U-shape rotating anti-cathode compact X-ray generator: 20 times stronger than the commercially available X-ray source.

A new type of U-shape anti-cathode X-ray generator in which the inner surface of a cylindrical target is irradiated by an electron beam has been made by modifying a conventional rotating anti-cathode X-ray generator whose brightness in the catalog is 12 kW mm(-2). The target material (Cu), target radius (50 mm) and rotating speed (6,000 r.p.m.) were not changed in this modification. A brightness of 52 kW mm(-2) was obtained by this U-shape-type X-ray generator. This means that the brightness of the new type is 4.3 times greater than that of the old unmodified one. Furthermore, the new-type X-ray generator yielded a brightness of 129 kW mm(-2) by adding a carbon coating on the Cu target. This means an overall increase of brightness of ten times. The original generator has the highest brightness in the generators of the same class (having a radius of 50 mm and rotation speed of 6,000 r.p.m.). Observations showed that Cu Kα counts at vertical incidence of the electron beam onto the surface of the new target, which is initially optically smooth, decrease as the surface is roughened by a severe thermal stress caused by strong electron beam exposure. Further observation reveals, however, that oblique incidence of the electron beam onto the roughened surface drastically increased the X-ray output and amounts to twice as much as that from a smooth surface at vertical incidence. Thus, at the present stage, an overall increase of brightness has been realised at a level 20 times stronger than that of the original commercially offered X-ray generator that we modified.

Gene transfer and expression in progeny after intravenous DNA injection into pregnant mice.

Several methods that enable foreign genes to be transferred directly into germ cells and adult animals have been developed, which have stimulated great interest in manipulating genes in vivo. However, there have been no methods available for introducing genes into fetuses. We report here that a single intravenous injection of expression plasmid: lipopolyamine complexes into pregnant mice resulted in successful gene transfer into the embryos. The transgenes thus introduced were expressed in the fetuses and newborn progeny. This simple and new method of gene transfer into embryos will facilitate rapid analysis of transgene effects in the fetuses and will be useful for studying gene-deficient animal models to gain transgene functions at desired stages of embryogenesis.

Hst-1 (FGF-4) antisense oligonucleotides block murine limb development.

The initiation of limb development depends on the site specific proliferation of the mesenchyme by the signals from the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) in embryonic mouse. We have previously reported that the local expression of Hst-1/Fgf-4 transcripts in AER of the mouse limb bud is developmentally regulated, expressed at 11 and 12 days post coitus (p.c.) embryo. In an effort to further understand the role of Hst-1/FGF-4 in mouse limb development, an antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) study was performed. We first established a novel organ culture system to study mouse limb development in vitro. This system allows mouse limb bud at 9.5-10-d p.c. embryo, when placed on a sheet of extracellular matrix in a defined medium, to differentiate into a limb at 12.5-d p.c. embryo within 4.5 d. Using this organ culture system, we have shown that exposure of 9.5-10-d p.c. embryonal limb bud explants to antisense ODNs of Hst-1/FGF-4 blocks limb development. In contrast, sense and scrambled ODNs have no inhibitory effect on limb outgrowth, suggesting that Hst-1/FGF-4 may work as a potent inducing factor for mouse limb development.

Studies on environmental chemical carcinogenesis in Japan.

The historical background of studies in Japan on chemical carcinogenesis from environmental sources is described from personal experience.

Multistep carcinogenesis: a 1992 perspective.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Japan. Recent changes in cancer incidence patterns may reflect the trend toward a more Western diet and life-style. Among the dietary factors that contribute to carcinogenesis are the heterocyclic amines, a group of mutagenic compounds present in cooked meat and fish. Carcinogenesis is a multistep process in which cells accumulate multiple genetic alterations as they progress to a more malignant phenotype. Recognition of the growing number of interacting factors that contribute to carcinogenesis may force reconsideration of current methods of risk assessment.

A new tumor-promoting agent, dihydroteleocidin B, markedly enhances chemically induced malignant cell transformation.

