Contents Volume 93 (1982)

A thymidine kinase heterozygote was isolated from a diploid human lymphoblast line which forms colonies with high efficiency in microtiter dishes. We show that this cell line, called TK6, can be mutated from a tK^+/? to TK^?/? state by diverse mutagens, including ethyl methanesulfonate, butyl methanesulfonate, nitrosomethylurea, UV light, ICR-191, 4-nitroquinoline oxide, fluorodeoxyuridine, benzo[a]pyrene and aflatoxin B₁. We report here the experiments required to demonstrate the applicability of this new line in quantitative assays of mutation in human cells.Mitotic recombination between the centromere and the tk locus could not be induced by either dimethylsulfoxide or phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate.     

Localized mutagenesis of the tetracycline promoter region in pBR322 by 4,5′,8-trimethylpsoralen

In vitro mutagenesisof functional DNA gene fragments by covalently reactive agents permits one in principle to examine the consequent alterations in DNA sequence directly.. I have carried out selective mutagenesis of the tetracycline resistance gene in the plasmid pBR322 using the long wavelength UV light activated reaction of 4,5′,8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP). The mutagenized DNA sequence was the EcoR1-Hind III restriction fragment in the vicinity of th e Tc^R promoter. Two classes of mutants were obtained. One exhibited a high level of Tc resistance (40–60 μg/ml) but still lower than the wild-type. Interestingly, these showed no sequence alterations at all in the vicinity of the TMP-reacted fragment. The other class of mutants exhibited low levels of drug resistance (< 20 μg/ml) and two of those that were sequenced were found to contain a 15-base pair insertion to the right of the original Hind III site. Under the conditions used, psoralen plus UV light treatment appears to be capable of inducing substantial frame-shifts in DNA.     

Membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR): sludge cake formation and fouling characteristics

A submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a working volume of 1.4 L and a hollow fiber microfiltration membrane was used to treat a contaminated raw water supply at a short hydraulic retention time (HRT) of approximately 1 h. Filtration flux tests were conducted regularly on the membrane to determine various fouling resistances, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize the biofouling development and sludge cake formation on the membrane. The experimental results demonstrate that the MBR is highly effective in drinking water treatment for the removal of organic pollutants, ammonia, and UV absorbance. During the MBR operation, the fouling materials were not uniformly distributed on the entire surface of all of the membrane fibers. The membrane was covered partially by a static sludge cake that could not be removed by the shear force of aeration, and partially by a thin sludge film that was frequently washed away by aeration turbulence. The filtration resistance coefficients were 308.4 x 10(11) m(-1) on average for the sludge cake, 32.5 x 10(11) m(-1) on average for the dynamic sludge film, and increased from 10.5 x 10(11) to 59.7 x 10(11) m(-1) for the membrane pore fouling after 10 weeks of MBR operation at a filtration flux of 0.5 m3/m2 x d. Polysaccharides and other biopolymers were found to accumulate on the membrane, and hence decreased membrane permeability. More important, the adsorption of biopolymers on the membrane modified its surface property and led to easier biomass attachment and tighter sludge cake deposition, which resulted in a progressive sludge cake growth and serious membrane fouling. The sludge cake coverage on the membrane can be minimized by the separation, with adequate space, of the membrane filters, to which sufficient aeration turbulence can then be applied.     

Cytogenetic effects of hycanthone in the rat

Hycanthone methanesulfonate (HCT), a new drug used for the treatment of schistosomiasis, was examined for its ability to produce chromosomal abnormalities in rat bone marrow cells. Rats were given intraperitoneal injections of HCT at 40, 80, or 100 mg/kg and were killed at 6, 24, or 48 h. All levels produced a significant increase cells with abnormalities at all three time periods. There was a significant linear relationship between arithmetic dose and the proportion of cells affected. Based on two of the three experiments peformed, assuming the same slope holds in the vicinity of 0, the upper 95% confidence limits on the expected risk at level of 0.5] mg/kg would be a 0.055% increase in affected cells above control values.     

