Global Protected Areas as refuges for amphibians and reptiles under climate change.

Protected Areas (PAs) are the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation. Here, we collated distributional data for >14,000 (~70% of) species of amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) to perform a global assessment of the conservation effectiveness of PAs using species distribution models. Our analyses reveal that >91% of herpetofauna species are currently distributed in PAs, and that this proportion will remain unaltered under future climate change. Indeed, loss of species' distributional ranges will be lower inside PAs than outside them. Therefore, the proportion of effectively protected species is predicted to increase. However, over 7.8% of species currently occur outside PAs, and large spatial conservation gaps remain, mainly across tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and across non-high-income countries. We also predict that more than 300 amphibian and 500 reptile species may go extinct under climate change over the course of the ongoing century. Our study highlights the importance of PAs in providing herpetofauna with refuge from climate change, and suggests ways to optimize PAs to better conserve biodiversity worldwide.

The Macroecology of Chemical Communication in Lizards: Do Climatic Factors Drive the Evolution of Signalling Glands?

Chemical communication plays a pivotal role in shaping sexual and ecological interactions among animals. In lizards, fundamental mechanisms of sexual selection such as female mate choice have rarely been shown to be influenced by quantitative phenotypic traits (e.g., ornaments), while chemical signals have been found to potentially influence multiple forms of sexual and social interactions, including mate choice and territoriality. Chemical signals in lizards are secreted by glands primarily located on the edge of the cloacae (precloacal glands, PG) and thighs (femoral glands), and whose interspecific and interclade number ranges from 0 to > 100. However, elucidating the factors underlying the evolution of such remarkable variation remains an elusive endeavour. Competing hypotheses suggest a dominant role for phylogenetic conservatism (i.e., species within clades share similar numbers of glands) or for natural selection (i.e., their adaptive diversification results in deviating numbers of glands from ancestors). Using the prolific Liolaemus lizard radiation from South America (where PG vary from 0 to 14), we present one of the largest-scale tests of both hypotheses to date. Based on climatic and phylogenetic modelling, we show a clear role for both phylogenetic inertia and adaptation underlying gland variation: (i) solar radiation, net primary productivity, topographic heterogeneity and precipitation range have a significant effect on PG variation, (ii) humid and cold environments tend to concentrate species with a higher number of glands, (iii) there is a strong phylogenetic signal that tends to conserve the number of PG within clades. Collectively, our study confirms that the inertia of niche conservatism can be broken down by the need of species facing different selection regimes to adjust their glands to suit the demands of their specific environments.

What defines an adaptive radiation? Macroevolutionary diversification dynamics of an exceptionally species-rich continental lizard radiation.

BACKGROUND: Adaptive radiation theory posits that ecological opportunity promotes rapid proliferation of phylogenetic and ecological diversity. Given that adaptive radiation proceeds via occupation of available niche space in newly accessed ecological zones, theory predicts that: (i) evolutionary diversification follows an 'early-burst' process, i.e., it accelerates early in the history of a clade (when available niche space facilitates speciation), and subsequently slows down as niche space becomes saturated by new species; and (ii) phylogenetic branching is accompanied by diversification of ecologically relevant phenotypic traits among newly evolving species. Here, we employ macroevolutionary phylogenetic model-selection analyses to address these two predictions about evolutionary diversification using one of the most exceptionally species-rich and ecologically diverse lineages of living vertebrates, the South American lizard genus Liolaemus. RESULTS: Our phylogenetic analyses lend support to a density-dependent lineage diversification model. However, the lineage through-time diversification curve does not provide strong support for an early burst. In contrast, the evolution of phenotypic (body size) relative disparity is high, significantly different from a Brownian model during approximately the last 5 million years of Liolaemus evolution. Model-fitting analyses also reject the 'early-burst' model of phenotypic evolution, and instead favour stabilizing selection (Ornstein-Uhlenbeck, with three peaks identified) as the best model for body size diversification. Finally, diversification rates tend to increase with smaller body size. CONCLUSIONS: Liolaemus have diversified under a density-dependent process with slightly pronounced apparent episodic pulses of lineage accumulation, which are compatible with the expected episodic ecological opportunity created by gradual uplifts of the Andes over the last ~25My. We argue that ecological opportunity can be strong and a crucial driver of adaptive radiations in continents, but may emerge less frequently (compared to islands) when major events (e.g., climatic, geographic) significantly modify environments. In contrast, body size diversification conforms to an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model with multiple trait optima. Despite this asymmetric diversification between both lineages and phenotype, links are expected to exist between the two processes, as shown by our trait-dependent analyses of diversification. We finally suggest that the definition of adaptive radiation should not be conditioned by the existence of early-bursts of diversification, and should instead be generalized to lineages in which species and ecological diversity have evolved from a single ancestor.

