Refine
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (411)
Year of publication
Document Type
- Journal article (231)
- Doctoral Thesis (157)
- Book article / Book chapter (14)
- Conference Proceeding (6)
- Review (2)
- Preprint (1)
Keywords
- Toxikologie (121)
- DNA damage (18)
- Oxidativer Stress (16)
- micronuclei (13)
- oxidative stress (13)
- Adenosinrezeptor (12)
- DNS-Schädigung (12)
- genotoxicity (12)
- Fluoreszenz-Resonanz-Energie-Transfer (10)
- GPCR (10)
- Mikrokerne (10)
- Adenosine receptors (9)
- G-Protein gekoppelte Rezeptoren (9)
- Genotoxizität (8)
- Angiotensin II (7)
- Biomarker (7)
- FRET (7)
- Genotoxicity (7)
- Herzinsuffizienz (7)
- Mutagenität (7)
- heart failure (7)
- DNA (6)
- Gentoxizität (6)
- Kleinkern (6)
- Maus (6)
- Micronuclei (6)
- Pharmakologie (6)
- cAMP (6)
- genomic damage (6)
- Adenosin (5)
- Aldosteron (5)
- Carcinogen (5)
- DNA binding (5)
- Dimerisierung (5)
- ERK1/2 (5)
- G-protein (5)
- MAP-Kinase (5)
- Medizin (5)
- Toxizität (5)
- biomarker (5)
- cardiac hypertrophy (5)
- metabolism (5)
- nephrotoxicity (5)
- Adenylate cyclase (4)
- Calcium (4)
- Comet Assay (4)
- Cyclo-AMP (4)
- DNA-Schaden (4)
- G proteins (4)
- Genomschaden (4)
- Herzhypertrophie (4)
- Inhibition (4)
- Niere (4)
- apoptosis (4)
- bariatric surgery (4)
- calcium (4)
- cancer (4)
- comet assay (4)
- fluorescence resonance energy transfer (4)
- micronucleus test (4)
- mutagenicity (4)
- mycotoxin (4)
- signal transduction (4)
- toxicity (4)
- vitamin B6 (4)
- 1 (3)
- Adrenerger Rezeptor (3)
- Beta-Rezeptor (3)
- Biotransformation (3)
- Carcinogenesis (3)
- Carcinogenicity (3)
- Carcinogens (3)
- Chronophin (3)
- Dialyse (3)
- Enzyme induction (3)
- Ernährung (3)
- G protein-coupled receptors (3)
- G-Protein (3)
- Hormone (3)
- Hypertonie (3)
- In vitro (3)
- Insulin (3)
- LC-MS (3)
- Leber (3)
- Magenchirurgie (3)
- Metabolismus (3)
- Mikrokern (3)
- Mikrokerntest (3)
- Muscarinrezeptor (3)
- NADPH-Oxidase (3)
- Nephrotoxizität (3)
- Nichtionisierende Strahlung (3)
- PDXP (3)
- Phosphatase (3)
- Phosphatasen (3)
- Phosphoglykolatphosphatase (3)
- Pneumolysin (3)
- Pyridoxalphosphat (3)
- Pyrrolizidinalkaloide (3)
- RKIP (3)
- Rezeptor (3)
- Signaltransduktion (3)
- Zelle (3)
- carcinogenicity (3)
- cytoskeleton (3)
- differentiation (3)
- heart (3)
- hypertension (3)
- inflammation (3)
- liver (3)
- transcription factors (3)
- 18F-FDG (2)
- 5-Azacytidine (2)
- A1 adenosine receptors (2)
- Actin (2)
- Adenosine receptor (2)
- Adipositas (2)
- Aflatoxin (2)
- Alpha-2-Rezeptor (2)
- Ames test (2)
- Anthocyane (2)
- Apoptose (2)
- Apoptosis (2)
- Autoimmunerkrankung (2)
- BRET (2)
- Bakteriengift (2)
- Benfotiamin (2)
- Benzene (2)
- Bestrahlung (2)
- Beta-1-Rezeptor (2)
- Brustkrebs (2)
- Carcinogenese (2)
- Carcinogenität (2)
- DNA Binding (2)
- DNA Schaden (2)
- DNA repair (2)
- DNS-Schaden (2)
- DNS-Strangbruch (2)
- Diethylstilbestrol (2)
- Dose response (2)
- Dose-response relationship (2)
- Dosis-Wirkungs-Beziehung (2)
- Electropermeabilization (2)
- Elektrofusion (2)
- Elektroporation (2)
- Estrogen (2)
- FCS (2)
- Fluoreszenz (2)
- Furan (2)
- Förster Resonanz Energie Transfer (2)
- G protein coupled receptor (2)
- G-Protein gekoppelter Rezeptor (2)
- G-protein coupled receptor (2)
- Genetic instability (2)
- HPLC-MS (2)
- Heart failure (2)
- Herz (2)
- Hirnhautentzündung (2)
- Huh6 (2)
- Hypertrophie (2)
- Hämatopoetische Stammzellen (2)
- Hämodialyse (2)
- Inhalation (2)
- Kanzerogenese (2)
- Kardiomyopathie (2)
- Kongestive Herzmuskelkrankheit (2)
- Krebs (2)
- L5178Y cells (2)
- Lasiocarpin (2)
- Meningitis (2)
- Merkaptursäuren (2)
- Metabolic activation (2)
- Metabonomics (2)
- Micronucleus (2)
- Mikroskopie (2)
- Myokarditis (2)
- N-formyl peptides (2)
- Noradrenalin (2)
- PDE (2)
- PET (2)
- Paracetamol (2)
- Parathormon (2)
- Peptidtherapie (2)
- Pharmakokinetik (2)
- Pharmazie (2)
- Phosducin (2)
- Phosphodiesterase (2)
- QIVIVE (2)
- Radioligand binding (2)
- Raf kinase inhibitor protein (2)
- Raf-Kinasen (2)
- Rat (2)
- Regulation (2)
- Reproductive toxicity (2)
- Risikoanalyse (2)
- Risk Assessment (2)
- Salmonella/microsome assay (2)
- Silicones (2)
- Sulforaphan (2)
- Terahertzbereich (2)
- Terahertzstrahlung (2)
- Toxicology (2)
- Toxin (2)
- Transgene Tiere (2)
- Zellkultur (2)
- Zellzyklus (2)
- actin (2)
- actinomycetes (2)
- adenosine (2)
- adenosine receptor (2)
- adenosine receptors (2)
- aldosterone (2)
- barbiturates (2)
- bariatrische Chirurgie (2)
- beta-adrenerge Signalwege (2)
- biased signaling (2)
- binding (2)
- biomedicine, general (2)
- cGMP (2)
- cancer risk (2)
- carcinogen (2)
- cell biology (2)
- cell culture (2)
- cisplatin (2)
- classification (2)
- comet-assay (2)
- cytokinins (2)
- dialysis (2)
- dialysis patients (2)
- environmental health (2)
- epigenetics (2)
- estrogen (2)
- familial DCM (2)
- fluorescence (2)
- fluorescence imaging (2)
- furan (2)
- iPSC-cardiomyocytes (2)
- immunohistochemistry (2)
- in-vivo (2)
- insulin (2)
- kidney (2)
- kidneys (2)
- lymphocytes (2)
- mast cells (2)
- medicine (2)
- membrane skeleton (2)
- meningitis (2)
- mercapturic acid (2)
- mercapturic acids (2)
- metabonomics (2)
- micronucleus (2)
- myocarditis (2)
- non-ionizing radiation (2)
- obesity (2)
- occupational medicine/industrial medicine (2)
- oxidativer Stress (2)
- peripheral lymphocytes (2)
- pharmacogenetics (2)
- pharmacokinetics (2)
- pharmacology/toxicology (2)
- phosphorylation (2)
- pneumolysin (2)
- positron emission tomography (2)
- pyridoxal phosphatase (2)
- radiation (2)
- rat brain membranes (2)
- receptors (2)
- resveratrol (2)
- risk assessment (2)
- terahertz radiation (2)
- therapy (2)
- transgen (2)
- uremic toxins (2)
- yam (2)
- Östrogene (2)
- (Mouse L-cell) (1)
- (Rat brain membrane) (1)
- (Rat liver) (1)
- (Salmonella) (1)
- 1H-NMR-Spectroscopy (1)
- 2 (1)
- 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin (1)
- 2-Acetylaminofluorene (1)
- 2-Dichloroethane (1)
- 2-Dioxetane (1)
- 2-Generation reproduction (1)
- 2-acetylaminofluorene (1)
- 3 (1)
- 3-pentafluoropropene (1)
- 3-tetrafluoropropene (1)
- 3R (1)
- 4'-hydroxylation (1)
- 4-(p-nitrobenzyl)pyridine (1)
- 4-Aminobiphenyl (1)
- 4-aminobiphenyl (1)
- 4-dial (1)
- 6-benzylaminopurine (1)
- 7,8-Dihydroxyflavon (1)
- 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (1)
- 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) (1)
- 8-Hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (1)
- 8-Oxo-2’-desoxyguanosin (1)
- 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (1)
- A(2B) receptors (1)
- A1 (1)
- A1 Adenosine receptors (1)
- A2B adenosine receptor (1)
- A2BAR (1)
- A<sub>2</sub> Adenosine receptor (1)
- AAF (1)
- ADHS (1)
- AMPK (1)
- API-Massenspektrometrie (1)
- AUM (1)
- A\(_{2A}\) adenosine receptor antagonist (1)
- Acetaminophen (1)
- Acetylcysteinderivate (1)
- Acrylamid (1)
- Acrylamide (1)
- Actin cytoskeleton (1)
- Activation (1)
- Addition (1)
- Adenosine (1)
- Adenosine receptor antagonists (1)
- Adenylatcyclaseassay (1)
- Adipositaschirurgie (1)
- Adrenalin (1)
- Adrenerger Neuronenblocker (1)
- Adrenergic Receptor (1)
- Adrenergic neurone blocking agent (1)
- Adrenergic receptor (1)
- Adrenergisches System (1)
- Adrenozeptor (1)
- Advanced glycosylation end products (1)
- Adverse Outcome Pathway (1)
- Adverse outcome pathway (AOP) (1)
- Aflatoxin B1 (1)
- Aktionspotenzial (1)
- Aktivierung (1)
- Aldosteronantagonist (1)
- Alkylantien (1)
- Alkylation (1)
- Allosterie (1)
- Alternans (1)
- Alterung (1)
- Alzheimers disease (1)
- Amino acid composition (1)
- Amino acids (1)
- Aminosäuren (1)
- Anabolieagent (1)
- Aneugene (1)
- Angewandte Toxikologie (1)
- Angiotensin (1)
- Angiotensin II Typ 1a-Rezeptor (1)
- Angiotensin-II-Blocker (1)
- Angst (1)
- Aniline derivatives (1)
- Animal model (1)
- Anthraquinone glycosides (1)
- Antibodies (1)
- Antikörper (1)
- Antimutagen (1)
- Antioxidans (1)
- Anxiety (1)
- Arsen (1)
- Aryl hydrocarbon rnonooxygenase (1)
- Arzneimittel (1)
- Astrozyt (1)
- Atherosclerosis (1)
- Atherosklerose (1)
- Atria (1)
- Aufmerksamkeits-Defizit-Syndrom (1)
- Autofocus (1)
- Azole (1)
- Azoles (1)
- B cells (1)
- BETA(2)-adrenergic receptor (1)
- BG-1 Zellen (1)
- BG-1 cells (1)
- BMS-5 (1)
- Background DNA damage (1)
- Bacterial Toxins (1)
- Bacterial meningitis (1)
- Bakterielle Hirnhautentzündung (1)
- Bakterien (1)
- Barbiturat (1)
- Barbiturates (1)
- Barth syndrome (1)
- Bcl-2 (1)
- Benzefuran dioxetane (1)
- Benzefuran epoxide (1)
- Benzo(a)pyrene-DNA binding (1)
- Berenil (1)
- Beta(1)-adrenergic receptor (1)
- Beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (1)
- Beta- adrenergic receptors (1)
- Beta-1-receptor (1)
- Beta-Adrenergic Receptor (1)
- Beta-Adrenozeptor (1)
- Beta-Receptor subtypes (1)
- Beta-Rezeptor Subtypen (1)
- Beta-adrenerge Rezeptoren (1)
- Bilirubin (1)
- Bindungsassay (1)
- Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (1)
- Biomarkers (1)
- Biosensor (1)
- Biostatistik (1)
- Bisphenol A (1)
- Blutbildendes System (1)
- Blutgefäß (1)
- Blutstammzelle (1)
- Bombyx mori (1)
- BrdU (1)
- Bromodeoxyuridine labeling (1)
- C1q/TNF related protein (CTRP) (1)
- C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related proteins (1)
- CAMP production (1)
- CCT (1)
- CFC replacements (1)
- CFP (1)
- CHO-Zellen (1)
- CHO-cells (1)
- CIB1 (1)
- CMF-Therapie (1)
- CRISPR Cas9 (1)
- CRISPR/Cas9 (1)
- CTRP (1)
- CXCR4 (1)
- CYP19 (1)
- CYP51 (1)
- CaMKII (1)
- Calcium-bindende Proteine (1)
- Calciumkanal (1)
- Cancer prevention (1)
- Carcinogen risk Individual susceptibili (1)
- Carcinogenic potency (1)
- Cardiac myocyte ; Beta-Receptor ; Muscarinic receptor ; cAMP ; G-protein ; Serum (1)
- Cardiomyocyte (1)
- Caseinkinase 2 (1)
- Caspase-1 (1)
- Caveolae (1)
- Celecoxib (1)
- Cell adhesion (1)
- Cell death and comet assay (1)
- Cell transformation (1)
- Chemical carcinogenesis (1)
- Chemokine (1)
- Chemokine receptors (1)
- Chemometrie (1)
- Chemotactic receptors (1)
- Chemotherapie (1)
- Chlorfluorkohlenstoffe (1)
- Choline deficiency (1)
- Cholinesteraseinhibitor (1)
- Chromosome aberration (1)
- Chromosome distribution (1)
- Chronic heart-failure (1)
- Chronical renal failure (1)
- Clonidin (1)
- Co-culture (1)
- Coffein (1)
- Cofilin (1)
- Colon cancer (1)
- Comet assay (1)
- Comet-Assay (1)
- Covalent DNA binding (1)
- Covalent binding (1)
- Covalent binding index (1)
- Covalent binding index - Diethylstilbestrol (1)
- Cyclic AMP (1)
- Cyclo-GMP (1)
- Cytochalasin-B micronucleus assay (1)
- Cytochrom P450 (1)
- Cytochrome b5 (1)
- Cytokine (1)
- Cytologie (1)
- DAMGO (1)
- DCM (1)
- DCM genetic background (1)
- DES (1)
- DIPP2a (1)
- DIPP2a-Protein (1)
- DNA Damage (1)
- DNA adduct . Repair endonuclease (1)
- DNA adducts (1)
- DNA base excision repair (1)
- DNA binching (1)
- DNA crosslink (1)
- DNA damage response (1)
- DNA metabolism (1)
- DNA methylation (1)
- DNA transfection (1)
- DNA-Addukte (1)
- DNA-Binding (1)
- DNA-Damage (1)
- DNA-Reparatur (1)
- DNA-Schäden (1)
- DNA-Vernetzung (1)
- DNA-damage (1)
- DNS (1)
- DNS-Bindung (1)
- DNS-Doppelstrangbruch (1)
- DNS-Reparatur (1)
- Datenanalyse (1)
- Depression (1)
- Dermatologie (1)
- Di (1)
- Dialysepatienten (1)
- Dialysis (1)
- Diclofenac (1)
- Dietary process-related contaminants (1)
- Differenzierung (1)
- Differenzierungszustand (1)
- Diisononyl phthalate (1)
- Dilatative Kardiomyopathie (1)
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (1)
- Dioscorea (1)
- Diskriminanzanalyse (1)
- Dopamin-beta-Hydroxylase Promotor (1)
- Dose response relationships (1)
- Drug resistance (1)
- Dualstere Liganden (1)
- Dualsteric Ligands (1)
- EAD (1)
- EGF-Rezeptor (1)
- EGF-receptor (1)
- ERK Dimerisierungsdefizienz (1)
- ERK signaling (1)
- ERK-Kaskade (1)
- ERK-Monomer (1)
- ERK-cascade (1)
- ERK1/2 Dimerisierung (1)
- ERK1/2-Autophosphorylierung (1)
- ERK2d4 (1)
- ESDR (1)
- Ecdyson (1)
- Effekt-Modifizierung (1)
- Eierstockkrebs (1)
- Einwärtsgleichrichtung (1)
- Einzelzellgelelektrophorese (1)
- Electric Field (1)
- Electrical breakdown (1)
- Electrophiles (1)
- Elektrokardiogramm (1)
- Elektromagnetische Felder (1)
- Embryonalen Stammzellen (1)
- Embryonalentwicklung (1)
- Emodin (1)
- Empfindlichkeit (1)
- Endogenous genotoxicity (1)
- Endokrinologie (1)
- Endothelzelle (1)
- Endozytose (1)
- Entzündung (1)
- Epac (1)
- Epigenetik (1)
- Epoxide hydrolase (1)
- Erk1/2 (1)
- Ersatzstoff (1)
- Erythrozyt (1)
- Estrone (1)
- Ethionine (1)
- Eukaryotic cell (1)
- Excitotoxicity (1)
- Expositionsmarker (1)
- External exposure assessment (1)
- Extrakorporale Dialyse (1)
- FACS (1)
- FCKW-Ersatzstoffe (1)
- FHK (1)
- FPG protein (1)
- FRAP (1)
- FRET sensors (1)
- Fabry Disease (FD) (1)
- Fettsucht (1)
- Fibromyalgie (1)
- Fibrose (1)
- Fischer 344 rats (1)
- Fl (1)
- FlAsH (1)
- Flow cytometry (1)
- Flugzeitmassenspektrometrie (1)
- Fluorescence (1)
- Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (1)
- Fluorescence Microscopy (1)
- Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (1)
- Fluorescence-resonance-energy-transfer (1)
- Fluoreszenz <Motiv> (1)
- Fluoreszenzkorrelationsspektroskopie (1)
- Fluoreszenzmikroskopie (1)
- Fluorkohlenwasserstoffe (1)
- Fluoxetin (1)
- Fluoxetine (1)
- Folsäure (1)
- Frank-Starling-Gesetz (1)
- Friedreich’s ataxia (1)
- Fumonisin B1 (1)
- Fumonisine (1)
- Functional analyses (1)
- Fungizid (1)
- Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (1)
- G Protein (1)
- G Protein-Coupled Receptor (1)
- G beta gamma (1)
- G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) (1)
- G protein-coupled receptor (1)
- G protein-coupled receptor kinase (1)
- G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) (1)
- G protein-gekoppelte Rezeptor Kinase 2 (GRK2) (1)
- G-Protein-gekoppelter-Rezeptor (1)
- G-Proteine (1)
- G-protein-coupled receptors (1)
- GABA-receptor complex (1)
- GC-MS (1)
- GC/MS (1)
- GIRK (1)
- GPCR dimerisation (1)
- GPCR signaling (1)
- GPCRs (1)
- GTP-bindende Proteine (1)
- Gastric carcinogenesis (1)
- Gb3 and lyso-Gb3 biomarkers (1)
- Gbetagamma-Untereinheiten (1)
- Gbetagamma-subunits (1)
- Gebärmutterhalskrebs (1)
- Gefäßentwicklung (1)
- Gegensatz (1)
- Genanalyse (1)
- Gene Transfer (1)
- Gene transfer (1)
- Genmutation (1)
- Genomische Instabilität (1)
- Genotoxicitiy (1)
- Genotyp (1)
- Genregulation (1)
- Gentoxikologie (1)
- Gi/o (1)
- Gilbert Syndrom (1)
- Gilbert´s Syndrome (1)
- Glatte Muskulatur (1)
- Glioblastom (1)
- Glucuronidation (1)
- Glukuronidierung (1)
- Glutathion S-Konjugat (1)
- Glutathione Stransferase (1)
- Glycerin-3-phosphat (1)
- Glycerinphosphate (1)
- Gq-Protein (1)
- Grün fluoreszierendes Protein (1)
- Guanin Nukleotid Austauschfaktor (1)
- Guaninnucleotid-Austauschfaktoren (1)
- Guanylatcyclase (1)
- HAD-Phosphatasen (1)
- HCM (1)
- HCN channel (1)
- HCN-Kanal (1)
- HFC245fa (1)
- HIPEC therapy (1)
- HIV (1)
- HIV infection (1)
- HPLC-MS/MS method (1)
- Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Tumor (1)
- Harn (1)
- Hauptkomponentenanalyse (1)
- HeLa H2B-GFP cells (1)
- HeLa H2B-GFP-Zellen (1)
- HeLa cells (1)
- Hemmung der Proliferation schnell wachsender Krebszellen (1)
- HepG2 cells (1)
- HepG2-Zellen (1)
- Herpesviren (1)
- Herzfrequenz (1)
- Herzmuskelzelle (1)
- Herzrhythmusstörung (1)
- Hietzeschockprotein (1)
- High-thropughput screening (1)
- High-throughput screening (1)
- Hintergrund-DNA-Schaden (1)
- Hochdurchsatz-Screening (1)
- Hoechst 33258 dye (1)
- Homocystein (1)
- Hsp90 (1)
- Human (1)
- Human platelets (1)
- Humane Hämatopoetische Stammzellen (1)
- Hybridoma (1)
- Hydroxylradikal (1)
- Hyperinsulinämie (1)
- Hypernephrom (1)
- Hypertension (1)
- Hyperthermie (1)
- Hypertrophische Herzmuskelkrankheit (1)
- Häm (1)
- Hämatopoese (1)
- Hämodiafiltration (1)
- Hämoglobinaddukte (1)
- I1 Imidazolin Bindungsstelle (1)
- I1 imidazoline binding site (1)
- Immunization (1)
- Immunkardiomyopathie (1)
- Immunoblot (1)
- Immunologie (1)
- In vitro testing (1)
- In vitro toxicity testing (1)
- In vivo (1)
- In-silico Modell (1)
- Inflammation (1)
- Inhibitor (1)
- Interferenz (1)
- Inward Rectification (1)
- Ischemia/reperfusion (1)
- Janus-Aktivität (1)
- Jolly bodies (1)
- K + -channels (1)
- Kaffee (1)
- Kalzium (1)
- Kandidatengene (1)
- Kaninchen (1)
- Kardiomoyzyten (1)
- Kardiomyozyt (1)
- Kardiomyozyten (1)
- Karzinogenese (1)
- Katecholamine (1)
- Kidneys (1)
- Kinase signaling (1)
- Kinder (1)
- Kinetochore (1)
- Kinetochores (1)
- Klassifizierung (1)
- Klastogene (1)
- Knockout (1)
- Kognitive Beeinträchtigung (1)
- Kombination (1)
- Konformationsänderung (1)
- Kopf-Hals-Tumor (1)
- Krebs <Medizin> (1)
- L5178Y-Zellen (1)
- LC-MS/MS (1)
- LIMK (1)
- LPS (1)
- LTB4 receptor (1)
- Latrophilin (1)
- Lebendzellmikroskopie (1)
- Leukocyte/endothelium interaction (1)
- Ligand <Biochemie> (1)
- Liganden (1)
- Lipidom (1)
- Lipidomics (1)
- Liver (1)
- Lung (1)
- Lymphozyt (1)
- Lymphozyten (1)
- Lysosom (1)
- MAO-Hemmer (1)
- MAP (1)
- MAP-kinase (1)
- MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells (1)
- MDA-MB-231-Brustkrebszellen (1)
- MIBG (1)
- MMQ cells (1)
- MMR-Reparatur (1)
- Magenkrebs (1)
- MammaJian mutagenicity test (1)
- Mammakarzinom (1)
- Map-kinase (1)
- Massenspektrometrie (1)
- Mastzelle (1)
- Matrix-Metalloprotease (1)
- Matrix-Metalloproteinase (1)
- Mauslymphomtest (1)
- Mauslymphomzellen (1)
- Mauslymphomzellen L5178Y (1)
- Mechanism of action (1)
- Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) (1)
- Melanocyte stimulating hormones MSH (1)
- Melanoma (1)
- Melanomzelllinien (1)
- Membrane transporters (1)
- Membranrezeptor (1)
- Membrantransporter (1)
- Merkaptolaktat (1)
- Merkaptursäure (1)
- Metabolic enzymes (1)
- Metabolism (1)
- Metabolism saturation (1)
- Metabolite von Morphin (1)
- Metabolites of morphine (1)
- Metabolom (1)
- Metabolomics (1)
- Metabonomix (1)
- Methode der partiellen kleinsten Quadrate (1)
- Methylierung (1)
- Methylphenidat (1)
- Methymethansulfonat (1)
- Microcirculation (1)
- Micronucleus formation (1)
- Micronucleus test (1)
- Microscopy (1)
- Mikrokernfrequenz (1)
- Mikrokernfrequenzanalyse (1)
- Mikronukleus-Assay (1)
- Mineralokortikoidrezeptor (1)
- Mitosis (1)
- Mitotic disturbance (1)
- Mobiles Endgerät (1)
- Mobilfunk (1)
- Mobilfunkstrahlung (1)
- Molekularpharmakologie (1)
- Monoaminoxidase (1)
- Morphin (1)
- Multivariate Analyse (1)
- Mundschleimhaut (1)
- Mundschleimhautzellen (1)
- Mutagen (1)
- Mutagenicity (1)
- Mutagenicity assay (1)
- Mutagenitätstest (1)
- Mutagens (1)
- Mutation (1)
- Mutation assay (1)
- Mykotoxin (1)
- Myocard (1)
- Myofilament (1)
- Myosin (1)
- N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (1)
- N1E 115 cells (1)
- NADPH oxidase (1)
- NHERF (1)
- NOF (1)
- Na/H-Austauscher (1)
- Na/H-exchanger (1)
- Na\(_V\)1.8 (1)
- Natrium-Calcium-Austauscher (1)
- Nebenniere (1)
- Neomycin Resistance (1)
- Nephrotoxicity (1)
- Nervennetz (1)
- Nervenzelle (1)
- Neuronale (1)
- Niereninsuffizienz (1)
- Nierenschädigung (1)
- Nierenschädigungsmarker (1)
- Nierenzellkarzinom (1)
- Nitrosation (1)
- Nitrosativer Stress (1)
- Nitrosierung (1)
- No:cGMP-Signalling (1)
- No:cGMP-Signalweg (1)
- Nrf 2 (1)
- OXPHOS (1)
- Opiatrezeptor (1)
- Ortspezifische Mutagenese (1)
- Oxidative Stress (1)
- Oxidative stress (1)
- Oxygen radical (1)
- PBPK/PBTK model (1)
- PDE-Hemmung (1)
- PDE2 (1)
- PDXP inhibitors (1)
- PKA (1)
- PLCβ3 (1)
- PLP (1)
- PMCA (1)
- PTH1R (1)
- Paclitaxel (1)
- Partial Agonists (1)
- Partialagonismus (1)
- Passivrauchen (1)
- Patulin (1)
- Peptides (1)
- Perforine (1)
- PhD thesis pharmacology (1)
- Pharmakogenetik (1)
- Phenobarbital (1)
- Phosducin-like Proteine (1)
- Phosducin-ähnliches protein (PhLP) (1)
- Phosphodiesterasen (1)
- Phosphoglykolat (1)
- Phosphoglykolat-Phosphatase (1)
- Phospholipase C (1)
- Phosphorylierung (1)
- Photoaffinity labelling (1)
- Physiologically based kinetic models (1)
- Physiologie (1)
- Phytohormone (1)
- Phänotyp (1)
- Phäochromozytomzellen (1)
- Plasmamembran-Kalzium-ATPase (1)
- Plazenta (1)
- Pointmutation (1)
- Pore (1)
- Pore formation (1)
- Pore-formation (1)
- Porenbildung (1)
- Prevalence (1)
- Prognostic impact (1)
- Prolactin (1)
- Propenderivate (1)
- Proteasom (1)
- Protein (1)
- Protein Folding (1)
- Protein Interaction (1)
- Protein binding (1)
- Protein coding (1)
- Protein-Protein-Wechselwirkung (1)
- Proteinaddukte (1)
- Proteinbindung (1)
- Proteinfaltung (1)
- Proteinkinase A (1)
- Proteinkinase C (1)
- Proteinkinase CK2 (1)
- Proteintyrosinphosphatase (1)
- Proteolyse (1)
- Protonen-NMR-Spektroskopie (1)
- Pyridoxal phosphate phosphatase (1)
- Pyridoxalphosphat Phosphatase (1)
- Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (1)
- Quantitative risk assessment (1)
- RAMP (1)
- RBM20 mutations (1)
