Genotoxicity of carcinogenic N-nitrosopropylamine derivatives in the hepatocyte primary culture/DNA-repair test

The genotoxicity of N-nitrosodipropylamine, 8 of its oxidized derivatives and N-nitroso-2,6-dimethylmorpholine was examined in the hepatocyte primary culture (HPC)/DNA repair test. Nine N-nitrosamines which are known to be carcinogenic and mutagenic were clearly positive in the HPC/DNA-repair test. N-Nitroso(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) (2-hydroxypropyl)amine did not elicit DNA repair, but showed a borderline mutagenic response in the Salmonella/microsome test. Thus, the HPC/DNA-repair test displays a comparable capacity to the bacterial mutagenesis test for detecting the genotoxic effects of this class of carcinogens.     

Participation of cytochrome P450 in mutagenic activation of the carcinogen 3'-hydroxymethyl-N,N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene and its N-demethylated compounds by rat liver

Mutagenicity of the hepatocarcinogen 3'-hydroxymethyl-N, N-dimethyl-4-aminoazobenzene (3'-CH2OH-DAB) and its N-demethylated compounds was examined. Rat-liver 9000 X g supernatant (S9) fraction was used together with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 or TA100 as a tester strain. The expression of mutagenicity of 3'-CH2OH-DAB, 3'-hydroxymethyl-N-methyl-4-aminoazobenzene (3'-CH2OH-MAB) and 3'-hydroxymethyl-4-aminoazobenzene (3'-CH2OH-AB) required the presence of both microsomes and cytosol as sources of enzymes as well as NADPH as a cofactor. 3'-CH2OH-AB showed positive mutagenicity on both strains in the presence of liver S9 from untreated rats whereas 3'-CH2OH-DAB and 3'-CH2OH-MAB were negative. The treatment of rats with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) or 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) resulted in a marked increase in the ability of S9 to activate these three compounds, whereas phenobarbital (PB) induction was not effective, except for the activation of 3'-CH2OH-AB. The mutagenic activities of the three compounds in strain TA98 were considerably decreased by adding cytochrome c to the S9 mixture, but the activation reactions were insensitive to 1-(1-naphthyl)-2-thiourea (NTU) and methimazole, high-affinity flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) substrates. Metyrapone and 2-diethylaminoethyl-2,2-diphenylvalerate hydrochloride (SKF-525A, potent inhibitors of cytochrome P450, had no inhibitory effect on the activation of these compounds by S9 from PCB-treated rat livers. In contrast, 7,8-benzoflavone (BF), a specific inhibitor of cytochrome P448, decreased the activities of 3'-CH2OH-DAB and 3'-CH2OH-MAB by 88 and 78%, respectively, but the inhibition was negligible for 3'-CH2OH-AB.     

Mechanism of action of low recurrence of gastritis caused by Helicobacter pylori with the type II urease B gene

Background. Low recurrence of gastritis is seen in patients infected with Helicobacter pylori carrying the type II urease B gene, compared with H. pylori carrying types I and III. The underlying mechanism has been studied in terms of the urease activity and interleukin (IL)‐8 production capacity of different strains of H. pylori. Materials and Methods. Forty‐five patients infected with different strains of H. pylori (type I; 15, type II; 15 and type III; 15) were enrolled in the study. H. pylori was isolated from gastric mucosa and cultured in the presence of urea at pH 5.5 to evaluate urease activity. The capacity of different strains of H. pylori to induce IL‐8 mRNA and IL‐8 from a human gastric cancer cell line and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells was evaluated. Results. The urease activity of type II H. pylori[523 ± 228 µg of ammonia/dl/10⁸ colony‐forming units (CFU)/ml] was significantly lower than that of type I (1355 ± 1369 µg of ammonia/dl/10⁸ CFU/ml) and type III (1442 ± 2229 µg of ammonia/dl/10⁸ CFU/ml) (p < .05). Gastric cancer cells cocultured with type II H. pylori produced lower levels of IL‐8 mRNA compared with type I and type III H. pylori. The levels of IL‐8 were also significantly lower in cultures induced by type II H. pylori compared with those induced by type I and type III H. pylori. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells also produced lower levels of IL‐8 when cocultured with type II compared with type I H. pylori. Conclusions. These results indicate that both the lower level of urease activity and the low IL‐8‐inducing capacity of type II H. pylori might underlie the lower recurrence rate of gastritis caused by type II H. pylori.     

