Differentiating between micronucleus dose-responses induced by whole cigarette smoke solutions with Benchmark Dose potency ranking.

Dose-response modeling of in vitro micronucleus test (IVMNT) data was evaluated to determine if the approach has value in discriminating among different tobacco products. Micronucleus responses were generated in L5178Y/Tk+/- mouse lymphoma cells and TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells from a series of whole smoke solutions (WSSs) expected to have different levels of genotoxicity based on differences in their machine-generated smoke constituents. Eight WSSs were prepared by machine smoking different numbers (20 or 60) of two commercial cigarettes (Marlboro Silver or Red) under International Standardization Organization (ISO) or Health Canada Intense (HCI) smoking machine regimens and tested in the two cell lines with and without rat liver S9 activation. The S9-mediated IVMNT dose-response data from the WSSs were evaluated with PROAST software and Benchmark Doses (BMDs) and their upper and lower confidence intervals (CIs) were generated. IVMNT data differed based on the number and type of cigarettes smoked and smoking machine regimen. The IVMNT responses produced in mouse lymphoma cells generally were greater than in TK6 cells, but the ability of the two cell types to differentiate between WSSs was similar. The results indicate that BMD potency ranking was useful for differentiating between IVMNT responses.

In vitro mammalian cell mutation assays based on the Pig-a gene: A report of the 7th International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) Workgroup.

Pig-a gene mutation assays enumerate cells with the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor-deficient phenotype as a reporter of mutation in the endogenous Pig-a gene. Methods for measuring mutation in this gene are quite well established for in vivo systems. This approach to mutagenicity assessment has now been extended to in vitro mammalian cell-based systems. An expert workgroup from the 7th International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing tasked with assessing the status of in vitro mammalian cell mutation assays has investigated the merits and limitations of in vitro Pig-a gene mutation assays. A review of the current status of these developing methodologies and the formation of consensus statements on the utility and application of these assays were performed to provide guidance for their potential use in genotoxicity hazard identification and risk assessment.

Report of the IWGT working group on strategies and interpretation of regulatory in vivo tests I. Increases in micronucleated bone marrow cells in rodents that do not indicate genotoxic hazards.

In vivo genotoxicity tests play a pivotal role in genotoxicity testing batteries. They are used both to determine if potential genotoxicity observed in vitro is realised in vivo and to detect any genotoxic carcinogens that are poorly detected in vitro. It is recognised that individual in vivo genotoxicity tests have limited sensitivity but good specificity. Thus, a positive result from the established in vivo assays is taken as strong evidence for genotoxic carcinogenicity of the compound tested. However, there is a growing body of evidence that compound-related disturbances in the physiology of the rodents used in these assays can result in increases in micronucleated cells in the bone marrow that are not related to the intrinsic genotoxicity of the compound under test. For rodent bone marrow or peripheral blood micronucleus tests, these disturbances include changes in core body temperature (hypothermia and hyperthermia) and increases in erythropoiesis following prior toxicity to erythroblasts or by direct stimulation of cell division in these cells. This paper reviews relevant data from the literature and also previously unpublished data obtained from a questionnaire devised by the IWGT working group. Regulatory implications of these findings are discussed and flow diagrams have been provided to aid in interpretation and decision-making when such changes in physiology are suspected.

Report of the IWGT working group on strategy/interpretation for regulatory in vivo tests II. Identification of in vivo-only positive compounds in the bone marrow micronucleus test.

A survey conducted as part of an International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) has identified a number of compounds that appear to be more readily detected in vivo than in vitro. The reasons for this property varies from compound to compound and includes metabolic differences; the influence of gut flora; higher exposures in vivo compared to in vitro; effects on pharmacology, in particular folate depletion or receptor kinase inhibition. It is possible that at least some of these compounds are detectable in vitro if a specific in vitro test is chosen as part of the test battery, but the 'correct' choice of test may not always be obvious when testing a compound of unknown genotoxicity. It is noted that many of the compounds identified in this study interfere with cell cycle kinetics and this can result in either aneugenicity or chromosome breakage. A decision tree is outlined as a guide for the evaluation of compounds that appear to be genotoxic agents in vivo but not in vitro. The regulatory implications of these findings are discussed.

Correlation of sister chromatid exchange frequency with mutation induction and cell survival in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to N-oxidized arylamines.