Teleocidin, which was isolated from mycelia of Streptomyces, is a potent tumor promoter in mouse skin. The catalytically hydrogenated compound dihydroteleocidin B markedly enhanced malignant cell transformation induced by 3-methylcholanthrene or ultraviolet radiation. Dihydroteleocidin B was at least 100 times more effective in enhancing transformation than 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, the strongest promoter known until now, whereas both promoters showed equal capacities to induce early membrane effects and DNA synthesis.

L-isoleucine and L-leucine: tumor promoters of bladder cancer in rats.

A 4-week assay for screening tumor promoters of bladder cancer has been developed in which increased agglutinability of isolated rat bladder cells with concanavalin A is used as an indicator. On the basis of this assay system, L-isoleucine and L-leucine were suspected of being possible tumor promoters. Results of 40- to 60-week carcinogenesis experiments in which N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine was used as an initiator demonstrate that L-isoleucine and L-leucine promote bladder cancer in rats. This finding may be relevant to the high incidence of human bladder cancer in Western countries, where the diet is rich in protein.

Bromine residue at hydrophilic region influences biological activity of aplysiatoxin, a tumor promoter.

Aplysiatoxin and debromoaplysiatoxin, which are isolated from the seaweed, Lyngbya gracilis, differ in their chemical structure only by the presence or absence of a bromine residue in the hydrophilic region. The function and the structure-activity relation of the hydrophilic region are not known. Aplysiatoxin increased malignant transformation, stimulated DNA synthesis, and inhibited the binding of phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate and epidermal growth factor to cell receptors. Debromoaplysiatoxin inhibited the binding of these two substances as strongly as aplysiatoxin but did not increase malignant transformation or stimulate DNA synthesis. These results indicate that a slight change in the chemical structure of the hydrophilic region of aplysiatoxin affects its abilities to increase cell transformation and stimulate DNA synthesis and that the abilities of the tumor promoters to inhibit the binding of phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate and epidermal growth factor are dissociable from their abilities to increase cell transformation and stimulate DNA synthesis under some circumstances.

Carcinogenicity in mice of mutagenic compounds from a tryptophan pyrolyzate.

The compounds 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole and 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole, which are potent mutagens in a tryptophan pyrolyzate, ar hepatic carcinogens when given orally to mice at concentrations of 200 parts per million in a pellet diet. Female mice showed higher susceptibilities to both compounds than male mice.

Effective prevention of thrombocytopenia in mice using adenovirus-mediated transfer of HST-1 (FGF-4) gene.

HST-1 (FGF-4) gene product is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family with a signal peptide and plays a crucial role in limb development. We showed previously that an intraperitoneal injection of replication-deficient adenovirus containing the HST-1 gene (Adex1HST-1) into normal mice caused a twofold increase in peripheral platelet count. To investigate whether Adex1HST-1 could effectively prevent experimentally induced thrombocytopenia in mice, we injected Adex1HST-1 intraperitoneally into thrombocytopenic mice induced by administration of a chemotherapeutic agent and/or by irradiation. A single Adex1HST-1 injection caused continuously increased levels of serum HST-1 protein for at least 30 d and increased the count of large megakaryocytes in bone marrow, which specifically recovered platelet counts and more efficiently diminished the extent and duration of thrombocytopenia than any other reported cytokine or any combination of cytokines so far. In the other peripheral hematological parameters, no discernible differences were detected. No other apparent side effects were observed. Therefore, this method could be useful for treatment and/or prevention of thrombocytopenia induced by chemotherapy and/or irradiation for cancer treatment.

Rat c-raf oncogene activation by a rearrangement that produces a fused protein.

In a previous study, activated rat c-raf was detected by an NIH 3T3 cell transfection assay, and a rearrangement was demonstrated in the 5' half of the sequence of the gene. In the present study, the cDNAs of normal and activated rat c-raf were analyzed. Results showed that the activated c-raf gene is transcribed to produce a fused mRNA, in which the 5' half of the sequence is replaced by an unknown rat sequence. This mRNA codes a fused c-raf protein. The normal and activated c-raf cDNAs were each connected to the long terminal repeat of Rous sarcoma virus and transfected into NIH 3T3 cells. Only the activated form had transforming activity. We conclude that the rearrangement is responsible for the activation of c-raf.

