Dietary arsenic affects dimethylhydrazine-induced aberrant crypt formation and hepatic global DNA methylation and DNA methyltransferase activity in rats

Cell culture studies have suggested that arsenic exposure results in decreased S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), causing DNA hypomethylation. Previously, we have shown that hepatic SAM is decreased and/or S-adenosylhomocysteine increased in arsenic-deprived rats; these rats tended to have hypomethylated DNA. To determine, the effect of dietary arsenic on dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced aberrant crypt formation in the colon, Fisher 344 weanling male rats were fed diets containing 0,05, or 50 μg As (as NaAsO₂)/g. After 12 wk, dietary arsenic affected the number of aberrant crypts (p<0.02) and aberrant crypt foci (p<0.007) in the colon and the amount of global DNA methylation (p<0.04) and activity of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) (p<0.003) in the liver. In each case, there were more aberrant crypts and aberrant crypt foci, a relative DNA hypomethylation, and increased activity of DNMT in the rats fed 50 μg As/g compared to those fed 0.5 μg As/g. The same phenomenon, an increased number of aberrant crypts and aberrant crypt foci, DNA hypomethylation, and increased DNMT tended to hold when comparing rats fed the diet containing no supplemental arsenic compared to rats fed 0.5 μg As/g. The data suggest that there is a threshold for As toxicity and that possibly too little dietary As could also be detrimental. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Northern Plains Area is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all agency services are available without discrimination.     

AS2O3抑制人结肠癌生长的体内外实验研究

目的：通过研究三氧化二砷（AS2O3）对人结肠癌细胞株LS-174T在体内外实验中增殖情况的影响,探讨As2O3治疗结肠癌的机制。方法：1、试验分组：体外细胞培养及体内动物实验均分三组：对照组,As2O3低剂量组,As2O3高剂量组。2、MTT法测定细胞增殖数的情况。3、丫啶橙/溴乙啶（AO/EB）双荧光染色检测细胞凋亡率。4、免疫组织化学法测定结肠癌细胞和裸鼠实体肿瘤中HIF-1α和VEGF的表达。5、测量各组裸鼠实体肿瘤的重量及体积。结果：体外试验中,由MTT法可以看出,As2O3治疗组细胞生存率明显低于对照组（P〈0.01）,其中AS2O3高剂量组明显低于低剂量组。双荧光染色结果As2O3高剂量组细胞凋亡百分率明显高于低剂量组和对照组（P〈0.01）。免疫组化结果显示结肠癌细胞HIF-1α和VEGF在对照组的阳性表达率明显高于As2O3治疗组（P〈0.01）,低剂量组高于高剂量组（P〈0.05）。体内实验中,治疗组平均瘤重和瘤体积均较对照组明显减低,（P〈0.01）。HIF-1α及VEGF在裸鼠肿瘤组织中均有阳性表达,其中对照组较AS2O3治疗组高（P〈0.01）。结论：As2O3能够抑制体内外人结肠癌细胞的生长,并能明显抑制HIF-1α和VEGF的表达,从而抑制肿瘤的生长。     

磷对土壤中砷吸附的影响

在黄壤、红壤和褐土中进行As的等温吸附实验表明,在不添加P的情况下,3种土壤对As的吸附能力随土壤pH的升高而降低,随土壤粘粒含量的降低而减弱,3种土壤吸附能力为黄壤>红壤>褐土,As在土壤中的吸附受P存在的影响,60mg·kg^-1的P可以降低黄壤和红壤对As最大吸附量．吸附质中P：As的比例不同,P对土壤吸附As的影响差异很大：吸附质中P：As=1：2时,土壤对As的吸附能力均强于P：As=1：1和P：As=2：1,后两者差异不显著,表明土壤中的吸附点位对As和P的亲和性具有一定的差异,Languir方程能很好地拟合所测得的土壤平衡溶液中As浓度。     