In this study the relationships between sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency, mutation induction at the hypoxanthineguanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus, and cell survival were established in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to one of the three N-oxidized arylamines. The toxicants used were N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene, N-hydroxy-N'-acetylbenzidine, and 1-nitrosopyrene. Mutation induction as measured by resistance to 6-thioguanine related poorly to reduced cloning ability and SCE frequency. Although SCEs were formed at concentrations of toxicants which produced no measurable reduction in cell survival, a strong correlation was observed between these two biological responses. This relationship was strengthened when the results obtained in this study were combined with those from a previous study which examined the relationship between SCE induction and cell survival in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to simple alkylating agents. These results support the contention that a common step is involved in the induction of SCE and cellular toxicity in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to certain classes of chemical toxicants.

Formation of DNA adducts in vitro and in Salmonella typhimurium upon metabolic reduction of the environmental mutagen 1-nitropyrene.

The polycyclic nitroaromatic hydrocarbon 1-nitropyrene is an environmental pollutant, a potent bacterial mutagen, and a carcinogen. Xanthine oxidase, a mammalian nitroreductase, catalyzed the in vitro metabolic activation of this compound to DNA-bound adducts. Maximum adduct formation occurred at pH 5.5 to 6.0 and was increased by the addition of catalase to the incubation medium. DNA binding from 1-nitropyrene was inhibited by hydrogen peroxide, L-ascorbate, and glutathione. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the modified DNA and subsequent analysis by high-pressure liquid chromatography indicated the presence of one major and two minor adducts. The major adduct was characterized by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-aminopyrene. The minor adducts appear to be decomposition products of the major adduct. When Salmonella typhimurium TA1538 was incubated with 1-nitropyrene, a strong correlation was found between the extent of DNA binding and the frequency of induced histidine reversions. Analysis of the bacterial DNA indicated one major adduct which had chromatographic properties and pKaS identical to those of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-aminopyrene. These data indicate that N-hydroxy-1-aminopyrene is probably the mutagenic and DNA-binding species formed during the metabolic reduction of 1-nitropyrene.

DNA adduct formation and T-lymphocyte mutation induction in F344 rats implanted with tumorigenic doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene.

Diesel emissions are known to induce tumors in experimental animals and are suspected of being carcinogenic in humans. Of the compounds associated with diesel exhaust, 1,6-dinitropyrene is a particularly potent mutagen and carcinogen. In these experiments, we have investigated the use of DNA adducts and T-lymphocyte mutations of 1,6-dinitropyrene as biomarkers for exposure to diesel emissions. 1,6-Dinitropyrene (0-150 micrograms) was applied directly to the lungs of male F344 rats according to a protocol known to induce lung tumors. In target (lung) and surrogate (liver, WBC, and spleen lymphocytes) tissues, one major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-amino-6-nitropyrene, was detected by HPLC and/or 32P-postlabeling analyses. The levels of this adduct reached a maximum 1-7 days following treatment and decreased to 13-50% of the peak values by 28 days after dosing. In the lung, a 2-fold increase in dose resulted in a 2-fold increase in DNA binding up to the 30-micrograms dose; in the liver the same relationship was observed up to 10 micrograms 1,6-dinitropyrene. At higher doses, the extent of adduct formation still increased, but the rate was much lower than that occurring at lower doses. A limiting dilution clonal assay was used to measure mutation induction at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltranferase locus in spleen T lymphocytes. Following treatment, the mutant frequency increased until 21 weeks, remained constant until week 40, and then began to decrease. Mutant induction was dose related, with the increase in mutant frequency being significant at doses > or = 1 microgram 1,6-dinitropyrene. These data indicate that 1,6-dinitropyrene, a constituent of diesel emissions, is metabolically activated by nitroreduction to give DNA adducts in target and surrogate tissues. They further suggest that T-lymphocyte mutations may be a more sensitive and longer-lived biomarker than DNA adducts for assessing previous exposures to nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Synthesis, spectral analysis, and mutagenicity of 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene.

The mutagenic environmental pollutants 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene were synthesized. Nitration of 7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene with sodium nitrate in trifluoroacetic acid and acetic anhydride at ambient temperature gave a mixture of 1-, 3-, and 6-nitro-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene, which was separated by chromatography. Dehydrogenation of the isolated nitrotetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrenes with 2,3-dichloro-4,5-dicyano-1,6-benzoquinone produced 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene in high yield. Comparison of the spectral data of these compounds with those obtained from direct nitration of benzo[a]pyrene confirmed that 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrenes are indeed the minor products of the latter reaction. This confirmation also verifies that 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene were the minor nitrated products of benzo[a]pyrene formed in model air atmospheres. The 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene were mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium tester strains TA98 and TA100 in the presence of a mammalian microsomal (S9) activating system. Both 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene, but not 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene, were also direct-acting mutagens in these strains. However, only 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene exhibited weak mutagenic activity when tested in Chinese hamster ovary cells, while only 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene produced a concentration-dependent decrease in cellular survival.

