Lung tumor KRAS and TP53 mutations in nonsmokers reflect exposure to PAH-rich coal combustion emissions

We determined the TP53 and codon 12 KRAS mutations in lung tumors from 24 nonsmokers whose tumors were associated with exposure to smoky coal. Among any tumors studied previously, these showed the highest percentage of mutations that (a) were G --> T transversions at either KRAS (86%) or TP53 (76%), (b) clustered at the G-rich codons 153-158 of TP53 (33%), and (c) had 100% of the guanines of the G --> T transversions on the nontranscribed strand. This mutation spectrum is consistent with an exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are the primary component of the smoky coal emissions. These results show that mutations in the TP53 and KRAS genes can reflect a specific environmental exposure.

Induction of sister chromatid exchanges in human peripheral blood lymphocytes by bromoform: investigation of the role of GSTT1-1 polymorphism

Brominated trihalomethanes (THMs) are disinfection by-products present frequently in chlorinated drinking water. Brominated THMs are mutagenic in a variety of systems and are carcinogenic in rodents. The metabolism of brominated THMs is thought to involve a GSH conjugation reaction leading either to formaldehyde or DNA-reactive intermediates via glutathione S-transferase-theta (GSTT1-1), which is polymorphic in humans. In the present study, we have determined the genotoxicity of one of the brominated THMs, bromoform (BF), by measuring its ability to induce sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in whole-blood (WB) cultures of human peripheral blood lymphocytes from GSTT1-1+ and GSTT1-1- donors. The results showed no differences in SCEs per cell by BF between GSTT1-1+ and GSTT1-1- individuals when the cells were exposed to 5 x 10(-3) M BF at the beginning of cell culturing (10.8+/-0.85 vs. 10.57+/-0.47, respectively), at the 16th (9.66+/-0.91 vs. 9.57+/-0.07), or the 24th h (8.21+/-0.61 vs. 8.29+/-0.24) of cell growth. Although GSTT1-1 is expressed in the erythrocytes, the lack of expression of the GSTT1-1 gene in the target cells (lymphocytes) may account for this observation.

Induction of genetic damage in human lymphocytes and mutations in Salmonella by trihalomethanes: role of red blood cells and GSTT1-1 polymorphism

The brominated trihalomethanes (THMs) are mutagenic and carcinogenic disinfection by-products frequently found in chlorinated drinking water. They can be activated to mutagens by the product of the glutathione S-transferase-Theta (GSTT1++-1) gene in Salmonella RSJ100, which has been transfected with this gene. To evaluate this phenomenon in humans, we have examined the genotoxicity of a brominated THM, bromoform (BF), using the Comet assay in human whole blood cultures exposed in vitro. No differences were found in the comet tail length between cultures from GSTT1-1(+) versus GSTT1-1(-) individuals (1.67 +/- 0.40 and 0.74 +/- 0.54 microm/mM, respectively, P = 0.28). The high variability was due to the relatively weak induction of comets by BF. Combining the data from both genotypic groups, the genotoxic potency of BF was 1.20 +/- 0.34 microm/mM (P = 0.003). GSTT1-1 is expressed in red blood cells but not in the target cells (lymphocytes), and expression within the target cell (as in Salmonella RSJ100) may be necessary for enhanced mutagenesis in GSTT1-1(+) relative to GSTT1-1(-) cultures. To examine this, we exposed Salmonella RSJ100 and a control strain not expressing the gene (TPT100) to the most mutagenic brominated THM detected in Salmonella, dibromochloromethane (DBCM), either in the presence or absence of S9 or red blood cells from GSTT1-1(+) or GSTT1-1(-) individuals. S9 did not activate DBCM in the non-expressing strain TPT100, and it did not affect the ability of the expressing strain RSJ100 to activate DBCM. As with S9, red cells from either genotypic group were unable to activate DBCM in TPT100. However, red cells (whole or lysed) from both genotypic groups completely repressed the ability of the expressing strain RSJ100 to activate DBCM to a mutagen. Such results suggest a model in which exposure to brominated THMs may pose an excess genotoxic risk in GSTT1-1(+) individuals to those organs and tissues that both express this gene and come into direct contact with the brominated THM, such as the colon. In contrast, those organs to which brominated THMs would be transported via the blood might be protected by erythrocytes. Such a proposal is reasonably consistent with the organ specificity of drinking water-associated cancer in humans, which shows slightly elevated risks for cancer of the colon and bladder but not of the liver.

Comparison of cytogenetic effects of 3,4-epoxy-1-butene and 1,2:3, 4-diepoxybutane in mouse, rat and human lymphocytes following in vitro G0 exposures

To understand better the species differences in carcinogenicity caused by 1,3-butadiene (BD), we exposed G0 lymphocytes (either splenic or peripheral blood) from rats, mice and humans to 3, 4-epoxy-1-butene (EB) (20 to 931 microM) or 1,2:3,4-diepoxybutane (DEB) (2.5 to 320 uM), two of the suspected active metabolites of BD. Short EB exposures induced little measurable cytogenetic damage in either rat, mouse, or human G0 lymphocytes as measured by either sister chromatid exchange (SCE) or chromosome aberration (CA) analyses. However, DEB was a potent inducer of both SCEs and CAs in G0 splenic and peripheral blood lymphocytes. A comparison of the responses among species showed that the rat and mouse were approximately equisensitive to the cytogenetic damaging effects of DEB, but the situation for the human subjects was more complex. The presence of the GSTT1-1 gene (expressed in the erythrocytes) reduced the relative sensitivity of the lymphocytes to the SCE-inducing effects of DEB. However, additional factors also appear to influence the genotoxic response of humans to DEB. This study is the first direct comparison of the genotoxicity of EB and DEB in the cells from all three species.

