Dibenzo[def,p]chrysene transplacental carcinogenesis in wild-type, Cyp1b1 knockout, and CYP1B1 humanized mice.

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1 family is active toward numerous environmental pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Utilizing a mouse model, null for Cyp1b1 and expressing human CYP1B1, we tested the hypothesis that hCYP1B1 is important for dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) transplacental carcinogenesis. Wild-type mCyp1b1, transgenic hCYP1B1 (mCyp1b1 null background), and mCyp1b1 null mice were assessed. Each litter had an equal number of siblings with Ahrb-1/d and Ahrd/d alleles. Pregnant mice were dosed (gavage) on gestation day 17 with 6.5 or 12 mg/kg of DBC or corn oil. At 10 months of age, mortality, general health, lymphoid disease and lung tumor incidence, and multiplicity were assessed. hCYP1B1 genotype did not impact lung tumor multiplicity, but tended to enhance incidence compared to Cyp1b1 wild-type mice (P = 0.07). As with Cyp1b1 in wild-type mice, constitutive hCYP1B1 protein is non-detectable in liver but was induced with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Wild-type mice were 59% more likely to succumb to T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL). Unlike an earlier examination of the Ahr genotype in this model (Yu et al., Cancer Res, 2006;66:755-762), but in agreement with a more recent study (Shorey et al., Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 2013;270:60-69), this genotype was not associated with lung tumor incidence, multiplicity, or mortality. Sex was not significant with respect to lung tumor incidence or mortality but males exhibited significantly greater multiplicity. Lung tumor incidence was greater in mCyp1b1 nulls compared to wild-type mice. To our knowledge, this is the first application of a humanized mouse model in transplacental carcinogenesis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human Microdosing with Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: In Vivo Pharmacokinetics of Dibenzo[def,p]chrysene and Metabolites by UPLC Accelerator Mass Spectrometry.

Metabolism is a key health risk factor following exposures to pro-carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC), an IARC classified 2A probable human carcinogen. Human exposure to PAHs occurs primarily from the diet in nonsmokers. However, little data is available on the metabolism and pharmacokinetics in humans of high molecular weight PAHs (≥4 aromatic rings), including DBC. We previously determined the pharmacokinetics of DBC in human volunteers orally administered a microdose (29 ng; 5 nCi) of [14C]-DBC by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) analysis of total [14C] in plasma and urine. In the current study, we utilized a novel "moving wire" interface between ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and AMS to detect and quantify parent DBC and its major metabolites. The major [14C] product identified in plasma was unmetabolized [14C]-DBC itself (Cmax = 18.5 ±15.9 fg/mL, Tmax= 2.1 ± 1.0 h), whereas the major metabolite was identified as [14C]-(+/-)-DBC-11,12-diol (Cmax= 2.5 ±1.3 fg/mL, Tmax= 1.8 h). Several minor species of [14C]-DBC metabolites were also detected for which no reference standards were available. Free and conjugated metabolites were detected in urine with [14C]-(+/-)-DBC-11,12,13,14-tetraol isomers identified as the major metabolites, 56.3% of which were conjugated (Cmax= 35.8 ± 23.0 pg/pool, Tmax = 6-12 h pool). [14C]-DBC-11,12-diol, of which 97.5% was conjugated, was also identified in urine (Cmax = 29.4 ± 11.6 pg/pool, Tmax = 6-12 h pool). Parent [14C]-DBC was not detected in urine. This is the first data set to assess metabolite profiles and associated pharmacokinetics of a carcinogenic PAH in human volunteers at an environmentally relevant dose, providing the data necessary for translation of high dose animal models to humans for translation of environmental health risk assessment.

Cytochrome P450 1b1 in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-induced skin carcinogenesis: Tumorigenicity of individual PAHs and coal-tar extract, DNA adduction and expression of select genes in the Cyp1b1 knockout mouse.