Use of the human liver cell line Hep G2 in a modified Salmonella reversion assay.

The human hepatoma cell line Hep G2 was used to activate promutagenic chemicals to mutagens in a modified Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay. Hep G2 cells mediated positive mutagenic responses in tester strain TA98 with 5 and 25 micrograms/plate of 2-aminofluorene, but these responses were consistently lower than those seen using primary rat hepatocytes. In addition, 3 and 6 X 10(6) Hep G2 cells per assay produced positive mutagenic responses with 2-aminoanthracene, benzidine, acetylbenzidine and aflatoxin B1, while benzo[a]pyrene, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, 3-methylcholanthrene, 4-aminobiphenyl and 4- and 11-aminobenzo[a]pyrene were nonmutagenic with Hep G2-cell activation. These results indicate that Hep G2 cells may be a useful intact cellular metabolizing system of human origin for predicting the genotoxicity of promutagenic agents, but that the use of Salmonella as a target cell may limit the classes of mutagens detected.

Evaluation of the transgenic p53+/- mouse for detecting genotoxic liver carcinogens in a short-term bioassay.

The transgenic p53-deficient heterozygous (p53+/-) mouse is prone to both spontaneous and induced tumors and has been proposed for use in a sensitive, short-term (6 months) assay for identifying genotoxic, multispecies carcinogens. It is not clear, however, if a short-term assay with p53+/- mice detects agents that target certain organs, in particular, the liver. In this study, we treated neonatal male p53+/- and p53+/+ mice with the genotoxic carcinogens dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), and 6-nitrochrysene (6-NC). In keeping with the methodology of the proposed short-term assay, the p53+/- mice were evaluated for tumors 7 months after treatment. Wild-type neonatal mice treated with genotoxic carcinogens are known to develop tumors within 1 year; hence, the p53+/+ animals used as controls were subjected to pathological examination at 1 year of age. Our results showed that PhIP was not tumorigenic in either group of mice. Liver tumor incidence increased significantly in the p53+/+ mice treated with DMN and 6-NC, indicating that the conditions of the bioassay were conducive to the promotion of liver tumorigenesis. On the other hand, these two chemicals failed to induce a significant increase in liver tumors in the p53+/- mice by seven months. This result suggests that a deficiency in the amount of p53 protein does not lead to accelerated liver tumorigenesis in mice, and contrasts with previous reports that show a decreased latency of tumors in non-liver targets.

Tumorigenicity and liver tumor ras-protooncogene mutations in CD-1 mice treated neonatally with 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene and their trans-7,8-dihydrodiol and aminobenzo[a]pyrene metabolites.

The environmental pollutants 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (1- and 3-NBaP) are metabolized by mammalian microsomes through ring oxidation to 1-NBaP trans-7,8-dihydrodiol and 3-NBaP trans-7,8-dihydrodiol, and by nitroreduction to 1- and 3-aminobenzo[a]pyrene. To determine if these compounds are tumorigenic, 1- and 3-NBaP, along with several of their metabolites and the parent benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and its trans-7,8-dihydrodiol metabolite, were tested in the neonatal CD-1 mouse bioassay. Male mice were administered i.p. injections at a total dose of 100 or 400 nmol per mouse on 1, 8 and 15 days after birth. While the liver tumor incidences for BaP, BaP trans-7,8-dihydrodiol, and the positive control 6-nitrochrysene (6-NC) were significantly higher than in the solvent control animals, all the other tested compounds exhibited no tumorigenicity. The frequency of Ha- and Ki-ras mutations in liver tumors of mice treated with BaP, BaP trans-7,8-dihydrodiol, and 6-NC were higher than in the few liver tumors isolated from control mice or mice treated with the NBaPs or their metabolites. Since 1- and 3-NBaP and their metabolites are potent mutagens in the Salmonella assay and moderate mutagens in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mammalian mutagenicity assay, our results indicate that the in vitro mutagenicity of these compounds does not correlate with their tumorigenicity.

