The effect of ploidy on chemical mutagenesis in cultured Chinese hamster cells

The frequency of mutations induced by ethyl methane sulfonate was compared in a pseudodiploid Chinese hamster cell strain and in a tetraploid substrain derived from it. The frequency of reverse mutations from glycine auxotrophy to glycine independence was similar in the two strains, as expected for a dominant phenotype. Forward mutation to 6-thioguanine-resistance was 25 fold lower in the tetraploid as compared to the diploid strain. The resistant mutants lack hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase activity and their resistant phenotype is recessive in somatic cell hybrids. A combination of chromosomal segregation and mutation could account for the frequency of these recessive drug-resistant mutants in the tetraploid population.     

The effect of freezing and storage at -60 degrees C on the viability of Mycobacterium leprae

Suspensions of M. leprae in 10% glycerol and 0.1% bovine serum albumin were quick-frozen and stored for various periods of time at −60 °C. Viability of the bacterial suspensions, measured by means of Shepard's mouse footpad technique, did not decrease progressively during prolonged storage, suggesting that the observed decreases in viability resulted from the freezing process rather than from storage. Considerable variability was noted in the loss of viability which resulted from freezing.     

Mutagenicity of instant coffee on cultured Chinese hamster lung cells

Coffee showed mutagenic activity in cultured Chinese hamster lung (CHL) cells as assessed by using diphtheria toxin resistance as a selective marker. Most of the mutagenicity was suppressed in the presence of sodium bisulfite. The contribution of methylglyoxal to the total mutagenicity of coffee was less than 3%.     

Relation between ultrastructure and viability of frozen-thawed Chinese hamster tissue-culture cells

Electron microscopic examination of Chinese hamster tissue-culture cells showed that freezing and thawing result in structural alterations, the type and magnitude of which depend on the cooling and warming velocities used. Cells suspended in Hanks balanced salt solution and cooled to −196 °C at rates exceeding the survival optimum exhibit different patterns and extents of ultrastructural alterations than do cells cooled or warmed at rates lower than optimum. Even though the addition of 0.4 M dimethyl sulfoxide confers some protection, in terms of survival, it does not prevent structural alterations. The types of alterations, however, differ from those found in cells frozen in Hanks alone. Freeze-thaw treatments producing similar percentages of cell survival do not necessarily cause similar structural alterations, nor is there a simple correlation between structural alterations and survival.     

Rate of synthesis and concentration of specific mRNA sequences in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells compared to liver cells

With the aid of recombinant DNA molecules the concentration of nine different mRNAs in cultured Chinese hamster cells has been compared to liver cells. One clone in nine showed a marked increase (13-fold) in liver cells but the remainder were present at about the same level in the two cell types. The rate of RNA synthesis in the nucleus was not increased by 13-fold for this clone but only about 3-fold. These data show that quantitative hybridization to recombinant DNA can estimate mRNA concentrations and rates of synthesis accurately and suggest levels at which control operates.     

Insulin binding in cultured Chinese hamster kidney epithelial cells the effects of glucose concentration in the medium and tunicamycin

An epithelial cell line established from a Chinese hamster kidney, CHK-AC_E, was separated into two sublines, CHK-AC_E-100 and CHK-AC_E-400, by 18 successive passages in medium containing 100 and 400 mg/dl glucose, respectively. Binding of CHK-AC_E-100 and CHK-AC_E-400 cells to ¹²⁵I-labeled insulin showed similar pH and time dependency; ¹²⁵I-labeled insulin binding as a function of insulin concentration differed in the two sublines, however. Degradation of ¹²⁵I-labeled insulin, as determined by its ability to bind insulin antibody and cells, was more extensive when preincubated with CHK_AC_E-400 cells than with CHK-AC_E-100 cells. When CHK-AC_E-100 cells were grown in 400 mg/dl glucose for six passages, these cells showed more insulin binding sites than cells grown parallel in 100 mg/dl glucose; whereas CHK-AC_E-400 cells grown in 100 mg/dl glucose for six passages showed fewer insulin binding sites than those grown parallel in 400 mg/dl glucose. A slight increase in $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>f</mtext>}}\text{/}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>e</mtext>}}$ ratio was observed in both sublines when grown in 400 mg/dl glucose as compared to 100 mg/dl glucose, indicating attenuated negative cooperativity of the binding sites in cells grown in 400 mg/dl glucose. Tunicamycin, at concentrations from 0.016 to 0.125 μg/ml, showed no direct effect on the assay of ¹²⁵I-labeled insulin binding to CHK-AC_E-100 cells; exposure of CHK-AC_E-100 cells to tunicamycin, at concentrations from 0.01 to 0.2 μg/ml, for 24 h caused a dose-dependent decrease in insulin binding capacity and an increase in $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>f</mtext>}}\text{/}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>e</mtext>}}$ ratio. These data indicate that the number of insulin binding sites in the cultured Chinese hamster kidney epithelial cells increased with high glucose concentrations in the culture medium, whereas tunicamycin, an inhibitor of protein glycosylation, lowered the number of insulin binding sites.     