FVB/N mice wild-type, heterozygous or null for Cyp 1b1 were used in a two-stage skin tumor study comparing PAH, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC), and coal tar extract (CTE, SRM 1597a). Following 20 weeks of promotion with TPA the Cyp 1b1 null mice, initiated with DBC, exhibited reductions in incidence, multiplicity, and progression. None of these effects were observed with BaP or CTE. The mechanism of Cyp 1b1-dependent alteration of DBC skin carcinogenesis was further investigated by determining expression of select genes in skin from DBC-treated mice 2, 4 and 8h post-initiation. A significant reduction in levels of Cyp 1a1, Nqo1 at 8h and Akr 1c14 mRNA was observed in Cyp 1b1 null (but not wt or het) mice, whereas no impact was observed in Gst a1, Nqo 1 at 2 and 4h or Akr 1c19 at any time point. Cyp 1b1 mRNA was not elevated by DBC. The major covalent DNA adducts, dibenzo[def,p]chrysene-(±)-11,12-dihydrodiol-cis and trans-13,14-epoxide-deoxyadenosine (DBCDE-dA) were quantified by UHPLC-MS/MS 8h post-initiation. Loss of Cyp1 b1 expression reduced DBCDE-dA adducts in the skin but not to a statistically significant degree. The ratio of cis- to trans-DBCDE-dA adducts was higher in the skin than other target tissues such as the spleen, lung and liver (oral dosing). These results document that Cyp 1b1 plays a significant role in bioactivation and carcinogenesis of DBC in a two-stage mouse skin tumor model and that loss of Cyp 1b1 has little impact on tumor response with BaP or CTE as initiators.

VEGF blockade enables oncolytic cancer virotherapy in part by modulating intratumoral myeloid cells.

Understanding the host response to oncolytic viruses is important to maximize their antitumor efficacy. Despite robust cytotoxicity and high virus production of an oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) in cultured human sarcoma cells, intratumoral (ITu) virus injection resulted in only mild antitumor effects in some xenograft models, prompting us to characterize the host inflammatory response. Virotherapy induced an acute neutrophilic infiltrate, a relative decrease of ITu macrophages, and a myeloid cell-dependent upregulation of host-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Anti-VEGF antibodies, bevacizumab and r84, the latter of which binds VEGF and selectively inhibits binding to VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR2) but not VEGFR1, enhanced the antitumor effects of virotherapy, in part due to decreased angiogenesis but not increased virus production. Neither antibody affected neutrophilic infiltration but both partially mitigated virus-induced depletion of macrophages. Enhancement of virotherapy-mediated antitumor effects by anti-VEGF antibodies could largely be recapitulated by systemic depletion of CD11b(+) cells. These data suggest the combined effect of oHSV virotherapy and anti-VEGF antibodies is in part due to modulation of a host inflammatory reaction to virus. Our data provide strong preclinical support for combined oHSV and anti-VEGF antibody therapy and suggest that understanding and counteracting the innate host response may help enable the full antitumor potential of oncolytic virotherapy.

RNA therapy for oncogenic NRAS-driven naevi induces apoptosis.

RAS proteins regulate cell division, differentiation and apoptosis via multiple downstream effector pathways. Oncogenic RAS variants are the commonest drivers in cancers, however they also drive many benign lesions predisposing to malignancy, such as melanocytic naevi, thyroid nodules, and colonic polyps. Reversal of these benign lesions could reduce cancer incidence, however the effects of oncogenic RAS have been notoriously difficult to target with downstream pathway inhibitors. Here we show effective suppression of oncogenic and currently undruggable NRASQ61K in primary cells from melanocytic naevi using siRNA targeted to the recurrent causal variant. This results in striking reduction in expression of ARL6IP1, a known inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis not previously linked to NRAS. We go on to show that a single dose of siRNA in primary cells triggers an apoptotic cascade, in contrast to treatment with a MEK inhibitor. Protective packaging of the targeted siRNA into lipid nanoparticles permits successful delivery into a humanised mouse model of melanocytic naevi, and results in variant NRAS knockdown in vivo. These data show that RAS-induced protection from apoptosis is involved in persistence of NRAS-driven melanocytic naevi and anticipate that targeted siRNA could form the basis of clinical trials for RAS-driven benign tumours.

