3,N(4)-ethano-2'-deoxycytidine: chemistry of incorporation into oligomeric DNA and reassessment of miscoding potential

3,N(4)-Ethano-2'-deoxycytidine (ethano-dC) may be incorporated successfully into synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides by omitting the capping procedure used in the automated DNA synthetic protocols immediately after inserting the lesion and in all iterations thereafter. Ethano-dC is sensitive to acetic anhydride found in the capping reagent, and multiple oligomeric products are formed. These products were identified by examining the reaction of ethano-dC with the capping reagent, and several acetylated, ring-opened products were characterized by electrospray mass spectrometry and collision induced dissociation experiments on a tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer. A scheme for the formation of the acetylated products is proposed. In addition, the mutagenic profile of ethano-dC was re-examined and compared to that for etheno-dC. Ethano-dC is principally a blocking lesion; however, when encountered by the exo(-)Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase, dAMP (22%), TMP (16%), dGMP (5.3%) and dCMP (1.2%) were all incorporated opposite ethano-dC, along with an oligomer containing a one-base deletion (0.6%).     

Mutagenic properties of 3-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene, a persistent acetylaminofluorene-derived DNA adduct in mammalian cells

The carcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene is metabolically activated in cells and reacts with DNA to form N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene (dG-C8-AAF), N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene (dG-C8-AF), and 3-(deoxyguanosin-N(2)()-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene (dG-N(2)-AAF) DNA adducts. The dG-N(2)-AAF adduct is the least abundant of the three isomers, but it persists in the tissues of animals treated with this carcinogen. The miscoding and mutagenic properties of dG-C8-AAF and dG-C8-AF have been established; these adducts are readily excised by DNA repair enzymes engaged in nucleotide excision repair. In the present study, oligodeoxynucleotides modified site-specifically with dG-N(2)-AAF were used as DNA templates in primer extension reactions catalyzed by mammalian DNA polymerases. Reactions catalyzed by pol alpha were strongly blocked at a position one base before dG-N(2)-AAF and also opposite this lesion. In contrast, during translesion synthesis catalyzed by pol eta or pol kappa nucleotides were incorporated opposite the lesion. Both pol eta and pol kappa incorporated dCMP, the correct base, opposite dG-N(2)-AAF. In reactions catalyzed by pol eta, small amounts of dAMP misincorporation and one-base deletions were detected at the lesion site. With pol kappa, significant dTMP misincorporation was observed opposite the lesion. Steady-state kinetic analysis confirmed the results obtained from primer extension studies. Single-stranded shuttle vectors containing (5)(')TCCTCCTCXCCTCTC (X = dG-N(2)-AAF, dG-C8-AAF, or dG) were used to establish the frequency and specificity of dG-N(2)-AAF-induced mutations in simian kidney (COS-7) cells. Both lesions promote G --> T transversions overall, with dG-N(2)-AAF being less mutagenic than dG-C8-AAF (3.4% vs 12.5%). We conclude from this study that dG-N(2)-AAF, by virtue of its persistence in tissues, contributes significantly to the mutational spectra observed in AAF-induced mutagenesis and that pol eta, but not pol kappa, may play a role in this process.     

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ induces myogenesis by modulating myostatin activity

Classically, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) function was thought to be restricted to enhancing adipocyte differentiation and development of adipose-like cells from other lineages. However, recent studies have revealed a critical role for PPARβ/δ during skeletal muscle growth and regeneration. Although PPARβ/δ has been implicated in regulating myogenesis, little is presently known about the role and, for that matter, the mechanism(s) of action of PPARβ/δ in regulating postnatal myogenesis. Here we report for the first time, using a PPARβ/δ-specific ligand (L165041) and the PPARβ/δ-null mouse model, that PPARβ/δ enhances postnatal myogenesis through increasing both myoblast proliferation and differentiation. In addition, we have identified Gasp-1 (growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein-1) as a novel downstream target of PPARβ/δ in skeletal muscle. In agreement, reduced Gasp-1 expression was detected in PPARβ/δ-null mice muscle tissue. We further report that a functional PPAR-responsive element within the 1.5-kb proximal Gasp-1 promoter region is critical for PPARβ/δ regulation of Gasp-1. Gasp-1 has been reported to bind to and inhibit the activity of myostatin; consistent with this, we found that enhanced secretion of Gasp-1, increased Gasp-1 myostatin interaction and significantly reduced myostatin activity upon L165041-mediated activation of PPARβ/δ. Moreover, we analyzed the ability of hGASP-1 to regulate myogenesis independently of PPARβ/δ activation. The results revealed that hGASP-1 protein treatment enhances myoblast proliferation and differentiation, whereas silencing of hGASP-1 results in defective myogenesis. Taken together these data revealed that PPARβ/δ is a positive regulator of skeletal muscle myogenesis, which functions through negatively modulating myostatin activity via a mechanism involving Gasp-1.     