Evaluation of systemic blood NO dynamics by EPR spectroscopy: HbNO as an endogenous index of NO

The measurement of hemoglobin-nitric oxide (NO) adduct (HbNO) in whole blood by the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method seems relevant for the assessment of systemic NO levels. However, ceruloplasmin and unknown radical species overlap the same magnetic field as that of HbNO. To reveal the EPR spectrum of HbNO, we then introduced the EPR signal subtraction method, which is based on the computer-assisted subtraction of the digitized EPR spectrum of HbNO-depleted blood from that of sample blood using the software. Rats were treated with N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 120 mg. kg-1. day-1) for 1 wk to obtain HbNO-depleted blood. When this method was applied to the analysis of untreated fresh whole blood, the five-coordinate state of HbNO was observed. HbNO concentration in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats was augmented (change in [HbNO] = 1.6-5.5 microM) by infusion of L-arginine (0.2-0.6 g/kg) but not D-arginine. Using this method, we attempted to evaluate the effects of temocapril on HbNO dynamics in an L-NAME-induced rat endothelial dysfunction model. The oral administration of L-NAME for 2 wk induced a serious hypertension, and the HbNO concentration was reduced (change in [HbNO] = 5.7 microM). Coadministration of temocapril dose dependently improved both changes in blood pressure and the systemic HbNO concentration. In this study, we succeeded in measuring the blood HbNO level as an index of NO by the EPR HbNO signal subtraction method. We also demonstrated that temocapril improves abnormalities of NO dynamics in L-NAME-induced endothelial dysfunction rats using the EPR HbNO signal subtraction method.     

Deformation of lipid droplets in fixed samples

Nile red, Sudan III, and oil red O have been used to stain lipid droplets (LDs) for fluorescence microscopy. We noticed that LDs labeled by Nile red are different in appearance from those stained by the latter two dyes. To understand the cause of the difference, we used sequential labeling procedures (first LD stain-photography-quenching-second LD stain-photography), and examined the effect of several factors. Immunofluorescence labeling for adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP), an LD marker, was also observed comparatively with the lipid stains. As a result, we found that ethanol and isopropanol used for Sudan III and oil red O staining, respectively, and glycerol used for mounting, cause fusion of adjacent LDs even in glutaraldehyde-fixed samples. By the same treatment, immunofluorescence labeling for ADRP was dislocated to the rim of large LDs that were formed as a result of the artifactual fusion. The result indicates that the LD structure can be better observed with Nile red than with Sudan III or oil red O.     

Virus-like Particles Suppress Growth of the Red-Tide-Forming Marine Dinoflagellate <Emphasis Type="Underline">Gymnodinium mikimotoi</Emphasis>

We isolated 2 virus-like agents that suppressed growth of Gymnodinium mikimotoi from coastal waters of the Uwa Sea, Japan. The agents found in the flagellate cells, named GM6 and GM7, were filterable in a 0.22-lm-pore filter with approximately 100-nm shapes. Electron microscopic observation showed the presence of virus-like particles in severely damaged G. mikimotoi cells infected by GM6. The growth-suppression activity of the agents (GM6 or GM7) was lost by heating at 50°C, with treatments of DNase and protease, and filtration through a 0.05-lm filter. Our results suggest that the agents are DNA viruses infectious to and virulent for G. mikimotoi. This is the first report of a virus-like agent specific to G. mikimotoi.     

ELMOD2 is anchored to lipid droplets by palmitoylation and regulates adipocyte triglyceride lipase recruitment

Adipocyte triglyceride lipase (ATGL) is the major enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of triglycerides. The Arf1–coat protein complex I (COPI) machinery is known to be engaged in the recruitment of ATGL to lipid droplets (LDs), but the regulatory mechanism has not been clarified. In the present study, we found that ELMOD2, a putative noncanonical Arf–GTPase activating protein (GAP) localizing in LDs, plays an important role in controlling ATGL transport to LDs. We showed that knockdown of ELMOD2 by RNA interference induced an increase in the amount of ATGL existing in LDs and decreased the total cellular triglycerides. These effects of ELMOD2 knockdown were canceled by transfection of small interfering RNA-resistant cDNA of wild-type ELMOD2 but not by that of mutated ELMOD2 lacking the Arf-GAP activity. ELMOD2 was distributed in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria as well as in LDs, but palmitoylation was required only for distribution to LDs. An ELMOD2 mutant deficient in palmitoylation failed to reconstitute the ATGL transport after the ELMOD2 knockdown, indicating that distribution in LDs is indispensable to the functionality of ELMOD2. These results indicate that ELMOD2 regulates ATGL transport and cellular lipid metabolism by modulating the Arf1-COPI activity in LDs.     

The distribution of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in acinar cells of rat pancreas revealed with the freeze-fracture replica labeling method

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P(2)] is a phospholipid that has been implicated in multiple cellular activities. The distribution of PI(4,5)P(2) has been analyzed extensively using live imaging of the GFP-coupled phospholipase C-δ1 pleckstrin homology domain in cultured cell lines. However, technical difficulties have prevented the study of PI(4,5)P(2) in cells of in vivo tissues. We recently developed a method to analyze the nanoscale distribution of PI(4,5)P(2) in cultured cells by using the quick-freezing and freeze-fracture replica labeling method. In principle, this method can be applied to any cell because it does not require the expression of artificial probes. In the present study, we modified the method to study cells of in vivo tissues and applied it to pancreatic exocrine acinar cells of the rat. We found that PI(4,5)P(2) in the plasma membrane is distributed in an equivalent density in the apical and basolateral domains, but exists in a significantly higher concentration in the gap junction. The intracellular organelles did not show labeling for PI(4,5)P(2). The results are novel or different from the reported distribution patterns in cell lines and highlight the importance of studying cells differentiated in vivo.