- RGS2 (1)
- RNA degradation (1)
- RNS-Interferenz (1)
- ROS (1)
- Radiation inactivation (1)
- Radicals (1)
- Radioligand binding - 86Rb + -efflux (1)
- Radioligands (1)
- Radioligauds (1)
- Radiosensibilisierung (1)
- Raf Kinase Inhibitor Protein (RKIP) (1)
- Raf1 (1)
- Raman micro-spectroscopy (1)
- Rat Iiver microsomes (1)
- Rat liver peroxisome (1)
- Ratte (1)
- Raucher (1)
- ReAsH (1)
- Reactive intermediates (1)
- Reaktive Sauerstoffspezies (1)
- Reaktive Zwischenstufe (1)
- Real-Time quantitative PCR (1)
- Receptor (1)
- Receptor dynamics (1)
- Refraktärzeit (1)
- Regulator of G protein signaling 2 (1)
- Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System (1)
- Renin-Angiotensin-System (1)
- Resistenzentwicklung (1)
- Resveratrol (1)
- Retinales S-Antigen (1)
- Rgs2 (1)
- Rho-GTPasen (1)
- Rho-Proteine (1)
- Riddelliin (1)
- Riot control agents (1)
- Risikobewertung (1)
- Risk assessment (1)
- Risk estimation (1)
- Risk-factors (1)
- SCN5a (1)
- ST-elevation myocardial infarction (1)
- SUMO (1)
- Salmonella typhimurium (1)
- Schwesterchromatidenaustausche (1)
- Sekunde (1)
- Selenmangel (1)
- Senecionin (1)
- Seneciphyllin (1)
- Sensitivity (1)
- Sensor (1)
- Short-term Carcinogenicity Test (1)
- Short-term tests (1)
- Signal transduction (1)
- Signalkette (1)
- Small RNA (1)
- Species Differences (1)
- Species differences (1)
- Spermatogenesis (1)
- Speziesunterschiede (1)
- Spironolacton (1)
- Spontaneous tumours (1)
- Src (1)
- Stable Transformation (1)
- Statin (1)
- Stickstoffmonoxid (1)
- Stickstoffoxidsynthase (1)
- Stoffwechsel (1)
- Strahlentherapie (1)
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (1)
- Streptomyces (1)
- Stress (1)
- Structureactivity relationship (1)
- Styrol (1)
- Substratspezifitätsschleife (1)
- Sudden Cardiac Death (1)
- Sulfonylharnstoffe (1)
- Sulforaphane (1)
- Sympathikus (1)
- Synergie (1)
- Synergismus (1)
- Systembiologie (1)
- Säugerzellen (1)
- Säugetiere (1)
- T cells (1)
- TCP-1 alpha (1)
- TIRF (1)
- TK6 cells (1)
- Tabakrauch (1)
- Target size (1)
- Tetrachlormethan (1)
- Tetracystein-Motive (1)
- Tetracystein-Motivee (1)
- Thebain (1)
- Theophylline (1)
- Thrombin (1)
- Thymidine glycol (1)
- Tiermodell (1)
- Time-of-flight (1)
- Toluene (1)
- Toxicokinetics (1)
- Toxikokinetik (1)
- Toxizitätstest (1)
- Transfection (1)
- Transgene Mäuse (1)
- Transgenes Mausmodell (1)
- Transgenic mice (1)
- Transgenic mouse (1)
- Transgenie mice (1)
- Transkription (1)
- Transkriptionsfaktoren (1)
- Trenbolone (1)
- Trifluorpropionsäure (1)
- Tritiated Water (1)
- Troponin (1)
- Tumorpromotion (1)
- Tumorzelle (1)
- Tumorzellproliferation (1)
- Tyrosin (1)
- Tyrosin phosphatase (1)
- UCP2 (1)
- UCP2-Protein (1)
- UGT1A1 (1)
- Ubiquitin (1)
- Unscheduled DNA synthesis (1)
- Urämische Toxine (1)
- Uterine tumors (1)
- VASP (1)
- Validierung (1)
- Valvular heart-desease (1)
- Venerologie (1)
- Vitamin B12 (1)
- Vitamin B6 (1)
- Vitamin B6 Metabolismus (1)
- Vitamin E Mangel (1)
- Vitamin-B6-Stoffwechsel (1)
- Volume distribution (1)
- WD 40 Repeat Proteins (1)
- Wachstum (1)
- Wachstumskonus (1)
- Water resources (1)
- Wirkstoff-Rezeptor-Bindung (1)
- Xanthines (1)
- YFP (1)
- Zell-Adhäsion (1)
- Zelladhäsion (1)
- Zelldifferenzierung (1)
- Zelllinie (1)
- Zellproliferationssteigerung (1)
- Zellskelett (1)
- Zellteilung (1)
- Zelltransport (1)
- Zellzykluskontrolle (1)
- Zigarettenrauch (1)
- Zyklopeptid (1)
- [3H]PIA binding (1)
- absorption (1)
- actin cytoskeleton (1)
- activation (1)
- active zone (1)
- acute slices (1)
- adduct (1)
- adenine (1)
- adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (1)
- adenylate cyclase (1)
- adenylyl cyclase signaling cascade (1)
- adenylyl-cyclase isoforms (1)
- adhesion GPCR (1)
- adiponectin (1)
- adipose tissue (1)
- adrenal gland (1)
- adrenerg (1)
- adrenerge Rezeptoren (1)
- adrenergic (1)
- adrenergic receptors (1)
- adrenoceptor (1)
- adult ADHD (1)
- adult cardiac myocytes (1)
- advanced glycosylation end product (1)
- adverse outcome pathway (1)
- adverse outcome pathway (AOP) (1)
- aflatoxin (1)
- aflatoxin B1 (1)
- ageing (1)
- agonists (1)
- alkylating agent (1)
- alkylating agents (1)
- alkylation (1)
- allelic variant (1)
- allosteric modulation (1)
- alpha2 (1)
- alpha2-KO Maus (1)
- alpha2-KO mouse (1)
- alpha2-Rezeptor (1)
- alpha2-adrenerge Rezeptoren (1)
- alpha2-adrenergic receptors (1)
- alpha2-receptor (1)
- alternative methods (1)
- amine (1)
- amino acid (1)
- aneugens (1)
- angiotensin II (1)
- angiotensin II type 1a receptor (1)
- antagonists (1)
- anthocyanins (1)
- anti-Parkinson agents (1)
- anti-inflammatory agents (1)
- antibacterial/antiviral drug (1)
- antibodies (1)
- antibody/autoantibody (1)
- antimutagenicity (1)
- antioxidants (1)
- aortocaval fistula model (1)
- aromatic amides (1)
- arrhythmia (1)
- arrhythmogenesis (1)
- arsenite (1)
- assay (1)
- association (1)
- astrocytes (1)
- atopic eczema (1)
- atopische Erkrankungen (1)
- atrial natriuretic peptide (1)
- autophosphorylation of ERK1/2 (1)
- avaliação de risco (1)
- bacterial meningitis (1)
- base excision repair (incision activity) (1)
- benfotiamine (1)
- beta-adrenerge Rezeptoren (1)
- beta-adrenergic signal transduction (1)
- beta2-adrenoceptor knockout (1)
- beta3 CL 316,243 (1)
- binding affinity (1)
- bioactive compounds (1)
- biofilms (1)
- biological techniques (1)
- biology (1)
- biomarker of exposure (1)
- biomarkers (1)
- biosensor (1)
- biotransformation (1)
- bisphenol a (1)
- blood coagulation factor XIII (1)
- blood plasma (1)
- blood pressure (1)
- blood samples (1)
- bombyx mori (1)
- bone marrow (1)
- brain damage (1)
- brain membranes (1)
- buccal mucosa (1)
- caffeine (1)
- calcitonin gene-related peptide (1)
- calcium channel (1)
- calmodulin (1)
- carcinogenesis (1)
- cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (1)
- cardiac myocyte ; muscarinic K current ; G-protein ; Albumin ; serum (1)
- cardiac remodelling (1)
- cardiomyocyt (1)
- cardiomyocyte (1)
- cardiomyocytes (1)
- cardiomyopathy (1)
- cardiovascular diseases (1)
- casein kinase 2 (1)
- catecholamines (1)
- caveolae (1)
- caveolin-1 (1)
- cell adhesion (1)
- cell fate (1)
- cell fusion (1)
- cell proliferation (1)
- cell signalling (1)
- cell staining (1)
- cell-cycle (1)
- cellular-trafficking (1)
- chalcone (1)
- checkpoints (1)
- chemotactic receptors (1)
- chemotaxis (1)
- child health (1)
- children (1)
- cholesterol depletion (1)
- cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (1)
- cholinesterase (1)
- cholinesterase inhibitors (1)
- chromaffin granulas (1)
- chromaffine Granulas (1)
- chromosomal damage (1)
- chronic heart failure (1)
- chronic kidney disease (1)
- chronical stress (1)
- chronischer Stress (1)
- chronophin (1)
- cis-2-Buten-1 (1)
- classification and labeling (1)
- clastogens (1)
- clinical genetics (1)
- clonidine (1)
- co-culture (1)
- coated vesicles (1)
- coffee (1)
- cognitive impairment (1)
- coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy (1)
- comet assay analysis (1)
- compartments (1)
- computational biophysics (1)
- conduction disease (1)
- conformational auto-epitope (1)
- conjugated mycotoxins (1)
- constitutive activity (1)
- contact lens (1)
- continuous (1)
- contractility (1)
- control of the cell cycle (1)
- coumarin (1)
- coupled (1)
- coupled receptor (1)
- covalent (1)
- covalent binding (1)
- creatinine (1)
- crystal structure (1)
- cyclic AMP (1)
- cyclic dipeptide (1)
- cyclic nucleotides such as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (1)
- cyclic peptides/cyclopeptides (1)
- cyclic-AMP (1)
- cyclic-gmp (1)
- cyclo-AMP (1)
- cyclopeptide therapy (1)
- cytochrome P450 2C9 (1)
- cytochrome P450s (1)
- cytochrome p450 (1)
- cytogenetic effects (1)
- cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay (1)
- cytome biomarkers (1)
- cytosol (1)
- cytotoxic (1)
- dCIRL (1)
- danio rerio (1)
- definition (1)
- dendritic spines (1)
- desensitization (1)
- detrusor muscle (1)
- developmental biology (1)
- diabetes (1)
- diagnosis (1)
- dicyclohexyl phthalate (1)
- diet (1)
- differentiation status (1)
- dilated cardiomyopathy with ataxia (1)
- disrupting chemicals (1)
- disruptor endócrino (1)
- dna damage (1)
- dna strand break (1)
- docking (1)
- domains (1)
- dopamine-beta-hydroxylase-promotor (1)
- dormancy (1)
- dose (1)
- dose response (1)
- down-regulation (1)
- drug (1)
- dualsteric ligands (1)
- dunce (1)
- eccentric hypertrophy (1)
- ecdysone (1)
- ectodomain cleavage (1)
- efficient intervention points (1)
- embryonic stem cell (1)
- end-stage renal disease (1)
- endocrine disruptor (1)
- endogenous (1)
- endothelial cells (1)
- energy-transfer (1)
- environm. tobacco smoke (1)
- environmental phenols (1)
- enzyme-linked immunoassays (1)
- estrogen receptor (1)
- estrogens (1)
- ethanol (1)
- etoposide (1)
- etox database (1)
- eugenol (1)
- exposição humana (1)
- exposure (1)
- extrapolation (1)
- fatty liver (1)
- fentanyl (1)
- fetal testis (1)
- fibrosis (1)
- fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (1)
- fluorescence detection (1)
- fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (1)
- fluorescent probes (1)
- fluorocarbons (1)
- folic acid (1)
- food contact materials (1)
- food safety (1)
- food security (1)
- formyl peptides (1)
- fumonisin B1 (1)
- functional clustering (1)
- fungi (1)
- gastrointestinal cancer (1)
- general medicine (1)
- genetics (1)
- genetischer Schadens (1)
- genomprotektiv (1)
- genotoxic (1)
- genotoxic agents (1)
- genotoxisch (1)
- genotoxische Agenzien (1)
- genotypes (1)
- genotyping (1)
- glucuronide (1)
- glutamate (1)
- glutathion S-conjugate (1)
- glycolytic flux control (1)
- gprotein (1)
- gravidez (1)
- growth (1)
- growth cone (1)
- guanine nucleotide exchange factor (1)
- hA<sub>3</sub>AR (1)
- hOCT1 (1)
- haematopoietic stem cells (1)
- halo olefines (1)
- haloacid dehalogenase (1)
- haloacid dehalogenase-type phosphatase (1)
- head and neck cancer (1)
- healing and remodelling processes (1)
- heart rate (1)
- heat shock protein (1)
- heme (1)
- hemodiafiltration (1)
- hemodialysis (1)
- hemodialysis patients (1)
- hemoglobin adducts (1)
- heterogeneous population (1)
- hiPSC-CM (1)
- hidden mycotoxins (1)
- histamine release (1)
- homeostasis (1)
- homocysteine (1)
- homodimerization (1)
- hormone receptors (1)
- huh6 (1)
- human (1)
- human A(3) (1)
- human biomonitoring (1)
- human exposure (1)
- human hematopoietic stem cells (1)
- human lung (1)
- hydrofluorocarbons (1)
- hypertonic solution (1)
- hypertrophy (1)
- identification (1)
- idiosyncratic drug toxicity (1)
- idiosynkratische Arzneistofftoxizität (1)
- image analysis (1)
- impact pharmacogenetics (1)
- in vitro (1)
- in vivo (1)
- in-silico model (1)
- individual (1)
- indolylpyrimidylpiperazines (1)
- induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocytes (1)
- induced pluripotent stem cells (1)
- inducible transgene (1)
- induzierbares Transgen (1)
- induzierte Mutation (1)
- induzierte Phosphatasen MKP-1 und MKP-2 (1)
- inflammatory diseases (1)
- inhalation (1)
- inhibitor (1)
- inhibitors (1)
- insulin signaling (1)
- internalization (1)
- international union (1)
- intracellular calcium release (1)
- intracellular loop (1)
- intrinsic metabolism (1)
- ionic look (1)
- irradiation (1)
- ischemic stroke (1)
- isoproterenol (1)
- kardiale Hypertrophie (1)
- key event relationship (1)
- kinases (1)
- laminopathy (1)
- lamivudine (1)
- lasiocarpine (1)
- late Na\(^+\) current (I\(_{NaL}\)) (1)
- legislation (1)
- life (1)
- ligand binding (1)
- ligandenselektive Konformationen (1)
- lignaselective conformations (1)
- lipid rafts (1)
- lipidomics (1)
- listeriolysin O (1)
- live imaging (1)
- liver microsomes (1)
- living vells (1)
- long-read sequencing (1)
- lovastatin (1)
- lysosomal disruption (1)
- lysosomal storage disorders (1)
- lysosomaler Overload (1)
- lösliche Guanylylcyclase (1)
- mTOR-inhibitor RAD-001 (1)
- maintenance of genomic integrity (1)
- major depression (1)
- male rats (1)
- mammalian cells (1)
- mammalian genomics (1)
- mao-inhibiters (1)
- marine sponges (1)
- markers of exposure (1)
- masked mycotoxins (1)
- mass spectrometry (1)
- matrix metalloproteinase (1)
- maturation strategies (1)
- mechanotransduction (1)
- membrane (1)
- membrane transporters (1)
- memory B cells (1)
- mercaptolactic acid (1)
- meta-Iodbenzylguanidin (1)
- meta-iodobenzylguanidine (1)
- metabolische Aktivierung (1)
- metabolische Enzyme (1)
- metabolites (1)
- metabolomics (1)
- metabotropic signalling (1)
- methyl methanesulfonate (1)
- methylation (1)
- miR-21 (1)
- microRNA-21 (1)
- micronucleus assay (1)
- micronucleus frequency (1)
- micronucleus- assay (1)
- microvessel permeability (1)
- mild (1)
- mismatch repair (1)
- mitochondria (1)
- mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ (1)
- mitochondrial cardiomyopathy (1)
- mitotic catastrophe (1)
- mitotic disturbance (1)
- mitotische Störung (1)
- mixture models (1)
- mobil phone radiation (1)
- modelo PBPK/PBTK (1)
- modified mycotoxins (1)
- molecular biology (1)
- molecular dynamics (1)
- molecular modeling (1)
- molecular modelling (1)
- monoamine oxidase (1)
- monogenetic cardiomyopathies (1)
- mortality (1)
- motor performance (1)
- mouse (1)
- mouse lymphoma L5178Y (1)
- mouse lymphoma cells (1)
- mouse models DNA damage (1)
- mucosa (1)
- multivariate analysis (1)
- multivariate data analysis (1)
- muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (1)
- muscarinic aceylcholine receptor (1)
- mutagen (1)
- mutant mice (1)
- mutation triggers (1)
- mycotoxin derivates (1)
- mycotoxin metabolites (1)
- mycotoxins (1)
- myocardium (1)
- myosin (1)
- n-hexyl phthalate (1)
- nanopore (1)
- natural (1)
- neocortex (1)
- neurodegenerative diseases (1)
- neuronal (1)
- neuronal dendrites (1)
- neurons (1)
- neuropsychiatric diseases (1)
- neurotransmitter biosynthesis (1)
- neutrophils (1)
- nicht additive Effekte (1)
- nitric oxide (1)
- nitric-oxide (1)
- nitrosation (1)
- nitrosative stress (1)
- nitroso compound (1)
- no (1)
- non-additive effects (1)
- noradrenaline (1)
- nutritional composition (1)
- o-Chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (1)
- occurrence (1)
- ochratoxin A (1)
- octopamine (1)
- oligomerization (1)
- opioid ligands (1)
- opioid receptor (1)
- optimal drug combination (1)
- optimal drug targeting (1)
- optimal pharmacological modulation (1)
- optimal treatment strategies (1)
- organ toxicity (1)
- ovarian cancer (1)
- oxidative Stressmarker (1)
- oxidative stress marker (1)
- p53 (1)
- paclitaxel (1)
- parathyroid hormone (1)
- parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (1)
- partial agonists (1)
- passive smoking (1)
- performance liquid-chromatography (1)
- peripheral nerve (1)
- peripheral-blood lymphocytes (1)
- periphere Lymphozyten (1)
- personalized treatment (1)
- perspectives (1)
- pharmacology (1)
- phenobarbitale (1)
- phenotyping (1)
- pheochromocytoma cells (1)
- phopohrylierungsdefizient (1)
- phosducin (1)
- phosducin-like protein (PhLP) (1)
- phosphoglycolate phosphatase (1)
- phosphoglycolatephosphatase (1)
- phosphoinositides (1)
- photoaffinity labelling (1)
- phytohormones (1)
- placenta (1)
- plasma membrane (1)
- plasma membrane calcium ATPase (1)
- plötzlicher Herztod (1)
- pms2 (1)
- poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (1)
- pore formation (1)
- pore-forming toxin (1)
- posttranslational modification (1)
- posttranslationale Modifikation (1)
- potent (1)
- pregnancy (1)
- primary aromatic amine (1)
- proliferation (1)
- protein (1)
- protein adducts (1)
- protein alkylation (1)
- protein design (1)
- protein-coupled receptors (1)
- protein-coupled-receptors (1)
- psoriasis (1)
- psychiatric disorders (1)
- psychosocial stress (1)
- psychosozialer Stress (1)
- purine derivatives (1)
- pyridoxal phosphatase (PDXP) (1)
- pyridoxal phosphate (1)
- pyrrolizidine alkaloids (1)
- quantitative assessments (1)
- radii (1)
- radiofrequency radiation (1)
- radioligand (1)
- radioligand binding (1)
- radiosensibilisation (1)
- rat pheochromocytoma cells (1)
- rats (1)
- reactive metabolites (1)
- reaktive Metabolite (1)
- reaktive Sauerstoffspezies (1)
- receptor (1)
- receptor binding (1)
- receptor pharmacology (1)
- receptor solubilization (1)
- receptor-G protein coupling (1)
- receptor-G protein coupling. (1)
- red blood cells (1)
- reduction of ERK1/2 phosphorylation (1)
- reduction of cells proliferation (1)
- regulation (1)
- relaxation (1)
- renal toxicity (1)
- repeated dose (1)
- reproductive and developmental toxicity (1)
- resistance (1)
- rezeptorvermittelte Endozytose (1)
- risk (1)
- risk-assesment (1)
- sGC (1)
- second extracellular loop (1)
- senecionine (1)
- seneciphylline (1)
- sensor (1)
- sensory physiology (1)
- serum (1)
- sex (1)
- sexual development (1)
- signaling microdomain (1)
- simulated digestion (1)
- single-molecule imaging (1)
- single-molecule microscopy (1)
- sister chromatid exch. (1)
- solid-phase extraction (1)
- solubilization (1)
- soluble guanylyl cyclase (1)
- splenic function (1)
- sponges (1)
- spontaneously hypersensitive-rats (1)
- stabile Transfektion (1)
- stable transfection (1)
- staphilococci (1)
- statins (1)
- stomach (1)
- streptomyces (1)
- sub-Saharan Africa (1)
- sublinear (1)
- subtypes (1)
- sugars (1)
- sulfonylurea (1)
- susceptibility (1)
- synapses (1)
- synaptic plasticity (1)
- synergism (1)
- tMCAO (1)
- tandem mass-spectrometry (1)
- targets (1)
- terminale Niereninsuffizienz (1)
- testosterone production (1)
- tetrafluoropropene (1)
- therapeutic potential (1)
- thrombin (1)
- thyroid hormone (1)
- tierversuchsfrei (1)
- tissue (1)
- tolbutamide substrate (1)
- toxicity testing (1)
- toxicocinética (1)
- toxicokinetics (1)
- toxicology (1)
- trans-1 (1)
- trans-Golgi network (1)
- transcription (1)
- transgene Ratten (1)
- transgene rats (1)
- transgenic (1)
- transgenic animals (1)
- transgenic mice (1)
- triazolotriazine derivatives (1)
- trifluoropropionic acid (1)
- tuber (1)
- tumour (1)
- tumourpromotion (1)
- tyrosine phosphatase (1)
- ubiquitin (1)
- ultrastructure (1)
- urea (1)
- variocosities (1)
- vascular smooth muscle cells (1)
- vasculogenesis (1)
- vaskuläre glatte Muskelzellen (1)
- vav2 (1)
- vessel (1)
- vitamin b12 (1)
- vitamin-D-receptor (1)
- volume overload (1)
- warfarin polymorphisms (1)
- weight of evidence (1)
- yellow fluorescent protein (1)
- zweite extrazelluläre Domäne (1)
- µ-Opioid receptor (1)
- Östrogen (1)
- ß-adrenerge Rezeptoren (1)
- ß-adrenerge Signaltransduktion (1)
- ß-adrenergic Receptors (1)
- β-adrenergic receptors (1)
- β1-adrenoceptor/β1-adrenergic receptor (1)
- βAR (1)
- γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) (1)
- γ-H2AX (1)
Institute
- Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie (411) (remove)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
- Institut für Biopsychologie, Universität Dresden (1)
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (1)
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, U.S. (1)
- Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften - ISAS - e.V. (1)
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (1)
- Max-Delbrück-Center für molekulare Medizin, Berlin (1)
- Pharmakologie, Universität Bonn (1)
- Pharmazie, Universität Mailand (1)
- Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Institut für Toxikologie (1)
Die C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related proteins (CTRPs) sind eine Ligandenfamilie aus sezernierten Plasmaproteinen, welche sich in ihrem Grundbauplan ähneln.
Daten aus der Literatur deuten darauf hin, dass sie zum Teil positive Effekte auf den Stoffwechsel und das Herz-Kreislaufsystem besitzen und somit eine mögliche therapeutische Zielstruktur darstellen. Während für manche CTRPs bereits Rezeptoren identifiziert werden konnten, ist für andere immer noch nicht geklärt, an welche Rezeptoren sie binden oder über welche sie diese Wirkungen erzielen. Um die CTRPs zukünftig therapeutisch nutzen zu können, muss die Wirkung der CTRPs auf verschiedene Zellen weiter analysiert werden. Dafür wurden in dieser Arbeit Zellen, auf die Expression bereits bekannter CTRP-Rezeptoren hin, untersucht. Des Weiteren wurden die durch CTRP2, CTRP3, CTRP4, CTRP9A, CTRP10, CTRP11, CTRP13 und CTRP14 induzierten Änderungen in der ATP- und Laktatproduktion als Surrogatparameter für Kardiotoxizität in den Kardiomyozytenzelllinien H9c2 und AC16 getestet, um potenziell kardiotoxische Wirkungen frühzeitig erkennen zu können. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die CTRPs sicher für Kardiomyozyten zu sein scheinen, was eine wichtige Grundlage für die therapeutische Nutzbarkeit darstellt.
Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were given 30 \(\mu\)mol/kg body weight [\(^{14}\)C]methylamine hydrochloride and 700 \(\mu\)mol/ kg body weight sodium nilrite by oral gavage. DNA isolated from the stomach and from the first 15 cm of the smaß intestine was methylated, containing 7-methylguanine (7mG) at a level of one 7mG molecule per 5x10\8^6\) and lx10\(^7\) nucleotides, respectively. No 7mG was found fn the liver at a limit of detection of one 7mG molecule per 2xl0\(^8\) nucleotides. ln a second experiment, the excised stomachs were incubated with deoxyribonuclease before the isolation of the DNA in order to degrade DNA in the Iumen and in the uppermost lining cells. This treatment resulted in a 30% decrease in the yield of DNA and a 90% reduction in the level of 7mG formation. The results show that nitrosation of a primary alkylamine yields a precursor of an alkylating agent which has a long enough lifetime to diffuse towards and react with intracellular DNA. A correlation of DNA methylation in the stomach with the corresponding tumor formation by the methylating carcinogen N-methyi-N'-nitro-N-nitroso-guanidine was used to estimate the roJe of DNA damage resulting from endogenous nitrosation of dietary methylamine in man. It was concluded that the risk resulting from this single amine must be negligible bot that a similar evaluation of other primary amines is required before the over-aU role of primary amine nitrosation in the etiology of human gastric cancer can be assessed.
DNA was incubated in septum-closed reaction vials with [\(^{14}\)C]methylamine and nitrite. The DNA was purified, hydrolysed with hydrochloric acid, and the purines were analysed by h.p.l.c. 7-Methylguanine was detectable as a result of DN A methylation in experiments perfonned in 100 mM acetate at pH 4. Using different concentrations of amine and nitrite a first order reaction for total amine and a second order for total nilrite could be shown. A study on the pH dependence using 100 mM malonate buffer, pH 2.0-6.0, revealed a maximum rate at pH 3.5, with steep slopes above and below this pH value, in agreement with a mathematical analysis of the reaction equations. The data show that the alkylating agent fonned spontaneously by nitrosation and deamination of a primary amine has a long enough lifetime to react with DNA in vitro. Using the reactioil orders established here, an extrapolation to lower concentrations found in the stomach can now be perfonned. Future in vivo experiments on the methylation of gastro-intestinal DNA then would show to what extent DNA in a cell is protected from alkylation.
Phosducin-like Protein existiert in zwei Splicevarianten: PhLPLONG (PhLPL) und PhLPSHORT (PhLPS). Sie unterscheiden sich in der Länge ihres N-Terminus und in ihrem Expressionsmusters: Die lange Form (PhLPL) wird ubiquitär exprimiert und bindet G-Protein-betagamma-Untereinheiten (Gbetagama), was zur Hemmung von Gbetagamma-abhängigen Funktionen führt. Der um 83 Aminosäuren verlängerte N-Terminus besitzt ein hoch konserviertes Motiv, welches für die Gbetagamma-Bindung und Regulation von entscheidender Bedeutung ist. Im Gegensatz hierzu besitzt die kurzen Spliceform PhLPS, deren Expression in verschiedenen Gewebetypen deutlich geringer ist, diese hoch konservierte Region nicht. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde nun erstmals die Rolle von PhLPL und PhLPS bei der Gbetagamma-Regulation in intakten Zellen untersucht. Hierbei konnte überraschenderweise gefunden werden, dass PhLPS der potentere und effizientere Regulator für Gbetagamma-abhängige Signale war. PhLPL hingegen schien in seiner Gbetagamma-regulierenden Fähigkeit limitiert zu werden. Die Ursache dieser Limitierung von PhLPL in intakten Zellen wurde auf eine konstitutive Phosphorylierung seines verlängerten N-Terminus durch die ubiquitäre Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) zurückgeführt. Die verantwortlichen Phosphorylierungsstellen (S18, T19, S20) wurde identifiziert und die Mutation der CK2-Phosphorylierungsstellen (PhLPLA18-20) führte zu einer Verbesserung der hemmenden Funktion von PhLPL in Zellen. In vitro-Assays zur Bindungsfähigkeit von rekombinantem PhLPL (vor und nach CK2-Phosphorylierung) zeigten allerdings: die Phosphorylierung beeinflusste die Affinität nicht. Eine genaue Analyse der N-terminalen Strukuren von PhLPL zeigte indes, dass die Regulationsfähigkeit von PhLPL in intakten Zellen vor allem in dem konservierten Gbetagamma-Bindungsmotiv zu suchen war. Die Mutation einer einzigen Aminosäure (W66V) war ausreichend, um sowohl die Gbetagamma-Bindungsfähigkeit, als auch die Fähigkeit zur funktionellen Hemmung in intakten Zellen zu verlieren. Was war also der Mechanismus der Hemmung von Gbetagamma durch PhLPS und die phophorylierungsdefiziente Mutante von PhLPL? Ein erster Hinweis hierauf kam von der Beobachtung, dass die Gbeta- und Ggamma-Untereinheiten in Anwesenheit von PhLPS in ihrem Proteingehalt deutlich reduziert vorlagen (wie in Western Blots gezeigt). Dieser Mechanismus schien von proteasomalen Abbauwegen abzuhängen (gezeigt durch Effekte des spezifischen Proteasominhibitors Lactazystin). Allerdings schien eine Stabilisierung der Gbeta- und Ggamma-Untereinheiten (durch N-terminale Fusion mit einem Protein zur vitalen Proteinfärbung) nicht die Funktionsfähigkeit von Gbetagamma in Anwesenheit von PhLPS bewahren zu können. Ganz im Gegenteil, es wurde gezeigt, dass Gbeta und Ggamma hierbei nicht mehr zu einem funktionellen Dimer assoziierten. Dies war ein Hinweis darauf, dass möglicherweise Proteinfaltungsmechanismen bei der Regulation essentiell sein könnten. Eine postulierte Rolle bei der Faltung von WD40-Repeatproteinen wie der Gbeta-Untereinheit wurde dem Chaperonin-Komplex CCT (chaperonin containing TCP) zugedacht. Folgerichtig konnte PhLPS mit seinen funktionell aktiven Domänen an endogenes TCP-1alpha (einer Untereinheit von CCT) binden. Ferner konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Hemmung des CCT-Komplexes durch RNA-Interferenz mit TCP-1alpha ebenso wie PhLPS zur spezifischen Reduktion von Gbetagamma führte. In dieser Arbeit wurde also ein neuartiger Mechanismus der G-Protein-Regulation durch Hemmung der Proteinfaltung von Gbetagamma beschrieben. Ein Schaltmechanismus zwischen direkter Gbetagamma-Bindung (induziert durch CK2-Phosphorylierung von PhLPL) und Hemmung der Proteinfaltung von Gbetagamma (induziert durch alternatives Splicen oder durch Dephosphorylierung von PhLP) wird postuliert.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the major causes of bacterial meningitis, which mainly affects young infants in the developing countries of Africa, Asia (esp. India) and South America, and which has case fatality rates up to 50% in those regions. Bacterial meningitis comprises an infection of the meninges and the sub-meningeal cortex tissue of the brain, whereat the presence of pneumolysin (PLY), a major virulence factor of the pneumococcus, is prerequisite for the development of a severe outcome of the infection and associated tissue damage (e. g. apoptosis, brain edema, and ischemia). Pneumolysin belongs to the family of pore forming, cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs), bacterial protein toxins, which basically use membrane-cholesterol as receptor and oligomerize to big aggregates, which induce cell lysis and cell death by disturbance of membrane integrity. Multiple recent studies, including this work, have revealed a new picture of pneumolysin, whose cell-related properties go far beyond membrane binding, pore formation and the induction of cell death and inflammatory responses. For a long time, it has been known that bacteria harm the tissues of their hosts in order to promote their own survival and proliferation. Many bacterial toxins aim to rather hijack cells than to kill them, by interacting with cellular components, such as the cytoskeleton or other endogenous proteins. This study was able to uncover a novel capacity of pneumolysin to interact with components of the actin machinery and to promote rapid, actin-dependent cell shape changes in primary astrocytes. The toxin was applied in disease-relevant concentrations, which were verified to be sub-lytic. These amounts of toxin induced a rapid actin cortex collapse in horizontal direction towards the cell core, whereat membrane integrity was preserved, indicating an actin severing function of pneumolysin, and being consistent with cell shrinkage, displacement, and blebbing observed in live cell imaging experiments. In contrast to neuroblastoma cells, in which pneumolysin led to cytoskeleton remodeling and simultaneously to activation of Rac1 and RhoA, in primary astrocytes the cell shape changes were seen to be primarily independent of small GTPases. The level of activated Rac1 and RhoA did not increase at the early time points after toxin application, when the initial shape changes have been observed, but at later time points when the actin-dependent displacement of cells was slower and less severe, probably presenting the cell’s attempt to re-establish proper cytoskeleton function. A GUV (giant unilamellar vesicle) approach provided insight into the effects of pneumolysin in a biomimetic system, an environment, which is strictly biochemical, but still comprises cellular components, limited to the factors of interest (actin, Arp2/3, ATP, and Mg2+ on one side, and PLY on the other side). This approach was able to show that the wildtype-toxin, but not the Δ6 mutant (mutated in the unfolding domain, and thus non-porous), had the capacity to exhibit its functions through a membrane bilayer, meaning it was able to aggregate actin, which was located on the other side of the membrane, either via direct interaction with actin or in an Arp2/3 activating manner. Taking a closer look at these two factors with the help of several different imaging and biochemical approaches, this work unveiled the capacity of pneumolysin to bind and interact both with actin and Arp2 of the Arp2/3 complex. Pneumolysin was capable to slightly stabilize actin in an actin-pyrene polymerization assay. The same experimental setup was applied to show that the toxin had the capacity to lead to actin polymerization through activation of the Arp2/3 complex. This effect was additionally confirmed with the help of fluorescent microscopy of rhodamine (TRITC)-tagged actin. Strongest Arp2/3 activation, and actin nucleation/polymerization is achieved by the VCA domain of the WASP family proteins. However, addition of PLY to the Arp2/3–VCA system led to an enhanced actin nucleation, suggesting a synergistic activation function of pneumolysin. Hence, two different effects of pneumolysin on the actin cytoskeleton were observed. On the one hand an actin severing property, and on the other hand an actin stabilization property, both of which do not necessarily exclude each other. Actin remodeling is a common feature of bacterial virulence strategies. This is the first time, however, that these properties were assigned to a toxin of the CDC family. Cytoskeletal dysfunction in astrocytes leads to dysfunction and unregulated movement of these cells, which, in context of bacterial meningitis, can favor bacterial penetration and spreading in the brain tissue, and thus comprises an additional role of pneumolysin as a virulence factor of Streptococcus pneumonia in the context of brain infection.
The eukaryotic actin cytoskeleton is an evolutionarily well-established pathogen target, as a large number of bacterial factors disturb its dynamics to alter the function of the host cells. These pathogenic factors modulate or mimic actin effector proteins or they modify actin directly, leading to an imbalance of the precisely regulated actin turnover. Here, we show that the pore-forming, cholesterol-dependent cytolysin pneumolysin (PLY), a major neurotoxin of Streptococcus pneumoniae, has the capacity to bind actin directly and to enhance actin polymerisation in vitro. In cells, the toxin co-localised with F-actin shortly after exposure, and this direct interaction was verified by Förster resonance energy transfer. PLY was capable of exerting its effect on actin through the lipid bilayer of giant unilamellar vesicles, but only when its pore competence was preserved. The dissociation constant of G-actin binding to PLY in a biochemical environment was 170–190 nM, which is indicative of a high-affinity interaction, comparable to the affinity of other intracellular actin-binding factors. Our results demonstrate the first example of a direct interaction of a pore-forming toxin with cytoskeletal components, suggesting that the cross talk between pore-forming cytolysins and cells is more complex than previously thought.
Die Raf-MEK-ERK1/2-Kaskade spielt eine wichtige Rolle in der Vermittlung von kardialer Hypertrophie und Zellüberleben. Durch unsere Arbeitsgruppe konnte im Vorfeld gezeigt werden, dass die Dimerisierung von ERK2 eine Voraussetzung für dessen Autophosphorylierung an Thr188 darstellt, welche wiederum für die Übermittlung der hypertrophen Effekten von ERK1/2 erforderlich ist. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde daraus abgeleitet die Fragestellung untersucht, ob mit Verhinderung der ERK2-Dimerisierung eine nützliche Strategie zur Inhibition von Hypertrophie vorliegt und welchen Einfluss diese auf das Zellüberleben hat.
Die Auswirkungen der Dimerisierungsdefizienz von ERK2 wurden in neonatalen Kardiomyozyten der Ratte und in transgenen Mäusen mithilfe einer ERK2-Mutante untersucht, der einige Aminosäuren in der ERK-ERK-Interaktionsfläche fehlen und daher keine Dimere bilden kann (ERK2Δ174-177). Eine Überexpression von ERK2Δ174-177 in neonatalen Kardiomyozyten verringerte signifikant die Antwort auf hypertrophe Stimuli (Phenylephrin, Endothelin 1). Im Anschluss daran wurden die Effekte der Dimerisierungsdefizienz von ERK2 in vivo an transgenen Mäusen mit kardialer Überexpression von ERK2Δ174-177 erforscht. Diese Mäuse zeigten unter basalen Bedingungen keine Unterschiede gegenüber Wildtyp-Mäusen hinsichtlich Kardiomyozytengröße, Ventrikelwanddicke und kardialer Funktion. Unter chronischer Druckbelastung mittels TAC ließ sich hingegen ein signifikant vermindertes Ausmaß an Hypertrophie im Vergleich zu Wildtyp quantifizieren. Da der ERK1/2-Signalweg auch am Überleben von Kardiomyozyten beteiligt ist, wurde die Apoptose an histologischen Schnitten von Mausherzen analysiert. Interessanterweise fand sich bei Herzen, die das dimerisierungsdefiziente ERK2-Protein überexprimierten, eine mit Wildtyp vergleichbare Anzahl TUNEL-positiver Zellen. Ein ähnliches Ergebnis konnte bei der Messung des Fibrosegrades an Sirius-Rot gefärbten histologischen Schnitten beobachtet werden. Zuletzt wurden die Folgen der ERK2-Dimerisierungsdefizienz auf physiologische Hypertrophie mit einem Laufrad-Versuchsaufbau evaluiert. Transgene ERK2Δ174-177- und Wildtyp-Mäuse zeigten unter diesem physiologischen Stimulus keine Unterschiede im Hinblick auf die Zunahme an kardialer Hypertrophie.
Da die Dimerisierungsdefizienz von ERK2 zu einer reduzierten pathologischen Hypertrophie, ohne negative Auswirkungen auf ERK1/2-vermittelte anti-apoptotische Effekte noch auf kardiale Funktion oder physiologische Hypertrophieprozesse führt, stellt die Hemmung der ERK-Dimerisierung ein attraktives Ziel zur Therapie pathologischer Hypertrophie sowie potentiell auch anderer auf den ERK1/2-Signalweg basierenden Krankheiten dar.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to determine possible genotoxic effects of a new very promising antibacterial/ antiviral drug FS-1.
Methods:
The drug was tested in TA98, TA100, TA102, TA 1535 and TA1537 strains of Salmonella (Ames test) with and without metabolic activation, and also in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells by means of micronucleus and comet assays. In microbes the drug was tested at concentrations up to 500 \(\mu\)g/plate and in mouse lymphoma cells up to 2,000 \(\mu\)g/ml.
Results:
In both test-systems in all experiments completely negative results were obtained although FS-1 was tested at maximum tolerated doses.
Conclusions:
The drug is not genotoxic. This is advantageous because many antibacterial/antiviral drugs possess such activity.
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest class of membrane proteins, and are the master components that translate extracellular stimulus into intracellular signaling, which in turn modulates key physiological and pathophysiological processes. Research within the last three decades suggests that many GPCRs can form complexes with each other via mechanisms that are yet unexplored. Despite a number of functional evidence in favor of GPCR dimers and oligomers, the existence of such complexes remains controversial, as different methods suggest diverse quaternary organizations for individual receptors. Among various methods, high resolution fluorescence microscopy and imagebased fluorescence spectroscopy are state-of-the-art tools to quantify membrane protein oligomerization with high precision. This thesis work describes the use of single molecule fluorescence microscopy and implementation of two confocal microscopy based fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy based methods for characterizing the quaternary organization of two class A GPCRs that are important clinical targets: the C-X-C type chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and 7 (CXCR7), or recently named as the atypical chemokine receptor 3 (ACKR3). The first part of the results describe that CXCR4 protomers are mainly organized as monomeric entities that can form transient dimers at very low expression levels allowing single molecule resolution. The second part describes the establishment and use of spatial and temporal brightness methods that are based on fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy. Results from this part suggests that ACKR3 forms clusters and surface localized monomers, while CXCR4 forms increasing amount of dimers as a function of receptor density in cells. Moreover, CXCR4 dimerization can be modulated by its ligands as well as receptor conformations in distinct manners. Further results suggest that antagonists of CXCR4 display distinct binding modes, and the binding mode influences the oligomerization and the basal activity of the receptor: While the ligands that bind to a “minor” subpocket suppress both dimerization and constitutive activity, ligands that bind to a distinct, “major” subpocket only act as neutral antagonists on the receptor, and do not modulate neither the quaternary organization nor the basal signaling of CXCR4. Together, these results link CXCR4 dimerization to its density and to its activity, which may represent a new strategy to target CXCR4.
In vivo covalent binding of aflatoxin metabolites isolated from animal tissue to rat-liver DNA
(1980)
Ring-labelled [\(^{14}\)C)aflatoxin B\(_1\) (AFB\(_1\)), prepared by biosynthesis. or generally labelled [\(^3\)H]AFB\(_1\) was administered by oral gavage to young adult male rats. After 6 hr. the liver was removed and two fractions were isolated, namely macromolecules, which contamed about 3 % of the initial dose of AFB\(_1\) radioactivity. and water-soluble, low-molecular aftatoxin conjugates containing about0·2% of the administered radioactivity. These two fractions were administered orally to other rats in order to determine the potential of radioactive aftatoxin residues for covalent binding to DNA. Such binding can be used as an indicator for carcinogenic potency. Liver DNA was isolated 9-12 hr after admmistration of the aflatoxin derivatives and in no case was any radioactivity detected on the DNA. It can be deduced on the basis of the limit of detection of radioactivity on the DNA, that macromolecule bound AFB\(_1\) derivatives are at least 4000 times less active than AFB\(_1\) with respect to covalent binding to rat-liver DNA. and that the water-soluble conjugates are at least 100 times less potent than AFB, itself. It is concluded that the carcinogenic risk for humans who consume liver or meat. containing such aflatoxin residues is negligible when compared with the risk from intake of aftatoxins in other food items.
The covalent binding of tritiated benzo(a)pyrene (BP) to DNA has been determined in rat liver in vivo, in rat liver perfused in situ, after incubation of BP with liver single cells, with liver homogenate, with liver microsomes and DNA, with fibroblasts from a rat granulorna pouch, and with · 2 cell lines. Li ver single cells were found to be a valuable compromise between the rnost sensitive system (microsomal incubation of BP with DNA) and the biologically most relevant system (in vivo ).
Thecovalent bindingof [6,7-\(^3\)H]ethinylestradiol (EE)and [6,7-\(^3\)H]estrone (E) to liver DNA of 200 g female ratswas measured 8 h after the administration of 80 \(\mu\)g (9.2 mCi) estrogen by gavage. The binding is 1.5 for EE and 1.1 for E, expressedas binding to DNA/dose, in units of \(\mu\)mol hormonefmol DNA phosphate/mmole honnone/kg body wt. It is in the same order of magnitude as for benzene and about 10 000 tim es below the binding of typical liver carcinogens, such as aflatoxin B\(_1\) or N,N-dimethylnitrosamine.
Diethylstilbestrol alters the morphology and calcium levels of growth cones of PC12 cells in vitro
(1993)
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic estrogen with carcinogenic properties. DES is known to alter cytoskeletal components, including the organization of actin stress fibres in C6 rat glioma cells. ln a test of the hypothesis that DES disrupts actin Filaments of growth cones in neuron-like cells, DES-induced changes in filopodial lengths were quantified in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells in vitro. DES significantly altered growth cone morphology, with collapse of growth cone filopodia and neurite retraction invariably occurring at a concentration of 10 MikroM. At 5 MikroM DES, transient reductions in total filopodiallengths occurred. At DES concentrations of 0.1 nM and 1 nM, reductions in total filopodiallengths occurred in a fraction of growth cones. Evidence exists which shows that growth cone activity and morphology are intimately linked to Ieveis of intracellular, free calcium and that DES increases such levels. Measurements of free intracellular calcium levels by fluorescence microscopy, at times concurrent with the DES-induced reduction in total filopodial lengths, showed that calcium levels were indeed significantly increased by 10 MirkoM DES. Labelling of filamentaus actin (f-actin) with FITC-phalloidin showed that the f-actin distribution in growth cones exposed to DES could not be differentiated from the distribution found in spontaneously retracting growth cones. Tagether with evidence which showed that growth cone motility was not affected, the results are taken to indicate that DES, rather than acting directly on the cytoskeleton, exerts its effects indirectly, by a calcium-induced destabilization of actin filaments in the growth cone.
Highlights
• Loss of DNAJC19's DnaJ domain disrupts cardiac mitochondrial structure, leading to abnormal cristae formation in iPSC-CMs.
• Impaired mitochondrial structures lead to an increased mitochondrial respiration, ROS and an elevated membrane potential.
• Mutant iPSC-CMs show sarcomere dysfunction and a trend to more arrhythmias, resembling DCMA-associated cardiomyopathy.
Background
Dilated cardiomyopathy with ataxia (DCMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder arising from truncating mutations in DNAJC19, which encodes an inner mitochondrial membrane protein. Clinical features include an early onset, often life-threatening, cardiomyopathy associated with other metabolic features. Here, we aim to understand the metabolic and pathophysiological mechanisms of mutant DNAJC19 for the development of cardiomyopathy.
Methods
We generated induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) of two affected siblings with DCMA and a gene-edited truncation variant (tv) of DNAJC19 which all lack the conserved DnaJ interaction domain. The mutant iPSC-CMs and their respective control cells were subjected to various analyses, including assessments of morphology, metabolic function, and physiological consequences such as Ca\(^{2+}\) kinetics, contractility, and arrhythmic potential. Validation of respiration analysis was done in a gene-edited HeLa cell line (DNAJC19tv\(_{HeLa}\)).
Results
Structural analyses revealed mitochondrial fragmentation and abnormal cristae formation associated with an overall reduced mitochondrial protein expression in mutant iPSC-CMs. Morphological alterations were associated with higher oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) in all three mutant iPSC-CMs, indicating higher electron transport chain activity to meet cellular ATP demands. Additionally, increased extracellular acidification rates suggested an increase in overall metabolic flux, while radioactive tracer uptake studies revealed decreased fatty acid uptake and utilization of glucose. Mutant iPSC-CMs also showed increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an elevated mitochondrial membrane potential. Increased mitochondrial respiration with pyruvate and malate as substrates was observed in mutant DNAJC19tv HeLa cells in addition to an upregulation of respiratory chain complexes, while cellular ATP-levels remain the same. Moreover, mitochondrial alterations were associated with increased beating frequencies, elevated diastolic Ca\(^{2+}\) concentrations, reduced sarcomere shortening and an increased beat-to-beat rate variability in mutant cell lines in response to β-adrenergic stimulation.
Conclusions
Loss of the DnaJ domain disturbs cardiac mitochondrial structure with abnormal cristae formation and leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that DNAJC19 plays an essential role in mitochondrial morphogenesis and biogenesis. Moreover, increased mitochondrial respiration, altered substrate utilization, increased ROS production and abnormal Ca\(^{2+}\) kinetics provide insights into the pathogenesis of DCMA-related cardiomyopathy.
Application of adverse outcome pathways (AOP) and integration of quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (QIVIVE) may support the paradigm shift in toxicity testing to move from apical endpoints in test animals to more mechanism-based in vitro assays. Here, we developed an AOP of proximal tubule injury linking a molecular initiating event (MIE) to a cascade of key events (KEs) leading to lysosomal overload and ultimately to cell death. This AOP was used as a case study to adopt the AOP concept for systemic toxicity testing and risk assessment based on in vitro data. In this AOP, nephrotoxicity is thought to result from receptor-mediated endocytosis (MIE) of the chemical stressor, disturbance of lysosomal function (KE1), and lysosomal disruption (KE2) associated with release of reactive oxygen species and cytotoxic lysosomal enzymes that induce cell death (KE3). Based on this mechanistic framework, in vitro readouts reflecting each KE were identified. Utilizing polymyxin antibiotics as chemical stressors for this AOP, the dose-response for each in vitro endpoint was recorded in proximal tubule cells from rat (NRK-52E) and human (RPTEC/TERT1) in order to (1) experimentally support the sequence of key events (KEs), to (2) establish quantitative relationships between KEs as a basis for prediction of downstream KEs based on in vitro data reflecting early KEs and to (3) derive suitable in vitro points of departure for human risk assessment. Time-resolved analysis was used to support the temporal sequence of events within this AOP. Quantitative response-response relationships between KEs established from in vitro data on polymyxin B were successfully used to predict in vitro toxicity of other polymyxin derivatives. Finally, a physiologically based kinetic (PBK) model was utilized to transform in vitro effect concentrations to a human equivalent dose for polymyxin B. The predicted in vivo effective doses were in the range of therapeutic doses known to be associated with a risk for nephrotoxicity. Taken together, these data provide proof-of-concept for the feasibility of in vitro based risk assessment through integration of mechanistic endpoints and reverse toxicokinetic modelling.