Hprt lymphocyte mutant frequency in relation to DNA adduct formation in rats fed the hepatocarcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene.

The lymphocyte hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) assay is frequently used as a biomarker for the exposure of both humans and laboratory animals to potentially carcinogenic agents. To obtain information concerning the sensitivity of the rat Hprt lymphocyte assay toward aromatic amine carcinogens, male F344 rats were fed 0.02% 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) for 1 month and then returned to control diet for 2 months. At 4, 27, 48, 62, and 90 days after the initiation of 2-AAF-feeding, the frequency of mutants in the Hprt gene was determined. In addition, DNA was isolated from liver nuclei, spleen lymphocytes, bone marrow, and thymus, and DNA adducts were analyzed by 32P-postlabeling. 2-AAF feeding resulted in a significant induction of 6-thioguanine-resistant T-lymphocytes and the mutant frequency continued to increase after the 2-AAF feeding was stopped. The same major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene, was detected in liver, spleen lymphocytes, bone marrow, and thymus. DNA adduct levels were greatest in the tumor target tissue (liver) but occurred in all T-lymphocyte compartments, being highest in spleen lymphocytes. The DNA adduct levels were highest at the end of the 1-month 2-AAF feeding period and decreased rapidly in all tissues. The data indicate that the Hprt lymphocyte mutagenesis assay detects arylamine carcinogens, but with relatively low sensitivity.

Susceptibility of C57BL/6 mice to tumorigenicity induced by dimethylnitrosamine and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine in the neonatal bioassay.

Male C57BL/6 neonates were treated on days 8 and 15 with 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP, 6.5 or 26.2 mg/kg) or dimethylnitrosamine (DMN, 2.6 or 10.5 mg/kg). No tumors were seen in PhIP-treated animals at 15 months of age. Liver and lung tumor incidences in DMN-treated animals were 67-79 and 0-7%, respectively. In comparison with data from other strains, our results indicate that (1) neonatally-treated C57BL/6 mice are resistant to the induction of liver and lung tumors by PhIP and lung tumors by DMN and (2) the susceptibility of this strain to induced liver tumors correlates with the activity of hepatic DMN N-demethylase and PhIP N-hydroxylase in the (untreated) neonates.

Liver tumors induced in B6C3F1 mice by 7-chlorobenz[a]anthracene and 7-bromobenz[a]anthracene contain K-ras protooncogene mutations.

We previously examined the tumorigenicity of 7-chlorobenz[a]anthracene (7-Cl-BA) and 7-bromobenz[a]anthracene (7-Br-BA) in the neonatal mouse bioassay and found that 7-Cl-BA and 7-Br-BA induced hepatocellular adenoma in 92 and 96% of the mice and hepatocellular carcinoma in 100 and 83% of the mice, respectively. In the present study, mRNA was isolated from each of the liver tumors induced by the two compounds and reverse-transcribed to cDNA. Portions of the K- and H-ras oncogene coding sequences were then amplified and analyzed for DNA sequence alterations. Eighty-three percent (20/24) of 7-Cl-BA-induced and 91% (20/22) of 7-Br-BA-induced liver tumors had activated ras protooncogenes. In contrast to the general finding of H-ras mutations in B6C3F1 mouse liver tumors, both compounds had 95% (19/20) of the mutations located at the first base of K-ras codon 13, resulting in a pattern of GGC --> CGC. Thus, our results demonstrate that 7-Cl-BA and 7-Br-BA induce a unique type of ras (K-ras) oncogene activation in liver tumors of B6C3F1 mice.

Tumorigenicity of nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the neonatal B6C3F1 mouse bioassay and characterization of ras mutations in liver tumors from treated mice.

The nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) 1-, 2-, and 3-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene, 1- and 3-nitrobenzo[e]pyrene, 2- and 3-nitrofluoranthene, 9-nitrodibenz[a,c]anthracene, and two of the parent PAHs fluoranthene and dibenz[a,c]anthracene were tested for tumorigenicity in the neonatal male B6C3F1 mouse. 6-Nitrochrysene was used as a positive control. Mice were administered three intraperitoneal injections of test agent (400 nmol total) on 1, 8, and 15 days after birth and evaluated for liver and lung tumors at 12 months of age. 2-Nitrobenzo[a]pyrene and 6-nitrochrysene induced a high incidence of liver tumors (91-100%), while the remaining test compounds did not induce tumors at a rate significantly higher than the solvent control. 6-Nitrochrysene was the only test agent to produce a significant increase in the frequency of lung tumors. K- and H-ras mutations were analyzed in liver tumors of treated mice and mainly occurred at the first base of K-ras codon 13, resulting in GGC --> CGC transversion. Since most of the tested nitro-PAHs are mutagens in vitro, the results of this study indicate that the in vitro mutagenicity of these compounds does not correlate with their tumorigenicity in the neonatal B6C3F1 mouse bioassay. Also, the results indicate that liver tumors from mice treated with nitro-PAHs possess ras mutations typical of PAHs and their derivatives.