Phenolphthalein and bisacodyl: assessment of genotoxic and carcinogenic responses in heterozygous p53 (+/-) mice and syrian hamster embryo (SHE) assay.

Phenolphthalein (800 and 2400 mg/kg/day by gavage and 2400 mg/kg/day by diet) and bisacodyl (800-500, 4000-2000, and 8000 mg/kg/day by gavage) were administered to 15 male and 15 female and 20 male and 20 female p53(+/-) mice respectively for 26 weeks to investigate the potential carcinogenicity of each compound. Toxicokinetic analyses confirmed systemic exposure. p-Cresidine was administered by gavage (400 mg/kg/day) and served as the positive control agent in each study. Dietary phenolphthalein reduced survival in both sexes and early deaths were attributed to thymic lymphoma. No bisacodyl-related neoplasms were observed. Regardless of route of administration to p53(+/-) mice, phenolphthalein but not bisacodyl was unequivocally genotoxic, causing increased micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes. In the Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cell transformation assay, phenolphthalein caused increases in morphologically transformed colonies, thereby corroborating NTP's earlier reports, showing phenolophthalein has potential carcinogenic activity. Bisacodyl was negative in the SHE assay. Results of these experiments confirm an earlier demonstration that dietary phenolphthalein causes thymic lymphoma in p53(+/-) mice and show that (1) phenolphthalein causes qualitatively identical results in this transgenic model regardless of route of oral administration, (2) phenolphthalein shows evidence of micronucleus induction in p53(+/-) mice for up to 26 weeks, (3) phenolphthalein induced transformations in the in vitro SHE assay, and (4) bisacodyl in p53(+/-) mice induces neither drug-related neoplasm, nor micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes, and did not induce transformations in the in vitro SHE assay.

Dermal carcinogenicity in transgenic mice: effect of vehicle on responsiveness of hemizygous Tg.AC mice to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA).

The Tg.AC mouse is being evaluated for use in short-term carcinogenicity bioassays. Because the dermal test protocol necessitates dissolving test agents we determined the effects of several solvents on responsiveness of hemizygous mice to dermal applications of the classical skin tumor promoter. phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA). Mice of both sexes received dermal applications of either acetone (negative control) or TPA in various vehicles [acetone, 100% methanol, 70% and 100% ethanol, DMSO and mixtures of acetone and ethanol (1:1), acetone and DMSO (4:1 and 1: 1). and acetone and olive oil (4:1)]. Negative control animals did not exhibit papillomas. When administered in acetone. ethanolic or methanolic vehicles TPA caused prompt and robust papillomatous responses. TPA was also tumorigenic in all nonalcoholic vehicles, except the acetone-olive oil mixture. Papilloma responses were generally delayed when TPA was applied in the nonalcoholic solvents but the distinction between TPA-dosed and negative control groups was unequivocal. These results show that choice of vehicle may affect the quantitative and qualitative nature of the response of Tg.AC mice to TPA, but 8 of 9 vehicles proved satisfactory for delivery of TPA.

The utility of PBPK in the safety assessment of chloroform and carbon tetrachloride.

Occupational exposure limits (OELs) for individual substances are established on the basis of the available toxicological information at the time of their promulgation, expert interpretation of these data in light of industrial use, and the framework in which they sit. In the United Kingdom, the establishment of specific OELs includes the application of uncertainty factors to a defined starting point, usually the NOAEL from a suitable animal study. The magnitude of the uncertainty factors is generally determined through expert judgment including a knowledge of workplace conditions and management of exposure. PBPK modeling may help in this process by informing on issues relating to extrapolation between and within species. This study was therefore designed to consider how PBPK modeling could contribute to the establishment of OELs. PBPK models were developed for chloroform (mouse and human) and carbon tetrachloride (rat and human). These substances were chosen for examination because of the extent of their toxicological databases and availability of existing PBPK models. The models were exercised to predict the rate (chloroform) or extent (carbon tetrachloride) of metabolism of these substances, in both rodents and humans. Monte Carlo analysis was used to investigate the influence of variability within the human and animal model populations. The ratio of the rates/extent of metabolism predicted for humans compared to animals was compared to the uncertainty factors involved in setting the OES. Predictions obtained from the PBPK models indicated that average rat and mouse metabolism of carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, respectively, are much greater than that of the average human. Application of Monte Carlo analysis indicated that even those people who have the fastest rates or most extensive amounts of metabolism in the population are unlikely to generate the levels of metabolite of these substances necessary to produce overt toxicity in rodents. This study highlights the value that the use of PBPK modeling may add to help inform and improve toxicological aspects of a regulatory process.