Effects of benzo[a]pyrene-deoxyguanosine lesions on DNA methylation catalyzed by EcoRII DNA methyltransferase and on DNA cleavage effected by EcoRII restriction endonuclease

DNA methylation is an important cellular mechanism for controlling gene expression. Whereas the mutagenic properties of many DNA adducts, e.g., those arising from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, have been widely studied, little is known about their influence on DNA methylation. We have constructed site-specifically modified 18-mer oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes containing a pair of stereoisomeric adducts derived from a benzo[a]pyrene-derived diol epoxide [(+)- and (-)-r7,t8-dihydroxy-t9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene, or B[a]PDE] bound to the exocyclic amino group of guanine. The adducts, either (+)- or (-)-trans-anti-B[a]P-N(2)-dG (G*), positioned either at the 5'-side or the 3'-side deoxyguanosine residue in the recognition sequence of EcoRII restriction-modification enzymes (5'-...CCA/TGG...) were incorporated into 18-mer oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes. The effects of these lesions on complex formation and the catalytic activity of the EcoRII DNA methyltransferase (M.EcoRII) and EcoRII restriction endonuclease (R.EcoRII) were investigated. The M.EcoRII catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group to the C5 position of the 3'-side cytosine of each strand of the recognition sequence, whereas R.EcoRII catalyzes cleavage of both strands. The binding of R.EcoRII to the oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes and the catalytic cleavage were completely abolished when G was positioned at the 3'-side dG position (5'-...CCTGG*...). When G* was at the 5'-side dG position, binding was moderately diminished, but cleavage was completely blocked. In the case of M.EcoRII, binding is diminished by factors of 5-30 but the catalytic activity was either abolished or reduced 4-80-fold when the adducts were located at either position. Somewhat smaller effects were observed with hemimethylated oligodeoxynucleotide duplexes. These findings suggest that epigenetic effects, in addition to genotoxic effects, need to be considered in chemical carcinogenesis initiated by B[a]PDE, since the inhibition of methylation may allow the expression of genes that promote tumor development.     

Glutamate dehydrogenase requirement for apoptosis induced by aristolochic acid in renal tubular epithelial cells

Ingestion of aristolochic acids (AA) contained in herbal remedies results in a renal disease and, frequently, urothelial malignancy. The genotoxicity of AA in renal cells, including mutagenic DNA adduct formation, is well-documented. However, the mechanisms of AA-induced tubular atrophy and renal fibrosis are largely unknown. Epithelial cell death is a critical characteristic of these pathological conditions. To elucidate the mechanisms of AA-induced cytotoxicity, we explored AA-interacting proteins in tubular epithelial cells (TEC). We found that AA interacts with a mitochondrial enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and moderately inhibits its activity. We report that AA induces cell death in GDH-knockdown TEC preferentially via non-apoptotic means, whereas in GDH-positive cells, death was executed by both the non-apoptotic and apoptotic mechanisms. Apoptosis is an energy-reliant process and demands higher adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) consumption than does the non-apoptotic cell death. We found that, after AAI treatment, the ATP depletion is more pronounced in GDH-knockdown cells. When we reduced ATP in TEC cells by inhibition of glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration, cell death mode switched from apoptosis and necrosis to necrosis only. In addition, in cells incubated at low glucose and no glutamine conditions, oxaloacetate and pyruvate reduced AAI-induced apoptosis our data suggest that AAI-GDH interactions in TEC are critical for the induction of apoptosis by direct inhibition of GDH activity. AA binding may also induce changes in GDH conformation and promote interactions with other molecules or impair signaling by GDH metabolic products, leading to apoptosis.     

