Hypoxanthine-guanine Phosphoribosyl Transferase Locus Research Articles

Determination of genotoxic and other effects in mice following short term repeated-dose and subchronic inhalation exposure to phosphine.

Phosphine is an important fumigant in the grain industry and has been reported to be genotoxic in occupationally exposed fumigators. This study reports on the effects of phosphine inhalation exposure at up to, and exceeding, occupational relevant levels in a subchronic (0.3, 1.0 and 4.5 ppm, 13 weeks) and a short term repeated-dose (5.5 ppm, 2 weeks) study in both sexes of Balb-c mice. The following end-points were examined: micronucleus induction in bone marrow, peripheral blood, spleen lymphocytes and skin keratinocytes, mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus in lymphocytes, and weight gain and relative organ weights (kidneys, lungs, liver, heart, brain and spleen). After subchronic exposure, there was a highly significant negative linear correlation between proportional weight gain and exposure in both sexes (multiple linear regression, r = -0.56, P < 0.0001), with female mice showing a greater effect. Females also showed an increase in relative organ weights at the highest test dose, in contrast to males where there was a slight decrease. A statistically significant increase in micronucleus frequency was seen in the bone marrow and spleen lymphocytes of both sexes, but only at the highest concentration. The short term repeated-dose study revealed a slight decrease in weight gain in both sexes, with a greater effect in females. It is concluded that phosphine is weakly genotoxic in both sexes of mice, and has an effect on weight gain. However, the weak genotoxic effect may not be biologically significant as it was seen only in the subchronic study and only at the highest test concentration of 4.5 +/- 0.8 ppm (approaching the LD50). Although such exposure conditions are unlikely to be encountered in an occupational environment, caution should continue to be exercised in the use of phosphine until more data become available.

Protection against radiation-induced mutagenesis at the hprt locus by spermine and N,N"-(dithiodi-2,1-ethanediyl)bis-1,3-propanediamine (WR-33278).

The polyamine spermine and the disulfide N,N"-(dithiodi-2,1-ethanediyl)bis-1,3-propanediamine (WR-33278) are structurally similar agents capable of binding to DNA. WR-33278 is the disulfide moiety of the clinically studied radioprotective agent S-2-(3-aminopropylamino)ethylphosphorothioic acid (WR-2721). Because of their reported structural and functional similarities, it was of interest to compare their effects on cell survival and mutation induction at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) locus in Chinese hamster AA8 cells. WR-33278 and spermine (at concentrations of 0.01 and 0.001 mM) were electroporated into cells. Electroporation, 300 V and 125 microF, was performed either 30 min prior to or 3 h following exposure of cells to 750 cGy of ionizing radiation. Electroporation alone reduced cell survival to 75% but had no effect on hprt mutation frequency. The electroporation of either spermine or WR-33278 at concentrations greater than 0.01 mM was extremely toxic. The exposure of cells to both electroporation and irradiation gave rise to enhanced cell killing and mutation induction, with the sequence of irradiation followed 3 h later by electroporation being the more toxic protocol. Cell survival was only enhanced following electroporation of 0.01 mM of spermine and WR-33278 30 min prior to irradiation. Protection against radiation-induced hprt mutations was observed for both spermine and WR-33278 under all experimental conditions tested. Spermine at exposure concentrations of 0.01 and 0.001 mM administered 30 min before or 3 h after irradiation reduced mutation frequencies by factors of 2.2, 1.2, 1.9 and 2.2, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction-based deletion analysis of spontaneous, gamma ray- and alpha-induced hprt mutants of CHO-K1 cells.