Concordance of the toxicity of pharmaceuticals in humans and in animals.

This report summarizes the results of a multinational pharmaceutical company survey and the outcome of an International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Workshop (April 1999), which served to better understand concordance of the toxicity of pharmaceuticals observed in humans with that observed in experimental animals. The Workshop included representatives from academia, the multinational pharmaceutical industry, and international regulatory scientists. The main aim of this project was to examine the strengths and weaknesses of animal studies to predict human toxicity (HT). The database was developed from a survey which covered only those compounds where HTs were identified during clinical development of new pharmaceuticals, determining whether animal toxicity studies identified concordant target organ toxicities in humans. Data collected included codified compounds, therapeutic category, the HT organ system affected, and the species and duration of studies in which the corresponding HT was either first identified or not observed. This survey includes input from 12 pharmaceutical companies with data compiled from 150 compounds with 221 HT events reported. Multiple HTs were reported in 47 cases. The results showed the true positive HT concordance rate of 71% for rodent and nonrodent species, with nonrodents alone being predictive for 63% of HTs and rodents alone for 43%. The highest incidence of overall concordance was seen in hematological, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular HTs, and the least was seen in cutaneous HT. Where animal models, in one or more species, identified concordant HT, 94% were first observed in studies of 1 month or less in duration. These survey results support the value of in vivo toxicology studies to predict for many significant HTs associated with pharmaceuticals and have helped to identify HT categories that may benefit from improved methods.

Simulation modeling of the tissue disposition of formaldehyde to predict nasal DNA-protein cross-links in Fischer 344 rats, rhesus monkeys, and humans.

Formaldehyde inhalation causes formation of DNA-protein cross-links (DPX) in the nasal mucosa of Fischer 344 (F344) rats and rhesus monkeys. DPX are considered to be part of the mechanism by which cytotoxic and carcinogenic effects of formaldehyde in laboratory animals are exerted, and DPX data have been used as a measure of tissue dose in cancer risk assessments for formaldehyde. Accurate prediction of DPX concentrations in humans is therefore desirable. The goal of this work was to increase confidence in the prediction of human DPX by refining earlier models of formaldehyde disposition and DPX kinetics in the nasal mucosa. Anatomically accurate, computational fluid dynamics models of the nasal airways of F344 rats, rhesus monkeys, and humans were used to predict the regional flux of formaldehyde to the respiratory and olfactory mucosa. A previously developed model of the tissue disposition of formaldehyde and of DPX kinetics was implemented in the graphical simulation tool SIMULINK and linked to the regional flux predictions. Statistical optimization was used to identify parameter values, and good simulations of the data were obtained. The parameter estimates for rats and monkeys were used to guide allometric scale-up to the human case. The relative levels of nasal mucosal DPX in rats, rhesus monkeys, and humans for a given inhaled concentration of formaldehyde were predicted by the model to vary with concentration. This modeling approach reduces uncertainty in the prediction of human nasal mucosal DPX resulting from formaldehyde inhalation.