Application of a fuzzy neural network model in predicting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-mediated perturbations of the Cyp1b1 transcriptional regulatory network in mouse skin.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in the environment as complex mixtures with components that have diverse carcinogenic potencies and mostly unknown interactive effects. Non-additive PAH interactions have been observed in regulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) gene expression in the CYP1 family. To better understand and predict biological effects of complex mixtures, such as environmental PAHs, an 11 gene input-1 gene output fuzzy neural network (FNN) was developed for predicting PAH-mediated perturbations of dermal Cyp1b1 transcription in mice. Input values were generalized using fuzzy logic into low, medium, and high fuzzy subsets, and sorted using k-means clustering to create Mamdani logic functions for predicting Cyp1b1 mRNA expression. Model testing was performed with data from microarray analysis of skin samples from FVB/N mice treated with toluene (vehicle control), dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), or 1 of 3 combinations of diesel particulate extract (DPE), coal tar extract (CTE) and cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) using leave-one-out cross-validation. Predictions were within 1 log(2) fold change unit of microarray data, with the exception of the DBC treatment group, where the unexpected down-regulation of Cyp1b1 expression was predicted but did not reach statistical significance on the microarrays. Adding CTE to DPE was predicted to increase Cyp1b1 expression, whereas adding CSC to CTE and DPE was predicted to have no effect, in agreement with microarray results. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor (Ahrr) was determined to be the most significant input variable for model predictions using back-propagation and normalization of FNN weights.

Competitive adsorption of dihydroxy and trihydroxy bile salts with whey protein and casein in oil-in-water emulsions.

The competitive adsorption between whey protein concentrate (WPC) or sodium caseinate (SCN) and four bile salts, sodium cholate (NaC), dexocycholate (NaDC), taurocholate (NaTC), and glycodeoxycholate (NaGDC), has been studied in protein stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. The bile salts that contain a conjugated amino acid (NaTC and NaGDC) were considerably more efficient at displacing both WPC and SCN proteins from the emulsion droplet interface, even though they are known to have a hydrophobicity lower than that of NaC and NaDC. This is explained in terms of a steric resistance to adsorption from the conjugated amino acids in NaTC and NaGDC. This leads to their adopting an adsorbed conformation at the oil-water interface that penetrates less into the oil phase, causing greater disruption of the adsorbed layer, and hence leads to greater displacement of protein from the interface. Complementary computer simulations of the adsorption of the four bile salts at the decane-water interface support the hypothesis that the NaTC and NaGDC adopt flatter conformations that stick out further into the aqueous phase, which arises from a lower free energy of adsorption. The surface coverage as a function of bulk concentration for the four bile salts has also been measured. These have been found to have a form that fits closely the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm. The results for NaC suggest that it adsorbs as individual molecules and forms a saturated monolayer over much of the concentration range used in the displacement experiments, since it is below its critical micelle concentration in this range. For the other three bile salts, on the other hand, the primary adsorbing species appears to be the micelle form, since the surface coverage is above that of a saturated monolayer for much of the concentration range studied.

Body fatness, body core temperature, and heat loss during moderate-intensity exercise.