Duration of the mitotic cycle of Chinese hamster cells cultured at 30--39 degrees]

The duration of the mitotic cycle (T) at temperatures of 30, 33, 36 and 39 degrees C was studied in subline 237 of Chinese hamster cells with the aid of the radioautographic method. T was the least at 39 degrees C and increased with reduction of the cultivation temperature. At the temperature range of 33--39 degrees C prolongation of T and its periods was "proportional" to the temperature under study. The characteristic curve gradient of T dependence on the temperature showed a sharp change in the direction of greater figures with the temperature reduction from 33 to 30 degrees C. Analysis of the results of other studies on T duration of the human amniotic cells demonstrated that such sharp elevation of the duration of the mitotic cycle occurred with the change from 39 to 40--41 degrees C. The G1 period was the most and G2--THE LEAST Sensitive to changes of the cultivation temperature.     

Factors affecting the photokilling of cultured Chinese hamster cells by phthalocyanines

Chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (CAPC) was recently shown to sensitize the inactivation of cultured Chinese hamster cells by visible light. Several factors affecting the photodynamic action of CAPC have been defined in the present study. Thus the photosensitized inactivation of Chinese hamster cells is not affected by superoxide dismutase, suggesting that O-2 radicals are not involved in the process. Postillumination treatments with D2O or heat (42 degrees C, 90 min) enhanced CAPC-induced photosensitivity, indicating the existence of a repair mechanism for photodamage. Preillumination treatments with sodium salicylate and 5-bromodeoxyuridine also enhanced photosensitivity. The later observation suggests that CAPC-induced DNA damage is potentially lethal. However, 3-aminobenzamide, a potent inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis which is involved in repair of DNA strand breakage, had no effect on the photosensitivity. Photosensitized inactivation by CAPC is dependent on the pH value of the medium during irradiation. Thus, in the range of pH values 6-8, the sensitivity was increased at the lower values.     

Sensitization of cultured Chinese hamster cells to 42 degrees C hyperthermia by pentalenolactone, an inhibitor of glycolytic ATP synthesis

The antibiotic pentalenolactone, a specific inhibitor of glyceraldehydephosphate dehydrogenase, was used to investigate the effect of glycolytic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis on the survival response of aerobic and hypoxic Chinese hamster cells treated with 42 degrees C hyperthermia. Data obtained with aerobic cells, incubated in balanced salt solutions supplemented with different substrates for ATP production, showed that 50 microM pentalenolactone blocked ATP synthesis via glycolysis but not by oxidative phosphorylation. The glycolytic inhibition was reversed upon transfer of the cells to antibiotic-free medium, and minimal cytotoxicity (less than 20 per cent) was observed. Hypoxic cultures were obtained by incubating dense cell suspensions (2 X 10(6)/ml) to produce metabolic oxygen depletion. Concomitant with the development of hypoxia, pentalenolactone-treated cells became ATP-depleted; cellular ATP levels were reduced by about 70-fold as compared to hypoxic cells in the antibiotic-free medium. The ATP-depleted cells were more sensitive to killing by hyperthermia. Comparison of the 42 degrees C survival curves for control and the antibiotic-treated hypoxic cells yielded a dose-modifying factor of 4 (5 per cent survival level). The results indicate that inhibition of glycolytic ATP synthesis, for example by pentalenolactone, can selectively sensitize hypoxic cells to the lethal effects of mild hyperthermia.     

The effect of elevated temperature on protein synthesis in cell-free extracts of cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells

The effect of elevated temperature on the activity of various components involved in protein synthesis was investigated in extracts from cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells. The translation of exogenous mRNA was markedly inhibited by preincubation of the extract for 15 to 20 minutes at 42°C. However, the following intermediary reactions were not affected, or only slightly inhibited, at 42°C: 1) the incorporation of Met-tRNA_f into eIF-2·Met-tRNA_f·GTP ternary complex; 2) the interaction of the ternary complex with 40S ribosomal subunits to form the 40S preinitiation intermediate; 3) the binding of mRNA and 60S subunits to form the 80S initiation complex; and 4) the reactions catalyzed by elongation factors EF-1 and EF-2. The activity of Met-tRNA synthetase was markedly inhibited, affecting the formation of initiator Met-tRNA_f required for the initiation of protein synthesis and the translation of natural mRNA. Other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases were not significantly affected by the elevated temperature.     