Independent Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cell mutants at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus were isolated from untreated, 60Co gamma ray- and 212Bi alpha-exposed cells and the genetic changes underlying the mutation determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based exon deletion analysis. In the 71 spontaneous mutants analyzed, 77.5% of the clones showed no change in exon number or size, 15.5% showed a loss of a single exon, 4.2% showed a loss of 2-8 exons, and 2.8% showed loss of all nine hprt exons (total gene deletion). Exposure to 6 Gy of gamma rays, which reduced survival levels to 10%, produced a significantly different deletion spectrum that was shifted toward deletions with 45% of the 20 mutants analyzed showing a loss of a single exon and 30% showing a loss of all nine exons. Exposure to 2 Gy alpha radiation from 212Bi, a 220Rn daughter, a dose which also reduced survival levels to about 10%, resulted in a deletion spectrum similar to the gamma-ray spectrum in that more than 75% of the 49 mutants analyzed were deletions. The alpha spectrum, however, was significantly different from both the spontaneous and gamma spectra with 55.1% of the alpha mutants showing a loss of all nine exons, 10.2% showing loss of a single exon, and 14.3% showing loss of 2-8 exons. Thus, alpha-radiation appears to produce larger intragenic deletions than gamma radiation. The results suggest that intragenic deletion size should be considered when low- and high linear energy transfer (LET) mutation spectra are compared.

USE OF RHEK-1 IMMORTALIZED HUMAN KERATINOCYTES FOR DETECTION OF INDUCED MUTATION AT THE HYPOXANTHINE-GUANINE PHOSPHORIBOSYLTRANSFERASE LOCUS

We report here the use of a nontumorigenic, immortalized human keratinocyte line, RHEK-1, for the detection of rare mutations induced at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus. RHEK-1 keratinocytes were used as a prototype to determine mutagen treatment conditions, plating density, and phenotypic expression time for maximum recovery of thioguanine-resistant mutants. Mutation frequency was measured after exposure to ionizing radiation or to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. 7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene caused almost no cytotoxicity, but induced thioguanine-resistant mutants at frequencies as much as 30 to 40-fold higher than the median spontaneous frequency of 7 x 10(-6). X-irradiation was also an efficient mutagen in RHEK-1 keratinocytes. The mutants were aminopterin-sensitive and possessed no measurable hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase activity. The RHEK-1 human epithelial cell line is therefore useful for the study of induced mutation at a defined genetic locus as well as being an important model for the investigation, of molecular, cellular and genetic mechanisms of neoplastic transformation in human stratified squamous epithelia.

Quantitative and molecular analyses of genetic risk: a study with ionizing radiation.

Mammalian cells in culture have been used to study the genetic effects of physical and chemical agents. We have used Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, clone K1-BH4, to quantify mutations at the X-linked, large (35 kb) hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus (the CHO/HPRT assay) induced by environmental agents. By transfecting an hprt-deletion mutant CHO cell line with the plasmid vector pSV2gpt, we isolated a transformant, AS52. AS52 cells carry a single functional copy of an autosomal, small (456 bp) xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (gpt) gene (the bacterial equivalent of the mammalian hprt gene; AS52/GPT assay). We found that ionizing radiations such as X-rays and neutrons and oxidative genotoxic chemicals such as Adriamycin, bleomycin, hydrogen peroxide, and potassium superoxide are much more mutagenic to the gpt gene in AS52 cells than to the hprt locus in K1-BH4 cells. The hypermutability of the gpt gene probably results from a higher recovery of multilocus deletion mutants in AS52 cells than in K1-BH4 cells, rather than a higher yield of induced mutants. These results demonstrate that the use of the hprt locus alone could lead to an underestimate of the genetic risk of these agents. Analyses of the mutation spectrum using a polymerase chain reaction-based deletion screening and DNA sequencing procedure showed that a high proportion of HPRT- and GPT- mutants induced by X-rays carry deletion mutations. Thus, both the mutant frequency and mutation spectrum need to be considered in assessing the genetic risk of ionizing radiation and oxidative genotoxic chemicals.