Synthesis of the fully protected phosphoramidite of the benzene-DNA adduct, N2-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine and incorporation of the later into DNA oligomers

N(2)- (4-Hydroxyphenyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine-5'-O-DMT-3'-phosphoramidite has been synthesized and used to incorporate the N(2)-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2'-dG (N(2)-4-HOPh-dG) into DNA, using solid-state synthesis technology. The key step to obtaining the xenonucleoside is a palladium (Xantphos-chelated) catalyzed N(2)-arylation (Buchwald-Hartwig reaction) of a fully protected 2'-deoxyguanosine derivative by 4-isobutyryloxybromobenzene. The reaction proceeded in good yield and the adduct was converted to the required 5'-O-DMT-3'-O-phosphoramidite by standard methods. The latter was used to synthesize oligodeoxynucleotides in which the N(2)-4-HOPh-dG adduct was incorporated site-specifically. The oligomers were purified by reverse-phase HPLC. Enzymatic hydrolysis and HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of this adduct in the oligomers.     

Myostatin is a novel tumoral factor that induces cancer cachexia

Humoral and tumoral factors collectively promote cancer-induced skeletal muscle wasting by increasing protein degradation. Although several humoral proteins, namely TNFα (tumour necrosis factor α) and IL (interleukin)-6, have been shown to induce skeletal muscle wasting, there is a lack of information regarding the tumoral factors that contribute to the atrophy of muscle during cancer cachexia. Therefore, in the present study, we have characterized the secretome of C26 colon cancer cells to identify the tumoral factors involved in cancer-induced skeletal muscle wasting. In the present study, we show that myostatin, a procachectic TGFβ (transforming growth factor β) superfamily member, is abundantly secreted by C26 cells. Consistent with myostatin signalling during cachexia, treating differentiated C2C12 myotubes with C26 CM (conditioned medium) resulted in myotubular atrophy due to the up-regulation of muscle-specific E3 ligases, atrogin-1 and MuRF1 (muscle RING-finger protein 1), and enhanced activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Furthermore, the C26 CM also activated ActRIIB (activin receptor type?II B)/Smad and NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) signalling, and reduced the activity of the IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor 1)/PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt pathway, three salient molecular features of myostatin action in skeletal muscles. Antagonists to myostatin prevented C26 CM-induced wasting in muscle cell cultures, further confirming that tumoral myostatin may be a key contributor in the pathogenesis of cancer cachexia. Finally, we show that treatment with C26 CM induced the autophagy-lysosome pathway and reduced the number of mitochondria in myotubes. These two previously unreported observations were recapitulated in skeletal muscles collected from C26 tumour-bearing mice.     

Mutagenic specificity of 2-acetylaminonaphthalene-derived DNA adduct in mammalian cells

2-Acetylaminonaphthalene (2-AAN) has been recognized as a urinary bladder carcinogen in humans. The deacetylated form, 2-aminonaphthalene (2-AN), is metabolized in vivo and reacts primarily with guanine residues in DNA, resulting in the formation of dG-N(2)-aminonaphthalene (dG-N(2)-AN) adduct. Phosphoramidite chemical procedure has recently been established in our laboratory to prepare oligodeoxynucleotides containing a single dG-N(2)-acetylaminonaphthalene (dG-N(2)-AAN) adduct. Oligodeoxynucleotides ((5')TCCTCCTNXCCTCTC, where X is dG or dG-N(2)-AAN and N is C, A, T or G) with different bases 5' flanking to the lesion were prepared and were inserted into a single-strand shuttle vectors and used to establish the mutational frequency and specificity of dG-N(2)-AAN adduct in simian kidney cells. dG-N(2)-AAN adduct promoted preferential incorporation of dCMP, the correct base, opposite the lesion. When the 5' flanking base to the lesion was C, A or T, the mutational frequency was under 2.1%. When G flanked to the lesion, the mutational frequency was slightly increased to 4.2%. Misincorporation of dAMP, dTMP, and/or dGMP varied depending on the 5' flanking base. When dG-N(2)-AAN was positioned at codon 61 of noncoding strand of human c-Ha-ras1 gene ((5')TCCTCCTXGCCTCTC, where X is dG-N(2)-AAN), the mutational frequency was 6.7%; G-->T transversions (4.7%), followed by G-->A transition (2.0%), were observed. These results demonstrated that dG-N(2)-AAN is a weak mutagenic lesion in mammalian cells. The influence of 5' flanking sequence context was observed on the mutational frequency and specificity of this adduct.