Micronucleus test and bone-marrow chromosome analysis: A comparison of 2 methods in vivo for evaluating chemically induced chromosomal alterations

The sensitivities of 2 cytogenetic tests, chromosome analysis and the micronucleus test, were compared by using mice exposed to the substances methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), mitomycin C (MC) and procarbazine (Natulan®). The lowest dose at which a significant effect could be observed in bone-marrow cells of mice was determined. Both test systems proved equally sensitive for MC and procarbazine. Doses as low as 0.16 mg of MC per kg and 3.12 mg of Natulan® per kg significantly increased both the aberration rates and the micronucleus rates above those of the controls. In contrast, after exposure to MMS, chromosomal aberrations were elevated above control levels at 5 mg/kg, and the micronucleus rate differed significantly from that of the controls after a dose of 10 mg/kg. With the present protocol and sample size one can conclude that the micronucleus test is generally comparable in sensitivity to the chromosome analysis. However, the MMS data indicate that there might be chemicals for which the resolution of the chromosome analysis is higher.

When the mutagens were given in 2 single i.p. injections separated by 24 h, the polychromatic erythrocytes were analyzed for the presence of micronuclei 6 or 24 h after the second injection. The double treatment did not increase the micronucleus rates above the single-treatment results at either sampling interval.     

川芎嗪对PC12细胞氧糖剥夺后细胞内抗超氧阴离子能力和过氧化氢的影响

目的:探讨川芎嗪(Tetramethylpyrazine,TMP)对PC12细胞氧糖剥夺/复氧复糖损伤后细胞内抗超氧阴离子能力和过氧化氢(H2O2)的影响.方法:建立PC12细胞氧糖剥夺(Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation,OGD)模型,复氧复糖给予不同浓度(0.01、0.02、0.04、0.08、0.16、0.32、0.64、1.28、2.56、5.12、10.24 μmol/L)的川芎嗪,培养24 h后行MTT和LDH的检测.采用四甲基偶氮唑(Methyl Thiazolyl Tetrazolium,MTT)比色检测细胞生存率,并检测细胞内抗超氧阴离子能力和过氧化氢.结果:氧糖剥夺可明显降低PC12细胞活性(55.05％),而川芎嗪可以显著提高PC12细胞活性,其作用呈现一定的剂量—效应相关性.复氧复糖后给予0.16 μmol/L川芎嗪可以提高PC12细胞的活性到75.38％.氧糖剥夺/复氧复糖后6h、24h,TMP组(川芎嗪组)抗超氧阴离子能力明显高于OGD组(模型组)(P＜0.05),而H2O2的含量TMP组明显低于OGD组(P＜0.05).结论:川芎嗪可能提高抗超氧阴离子能力,减少H2O2的产生,从而减轻PC12细胞氧糖剥夺/复氧复糖损伤,具有较好的治疗作用.     

Generation of trans-dioxoruthenium(VI) porphyrins: A photochemical approach

trans-Dioxoruthenium(VI) porphyrin complexes have been developed as one of the best-characterized model systems for heme-containing enzymes. Traditionally, this type of compounds can be prepared by oxidation of ruthenium(II) precursors with peroxyacids and other terminal oxidants under different conditions, depending on the porphyrin ligands. In this work, a new photochemical generation of trans-dioxoruthenium(VI) porphyrins has been developed by extension of the known photo-induced ligand cleavage reactions. Refluxing ruthenium(II) carbonyl porphyrins [Ru^II(Por)(CO)] in carbon tetrachloride afforded dichlororuthenium(IV) complexes [Ru^IV(Por)Cl₂]. Facile exchange of the counterions in [Ru^IV(Por)Cl₂] with Ag(ClO₃) or Ag(BrO₃) gave the corresponding dichlorate [Ru^IV(Por)(ClO₃)₂] or dibromate [Ru^IV(Por)(BrO₃)₂] salts. Visible-light photolysis of the photo-labile porphyrin-ruthenium(IV) dichlorates or dibromates resulted in homolytic cleavage of the two O-Cl or O-Br bonds in the axial ligands to produce trans-dioxoruthenium(IV) species [Ru^VI(Por)O₂] bearing different porphyrin ligands.     

