order of magnitude. The underlying reasons are discussed. DNA damage constitutes a necessary, although not sufficient prerequisite for cancer initiation. Individuals who have not used tobacco exhibit DNA lesions identical with those induced by TSNA. No increase above this adduct background can be shown from snus, and extensive epidemiological studies in Sweden have failed to demonstrate elevated cancer risks even in long term users. A "bench mark" for acceptable risk of 1/10(6) derived from rodent data has been suggested when regulating snus. By relating similarly derived estimates for some food contaminants, the implementation even of a limit of 1/10(4) may be unrealistic. The management of smokeless tobacco products has rarely been based on a scientifically sound risk assessment, where attention is given to the outstandingly higher hazards associated with smoking.

The formation and biological significance of N7-guanine adducts

DNA alkylation or adduct formation occurs at nucleophilic sites in DNA, mainly the N7-position of guanine. Ever since identification of the first N7-guanine adduct, several hundred studies on DNA adducts have been reported. Major issues addressed include the relationships between N7-guanine adducts and exposure, mutagenesis, and other biological endpoints. It became quickly apparent that N7-guanine adducts are frequently formed, but may have minimal biological relevance, since they are chemically unstable and do not participate in Watson Crick base pairing. However, N7-guanine adducts have been shown to be excellent biomarkers for internal exposure to direct acting and metabolically activated carcinogens. Questions arise, however, regarding the biological significance of N7-guanine adducts that are readily formed, do not persist, and are not likely to be mutagenic. Thus, we set out to review the current literature to evaluate their formation and the mechanistic evidence for the involvement of N7-guanine adducts in mutagenesis or other biological processes. It was concluded that there is insufficient evidence that N7-guanine adducts can be used beyond confirmation of exposure to the target tissue and demonstration of the molecular dose. There is little to no evidence that N7-guanine adducts or their depurination product, apurinic sites, are the cause of mutations in cells and tissues, since increases in AP sites have not been shown unless toxicity is extant. However, more research is needed to define the extent of chemical depurination versus removal by DNA repair proteins. Interestingly, N7-guanine adducts are clearly present as endogenous background adducts and the endogenous background amounts appear to increase with age. Furthermore, the N7-guanine adducts have been shown to convert to ring opened lesions (FAPy), which are much more persistent and have higher mutagenic potency. Studies in humans are limited in sample size and differences between controls and study groups are small. Future investigations should involve human studies with larger numbers of individuals and analysis should include the corresponding ring opened FAPy derivatives.

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis of 7-ethylguanine in human liver DNA

Considerable evidence in the literature demonstrates the exposure of humans to an unknown ethylating agent. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of 7-ethyl-Gua and 3-ethyl-Ade in urine, 7-ethyl-dGuo and O4-ethyl-dThd in human lung, and ethylvaline in hemoglobin. Some studies also report higher levels of ethyl adducts in smokers than in nonsmokers, and there is convincing evidence for an uncharacterized ethylating agent in cigarette smoke. To further investigate this question, we have developed a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry-selected reaction monitoring method for analysis of 7-ethyl-Gua in human liver DNA. To our knowledge, there are no previous reports of MS analyses of 7-ethyl-Gua in human tissues. [15N 5]7-Ethyl-Gua was synthesized and used as the internal standard. Human liver DNA was heated to release 7-ethyl-Gua. After partial purification by solid-phase extraction, analysis was carried out using the transition m/z 180 [M+H]+-->m/z 152 [Gua+H]+ for 7-ethyl-Gua and m/z 185-->m/z 157 for the internal standard. The method was accurate and precise. The detection limit was approximately 8-9 fmol/micromol Gua, starting with 1-2 mg of DNA. Clear coeluting peaks for 7-ethyl-Gua and the internal standard were observed in the human liver DNA samples. Twenty-six human liver DNA samples (0.77+/-0.40 mg) were analyzed, and 25 were positive for 7-ethyl-Gua. The mean level of 7-ethyl-Gua was 42.2+/-43.0 fmol/micromol Gua (8.4+/-8.6 adducts per 10(9) nucleotides). These results demonstrate that 7-ethyl-Gua is a common DNA adduct in human liver with likely endogenous sources that require further investigation.