Polymerase chain reaction-based deletion screening of bleomycin induced 6-thioguanine-resistant mutants in Chinese hamster ovary cells: The effects of an inhibitor and a mimic of superoxide dismutase

Bleomycin-induced 6-thioguanine-resistant mutants pretreated with or without TRIEN (triethylene-tetramine), a superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibitor, or TEMPOL (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl), an SOD mimic, were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based deletion screening in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) clone K1-BH4 and its derivative AS52 cells. As we proposed earlier, TRIEN would decrease and TEMPOL would increase the intracellular level of hydroxyl radical leading to a higher and lower recovery of deletion mutants. We found that the proportion of the deletion mutants induced by bleomycin at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase ( hprt) locus in K1-BH4 cells was 45.5% ( 25 55 ). The proportion of deletion HPRT − mutants induced by bleomycin pretreated with TRIEN was 31.0% ( 9 29 ) and with TEMPOL was 50.0% ( 14 28 ). The proportion of deletion mutants induced by bleomycin on the xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase ( gpt) gene in AS52 cells was 61.0% ( 36 59 ). The proportion of deletion GPT − mutants induced by bleomycin pretreated with TRIEN was 56.8% ( 21 37 ) and with TEMPOL was 61.4% ( 27 44 ). The trend of the change of the proportion of bleomycin-induced deletion mutants as affected by TRIEN and by TEMPOL provides molecular evidence for the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bleomycin mutagenesis in mammalian cells, in which deletion is a major type of induced mutation.

Multiplex DNA amplification and solid-phase direct sequencing for mutation analysis at the hprt locus in Chinese hamster cells

We report here the development of multiplex in vitro DNA amplification and solid-phase direct exon sequencing for the analysis of mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus in Chinese hamster cells. 18 representative HPRT-deficient mutants, derived either spontaneously, or after exposure to UV light or ionizing radiation, were analyzed. All 9 hprt exons were simultaneously amplified via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rapid deletion detection. 5 mutants involve single- or multiple-exon deletions. Altered multiplex PCR patterns were detected in mutants Bsp-040, Bsp-065 and BGR-606. Subsequent direct sequence analysis reveals that Bsp-040 and Bsp-065 carry a 52-bp and a 13-bp intragenic DNA deletion in exon 3, respectively. BGR-606 contains a 223-bp insertion accompanied by a 10-bp deletion of intron sequence within exon 4 fragment. Other subtle DNA alterations identified by direct exon sequence analysis include single-base substitutions, small deletions and insertions, and RNA splicing mutations.

Molecular analysis of ethylene oxide-induced mutations at the HPRT locus in human diploid fibroblasts

Ethylene oxide (EtO)-induced mutations in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene were characterized in 28 independently derived 6-thioguanine-resistant human diploid fibroblast clones using polymerase chain reaction-based techniques and Southern blot analysis. Sequence analysis revealed one single base pair deletion and 13 base substitutions, nine of which were transversions: five AT → TA, three GC → TA and one GC → CG. Four mutants were found to have GC → AT transitions. Seven of the point mutations caused splicing errors. Six occurred in splice site sequences and one created a new splice acceptor site 16 bp upstream of exon 9. Three splice mutations were localized at the same site in the splice donor sequence of intron 8. Fourteen mutants had large HPRT gene deletions. In seven mutants the entire HPRT gene was deleted. The remaining deletion mutants had a truncated HPRT gene, where one or several exons were lost. These results show that EtO induces many different kinds of HPRT mutations, among which as many as 50% are large deletions.

Molecular analysis of mutations in the hprt gene in circulating lymphocytes from normal and DNA-repair-deficient donors

Circulating lymphocytes from patients with the DNA-repair-deficient disorders, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) have elevated frequencies of mutants at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus. We have analysed the DNA sequence of the hprt gene in mutants from normal donors, and compared them with mutants from XP and A-T individuals. In normal donors we found a range of mutations including principally transitions (40%), transversions (32%) and small deletions (20%). In an excision-deficient XP donor from complementation group C the mutation spectrum was similar to that from normal donors, whereas in an XP variant there was a significantly higher frequency (44%) of small deletions. In the two A-T donors, there was a high frequency of large deletions (22 and 75%) compared with only 4% in normal donors.