PURPOSE: This study examined the influence of body fatness on body core temperature and heat loss responses during moderate-intensity exercise. METHODS: Nine men with lower body fat and eight men with higher body fat, matched for aerobic fitness, completed 1 h of recumbent cycling at the same absolute intensity in a warm environment (30 degrees C, 40% RH). Percent body fat was measured by hydrostatic weighing, using oxygen dilution to determine residual volume. Esophageal temperature (T(es)), mean skin temperature (T(sk)), and local sweat rate (m(sw)) were measured at rest and continuously during exercise while forearm blood flow (FBF) was measured at rest and every 10 min during exercise. RESULTS: The lower body fat and higher body fat groups were successfully matched for aerobic fitness, removing the influence of body fatness, given that V/O2(peak) was 50.72 +/- 7.34 and 50.43 +/- 5.01 ml x kg LBM(-1) x min(-1), respectively. When compared to lower body fat individuals, % body fat, body surface area (A(D)), and body mass were higher and A(D)/ mass was lower in higher body fat individuals. T(es), T(sk), FBF, m(sw), and the slope of m(sw):T(es) were not different between groups. Metabolic heat production was similar between the lower body fat (299.7 +/- 40.5 W x m(-2)) and higher body fat (288.1 +/- 30.6 W x m(-2)) subjects, respectively. Dry and evaporative heat loss, as well as heat storage during exercise, were not different between groups. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that there is no effect of body fatness on body core temperature or heat loss responses during moderate-intensity exercise in a warm environment.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as skin carcinogens: comparison of benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[def,p]chrysene and three environmental mixtures in the FVB/N mouse.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), was compared to dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBC) and combinations of three environmental PAH mixtures (coal tar, diesel particulate and cigarette smoke condensate) using a two stage, FVB/N mouse skin tumor model. DBC (4nmol) was most potent, reaching 100% tumor incidence with a shorter latency to tumor formation, less than 20 weeks of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) promotion compared to all other treatments. Multiplicity was 4 times greater than BaP (400 nmol). Both PAHs produced primarily papillomas followed by squamous cell carcinoma and carcinoma in situ. Diesel particulate extract (1 mg SRM 1650b; mix 1) did not differ from toluene controls and failed to elicit a carcinogenic response. Addition of coal tar extract (1 mg SRM 1597a; mix 2) produced a response similar to BaP. Further addition of 2 mg of cigarette smoke condensate (mix 3) did not alter the response with mix 2. PAH-DNA adducts measured in epidermis 12 h post initiation and analyzed by ³²P post-labeling, did not correlate with tumor incidence. PAH-dependent alteration in transcriptome of skin 12 h post initiation was assessed by microarray. Principal component analysis (sum of all treatments) of the 922 significantly altered genes (p<0.05), showed DBC and BaP to cluster distinct from PAH mixtures and each other. BaP and mixtures up-regulated phase 1 and phase 2 metabolizing enzymes while DBC did not. The carcinogenicity with DBC and two of the mixtures was much greater than would be predicted based on published Relative Potency Factors (RPFs).

Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor is the major toxic mode of action of an organic extract of a reference urban dust particulate matter mixture: the role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Many of the toxic and carcinogenic effects of urban air pollution have been linked to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed to airborne particulate matter (PM). The carcinogenic properties of PAHs in complex organic mixtures derived from PM have been chiefly attributed to their mutagenicity. Nevertheless, PAHs are also potent activators of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which may contribute to their nongenotoxic effects, including tumor promotion. As the genotoxicity of carcinogenic PAHs in complex mixtures derived from urban PM is often inhibited by other mixture constituents, the AhR-mediated activity of urban PM extracts might significantly contribute to the carcinogenic activity of such mixtures. In the present study, we used an organic extract of the urban dust standard reference material, SRM1649a, as a model mixture to study a range of toxic effects related to DNA damage and AhR activation. Both the organic extract and its neutral aromatic fraction formed a low number of DNA adducts per nucleotide in the liver epithelial WB-F344 cells model, without inducing DNA damage response, such as tumor suppressor p53 activation and apoptosis. In contrast, we found that this extract, as well as its neutral and polar fractions, were potent inducers of a range of AhR-mediated responses, including induction of the AhR-mediated transcription, such as cytochrome P450 1A1/1B1 expression, and the AhR-dependent cell proliferation. Importantly, these toxic events occurred at doses one order of magnitude lower than DNA damage. The AhR-mediated activity of the neutral fraction was linked to PAHs and their derivatives, as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and biphenyls were only minor contributors to the overall AhR-mediated activity. Taken together, our data suggest that more attention should be paid to the AhR-dependent nongenotoxic events elicited by urban PM constituents, especially PAHs and their derivatives.