Lung cancer risk and variation in MGMT activity and sequence

O(6)-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (MGMT) repairs DNA adducts that result from alkylation at the O(6) position of guanine. These lesions are mutagenic and toxic and can be produced by a variety of agents including the tobacco-specific nitrosamines, carcinogens present in cigarette smoke. Here, we review some of our work in the context of inter-individual differences in MGMT expression and their potential influence on lung cancer risk. In humans there are marked inter-individual differences in not only levels of DNA damage in the lung (N7-methylguanine) that can arise from exposure to methylating agents but also in MGMT activity in lung tissues. In the presence of such exposure, this variability in MGMT activity may alter cancer susceptibility, particularly as animal models have demonstrated that the complete absence of MGMT activity predisposes to alkylating-agent induced cancer while overexpression is protective. Recent studies have uncovered a series of polymorphisms that affect protein activity or are associated with differences in expression levels. The associations between these (and other) polymorphisms and cancer risk are inconsistent, possibly because of small sample sizes and inter-study differences in lung cancer histology. We have recently analysed a consecutive series of case-control studies and found evidence that lung cancer risk was lower in subjects with the R178 allele.

Mass spectrometric analysis of 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone-releasing DNA adducts in human lung

An improved analytical method was developed for the analysis of 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (HPB)-releasing DNA adducts in lung samples of patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer. HPB-releasing adducts can be formed by metabolic activation of the tobacco-specific nitrosamines 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and N'-nitrosonornicotine, and have been reported to play an important role in tobacco carcinogenesis. [2,2,3,3-D(4)]HPB (D(4)-HPB) was used as an internal standard, and HPB released by acid hydrolysis of DNA was determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the negative ion chemical ionisation mode. The method is sensitive with a limit of detection of 5.9 fmol HPB and a limit of quantification of 15.2 fmol HBP/mg DNA. The recovery of HPB was 82+/-17% and the background response was 10.1+/-1.8 fmol HPB/sample. The concentration of HPB-releasing lung DNA adducts was significantly higher (p<0.0001) in 21 self-reported smokers compared to in 11 self-reported nonsmokers (404+/-258 fmol versus 59+/-56 fmol HPB/mg DNA, respectively). HPB-releasing hemoglobin adduct concentrations were only marginally higher in a subset of 12 smokers compared to in 7 nonsmokers (63+/-53 fmol versus 42+/-34 fmol HPB/g hemoglobin; p=0.36). No correlation was found between HPB-releasing adducts in DNA and hemoglobin (p=0.074).

Simultaneous determination of N7-alkylguanines in DNA by isotope-dilution LC-tandem MS coupled with automated solid-phase extraction and its application to a small fish model

In the present study, we report the development of a sensitive and selective assay based on LC (liquid chromatography)-MS/MS (tandem MS) to simultaneously measure N7-MeG (N7-methylguanine) and N7-EtG (N7-ethylguanine) in DNA hydrolysates. With the use of isotope internal standards (15N5-N7-MeG and 15N5-N7-EtG) and on-line SPE (solid-phase extraction), the detection limit of this method was estimated as 0.42 fmol and 0.17 fmol for N7-MeG and N7-EtG respectively. The high sensitivity achieved here makes this method applicable to small experimental animals. This method was applied to measure N7-alkylguanines in liver DNA from mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) that were exposed to NDMA (N-nitrosodimethylamine) and NDEA (N-nitrosodiethylamine) alone or their combination over a wide range of concentrations (1-100 mg/l). Results showed that the background level of N7-MeG in liver of control fish was 7.89+/-1.38 mmol/mol of guanine, while N7-EtG was detectable in most of the control fish with a range of 0.05-0.19 mmol/mol of guanine. N7-MeG and N7-EtG were significantly induced by NDMA and NDEA respectively, at a concentration as low as 1 mg/l and increased in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, this LC-MS/MS assay provides the sensitivity and high throughput required to evaluate the extent of alkylated DNA lesions in small animal models of cancer induced by alkylating agents.