Increasing methotrexate resistance by combination of active-site mutations in human dihydrofolate reductase

Methotrexate-resistant forms of human dihydrofolate reductase have the potential to protect healthy cells from the toxicity of methotrexate (MTX), to improve prognosis during cancer therapy. It has been shown that synergistic MTX-resistance can be obtained by combining two active-site mutations that independently confer weak MTX-resistance. In order to obtain more highly MTX-resistant human dihydrofolate reductase (hDHFR) variants for this application, we used a semi-rational approach to obtain combinatorial active-site mutants of hDHFR that are highly resistant towards MTX. We created a combinatorial mutant library encoding various amino acids at residues Phe31, Phe34 and Gln35. In vivo library selection was achieved in a bacterial system on medium containing high concentrations of MTX. We characterized ten novel MTX-resistant mutants with different amino acid combinations at residues 31, 34 and 35. Kinetic and inhibition parameters of the purified mutants revealed that higher MTX-resistance roughly correlated with a greater number of mutations, the most highly-resistant mutants containing three active site mutations (Ki(MTX)=59-180 nM; wild-type Ki(MTX)<0.03 nM). An inverse correlation was observed between resistance and catalytic efficiency, which decreased mostly as a result of increased KM toward the substrate dihydrofolate. We verified that the MTX-resistant hDHFRs can protect eukaryotic cells from MTX toxicity by transfecting the most resistant mutants into DHFR-knock-out CHO cells. The transfected variants conferred survival at concentrations of MTX between 100-fold and >4000-fold higher than the wild-type enzyme, the most resistant triple mutant offering protection beyond the maximal concentration of MTX that could be included in the medium. These highly resistant variants of hDHFR offer potential for myeloprotection during administration of MTX in cancer treatment.     

PDE7A1 hydrolyzes cCMP

The degradation and biological role of the cyclic pyrimidine nucleotide cCMP is largely elusive. We investigated nucleoside 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cNMP) specificity of six different recombinant phosphodiesterases (PDEs) by using a highly-sensitive HPLC–MS/MS detection method. PDE7A1 was the only enzyme that hydrolyzed significant amounts of cCMP. Enzyme kinetic studies using purified GST-tagged truncated PDE7A1 revealed a cCMP K_M value of 135 ± 19 μM. The V_max for cCMP hydrolysis reached 745 ± 27 nmol/(min mg), which is about 6-fold higher than the corresponding velocity for adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) degradation. In summary, PDE7A is a high-speed and low-affinity PDE for cCMP.     

Oxidative stress causes membrane phospholipid rearrangement and shedding from RBC membranes—An NMR study

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress experienced by RBCs and their phospholipid content and shedding. Using ¹H-NMR, we demonstrated a higher lactate/pyruvate ratio, an indicator of oxidative stress, in normal RBCs treated with oxidants (t-butylhydroxyperoxide and H₂O₂) as well as in β-thalassemic RBCs. Using ³¹P-NMR, we found 30% more phosphatidylcholine (PC), and unexpectedly, 35% less phosphatidylserine (PS) in the thalassemic RBCs. PS was decreased by treatment with oxidants and increased by anti-oxidants (vitamin C and N-acetyl cysteine); PC showed the opposite behavior. Thalassemic RBCs incubated in phosphate buffered saline produced more PS in the supernatant than normal RBCs. Anti-oxidants reduced the PS in the supernatant while oxidants increased it. Plasma of thalassemic patients contained 2.6-fold and 1.8-fold more PS and PC, respectively, than normal plasma. These results indicate that the decreased PS in RBCs resulted from increased shedding. The nature of the shed PS was studied by purifying and analyzing membranous microparticles from the plasma and RBC supernatants. More PS was found in microparticles purified from thalassemic plasma and RBC supernatants (5.6- and 4.8-fold, respectively) than in their normal counterparts. However, the bulk (80-90%) of the shed PS was not associated with microparticles. The significance of PS shedding for RBC survival needs further clarification.