The US National Research Council (NRC) report "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a strategy (Tox21)", published in 2007, calls for a complete paradigm shift in tox-icity testing. A central aspect of the proposed strategy includes the transition from apical end-points in in vivo studies to more mechanistically based in vitro tests. To support and facilitate the transition and paradigm shift in toxicity testing, the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) concept is widely recognized as a pragmatic tool. As case studies, the AOP concept was ap-plied in this work to develop AOPs for proximal tubule injuries initiated by Receptor-mediated endocytosis and lysosomal overload and Inhibition of mtDNA polymerase-. These AOPs were used as a mechanistic basis for the development of in vitro assays for each key event (KE). To experimentally support the developed in vitro assays, proximal tubule cells from rat (NRK-52E) and human (RPTEC/TERT1) were treated with model compounds. To measure the dis-turbance of lysosomal function in the AOP – Receptor-mediated endocytosis and lysosomal overload, polymyxin antibiotics (polymyxin B, colistin, polymyxin B nonapeptide) were used as model compounds. Altered expression of lysosomal associated membrane protein 1/2 (LAMP-1/2) (KE1) and cathepsin D release from lysosomes (KE2) were determined by im-munofluorescence, while cytotoxicity (KE3) was measured using the CellTiter-Glo® cell via-bility assay. Importantly, significant differences in polymyxin uptake and susceptibility be-tween cell lines were observed, underlining the importance of in vitro biokinetics to determine an appropriate in vitro point of departure (PoD) for risk assessment. Compared to the in vivo situation, distinct expression of relevant transporters such as megalin and cubilin on mRNA and protein level in the used cell lines (RPTEC/TERT1 and NRK-52E) could not be con-firmed, making integration of quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolations (QIVIVE) neces-sary. Integration of QIVIVE by project partners of the University of Utrecht showed an im-provement in the modelled biokinetic data for polymyxin B. To assess the first key event, (KE1) Depletion of mitochondrial DNA, in the AOP – Inhibition of mtDNA polymerase-, a RT-qPCR method was used to determine the mtDNA copy number in cells treated with mod-el compounds (adefovir, cidofovir, tenofovir, adefovir dipivoxil, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate). Mitochondrial toxicity (KE2) was measured by project partners using the high-content imaging technique and MitoTracker® whereas cytotoxicity (KE3) was determined by CellTiter-Glo® cell viability assay. In contrast to the mechanistic hypothesis underlying the AOP – Inhibition of mtDNA polymerase-, treatment with model compounds for 24 h resulted in an increase rather than a decrease in mtDNA copy number (KE1). Only minor effects on mitochondrial toxicity (KE2) and cytotoxicity (KE3) were observed. Treatment of RPT-EC/TERT1 cells for 14 days showed only a slight decrease in mtDNA copy number after treatment with adefovir dipivoxil and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, underscoring some of the limitations of short-term in vitro systems. To obtain a first estimation for risk assessment based on in vitro data, potential points of departure (PoD) for each KE were calculated from the obtained in vitro data. The most common PoDs were calculated such as the effect concentra-tion at which 10 % or 20_% effect was measured (EC10, EC20), the highest no observed effect concentration (NOEC), the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC), the benchmark 10 % (lower / upper) concentrations (BMC10, BMCL10, BMCU10) and a modelled non-toxic con-centration (NtC). These PoDs were then compared with serum and tissue concentrations de-termined from in vivo studies after treatment with therapeutic / supratherapeutic doses of the respective drugs in order to obtain a first estimate of risk based on in vitro data. In addition, AOPs were used to test whether the quantitative key event relationships between key events allow prediction of downstream effects and effects on the adverse outcome (AO) based on measurements of an early key event. Predictions of cytotoxicity from the mathematical rela-tionships showed good concordance with measured cytotoxicity after treatment with colistin and polymyxin b nonapeptide. The work also revealed uncertainties and limitations of the ap-plied strategy, which have a significant impact on the prediction and on a risk assessment based on in vitro results.
The trypsin fragments of rat liver microsomal cytochron1e b\(_5\) (Tb\(_5\)) lack both methionine (met) and cysteine (cys), i.e., the sulphur-containing antino acids. Tb\(_5\) should therefore contain no 358-radioactivity after isolation from animals treated wHh [\(^{35}\)S]met or [\(^{36}\)S]cys. If, however, the nucleic acids coding for this polypeptide have been damaged by a genotoxic carcinogen, a miscoding could result in an incorporation of met or cys into the polypeptide so that Tb\(_8\) could now be \(^{36}\)S-radiolabelled. Two experiments are descrihed. the first one where a toxic regimen of N -nitrosomorpholine (NNM) to rats resulted in a significant increase of \(^{35}\)S-radioactivity in the Tbs of liver microsomes, and a second experiment with a non-toxic regimen of N,N diethylnitrosamine (DENA), where no increase was observable.
Metallothionein (MT) is a protein which contains 20 cysteine residues but no aromatic amino acids. It was tested whether treatment of male rats with the hepatocarcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DENA) could ethylate nucleic acids in such a way that protein variants containing measurable amounts of aromatic amino acid residues could be isolated from the livers of treated animals. To give a low Iimit of detection, the "wrong" amino acid precursors were administered in radiolabelled form at high Ievels of activity (7 mCi/kg each of [\(^3\)H]tyrosine and [\(^3\)H]phenylalanine). 11 \(\mu\)Ci/kg [\(^{14}\)C]cysteine was given as an intemal marker for MT biosynthesis. 6 h after amino acid administration, metallothionein (MT) was isolated from the liver and extensively purified. Afteracid hydrolysis and collection of Cys, Tyr, and Phe from an HPLC analysis of the amino acids, the \(^3\)H/\(^{14}\)C ratio was determined. The carcinogen-treated rats exhibited a significantly higher ratio than the vehicle-treated animals. This type of in vivo assay might find interesting applications in the investigation of nucleic acid alkylations as promutagenic lesions.
Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) is an essential cofactor in the catalysis of ~140 different enzymatic reactions. A pharmacological elevation of cellular PLP concentrations is of interest in neuropsychiatric diseases, but whole-body consequences of higher intracellular PLP levels are unknown. To address this question, we have generated mice allowing a conditional ablation of the PLP phosphatase PDXP. Ubiquitous PDXP deletion increased PLP levels in brain, skeletal muscle and red blood cells up to 3-fold compared to control mice, demonstrating that PDXP acts as a major regulator of cellular PLP concentrations in vivo. Neurotransmitter analysis revealed that the concentrations of dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine and glutamate were unchanged in the brains of PDXP knockout mice. However, the levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) increased by ~20%, demonstrating that elevated PLP levels can drive additional GABA production. Behavioral phenotyping of PDXP knockout mice revealed improved spatial learning and memory, and a mild anxiety-like behavior. Consistent with elevated GABA levels in the brain, PDXP loss in neural cells decreased performance in motor tests, whereas PDXP-deficiency in skeletal muscle increased grip strength. Our findings suggest that PDXP is involved in the fine-tuning of GABA biosynthesis. Pharmacological inhibition of PDXP might correct the excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in some neuropsychiatric diseases.
Pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate (PLP) is an essential cofactor for neurotransmitter metabolism. Pyridoxal phosphatase (PDXP) deficiency in mice increases PLP and γ‐aminobutyric acid levels in the brain, yet how PDXP is regulated is unclear. Here, we identify the Ca\(^{2+}\)‐ and integrin‐binding protein 1 (CIB1) as a PDXP interactor by yeast two‐hybrid screening and find a calmodulin (CaM)‐binding motif that overlaps with the PDXP‐CIB1 interaction site. Pulldown and crosslinking assays with purified proteins demonstrate that PDXP directly binds to CIB1 or CaM. CIB1 or CaM does not alter PDXP phosphatase activity. However, elevated Ca\(^{2+}\) concentrations promote CaM binding and, thereby, diminish CIB1 binding to PDXP, as both interactors bind in a mutually exclusive way. Hence, the PDXP‐CIB1 complex may functionally differ from the PDXP‐Ca\(^{2+}\)‐CaM complex.
Targeting the intrinsic metabolism of immune or tumor cells is a therapeutic strategy in autoimmunity, chronic inflammation or cancer. Metabolite repair enzymes may represent an alternative target class for selective metabolic inhibition, but pharmacological tools to test this concept are needed. Here, we demonstrate that phosphoglycolate phosphatase (PGP), a prototypical metabolite repair enzyme in glycolysis, is a pharmacologically actionable target. Using a combination of small molecule screening, protein crystallography, molecular dynamics simulations and NMR metabolomics, we discover and analyze a compound (CP1) that inhibits PGP with high selectivity and submicromolar potency. CP1 locks the phosphatase in a catalytically inactive conformation, dampens glycolytic flux, and phenocopies effects of cellular PGP-deficiency. This study provides key insights into effective and precise PGP targeting, at the same time validating an allosteric approach to control glycolysis that could advance discoveries of innovative therapeutic candidates.
When human neutrophils become desensitized to formyl peptide chemoattractants, the receptors (FPR) for these peptides are converted to a high affinity, GTP-insensitive form that is associated with the Triton X-1 00- insoluble membrane skeleton from surface membrane domains. These domains are actin and fodrin-rich, but G protein-depfeted suggesting that FPR shuttling between G protein-enriched and depleted domains may control signal transduction. Todetermine the molecular basis for FPR interaction with the membrane skeleton, neutrophil subcellular fractions were screened for molecules that could bind photoaffinity-radioiodinated FPR solubilized in Triton X-1 00. These receptors showed a propensity to bind to a 41- to43-kDa proteinband on nitrocelluloseoverlays of SOS-PAGE-separated cytosol and plasma membrane fractions of neutrophils. This binding, as weil as FPR binding to purified neutrophil actin, was inhibited 50% by 0.6 \(\mu\)M free neutrophil cytosolic actin. Addition of greater than 1 \(\mu\)M G-actin to crude or lectin-purified Triton X-1 00 extracts of FPR from neutrophil membranes increased the sedimentationrate of a significant fraction of FPR two to three fold as measured by velocity sedimentation in Triton X-1 00-containing linear sucrose density gradients. Addition of anti-actin antibodies to FPR extracts caused a concentration-dependent immunoprecipitation of at least 65% of the FPR. More than 40% of the immunoprecipitated FPR was specifically retained on protein A affinity matrices. Membrane actin was stabilized to alkaline washing when membranes were photoaffinity labeled. Conversely, when purified neutrophil cytosolic actinwas added to membranes or their digitonin extracts, after prior depletion of actin by an alkaline membrane wash, photoaffinity labeling of FPR was increased two- to fourfold with an EC\(_{50}\) of approximately 0.1 \(\mu\)M actin. We conclude that FPR from human neutrophils may interact with actin in membranes to form Triton X-1 00-stable physical complexes. These complexes can accept additional G-actin monomers to form higher order molecular complexes. Formation of FPR-actin complexes in the neutrophil may play a role in the regulation of chemoattractantinduced activation or actin polymerization.
Signal transduction via receptors for N-formylmethionyl peptide chemoattractants (FPR) on human neutrophils is a highly regulated process. It involves direct interaction of receptors with heterotrimeric G-proteins and may be under thc control of cytoskeletal clemcnts. Evidencc exists suggesting that thc cytoskeleton and/or the membrane ske1eton determines the distribution of FPR in the plane of the plasma membrane, thus controlling FPR accessibility to different protcins in functionally distinct membrane domains. In desensitized cells, FPR are restricted to domains which are depleted of G proteins but enriched in cytoskeletal proteins such as actin and fodrin. Thus, the G protein signal transduction partners of FPR become inacccssible to the agonist-occupied receptor, preventing cell activation. We are investigating the molecular basis for the interaction of FPR with the membrane skeleton, and our results suggest that FPR, and possibly other receptors, may directly bind to cytoskeletal proteins such as actin.
Aims
Volume overload (VO) and pressure overload (PO) induce differential cardiac remodelling responses including distinct signalling pathways. Extracellular signal‐regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), key signalling components in the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, modulate cardiac remodelling during pressure overload (PO). This study aimed to assess their role in VO‐induced cardiac remodelling as this was unknown.
Methods and results
Aortocaval fistula (Shunt) surgery was performed in mice to induce cardiac VO. Two weeks of Shunt caused a significant reduction of cardiac ERK1/2 activation in wild type (WT) mice as indicated by decreased phosphorylation of the TEY (Thr‐Glu‐Tyr) motif (−28% as compared with Sham controls, P < 0.05). Phosphorylation of other MAPKs was unaffected. For further assessment, transgenic mice with cardiomyocyte‐specific ERK2 overexpression (ERK2tg) were studied. At baseline, cardiac ERK1/2 phosphorylation in ERK2tg mice remained unchanged compared with WT littermates, and no overt cardiac phenotype was observed; however, cardiac expression of the atrial natriuretic peptide was increased on messenger RNA (3.6‐fold, P < 0.05) and protein level (3.1‐fold, P < 0.05). Following Shunt, left ventricular dilation and hypertrophy were similar in ERK2tg mice and WT littermates. Left ventricular function was maintained, and changes in gene expression indicated reactivation of the foetal gene program in both genotypes. No differences in cardiac fibrosis and kinase activation was found amongst all experimental groups, whereas apoptosis was similarly increased through Shunt in ERK2tg and WT mice.
Conclusions
VO‐induced eccentric hypertrophy is associated with reduced cardiac ERK1/2 activation in vivo. Cardiomyocyte‐specific overexpression of ERK2, however, does not alter cardiac remodelling during VO. Future studies need to define the pathophysiological relevance of decreased ERK1/2 signalling during VO.
Phytohormone, insbesondere solche mit östrogenem Potential werden heute vermehrt in der postklimakterischen Hormonersatztherapie als natürliche Alternative zu Designeröstrogenen eingesetzt, da sie vermutlich ein besseres Wirkungs-Nebenwirkungsprofil besitzten. Mengenmäßig am bedeutensten sind die Phytoöstrogene aus den Stoffgruppen der Isoflavone, Cumestane und Indol-3-carbinole. Weit über 100 Pflanzen produzieren Phytohormone. Die bekanntesten sind die Sojabohne, Weintrauben, Leinsamen, Haferflocken, Spargel, Traubensilberkerze und roter Klee. Phytohormone können täglich in großer Menge aufgenommen werden (1mg pro kg Körpergewicht), wobei durchaus Plasmaspiegel von über 1µM erreicht werden. Gerade deshalb darf nicht davon ausgegangen werden, daß natürliche Produkte per se gut für die Gesundheit wären. Phytohormone und insbesondere deren Metaboliten, die während der intestinalen Passage entstehen, wurden vielfach nicht den gleichen Prüfbedingungen unterzogen wie sie für andere in Lebensmitteln vorkommenden Substanzen, wie z.B. Konservierungs-, Farb- oder Aromastoffen, heute selbstverständlich ist. Diese Arbeit soll deshalb anhand von in-vitro Tests an Mauslymphomzellen L5178Y für eine Auswahl an Phytohormonen und deren Metaboliten mögliche toxische oder gentoxische Effekte detektieren und die bestehende Datenlage ergänzen. Aus der Gruppe der Isoflavone wurden die Daidzeinmetaboloiten Equol und O-desmethylangolensin und die Glyceteinmetaboliten 3,4,7- und 4,6,7-Trihyroxyisoflavon untersucht. Aus der Gruppe der Flavone wurde Fisetin und aus der Gruppe der Stilbene Resveratrol untersucht. Weiterhin wurden Daten zu den Anthocyanen Delphinidin-, Pelargonidin- und Cyanidin-Chlorid erhoben. Toxische Effekte wurden anhand von Proliferatiosexperimenten, durch die Bestimmung der Zellvitalität (Ethidiumbromid-Flouresceinmethode) und durch die Analyse der Teilungsaktivität nach Behandlung mit Cytocalasin B und anschließender Bestimmung des Anteils mehrkerniger Zellen detektiert. Zur Bestimmung von gentoxischen Effekte wurde auf den Mikrokerntest zurückgegriffen. Ergänzend sollte eine Immunfloureszenzfärbung der Kinetochorproteine in Mikrokernen Aufschluß über aneugene oder klastogene Wirksamkeit der untersuchten Substanzen geben. Die in dieser Arbeit gewonnenen Daten weisen darauf hin, daß erste adverse Effekte der Phytohormone oder deren Metaboliten im Bereich der erreichbaren Plasmakonzentration liegen, so daß eine übertriebene Aufnahme hochdosierter Phytohormonen derzeit als kritisch erachtet und weiterer Forschungsbedarf festgestellt werden muß.
Arsen ist dafür bekannt, dass es mutagen und kanzerogen wirkt und ein gentoxisches Potential besitzt. Die Mechanismen, durch die diese Effekte ausgeübt werden, sind noch nicht vollständig aufgeklärt. Es konnte jedoch gezeigt werden, dass Parameter, die mit der Freisetzung reaktiver Sauerstoffspezies (ROS), z.B. Superoxiddismutaseaktivität und Hämoxygenase-Genexpression, und Veränderungen des epigenetischen Musters der DNA, z.B. Depletion von S-Adenosylmethionin, in Zusammenhang stehen, durch Arsen beeinflusst werden. In dieser Studie wurde versucht, das gentoxische Potential von Arsen mit Hilfe des Comet Assay, eines Standard-Gentoxizitätstests, zu charakterisieren sowie zu prüfen, ob dieser Test eine geeignete Messmethode für die gentoxische Wirkung von Arsen darstellt. Dies wurde unter Heranziehung verschiedener additiver Messgrößen wie der Vitalität und der Proliferation sowie der parallelen Quantifizierung der Mitose-, C-Mitose-, Mikrokern- und Apoptosefrequenzen der verwendeten murinen L5178Y-Zellen durchgeführt. Des Weiteren wurde der den Arsen-bedingten DNA-Schäden zugrundeliegende Mechanismus genauer beleuchtet. Unter Zuhilfenahme verschiedener Modulatoren wurden durch Arsen induzierter oxidativer Stress und durch Arsen induzierte Veränderung der epigenetischen DNA-Struktur untersucht. Ferner wurde geprüft, inwieweit die Inhibition von oxidativem Stress und Hypomethylierung der DNA zur Verringerung von potenziellen Folgen wie der Entstehung unnatürlicher Mitosemorphologien und chromosomaler Aberrationen beitragen können, die wiederum eventuell in der Entstehung von Karzinomen resultieren können. Für die Modulation der Freisetzung von ROS wurden als prooxidative Substanz 4-Nitrochinolin-1-Oxid und als Antioxidantien Benfotiamin (Vitamin-B1-Prodrug), N-Acetylcystein (NAC) und α-Tocopherol (Vitamin E) ausgewählt. Das Methylierungs¬muster der DNA sollte durch das hypomethylierende Agens 5-Azacytidin und durch die potenziell hypermethylierenden Verbindungen S-Adenosylmethionin (SAM) und Folat beeinflusst werden. Die Untersuchungen bezüglich des gentoxischen Potentials von Arsen und die Eignung des Comet Assay für dessen Quantifizierung ergaben, dass unter Miteinbeziehung der erwähnten additiven Parameter und der Quantifizierung nach Behandlung mit unterschiedlichen Arsen-Konzentrationen nach unterschiedlich langen Behandlungszeiten die im Comet Assay erzielten Werte als korrekt und zuverlässig angesehen werden können. Des Weiteren zeigten die Untersuchungen der Freisetzung von ROS und der Veränderung des DNA-Methylierungsmusters mit Hilfe von Modulatoren, dass beide Mechanismen an den Arsen-induzierten Effekten beteiligt sind. Nicht nur konnte mit Hilfe der Modulatoren jeweils die Inhibition der Freisetzung von ROS und der DNA-Hypomethylierung erreicht werden, es konnte zudem gezeigt werden, dass die Substanzen auch die Reduktion der erhöhten Anzahl unnatürlicher Mitosemorphologien und chromosomaler Aberrationen bewirkten. Dieser Zusammenhang konnte in dieser Studie zum ersten Mal aufgezeigt werden und könnte im Hinblick auf die potenzielle Erniedrigung der Krebsinzidenzen durch Supplementierung der Bevölkerung in Gebieten mit Arsen-belastetem Trinkwasser mit den genannten Modulatoren von Bedeutung sein.
Histone H3 serine 28 (H3S28) phosphorylation and de-repression of polycomb repressive complex (PRC)-mediated gene regulation is linked to stress conditions in mitotic and post-mitotic cells. To better understand the role of H3S28 phosphorylation in vivo, we studied a Drosophila strain with ectopic expression of constitutively-activated H3S28A, which prevents PRC2 binding at H3S28, thus mimicking H3S28 phosphorylation. H3S28A mutants showed prolonged life span and improved resistance against starvation and paraquat-induced oxidative stress. Morphological and functional analysis of heart tubes revealed smaller luminal areas and thicker walls accompanied by moderately improved cardiac function after acute stress induction. Whole-exome deep gene-sequencing from isolated heart tubes revealed phenotype-corresponding changes in longevity-promoting and myotropic genes. We also found changes in genes controlling mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration. Analysis of mitochondrial respiration from whole flies revealed improved efficacy of ATP production with reduced electron transport-chain activity. Finally, we analyzed posttranslational modification of H3S28 in an experimental heart failure model and observed increased H3S28 phosphorylation levels in HF hearts. Our data establish a critical role of H3S28 phosphorylation in vivo for life span, stress resistance, cardiac and mitochondrial function in Drosophila. These findings may pave the way for H3S28 phosphorylation as a putative target to treat stress-related disorders such as heart failure.
In dieser Arbeit geht es um die Phosphoglykolatphosphatase (PGP), die als Phosphatase vom Haloazid Dehalogenase-Typ (HAD-Phosphatase) zu der ubiquitär vorkommenden Superfamilie der HAD-Hydrolasen gehört. In der Literatur ist eine in vitro Phosphatase-Aktivität gegenüber 2-Phospho-L-Laktat (2PL), 4-Phospho-D-Erythronat (4PE), Phosphoglykolat (PG) und Glycerol-3-Phosphat (G3P) beschrieben. 2PL und 4PE entstehen in Nebenreaktionen während der Glykolyse und hemmen bei Akkumulation die Glykolyse bzw. den Pentosephosphatweg. PG kann auch in einer Nebenreaktion während der Glykolyse oder im Rahmen der Reparatur von oxidativen DNA-Schäden entstehen. G3P entsteht aus Dihydroxyacetonphosphat und bildet das Kohlenhydratgerüst der Triacylglyceride (TAG). Zelluläre Studien konnten Hinweise auf die Regulierung des epidermalen wachstumsfaktor-(EGF-)induzierten Zytoskelettumbaus durch die PGP liefern und die Untersuchung von Mäusen mit PGP-Inaktivierung zeigte einen Einfluss auf die Zellproliferation und embryonale Entwicklung. Die Regulation der PGP-Expression führte zu Veränderungen im Kohlenhydrat- und Fettstoffwechsel.
Die Untersuchung der PGP-Funktionen erfolgte bislang ausschließlich mit genetischen Ansätzen. Aufgrund von möglichen Kompensationsmechanismen und Off-Target-Effekten müssen genetische und pharmakologische Methoden als sich ergänzende Ansätze verstanden werden. Um die Funktionen der PGP besser zu verstehen, fokussiert sich die vorliegende Arbeit auf die gezielte pharmakologische PGP-Inhibition. In Vorarbeiten wurden 41.000 Moleküle gescreent und fünf potentielle Inhibitoren identifiziert. Ziele dieser Arbeit waren zum einen die Implementierung der Inhibitor # 1-Behandlung in der Zellkultur, zum anderen die Charakterisierung der PGP-Hemmung durch Inhibitor # 48 und die Durchführung erster Selektivitätstestungen mit Inhibitor # 48.
Zusammenfassend kann festgehalten werden, dass Inhibitor # 1 in der Lage ist, die endogene PGP in Zelllysaten der murinen spermatogonialen Zelllinie (GC1) zu hemmen. Unter bestimmten Bedingungen führte die Inhibitor # 1-Behandlung der GC1-Zellen zur Hemmung der PGP. Erste Analysen zellulärer Inhibitoreffekte konnten eine Steigerung der TAG-Konzentration in behandelten GC1-Zellen nachweisen. Die PGP-Hemmung durch Inhibitor # 48 wurde als unkompetitive Inhibition charakterisiert und es zeigten sich keine relevanten Inhibitoreffekte auf die HAD-Phosphatasen Magnesium-abhängige Phosphatase 1 (MDP1), Lysin-Histidin-Pyrophosphat-Phosphatase (LHPP) und Polynukleotidase 5'-Kinase/3'-Phosphatase (PnkP). Dagegen konnte eine Aktivitätssteigerung von Phospho 2 beobachtet werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit liefert somit erste Erkenntnisse über die Anwendung des PGP-Inhibitors # 1 in der Zellkultur und schafft die Grundlage für nachfolgende Untersuchungen mit Inhibitor # 48. Weitere Experimente sind notwendig, die die Inhibitorbehandlung in der Zellkultur optimieren und die Selektivität weiter charakterisieren, um mithilfe der Inhibitoren neue Erkenntnisse über die physiologische und pathophysiologische Rolle der PGP gewinnen zu können.
GRK2 vermittelt über die Phosphorylierung und Inaktivierung kardialer β1-Rezeptoren eine verminderte kardiale Kontraktilität. RKIP als GRK2-Inhibitor spielt eine Rolle in der GPCR-Signalgebung. Die Überexpression des Proteins führt zu einer verbesserten Herzfunktion. Dieser Effekt wird möglicherweise über die GRK2-Inhibition vermittelt und eröffnet die Diskussion über weitere durch RKIP vermittelte protektive Effekte im Herzen.
In dieser Arbeit konnte ich zeigen, dass die kardiale RKIP-Expression in Mäusen und humanem Herzgewebe bei Herzinsuffizienz gesteigert ist. Zudem beschrieb ich den protektiven Effekt einer gesteigerten Expression von RKIP in murinen Herzen im Hinblick auf die Ausprägung typischer struktureller und morphologischer Zeichen von Herzinsuffizienz.
Echokardiographische Untersuchungen zeigten, dass RKIP die Herzfunktion positiv beeinflusst. RKIP-tg-Mäuse wiesen eine gesteigerte Verkürzungsfraktion und einen dauerhaft hyperkontraktilen Phänotyp auf. Trotz fehlenden Einflusses auf die kardiale Hypertrophie bewirkte die chronische linksventrikuläre Druckbelastung durch TAC in RKIP-tg-Mäusen eine geringere kardiale Dilatation und den Erhalt einer stärkeren Kontraktilität als in Wildtyp-Mäusen.
Die Ligation der Aorta transversa bewirkte bei Wildtyp-Mäusen zudem strukturelle und molekulare Veränderungen, die typisch für einen herzinsuffizienten Phänotyp sind. Der Anteil fibrotischen Gewebes und die Apoptose im Herzen nahmen zu. Strukturelle Veränderungen des Herzgewebes sind ein Korrelat für ein herzinsuffizientes Herz. RKIP-tg-Mäuse zeigten diese Veränderungen in einem deutlich geringeren Ausmaß und weisen auf eine protektive Wirkung einer kardialen RKIP-Überexpression hin. Interessanterweise war die mRNA-Expression der Fibrosemarker CTGF und TGFß nach chronischer linksventrikulärer Druckbelastung sowohl bei Wildtyp-Mäusen als auch bei RKIP-transgenen Mäusen erhöht. Die Ursache für das Fehlen eines signifikanten Unterschiedes könnte sein, dass diese Marker nicht spezifisch für die kardiale Fibrosierung sind, sondern deren Expression auch mit der kardialen Hypertrophie zusammenhängt.