De minimus non curat lex--virtual thresholds for cancer initiation by tobacco specific nitrosamines--prospects for harm reduction by smokeless tobacco

Whereas the impact of tobacco specific nitrosamines in smokers is obscured by the presence of numerous other carcinogens and promoters, for smokeless tobacco virtually all the carcinogenic potential is associated with 4-(nitrosomethylamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN). In some countries exposure to smokeless tobacco with extremely high nitrosamine concentrations have been found to induce cancers in the head-neck region, whereas three recent large epidemiological studies failed to detect any such risk with respect to Swedish low-nitrosamine snuff. This review deals with quantitative aspects of DNA adduct formation from NNN and NNK in relation to the background levels ubiquitously found in healthy humans without known exposures to either tobacco or alkylating agents. The lack of significant increases of pro-mutagenic O6-methylations and DNA pyridyloxobutylations seen in smokers, as well as the negative outcome of the Swedish epidemiological studies, can be expected on basis of extrapolation of the dose response relationships found in rodents to actual exposures to NNK and NNN in Swedish snuff or from smoking. Sweden has the lowest prevalence of male smokers and smoking related diseases in the Western World, which has been ascribed to the fact that more than 20% of the grown up male population uses snuff. Smokeless tobacco represents an inexpensive and effective alternative to nicotine delivering products like nicotine patch, spray or gum. Considering that all other tobacco products are freely marketed, the ban on low-nitrosamine snuff in all countries in EU except Sweden is difficult to defend on either medical or ethical grounds.

Quantitative determination of urinary N7-ethylguanine in smokers and non-smokers using an isotope dilution liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with on-line analyte enrichment

Previous studies demonstrated the presence of unknown direct-acting ethylating agents arising from cigarette smoke. We hypothesized that such agents would also lead to ethylation of guanine in DNA followed by depurination/repair and excretion of N7-ethylguanine (N7-EtG) in urine. In this study, a highly specific and sensitive liquid chromatographic/tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) method was firstly developed for measuring urinary N7-EtG. With the use of an isotope internal standard (15N5-N7-EtG) and on-line enrichment techniques, the detection limit of this method was estimated as 0.59 pg/ml (0.33 pmol) on-column. This method was then applied to measure urinary samples obtained from 35 non-smokers and 32 smokers with dietary control. The results showed that the mean urinary levels of N7-EtG were 85.5+/-105 and 28.1+/-19.4 pg/mg creatinine for smokers and non-smokers, respectively. Smokers had about three times higher level of N7-EtG than non-smokers (P<0.005). It was further noted that the urinary level of N7-EtG was significantly associated with cotinine for smokers (r=0.49, P<0.005). Taken together, this is the first study that demonstrated the presence of N7-EtG in urine, and that cigarette smoke was highly responsible for the increased urinary excretion of N7-EtG. This non-invasive measurement of urinary N7-EtG would be useful for the surveillance of ethylating agent exposure and its associated cancer risk in the future.

Associations between smoking, GST genotypes and N7-methylguanine levels in DNA extracted from bronchial lavage cells

N7-Methylguanine (N7-MeG) DNA adducts are markers of human exposure to methylating agents including tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). Repair of this adduct is poor, so levels in lung tissue should reflect variation in both intensity of exposure and in metabolism. N7-MeG adducts in lung DNA from bronchial lavage samples were measured to determine whether levels were higher in smokers than non-smokers, and if levels were modified by genetic variation in carcinogen-metabolising enzymes. Adducts were detected in 38 out of 44 DNA samples by 32P post-labelling of the N7-methyldeoxyguanosine-3'-monophosphate (N7-MedGp) isolated from DNA digests by two-stage HPLC. N7-MeG adduct levels were higher in smokers than in never smokers ((9.99 +/-20.3)x10(-7) versus (0.58+/-0.50)x10(-7) N7-MedGp/deoxyguanosine-3'-monophosphate (dGp); P=0.02) and intermediate in ex-smokers ((5.59+/-15.6)x10(-7) N7-MedGp/dGp). Adduct levels tended to be higher in individuals with GSTM1 null, GSTT1 null or GSTP1 ile/ile genotypes. When genotypes were combined, N7-MedGp levels among GSTM1 null/GSTT1 null individuals (n=6) were higher than among those having at least one wild-type allele of these two genes ((26.1+/-38.0)x10(-7) versus (2.73+/-4.07)x10(-7) N7-MedGp/dGp), although the results were not statistically significant (P=0.13). Adduct levels were highest in individuals with three unfavourable genotypes (GSTM1 null/GSTT1 null and GSTP1 ile/ile) compared with others ((74.5+/-13.1)x10(-7) versus (2.64+/-3.89)x10(-7) N7-MedGp/dGp, P=0.02). N7-MeG adduct levels in DNA isolated from lung tissue thus reflect exposure to cigarette smoke, and genetic variation in carcinogen-metabolising enzymes may modify these levels.