DNA adduct formation and mutation induction by nitropyrenes in Salmonella and Chinese hamster ovary cells: relationships with nitroreduction and acetylation.

Nitrated pyrenes are environmental pollutants and potent mutagens in the Salmonella reversion assay. In this study reversion induction by 1-nitropyrene and 1,8-dinitropyrene in Salmonella typhimurium TA1538 and mutation induction by 1-nitropyrene in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were related to the extent of metabolism and DNA adduct formation. In suspension cultures of Salmonella typhimurium TA1538, 1,8-dinitropyrene was up to 40-fold more mutagenic than 1-nitropyrene, although both compounds were metabolized at similar rates with nitroreduction being the major pathway. The major metabolite formed from 1-nitropyrene after 2 hr of incubation was 1-nitrosopyrene, while 1-amino-8-nitropyrene was the major metabolite formed from 1,8-dinitropyrene. 1-Nitrosopyrene and 1-nitro-8-nitrosopyrene elicited mutation values consistent with their being intermediates in the activation pathways. However, subsequent to nitroreduction, 1,8-dinitropyrene appeared to be further activated by acetylation, while 1-nitropyrene was not. Each nitrated pyrene produced a major DNA adduct substituted at the C8-position of deoxyguanosine. Although 1,8-dinitropyrene was more mutagenic than 1-nitropyrene, both compounds induced a similar number of revertants per adduct. Incubation of 1-nitrosopyrene with CHO cells produced a rapid concentration- and time-dependent induction of mutations and the conversion of 1-nitrosopyrene to 1-aminopyrene. In contrast, 1-nitropyrene did not induce mutations and was not converted to 1-aminopyrene. Both compounds produced the same major adduct, but adduct formation by 1-nitropyrene was much lower than by 1-nitrosopyrene.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Arylamine-DNA adducts in vitro and in vivo: their role in bacterial mutagenesis and urinary bladder carcinogenesis.

Hepatic N-oxidation, followed by N-glucuronidation, has been proposed as a route of metabolic activation for arylamine bladder carcinogens. It is postulated that the N-glucuronides are transported to the bladder lumen where they are hydrolyzed under slightly acidic conditions to release direct-acting carcinogenic and mutagenic N-hydroxyarylamines. In this study, 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP), 1-naphthylamine (1-NA), 2-naphthylamine (2-NA), 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF), 4-nitrobiphenyl (NBP), benzidine (BZ), and N-acetylbenzidine (ABZ) were administered to male beagle dogs (60 mumole/kg), and the bladder epithelium DNA adducts were quantified at various times after treatment. At 24-48 hr after administration, the order of binding to bladder epithelium DNA was: ABP >> AAF > NBP congruent with 2-NA congruent withBZ congruent with ABZ >> 1-NA. The level of DNA modification by ABP remained constant for 7 days, whereas 2-NA and AAF residues decreased by 35% and 80%, respectively. The extent and relative persistence of total DNA binding correlated with the compounds' ability to induce bladder tumors in dogs. ABP, AAF, NBP, 2-NA and ABZ administration resulted in DNA binding sufficient for adduct analysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the DNA and examination of the adducts by high pressure liquid chromatography indicated that arylamine substitution at C8 of deoxyguanosine was the dominant product. Additional adducts were detected in animals treated with ABP, NBP, and 2-NA. Furthermore, the profiles of adducts obtained in vivo were remarkably similar to the profiles obtained when the N-hydroxy arylamine metabolites of these carcinogens were reacted with DNA in vitro at pH 5.0. To evaluate the mutagenic potential of these arylamine-DNA adducts, Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 1535 and TA 1538 were incubated with N-hydroxy-2-NA, N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene (AF), N-hydroxy-ABP, and N-hydroxy-ABZ and the resulting DNA adducts and reversions were quantified. Arylamine-C8-deoxyguanosine substitution was correlated with frameshift reversions induced by these agents, with the lesions showing a relative order of mutagenic efficiency of ABZ>AF congruent with2-NA>ABP. These data suggest that mutagenic N-hydroxyarylamines may be ultimate carcinogens for the bladder epithelium. Furthermore, if one assumes that a mutagenic lesion is important for tumor initiation, then C8-deoxyguanosine substitution by these compounds may be significant for urinary bladder carcinogenesis.