Nonlinear cancer response at ultralow dose: a 40800-animal ED(001) tumor and biomarker study.

Assessment of human cancer risk from animal carcinogen studies is severely limited by inadequate experimental data at environmentally relevant exposures and by procedures requiring modeled extrapolations many orders of magnitude below observable data. We used rainbow trout, an animal model well-suited to ultralow-dose carcinogenesis research, to explore dose-response down to a targeted 10 excess liver tumors per 10000 animals (ED(001)). A total of 40800 trout were fed 0-225 ppm dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP) for 4 weeks, sampled for biomarker analyses, and returned to control diet for 9 months prior to gross and histologic examination. Suspect tumors were confirmed by pathology, and resulting incidences were modeled and compared to the default EPA LED(10) linear extrapolation method. The study provided observed incidence data down to two above-background liver tumors per 10000 animals at the lowest dose (that is, an unmodeled ED(0002) measurement). Among nine statistical models explored, three were determined to fit the liver data well-linear probit, quadratic logit, and Ryzin-Rai. None of these fitted models is compatible with the LED(10) default assumption, and all fell increasingly below the default extrapolation with decreasing DBP dose. Low-dose tumor response was also not predictable from hepatic DBP-DNA adduct biomarkers, which accumulated as a power function of dose (adducts = 100 x DBP(1.31)). Two-order extrapolations below the modeled tumor data predicted DBP doses producing one excess cancer per million individuals (ED(10)(-6)) that were 500-1500-fold higher than that predicted by the five-order LED(10) extrapolation. These results are considered specific to the animal model, carcinogen, and protocol used. They provide the first experimental estimation in any model of the degree of conservatism that may exist for the EPA default linear assumption for a genotoxic carcinogen.

The influence of diesel exhaust on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-induced DNA damage, gene expression, and tumor initiation in Sencar mice in vivo.

The carcinogenic effects of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are well established. However, their potency within an environmental complex mixture is uncertain. We evaluated the influence of diesel exhaust particulate matter on PAH-induced cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity, PAH-DNA adduct formation, expression of certain candidate genes and the frequency of tumor initiation in the two-stage Sencar mouse model. To this end, we monitored the effects of treatment of mice with diesel exhaust, benzo[a]pyrene (BP), dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP), or a combination of diesel exhaust with either carcinogenic PAH. The applied diesel particulate matter (SRM(1975)) altered the tumor initiating potency of DBP: a statistically significant decrease in overall tumor and carcinoma burden was observed following 25 weeks of promotion with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), compared with DBP exposure alone. From those mice that were treated at the beginning of the observation period with 2 nmol DBP all survivors developed tumors (9 out of 9 animals, 100%). Among all tumors counted at the end, nine carcinomas were detected and an overall tumor incidence of 2.6 tumors per tumor-bearing animal (TBA) was determined. By contrast, co-treatment of DBP with 50mg SRM(1975) led to a tumor rate of only 66% (19 out of 29 animals), occurrence of only three carcinomas in 29 animals and an overall rate of 2.1 tumors per TBA (P=0.04). In contrast to the results with DBP, the tumor incidence induced by 200 nmol BP was found slightly increased when co-treatment with SRM(1975) occurred (71% vs. 85% after 25 weeks). Despite this difference in tumor incidence, the numbers of carcinomas and tumors per TBA did not differ statistically significant between both treatment groups possibly due to the small size of the BP treatment group. Since bioactivation of DBP, but not BP, predominantly depends on CYP1B1 enzyme activity, SRM(1975) affected PAH-induced carcinogenesis in an antagonistic manner when CYP1B1-mediated bioactivation was required. The explanation most likely lies in the much stronger inhibitory effects of certain PAHs present in diesel exhaust on CYP1B1 compared to CYP1A1. In the present study we also found molecular markers such as highly elevated AKR1C21 and TNFRSF21 gene expression levels in tumor tissue derived from animals co-treated with SRM(1975) plus DBP. Therefore we validate microarray data as a source to uncover transcriptional signatures that may provide insights into molecular pathways affected following exposure to environmental complex mixtures such as diesel exhaust particulates.