Eine weitere Beobachtung war der Anstieg der mRNA-Expression der Herzinsuffizienz-Marker BNP und ANF nach chronischer Druckbelastung in Wildtyp- und RKIP-tg-Mäusen. Die Ergebnisse bestätigten, dass BNP spezifischer für die durch chronische linksventrikuläre Druckerhöhung verursachte Herzinsuffizienz zu sein scheint.
Ich beobachtete eine gesteigerte RKIP-Expression bei Herzinsuffizienz und kardialer Hypertrophie. Herzbiopsien herzinsuffizienter und an Aortenstenose erkrankter Patienten wiesen im Vergleich zu Kontrollen eine erhöhte RKIP-Proteinexpression auf. Auch C57BL/6J-Mäuse wiesen nach chronischer linksventrikulärer Druckbelastung eine gesteigerte kardiale RKIP-Expression im Vergleich zu Kontrollen auf. Die Hochregulation der RKIP-Expression könnte als protektiver feedback-Mechanismus interpretiert werden.
Resultat dieser Arbeit ist, dass RKIP eine protektive Wirkung bei der Progression von durch chronische linksventrikuläre Druckbelastung induzierte Herzinsuffizienz hat, am ehesten durch seine Funktion als GRK2-Inhibitor und seine Rolle bei der GPCR-Signalgebung.
Die Entwicklung und Zulassung von Arzneimitteln sowie die Bewertung von Xenobio-tika erfordern eine Reihe von Testsystemen zur Toxizitätsermittlung. Für die Überprüfung der Gentoxizität stehen eine Vielzahl etablierter Testsysteme zur Verfügung, die oft auf Krebszelllinien basieren. Krebszelllinien haben jedoch die Eigenschaft, neben den für die Testung notwendigen Veränderungen weitere Veränderungen zu tragen, die zu Reaktionen führen können, wie sie in den Primärzellen des Organismus nicht auftreten. Daher ist die Kenntnis des genetischen Hintergrunds der verwendeten Krebszelllinien wertvoll, um Testergebnisse bewerten und gentoxische Risikopotentiale abschätzen zu können. Die Mauslymphomzelllinie L5178Y nimmt unter den auf Krebszellen basierenden Testsystemen eine besondere Stellung ein, da sie die weltweit in der Gentoxizi-tätsprüfung am häufigsten eingesetzte Zelllinie ist. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde in dieser Zellllinie eine Veränderung nachgewiesen, die das Mismatch-Reparatur-System (MMR-System) betrifft. Bei der MMR handelt es sich um einen Mechanismus, der daran beteiligt ist, die Integrität des Genoms zu gewährleisten. In MMR-profizienten Zellen werden Fehler in der DNA, die bei der Replikation, der homologen Rekombination oder durch äußere gentoxische Einwirkungen entstehen, entweder erkannt und repariert, oder die geschädigten Zellen werden durch die Induktion von Apoptosen eliminiert. Im Gegensatz dazu überleben MMR-defiziente Zellen trotz gravierender DNA-Schäden und akkumulieren diese. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Akkumulierung von Genomschäden bei L5178Y-Zellen als Reaktion auf Behandlung mit alkylierenden Agenzien beobachtet, während andere Vergleichszelllinien Apoptosen induzierten. Dieses Verhalten der L5178Y-Zellen, das in der Literatur bei MMR-defizienten Zellen für alkylierende Agenzien beschrieben ist, führte zu der Vermutung, dass die L5178Y-Zellen einen MMR-defizienten Phänotyp aufweisen. Dieser MMR-defiziente Phänotyp wurde durch gezielte Behandlung von L5178Y-Zellen und Zellen mit bekanntem MMR-Status mit dem alkylierenden Agenz MNNG und dem anschließenden Vergleich der Reaktionen geprüft und bestätigt. Der Ver-gleich erfolgte durch den Nachweis gentoxischer Effekte im Mikrokern-Test und im Comet Assay. Auf Proteinebene konnte für den gezeigten MMR-defizienten Phänotyp bei den drei wichtigsten, in die MMR involvierten Proteine, MLH1, MSH2 und MSH6 keine Ursa-che gefunden werden: Alle untersuchten Proteine zeigten eine Expression, die mit denen der MMR-profizienten Kontrollzelllinien vergleichbar war. Auf DNA-Ebene wurde durch die Analyse aller bekannter, in die MMR involvierter Gene durch die Sequenzierung der kodierenden Bereiche als wichtigste Verände-rung eine Insertions-Mutation (964(insC)) in pms2 gefunden. Diese führt nach 260 Aminosäuren zu einer Leserasterverschiebung und nach 313 Aminosäuren zu einem Abbruch der Aminosäuresequenz aufgrund eines Stop-Codons. Zwar ist somit die Information für den N-terminalen Bereich von PMS2, der die DNA-Bindedomäne und die ATP-ase aktiven Stellen beinhaltet, vorhanden, die für den C-Terminus hingegen, der für die Dimerisierung mit dem MMR-Protein MLH1 und damit für die Funktion essentiell ist, fehlt. Insgesamt wurde in dieser Arbeit gezeigt, dass die L5178Y-Zelllinie MMR-defizient ist. Mit der Insertions-Mutation (964(insC)) in pms2 wurde eine molekulare Ursache gefunden, die diese Defizienz erklären kann. Daraus folgt für den Einsatz der L5178Y-Zelllinie in Gentoxizitätstests, dass die Berücksichtigung ihrer MMR-Defizienz die Möglichkeit der Bewertung von Testergebnissen erheblich erweitern kann.
Introduction: Colon cancer is one of the major human malignancies worldwide, and much effort has been applied to understand the process of colon carcinogenesis, as well as the role of potential treatments and co-therapeutical agents against it. A growing body of evidence suggests that the use of fluoxetine (FLX), an antidepressant belonging to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), may be associated with a reduced colon cancer risk. However, controversial opinions have been published and an identification of the mechanisms of the activity of FLX on colon cells would help in the clarification of this controversy. Objectives: Using several in vitro and in vivo-based methods and analyses, we aimed to verify whether FLX has antioxidant, pro-oxidant or DNA-damaging potential in standard toxicological assays; to check whether and how FLX could prevent and reduce colon preneoplastic lesions; to ascertain whether FLX has any oncostatic potential against colon tumors; and, to investigate whether FLX activity could be comparable with a known and current applied chemotherapeutic agent against colon cancer. Results: FLX did not have any antioxidant potential in our experiments. Although it did not induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation or DNA-damage in fibroblast and colon tumor cell lines, FLX reduced dysplasia and proliferation in two different carcinogen models. Further, a significant decrease in colon stromal reactivity and angiogenesis was found in both carcinogen-induced preneoplasia models. In a xenograft model of colon cancer, FLX shrank tumors, reduced tumor proliferation, arrested cancer cells at the G0/G1 cell-cycle phase, and took ROS generation under control. Such effects were detected together with an intracellular acidification and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in FLX-treated cells. Modulating mitochondrial respiratory chain, HIF-1 expression and Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, FLX was found to reduce colon tumors similar to the widely used chemotherapeutic agent 5-Fluoracil activity. Conclusion: Our collective data suggest that FLX is a remarkable chemopreventive and oncostatic agent against colon preneoplastic lesions and tumors, acting without DNA-damage or ROS generation.
The antidepressant fluoxetine has been under discussion because of its potential influence on cancer risk. It was found to inhibit the development of carcinogen-induced preneoplastic lesions in colon tissue, but the mechanisms of action are not well understood. Therefore, we investigated anti-proliferative effects, and used HT29 colon tumor cells in vitro, as well as C57BL/6 mice exposed to intra-rectal treatment with the carcinogen N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) as models. Fluoxetine increased the percentage of HT29 cells in the G0/G1 phase of cell-cycle, and the expression of p27 protein. This was not related to an induction of apoptosis, reactive oxygen species or DNA damage. In vivo, fluoxetine reduced the development of MNNG-induced dysplasia and vascularization-related dysplasia in colon tissue, which was analyzed by histopathological techniques. An anti-proliferative potential of fluoxetine was observed in epithelial and stromal areas. It was accompanied by a reduction of VEGF expression and of the number of cells with angiogenic potential, such as CD133, CD34, and CD31-positive cell clusters. Taken together, our findings suggest that fluoxetine treatment targets steps of early colon carcinogenesis. This confirms its protective potential, explaining at least partially the lower colon cancer risk under antidepressant therapy.
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) form the biggest receptor family that is encoded in the human genome and represent the most druggable target structure for modern therapeutics respectively future drug development. Belonging to aminergic class A GPCRs muscarinic Acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) are already now of clinical relevance and are also seen as promising future drug targets for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer or Parkinson. The mAChR family consist of five subtypes showing high sequence identity for the endogenous ligand binding region and thus it is challenging until now to selectively activate a single receptor subtype. A well accepted method to study ligand binding, dynamic receptor activation and downstream signaling is the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) application. Here, there relative distance between two fluorophores in close proximity (<10 nm) can be monitored in a dynamic manner. The perquisite for that is the spectral overlap of the emission spectrum of the first fluorophore with the excitation spectrum of the second fluorophore. By inserting two fluorophores into the molecular receptor structure receptor FRET sensors can serve as a powerful tool to study dynamic receptor pharmacology.
Dualsteric Ligands consist of two different pharmacophoric entities and are regarded as a promising ligand design for future drug development. The orthosteric part interacts with high affinity with the endogenous ligand binding region whereas the allosteric part binds to a different receptor region mostly located in the extracellular vestibule. Both moieties are covalently linked. Dualsteric ligands exhibit a dynamic ligand binding. The dualsteric binding position is characterized by a simultaneous binding of the orthosteric and allosteric moiety to the receptor and thus by receptor activation. In the purely allosteric binding position no receptor activation can be monitored.
In the present work the first receptor FRET sensor for the muscarinic subtype 1 (M1) was generated and characterized. The M1-I3N-CFP sensor showed an unaltered physiological behavior as well as ligand and concentration dependent responses. The sensor was used to characterize different sets of dualsteric ligands concerning their pharmacological properties like receptor activation. It was shown that the hybrids consisting of the synthetic full agonist iperoxo and the positive allosteric modulator of BQCA type is very promising. Furthermore, it was shown for orthosteric as well as dualsteric ligands that the degree of receptor activation is highly dependent on the length of and the chemical properties of the linker moiety. For dualsteric ligands a bell-shaped activation characteristic was reported for the first time, suggesting that there is an optimal linker length for dualsteric ligands. The gained knowledge about hybrid design was then used to generate and characterize the first photo-switchable dualsteric ligand. The resulting hybrids were characterized with the M1-I3N-CFP sensor and were described as photo-inactivatable and dimmable. In addition to the ligand characterization the ligand application methodology was further developed and improved. Thus, a fragment-based screening approach for dualsteric ligands was reported in this study for the first time. With this approach it is possible to investigate dualsteric ligands in greater detail by applying either single ligand fragments alone or in a mixture of building blocks. These studies revealed the insights that the effect of dualsteric ligands on a GPCR can be rebuild by applying the single building blocks simultaneously. The fragment-based screening provides high potential for the molecular understanding of dualsteric ligands and for future screening approaches. Next, a further development of the standard procedure for measuring FRET by sensitized emission was performed. Under normal conditions single cell FRET is measured on glass coverslips. After coating the coverslips surface with a 20 nm thick gold layer an increased FRET efficiency up to 60 % could be reported. This finding was validated in different approaches und in different configurations. This FRET enhancement by plasmonic surfaces was until yet unreported in the literature for physiological systems and make FRET for future projects even more powerful.
Furan wird in einer Vielzahl von Speisen durch Hitzebehandlung gebildet und ist kanzerogen in der Leber von Ratte und Maus. Durch die hohe Flüchtigkeit von Furan ist eine Expositionsabschätzung auf Basis der Kontamination von Lebensmitteln nur bedingt möglich. Ein alternativer Ansatz dazu ist die Identifizierung von Furanmetaboliten als Expositionsbiomarker. Nach der Aufnahme wird Furan zunächst zum Dialdehyd cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial oxidiert. cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial besitzt mehrere elektrophile Strukturelemente, welche eine Reaktion mit Protein und DNS wahrscheinlich machen und damit zur bekannten Toxizität von Furan beitragen können. Es stellt sich in diesem Zusammenhang die Frage, ob eine Reaktion mit Protein die Reaktion mit der DNS verhindern kann und somit keine direkt gentoxischen Effekte auftreten. Für ein kanzerogenes Agens ohne direkte gentoxische Wirkung kann eine Schwellendosis unterhalb derer kein DNS-Schaden auftritt diskutiert werden. Für eine fundierte Risikobewertung bezüglich der Aufnahme von Furan über die Nahrung ist dies unabdingbar. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde nach der oralen Gabe von Furan im Urin von Fischer 344 Ratten nach Metaboliten gesucht. Eine Kontrollgruppe erhielt nur die Trägersubstanz Öl. Das vor und nach Exposition über jeweils zwei 24 Stunden Perioden gesammelte Urin wurde mittels einer Tandemmassenspektrometrie-Methode analysiert. Die Methode bestand aus einem Full-Scan und einer darüber gesteuerten Aufzeichnung eines Fragmentionenspektrums. Die Full-Scan-Daten wurden mit Hilfe der Hauptkomponentenanalyse untersucht. In der ersten Sammelperiode nach der Behandlung konnten durch die erste Hauptkomponente die behandelten von den unbehandelten Tieren getrennt werden. Aus den für die Trennung relevanten Verbindungen konnten fünf Biomarker strukturell aufgeklärt werden. In einer weiteren Tierstudie an Ratten und Mäusen wurde die Kinetik und die Dosis-Wirkungs-Beziehung der identifizierten Biomarker untersucht. Die gezielte LC-MS/MS-Analyse der Urine auf die identifizierten Biomarker hin zeigte, dass in der Ratte alle und in der Maus alle bis auf einen dosisabhängig anstiegen. Die Kinetik der Ausscheidung lieferte wertvolle Hinweise auf die Entstehung der Biomarker. Die Ausscheidung der Biomarker mit Lysinstruktur erfolgte über mehr als 72 Stunden. Dies war ein Hinweis auf eine Freisetzung aus Protein. Die Ausscheidung der restlichen Verbindungen erfolgte ausschließlich in den ersten 24 Stunden. Die in der Literatur vorhandenen Daten zur Gentoxizität von Furan und cis-Buten-1,4-dial sind unschlüssig und unvollständig. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial im Ames Stamm TA104 und in L5178Y Mauslymphomzellen auf Mutagenität und Gentoxizität untersucht. Durch starke Zytotoxizität war der Konzentrationsbereich auf 4.5 µmol/Platte limitiert. Innerhalb dieses Bereich konnte mit der Vorinkubationsvariante des Ames-Tests keine Mutagenität beobachtet werden. Die L5178Y Mauslymphomzellen wurden mit Standardprotokollen für den Mikrokern-Test, Kometen-Test und den Thymidinkinase-Test untersucht. Der Konzentrationsbereich von cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial erstreckte sich bis 100 µM, konnte aber auf Grund der starken Zytotoxizität nur bis 25 µM ausgewertet werden. Dennoch konnte bereits in diesem Bereich ein 1.7- bzw. 2.2-facher Anstieg im Kometen- bzw. Thymidinkinase-Test beobachtet werden. Verglichen mit der Positivkontrolle Methylmethansulfonat hatte cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial bei einer deutlich höheren Zytotoxizität eine ähnliche Potenz bezüglich der Mutagenität und Gentoxizität. Um das DNS-vernetzende Potential von cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial zu bestimmen wurde eine Variante des Kometen-Tests verwendet. Es wurde dabei untersucht, ob die Vorbehandlung von Zellen mit cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial die durch γ-Strahlung induzierbaren Kometen reduzieren kann. Während die Positivkontrolle Glutaraldehyd die Kometen tatsächlich verringerte, blieb dieser Effekt bei cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial aus. Im Gegenteil, bei einer Konzentration von ≥100 mM konnte durch die Zunahme von Zellen mit beginnender Apoptose ein Anstieg der Kometen beobachtet werden. Obwohl cis-2-Buten-1,4-dial sehr deutliche gentoxische und mutagene Effekte zeigte, beschränkte die hohe Zytotoxizität den auswertbaren Bereich. Möglicherweise kann diese Problematik einen Teil der unschlüssigen Ergebnisse erklären, sicher ist jedoch, dass für die Untersuchung der Mechanismen der Toxizität und Kanzerogenität ein Beitrag von nicht gentoxischen Effekten diskutiert werden muss.
Phosphatasen der HAD (haloacid dehalogenase)-Familie sind weit verbreitet in allen Domänen des Lebens und erfüllen die verschiedensten zellulären Aufgaben, beispielsweise in Metabolismus und Zellregulation. Die HAD-Phosphatase Chronophin zeigt Phosphataseaktivität unter anderem gegenüber Pyridoxal-5‘-Phosphat (PLP), einem essentiellen Kofaktor vieler biochemischer Prozesse, und Phosphocofilin, einem Regulator des Aktinzytoskeletts. Chronophin dimerisiert über die Interaktion zweier identischer Untereinheiten zu einem Homodimer. Ziel dieser Arbeit war, die Rolle dieser Dimerisierung, eines bei HAD-Phosphatasen weit verbreiteten Oligomerisierungszustandes, näher zu untersuchen.
Hierzu wurde die Dimerisierung erfolgreich durch den Austausch der Aminosäuren Alanin 194 und 195 zu Lysinen (Mutation A194K/A195K) gestört. Der Nachweis einer konstitutiv monomeren Chronophin-Mutante mittels Größenausschlusschromatographie, Rasterkraftmikroskopie, analytischer Ultra¬zentrifugation und Zellexperimenten wurde schließlich über die Struktur¬auflösung mittels Röntgenstrukturanalyse bestätigt. Aktivitätsmessungen der monomeren Mutante gegenüber dem Substrat PLP zeigten eine deutliche Verminderung der Phosphataseaktivität. Die Röntgenstrukturanalyse von Chronophin A194K/A195K im Vergleich mit Wildtyp-Chronophin enthüllte einen Mechanismus, wie die sogenannte Substratspezifitätsschleife, die für die korrekte Positionierung des PLP sorgt, im Homodimer des Wildtyps durch Interaktionen mit dem zweiten Protomer stabilisiert wird. Diese Stabilisierung fehlt bei der monomeren Mutante und äußert sich in einer veränderten Stellung der Substratspezifitätsschliefe. Der Strukturvergleich von Chronophin mit weiteren HAD-Phosphatasen der selben strukturellen Untergruppe vom C2a-Typ lässt eine allgemeine Gültigkeit der hier beschriebenen allosterischen Kontrolle von Substratspezifität über Homodimerisierung bei HAD-Phosphatasen vermuten und könnte so neue Ansatzpunkte für möglicherweise auch therapeutisch nutzbare Aktivitätshemmungen liefern.
In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist die Akzeptanz stetig größer geworden, dass oxidativer Stress eine bedeutende Rolle bei der Entstehung von chronischen Erkrankungen, malignen Neoplasien sowie der Beschleunigung des Alterungsprozesses spielt. Als eine der häufigsten chronischen Erkrankungen ist Hypertonie oft mit einem fehlregulierten Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System assoziiert, welches chronisch oxidativen Stress verursacht. Bluthochdruck ist ein Risikofaktor für neurologische Erkrankungen wie der vaskulären Demenz (VaD) und viele neurologischen Störungen, einschließlich der VaD, haben eine ROS-assoziierte beziehungsweise inflammatorische Komponente in ihrer Entstehung.
Unsere Arbeitsgruppe konnte bereits eine AT-II-induzierte Genotoxizität in Nieren- und Myokardzellen bzw. -Gewebe nachweisen. Ziel dieser Dissertation war es, einen möglichen Zusammenhang zwischen AT-II und Neurodegeneration zu untersuchen, welche durch eine neuronale Genotoxizität von AT-II ausgelöst wird.
Zunächst zeigten wir in zwei neuronalen Zelllinien, dass AT-II eine Dosis-abhängige Genomschädigung verursacht. Nachfolgende Experimente konnten diese Toxizität auf NOX-produziertes Superoxid zurückführen, das nach Bindung von AT-II an den AT1R generiert wird. Zudem konnte ein AT-II-induzierter Verbrauch des wichtigsten intrazellulären Antioxidans – Glutathion - nachgewiesen werden.
In vivo konnten wir zeigen, dass AT1aR-Knockout-Mäuse nach AT-II-Behandlung signifikant mehr Genomschäden im Subfornikalorgan (SFO) aufwiesen als Wildtypmäuse. Das SFO hat als eine der wenigen Strukturen im Gehirn eine unterbrochene Blut-Hirn-Schranke, was es für zirkulierendes AT-II zugänglich und besonders empfindlich macht. Diese Genomschäden wurden in der neueren Literatur auch in Nieren- und Herzgewebe beschrieben und belegen eine zusätzliche, AT1aR- und damit Blutdruck-unabhängige Genotoxizität von AT-II.
Zusammenfassend zeigt diese Arbeit, dass erhöhte AT-II-Konzentrationen in Nervenzellen Genomschäden durch NOX-produziertes Superoxid verursachen. Die Hoffnung ist, dass diese Ergebnisse dabei helfen, eines Tages die vollständige Entstehung der VaD zu entschlüsseln.
Some chromosomes in transformed rat cells and somatic cell hybrids fail to display the presence of kinetochore proteins as detected by antikinetochore antibodies. Suchchromosomes (K- Chromosomes) may constitute a novel mechanism for the genesis of aneuploidy. Wehave analyzed primary~ immortalized and malignant marnmalian cells for the presence of kinetochore proteins and micronuclei. Our resuJts suggest a correlation of the K- chromosome and micronucleus frequency with the variability in chromosome number. Upon in situ hybridization with the minor satellite and alpha satellite sequences some Kchromosomes showed a signal. This indicates that the observed lack of kinetocbores is not necessarily due to a lack of centromeric DNA. We conclude that dislocated K- chromosomes may become incorporated into micronuclei which are prone to loss. Such events would be associated with the generation of aneuploidy.
Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a cyclic siloxane used in the production and formulation of consumer products with potential exposure to manufacturing workers, consumer, and the general public. Following a combined 2-year inhalation chronic bioassay performed in Fischer 344 (F344) rats, an increase in uterine endometrial adenocarcinomas was noted at the highest concentration to which animals were exposed. No other neoplasms were detected. In this study, a dose of 160 ppm produced an incidence of 8% endometrial adenocarcinomas. Based on a number of experimental studies with D5, the current manuscript examines the biological relevance and possible modes of action for the uterine endometrial adenocarcinomas observed in the rat following chronic exposure to D5. Variable rates of spontaneous uterine endometrial adenocarcinomas have been reported for untreated F344 CrIBr rats. As such, we concluded that the slight increase in uterine endometrial adenocarcinomas observed in the D5 chronic bioassay might not be the result of D5 exposure but may be related to variability of the spontaneous tumor incidence in this strain of rat. However, if the uterine endometrial adenocarcinomas are related to D5-exposure, alteration in the estrous cycle in the aging F344 rat is the most likely mode of action. D5 is not genotoxic or estrogenic. The alteration in the estrous cycle is caused by a decrease in progesterone with an increase in the estrogen:progesterone ratio most likely induced by a decrease in prolactin concentration. Available data support that exposure to D5 influences prolactin concentration. Although the effects on prolactin concentrations in a number of experiments were not always consistent, the available data support the conclusion that D5 is acting via a dopamine receptor agonist-like mechanism to alter the pituitary control of the estrous cycle. In further support of this mode of action, studies in F344 aged animals showed that the effects of D5 on estrous cyclicity produced a response consistent with a dopamine-like effect and further suggest that D5 is accelerating the aging of the reproductive endocrine system in the F344 rat utilized in this study. This mode of action for uterine endometrial adenocarcinoma tumorigenesis is not relevant for humans.
Proteolytic cleavage of the extracellular domain affects signaling of parathyroid hormone 1 receptor
(2022)
Parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) is a member of the class B family of G protein-coupled receptors, which are characterized by a large extracellular domain required for ligand binding. We have previously shown that the extracellular domain of PTH1R is subject to metalloproteinase cleavage in vivo that is regulated by ligand-induced receptor trafficking and leads to impaired stability of PTH1R. In this work, we localize the cleavage site in the first loop of the extracellular domain using amino-terminal protein sequencing of purified receptor and by mutagenesis studies. We further show, that a receptor mutant not susceptible to proteolytic cleavage exhibits reduced signaling to G\(_s\) and increased activation of G\(_q\) compared to wild-type PTH1R. These findings indicate that the extracellular domain modulates PTH1R signaling specificity, and that its cleavage affects receptor signaling.
Der Parathormonrezeptor Typ 1 (PTHR) ist ein G-Protein-gekoppelter Rezeptor der Gruppe 2 und wichtigster Regulator des Kalziumstoffwechsels. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wurde eine neuartige posttranslationale Modifikation des PTHR in Form einer proteolytischen Spaltung der Ektodomäne identifiziert, charakterisiert und deren Regulation beschrieben. Nach langanhaltender Stimulation des Rezeptors mit Agonisten – aber nicht mit Antagonisten – wurde eine Massen- und Mengenzunahme des Rezeptorproteins beobachtet. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Rezeptor unter basalen Bedingungen einer Spaltung unterliegt. Der Massenunterschied entsteht durch die proteolytische Spaltung der Ektodomäne des PTHR, was nachfolgend die Stabilität des Rezeptors beeinträchtigt. Die Spaltung erfolgte innerhalb einer unstrukturierten Schleife der Ektodomäne, welche die Bereiche für die Ligandenbindung miteinander verbindet. Hierbei handelt es sich um eine Region, die im Vergleich zu anderen Gruppe 2-Rezeptoren spezifisch für den PTHR ist. Das durch die Spaltung entstandene N-terminale Fragment bleibt durch eine Disulfidbrücke mit dem Transmembranteil des Rezeptors verbunden. Durch Versuche mit verschiedenen Proteaseinhibitoren konnte die verantwortliche Protease der Familie der zinkabhängigen extrazellulären Proteasen zugeordnet werden. Diese Ergebnisse beschreiben einen Mechanismus wie die Homoöstase des PTHR reguliert sein könnte. In einem zweiten Abschnitt wurde die Interaktion der Adapterproteine NHERF1 und beta-Arrestin2 mit dem PTHR untersucht. Beide Proteine interagierten unabhängig mit dem Rezeptor, wobei NHERF1 über eine PDZ-Domäne konstitutiv an den C-Terminus des Rezeptors bindet. beta-Arrestin2 hingegen bindet nach Aktivierung des Rezeptors und führt zur Desensitisierung des Rezeptors. Mittels biochemischer und mikroskopischer Methoden konnte gezeigt werden, dass beide Proteine gemeinsam einen ternären Komplex mit dem PTHR bilden, welcher durch die direkte Interaktion zwischen NHERF1 und beta-Arrestin2 vermittelt wird. Dies hat zur Folge, dass beta-Arrestin im basalen Zustand durch NHERF1 an den Rezeptor gekoppelt wird. Durch Analyse der Assoziationskinetik mittels Fluoreszenz-Resonanz-Energietransfer-Messungen zeigte sich, dass diese Kopplung zu einer zweifach erhöhten Rekrutierungsgeschwindigkeit von beta-Arrestin2 an den PTHR führt. Somit stellt unterstützt NHERF1 die beta-Arrestin2-vermittelte Desensitisierung des PTHR.