Multifocal accumulation of p53 protein in esophageal carcinoma: evidence for field cancerization

A systematic characterization of the cancerization field of esophageal carcinoma based on p53 protein accumulation has not been reported previously. The present report presents such a study based on 50 specimens of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma from northern China. To gain insight into the etiology of this disease among the 50 subjects, DNA was analyzed for a polymorphism of the aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) gene, which has been associated with increased risk for esophageal cancer among alcohol-consuming patients in Japan. However, the frequency of this polymorphism among our subjects, 30% (15/50), was within published control frequencies for this allele, suggesting that this allele may not play a role in the etiology of esophageal cancer in this northern Chinese population. Immuno-histochemical staining showed that 66% of the tumors were p53+. Of 420 pieces near or adjacent to p53+ tumors, p53+ cells were present among 64% of basal-cell hyperplasia (BCH), 70% of dysplasia (DYS) and 88% of carcinoma in situ (CIS). Of 216 pieces near or adjacent to p53- tumors, p53+ frequencies were 25% of BCH, 25% of DYS and 0% of CIS. The proportion of BCH cells that were p53+ decreased at increasing distance from the tumor (p = 0.006). The sporadic distribution of p53+ cells and the distribution and frequency of p53+ precursor lesions support the view that accumulation of p53 protein is multifocal and occurs in precursor lesions in early stages of esophageal carcinogenesis.

The frequency of illegitimate V(D)J recombinase-mediated mutations in children treated with etoposide-containing antileukemic therapy

Etoposide is among the most widely used anti-cancer drugs. Its use, however, has been associated with increased risk of secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) which is characterized by chromosomal translocations suggesting involvement of recombination-associated motifs at the breakpoints. A PCR-based assay was developed to quantitate the frequency of two illegitimate V(D)J recombinase-mediated genomic rearrangements-a 20-kb deletion in the hprt gene and the bcl2/IgH translocation (t(14;18)) found in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We examined both lymphocyte and non-lymphocyte blood cell DNA of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for changes in the frequencies of these biomarkers during etoposide therapy to determine the level of illegitimate V(D)J recombination changes during therapy. A low level of t(14;18) was found in the lymphocytes before etoposide treatment, which was significantly reduced during etoposide therapy. In before-etoposide samples, no t(14;18) were found among 7.72x107 non-lymphocytes; during treatment none were found among 1.87x108 non-lymphocytes. Deletions were not found before etoposide treatment in either the lymphocytes (6.67x107) or non-lymphocytes (5.43x107) and were non-significantly elevated during etoposide therapy (1 in 1.4x108 lymphocytes and 1 in 1.39x108 non-lymphocytes). It is interesting to note the one patient with an hprt deletion mutation in non-lymphocytes; V(D)J recombination is not normally found in this cell type, but is the cell type from which AML derives. Several patients had clones of t(14;18)-bearing cells as determined by DNA sequence analysis. These results suggest that this etoposide-based chemotherapy was ineffective in producing genomic rearrangements mediated by illegitimate V(D)J recombination in these patients.

Products of ozonized arachidonic acid potentiate the formation of DNA single strand breaks in cultured human lung cells

In this study we examined the potential for environmental levels of ozone (03) to degrade arachidonic acid (AA), a polyunsaturated fatty acid abundantly present in the lung, into products that can produce DNA single strand breaks (ssb) in cultured human lung cells. Human lung fibroblasts were incubated with 60 microM AA that had been previously exposed to and degraded by 0.4 ppm 03 (1 hr.) Incubation of the cells with 03-exposed AA (but not with vehicle alone) for 1 hr at 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C produced 555 and 245 rad-equivalents of DNA ssb, respectively, as determined by the DNA alkaline elution technique. These breaks were completely eliminated when the ozonized AA solution was incubated with catalase prior to cell treatment, indicating that h202 was solely responsible for damaging DNA. Superoxide dismutase bovine serum albumin, or heat-inactivated catalase showed little, if any, inhibitory activity. The H202 content of the ozonized AA (31 +/- 4 microM) could account for only about 40% of the observed breaks. Potentiation of the H202-induced DNA ssb persisted after removal of the carbonyl substances by chromatographic procedures, suggesting that the non-carbonyl component of ozonized AA was the responsible component for inducing augmentation of the observed increases in DNA ssb. Ozonized AA also induced DNA ssb in cultures of the human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B. Again, these breaks were shown to exceed levels that could be attributed to the presence of H202 alone. These results indicate that products of ozonized AA can interact to potentiate DNA ssb in human lung cells.

Localization of collagen types I and IV mRNAs in human optic nerve head by in situ hybridization

Using in situ hybridization, individual cells expressing mRNAs for collagen types I and IV were localized in fixed-tissue sections of adult and fetal human optic nerve heads. Astroglial cells lining the cribriform plates and cells inside the cribriform plates of the lamina cribrosa had mRNA for collagen type IV. Cells in the glial columns, pial septa, and vascular wall also contained mRNA collagen type IV. Collagen type I mRNA was expressed by cells of the cribriform plates of the lamina cribrosa of adults. Few cells in the glial columns, pial septa, and blood vessels had mRNA for collagen type I. Scleral fibroblasts contained mRNA for collagen type I. These results indicated that the expression of mRNA for both collagen types I and IV paralleled the localization of these extracellular matrix proteins in the optic nerve head and suggested that both collagen types were synthesized in this tissue throughout life.