Evaluation of liver and peripheral blood micronucleus assays with 9 chemicals using young rats. A study by the Collaborative Study Group for the Micronucleus Test (CSGMT)/Japanese Environmental Mutagen Society (JEMS)-Mammalian Mutagenicity Study Group (MMS)

We conducted simultaneous liver and peripheral blood micronucleus assays in young rats with seven rodent hepatocarcinogens-4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA), quinoline, o-toluidine, 4-chloro-o-phenylenediamine (CPDA), dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), p-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB), and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)-and two mutagenic chemicals-kojic acid and methylmethanesulfonate (MMS). Quinoline, DMN, and DAB were positive in the liver assay, while o-toluidine, kojic acid, DAB, and MMS were positive in the peripheral blood assay. o-Toluidine, kojic acid, and DAB are reportedly negative in mouse bone marrow micronucleus assays, indicating a species difference. Our results revealed a correlation between micronucleus induction in hepatocytes and hepatocarcinogenicity. This technique can be useful for the detection of micronucleus-inducing chemicals that require metabolic activation, and it enables simultaneous comparison of the micronucleus-inducing potential of chemicals in the liver and peripheral blood in the same individual.     

Acylated anthocyanins from the violet-blue flowers of Orychophragonus violaceus

Three acylated cyanidin 3-sambubioside-5-glucosides (1-3) were isolated from the violet-blue flowers of Orychophragonus violaceus, and their structures were determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Two of those acylated anthocyanins (1 and 3) were cyanidin 3-O-[2-O-(2-O-(4-O-(6-O-(4-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl)-6-O-(4-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-acyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside]-5-O-(6-O-malonyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside)s, in which the acyl groups were p-coumaric acid for 1, and sinapic acid for 3, respectively. The last anthocyanin 2 was cyanidin 3-O-[2-O-(2-O-(4-O-(6-O-(4-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl)-6-O-(4-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-feruloyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside]-5-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside. In these flowers, the anthocyanins 2 and 3 were present as dominant pigments, and 1 was obtained in rather small amounts.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel reagent containing dansyl group, which specifically alkylates sulfhydryl group: an example of application for protein chemistry

We have synthesized a novel reagent containing dansyl group, iodoacethyl dansylcadaverine (IADC), which specifically alkylates sulfhydryl groups. The carboxyl group of iodoacetic acid was activated with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and was condensed with amino group of dansylcadaverine. Purity and chemical structure of IADC was confirmed with mass spectrometry (MS) and NMR. IADC alkylated GSH but not GSSG, which was confirmed by MS. The reactivity of IADC with proteins was also investigated with Western blotting using anti-dansyl antibody. IADC reacted only with sulfhydryl-containing proteins. The specificity of the interaction of IADC with sulfhydryl groups in proteins was confirmed by adding excessive amount of a well-known sulfhydryl-specific reagent, 5, 5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), which led to a complete inhibition. To show the usefulness of IADC, the cysteines in glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from chicken muscle were modified with this reagent, and GAPDH was then digested by lysyl endopeptidase. The peptides generated from digestion of IADC-incorporated GAPDH were applied to an anti-dansyl immunoaffinity column. The peptide fragments bound and eluted from the column were separated by HPLC, and the amino acid sequence of each peptide was analyzed, and peptide was identified as the one containing a Cys residue(s). These data showed that IADC is a useful reagent to specifically identify the positions of a Cys residue(s) in proteins.     

Role of Rho-kinase in reexpansion pulmonary edema in rabbits

Reexpansion of a collapsed lung increases the microvascular permeability and causes reexpansion pulmonary edema. Neutrophils and their products have been implicated in the development of this phenomenon. The small GTP-binding proteins Rho and its target Rho-kinase (ROCK) regulate endothelial permeability, although their roles in reexpansion pulmonary edema remain unclear. We studied the contribution of ROCK to pulmonary endothelial and epithelial permeability in a rabbit model of this disorder. Endothelial and epithelial permeability was assessed by measuring the tissue-to-plasma (T/P) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid-to-plasma (B/P) ratios with (125)I-labeled albumin. After intratracheal instillation of (125)I-albumin, epithelial permeability was also assessed from the plasma leak (PL) index, the ratio of (125)I-albumin in plasma/total amount of instilled (125)I-albumin. T/P, B/P, and PL index were significantly increased in the reexpanded lung. These increases were attenuated by pretreatment with Y-27632, a specific ROCK inhibitor. However, neutrophil influx, neutrophil elastase activity, and malondialdehyde concentrations in BAL fluid collected from the reexpanded lung were not changed by Y-27632. In endothelial monolayers, Y-27632 significantly attenuated the H(2)O(2)-induced increase in permeability and mitigated the morphological changes in the actin microfilament cytoskeleton of endothelial cells. These in vivo and in vitro observations suggest that the Rho/ROCK pathway contributes to the increase in alveolar barrier permeability associated with reexpansion pulmonary edema.     