Posttranslationale Modifikation von Phosducin durch den small ubiquitin-related modifier "SUMO"
(2006)
Die Rezeptor vermittelte Aktivierung heterotrimerer G-Proteine ist einer der bedeutendsten Signaltransduktionsmechanismen in vielen Organismen. Die Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Rezeptoren und Agonisten macht eine effektive Kontrolle des einzelnen Signals unumgänglich. Das zytosolische Protein Phosducin bindet beta-gamma-Untereinheiten aktivierter G-Proteine und hemmt damit sowohl Gbeta-gamma-vermittelte Effekte als auch Galpha-vermittelte Effekte. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde neben der bekannten 33 kDa Form von Phosducin eine weitere 47 kDa große Form in der Retina und im Herz identifiziert. Hierbei handelte es sich um Phosducin, welches mit dem small ubiquitin-related modifier, SUMO, modifiziert war. Weiterhin wurde sowohl in vitro als auch in zellulären Sytemen gezeigt, dass Phosducin mit einem Molekül SUMO an Lysin 33 modifiziert wird. Durch punktgerichtete Mutation dieser Modifikationsstelle wurde eine SUMOylierungs-defiziente Phosducin-Mutante generiert. Diese Mutante unterliegt einem gesteigerten Turnover im Vergleich zu Wildtyp-Phosducin, welcher auf die verstärke Ubiquitinierung und dem damit verbundenen proteasomalen Abbau der Mutante zurückzuführen war. Dies demonstriert, dass SUMOylierung von Phosducin protektive Wirkung auf dieses Protein hat. Darüberhinaus behindert die SUMOylierung von Phosducin dessen Bindung an Gbeta-gamma-Untereinheiten heterotrimerer G-Proteine. Diese Beobachtungen erlauben den Schluss, dass SUMOylierung neben der Phosphorylierung ein neuer und wichtiger Mechanismus ist, über den die Verfügbarkeit von Phosducin als G-Protein-Regulator kontrolliert wird.
1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3) was reported to induce premature organismal aging in fibroblast growth factor-23 (Fgf23) and klotho deficient mice, which is of main interest as 1,25D3 supplementation of its precursor cholecalciferol is used in basic osteoporosis treatment. We wanted to know if 1,25D3 is able to modulate aging processes on a cellular level in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). Effects of 100 nM 1,25D3 on hMSC were analyzed by cell proliferation and apoptosis assay, beta-galactosidase staining, VDR and surface marker immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR of 1,25D3-responsive, quiescence-and replicative senescence-associated genes. 1,25D3 treatment significantly inhibited hMSC proliferation and apoptosis after 72 h and delayed the development of replicative senescence in long-term cultures according to beta-galactosidase staining and P16 expression. Cell morphology changed from a fibroblast like appearance to broad and rounded shapes. Long term treatment did not induce lineage commitment in terms of osteogenic pathways but maintained their clonogenic capacity, their surface marker characteristics (expression of CD73, CD90, CD105) and their multipotency to develop towards the chondrogenic, adipogenic and osteogenic pathways. In conclusion, 1,25D3 delays replicative senescence in primary hMSC while the pro-aging effects seen in mouse models might mainly be due to elevated systemic phosphate levels, which propagate organismal aging.
The ligand-binding subunit of the A\(_1\)-adenosine receptor has been identified by photoaffinity labeling. A photolabile derivative of R- \(N^6\)-phenylisopropyladenosine, R-2-azido-\(N^6\)-p-hydroxyphenylisopropyladenosine (R-AHPIA), has been synthesized as a covalent specific Iigand for A\(_1\)-adenosine receptors. In adenylate cyclase studies with membranes of rat fat cells and human platelets, R·AHPIA has adenosine receptor agonist activity with a more than 60-fold selectivity for the A\(_1\)-subtype. It competes for [\(^3\)H].\(N^6\)- phenylisopropyladenosine binding to Arreceptors of rat brain membranes with a Ki value of 1.6 nM. After UV irradiation, R-AHPIA binds irreversibly to the receptor, as indicated by a loss of [\(^3\)H)\(N^6\)-phenylisopropyladenosine binding afterextensive washing; the K; value for this photoinactivation is 1.3 nM. The p-hydroxyphenyl substituent of R-AHPIA can be directly radioiodinated to give a photoaffinity Iabel of high specific radioactivity (\(^{125}\)I-AHPIA). This compound has a KD value of about 1.5 nM as assessed from saturation and kinetic experiments. Adenosine analogues compete for \(^{125}\)I-AHPIA binding to rat brain membranes with an order of potency characteristic for A\(_1\)-adenosine receptors. Dissociation curves following UV irradiation at equilibrium demonstrate 30-40% irreversible specific binding. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicates that the probe is photoincorporated into a single peptide of M\(_r\) = 35,000. Labeling of this peptide can be blocked specifically and stereoselectively by adenosine receptor agonists and antagonists in a manner which is typical for the A\(_1\)-subtype. The results indicate that \(^{125}\)I-AHPIA identifies the ligand-binding subunit of the A\(_1\)-adenosine receptor, which is a peptide with M\(_r\) = 35,000.
Signal transduction via receptors for N-formylmethionyl peptide chemoattractants (FPR) on human neutrophils is a highly regulated process which involves participation of cytoskeletal elements. Evidence exists suggesting that the cytoskeleton and/or the membrane skeleton controls the distributJon of FPR in the plane of the plasma membrane, thus controlling the accessibility of FPR to different proteins in functionally distinct domains. In desensitized cells, FPR are restricted todomains which are depleted of G proteins but enriched in cytoskeletal proteins such as actin and fodrin. Thus, the G protein signal transduction partners of FPR become inaccessible to the agonist-occupied receptor, preventing cell activation. The mechanism of interaction of FPR with the membrane skeleton is poorly understood but evidence is accumulating that suggests a direct binding of FPR (and other receptors) to cytoskeletal proteins such as actin.
Desensitization of N-formyl peptide chemoattractant receptors (FPR) in human neutrophils results in association of these receptors to the membrane skeleton. This is thought to be the critical event in the lateral segregation of receptors and guanyl nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) within the plane of the plasma membrane resulting in an interruption of the signaling cascade. In this study we probed the interaction of FPR with G protein in human neutrophils that were desensitized to various degrees. Human neutrophils were desensitized using the photoreactive agonist N-formyl-met-leu-phelys- N\(^\epsilon\)-[\(^{125}\)I]2(p-azidosalicylamido )ethyl-1 ,3 '-dithiopropionate (/MLFK-[\(^{125}\)I]ASD). The interaction if FPR with G protein was studied via a reconstitution assay and subsequent analysis of FPR-G protein complexes in sucrose density gradients. FPR-G protein complexes were reconstituted with solubilized FPR from partially and fully desensitized neutrophils with increasing concentrations of Gi purified from bovine brain. The respective EC\(_{50}\) values for reconstitution were similar to that determined for FPR from unstimulated neutrophils (Bommakanti RK et al., J Bio[ Chem 267: 757~7581, 1992). We conclude, therefore, that the affinity of the interaction of FPR with G protein is not affected by desensitization, consistent with the model of lateral segregation of FPR and G protein as a mechanism of desensitization.
Desensitization of N-fonnyl peptide chemoattractant receptors (FPR) in human neutrophils is thought to be achieved by lateral segregation of receptors and G proteins within the plane of the plasma membrane resulting in an interruption of the signalling cascade. Direct coupling of FPR to membrane skeletal actin appears to be the basis of this process~ however, the molecular mechanism is unknown. In this study we investigated the effect of energy depletion on formation of FPR-membrane skeleton complexes. In addition the effect of the protein kinase C inhibitor stauroporine and the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid on coupling of FPR to the membrane skeletonwas studied. Human neutrophils were desensitized using the photoreactive agonist N-formy1-met-leu-phe-1ys-N'[\(^{125}\)I]2(p-azidosalicylamido)ethyl-1,3'-dithiopropionate (fMLFK-[\(^{125}\)I]ASD) after ATP depletion with NaF or after incubation with the respective inhibitors. The interaction of FPR with the membrane skeleton was studied by Sedimentation of the membrane skeleton-associated receptors in sucrose density gradients. Energy depletion of the cells markedly inhibited the formation of FPR-membrane skeleton complexes. This does not appear tobe related to inhibition of protein phosphorylation due to ATP depletion because inhibition of protein kinases and phosphatases bad no significant effect on coupling of FPR to the membrane skeleton. We conclude, therefore, that coupling of FPR to the membrane skeleton is an energy,dependent process which does not appear to require modification of the receptor protein by phosphorylation.
The effects of guanine nucleotides on binding of 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-[\(^3\)H]dipropylxanthine [\(^3\)H]DPCPX), a highly selective A\(_1\) adenosine receptor antagonist, have been investigated in rat brain membranes and solubilized A\(_1\) receptors. GTP, which induces uncoupling of receptors from guanine nucleotide binding proteins, increased binding of [\(^3\)H]DPCPX in a concentration-dependent manner. The rank order of potency for different guanine nucleotides for increasing [\(^3\)H]DPCPX bindingwas the same as for guanine nuc1eotide-induced inhibition of agonist binding. Therefore, a role for a guanine nucleotide binding protein, e.g., G\(_i\), in the regulation of antagonist binding is suggested. This was confirmed by inactivation ofGi by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) treatment of membranes, which resulted in an increase in [\(^3\)H]DPCPX binding similar to that seen with addition of GTP. Kinetic and equilibrium binding studies showed that the GTP- or NEM-induced increase in antagonist binding was not caused by an affinity change of A\(-1\) receptors for [\(^3\)H]DPCPX but by an increased Bmu value. Guanine nucleotides had similar effects on membrane-bound and solubilized receptors, with the effects in the solubilized system being more pronounced. In the absence of GTP, when rnost receptors are in a high-affinity state for agonists, only a few receptors are labeled by [\(^3\)H]DPCPX. It is suggested that [\(^3\)H]DPCPX binding is inhibited when receptors are coupled to G\(_i\). Therefore, uncoupling of A\(_1\) receptors from G\(_i\) by guanine nucleotides or by inactivation of G\(_i\) with NEM results in an increased antagonist binding.
Key Words: Adenosine receptors-8 -Cyclopentyl-1,3-eH]dipropylxanthine-Antagenist binding-Guanine nucleotide effects. Klotz K.-N. et al. Guanine nucleotide etfects on 8-cyclopentyl-1 ,3-eH]dipropylxanthine binding to membrane-bound and solubilized A1 adenosine receptors of rat brain. J. Neurochem. 54, 1988-1994 (1990).
The cytoskeleton and/or membrane skeleton has been implicated in the regulation of N-formyl peptide receptors. The coupling of these chemotactic receptors to the membrane skeleton was investigated in plasma membranes from unstimulated and desensitized human neutrophils using the photoreactive agonist N-formyl-met-leu-phelys-N\(^6\)-[\(^{125}\)I]2(p-azidosalicylamido)ethyl-1,3'-dithiopropionate (fMLFK-[\(^{125}\)I]ASD). When membranes of unstimulated cells were solubilized in Triton-X 100, a detergent that does not disrupt actin filaments, only 50% of the photoaffinity-labeled receptors were solubilized sedimenting in sucrose density gradients at a rate consistent with previous reports. The remainder were found in the pellet fraction along with the membrane skeletal actin. Solubilization of the membranes in the presence of p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid, elevated concentrations of KCI, or deoxyribonuclease I released receptors in parallel with actin. When membranes from neutrophils, desensitized by incubation with fMLFK-e 251]ASD at 15°C, were solubilized, nearly all receptors were recovered in the pellet fraction. lncubation of cells with the Iigand at 4°C inhibited desensitization partially and prevented the conversion of a significant fraction of receptors to the form associated with the membrane skeletal pellet. ln these separations the photoaffinity-labeled receptors not sedimenting to the pellet cosedimented with actin. Approximately 25% of these receptors could be immunosedimented with antiactin antibodies suggesting that N-formyl peptide receptors may interact directly with actin. These results are consistent with a regulatory role for the interaction of chemotactic N-formyl peptide receptors with actin of the membrane skeleton.
A\(_1\) adenosine receptors from different tissues and species we~e photoaffinity labelled and then the carbohydrate content was examined by both enzymatic and chemical treatment. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the labelled membrane receptors shows that neuraminidase treatment alters the electrophoretic mobility of the receptor band indica ting the presence of terminal neurandnie acids. Neuraminidase digestion does not influence the binding characteristics of the receptor. The totally deglycosylated receptor protein obtained by chemical treatment has an apparent molecular weight Of 32,000.
Chemical modification of amino acid residues was used to probe the ligand recognition site of A\(_1\) adenosine receptors from rat brain membranes. The effect of treatment with group·specific reagents on agonist and antagonist radioligand binding was investigated. The histidine-specific reagent diethylpyrocarbonate (DEP) induced a loss of binding of the agonist R-N\(^6\)-[\(^3\)H]phenylisopropyladenosine ([\(^3\)H]PIA), which could be prevented in part by agonists, but not by antagonists. DEP treatment induced also a loss of binding of the antagonist [\(^3\)H]8- cyclopentyl-1 ,3-dipropylxanthine ([\(^3\)H]DPCPX). Antagonists protected A\(_1\) receptors from this inactivation while agonists did not. This result provided evidence for the existence of at least 2 different histidine residues involved in ligand binding. Consistent with a modification of the binding site, DEP did not alter the affinity of [\(^3\)H]DPCPX, but reduced receptor number. From the selective protection of [\(^3\)H] PIA and [\(^3\)H]DPCPX binding from inactivation, it is concluded that agonists and antagonists oocupy different domains at the binding site. Sulfhydryl modifying reagents did not influence antagonist binding, but inhibited agonist binding. This effect is explained by modification of tbe inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein. Pyridoxal 5-phosphate inactivated both [\(^3\)H]PIA and [\(^3\)H]DPCPX binding, but the receptors could not be protected from inactivation by ligands. Therefore, no amino group seems to be located at the Iigand binding site. In addition, it was shown that no further amino acids witb polar side chains are present. The absence of bydrophilic amino acids frout the recognition site of the receptor apart from histidine suggests an explanation for the lack of hydrophilic ligands with high affinity for A\(_1\) receptors.
A\(_1\) adenosine receptors from rat brain membranes were solubilized with the zwitterionic detergent 3-[3-( cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. The solubilized receptors retained all the characteristics of membrane-bound A\(_1\) adenosine receptors. A high and a low agonist affinity state for the radiolabelled agonist (R)-\(N^6\)-[\(^3\)H]phenylisopropyladenosine([\(^3\)H]PJA) with K\(_D\) values of 0.3 and 12 nM, respectively, were detected. High-affinity agonist binding was regulated by guanine nucleotides. In addition agonist binding was still modulated by divalent cations. The solubilized A\(_1\) adenosine receptors could be labelled not only with the agonist [\(^3\)H]PIA but also with the antagonist I ,3-diethyi-8-[\(^3\)H]phenylxanthine. Guanine nucleotides did not affect antagonist binding as reported for membrane-bound receptors. These results suggest that the solubilized receptors are still coupled to the guanine nucleotide binding protein N; and that all regulatory functions are retained on solubilization. Key Words: A1 adenosine receptors - Solubilization- Rat brain membranes. Klotz K.-N. et al. Characterization of the solubilized A1 adenosine receptor from rat brain membranes. J. Neurochem. 46, 1528-1534 (1986).
The tritiated analogue of 2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA), an adenosine derivative with subnanomolar affinity and a 10000-fold selectivity for A1 adenosine receptors, has been examined as a new agonist radioligand. [3H]CCP A was prepared with a specifi.c radioactivity of 1.58 TBqjmmol ( 43 Ci/mmol) and bound in a reversible manner to A1 receptors from rat brain membranes with a high affinity K0 -value of 0.2 nmol/1. In the presence of GTP a K0 -value of 13 nmol/1 was determined for the low affinity state for agonist binding. Competition of several adenosine receptor agonists and antagonists for [3H]CCPA binding to rat brain membranes confrrmed binding to an A1 receptor. Solubilized A1 receptors bound [3H]CCPA with similar affinity for the high affinity state. At solubilized receptors a reduced association rate was observed in the presence of MgC12, as has been shown for the agonist [ 3H]N6-phenylisopropyladenosine ([3H]PIA). [3H]CCPA was also used for detection of A1 receptors in rat cardio myocyte membranes, a tissue with a very low receptor density. A K0 -value of 0.4 nmol/1 and a Bmax-value of 16 fmol/ mg protein was determined in these membranes. In human platelet membranes no specific binding of [3H]CCPA was measured at concentrations up to 400 nmoljl, indicating that A2 receptors did not bind [3H]CCPA. Based on the subnanomolar affinity and the high selectivity for A1 receptors [ 3H]CCPA proved to be a useful agonist radioligand for characterization of A 1 adenosine receptors also in tissues with very low receptor density.
Radioligand binding to A\(_1\) adenosine receptors at brain membranes from seven species was investigated. The antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1 ,3-[\(^3\)H]dipropylxanthine ([\(^3\)H]DPCPX) bound with affinities between 0.17 nM in sheep brain and 2.1 nM in guinea pig brain. Competition of several antagonists for [\(^3\)H]DPCPX binding showed that the most potent compounds were DPCPX with K\(_i\) values of 0.05 nM in bovine brain and 1.1 nM in guinea pig brain and xanthine amine congener (XAC) with K\(_i\) values of 0.03 nM in bovine brain and 5.5 nM in guinea pig brain. The differences in affinity of the agonist radio Iigand 2-chloro-N\(^6\) -[\(^3\)H]cyclopen tyladenosine ([\(^3\)H]CCP A) were less pronounced, rauging from a K\(_D\) value of 0.12 nM (hamster brain) to 0.42 nM (guinea pig brain). Agonist competition for [\(^3\)H]DPCPX binding of photoaffinity labelling, however, exhibited marked species differences. N-Ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) and S-N\(^6\)-phenylisopropyladenosine (S-PIA) showed 20 to 25-fold different K\(_D\) values in different species. NECA had a particularly high affinity in guinea pig brain and was only two-fold less potent than R-PIA. Thus, the difference from the "classical" A\(_1\) receptor profile (R-PIA > -NECA > S-PIA) is not sufficient to speculate that A\(_1\) receptor subtypes may exist that are coupled to different effector systems. Our data show that these difference can easily be explained by species differences.
Clonidine is an agonist at alpha2-adrenergic receptors that mediate a wide variety of the physiological responses to epinephrine and norepinephrine, such as inhibition of neurotransmitter release as well as sedation and analgesia. As with other therapeutically used alpha2-agonists such as moxonidine and rilmenidine, clonidine possesses an imidazoline structure and is believed to lower blood pressure not only via central and peripheral alpha2-receptors, but perhaps even more so by acting on central “imidazoline I1 receptors” in the brain stem. The molecular structure of these hypothetical “imidazoline I1 receptors” has not yet been identified. In order to test whether ligands with an imidazoline structure elicit pharmacological effects via alpha2-adrenergic receptors or via “imidazoline receptors”, mice were generated with a targeted deletion of all three alpha2-adrenergic receptor subtypes (alpha2ABC-KO). These alpha2ABC-KO mice were an ideal model in which to examine the pharmacological effects of the centrally acting antihypertensives clonidine, moxonidine and rilmenidine in the absence of alpha2-adrenergic receptors. As expected, sedative and analgesic actions of clonidine were completely absent in alpha2ABC-KO mice, confirming the sole role of alpha2-receptors in these properties of clonidine. Clonidine significantly lowered heart rate in anesthetized alpha2ABC-KO and wild-type mice by up to 150 beats/min. A similar bradycardic effect of clonidine was observed in isolated spontaneously beating right atria from alpha2ABC-KO mice. After treatment with the specific If inhibitor ZD 7288, clonidine was no longer able to lower spontaneous beating frequency, suggesting a common site of action. Furthermore, in HEK293 cells stably transfected with HCN2 and HCN4, it could be shown that clonidine inhibits the If current via blockade of pacemaker channels with similar affinity as in isolated alpha2ABC-KO and wild-type atria. This inhibition was demonstrated again in isolated sinoatrial node (SAN) cells from alpha2ABC-KO mice and was identical in potency and efficacy to clonidine inhibition observed in isolated wild-type SAN cells, confirming that inhibition of atrial HCN channels constitutes the alpha2-independent bradycardic action of clonidine. Direct inhibition of cardiac HCN pacemaker channels contributes to the bradycardic effects of clonidine in gene-targeted mice. Thus clonidine-like drugs represent novel structures for future HCN channel inhibitors.
Insulin receptors were solubilized from rat liver microsomes by the nonionic detergent Triton X-100. After gel filtration of the extract on Sepharose CL-6B, two insulin-binding species (peak I and peak li) were obtained. The structure and binding properties of both peaks were characterized. Gel filtration yielded Stokes radii of 9.2 nm (peak I) and 8.0 nm (peak Il). Both peaks were glycoproteins. At 4°C peak 1 showed optimal insulin binding at pH 8.0 and high ionic strength. In contrast, peak li bad its binding optimum at pH 7.0 and low ionic strength, where peak I bindingwas minimal. For peak I the change in insulin binding under different conditions of pH and ionic strength was due to a change in receptor affinity only. For peak 11 an additional change in receptor number was found. Both peaks yielded non-linear Scatchard plots under most of the buffer conditions examined. At their binding optima at 4 oc the high affinity dissociation constants were 0.50 nM (peak I) and 0.55 nM (peak II). Sodium dodecyl sulfatejpolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of peak I revealed five receptor bands with Mr 400000, 365000, 320000, 290000, and 245000 under non-reducing conditions. For peak II two major receptor bands with M\(_r\) 210000 and 115000 were found. The peak II receptor bands were also obtained aftermild reduction of peak I. After complete reduction both peaks showed one major receptor band with M\(_r\) 130000. The reductive generation of the peak II receptor together with molecular mass estimations suggest that the peak I receptor is the disulfide-linked dimer of the peak II receptor. Thus, Triton extracts from rat liver microsomes contain two receptor species, which are related, but differ considerably in their size and insulin-binding properties.
Hormones are essential components in the body and their imbalance leads to pathological consequences. T2DM, insulin resistance and obesity are the most commonly occurring lifestyle diseases in the past decade. Also, an increased cancer incidence has been strongly associated with obese and T2DM patients.
Therefore, our aim was to study the influence of high insulin levels in accumulating DNA damage in in vitro models and patients, through the induction of oxidative stress. The primary goal of this study was to analyze the genotoxicity induced by the combined action of two endogenous hormones (insulin and adrenaline) with in vitro models, through the induction of micronuclei and to see if they cause an additive increase in genomic damage. This is important for multifactorial diseases having high levels of more than one hormone, such as metabolic syndrome and conditions with multiple pathologies (e.g., T2DM along with high stress levels).
Furthermore, the combination of insulin and the pharmacological inhibition of the tumor suppressor gene: PTEN, was to be tested in in vitro models for their genotoxic effect and oxidative stress inducing potential. As the tumor suppressor gene: PTEN is downregulated in PTEN associated syndromes and when presented along with T2DM and insulin resistance, this may increase the potential to accumulate genomic damage.
The consequences of insulin action were to be further elucidated by following GFP-expressing cells in live cell-imaging to observe the ability of insulin, to induce micronuclei and replicative stress. Finally, the detrimental potential of high insulin levels in obese patients with hyperinsulinemia and pre-diabetes was to be studied by analyzing markers of oxidative stress and genomic damage. In summary, the intention of this work was to understand the effects of high insulin levels in in vitro and in patients to understand its relevance for the development of genomic instability and thus an elevated cancer risk.
Cyclisches Adenosinmonophosphat ist ein ubiquitärer zweiter Botenstoff zahlreicher Signalwege im menschlichen Körper. Auf eine Vielzahl verschiedenster extrazellulärer Signale folgt jedoch eine Erhöhung desselben intrazellulären Botenstoffs - cAMP. Nichtsdestotrotz schafft es die Zelle, Signalspezifität aufrecht zu erhalten. Ein anerkanntes, wenn auch bisher unverstandenes Modell, um dieses zu ermöglichen, ist das Prinzip der Kompartimentierung. Die Zelle besitzt demnach Areale verschieden hoher cAMP-Konzentrationen, welche lokal begrenzt einzelne Signalkaskaden beeinflussen und somit eine differenzierte Signalübertragung ermöglichen. Eine mögliche Ursache für die Ausbildung solcher Bereiche geringerer cAMP- Konzentrationen (hier als Domänen bezeichnet), ist die hydrolytische Aktivität von Phosphodiesterasen (PDEs), welche als einzige Enzyme die Fähigkeiten besitzen, cAMP zu degradieren.
In dieser Arbeit wird der Einfluss der cAMP-Hydrolyse verschiedener PDEs auf die Größe dieser Domänen evaluiert und mit denen der PDE4A1 verglichen, welche bereits durch unsere Arbeitsgruppe aufgrund ihrer Größe als Nanodomänen definiert wurden. Der Fokus wird dabei auf den Einfluss von kinetischen Eigenschaften der Phosphodiesterasen gelegt. So werden eine PDE mit hoher Umsatzgeschwindigkeit (PDE2A3) und eine PDE mit hoher Substrataffinität (PDE8A1) verglichen. Mithilfe sogenannter Linker, Abstandshaltern definierter Länge, werden zusätzlich die Nanodomänen ausgemessen, um einen direkten Zusammenhang zwischen Größe und kinetischer Eigenschaft anzugeben. Die Zusammenschau der Ergebnisse zeigt, dass die maximale Umsatzgeschwindigkeit der Phosphodiesterasen direkt mit der Größe der Nanodomänen korreliert.