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.

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.

Mutagenicity of Hydralazine in Mammalian Cells and Bacteria

The genotoxicity of hydralazine (l-IDZ), an antihypertensive agent, was evaluated in mammalian cells and bacteria. The formation of mutants at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus in an adult rat liver cell line ARL 18 was determined. Bacterial mutagenicity was assessed in Salmonella typhimirium strains TA100 and TA102. The latter strain was chosen because it has A:T bases at the reversion site and HDZ has been reported to interact with thymidine. HDZ was mutagenic to ARL 18 cells with a concentration-dependent increase in mutants observed at 5 × 10 6 to 5 × 10 −4 M. At 5 × 10 −4 M HDZ, there were 110 mutants/10 6 colony-forming cells compared to 129 for cells exposed to 10 −4 M benzo( a)pyrene, a known genotoxin. Bacterial mutants were observed with HDZ in both strains in the absence of an activating system. HDZ also induced mutants in the presence of S-9 from Aroclor-induced rat liver or uninduced rabbit liver. These results were consistent with previous reports of the mutagenicity of HDZ in TA100 and extend the observations to TA102, a strain designed to detect oxidative damage. This study also provides the first evidence of the mutagenicity of HDZ in mammalian cells. These data support the genotoxicity of HDZ in in vitro systems.

Mutation Induction by Ionizing Radiation in Three Human Bladder Tumour Cell Lines

Mutation induction at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt) locus has been studied in three human bladder tumour cell lines of varying radiosensitivity. U1-S40b, a radiosensitive mutant clone of MGH-U1, has been previously reported to show no difference in split-dose recovery or low dose-rate sparing, but to have an impaired repair fidelity when compared to its parent line. In this paper we have shown that U1-S40b is less mutable at the hprt locus at a similar level of survival. This may represent an increased incidence of severe or non-repairable lesions, making hprt- mutants poorly recoverable in U1-S40b when compared to MGH-U1. No difference was seen in mutation induction between MGH-U1 and RT112, another human bladder tumour cell line of similar radiosensitivity to MGH-U1.

Mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of 2-methoxyethanol and its metabolites in Chinese hamster cells (the CHO/HPRT and AS52/GPT assays)

2-Methoxyethanol (ethylene glycol monomethyl ether) (EGME), is one of the most commonly used solvents for industrial and consumer products. Although the solvent has been shown to be a reproductive toxin the genotoxic activities of EGME especially its metabolites, have not been adequately investigated. The mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of EGME and its major metabolites, methoxyacetaldehyde (MALD) and methoxyacetic acid (MAA) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were therefore examined by us. We have determined the mutagenicity of these compounds at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase ( hprt) locus in CHO-K1-BH4 cells (CHO/HPRT assay) and the xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase ( gpt) locus in CHO AS52 cells (AS52/GPT assay). The results show that these chemicals are not mutagenic to the hprt locus in CHO-K1-BH4 cells either with or without rat liver S9 mix as the metabolic activating system. With AS52 cells, only MALD is mutagenic in the absence of S9. It induced a dose-dependent mutagenic response. A dose-dependent cytotoxicity was induced by all compounds in both cell lines. MALD is the most and EGME is the least cytotoxic compounds. Our study shows that a metabolite of EGME, MALD, is highly cytotoxic and likely induces deletion-type mutations in AS52 cells. The genotoxic effect of EGME is, therefore, dependent upon its metabolism and its detection is dependent upon the assays used.

Molecular spectrum of background mutation at the hprt locus in human T-lymphocytes.

The molecular basis of somatic mutation at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (hprt) locus in human 6-thioguanine resistant T-cell clones from 17 individuals has been studied by Southern blot analysis, multiplex PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and direct sequencing of PCR amplified hprt cDNAs or genomic DNA. Twenty-three novel mutations were detected, which in addition to previously described mutations provide a background mutational spectrum based on a total of 45 hprt mutations in human T-cells. Twenty T-cell mutants had base substitutions in the coding region leading to 15 missense and five nonsense mutations. In addition to five frameshift mutations caused by four small deletions and one duplication, seven splice mutations, three of them with skipping of exon 8, were detected. Thirteen genomic structural alterations have also been identified; one of these had a genomic exon 1 deletion with a GGCCGG-hexamer in both breakpoints.