Proteomic analysis of MCF-7 cells treated with benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, coal tar extract, and diesel exhaust extract.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) DNA adducts have been associated with carcinogenesis, which is accompanied by multiple alterations in gene expression. We used two-dimensional electrophoresis to distinguish protein expression changes induced in MCF-7 cells by individual PAH (B[a]P and DB[a,l]P) and PAH mixtures (coal tar extract [SRM 1597] and diesel exhaust extract [SRM 1975]). Spots of interest were identified by MALDI-TOF-TOF. Our results have shown alterations in the expression of heat-shock proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, DNA associated proteins, and glycolytic and mitochondrial proteins. The proteins that were universally altered in expression were actin cytoplasmic 1, tubulin alpha and myosin light chain alkali, cyclophilin B, and heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein B1 (a protein involved in access to telomerase and mRNA maturation). Additional proteins with altered expression include histone H2A.1, heat-shock protein 70-2, galectin-3, nucleoside diphosphate kinase, ATP synthase, and electron transfer flavoprotein. While sharing similarities, each PAH treatment exhibited a unique proteomic fingerprint.

Pharmacokinetics of [14C]-Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in humans: Impact of Co-Administration of smoked salmon and BaP dietary restriction.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is a known human carcinogen. In non-smoking adults greater than 95% of BaP exposure is through diet. The carcinogenicity of BaP is utilized by the U.S. EPA to assess relative potency of complex PAH mixtures. PAH relative potency factors (RPFs, BaP = 1) are determined from high dose animal data. We employed accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to determine pharmacokinetics of [14C]-BaP in humans following dosing with 46 ng (an order of magnitude lower than human dietary daily exposure and million-fold lower than animal cancer models). To assess the impact of co-administration of food with a complex PAH mixture, humans were dosed with 46 ng of [14C]-BaP with or without smoked salmon. Subjects were asked to avoid high BaP-containing diets and a 3-day dietary questionnaire given to assess dietary exposure prior to dosing and three days post-dosing with [14C]-BaP. Co-administration of smoked salmon, containing a complex mixture of PAHs with an RPF of 460 ng BaPeq, reduced and delayed absorption. Administration of canned commercial salmon, containing very low amounts of PAHs, showed the impacts on pharmacokinetics were not due to high amounts of PAHs but rather a food matrix effect.

Genetic Analyses in Small-for-Gestational-Age Newborns.

Context: Small for gestational age (SGA) can be the result of fetal growth restriction, which is associated with perinatal morbidity and mortality. Mechanisms that control prenatal growth are poorly understood. Objective: The aim of the current study was to gain more insight into prenatal growth failure and determine an effective diagnostic approach in SGA newborns. We hypothesized that one or more copy number variations (CNVs) and disturbed methylation and sequence variants may be present in genes associated with fetal growth. Design: A prospective cohort study of subjects with a low birth weight for gestational age. Setting: The study was conducted at an academic pediatric research institute. Patients: A total of 21 SGA newborns with a mean birth weight below the first centile and a control cohort of 24 appropriate-for-gestational-age newborns were studied. Interventions: Array comparative genomic hybridization, genome-wide methylation studies, and exome sequencing were performed. Main Outcome Measures: The numbers of CNVs, methylation disturbances, and sequence variants. Results: The genetic analyses demonstrated three CNVs, one systematically disturbed methylation pattern, and one sequence variant explaining SGA. Additional methylation disturbances and sequence variants were present in 20 patients. In 19 patients, multiple abnormalities were found. Conclusion: Our results confirm the influence of a large number of mechanisms explaining dysregulation of fetal growth. We concluded that CNVs, methylation disturbances, and sequence variants all contribute to prenatal growth failure. These genetic workups can be an effective diagnostic approach in SGA newborns.

Mosaic RAS/MAPK variants cause sporadic vascular malformations which respond to targeted therapy.

