The interaction of chromatin with alkylating agents. The monofunctional action of bis(2-chloroethyl)methylamine

Effect of Nucleosome Assembly on Alkylation by a Dynamic Electrophile

Quinone methides are reactive electrophiles that are generated during metabolism of various drugs, natural products, and food additives. Their chemical properties and cellular effects have been described previously, and now their response to packaging DNA in a nucleosome core is described. A model bisquinone methide precursor (bisQMP) was selected based on its ability to form reversible adducts with guanine N7 that allow for their redistribution and transfer after quinone methide regeneration. Assembly of Widom's 601 DNA with the histone octamer of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 from Xenopus laevis significantly suppressed alkylation of the DNA. This result is a function of DNA packaging since addition of the octamer without nucleosome reconstitution only mildly protected DNA from alkylation. The lack of competition between nucleophiles of DNA and the histones was consistent with the limited number of adducts formed by the histones as detected by tryptic digestion and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Only three peptide adducts were observed after reaction with a monofunctional analogue of bisQMP, and only two peptide adducts were observed after reaction with bisQMP. Histone reaction was also suppressed when reconstituted into the nucleosome core particle. However, bisQMP was capable of cross-linking the DNA and histones in moderate yields (∼20%) that exceeded expectations derived from reaction of cisplatin, nitrogen mustards, and diepoxybutane. The core histones also demonstrated a protective function against dynamic alkylation by trapping the reactive quinone methide after its spontaneous regeneration from DNA adducts.

Collaborative work on evaluation of ovarian toxicity. 6) Two- or four-week repeated-dose studies and fertility study of cisplatin in female rats

The main aim of the present study is to determine the optimal administration period of cisplatin with regards to its toxic effects on ovarian morphology in the repeated-dose toxicity study. Cisplatin was administered to female SD rats intraperitoneally once daily at dose levels of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg for 2 weeks, or at dose levels of 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg for 4 weeks in the repeated-dose toxicity study. In the female fertility study, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg of cisplatin were administered in the same manner from 14 days prior to mating to Day 7 of gestation. In the repeated-dose toxicity study, a decrease in large follicle, an increase in atresia of medium and large follicles, and/or a decrease in currently formed corpus luteum were observed in animals receiving 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg for 2 weeks, and decreases in small and/or large follicles and an increase in atresia of large follicle were observed in animals receiving 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg for 4 weeks on the histopathological examination of the ovaries. In the female fertility study, the copulation and fertility indices in the animals receiving 1.0 mg/kg tended to be lower than those in the control animals. In conclusion, histopathological changes in the ovary that were attributable to cisplatin dosing were detected by detailed observation of the ovary in the 2-week study; and therefore, a 2-week administration period is sufficient to evaluate the ovarian toxicity of cisplatin.

Construction of nucleosome cores from defined sequence DNA of viral origin

The de novo construction of defined nucleosomes from two DNA fragments of simian virus SV40 is described. One fragment spans the region containing the origin of replication of the virus from base -16 to base 161, a region which is nucleosome-free during virus replication. The other fragment, of 142 bp (1352 to 1493), is within the region coding for viral proteins VP2 and VP3, and serves for comparison. Both fragments form nucleosomes with similar efficiency when combined with histone cores as well as when exchanged with existing core particles. The DNase I digestion pattern and exonuclease III analysis both indicate that true nucleosome cores are formed, and that a prolonged tail is not protruding from the constructs. The efficient formation of a nucleosome core particle from the origin region of DNA implies that the absence of nucleosomes from this region during viral infection is not prescribed by the specific base sequence of origin DNA, and is therefore likely to be determined by non-histone nuclear factors associated with the SV40 replication process.

Construction of nucleosome cores from defined DNA sequences of prokaryotic origin

A procedure for the de novo construction of nucleosome core particles from defined DNA sequences of prokaryotic origin is described. Efficient de novo reconstitution without added carrier DNA is demonstrated. DNase I and exonuclease III analysis of a nucleosome core prepared from a 154 base pair fragment extending from base 853 to base 1006 of pBR322 indicates a non-random positioning of the histone core along the DNA. As bacteria have no histones, their DNA cannot be expected to have a histone core positioning signal encoded in it, the efficient formation of a uniquely positioned core particle is not self evident. The possibility that a phosphate end group positions DNA fragments on the histone is considered. The de novo reconstitution of carrier-less defined nucleosome core particles should facilitate the physicochemical study of nucleosomes on the fine structural level.

Paranemic structures of DNA and their role in DNA unwinding

A DNA structure is defined as paranemic if the participating strands can be separated without mutual rotation of the opposite strands. The experimental methods employed to detect paranemic, unwound, DNA regions is described, including probing by single-strand specific nucleases (SNN), conformation-specific chemical probes, topoisomer analysis, NMR, and other physical methods. The available evidence for the following paranemic structures is surveyed: single-stranded DNA, slippage structures, cruciforms, alternating B-Z regions, triplexes (H-DNA), paranemic duplexes and RNA, protein-stabilized paranemic DNA. The problem of DNA unwinding during gene copying processes is analyzed; the possibility that extended paranemic DNA regions are transiently formed during replication, transcription, and recombination is considered, and the evidence supporting the participation of paranemic DNA forms in genes committed to or undergoing copying processes is summarized.