Inhibition of cytochrome P450 2E1 decreases, but does not eliminate, genotoxicity mediated by 1,3-butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene (BD), a rodent carcinogen, is metabolized to mutagenic and DNA-reactive epoxides. In vitro data suggest that this oxidation is mediated by cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that oxidation of BD by CYP2E1 is required for genotoxicity to occur. Inhalation exposures were conducted with B6C3F1 mice using a closed-chamber technique, and the maximum rate of butadiene oxidation was estimated. The total amount of butadiene metabolized was then correlated with the frequency of micronuclei (MN). Three treatment groups were used: (1) mice with no pretreatment; (2) mice pretreated with 1,2-trans-dichloroethylene (DCE), a specific CYP2E1 inhibitor; and (3) mice pretreated with 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT), an irreversible inhibitor of cytochromes P450. Mice in all 3 groups were exposed to an initial BD concentration of 1100 ppm, and the decline in concentration of BD in the inhalation chamber with time, due to uptake and metabolism of BD, was monitored using gas chromatography. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model was used to analyze the gas uptake data, estimate V(max) for BD oxidation, and compute the total amount of BD metabolized. Model simulations of the gas uptake data predicted the maximum rate of BD oxidation would be reduced by 60% and 100% for the DCE- and ABT-pretreated groups, respectively. Bone marrow was harvested 24 h after the onset of the inhalation exposure and analyzed for frequency of micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes (MN-PCE). The frequency of MN-PCE per 1000 PCE in mice exposed to BD was 28.2 +/- 3.1, 19.8 +/- 2.5, and 12.3 +/- 1.9, for the mice with no pretreatment, DCE-pretreated mice and ABT-pretreated mice, respectively. Although inhibition of CYP2E1 decreased BD-mediated genotoxicity, it did not completely eliminate genotoxic effects. These data suggest that other P450 isoforms may contribute significantly to the metabolic activation of BD and resultant genotoxicity.

A human class II MHC-derived peptide antagonizes phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase to block IL-2 signaling.

MHC molecules bind antigenic peptides and present them to T cells. There is a growing body of evidence that MHC molecules also serve other functions. We and others have described synthetic peptides derived from regions of MHC molecules that inhibit T-cell proliferation or cytotoxicity in an allele-nonspecific manner that is independent of interaction with the T-cell receptor. In this report, we describe the mechanism of action of a synthetic MHC class II-derived peptide that blocks T-cell activation induced by IL-2. Both this peptide, corresponding to residues 65-79 of DQA*03011 (DQ 65-79), and rapamycin inhibit p70 S6 kinase activity, but only DQ 65-79 blocks Akt kinase activity, placing the effects of DQ 65-79 upstream of mTOR, a PI kinase family member. DQ 65-79, but not rapamycin, inhibits phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) activity in vitro. The peptide is taken up by cells, as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. These findings indicate that DQ 65-79 acts as an antagonist with PI 3-kinase, repressing downstream signaling events and inhibiting proliferation. Understanding the mechanism of action of immunomodulatory peptides may provide new insights into T-cell activation and allow the development of novel immunosuppressive agents.

Kinetic characterization of CYP2E1 inhibition in vivo and in vitro by the chloroethylenes.

Trans- and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE) isomers inhibit their own metabolism in vivo by inactivation of the metabolizing enzyme, presumably the cytochrome P450 isoform, CYP2E1. In this study, we examined cytochrome P450 isoform-specific inhibition by three chloroethylenes, cis-DCE, trans-DCE, and trichloroethylene (TCE), and evaluated several kinetic mechanisms of enzyme inhibition with physiological models of inhibition. Trans-DCE was more potent than cis-DCE, and both were much more effective than TCE in inhibiting CYP2E1. The kinetics of in vitro loss of p-nitrophenol hydroxylase (pNP-OH) activity (a marker of CYP2E1) in microsomal incubations and of the in vivo gas uptake results were most consistent with a mechanism in which inhibition of the metabolizing enzyme (CYP2E1) was presumed to be related to interaction of a reactive DCE metabolite with remaining substrate-bound, active CYP2E1. The kinetics of inhibition by TCE, a weak inhibitor in vitro, were very different from that of the dichloroethylenes. With TCE, parent compound concentrations influenced enzyme loss. Trans-DCE was a more potent inhibitor of CYP2E1 than cis-DCE based on both in vivo and in vitro studies. Quantitative differences in the inhibitory properties of the 1,2-DCE isomers may be due to the different stability of epoxides formed from bioactivation by CYP2E1. Epoxide intermediates of DCE metabolism, reacting by water addition, would yield dialdehyde, a potent cross-linking reagent.

A physiologically based pharmacokinetic description of the oral uptake, tissue dosimetry, and rates of metabolism of bromodichloromethane in the male rat.