Formation of DNA adducts and induction of mutations in rats treated with tumorigenic doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene.

1,6-Dinitropyrene, a component of diesel exhaust, is a lung carcinogen in male F344 rats following a single intrapulmonary administration. In this study, rats were treated with tumorigenic doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene to establish dose-response relationships for the formation of DNA adducts in target (lung) and nontarget (liver) tissues and for the induction of 6-thioguanine-resistant mutations in spleen T-lymphocytes. One week after treatment with 0.3, 1, 3, 10, 30, 100, or 150 micrograms of 1,6-dinitropyrene, dose-responsive DNA binding was measured in lung and liver with binding in the lung being 10-fold higher than in the liver. In the lung, a 2-fold increase in dose resulted in a 1.8-fold increase in DNA binding at treatments up to 30 micrograms of 1,6-dinitropyrene, while in the liver, a 2-fold increase in 1,6-dinitropyrene produced a 2-fold increase in DNA binding at doses up to the 10 micrograms treatment. Higher doses of 1,6-dinitropyrene resulted in proportionally smaller increases in adduct formation in the two tissues. When measured 21 weeks after treatment, mutations in T-lymphocytes increased with doses up to 100 micrograms of 1,6-dinitropyrene, but the response was nonlinear throughout the dose range. These findings indicate that concentrations of 1,6-dinitropyrene that produce a dose-dependent induction of lung tumors also result in a dose-dependent formation of DNA adducts and induction of lymphocyte mutations but that the dose-response curves for DNA binding and mutations are different.

DNA adduct formation in relation to lymphocyte mutations and lung tumor induction in F344 rats treated with the environmental pollutant 1,6-dinitropyrene.

Epidemiological studies suggest an association between exposure to diesel emissions and an increased incidence of lung and bladder cancer in humans. Of the compounds associated with diesel emissions, 1,6-dinitropyrene is a particularly potent mutagen and carcinogen. In these experiments we administered [4,5,9,10-3H]1,6-dinitropyrene (30 or 100 micrograms) directly to the lungs of F344 rats according to a protocol known to induce lung tumors and characterized the DNA adducts present in the target tissue. In addition, we examined the adducts present in spleen lymphocytes and assayed for the induction of mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus in these cells, as measured by the frequency of 6-thioguanine-resistant (TGr) T-lymphocytes. Adduct formation was detected in both lung and spleen lymphocyte DNA, with the extent of binding being dose-dependent in the lymphocytes but not the lung. 32P-Postlabeling analyses indicated the formation of a major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-amino-6- nitropyrene, in both tissues. 1,6-Dinitropyrene treatment resulted in a dose-dependent increase in TGr T-lymphocytes, with the increase being detected for at least 21 weeks after treatment. These data indicate that 1,6-dinitropyrene is metabolically activated by nitroreduction to form DNA adducts in both the target tissue and spleen lymphocytes and that a tumorigenic dose results in a significant induction of TGr T-lymphocytes.

Genomic DNA sequencing of mRNA splicing mutants in the hprt gene of Chinese hamster ovary cells.

We have analyzed 41 mRNA-splicing mutants from the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (hprt) gene of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Twenty-two of these mutants produced single cDNA PCR products with a partial or complete exon deletion; 19 mutants produced multiple cDNA PCR products, and most of these products contained one or more deleted exons. The affected exons and surrounding introns were amplified from genomic DNA and sequenced in order to identify mutations causing aberrant splicing. We found acceptor site mutations in 10 mutants, exonic mutations in 8 mutants, and no mutations in 5 mutants. Four mutants from solvent controls did not amplify the appropriate exons and were considered genomic deletion mutants. Our previous work [Manjanatha MG et al. (1994): Mutat Res 308;65-75] showed that nonsense mutants in the hprt gene of CHO cells are associated with multiple cDNA PCR products containing deleted exons and a low abundance of hprt mRNA if the mutation is found in an internal exon. The present results are consistent with these associations being facilitated by instability of mRNA after ribosome termination at nonsense codons.