Structure of the c-Ki-ras gene in a rat fibrosarcoma induced by 1,8-dinitropyrene.

Restriction enzyme maps were made of the region around exons 1 and 2 of activated c-Ki-ras of a fibrosarcoma (1,8-DNP2) induced in a rat by 1,8-dinitropyrene. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that activated c-Ki-ras shows a G----T transversion in codon 12 and consequently encodes cysteine instead of glycine in normal rat c-Ki-ras.

Correlation between the carcinogenicities of nitrofuran derivatives and their destructive actions on sebaceous glands of mouse skin.

The effects of six nitrofuran derivatives (including a formerly used food preservative) on mouse skin sebaceous glands were investigated. A close correlation was found between the carcinogenicities and destructive activities of nitrofuran derivatives on the sebaceous glands. 5-Nitro-2-furaldehyde semicarbazone and 4-methyl-1-[(5-nitrofurfurylidene)amino]-2-imidazolidinone, which are carcinogenic, caused marked destruction of the glands at a dose of 1-5 mg/mouse. 2-(5-Nitro-2-furfurylidene)-aminoethanol almost completely destroyed the glands at a dose of 5 mg/mouse; its carcinogenicity has not yet been investigated. 1-[(5-Nitrofurfurylidene)amino]-carcinogenic, did not affect the glands, even at a dose of 5 mg/mouse. 2-(2-Furyl)-3-(5-nitro-2-furyl)acrylamide, which is a potent mutagen but not carcinogenic, had no effect on the glands at a dose of 5 mg/mouse. Under similar conditions, the potent carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha)athracene almost completely destroyed the sebaceous glands at a dose of 0.05 mg/mouse, but dimethyl sulfoxide (used as solvent for the test compounds) had no effect.

Sequential histologic changes during gastric carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in susceptible ACI and resistant BUF rats.

Sequential histologic changes of the stomach during carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG; CAS: 70-25-7) were studied in susceptible ACI and resistant BUF strain rats. Rats were given MNNG at a concentration of 83 micrograms/ml in their drinking water for 32 weeks and then tap water and were sacrificed sequentially between weeks 1 and 57. In ACI rats, erosions, regenerative changes, focal and slightly atypical changes, and diffuse and severe atypical changes were observed sequentially in the pyloric region during the period of MNNG administration, where adenocarcinomas were observed after the cessation of MNNG treatment. In BUF rats, the main histologic changes induced by MNNG were erosions and hyperplasia of the glandular portion of pyloric glands at the margin of erosions. After the cessation of MNNG treatment, the hyperplasia of the pyloric glands subsided and was followed by atrophy of these glands. The results suggested that the responses of the gastric mucosa to MNNG in ACI and BUF rats were qualitatively different.

Loss of heterozygosity on chromosomes 1p and 11p in sporadic pheochromocytoma.

We used 29 polymorphic DNA markers to analyze tumor DNA samples from six patients with sporadic pheochromocytoma for possible loss of chromosomal heterozygosity; four had benign disease and two had malignant disease. Loss of heterozygosity was observed on four chromosomes: 1p (three of four patients), 2p (one of one), 5q (two of six), and 11p (three of five). Chromosomes 1p and 11p frequently had allelic deletions in these tumors, and these deletions may play an important role in the development of pheochromocytoma.

Effect of leupeptin, a protease inhibitor, on induction of bladder tumors in rats by n-butyl-n-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine.

Leupeptin, isolated from Actinomycetes, is a potent and specific inhibitor of proteases. We found that the administration of leupeptin enhanced that size of urinary bladder tumors induced in rats by the oral administration of N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN). BBN was given as a 0.05% solution in the drinking water for 6 weeks, and then animals were fed a diet with or without 0.1% leupeptin for 30 weeks. The average weight of the bladders with tumors in rats fed a leupeptin diet was about eight times that of rats on a diet without leupeptin, though the incidences and average numbers of tumors in the bladders were similar in the two groups.