三氧化二砷对肝癌细胞系SMMC-7721凋亡及 Smac caspase-9、caspase-3 蛋白表达的影响

目的：研究三氧化二砷（As203）对人肝癌细胞SMMC-7721的促凋亡作用及对Smac、caspase-9、caspase-3表达的影响。方法：人肝癌细胞SMMC-7721经As20,处理,共分为四组,分别为空白对照组、低剂量组、中等剂量组、高剂量组。分别采用MTT、Hoechst33258染色法、Annexin V-FITC／PI双染法观察其对SMMC．7721细胞增殖的抑制,凋亡细胞核的形态学变化,以及诱导凋亡作用;采用Westemblot法检测凋亡相关蛋白Smac、caspase-9、caspase-3表达的变化。结果：MTT显示：As203在体外能明显抑制SMMC-7721的生长,具有时间剂量依赖关系,与空白对照组相比,其余三组细胞生存率明显下降,差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;Hoechst33258显示细胞呈明显的凋亡细胞形态学特征,具有剂量依赖性;AnnexinV-FITC／PI双染法显示：As203作用24小时可诱导SMMC-7721细胞凋亡,且呈剂量依赖性,与空白对照组相比（2．69±0．58）,其余三组（4．01±0．58）、（5．99±1．69）、（9．26±2．34）差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;Westernblot显示：As2O3作用SMMC-7721细胞24小时,Smac、caspase-9、caspase-3表达上升,呈剂量依赖性,与空白对照组相比,其余三组蛋白表达量明显增加,差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论：-定量的As203能抑制SMMC-7721细胞增殖,促进其凋亡,其机制可能与调控Smac、caspase-9、caspase-3表达有关。     

芯片杂交中荧光标记样品定量与非定量的比较研究

比较在芯片杂交中,荧光标记样品定量与非定量对杂交结果的影响。其方法是,提取经As2O3作用K562细胞前后的总RNA,逆转录成cDNA第一链,并分别用Cy3／Cy5标记。标记后的样品再次定量或不定量,但均取相同体积上样与K562芯片杂交,用扫描仪扫描并分析。其结果,标记后样品定量与不定量杂交的结果都与理论推测一致,但以样品定量进行杂交的效果更好,标记样品杂交前再次定量的,分析发现2个基因表达下调;杂交前不定量仅取相同体积进行杂交的,发现6个基因片段表达下调,其中只有2个基因与细胞凋亡通路密切相关。认为在芯片的杂交检测中,对荧光标记样品杂交前再次定量可大大提高杂交结果的可靠性。     

Influx and efflux of arsenic in cotton fields irrigated with arsenic-contaminated groundwater

Abstract

Samples of rhizosphere soil, groundwater used for drip irrigation, and mature cotton plants were collected from farms at Kuitun, Xinjiang and analyzed for their arsenic (As) levels to account for the influx and efflux of arsenic in the field. The pH value and the soil-grain-size distribution were found to correlate with the different levels of arsenic accumulated by cotton plants and arable soil layers. The principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that the arsenic level in soil is influenced by the silt content and the arsenic level in groundwater, while the arsenic level in plant roots is affected mainly by the silt content and the arsenic level in soil. As estimated, about 64.6?±?2.7?μg of arsenic was extracted from soil by one cotton plant, and more than 44% of it was stored in husks. About 0.8-2.6 mg As/(m² yr) was extracted by plants from soil according to the average dry weight of the plant and the field planting density, while 2.4–28.0?mg As/(m² yr) entered the soil based on the irrigated groundwater volume and the arsenic level in groundwater. Taking account of the cotton residues left after harvest, up to 85.8% of arsenic in the plants returned to the soil. After calculation, about 0.7–2.2?mg As/(m² yr) returned to the soil, and thus the actual net arsenic input to the soil could reach 2.3–27.6?mg As/(m² yr). Because of an obvious rise of the soil arsenic level in Kuitun, Xinjiang, and certain preventive measures should be taken to prevent the propagation of arsenic in the agricultural field.     

Kinetics of arsenic methylation by freshly isolated B6C3F1 mouse hepatocytes

The toxic and carcinogenic effects of arsenic may be mediated by both inorganic and methylated arsenic species. The methylation of arsenic(III) is thought to take place via sequential oxidative methylation and reduction steps to form monomethylarsenic (MMA) and dimethylarsenic (DMA) species, but recent evidence indicates that glutathione complexes of arsenic(III) can be methylated without oxidation. The kinetics of arsenic methylation were determined in freshly isolated hepatocytes from male B6C3F1 mice. Hepatocytes (>90% viability) were isolated by collagenase perfusion and suspended in Williams' Medium E with various concentrations of arsenic(III) (sodium m-arsenite). Aliquots of the lysed cell suspension were analyzed for arsenic species by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry. The formation of MMA(III) from sodium arsenite (1 microM) was linear with respect to time for >90 min. DMA(III) formation did not become significant until 60 min. MMA(V) and DMA(V) were not consistently observed in the incubations. These results suggest that the glutathione complex mechanism of methylation plays an important role in arsenic biotransformation in mouse hepatocytes. Metabolism of arsenic(V) was not observed in mouse hepatocytes, consistent with inhibition of arsenic(V) active cellular uptake by phosphate in the medium. The formation of MMA(III) increased with increasing arsenic(III) concentrations up to approximately 2 microM and declined thereafter. The concentration dependence is consistent with a saturable methylation reaction accompanied by uncompetitive substrate inhibition of the reaction by arsenic(III). Kinetic analysis of the data suggested an apparent K(M) of approximately 3.6 microM arsenic(III), an apparent V(max) of approximately 38.9 microg MMA(III) formed/L/h/million cells, and an apparent K(I) of approximately 1.3 microM arsenic(III). The results of this study can be used in the physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for arsenic disposition in mice to predict the concentration of MMA(III) in liver and other tissues.     