Bromodichloromethane (BDCM), a trihalomethane (THM) and water chlorination by-product, induces cancer in several tissues in experimental animals, including target tissue sites where increased incidences of human cancer have been linked to consumption of chlorinated water. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of vehicle of administration on the pharmacokinetics of orally administered BDCM and to further develop and validate a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to describe BDCM absorption, tissue dosimetry, and rates of metabolism for both oil and 10% Emulphor vehicles. Estimates of oral absorption rate constants were determined by fitting blood and exhaled breath chamber concentration-time curves obtained following gavage of male F344 rats with 50 or 100 mg BDCM/kg in corn oil or 10% Emulphor using a previously published multicompartmental gastrointestinal tract submodel (Semino et al., Toxicology 117, 25-33, 1997) linked to a PBPK model. Independently estimated oral uptake and metabolic rate constants accurately described kidney BDCM concentrations and plasma bromide ion levels without adjustment. This observation increases our confidence in model structure and values of parameter estimates. Liver BDCM concentrations were simulated, but with less accuracy than kidney dosimetry simulations, following incorporation of BDCM loss to metabolism during sample preparation. This model describes BDCM tissue dosimetry and metabolism following oral gavage and can be utilized in estimating rates of formation of reactive metabolites in target tissues. Estimates of tissue dosimetry and levels of toxic intermediates can be incorporated into a risk assessment model for BDCM-induced toxicity and carcinogenicity.

Trihalomethane comparative toxicity: acute renal and hepatic toxicity of chloroform and bromodichloromethane following aqueous gavage.

Bromodichloromethane (BDCM) and chloroform (CHCl3) are by-products of drinking water chlorination and are the two most prevalent trihalomethanes (THMs) in finished drinking water. To date, no comprehensive comparison of the acute renal and hepatic effects of BDCM and CHCl3 following oral gavage in an aqueous dosing vehicle has been conducted. To characterize BDCM- and CHCl3-induced nephro- and hepatotoxicity following aqueous gavage and compare directly the responses between these THMs, 95-day-old male F-344 rats were given single oral doses of 0.0, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, or 3.0 mmol BDCM or CHCl3/kg body wt in an aqueous 10% Emulphor solution. Compound-related hepatic and renal damage was evaluated by quantitating clinical toxicity markers in the serum and urine, respectively. Both THMs appear to be equally hepatotoxic after 24 h, but BDCM caused significantly greater elevations in serum hepatotoxicity markers than CHCl3 at 48 h following exposure to 2.0 and 3.0 mmol/kg. In addition to causing more persistent liver toxicity than CHCl3, BDCM also appears to be slightly more toxic to the kidney at lower doses. Potency differences between the two THMs may be due to pharmacokinetic dissimilarities such as greater metabolism of BDCM to reactive metabolites or more extensive partitioning of BDCM into kidneys and fat depots, resulting in prolonged target tissue exposure.

A pharmacokinetic model describing pulsatile uptake of orally-administered carbon tetrachloride.

Many rodent bioassays have been conducted using oral gavage for delivery of test chemicals. Highly lipophilic compounds are generally administered to rodents dissolved in corn oil, a dosing vehicle shown to influence xenobiotic toxicity, carcinogenicity and pharmacokinetics by altering chemical absorption processes. In this paper, we present a multi-compartmental description of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract linked to a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) model to describe the complex oral uptake of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administered in corn oil and 0.25% Emulphor. The GI submodel was described using a series of subcompartments, each subcompartment described with an absorption constant (Ka, 1/h), a bioavailability term (A, unitless), and a compartment emptying time (T, h). The model was parameterized by fitting multi-peak blood and exhaled breath chamber concentration-time profiles following oral gavage of CCl4 in corn oil and aqueous vehicles to male Fischer 344 rats. Successful fitting of experimental data was accomplished by varying values of Ka, A, and T until adequate fits were obtained. Values of Ka and A required to fit data from aqueous gavage were greater than corn oil. Utilization of the multi-compartmental GI tract submodel provided increased precision in fitting complex oral uptake profiles compared to previously used one- and two-compartment oral uptake models. This model provides estimates of absorption rate constants and bioavailabilities as well as providing a framework for generation of more complete, physiologically-realistic descriptions of oral absorption.

Physiologically based estimation of in vivo rates of bromodichloromethane metabolism.