Durch den unmittelbaren Vergleich der gesamten PDE mit ihrer katalytischen Domäne wird zusätzlich der Einfluss von regulatorischen Domänen evaluiert. Es wird gezeigt, dass diese cAMP-Gradienten modulieren können. Bei der PDE2A3 geschieht die Modulation u.a. durch Stimulation mit cGMP, welche höchstwahrscheinlich dosisabhängig ist und somit graduell verläuft. Hiermit präsentieren sich die Domänen als dynamische Bereiche, d.h. sie können in ihrer Ausprägung reguliert werden. In dieser Arbeit wird die Hypothese bestätigt, dass Phosphodiesterasen eine wichtige Rolle in der Kompartimentierung von cAMP spielen, die Gruppe jedoch inhomogener ist, als bislang angenommen. Die Gradienten-Bildung lässt sich nicht bei jeder Phosphodiesterase darstellen (PDE8A1). Einige Phosphodiesterasen (PDE2A3) jedoch bilden Kompartimente, die durch externe Stimuli in ihrer Größe reguliert werden können.
Die Arbeit legt den Grundstein zur breiteren Charakterisierung des spezifischen Einflusses weiterer PDEs auf cAMP-Kompartimentierung, welches nicht nur das Verständnis der Kompartimentierungs-Strategien voranbringt, sondern auch essentiell für das Verständnis der Pathophysiologie zahlreicher Krankheitsbilder, aber auch für das Verständnis bereits angewandter aber auch potentiell neuer Medikamente ist.
The widely used chemical acrylamide (AA) has been classified as a probable human carcinogen. This classification was based on positive results in rodent carcinogenicity studies as well as on a number of in vitro mutagenicity assays. In 2002, AA was discovered to be formed during the preparation of starch-containing foods. According to the latest FDA exposure assessment (2006), the average daily intake has been estimated from AA levels in foodstuffs and from nutritional habits to be around 0.4 µg/kg b.w. with a 90th percentile of 0.95 µg/kg b.w.. In children and adolescents however, the daily AA intake is about 1.5 times higher, due to lower body weight and differing consumption patterns. Apart from the diet, humans may be exposed to AA during the production or handling of monomeric AA, from AA residues in polyacrylamides, and from cigarette smoke. After oral administration, AA is readily absorbed and distributed throughout the organism. AA is metabolized to the reactive epoxide glycidamide (GA) via the CYP 450 isoenzyme CYP 2E1. Both, AA and GA are conjugated with glutathione. After enzymatic processing, the mercapturic acids N-Acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine (AAMA) as well as the regioisomers N-Acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (GAMA) and N-Acetyl-S-(1-carbamoyl-2-hydroxy-ethyl)-L-cysteine (iso-GAMA) are excreted with urine. An additional pathway for the metabolic conversion of GA is the epoxide hydrolase mediated hydrolysis to the diol compound glyceramide. Following administration of AA at doses exceeding the daily dietary intake by a factor of 1000 - 6000 to human subjects, a new urinary metabolite was found, which could be identified as the S-oxide of AAMA (AAMA-sulfoxide). In general, data from animal studies are used for risk assessment of (potential) human carcinogens. However, inter-species differences in toxicodynamics or toxicokinetics, e.g. in biotransformation may lead to under- or overestimation of human risk. The objective of this work was to establish a highly specific and sensitive analytical method to quantify the major urinary metabolites of AA. Other aims apart from measurements concerning the human background exposure were the evaluation of biotransformation and toxicokinetics of AA in humans and rats after oral administration of 13C3-AA. The obtained data was intended to help avoid linear extrapolation from animal models for future risk assessments of AA carcinogenicity.
Recently, it was shown that MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells express very high levels of the A2BAR as the sole adenosine receptor subtype, and stimulation of the A2BAR in MDA-MB-231 cells triggers an unusual inhibitory signal on ERK1/2 phosphorylation. The ERK1/2 pathway is reported to be associated with the control of growth, proliferation and differentiation of cells and as such might serve as a promising target for tumor treatment. The present study investigated signaling mechanisms involved in linking A2BAR to ERK1/2 phosphorylation in MDA-MB-231 cells. The A2BAR mediated reduction of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and of proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cell is in good agreement with previous results from (Dubey et al., 2005). These observations provide support to the hypothesis that activation of A2BAR could attenuate the growth of some types of cancer cell and argue against a stimulation of proliferation resulting from the activation of A2BAR as discussed by (Fernandez-Gallardo et al., 2016). AC activation by forskolin has recently been shown to enhance the activity of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin in TNBC cells via a mechanism dependent on the PKA-mediated inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, forskolin also increased the sensitivity of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 triple negative breast cancer cells to 5-fluorouracil and taxol (Illiano et al., 2018), and sustains the evidence of anticancer activity mediated by cAMP/PKA-mediated ERK1/2 inhibition. Similar to these studies, a reduced amount of pERK1/2 was also observed after stimulation of AC with FSK, application of cAMP-AM or inhibition of PDE-4. The inhibition of ERK1/2 phosphorylation was mimicked by UTP and abolished with the PLC inhibitor U73122 or by chelating intracellular Ca2+ with BAPTA-AM. These results point to an important role for both cAMP and Ca2+ signaling in the pathway leading to a decrease in ERK1/2 phosphorylation. This study encourages the idea that A2BAR could be used as target in cancer therapy. But A2BAR did not only stimulate signaling cascades associated with cell survival and proliferation reduction, but also key phases relevant in angiogenesis like Ca2+ mobilization (Kohn et al., 1995). Whereas the potency toward AC and Ca2+ are similar for the diverse agonists, the potency to promote ERK1/2 reduction is much higher. Interestingly, the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells is inhibited by low nanomolar agonist concentration which is inactive in Ca2+ mobilization. This means that it is certainly possible to reduce the proliferation without promoting angiogenesis. LUF6210 is particularly interesting when considering that it preferentially stimulates a reduction in ERK1/2 phosphorylation over Ca2+ and therefore may not promote angiogenesis. LUF6210 is therapeutically appealing as adjuvant in treatment of cancer. Given that stimulation of AC can activate a reduction of ERK1/2 phosphorylation and proliferation in cancer cells, agonist bias toward Gs-AC-PKA-mediated ERK1/2 inhibition represent a potential therapy of various malignancies. The fact that the reduction of ERK1/2 phosphorylation followed by reduced proliferation observed in MDA-MB-231 cells were mediated by the activation of the A2BAR illustrates the importance of this receptor subtype in cancer. A2BARs must be considered as a key factor in cancer treatment and deserve attention for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Die extrazellulär Signal-regulierten Kinasen 1 und 2 (ERK1/2) spielen eine zentrale Rolle bei der Vermittlung kardialer Hypertrophie und dem Zellüberleben. Hypertrophe Stimuli aktivieren ERK1/2, triggern deren Dimerisierung und in der Folge die ERK188-Autophosphorylierung. Diese neu entdeckte Autophosphorylierung ist eine Voraussetzung für den nukleären Import von ERK1/2 und führt zum Entstehen pathologischer kardialer Hypertrophie. Da das Dimer Interface von ERK eine mögliche Zielstruktur darstellt, um selektiv die nukleären Signalwege von ERK zu unterbrechen, wurde untersucht, ob man mit Hemmung der ERK-Dimerisierung eine therapeutische Möglichkeit hat, um pathologische kardiale Hypertrophie zu verhindern. Dazu wurden verschiedene ERK2 Mutanten und Peptide generiert, um die ERK-Dimerisierung zu verhindern. Die Effekte dieser Konstrukte auf die ERK-Dimerisierung und den Kernimport wurden in verschiedenen Zelltypen mittels Fluoreszenzmikroskopie, Co-Immunopräzipitationen und Duolink proximity ligation assays getestet. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Peptide effektiv die ERK-ERK Interaktion nach Stimulation mit Phenylephrin und/oder Carbachol verhindern. Zusätzlich reduzierten die Peptide ERKT188-Phosphorylierung und in der Folge den ERK-Import in den Nukleus und Kardiomyozytenhypertrophie. Normale ERK-Aktivierung wurde jedoch durch die Peptide nicht verhindert. Insgesamt konnte gezeigt werden, dass das ERK-Dimer Interface eine wertvolle Zielstruktur ist, mit dem man nukleäre ERK1/2 Signalwege selektiv unterbrechen und damit effektiv Kardiomyozytenwachstum reduzieren kann, ohne gleichzeitig das Zellüberleben zu gefährden.
Patienten mit arterieller Hypertonie haben ein erhöhtes Risiko eine Tumorerkrankung, insbesondere Nierenzellkarzinome, zu entwickeln. Die arterielle Hypertonie ist über die Entstehung von oxidativem Stress mit der Entwicklung von DNA-Schäden verknüpft, wobei ein hochreguliertes Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System (RAAS) eine entscheidende Rolle einnimmt. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es zum einen Hypertoniker (HypAll) und gesunde Kontrollen und zum anderen gut (HypGut) und schlecht (HypSch) eingestellte Hypertoniker unter Berücksichtigung der eingenommenen Antihypertensiva bezüglich ihrer Level an oxidativem Stress und DNA-Schäden zu vergleichen. Zusätzlich erfolgte im Rahmen einer Längsschnittanalyse der intraindividuelle Vergleich unter den Hypertonikern. Hierfür erfolgte die Bestimmung von SHp, D-ROM und 3-Nitrotyrosin als Marker für oxidativen Stress im Plasma, von 8-oxodG, 15-F2t-Isoprostan und Malondialdehyd als Marker für oxidativen Stress im Urin und von γ-H2AX und Mikrokernen als Marker für DNA-Schäden in Lymphozyten.
Dabei konnte ein erhöhter oxidativer Stress in der HypAll-Gruppe verglichen zu den Kontrollen anhand aller Marker für oxidativen Stress mit Ausnahme von Malondialdehyd festgestellt werden. Nach Altersadjustierung zeigte sich dieser Gruppenunterschied nur noch für die Proteinstressmarker SHp und 3-Nitrotyrosin signifikant. Bezüglich der Marker für DNA-Schäden ergab sich kein Unterschied zwischen HypAll und Kontrollen. Ebenso zeigte sich kein signifikanter Unterschied in den Leveln für oxidativen Stress und DNA-Schäden zwischen der HypGut- und HypSch-Gruppe. Zuletzt konnte im Rahmen der Längsschnittstudie ein positiver Zusammenhang zwischen der Entwicklung des Blutdrucks und des oxidativen Stresses anhand der Veränderung von D-ROM und des systolischen Blutdrucks beobachtet werden.
Die teils nicht-signifikanten und teils mangelnden Unterschiede zwischen HypAll und Kontrollen sowie zwischen HypGut und HypSch sind am ehesten durch das besondere Patientengut, welches sich auch grundlegend von dem anderer vergleichbarer Studien unterscheidet, erklärbar. Die Patienten mit therapieresistenter Hypertonie (TRH) zeichnen sich durch eine langjährige Einnahme zahlreicher Antihypertensiva aus. Diese, insbesondere die RAAS-wirksamen, besitzen eine über die reine Blutdrucksenkung hinausgehende antioxidative und antigenotoxische Wirkung, welche vermutlich zu einer Angleichung der Level für oxidativen Stress und DNA-Schäden geführt hat.
Um die Dynamik der Biomarker und den Einfluss der Antihypertensiva auf oxidativen Stress und DNA-Schäden besser zu verstehen, sind weitere Studien über einen längeren Beobachtungszeitraum sowie mit zusätzlich therapienaiven Hypertonikern sinnvoll. Die weitere Erforschung von Biomarkern, um sie im klinischen Alltag zur Verbesserung der Patientenbehandlung einsetzen zu können, ist notwendig.
Various substituted aniline derivatives were tested for genotoxicity in several short-term tests in order to examine the hypothesis that a Substitution at both ortho positions (2,6-disubstitution) could prevent genotoxicity due to steric hindrance of an enzymatic activation to electrophilic intermediates. In the Salmonellajmicrosome assay, 2,6-dialkylsubstituted anilines and 2,4,6-trimethylaniline (2,4,6-TMA) were weakly mutagenic in strain TA100 when 20% S9 mixwas used, although effects were small compared to those of 2,4-dimethylaniline and 2,4,5-trimethylaniline (2,4,5-TMA). In Drosophila me/anogaster, however, 2,4,6-TMA and 2,4,6-trichloroaniline (TCA) were mutagenic in the wing spottestat 2-3 times lower doses than 2,4,5-TMA. In the 6-thioguanine resistance test in cultured fibroblasts, 2,4,6-TMA was again mutagenic at lower doses than 2,4,5-TMA. Two methylene-bis-aniline derivatives were also tested with the above methods: 4,4'-methylene-bis-(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA) was moderately genotoxic in al1 3 test systems whereas 4,4'-methylene-bis-(2-ethyl-6-methylaniline) (MMEA) showed no genotoxicity at all. DNA binding sturlies in rats, however, revealed that both MOCA and MMEA produced DNA adducts in the liver at Ievels typically found for moderately strong genotoxic carcinogens. These results indicate that the predictive value of the in vitro test systems and particularly the Salmonellajmicrosome assay is inadequate to detect genotoxicity in aromatic amines. Genotoxicity seems to be a general property of aniline derivatives and does not seem to be greatly influenced by substitution at both ortho positions.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most frequent psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents and is often treated with methylphenidate (MPH), resulting in MPH exposure in more than 1% of all children in many countries. A 2005 report on cytogenetic effects in peripheral lymphocytes from 12 ADHD children treated for 3 months with MPH raised questions about its genetic toxicity and potential carcinogenicity. A healthy control group (23 individuals), a chronically MPH-treated (>12 months) group (21 patients), and a drug naïve group of ADHD-affected children (26 patients), which was analyzed again after 3 months (17 patients) and 6 months (11 patients), provided samples for analysis of micronucleated lymphocytes. No significant alteration in genomic damage as seen as micronucleus frequency in peripheral lypmphocytes was detected after MPH treatment. No indication for genomic damage induced by MPH was obtained in this study. Ongoing studies in the USA, as well as continuation of recently published epidemiological cancer incidence analysis should provide additional reassurance for MPH-treated ADHD patients.
Seit langem werden auf das β-adrenerge System wirkende Pharmaka, v.a. β1-Antagonisten und β2-Agonisten, therapeutisch eingesetzt, allerdings sind die pharmakologischen Eigenschaften dieser Stoffe an den drei bekannten β-adrenergen Subtypen teilweise nur unzureichend untersucht. Ein Ziel dieser Arbeit war es daher, vergleichbare pharmakologische Daten für Agonisten (Adrenalin, Noradrenalin, Isoprenalin, Fenoterol, Salbutamol, Salmeterol, Terbutalin, Formoterol, Broxaterol) und Neutrale und Inverse Antagonisten (Propranolol, Alprenolol, Atenolol, Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Carvedilol, Pindolol, BRL 37344, CGP 20712, SR 59230A, CGP 12177, ICI 118551) an allen drei Subtypen von adrenergen Rezeptoren in einem zellbiologisch identischen Hintergrund zu gewinnen. Dazu stellten wir stabil transfizierte CHO-Zelllinien her, die die einzelnen humanen β-adrenergen Subtypen in vergleichbarer Menge exprimierten. Nach der pharmakologischen Charakterisierung der einzelnen Rezeptorsubtypen erfolgte die Affinitätsmessung von klinisch häufig eingesetzten wie auch experimentell verwendeten Substanzen mit dem unselektiven β-adrenergen Antagonisten 125I-CYP als Radioligand. Darüber hinaus untersuchten wir die β-adrenerg vermittelte Stimulation der Adenylylcyclase in isolierten Membranen dieser Zelllinien. Alle untersuchten Substanzen zeigten charakteristische Bindungs- und funktionale Eigenschaften. Wir konnten nachweisen, dass einige β2- bzw. β3-Agonisten an den anderen Subtypen inversen Agonismus zeigen. Zusätzlich konnten β1-Antagonisten mit agonistischer Aktivität an β2- und β3-AR gefunden werden. Die gewonnenen Daten können somit helfen, klinisch beobachtete Effekte, wie z.B. die unerwünschten Wirkungen der entsprechenden Medikamente, besser zu verstehen. Insbesondere die Ergebnisse am β3-AR sind als Referenz und Ausgangspunkt weiterer Studien an diesem noch relativ wenig untersuchten Rezeptor wertvoll.
Insulin ist ein essentielles Hormon im menschlichen Körper, welches für die Senkung der Blutglukosekonzentration, die Bildung von Energiespeichern und das Zellwachstum verantwortlich ist. Eine mit der Fehlregulation der Insulinproduktion einhergehenden Krankheit ist der Diabetes mellitus. Für diese Arbeit spielt der Typ 2 dieser Erkrankung eine wichtige Rolle. Es entwickelt sich bei Patienten mit diesem Typ des Diabetes mellitus langsam eine Insulinresistenz, die zunächst durch eine kompensatorische Überproduktion von Insulin charakterisiert ist. Dieser Zustand der Hyperinsulinämie kann Jahre bis Jahrzehnte andauern, ehe es zu einem Versagen der ß-Zellen des Pankreas und somit zu einer Hypoinsulinämie kommt. In dieser Arbeit war es Ziel herauszufinden, ob diese lange Zeit herrschende Hyperinsulinämie einen Einfluss auf die menschliche DNA hat. Die Genotoxizität von hohen Insulinkonzentrationen wurde in Hep-G2 Zellen, HT29 Zellen, sowie primären humanen peripheren Lymphozyten mithilfe des Comet Assays und des Mikrokerntests nachgewiesen. Oxidativer Stress bzw. dessen Reduzierung durch Antioxidantien und Inhibitoren wurde in HT29 Zellen mithilfe der DHE-Färbung detektiert. Diese Arbeit belegt dass sich Insulin schädigend auf das menschliche Genom in vitro auswirken kann. Eine besondere Relevanz haben die durchgeführten Experimente mit primären menschlichen Lymphozyten. Denn bei ihnen handelt es sich um Zellen, die im Gegensatz zu der auch genutzten humanen Leberkarzinomzelllinie Hep-G2 und der humanen Kolonkarzinomzelllinie HT29 nicht transformiert sind. Eine weitere wesentliche Erkenntnis dieser Arbeit ist, dass schon pathophysiologisch vorliegende Insulinkonzentrationen in der Lage sind Genomschädigungen in vitro zu induzieren. HT29 Zellen zeigten bei Kurzzeitbehandlung mit nur 1nM Insulin eine signifikante Erhöhung der DNA-Schädigung. Bei Langzeitexposition von 6 Tagen konnten schon 0,5nM signifikante DNA-Schäden hervorrufen. Diese durch Insulin hervorgerufenen Schäden könnten, falls sie so auch in vivo entstehen, bei Versagen von Reparaturmechanismen zur Entstehung von Mutationen und sich daraus entwickelnden Karzinomen beitragen. Aus diesem Grund war ein weiteres Ziel dieser Arbeit herauszufinden, ob bestimmte Antioxidantien oder Inhibitoren in der Lage sind die Insulin-induzierten Genomschädigungen zu verringern. Hierfür wurde Tempol, Apocynin, Plumbagin, VAS2870, Rotenone, PPP, HNMPA-(AM)3 und Wortmannin genutzt. Tatsächlich sind diese Substanzen in der Lage die durch Insulin hervorgerufene Schädigung zu reduzieren. Die positiven Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit könnten einen ersten Hinweis auf eine mögliche pharmakologische Intervention bei Hyperinsulinämie mit dem Ziel der Senkung des erhöhten Krebsrisikos geben. Eine wichtige Erkenntnis aus den Ergebnissen meiner Arbeit ist, dass die Reduzierung des oxidativen Stresses eine Reduzierung der Genomschädigung bewirkt. Die genutzten Substanzen Apocynin, Tempol, VAS2870 und Rotenone bewirkten in HT29 Zellen eine signifikante Reduzierung des durch Insulin ausgelösten oxidativen Stresses. Um aber genauere Aussagen über Möglichkeiten der Therapie bei Hyperinsulinämie zu treffen, sollten Folgestudien auch in vivo folgen, welche die in dieser Arbeit beschriebenen Effekte bestätigen.
Patienten mit erhöhten Aldosteronspiegeln zeigen eine gesteigerte Inzidenz für Malignome, insbesondere von Nierenzellkarzinomen. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die Aldosteron-vermittelte oxidative Nierenschädigung näher zu analysieren sowie die auf Zellebene gezeigte Beeinflussung der antioxidativen Schutzmechanismen im lebenden Organismus nachzuweisen und mögliche therapeutische Ansatzpunkte zu identifizieren. Dazu wurde ein Interventions-versuch über 28 Tage durchgeführt. Neben einer Aldosterongabe wurden folgende Interventionen verwendet: Spironolacton zur Blockade des Mineralkortikoid-Rezeptors (MR), Apocynin als Hemmstoff der NADPH-Oxidasen (Nox), L-NAME zur Blockade der NO-Synthasen (NOS), PDTC, einen Hemmstoff des Transkriptionsfaktors NF-kB sowie Sulforaphan, ein natürlicher Nrf2-Induktor. Eine weitere Gruppe erhielt Sulforaphan ohne additive Aldosterongabe. Die Nierenschäden wurden mittels histopathologischer Schädigungsscores und der Anzahl an DNA-Doppelstrangbrüche analysiert. Die Beeinflussung der antioxidativen Abwehr wurde durch die Aktivierung des Transkriptionsfaktors Nrf2 und durch die Quantifizierung antioxidativer Enzyme bestimmt.
Im Nierengewebe führte Aldosteron zu einer Zunahme von oxidativem Stress. Histologisch zeigte sich ein Anstieg von glomerulären Schäden. Auch kam es zu einer deutlichen Zunahme von Doppelstrangbrüchen der DNA. Des Weiteren konnten wir zeigen, dass Aldosteron auch in vivo zu einer Zunahme der Nrf2-Aktivität führte, wobei sich dies auf Proteinebene nicht in einer (dauerhaften) Synthesesteigerung von antioxidativen Enzymen wiederspiegelte und keinen ausreichenden Schutz des Nierengewebes bot. Für die Interventionsgruppen konnte keine signifikante Auswirkung auf das Vorliegen von oxidativem Stress gezeigt werden. Dies könnte an der Versuchsdauer bzw. an der gewählten Nachweismethode gelegen haben. Nichtsdestotrotz zeigte die Blockade der Nox durch Apocynin bzw. der NOS durch L-NAME eine effektive Reduktion der histologischen und genomischen Schäden. Die L-NAME-Gruppe wies dabei die höchsten Blutdruckwerte auf, diese waren auch zur Aldosterongruppe signifikant gesteigert. Die beobachteten Effekte waren folglich nicht durch den in der Aldosterongruppe erfolgten Blutdruckanstieg, sondern vielmehr durch den Anstieg von oxidativem Stress zu erklären. Ebenfalls blieb die Nrf2-Aktivität bei der Gabe von Apocynin und L-NAME weitgehend auf Kontrollniveau, was dafürspricht, dass der in der Aldosterongruppe messbare Nrf2-Anstieg am ehesten als Reaktion auf chronisch erhöhten oxidativen Stress erfolgte, welcher durch die Interventionen ausblieb. Die Blockade von NF-κB mittels PDTC führte zu vergleichbaren Effekten wie Apocynin und L-NAME. Das deutet darauf hin, dass Aldosteron über die Aktivierung von NF-κB die vermehrte Synthese von pro-oxidativen Enzymen wie Nox und NOS anregt. Die Gabe von Spironolacton hatte den stärksten protektiven Effekt, sowohl auf histologische Veränderungen als auch auf das Entstehen von DNA-Doppelstrangbrüchen, wobei die Nrf2-Aktivität in dieser Gruppe ebenfalls auf Kontrollniveau blieb. Die Aldosteroneffekte wurden folglich über den MR vermittelt. Eine additive Nrf2-Induktion mittels Sulforaphan konnte auch keinen (dauerhaften) Effekt auf die Synthese antioxidativer Enzyme zeigen. Dennoch zeigte diese Gruppe einen ähnlich effektiven Schutz vor den oxidativen Nierenschäden wie die Gabe von Spironolacton. Vieles spricht dafür, dass die Wirkung von Sulforaphan dabei über seine Wirkung als direktes Antioxidans bzw. Radikalfänger und nicht über den Nrf2-Weg zu erklären ist.
Aldosteron führt in der Niere über oxidativen Stress zu glomerulärer Fibrose und DNA-Schäden. Das könnte eine Erklärung für die gesteigerte Inzidenz von Nierenzellkarzinomen in Patienten mit erhöhten Aldosteronspiegeln darstellen. Unsere Ergebnisse sprechen dafür, dass Aldosteron über eine Signalkaskade über den MR zu einer Aktivierung von Nox und NOS führt. Der Aktivierung des Transkriptionsfaktors NF-κB scheint dabei durch die Synthese pro-oxidativer Enzyme eine Art Verstärker-Effekt zuzukommen. Als Reaktion auf den durch Aldosteron gesteigerten oxidativen Stress kommt es zu einer Aktivierung des antioxidativen Transkriptionsfaktors Nrf2, jedoch ohne dass dies zu einem ausreichenden Schutz des Nierengewebes führt. Mögliche therapeutische Ansatzpunkte für einen Schutz vor den durch Aldosteron vermittelten oxidativen Nierenschäden scheinen eher innerhalb der Aldosteronsignalkaskade, insbesondere in der Blockade des MR, als in der antioxidativen Abwehr zu liegen.
In their role as second messengers, cyclic nucleotides such as cAMP have a variety of intracellular effects. These complex tasks demand a highly organized orchestration of spatially and temporally confined cAMP action which should be best achieved by compartmentalization of the latter. A great body of evidence suggests that cAMP compartments may be established and maintained by cAMP degrading enzymes, e.g. phosphodiesterases (PDEs). However, the molecular and biophysical details of how PDEs can orchestrate cAMP gradients are entirely unclear. In this paper, using fusion proteins of cAMP FRET-sensors and PDEs in living cells, we provide direct experimental evidence that the cAMP concentration in the vicinity of an individual PDE molecule is below the detection limit of our FRET sensors (<100nM). This cAMP gradient persists in crude cytosol preparations. We developed mathematical models based on diffusion-reaction equations which describe the creation of nanocompartments around a single PDE molecule and more complex spatial PDE arrangements. The analytically solvable equations derived here explicitly determine how the capability of a single PDE, or PDE complexes, to create a nanocompartment depend on the cAMP degradation rate, the diffusive mobility of cAMP, and geometrical and topological parameters. We apply these generic models to our experimental data and determine the diffusive mobility and degradation rate of cAMP. The results obtained for these parameters differ by far from data in literature for free soluble cAMP interacting with PDE. Hence, restricted cAMP diffusion in the vincinity of PDE is necessary to create cAMP nanocompartments in cells.