DNA-adduct formation in lungs, nasal mucosa, and livers of rats exposed to urban roadside air in Kawasaki City, Japan

The potency of ambient air for DNA-adduct formation was estimated using Wistar rats. The animals were maintained in a small-animal facility located beside a main highway intersection in Kawasaki City, Japan, for up to 60 weeks and were exposed to roadside air contaminated mainly with automobile emission (exposure group, EG) or to clean air (control group, CG). Compared to CG, the relative adduct levels (RAL) were increased significantly in EG lungs (17.1-fold (P<0.05)), nasal mucosa, and livers after exposure for 4 weeks. However, there were no significant differences in RAL between EG and CG after exposure for 12 weeks, but they were elevated again in EG after exposure for 48 or 60 weeks. These results suggest that roadside air in this region can cause the generation of DNA adducts. This activity of ambient roadside air can be estimated using experimental animals, indicating that biological monitoring of DNA-adduct formation may be a powerful tool to assess the effect of ambient air on human health.

An analysis of the role of tobacco-specific nitrosamines in the carcinogenicity of tobacco smoke

Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture consisting of more than 4500 chemicals, including several tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). TSNA typically form in tobacco during the post-harvest period, with some fraction being transferred into mainstream smoke when a cigarette is burned during use. The most studied of the TSNA is 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). NNK has been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals. Studies examining the carcinogenicity of NNK frequently are conducted by injecting rodents with a single dose of 2.5 to 10 mumol of pure NNK; the amount of NNK contained in all of the mainstream smoke from about 3700 to 14,800 typical U.S. cigarettes. Extrapolated to a 70-kg smoker, the carcinogenic dose of pure NNK administered to rodents would be equivalent to the amount of NNK in all of the mainstream smoke of 22 to 87 million typical U.S. cigarettes. Furthermore, extrapolating results from rodent studies based on a single injection of pure NNK to establish a causative role for NNK in the carcinogenicity of chronic tobacco smoke exposure in humans is not consistent with basic pharmacological and toxicological principles. For example, such an approach fails to consider the effect of other smoke constituents upon the toxicity of NNK. In vitro studies demonstrate that nicotine, cotinine, and aqueous cigarette "tar" extract (ACTE) all inhibit the mutagenic activity of NNK. In vivo studies reveal that the formation of pulmonary DNA adducts in mice injected with NNK is inhibited by the administration of cotinine and mainstream cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke has been shown to modulate the metabolism of NNK, providing a mechanism for the inhibitory effects of cigarette smoke and cigarette smoke constituents on NNK-induced tumorigenesis. NNK-related pulmonary DNA adducts have not been detected in rodents exposed to cigarette smoke, nor has the toxicity of tobacco smoke or tobacco smoke condensate containing marked reductions in TSNA concentrations been shown to be reduced in any biological assay. In summary, there is no experimental evidence to suggest that reduction of TSNA will reduce the mutagenic, cytotoxic, or carcinogenic potential of tobacco smoke.