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) as a potential inhibitory mediator of inflammation via neutrophil apoptosis

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is supposed to be an effective agent for neutrophil-mediated inflammation in the area of critical medicine. We investigated the involvement of SOD in the regulation of neutrophil apoptosis. Exogenously added SOD effectively induced neutrophil apoptosis, and the fluorescence patterns determined using annexin-V and the 7-AAD were similar to those seen in Fas-mediated neutrophil apoptosis. Neutrophils are short-lived leukocytes that need to be removed safely by apoptosis. The clearance of apoptotic neutrophils from sites of inflammation is a crucial determinant of the resolution of inflammation. Catalase inhibited the neutrophil apoptosis and caspase-3 activation. Spontaneous apoptosis, hydrogen peroxide and anti-Fas antibody-induced apoptosis of neutrophils were accelerated in Down's syndrome patients, in whom the SOD gene is overexpressed. Hydrogen peroxide was thought to be a possible major mediator of ROS-induced neutrophil apoptosis in caspase-dependent manner. Neutrophil apoptosis represents a crucial step in the mechanism governing the resolution of inflammation and has been suggested as a possible target for the control of neutrophil-mediated tissue injury. SOD may be a potential inhibitory mediator of neutrophil-mediated inflammation.     

Laminin alpha3 LG4 module induces keratinocyte migration: involvement of matrix metalloproteinase-9

Laminin alpha3 chain, a functionally key subunit of laminin-5, contains a large globular module (G module) which consists of a tandem repeat of five homologous LG modules (LG1-5). We previously demonstrated that the LG4 module of laminin alpha3 chain (alpha3 LG4) induces a matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression through the interaction with syndecans leading to MAPK activation/IL-1beta expression signaling loop (Utani et al., J. Biol. Chem. 278, 34483-34490, 2003). Here, we show that a recombinant alpha3 LG4 and synthetic peptides containing syndecan binding motif induced a cell motility and a MMP-9 expression in ketarinocytes. The synthetic peptide (A3G756)-induced cell migration and MMP-9 upregulation were inhibited by each application of a heparin and an IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), suggesting the involvement of syndecans and IL-1beta autocrine. Furthermore, the A3G756-induced cell motility was inhibited by an MMP-9 inhibitor and a neutralizing antibody of MMP-9, indicating induced cell motility was dependent on an MMP-9 activity. Taken these together, laminin-5 alpha3 LG4 module may play an important role in re-epithelialization at tissue remodeling.     

Microchamber array based DNA quantification and specific sequence detection from a single copy via PCR in nanoliter volumes

A novel method for DNA quantification and specific sequence detection in a highly integrated silicon microchamber array is described. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) mixture of only 40 nL volume could be introduced precisely into each chamber of the mineral oil layer coated microarray by using a nanoliter dispensing system. The elimination of carry-over and cross-contamination between microchambers, and multiple DNA amplification and detection by TaqMan chemistry were demonstrated, for the first time, by using our system. Five different gene targets, related to Escherichia coli were amplified and detected simultaneously on the same chip by using DNA from three different serotypes as the templates. The conventional method of DNA quantification, which depends on the real-time monitoring of variations in fluorescence intensity, was not applied to our system, instead a simple method was established. Counting the number of the microchambers with a high fluorescence signal as a consequence of TaqMan PCR provided the precise quantification of trace amounts of DNA. The initial DNA concentration for Rhesus D (RhD) gene in each microchamber was ranged from 0.4 to 12 copies, and quantification was achieved by observing the changes in the released fluorescence signals of the microchambers on the chip. DNA target could be detected as small as 0.4 copies. The amplified DNA was detected with a CCD camera built-in to a fluorescence microscope, and also evaluated by a DNA microarray scanner with associated software. This simple method of counting the high fluorescence signal released in microchambers as a consequence of TaqMan PCR was further integrated with a portable miniaturized thermal cycler unit. Such a small device is surely a strong candidate for low-cost DNA amplification, and detected as little as 0.4 copies of target DNA.