Further studies on the effect of leupeptin, a protease inhibitor, on induction of bladder tumors in rats by N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine.

The effect of a microbial protease inhibitor, leupeptin, on the induction of urinary bladder tumors in W rats by N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) was examined. Three groups of animals were given 0.01% BBN in their drinking water for 12 weeks. A basal powder diet supplemented with 0.1% leupeptin was given to group A throughout the experiment and to group B when BBN administration was stopped. Group C was given the basal diet without leupeptin throughout the study. The total preservation period was 40 weeks. Results clearly showed that when leupeptin was given during the promotion step of bladder carcinogenesis (as in group B), it increased the size of tumors and the incidences of cancer and invasion. When leupeptin was given throughout the experiments, its effect was counteracted (as in group A).

Esophageal and gastric cancers with metastases induced in dogs by N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.

Three 6-month-old male beagle dogs were given a solution of 150 microng N-ethyl-N'-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG)/ml to drink ad libitum for 9 months. They all developed esophageal squamous cell carcinomas and gastric adenocarcinomas. The stomach adenocarcinomas were mostly in the antrum along the lesser curvature and were either well differentiated or poorly differentiated, with or without signet ring cells. The well-differentiated adenocarcinomas metastasized to the liver, and the poorly differentiated ones metastasized to the lymph nodes. The gastric mucosa in the antrum was atrophic, and the muscularis mucosae was fibrotic. Esophageal lesions were multicentric moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, and they developed without diffuse hyperplastic changes of the epithelium. One dog with a large ulcerated carcinoma of the esophagus had metastases in the lung, liver, peritoneum, and abdominal lymph nodes. One dog also had a hemangiosarcoma with hepatic metastasis and spindle cell sarcoma in the stomach and duodenum, respectively.

Induction of intestinal metaplasia in the stomachs of rats by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.

N-Methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) was administered orally to male Wistar rats at a concentration of 83 microgram/ml in the drinking water for 2, 4, 5, and 7 months; the rats were killed at about month 15. Intestinal metaplasia was found in the stomachs of 80-100% of the rats treated with MNNG for 4 or more months, of 37.5% treated with MNNG for 2 months, and of 10% of the controls. Metaplastic glands, composed of goblet cells and columnar cells with striated borders, were found in the pyloric region. Paneth's cells were found at the bottom of metaplastic glands in a rat treated with MNNG for 4 months. The incidence of well-differentiated adenocarcinomas of the stomach was 63-90% in rats treated with MNNG for 4 or more months and 25% in those treated with MNNG for 2 months.

Induction of liver tumors in Wistar rats by sodium nitrite given in pellet diet.

Sodium nitrate was given to male noninbred Wistar rats at levels of 800 ppm and 1,600 ppm in a pellet diet for 646 experimental days. The first tum or was found on day 441 in the liver of a rat given a diet containing 800 ppm sodium nitrite. On day 646, liver tumors were found in 1 of 22 rats (4.5%) on an 800-ppm sodium nitrite diet and in 5 of 19 rats (26.3%) on a 1,600-ppm sodium nitrite diet. The incidence of liver tumors in the rats fed 1,600 ppm sodium nitrite was significantly different from that in controls as judged by the t-test (P < 0.05). A hepatocellular carcinoma and a hemangioendothelial sarcoma of the liver were found on day 646 in 2 rats fed 1,600 ppm sodium nitrite. One mammary tumor but no liver tumors were found in the 19 control rats. The concentration of sodium nitrite decreased after preparation of the pellet diet, but it was still at least 70% of the initial amount when the pellets were given to the rats. Volatile N-nitroso compounds, especially dimehylnitrosamine, at ppm levels were detected in the pellet diet with a gas chromatography-thermal energy analyzer.