Effect of varying the exposure and 3H-thymidine labeling period upon the outcome of the primary hepatocyte DNA repair assay

The results presented in this report demonstrate that an 18-20 hour exposure/3H-thymidine DNA labeling period is superior to a 4 hour incubation interval for general genotoxicity screening studies in the rat primary hepatocyte DNA repair assay. When DNA damaging agents which give rise to bulky-type DNA base adducts such as 2-acetylaminofluorene, aflatoxin B1 and benzidine were evaluated, little or no difference was observed between the 4 hour or an 18-20-hour exposure/labeling period. Similar results were also noted for the DNA ethylating agent diethylnitrosamine. However, when DNA damaging chemicals which produce a broader spectrum of DNA lesions were studied, differences in the amount of DNA repair as determined by autoradiographic analysis did occur. Methyl methanesulfonate and dimethylnitrosamine induced repairable DNA damage that was detected at lower dose levels with the 18-20 hour exposure/labeling period. Similar results were also observed for the DNA cross-linking agents, mitomycin C and nitrogen mustard. Ethyl methanesulfonate produced only a marginal amount of DNA repair in primary hepatocytes up to a dose level of 10(-3) M during the 4 hour incubation period, whereas a substantial amount of DNA repair was detectable at a dose level of 2.5 X 10(-4) M when the 18-20 hour exposure/labeling period was employed. The DNA alkylating agent 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, which creates DNA base adducts that are slowly removed from mammalian cell DNA, induced no detectable DNA repair in hepatocytes up to a toxic dose level of 2 X 10(-5) M with the 4 hour exposure period, whereas a marked DNA repair response was observed at 10(-5) M when the 18-20 hour exposure/labeling period was used.

Distribution of carbon tetrachloride-metabolite(s) to DNase I-sensitive and -resistant chromatin

The distribution of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) metabolite(s) to DNase I-sensitive and -resistant regions of mouse hepatic chromatin was determined following incubation of whole chromatin with [14C]CCl4 in the presence of hepatic microsomes and an NADPH-regenerating system. At 2 h of incubation, [14C]CCl4 metabolite(s) bound essentially to the same extent to DNase I-sensitive and -resistant chromatin regions. Binding of [14C]CCl4 metabolite(s) to DNase I-resistant regions, however, increased significantly over the DNase I-sensitive regions when incubation was prolonged to 4 h. This result suggests that CCl4 does not bind preferentially to DNase I-sensitive regions of chromatin.

Depression of histone acetylation by alkylating antitumor agents: significance for antitumor activity and possible biological consequences

Treatment of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells with the alkylating antitumor agents triaziquonum, N-mustard and cyclophosphamide leads to a reduction in the posttranslational incorporation of 3H-acetate into histones and the extent of histone acetylation in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. All core histones are affected. The depression of histone acetylation is not the result of a decrease in acetyl-CoA. Evidence is presented for an activation of histone deacetylase by alkylating agents. A reduction of histone deacetylation is observed after exposure to all concentrations of alkylating agents which inhibit cell proliferation. In order to evaluate the biological consequences of a reduction of histone acetylation, the extent of acetylation was modulated by either chemical acetylation or treatment with butyrate. In all cases an increase in histone acetylation leads to an enhancement of the rate of transcription. In accord with previous reports from our laboratory (1), it is concluded that the reduction of histone acetylation affects RNA synthesis. It is emphasized, however, that besides a regulation of transcription, histone acetylation may be involved in other cell functions. Thus, the complete biological consequences of the reduction of histone acetylation remain to be elucidated. In view of the antitumor activity of the alkylating agents it seems noteworthy that hepatoma AS30D cells are characterized by a remarkably higher extent of histone H4-acetylation compared to normal, adult, fetal, or regenerating liver.

Comparison of properties of the in vitro and cellular anthramycin-DNA adducts and characterization of the reaction of anthramycin with chromatin

The reaction of anthramycin with DNA has been examined to determine the chemical identity of the adduct which forms in a living cell and to observe the effects of the nucleosome structure of chromatin on drug binding. The chemical identity of the cellular adduct was probed by comparing various properties of the cellular adduct to properties of the known, in vitro adduct. The effect of the histones on anthramycin binding was investigated by time-course binding reactions. Results indicate that the properties of the cellular anthramycin-DNA adduct are similar to the in vitro adduct. The histone proteins associated with DNA in chromatin were found to decrease both the reaction kinetics and the final levels of anthramycin binding. Anthramycin reacts appreciably with nucleosome core DNA, but appears to exhibit a preference for linker DNA.