Effects of an inhibitor and a mimic of superoxide dismutase on bleomycin mutagenesis in Chinese hamster ovary cells

We have investigated the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bleomycin (BLM)-induced gene mutations in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using a superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibitor, triethylenetetramine (TRIEN), and a SOD mimic, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPOL), to lower and increase intracellular “SOD activity”, respectively. Pretreatment of CHO cells with TRIEN (1 mM) for 1 h enhanced the mutagenic response of BLM (5–50 μg/ml, 1 h treatment) in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase ( hprt) locus in CHO cell clone K1-BH4 (CHO/HPRT assay) and the xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase ( gpt) gene in a CHO-K1 cell derivative AS52 (AS52/GPT assay). Pretreatment with TEMPOL (1 mM) for 1 h decreased the BLM (20–100 μg/ml, 1 h treatment) mutagenicity in the AS52/GPT assay. The mutagenic response of BLM appears to be modulated by the intracellular level of ‘SOD activity’ and hence the intracellular level of ROS. These data provide further evidence for the involvement of ROS in bleomycin mutagenesis in mammalian cells.

UV-induced hprt mutations in a UV-sensitive hamster cell line from complementation group 3 are biased towards the transcribed strand

The molecular nature of 254 nm ultraviolet light (UV)-induced mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus in UV24 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which are defective in nucleotide excision repair, was determined. Sequence analysis of 19 hprt mutants showed that single base substitutions (9 mutants) and tandem base changes (7 mutants) dominated the UV mutation spectrum in this cell line. Sixty-five percent of the base substitutions were GC > AT transitions, whereas the rest consisted of transitions and transversions at AT base pairs. Analysis of the distribution of dipyrimidine sites over the two DNA strands, where the photoproducts causing these mutations presumably were formed, showed that 12 out of 14 mutations were located in the transcribed strand of the hprt gene. A similar strand distribution of mutagenic photoproducts as in UV24 has previously been found in two other UV-sensitive Chinese hamster cell lines (V-H1 and UV5), indicating that under defective nucleotide excision repair conditions the induction of mutations is strongly biased towards lesions in the transcribed strand of the hprt gene. A plausible explanation for this phenomenon is that during DNA replication large differences exist in the error rate with which DNA polymerase(s) bypass lesions in the templates for the leading and lagging strand, respectively.

The mutagenic effects of low level sub-acute inhalation exposure to benzene in CD-1 mice

Benzene is a widely used chemical and common environmental contaminant. It is carcinogenic in man and animals and is genotoxic in mice, rats, and occupationally exposed humans at doses above one part per million. In order to evaluate the genotoxic effects of prolonged exposures to very low concentrations of benzene, we exposed CD-1 mice to benzene by inhalation for 22 h per day, seven days per week for six weeks at 40, 100 and 1000 parts per billion (ppb). Additional groups were exposed to purified air or were housed in standard plastic cages. The effects of in vivo exposure to benzene were evaluated by using an autoradiogaaphic assay to determine the frequency of mutants which represent mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase ( hprt) locus in spleen lymphocytes. At the end of the six weeks exposure period lymphocytes were recoverd from the spleens of the mice and cryopreserved prior to assay. Mutant cells were selected on the basis of their ability to incorporate tritiated thymidine in the presence of 6-thioguanine. The weighted mean variant (mutant) frequencies ( Vf) of female mice (three per group) were 7.2 × 10 −6 at 0 ppb; 29.2 × 10 −6 at 40 ppb; 62.5 × 10 −6 at 100 ppb and 25.0 × 10 −6 at 1000 ppb. The Vf of unexposed mice housed in standard cages was 13.2 × 10 −6. In male mice the same pattern of response was observed, but the increases in Vf in response to benzene were not as great. In both sexes of mice, the increases at 40 and 100 ppb were significantly greater than at 0 ppb ( P < 0.05). The increase in Vf with exposure to 100 ppb and the decline at 1000 ppb parallel the results observed for chromosome damage in spleen lymphocytes from the same animals (Au et al., Mutation Res. 260 (1991) 219–224). These results indicate that sub-chronic exposure to benzene at levels below the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration Permitted Exposure Limit may induce gene mutations in lymphocytes in mice.