The in vivo levels of DNA alkylation products in human lymphocytes are not age dependent: an assay of 7-methyl- and 7-(2-hydroxyethyl)-guanine DNA adducts

Endogenous DNA damage is assumed to be a major contributor to aging and cancer. This study compares the steady-state levels of 7-methyl- and 7-(2-hydroxyethyl)-guanine DNA adducts in lymphocytes isolated from the younger (mean age 39.8 years) and the older (mean age 82.8 years) healthy subjects. Using a 32P-post-labelling method, these adducts were measured in lymphocyte DNA from a total of 34 subjects. The results show that the amount of both 7-methyl- and 7-(2-hydroxyethyl)-guanine adducts in the younger age group was similar to that in the older age group. Our findings show that at steady-state the levels of DNA alkylation products are independent of age, suggesting that endogenous DNA damage, through methylation or lipid peroxidation, and the repair of such damage may not be deficient in lymphocytes of older individuals.

Dna adducts, mutations, and cancer 2000

The main achievements in the DNA adduct field in the 1990s have been technical innovations of methods for specific adducts reaching sensitivities required for low levels encountered in humans. Over 20 specific adducts or closely related groups of adducts have been determined in humans. The sources of the DNA-binding agents are endogenous and exogenous or both. In some of these studies adduct levels have been correlated to metabolic or DNA repair genotypes. An example of DNA adduct studies in human target tissue is taken on UV photoproducts in skin in situ. Adduct-induced mutations, specific mutation spectra, and their relationship to cancer are discussed. The quantitative adduct techniques will enable comparisons of endogenous and exogenous adduct levels and will give important clues to the etiology of human cancer. Furthermore, adducts will provide an intermediary tool for genotyping studies, both for metabolic enzyme and for DNA repair system genotypes. As the common polymorphisms are likely to cause at most moderate increases in the risk of cancer, the intermediary adduct endpoint is a necessary proof of causal relationships. The present and future biomonitoring studies will cover many endpoints to link the mechanistic steps from DNA adducts to cancer via mutations and modulating host susceptibility factors.

DNA adducts: endogenous and induced

Human exposure to DNA damaging agents can arise from exogenous sources or endogenous processes that occur normally or in pathological states. DNA isolated from human tissues, obtained from the very young to the old, contains detectable amounts of a number of different types of DNA adducts that reflect exposure to both known carcinogens and as yet unidentified genotoxic agents. The levels of DNA damage observed in human studies as a result of exogenous exposures (noniatrogenic) is of the order of 1 adduct per 10(7)-10(9) normal DNA bases, whereas that arising from endogenous exposures may potentially be several orders of magnitude higher. Large interindividual variations in DNA adduct levels have been reported, and these are probably the result of host and environmental factors, although variation in analytical and sampling procedures may also play a role. It is important to recognize that the presence of DNA adducts in a tissue does not necessarily indicate a specific tumorigenic risk for that tissue, as other factors downstream of DNA adduct formation (including DNA repair and cell proliferation) play an important role in determining overall risk.

Tobacco smoke carcinogens and lung cancer

The complexity of tobacco smoke leads to some confusion about the mechanisms by which it causes lung cancer. Among the multiple components of tobacco smoke, 20 carcinogens convincingly cause lung tumors in laboratory animals or humans and are, therefore, likely to be involved in lung cancer induction. Of these, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone are likely to play major roles. This review focuses on carcinogens in tobacco smoke as a means of simplifying and clarifying the relevant information that provides a mechanistic framework linking nicotine addiction with lung cancer through exposure to such compounds. Included is a discussion of the mechanisms by which tobacco smoke carcinogens interact with DNA and cause genetic changes--mechanisms that are reasonably well understood--and the less well defined relationship between exposure to specific tobacco smoke carcinogens and mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Molecular epidemiologic studies of gene-carcinogen interactions and lung cancer--an approach that has not yet reached its full potential--are also discussed, as are inhalation studies of tobacco smoke in laboratory animals and the potential role of free radicals and oxidative damage in tobacco-associated carcinogenesis. By focusing in this review on several important carcinogens in tobacco smoke, the complexities in understanding tobacco-induced cancer can be reduced, and new approaches for lung cancer prevention can be envisioned.