Bromodichloromethane (BDCM) is a rodent carcinogen formed by chlorination of drinking water containing bromide and organic precursors. BDCM is a member of the class of disinfection by-products known as trihalomethanes (THMs), compounds that have been shown to be carcinogenic in rodents. A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model has been developed and applied to provide estimates of the rates of metabolism of BDCM in vivo in rats. The model consists of five compartments (liver, kidney, fat and slowly and rapidly perfused tissues). Tissue partition coefficients were determined using a modified vial equilibration technique and rates of metabolism were estimated by fitting data obtained from stable metabolite (bromide ion, (Br-)) analysis following 4 h constant concentration BDCM inhalation exposure (50-3200 ppm) and closed chamber gas uptake experiments. Metabolism was described using a single saturable pathway representing a high capacity, high affinity process (Vmaxc = 12.8 mg/h/kg; Km = 0.5 mg/l). Rate constants obtained from Br- data adequately described data from gas uptake experiments and literature data on exhalation of 14CO and 14CO2 produced following oral gavage with 14C-BDCM. Pretreatment with trans-dichloroethylene (t-DCE), an inhibitor of CYP2E1, increased the apparent Km from 0.5 to 225 mg/l indicating that CYP2E1 is the major P450 isoform involved in the bioactivation of BDCM to reactive intermediates.

Effect of subchronic corn oil gavage on the acute toxicity of orally administered bromodichloromethane.

Bromodichloromethane (BDCM) is a by-product of water chlorination and is the second most common trihalomethane (THM) in finished drinking water. It has been reported that delivery of THMs in corn oil can influence the site and magnitude of toxic and carcinogenic responses in rodents, perhaps by inducing metabolizing enzymes or altering tissue composition. To determine if corn oil influences the acute toxicity of BDCM, adult male F-344 rats were pretreated 5 days/week for 6 weeks with oral doses of corn oil or water at a volume of 5 ml/kg. Following pretreatment, animals were gavaged with a single dose of 0, 200 or 400 mg BDCM/kg in 10% Emulphor. Urine was collected at timed intervals over a 48-h period following BDCM administration. Rats were sacrificed at this time and organs and blood removed. Urine and serum were analyzed for indicators of toxicity. Corn oil pretreatment did not enhance the acute hepato- or nephrotoxicity of BDCM, suggesting that vehicle effects noted in previous THM toxicity and carcinogenicity studies are more likely due to pharmacokinetic differences between administration in corn oil and aqueous gavage vehicles than to altered tissue composition or physiological changes.

DNA adduct formation in B6C3F1 mice and Fischer-344 rats exposed to 1,2,3-trichloropropane.

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a multispecies, multisite carcinogen which has been found to be an environmental contaminant. In this study, we have characterized and measured DNA adducts formed in vivo following exposure to TCP. [14C]TCP was administered to male B6C3F1 mice and Fischer-344 rats by gavage at doses used in the NTP carcinogenesis bioassay. Both target and nontarget organs were examined for the formation of DNA adducts. Adducts were hydrolyzed from DNA by neutral thermal or mild acid hydrolysis, isolated by HPLC, and detected and quantitated by measurement of radioactivity. The HPLC elution profile of radioactivity suggested that one major DNA adduct was formed. To characterize this adduct, larger yields were induced in rats by intraperitoneal administration of TCP (300 mg/kg). The DNA adduct was isolated by HPLC based on coelution with the radiolabeled adduct, and compared to previously identified adducts. The isolated adduct coeluted with S-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-(N7-guanyl)-ethyl]glutathione, an adduct derived from the structurally related carcinogen 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP). Analysis by electrospray mass spectrometry suggested that the TCP-induced adduct and the DBCP-derived adduct were identical. The 14C-labeled DNA adduct was distributed widely among the organs examined. Adduct levels varied depending on species, organ, and dose. In rat organs, adduct concentrations for the low dose ranged from 0.8 to 6.6 mumol per mol guanine and from 7.1 to 47.6 mumol per mol guanine for the high dose. In the mouse, adduct yields ranged from 0.32 to 28.1 mumol per mol guanine for the low dose and from 12.2 to 208.1 mumol per mol guanine for the high dose. The relationship between DNA adduct formation and organ-specific tumorigenesis was unclear. Although relatively high concentrations of DNA adducts were detected in target organs, several nontarget sites also contained high adduct levels. Our data suggest that factors in addition to adduct formation may be important in TCP-induced carcinogenesis.