ZNF198, a zinc finger protein rearranged in myeloproliferative disease, localizes to the PML nuclear bodies and interacts with SUMO-1 and PML

The ZNF198/FGFR1 fusion gene in atypical myeloproliferative disease produces a constitutively active cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase, unlike ZNF198 which is normally a nuclear protein. We have now shown that the ZNF198/FGFR1 fusion kinase interacts with the endogenous ZNF198 protein suggesting that the function of ZNF198 may be compromised in cells expressing it. Little is currently known about the endogenous function of ZNF198 and to investigate this further we performed a yeast two-hybrid analysis and identified SUMO-1 as a binding partner of ZNF198. These observations were confirmed using co-immunoprecipitation which demonstrated that ZNF198 is covalently modified by SUMO-1. Since many of the SUMO-1-modified proteins are targeted to the PML nuclear bodies we used confocal microscopy to show that SUMO-1, PML and ZNF198 colocalize to punctate structures, shown by immunocytochemistry to be PML bodies. Using co-immunoprecipitation we now show that PML and sumoylated ZNF198 can be found in a protein complex in the cell. Mutation of the SUMO-1 binding site in wild-type ZNF198 resulted in loss of distinct PML bodies, reduced PML levels and a more dispersed nuclear localization of the PML protein. In cells expressing ZNF198/FGFR1, which also lack the SUMO-1 binding site, SUMO-1 is preferentially localized in the cytoplasm, which is associated with loss of distinct PML bodies. Recently, arsenic trioxide (ATO) was proposed as an alternative therapy for APL that was resistant to traditional therapy. Treatment of cells expressing ZNF198/FGFR1 with ATO demonstrated reduced autophosphorylation of the ZNF198/FGFR1 protein and induced apoptosis, which is not seen in cells expressing wild-type ZNF198. Overall our results suggest that the sumoylation of ZNF198 is important for PML body formation and that the abrogation of sumoylation of ZNF198 in ZNF198/FGFR1 expressing cells may be an important mechanism in cellular transformation.     

三氧化二砷诱导CNE1凋亡及其对细胞周期的影响

目的 研究三氧化二砷对人鼻咽癌CNE1细胞凋亡及其细胞周期的影响。方法 应用形态学观察、原位末端标记法(TUNEL)、流式细胞术等方法对三氧化二砷诱导的鼻咽癌细胞CNE1进行检测和观察。结果 一定浓度三氧化二砷能诱导CNE1细胞凋亡,凋亡细胞具有典型的凋亡形态特征,TUNEL原位检测有典型凋亡细胞,流式细胞仪检测有凋亡峰,G2／M期比例升高,呈一定的剂量效应关系。结论 三氧化二砷能诱导人鼻咽癌CNE1细胞株凋亡及阻止细胞周期进展的作用。     

Proteomic identification of Hsp70 as a new Plk1 substrate in arsenic trioxide-induced mitotically arrested cells

We previously demonstrated that when arsenic trioxide (ATO)-induced mitotically arrested HeLa S3 cells (AIMACs) were treated with staurosporine (SSP) the cells rapidly exited mitosis. To better define the cellular targets and the underlying mechanisms of AIMACs, we applied 2-D DIGE followed by LC-MS/MS analysis and showed that SSP induced a significant change in the phosphoproteome of AIMACs. Among the proteins whose phosphorylation was modulated by SSP, we identified Hsp70, Rad 23B, and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4B as potentially new substrates of polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), an essential serine/threonine kinase with versatile mitotic functions. Since Hsp70 is a stress protein responsible for ATO treatment, we further identified Thr(13) , Ser(362) , Ser(631) , and Ser(633) on Hsp70 intracellularly phosphorylated in AIMACs by combining TiO(2) phospho-peptides enrichment and MS/MS analysis. Using antibody specifically against phosph-Ser(631) Hsp70 and further aided by expression of kinase-dead Plk1 and pharmacological inhibition of Plk1, we concluded that Ser(631) on Hsp70 is phosphorylated by Plk1 in AIMACs. By immnuofluorescent staining, we found the colocalization of Hsp70 and Plk1 in AIMACs but not in interphase cells. In addition, Plk1-mediated phosphorylation of Hsp70 prevented AIMACs from mitotic death. Our results reveal that Hsp70 is a novel substrate of Plk1 and that its phosphorylation contributes to attenuation of ATO-induced mitotic abnormalities.