BACKGROUND: Sporadic vascular malformations (VMs) are complex congenital anomalies of blood vessels that lead to stroke, life-threatening bleeds, disfigurement, overgrowth, and/or pain. Therapeutic options are severely limited, and multidisciplinary management remains challenging, particularly for high-flow arteriovenous malformations (AVM). METHODS: To investigate the pathogenesis of sporadic intracranial and extracranial VMs in 160 children in which known genetic causes had been excluded, we sequenced DNA from affected tissue and optimized analysis for detection of low mutant allele frequency. RESULTS: We discovered multiple mosaic-activating variants in 4 genes of the RAS/MAPK pathway, KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, and MAP2K1, a pathway commonly activated in cancer and responsible for the germline RAS-opathies. These variants were more frequent in high-flow than low-flow VMs. In vitro characterization and 2 transgenic zebrafish AVM models that recapitulated the human phenotype validated the pathogenesis of the mutant alleles. Importantly, treatment of AVM-BRAF mutant zebrafish with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafinib restored blood flow in AVM. CONCLUSION: Our findings uncover a major cause of sporadic VMs of different clinical types and thereby offer the potential of personalized medical treatment by repurposing existing licensed cancer therapies. FUNDING: This work was funded or supported by grants from the AVM Butterfly Charity, the Wellcome Trust (UK), the Medical Research Council (UK), the UK National Institute for Health Research, the L'Oreal-Melanoma Research Alliance, the European Research Council, and the National Human Genome Research Institute (US).

Urban dust particulate matter alters PAH-induced carcinogenesis by inhibition of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) are well-studied environmental carcinogens, however, their potency within a complex mixture is uncertain. We investigated the influence of urban dust particulate matter (UDPM) on the bioactivation and tumor initiation of B[a]P and DB[a,l]P in an initiation-promotion tumorigenesis model. SENCAR mice were treated topically with UDPM or in combination with B[a]P or DB[a,l]P, followed by weekly application of the promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 acetate. UDPM exhibited weak tumor-initiating activity but significantly delayed the onset of B[a]P-induced tumor initiation by two-fold. When cotreated with UDPM, DB[a,l]P-treated animals displayed no significant difference in tumor-initiating activity, compared with DB[a,l]P alone. Tumor initiation correlated with PAH-DNA adducts, as detected by (33)P-postlabeling and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP)1A1 and 1B1 proteins was also detected following UDPM treatment or cotreatment with B[a]P or DB[a,l]P, indicating PAH bioactivation. Further genotoxicity analyses by the comet assay revealed that cotreatment of UDPM plus B[a]P or DB[a,l]P resulted in increased DNA strand breaks, compared with PAH treatment alone. The metabolizing activities of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1, as measured by the 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation (EROD) assay, revealed that UDPM noncompetitively inhibited CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 EROD activity in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, these data suggest that components within complex mixtures can alter PAH-induced carcinogenesis by inhibiting CYP bioactivation and influence other genotoxic effects, such as oxidative DNA damage. These data further suggest that in addition to the levels of potent PAH, the effects of other mixture components must be considered when predicting human cancer risk.

Diesel exhaust influences carcinogenic PAH-induced genotoxicity and gene expression in human breast epithelial cells in culture.

The carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) are widespread environmental pollutants, however their toxicological effects within a mixture is not established. We investigated the influence of diesel exhaust (DE) on B[a]P and DB[a,l]P-induced PAH-DNA adduct formation, metabolic activation, gene expression and 8-oxo-dG adduct levels in human breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A) in culture. Following 24 and 48h, cells co-exposed to DE plus B[a]P exhibited a significant decrease in PAH-DNA adduct levels, compared with B[a]P alone, as determined by (33)P-postlabeling combined with reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme activity, as measured by the ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) assay and CYP1B1 expression, significantly increased with co-exposure of DE plus DB[a,l]P, compared with DB[a,l]P alone. Aldo keto-reductase (AKR)1C1, AKR1C2, and AKR1C3 expression also significantly increased in cells exposed to DE plus PAH, compared with PAH exposure alone. Cell populations exhibiting 8-oxo-dG adducts significantly increased in response to exposure to B[a]P or DE plus B[a]P for 24h, compared with vehicle control, as quantified by flow cytometry. These results suggest that complex mixtures may modify the carcinogenic potency of PAH by shifting the metabolic activation pathway from the production of PAH diol-epoxides to AKR pathway-derived metabolites.