Chemoattractant and GTP gamma S-mediated stimulation of adenylyl cyclase in Dictyostelium requires translocation of CRAC to membranes.

We have previously reported that activation of adenylyl cyclase by chemoattractant receptors in Dictyostelium requires, in addition to a heterotrimeric G-protein, a cytosolic protein, designated CRAC (Lilly, P., and P. N. Devreotes. 1994. J. Biol. Chem. 269:14123-14129; Insall, R. H., A. Kuspa, P. J. Lilly, G. Schaulsky, L. R. Levin, W. F. Loomis, and P. N. Devreotes. 1994. J. Cell Biol. 126:1537-1545). In this report, we show that in intact cells, chemoattractants promote translocation of CRAC from the cytosolic to the membrane fraction. However, CRAC is not required at the time of receptor stimulation; it can be added to lysates of activated cells. Treatment of membranes with guanine nucleotides creates binding sites for CRAC. These binding sites can be generated in mutants lacking each of the components of the pathway except the beta-subunit, suggesting that free or "activated" beta gamma-subunits may be a part of the binding site. This hypothesis is consistent with previous observations that CRAC contains a pleckstrin homology domain and that the beta gamma-subunits likely mediate activation of adenylyl cyclase in this system. Thus, CRAC may serve as an adapter, linking the G-protein beta gamma-subunits to activation of the enzyme. GTP gamma S cannot generate CRAC-binding sites when the adenylyl cyclase pathway has been adapted by prior chemoattractant stimulation, suggesting that this is a point of downstream adaptation.

CRAC, a cytosolic protein containing a pleckstrin homology domain, is required for receptor and G protein-mediated activation of adenylyl cyclase in Dictyostelium.

Adenylyl cyclase in Dictyostelium, as in higher eukaryotes, is activated through G protein-coupled receptors. Insertional mutagenesis into a gene designated dagA resulted in cells that cannot activate adenylyl cyclase, but have otherwise normal responses to exogenous cAMP. Neither cAMP treatment of intact cells nor GTP gamma S treatment of lysates stimulates adenylyl cyclase activity in dagA mutants. A cytosolic protein that activates adenylyl cyclase, CRAC, has been previously identified. We trace the signaling defect in dagA- cells to the absence of CRAC, and we demonstrate that dagA is the structural gene for CRAC. The 3.2-kb dagA mRNA encodes a predicted 78.5-kD product containing a pleckstrin homology domain, in agreement with the postulated interaction of CRAC with activated G proteins. Although dagA expression is tightly developmentally regulated, the cDNA restores normal development when constitutively expressed in transformed mutant cells. In addition, the megabase region surrounding the dagA locus was mapped. We hypothesize that CRAC acts to connect free G protein beta gamma subunits to adenylyl cyclase activation. If so, it may be the first member of an important class of coupling proteins.

Dose-dependent vehicle differences in the acute toxicity of bromodichloromethane.

Bromodichloromethane (BDCM) is a disinfection by-product of drinking water chlorination and is the second most common trihalomethane (THM) in finished drinking water. THMs have generally been administered to experimental animals in corn oil, rather than drinking water, which can influence the site and magnitude of toxicity. To examine the effects of gavage vehicle on the acute renal and hepatic toxicity of orally administered BDCM, 95-day-old male F344 rats were given single doses of 0, 200, or 400 mg BDCM/kg in corn oil or an aqueous 10% Emulphor solution. Activities of serum hepatoxicity indicators were significantly greater 48 hr after administration of 400 mg BDCM/kg in corn oil compared to the aqueous vehicle, but delivery of the low dose in either dosing vehicle had little effect on serum enzymes. In contrast, significant elevations in urinary renal toxicity indicators were noted at 200 and 400 mg BDCM/kg in both vehicles after 24 hr, indicating that the kidney is more sensitive to low doses of BDCM than the liver. Significantly greater increases were observed in urinary indicators after delivery of 200 mg BDCM/kg in 10% Emulphor compared to corn oil. However, administration of the high dose in corn oil resulted in greater nephrotoxicity than in the aqueous vehicle. Significant interactions between vehicle of administration and BDCM dose observed for both urinary and serum parameters further indicate that vehicle differences noted in BDCM acute toxicity are dose dependent. This observation may be due to pharmacokinetic differences in gastrointestinal rates of absorption of BDCM from corn oil as compared to an aqueous solution.