Endogenous and background DNA adducts by methylating and 2-hydroxyethylating agents

Detection of 7-alkylguanine DNA adducts is useful to assess human exposure to and the resulting DNA damage caused by simple alkylating agents. The background 7-methylguanine (7-MG) and 7-hydroxyethylguanine (7-HEG) adduct levels were determined in human and rat tissues, using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) combined with high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, these two adduct levels were also compared in various tissues between smokers and non-smokers. The results demonstrated that the background level of 7-alkylguanine adducts in WBC and lung tissues of non-smokers was 2.9 and 4.0 adducts/107 nucleotides, respectively. In smokers with lung cancers 7-MG adduct level in lung samples (6.3+/-1.9 adducts/107 nucleotides) and in bronchus samples (6.1+/-1.5 adducts/107 nucleotides) was significantly higher than that in WBC samples (3.3+/-0.9 adducts/107 nucleotides). 7-HEG adduct levels obtained from the same individuals were 0.8+/-0.3 in lung, 1.0+/-0.8 in bronchus and 0.6+/-0.2 adducts/107 nucleotides in WBC, respectively. Animal studies showed that background levels of 7-MG (2.1-2.5 adducts/107 nucleotides) in control rats were approximately 2-4-fold higher than 7-HEG levels (0.6-0.9 adducts/107 nucleotides). After a 3-day exposure to 300 ppm ethene, 7-HEG adducts accumulated to a similar extent in different tissues of rats, with the mean adduct level of 5.6-7.0 in liver, 7.4 in lymphocytes and 5.5 adducts/107 nucleotides in kidney.

DNA adduct formation from tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines

Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines are a group of carcinogens derived from the tobacco alkaloids. They are likely causative factors for cancers of the lung, esophagus, pancreas, and oral cavity in people who use tobacco products. The most carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines in laboratory animals are 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), and N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN). DNA adduct formation from NNK and NNN has been studied extensively and is reviewed here. NNK is metabolically activated by cytochromes P450 to intermediates which methylate and pyridyloxobutylate DNA. The resulting adducts have been detected in cells and tissues susceptible to NNK carcinogenesis in rodents. The methylation and pyridyloxobutylation pathways are both important in carcinogenesis by NNK. NNK also induces single strand breaks and increases levels of 8-oxodeoxyguanosine in DNA of treated animals. NNAL, which like NNK is a potent pulmonary carcinogen, is also metabolically activated to methylating and pyridyloxobutylating intermediates. NNN pyridyloxobutylates DNA in its rat target tissues, esophagus and nasal mucosa. Methyl and pyridyloxobutyl DNA adducts are detected in human tissues. The methyl adducts most likely result in part from exposure of smokers to NNK, but these adducts are also detected in non-smokers. Some of the methyl adducts detected in non-smokers may be due to environmental tobacco smoke exposure. There are also potential dietary and endogenous sources of these adducts. Pyridyloxobutyl DNA adducts in human tissues result mainly from exposure to tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines. In laboratory animals, DNA adduct formation and carcinogenicity of tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines are closely correlated in many instances, and it is likely that similar relationships will hold in humans.

Heterogeneous repair of N-methylpurines at the nucleotide level in normal human cells

Base excision repair rates of dimethyl sulfate-induced 3-methyladenine and 7-methylguanine adducts were measured at nucleotide resolution along the PGK1 gene in normal human fibroblasts. Rates of 7-methylguanine repair showed a 30-fold dependence on nucleotide position, while position-dependent repair rates of 3-methyladenine varied only sixfold. Slow excision rates for 7-methylguanine bases afforded the opportunity to study their excision in vitro as a model for base excision repair. A two-component in vitro excision system, composed of human N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG protein) and dimethyl sulfate-damaged DNA manifested sequence context-dependent rate differences for 7-methylguanine of up to 185-fold from position to position. This in vitro system reproduced both the global repair rate, and for the PGK1 coding region, the position-dependent repair patterns observed in cells. The equivalence of in vivo repair and in vitro excision data indicates that removal of 7-methylguanine by the MPG protein is the rate-limiting step in base excision repair of this lesion. DNA "repair rate footprints" associated with DNA glycosylase accessibility were observed only in a region with bound transcription factors. The "repair rate footprints" represent a rare chromatin component of 7-meG base excision repair otherwise dominated by sequence-context dependence. Comparison of in vivo repair rates to in vitro rates for 3-methyladenine, however, shows that the rate-limiting step determining position-dependent repair for this adduct is at one of the post-DNA glycosylase stages. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that a comparison of sequence context-dependent in vitro reaction rates to in vivo position-dependent repair rates permits the identification of steps responsible for position-dependent repair. Such analysis is now feasible for the different steps and adducts repaired via the base excision repair pathway.