Altered gene expression patterns in MCF-7 cells induced by the urban dust particulate complex mixture standard reference material 1649a.

Human exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) occur in complex mixtures. Here, gene expression patterns were investigated using standard reference material (SRM) 1649a (urban dust). MCF-7 cells were exposed to SRM 1649a alone or SRM 1649a with either benzo[a]pyrene (BP) or dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP) for 24 hours. Global analyses of the gene expression data revealed alterations of 41 RNA transcripts with at least 2-fold change (signal log ratio /= 1) in response to SRM 1649a exposure. Increase in expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes was observed in response to BP exposure (CYP1A1 and CYP1B1; signal log ratio of 4.7 and 2.5, respectively). An additive induction of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 was observed with cotreatment of SRM 1649a and BP. On the contrary, no change in gene expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 was observed when the cells were exposed to DBP. Furthermore, to study the effect of complex PAH mixtures on the metabolic activation of carcinogenic PAH to DNA-binding derivatives and to relate this with gene expression studies, PAH-DNA adduct formation was determined. SRM 1649a decreased the total level of BP-DNA adducts in comparison with BP alone. No significant difference in adduct levels was observed in response to either DBP alone or in combination with SRM 1649a. These results provide a transcriptional signature for chemical carcinogen exposure; in addition, they suggest a major factor in carcinogenic activity of PAH within complex mixtures is their ability to promote or inhibit the activation of carcinogenic PAH by the induction of CYP enzymes.

Analysis of the Fgfr2C342Y mouse model shows condensation defects due to misregulation of Sox9 expression in prechondrocytic mesenchyme.

Syndromic craniosynostosis caused by mutations in FGFR2 is characterised by developmental pathology in both endochondral and membranous skeletogenesis. Detailed phenotypic characterisation of features in the membranous calvarium, the endochondral cranial base and other structures in the axial and appendicular skeleton has not been performed at embryonic stages. We investigated bone development in the Crouzon mouse model (Fgfr2C342Y) at pre- and post-ossification stages to improve understanding of the underlying pathogenesis. Phenotypic analysis was performed by whole-mount skeletal staining (Alcian Blue/Alizarin Red) and histological staining of sections of CD1 wild-type (WT), Fgfr2C342Y/+ heterozygous (HET) and Fgfr2C342Y/C342Y homozygous (HOM) mouse embryos from embryonic day (E)12.5-E17.5 stages. Gene expression (Sox9, Shh, Fgf10 and Runx2) was studied by in situ hybridisation and protein expression (COL2A1) by immunohistochemistry. Our analysis has identified severely decreased osteogenesis in parts of the craniofacial skeleton together with increased chondrogenesis in parts of the endochondral and cartilaginous skeleton in HOM embryos. The Sox9 expression domain in tracheal and basi-cranial chondrocytic precursors at E13.5 in HOM embryos is increased and expanded, correlating with the phenotypic observations which suggest FGFR2 signalling regulates Sox9 expression. Combined with abnormal staining of type II collagen in pre-chondrocytic mesenchyme, this is indicative of a mesenchymal condensation defect. An expanded spectrum of phenotypic features observed in the Fgfr2C342Y/C342Y mouse embryo paves the way towards better understanding the clinical attributes of human Crouzon-Pfeiffer syndrome. FGFR2 mutation results in impaired skeletogenesis; however, our findings suggest that many phenotypic aberrations stem from a primary failure of pre-chondrogenic/osteogenic mesenchymal condensation and link FGFR2 to SOX9, a principal regulator of skeletogenesis.