Mutation induction and DNA adduct formation in Chinese hamster ovary cells treated with 6-nitrochrysene, 6-aminochrysene and their metabolites

6-Nitrochrysene, 6-aminochrysene and several of their metabolites were assayed for mutagenic activity at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase ( hprt) locus in DNA-repair-proficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells and excision-repair-deficient CHO-UV5 cells. Mutagen—DNA adducts were analyzed by 32P-postlabeling in cells treated under the conditions of the mutagenicity assay and compared with the adduct patterns produced from the in vitro reaction of metabolites of 6-nitrochrysene and 6-aminochrysene with calf-thymus DNA. The mutagenic activities of the test compounds in the presence of a liver homogenate (S9) fraction from Aroclor 1254-pretreated rats, expressed as the number of mutants per 10 6 cells per nmole test compound per ml, in CHO-K1 and CHO-UV5 cells, respectively, were as follows: 6-nitrochrysene, 0.3 and 4; 6-aminochrysene, 35 and 117; 6-nitrochrysene-1,2-dihydrodiol, 1 and 6; 6-aminochrysene- 1,2-dihydrodiol, 488 and 644; chrysene (run as a positive control), 12 and 28. 6-Nitrosochrysene was a direct-acting mutagen, yielding 127 and 618 mutants per 10 6 cells per nmole per ml in CHO-K1 and CHO-UV5 cells, respectively. Mutagen-DNA adduct analysis indicated that cells treated with 6-aminochrysene in the presence of S9 or 6-nitrosochrysene in the absence of S9 contained an adduct pattern identical to that derived from the in vitro reaction of N-hydroxy-6-aminochrysene with calf-thymus DNA. Cells treated with 6-aminochrysene-1,2-dihydrodiol plus S9 contained a single mutagen-DNA adduct that was distinct from those derived from N-hydroxy-6-aminochrysene. Based on comparison with previous studies, this adduct is presumed to be derived from 1,2-dihydroxy-3,4-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-aminochrysene. Cells treated with 6-nitrochrysene plus S9 and 6-nitrochrysene-1,2-dihydrodiol plus S9 contained a single major chromatographically identical adduct that was apparently derived from N-hydroxy-6-aminochrysene- 1,2-dihydrodiol. The results indicate that 6-nitrochrysene, 6-aminochrysene and their metabolites are mutagenic in CHO cells, but that the major activation pathway for 6-nitrochrysene and 6-nitrochrysene-1,2-dihydrodiol in this system differs from previously described pathways.

Investigation of coelectroporation as a method for introducing small mutations into embryonic stem cells.

We have investigated coelectroporation as a method for introducing minor genetic changes into specific genes in embryonic stem cells. A selectable marker (neo) and a targeting replacement vector designed to insert a 4-bp insertion into exon 3 of the mouse hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene were coelectroporated into embryonic stem cells and selected in G418 and 6-thioguanine (6-TG). HPRT-negative clones were obtained at a frequency of approximately 1 per 520 G418r clones. Southern analysis and the polymerase chain reaction were used to demonstrate that 3 of 36 of the 6-TG-resistant clones had the desired 4-bp insertion without any other disruption of the HPRT locus. Initial studies indicated that the other 33 6-TG-resistant clones probably resulted from the targeted integration of a concatemer containing both the targeting construct and the selectable neo gene.