Effects of vanillin on sister-chromatid exchanges and chromosome aberrations induced by mitomycin C in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells

Effects of vanillin on the induction of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and structural chromosome aberrations by mitomycin C (MMC) were investigated in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells. Vanillin induced neither SCEs nor chromosome aberrations by itself. However, an obvious increase in the frequency of SCEs was observed when MMC-treated cells were cultured in the presence of vanillin. The effect of vanillin was S-phase-dependent. On the contrary, the frequency of cells with chromosome aberrations was significantly decreased by the post-treatment with vanillin at G2 phase.     

A paradoxical pro-apoptotic effect of thrombin on smooth muscle cells

Whereas thrombin (below 10 nM) is a potent mitogen, recent studies report that exposure to higher doses of thrombin could lead to apoptosis of neurons and tumor cells. Our results show that prolonged exposure (> or = 24 h) to thrombin (50-100 nM) exerts a pro-apoptotic effect on cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This phenomenon depends on thrombin serine-protease activity but is independent of PAR-1 and -4 activation and subsequent signaling. The parallel occurrence of cell retraction and cleavage of fibronectin suggests that thrombin-induced apoptosis is consecutive to pericellular proteolysis. These data point to a new potential action of thrombin in the cardiovascular system.     

Thermal effects of 2.45 GHz microwaves on survival and viability of Chinese hamster V-79 cells

The possible existence of thermal effects specific to microwaves at 2.45 GHz and not found with classical heating in a waterbath was studied by measuring cell survival (colony-forming ability) and cell viability (the ability to exclude trypan blue) in Chinese hamster V79 cells. The microwaves were employed at high power densities (125 to 175 mW/cm2) corresponding to specific absorption rates ranging between 62 and 87 mW/g. When matching the rises in temperature, the effects of microwave-induced hyperthermia at 125 mW/cm2 on cell survival were comparable to those of classical heating. However, they were statistically significantly different when using power densities of 150 and 175 mW/cm2. The response obtained in terms of cell viability appeared to be comparable. The conclusions are also valid when taking into account a correction factor for energy losses during microwave treatment. The apparent specific effect of microwaves appears to be associated with exposures at high power densities involving short treatment times and rapid rises in temperature.     

Suppressing effect of antimutagenic flavorings on chromosome aberrations induced by UV-light or X-rays in cultured Chinese hamster cells

Chromosome aberrations induced by UV-light or X-rays were suppressed by the post-treatment with antimutagenic flavorings, such as anisaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, coumarin, and vanillin. UV- or X-ray-irradiated surviving cells increased in the presence of each flavoring. X-ray-induced breakage-type and exchange-type chromosome aberrations were suppressed by the vanillin treatment in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and a greater decrease in the number of X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations during G1 holding was observed in the presence of vanillin. Furthermore, a greater decrease in the number of X-ray-induced DNA single-strand breaks was observed in the presence of vanillin. Treatment with vanillin in the G2 phase suppressed UV- and X-ray-induced breakage-type but not exchange-type chromosome aberrations. The suppression of breakage-type aberrations was assumed to be due to a modification of the capability of the post-replicational repair of DNA double-strand breaks. These G1- and G2-dependent anticlastogenic effects were not observed in the presence of 2',3'-dideoxythymidine, an inhibitor of DNA polymerase beta. Based on these results, the anticlastogenic effect of vanillin was considered to be due to the promotion of the DNA rejoining process in which DNA polymerase beta acts.     

Mutations induced by X-rays at the HPRT locus in cultured Chinese hamster cells are mostly large deletions

We investigated the molecular basis of 19 X-ray-induced HPRT-deficient mutants of V79 Chinese hamster cells with Southern hybridisation techniques. 12 of those mutants suffer from a big deletion (greater than 10 kb) of HPRT DNA sequences. Cytological studies of chromosome preparations of those 12 deletion mutants showed that in at least 3 of these mutants part of the long arm of the X-chromosome was lost. After correction for spontaneous arising mutations we estimate that at least 70-80% of X-ray-induced mutations are caused by large deletions.     

Antimutagenic action of cobaltous chloride on radiation-induced mutations in cultured Chinese hamster cells

The effects of cobaltous chloride on 8-azaguanine (8AG)-resistant mutations induced by gamma-rays or ultraviolet (UV) light in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells were examined. Cobaltous chloride alone had no significant effects on survival and mutations of V79 cells at concentrations less than 1 x 10(-5) M. Cobaltous chloride at a concentration of 3 x 10(-6) M had a marked effect in reducing 8AG-resistant mutations induced by gamma-rays of 2-6 Gy, when cells were incubated for 6-7 days in the presence of cobaltous chloride after gamma-ray irradiation (posttreatment). The pretreatment of cells with cobaltous chloride for 6 days before gamma-ray irradiation reduced 8AG-resistant mutations induced by gamma-rays. Pre- or post-treatment with cobaltous chloride had no such effect on UV-induced mutations, however. The difference in responsiveness to cobaltous chloride between bacterial and mammalian cell systems is discussed.