Chronic low-dose lesion equilibrium along genes: measurement, molecular epidemiology, and theory of the minimal relevant dose

Spontaneous mutations seem to be caused almost entirely by endogenous lesions. The pattern of these lesions along a gene represents an equilibrium between damage and repair. A pattern can be measured using ligation-mediated PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and a large chronic dose of a suspected endogenous mutagen. A study using dimethylsulfate-induced 7meGuanine lesions indicates that the exogenously induced pattern depends on how methyl purine glycosylase recognizes sequence context and, for this lesion, the pattern may be independent of the mutagen's dose.

A qualitative and quantitative risk assessment of snuff dipping

The presence of highly carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) in snuff has been a matter of serious concern. However, the levels of TSNA in such products may differ by orders of magnitude depending on origin and manner of processing, and the mere presence of such agents at low levels does hardly constitute a meaningful prerequisite for classifying all types of snuff as human carcinogens. Reviewing available epidemiological evidence, a wide discrepancy is found for estimated cancer risk associated with snuff dipping derived from on one hand previous investigations conducted in the United States and on the other from recent extensive Swedish epidemiological studies. In spite of the fact that approximately 20% of all grown-up Swedish males use moist snuff, it has not been possible to detect any significant increase in the incidence of cancer of the oral cavity or pharynx-the prevalence of which by international standards remains low in this country. Further, there is insufficient evidence for a causal link between the use of Swedish snuff and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Dissimilarities in the content of TSNA in oral snuff products may represent one important reason for the different outcomes of the epidemiological surveys conducted in the United States and Sweden. Bioassays using pure TSNA in rodents appear to give exaggerated risk estimates for humans, a discrepancy that could be ascribed to species-related differences in the relation between exposure and DNA target dose and/or adduct repair rates, as well as to the presence of anticarcinogens in snuff. Although a small risk cannot be excluded, the use of smokeless tobacco products low in TSNA which now are available on the market entails a risk that at any rate is more than 10 times lower than that associated with active smoking. Nevertheless, due to the decisive role of potent TSNA in determining possible cancer risks in users of smokeless tobacco, and due to the fact that large variations in the concentrations may occur, adequate control measures should be taken to keep the levels of these nitrosamines in smokeless tobacco products as low as is technically feasible.

Somatic mutation theory, DNA repair rates, and the molecular epidemiology of p53 mutations

The theory of somatic mutagenesis predicts that the frequency pattern of induced selectable mutations along a gene is the product of the probability patterns of the several sequential steps of mutagenesis, e.g., damage, repair, polymerase misreading, and selection. Together, the variance of these component steps is propagated to generate a mutagen's induced mutational spectrum along a gene. The step with the greatest component of variance will drive most of the variability of the mutation frequency along a gene. This most variable step, for UV-induced mutations, is the cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimer repair rate. The repair rate of cyclopyrimidine dimers is quite variable from nucleotide position to nucleotide position and we show that this variation along the p53 gene drives the C-->T transition frequency of non-melanocytic skin tumors. On showing that the kinetics of cyclopyrimidine dimer repair at any one nucleotide position are first order, we use this kinetic and the somatic mutation theory to derive Leq, the adduct frequency along a gene as presented to a DNA polymerase after a cell population reaches damage-repair equilibrium from a chronic dose of mutagen. Leq is the product of the first two sequential steps of mutagenesis, damage and repair, and the frequency of this product is experimentally mapped using ligation-mediated PCR. The concept of Leq is applied to mutagenesis theory, chronic dose genetic toxicology, genome evolution, and the practical problems of molecular epidemiology.