The effects of barbiturates on the GABA·receptor complex and the A\(_1\) adenosine receptor were studied. At the GABA-receptor complex the barbiturates inhibited the binding of [\(^{35}\)S]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate [\(^{35}\)S]TBPT) and enhanced the binding of [\(^3\)H]diazepam. Kinetic and saturation experiments showed that both effects were allosteric. Whereas all barbiturates caused complete inhibition of [\(^{35}\)S]TBPT binding, they showed varying degrees of maximal enhancement of [\(^3\)H]diazepam binding; (±)methohexital was idenafied as the most efficacious compound for this enhancement. At the A\(_1\) adenosine receptor all barbiturates inhibited the binding of [\(^3\)H]N\(^6\)-phenylisopropyladenosine (\(^3\)H]PIA) in a competitive manner. The comparison of the effects on [\(^3\)H]diazepam and [\(^3\)H]PIA binding showed that excitatory barbiturates interact preferentially with the A\(_1\) adenosine receptor, and sedative/anaesthetic barbiturates with the GABA-receptor complex. It is speculated that the interaction with these two receptors might be the basis of the excitatory versus sedative/ anaesthetic properties of barbiturates.
Human platelet membranes were solubilized with the zwitterionic detergent CHAPS (3-[3-(cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]- 1-propanesulfonate) and the solubilized extract subjected to gel ftltration. Binding of the adenosine receptor agonist [\(^3\)H]NECA (5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine) was measured to the eluted fractions. Two [\(^3\)H]NECA binding peaks were eluted, the first of them with the void volume. This first peak represented between 10% and 25% of the [\(^3\)H]NECA binding activity eluted from the column. It bound [\(^3\)H]NECA in a reversible, saturable and GTPdependent manner with an affinity of 46 nmol/1 and a binding capacity of 510 fmol/mg protein. Various adenosine receptor ligands competed for the binding of [\(^3\)H]NECA to the frrst peak with a pharmacological proftle characteristic for the A\(_2\) adenosine receptor as determined from adenylate cyclase experiments. In contrast, most adenosine receptor ligands did not compete for [\(^3\)H]NECA binding to the second, major peak. These results suggest that a solubilized A\(_2\) receptor-Gs protein complex of human platelets can be separated from other [\(^3\)H]NECA binding sites by gel filtration. This allows reliable radioligand binding studies of the A2 adenosine receptor of human plate1ets.
Adenosine modulates a variety of physiological functions via membrane-bound receptors. These receptors couple via G proteins to adenylate cyclase and K+channels. The A1 subtype mediates an inhibition of adenylate cyclase and an opening of K+-channels, and the A2 subtype a Stimulation of adenylate cyclase. Both subtypes have been characterized by radioligand binding. This has facilitated the development of agonists and antagonists with more than 1000-fold A1 selectivity. A1-selective photoaffinity labels have been used for the biochemical characterization of A1 receptors and the study of their coupling to adenylate cyclase. Such selective ligands allow the analysis of the involvement of adenosine receptors in physiological functions. Selective interference with adenosine receptors provides new pharmacological tools and eventually new therapeutic approaches to a number of pathophysiological states.
The binding of \([^3H]\)phenobarbital to rat brain membranes was studied in order to determine its characteristics and specificity. The binding reaction was rapid and occurred at sites of low affinity. \((K_d = 700 μM)\) and very high density \((B_{max} = 2.7 nmoll/mg protein)\). It was unaffected by temperature changes from O°C to 95°C and was maximal at pH 5. Detergents in low concentrations markedly decreased the binding, apparently without solubilizing the binding sites. It is concluded that the binding of \([^3H]\) phenobarbital is a rather non-specific interaction with the plasma membrane.
Tbe 2',3'-dideoxy analogue of the potent A\(_1\) receptor agonist, N\(^6\)-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA), was synthesized as a potential antagonist for the A\(_1\) adenosine receptor. In sturlies on adenylate cyclase 2',3'-dideoxy-N\(^6\)-cyclohexyladenosine (ddCHA) did not show agonist properties at A\(_1\) or at A\(_2\) receptors. However, it antagonized the inhibition by R-PIA of adenylate cyclase activity of fat cell membranes via A\(_1\) receptors with a K\(_i\) value of 13 \(\mu\)M. ddCHA competed for the binding of the selective A1 receptor antagonist, [\(^3\) HJ8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxantbine ([\(^3\)H]DPCPX), to rat brain membranes with a K\(_i\) value of 4.8 \(\mu\)M; GTP did not affect the competition curve. In contrast to the marked stereoselectivity of the A\(_1\) receptor for the cx- and the natural ß-anomer of adenosine, the cx-anomer of ddCHA showed a comparable affinity for the A\(_1\) receptor (K\(_i\) value 13.9 \8\mu\)M). These data indicate that the 2'- and 3'-hydroxy groups of adenosine and its derivatives are required foragonist activity at and high affinity binding to A\(_1\) adenosine receptors and for the distinction between the cx- and ß-forms.
Barbiturates in pharmacologically relevant . concentrations inhibit binding of (R)-\(N^6\)-phenylisopropyl[\(^3\)H]adenosine ([\(^3\)H]PIA) to solubilized A\(_1\) adenosine receptors in a concentration-dependent, stereospecific, and competitive manner. K\(_i\) values are similar to those obtained for membrane-bound receptors and are 31 \(\mu\)M for ( ± )-5-(1 ,3-dimethyl)-5-ethylbarbituric acid [( ± )DMBB] and 89 \(\mu\)M for ( ± )-pentobarbital. Kinetic experiments demoostrate that barbiturates compete directly for the binding site of the receptor. The inhibition of rat striatal adenylate cyclase by unlabelled (R)-\(N^6\)-phenylisopropyladenosine [(R)-PIA] is antagonized by barbiturates in the same concentrations that inhibit radioligand binding. The Stimulation of adenylate cyclase via A\(_2\) adenosine receptors in membranes from NIE 115 neuroblastoma cells is antagonized only by 10-30 times higher concentrations of barbiturates. lt is concluded that barbiturates are selective antagonists at the A1 receptor subtype. In analogy to the excitatory effects of methylxanthines it is suggested that A\(_1\) adenosine receptor antagonism may convey excitatory properties to barbiturates. Key Words: Adenosine receptors-Barbiturates - Adenylate cyclase-Receptor solubilization-[3H]PIA binding-N1E 115 cells. Lohse M. J. et al. Barbiturates are selective antagonists at A1 adenosine receptors.
The properties of 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) as an antagonist ligand for A\(_1\) adenosirre receptors were examined and conipared with other radioligands for this receptor. DPCPX competitively antagonized both the inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity via A\(_1\) adenosirre receptors and the stimulationvia A\(_2\) adenosirre receptors. The K\(_i\)-values of this antagonism were 0.45 nM at the A\(_1\) receptor of rat fat cells, and 330 nM at the A\(_2\) receptor of human platelets, giving a more than 700-fold A\(_1\)-selectivity. A similar A\(_1\)-selectivity was determined in radioligand binding studies. Even at high concentrations, DPCPX did not significantly inhibit the soluble cAMPphosphodiesterase activity of human platelets. [\(^3\)H]DPCPX (105 Ci/mmol) bound in a saturable manner with high affinity to A\(_1\) receptors in membranes of bovine brain and heart, and rat brain and fat cells (K\(_D\) -values 50-190 pM). Its nonspecific binding was about 1% of total at K\(_D\) , except in bovine myocardial membranes (about 10%). Binding studies with bovine myocardial membranes allowed the analysis of both the high and low agonist affinity states of this receptor in a tissue with low receptor density. The binding properties of [\(^3\)H]DPCPX appear superior to those of other agonist and antagonist radioligands for the A\(_1\) receptor.
2-Chloro-N\(^6\)-cyclopentyladenosine: a highly selective agonist at A\(_1\) adenosine receptors
(1988)
2-Chloro-N\(^6\)-cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA) was synthesized as a potential high affinity ligand for At adenosine receptors. Binding of [\(^3\)H]PIA to A1 receptors of rat brain membranes was inhibited by CCP A with a Ki-value of 0.4 nM, compared to a Ki-value of 0.8 nM for the parent compound N\(^6\)-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA). Binding of [\(^3\)H]NECA to A\(_2\) receptors of rat striatal membranes was inhibited with a Ki-value of 3900 nM, demonstrating an almost 10,000-fold A\(_1\)-selectivity of CCPA. CCP A inhibited the activity of rat fat cell membrane adenylate cyclase, a model for the A\(_1\) receptor, with an IC\(_{50}\)-value of 33 nM, and it stimulated the adenylate cyclase activity of human platelet membranes with an EC\(_{50}\)-value of 3500 nM. The more than 100-fold A\(_1\)-selectivity compares favourably with a 38-fold selectivity of CPA. Thus, CCPA is an agonist at A\(_1\) adenosine receptors with a 4-fold higher selectivity and 2-fold higher affinity than CPA, and a considerably higher selectivity than the standard At receptor agonist R-N\(^6\) -phenylisopropyladenosine (R-PIA). CCP A represents the agonist with the highest selectivity for A\(_1\) receptors reported so far.
1 Adenosine and its metabolically stable analogue N.etbyl-carboxamidoadenosine (NECA) enhance histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells when tbese are stimulated by calciummobilizing agents. NECA and adenosine shift the concentration-response curve of tbe calcium ionophore A23187 to lower concentrations. 2 The potencies of NECA or adenosinein enhancing A23187-induced histamine release are dependent on the Ievel of stimulated release in tbe absence of adenosine analogues. At high Ievels of release their potencies are up to 20 times higher than at low Ievels. Consequently, averaged concentration-response curves of adenosine and NECA for enhancing bistamine release are shallow. 3 The adenosine transport blocker S-(p-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine (NBTI) has no effect by itself at low Ievels of stimulated histamine release, but abolishes the enhancing effect of adenosine. At high Ievels of release, however, NBTI alone enhances the release of histamine. 4 lt is concluded that adenosine and calcium reciprocally enhance the sensitivity of the secretory processes to the effects of the other agent. The Ievels of intracellular adenosine obtained by trapping adenosine inside stimulated mast cells are sufficient to enhance histamine release substantially, suggesting that this effect may play a physiological and pathophysiological role.
Mast cells release histamine and other mediators of allergy in response to stimulation of their IgE receptors. This release is generally thought to be mediated by an elevation of cytosolic \(Ca^{2+}\). Recent evidence suggests that there might be factors that modulate the coupling between \(Ca^{2+}\) levels and mediator release. The present report identifies adenosine as one such modulator. Adenosine and several of its metabolically stable analogues were shown to enhance histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells in response to stimuli such as concanavalin A. Metabolizing endogenous adenosine with adenosine deaminase dampened the response to stimuli, whereas trapping endogenous adenosine inside mast cells with nucleoside-transport inhibitors markedly enhanced stimulated histamine release. The metabolically stable adenosine analogue 5' -(N-ethylcarboxamido)adenosine (NECA) did not affect the initial steps in the sequence from IgE-receptor activation to mediator release, which are generation of inositol trisphosphate and increase of cytosolic \(Ca^{2+}\). However, NECA did enhance the release induced in ATP-permeabilized cells by exogenous \(Ca^{2+}\), but it had no effect on the release induced by phorbol esters. These data suggest that adenosine sensitizes mediator release by a mechanism regulating stimulus-secretion coupling at a step distal to receptor activation and second-messenger generation.
It has previously been shown that covalent incorporation of the photoreactive adenosine derivative (R)-2-azido-N6-p-hydroxyphenytisopropyladenosine [(R)-AHPIA] into the A, adenosine receptor of intact fat cells leads to a persistent activation of this receptor, resulting in a reduction of celular cAMP Ieveis [Mol. Pharmacol. 30:403-409 (1986)]. In contrast, covalent incorporation of (R)-AHPIA into human platelet membranes, which contain only stimulatory A2 adenosine receptors, reduces adenytate cyclase Stimulation via these receptors. This effect of (R)-AHPIA is specific for the A2 receptor and can be prevented by the adenosine receptor antagonist theophylline. Binding studies in-dicate that up to 90% of A2 receptors can be blocked by photoincorporation of (R)-AHPIA. However, the remaining 10-20% of A2 receptors are sufficient to mediate an adenylate cyclase Stimulation of up to SOOk of the control value. Similarly, the activation via these 10-20% of receptors occurs with a halflife that is only 2 times Ionger than that in control membranes. This indicates the presence of a receptor reserve, with respect to both the extent and the rate of adenytate cyclase Stimulation. These observations require a modification of the models of receptor-adenytate cyclase coupling, which is described in the accompanying paper [Mol. Pharmacol. 39:524-530 (1991)].
Barbiturates inhibit binding of radioligands to A 1(Ri) adenosine receptors of rat brain membranes. This inhibition is dose-dependent and stereospecific and occurs in the range of pharmacologically active concentrations. The displacement of radiolabelled A1antagonists by barbiturates is not modified by GTP, indicating that barbiturates might act as antagonists at this receptor. This action of barbiturates does not seem to be related to the binding of barbiturates to plasma membranes, as the latter process has different characteristics. Barbiturates also inhibit the binding of radioligands to solubilized A1receptors, and saturation and kinetic experiments suggest that this is due to a competitive antagonism. These results indicate that barbiturates interact with the recognition site of the A1adenosine receptor.
The ligand-binding subunit ofthe A1 adenosine receptor has been identified in membranes with the photoaffinity Iabel R-2-azido-N6-p-hydroxyphenylisopropyladenosine (R-AHPIA). Covalent labelling ofthe A1 receptor can also be achieved in intact cells. The dissociation of the radioiodinated label (1251-AHPIA) from isolated rat fat cells was incomplete after UV irradiation, leaving about 20°/o of irreversible specific binding. Such covalent labelling of the receptor led to a concentration-dependent reduction of cellular cyclic AMP levels. This persistent effect of covalent labeHing occurred with an IC50 value of 9 nM, as compared to an IC50 value of 0.9 nM for the direct reduction of cyclic AMP Ievels by the ligand. The difference in the IC5o values can be explained by assuming spare receptors. This hypothesis was verified in binding studies using [ 3HJPIA as a radioligand. R-AHPIA inhibited binding of [3H)PIA to intact fat cells with a K1 value of about 20 nM, which is about 20 tim es high er than the corresponding IC50 value of cyclic AMP reduction. These data show that the A1 receptor is activated according to the occupancy theory. The high sensitivity of the activation in intact ceJis is due to a large number of spare receptors.
The binding of agonists and antagonists to a2-adrenergic receptors of human platelets was studied. The receptors showed homogeneaus affinities for antagonists but two affinity states for the agonist (-)-epinephrine, which were modulated by guanine nucleotides. Van't Hoffplots of antagonist binding had a break point at about 18° and considerable diversity between 18° and 0°. Agonist binding to both affinity states showed a similar break point; agonist binding to the high affinity state was characterized by a large entropy component compared to the low affinity state. This entropy component was reduced at higher concentrations of sodium, indicating that it may be due to Iiberation of sodium ions. Measurements of the fluorescence of 1-anilin-8-naphthalenesulfonate showed thermotropic phase transitions of theplatelet membranes at about 17°. The transition temperature was decreased to about 12° by addition of 1 0 mM octanoic acid. Octanoic acidalso shifted the break points of the van't Hoffplot of antagonist and low affinity agonist binding from 18° to 12°. High affinity agonist binding, however, remained unchanged. It is concluded that agonist-specific thennodynamic characteristics of ligand binding to a2-receptors of human platelets can only be investigated by regarding differences between high and low affinity agonist binding. These differences include an entropy increase upon Iigand binding, which is in part due to enhanced liberation of sodium ions, and a loss of sensitivity to fluidity changes in the outer layer of the plasma membrane.
Cancer and heart disease are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. These diseases have common risk factors, common molecular signaling pathways that are central to their pathogenesis, and even some disease phenotypes that are interdependent. Thus, a detailed understanding of common regulators is critical for the development of new and synergistic therapeutic strategies. The Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) is a regulator of the cellular kinome that functions to maintain cellular robustness and prevent the progression of diseases including heart disease and cancer. Two of the key signaling pathways controlled by RKIP are the β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) signaling to protein kinase A (PKA), particularly in the heart, and the MAP kinase cascade Raf/MEK/ERK1/2 that regulates multiple diseases. The goal of this review is to discuss how we can leverage RKIP to suppress cancer without incurring deleterious effects on the heart. Specifically, we discuss: (1) How RKIP functions to either suppress or activate βAR (PKA) and ERK1/2 signaling; (2) How we can prevent cancer-promoting kinase signaling while at the same time avoiding cardiotoxicity.
Ausgangspunkt der Arbeit ist die klinische Beobachtung, dass Patienten mit arteriellem Hypertonus vermehrt Nierenerkrankungen entwickeln. Dabei zeigten sich in der Subgruppenanalyse vor allem erhöhte Inzidenzen der Niereninsuffizienz und der Nierenzellkarzinome. Als möglicher Pathomechanismus steht das Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosteron-System (RAAS-System) im Vordergrund. Dabei wird postuliert, dass erhöhte Angiotensin II-Spiegel zu einem Missverhältnis zwischen den Oxidations- und Reduktionspartnern in der Zelle führen, wodurch sich das oxidative Potential der Zelle ändert, und es vermehrt zur Bildung von Radikalen (ROS) kommt, die meist ungepaarte Elektronen in der Valenzschale oder instabile Verbindungen enthalten, wodurch sie besonders reaktionsfreudig mit Proteinen, Lipiden, Kohlenhydraten und auch der DNA interagieren. In der Folge kommt es zu DNA-Veränderungen in Form von Doppel- oder Einzelstrangbrüchen, DNA-Protein-Crosslinks, Basenmodifikationen und Basenverlusten, wodurch sich ein hohes mutagenes Potential ergibt. Dieser Ansatz zur Pathophysiologie bestätigte sich auch an den hier verwendeten porkinen Nierenzellmodell. Dabei zeigte sich nicht nur eine Veränderung der genomischen Stabilität nach Exposition gegenüber erhöhten Angiotensin II-Spiegeln, sondern auch eine Veränderung der DNA in Abhängigkeit von der Expositionsdauer der Zellen. Als nächster Schritt konnte die Modulation der Transkriptionsfaktoren Nrf 2 und NF-κB durch die Behandlung mit Angiotensin II und Sulforaphan nachgewiesen werden. Bei der Behandlung mit Sulforaphan ließ sich eine Nrf 2-Induktion nachweisen mit vermehrter Expression von antioxidativen und detoxifizierender Enzyme. Weiterhin zeigte sich im Rahmen der Behandlung erniedrigte NF-κB-Level. Bei der Modulation durch Angiotensin II stellte sich zunächst ein signifikant erniedrigtes Level an Nrf 2 in den Zellen dar, das im Verlauf von 24 Stunden anstieg und konsekutiv ließ sich eine maximale Proteinexpression zwischen 24 und 48 Stunden messen. Weiterhin wiesen die Zellen, die mit Angiotensin II behandelt wurden, erhöhte NF-κB Mengen/Zelle auf. Zudem zeigte sich der Einfluss erhöhter Glucosekonzentrationen auf eine progrediente genomischen Instabilität, die Veränderung der Transkriptionsfaktoren mit erhöhter Nrf 2-Induktion und mit Deregulation des Transkriptionsfaktors NF-κB wurde durch die Behandlung mit Sulforaphan nachgewiesen. Aufgrund dieser Rolle in der Tumorgenese sind mittlerweile einige Bestandteile des NF-κB- und des Nrf 2-Signalweges und auch Nrf 2-Aktivatoren wie Sulforaphan wichtige Zielstrukturen für die Entwicklung neuer Medikamente und Therapieoptionen. Besonders zeigt sich hierbei die Wichtigkeit bei Diabetes induzierten kardiovaskulären Folgeschäden mit frühzeitiger medikamentöser Behandlung.
Dose-response relationship and low dose extrapolation in chemical carcinogenesis [commentary]
(1990)
Data supporting various dose-respome relationships in chemical carcinogenesis are summarized. General principles are derived to explain the relationships between exposure dose, JI>NA adduct Ievel, induction of genetic changes, and tumor incidence. Some mechanistic aspects of epigenetic carcinogens (stimulation of ceU division and maldlfl'erentlation) are analyzed in a similar way. In a bomogeneous pnpulation, non-linearities are frequent. They are due to pbenomena of induction or saturation of enzymatic activities and to the multi-step nature of carcinog~: if a carcinogen acce1erates more than one step, the SUperposition of the dose- response curves for the indJvidual steps can result in an exponential relationship. A fourth power of the dose was the maximum seen in animals (fonnaldehyde). At the lowest dose Ievels, a proportionality between dose and tumor induction is postulated independent of the mechanism of action if the carcinogen aceeierotes the endogenous proass responsible for spootaneous tumor formation. Low-dose thresholds are expected only for situations where the carcinogen acts in a way that has no endogenous counterpart. Epidemiologfcal studies in humans show linear dose- response curves in all but two investigations. The difference from the strongly nonlinear slopes ·seen in animal studies could be due to the heterogeneity of the human population: if the individual sensitivity to a carcinogen is governed by a large number of genetic and Iife-style factors, the non-linea.rities will tend to cancel each other out and the dose- response curve becomes 'quasi-linear'.
A list ofendogenaus DNA·damaging agents and processes is given. Endogenaus e/ectrophiles are found with the cosubstrates of physiological transfer reactions (S-adenosylrnethionine for methylation, A TP for phosphorylation, NAD\(^+\) for ADP-ribosylation, acetyl CoA for acetylation). Aldehyde groups (glyceraldehyde- 3-phosphate, formaldehyde, open forms of reducing sugars, degradation products of peroxidation) or alkylating degradation products derived from endogenaus nitrose compounds represent additional possibilities. Radical-forming reactions include leakage of the superoxide anion radical from terminal cytochromes and redox cycles, hydroxyl radical formation by the Fenton reaction from endogenaus hydrogen peroxide, and the formation of lipid peroxides. Genetic instability by spontaneaus deaminations and depurinations as well as replicative instability by tautomer errors andin the presence of mutagenic metal ions represent a third important dass of endogenaus genotoxic processes. The postulated endogenaus genotoxicity could form the mechanistic basis for what is called 'spontaneous' tumor incidence and explain the possibility of an increased tumor incidence after treatment of animals with non-genotoxic compounds exhibiting tumor-promoting activity only. Individual differences are expected to be seen also with endogenaus DNA damage. The presence of endogenaus DNA darnage implies that exogenaus DNAcarcinogen adducts give rise to an incremental darnage which is expected to be proportional to the carcinogen dose at lowest Ievels. An increased tumor risk due to exposure to exogenaus genotoxic carcinogens could therefore be assessed in terms of the background DNA damage~ for instance in multiples of the mean Ievel or of the interindividual variability in a population.
The covalent binding of chemical carcinogens to DNA of mammalian organs is expressed per unit dose, and a 'Covalent-Binding Index', CBI, is defined. CBI for various carcinogens span over 6 orders of magnitude. A similar range is observed for the carcinogenic potency in long-term bioassays on carcinogenicity. For the assessment of a risk from exposure to a carcinogen, the total DN A darnage can be estimated if the actual dose is also accounted for. A detailed description is given for planning and performing a DNA-binding assay. A complete literature survey on DNA binding in vivo (83 compounds) is given with a calculation of CBI, where possible, 153 compounds are listed where a covalent binding to any biological macromolecule has been shown in vivo or in vitro. Recent, so far unpublished findings with aflatoxin Mh macromolecule- bound aflatoxin Bh ·diethylstilbestrol, and 1,2-epithiobutyronitrile are included. A comparison of CBI for rat-liver DNA with hepatocarcinogenic potency reveals a surprisingly good quantitative correlation. Refinements for a DN A-binding assay are proposed. Possibilities and Iimitations in the use of D NA binding in chemical carcinogenesis are discussed extensively.
It was the aim of this investigation to determine whether or not covalent binding of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) to rat liver DNA could be a mechanism of action contributing to the observed induction of liver tumors after lifetime feeding of rodents with high doses of DEHP. DEHP radiolabeled in different positionswas administered orally to female F344 rats with or without pretreatment for 4 weeks with 1% unlabeled DEHP in the diet. Livu DNA was isolated after 16 hr and analyzed for radioattivity. Administration of [\(^{14}\)C]carboxylate unabeled DEHP resulted in no measurable DNA radioactivity. With DEHP [\(^{14}\)C]· and [\(^{3}\)H]. labeled in the alcohol moiety as well as with 2-ethyl[1-\(^{14}\)C]hexanol, radioactivity was clearly measurable in the DNA. HPLC analysis of enzyme-degraded DNA relvealed that the normal nucleosides had incorporated radiolabel whereas no radioactivity was detectable in those fractions where the carcinogen-modified nucleoside adducts are expected. A quantitative evaluation of the negative data in terms of a Iimit of detection for a covalent binding Index (CBJ) indicates that covalent interaction with DNA is highly unlikely to be the mode of tumorigenic action of DEHP in rodents.
Investigation of covalent DNA binding in vivo provided evidence for whether a test substance can be activated to metabolites able to reach and react with DNA in an intact organism. Fora comparison of DNA binding potencies of various compounds tested under different conditions, a normalization of the DNA lesion with respect to the dose is useful. A covalent binding index, CBI = (\(\mu\)mol chemical bound per mol DNA nucleotide )/(mmol chemical administered per kg body weight) can be determined for each compound. Whether covalent DNA binding results in tumor formation is dependent upon additional factors specific to the cell type. Thus far, all compounds which bind covalently to liver DNA in vivo have also proven tobe carcinogenic in a long-term study, although the liver was not necessarily the target organ for tumor growth. With appropriate techniques, DNA binding can be determined in a dose range which may be many orders of magnitude below the dose Ievels required for significant tumor induction in a long-term bioassay. Rat liver DNA bindingwas proportional to the dose of aflatoxin B1 afteroral administration of a dose between 100 \(\mu\)g/kg and 1 ng/kg. The lowest dose was in the range of generat human daily exposures. Demonstration of a lack of liver DNA binding (CBI<0.1) in vivo for a carcinogenic, nonmutagenic compound is a strong indication for an indirect mechanism of carcinogenic action. Carcinogens of this class do not directly produce a change in gene structure or function but disturb a critical biochemical control mechanism, such as protection from oxygen radicals, control of cell division, etc. Ultimately, genetic changes are produced indirectly or accumulate from endogenaus genotoxic agents. The question of why compounds which act via indirect mechanisms are more likely to exhibitanonlinear rangein the dose-response curve as opposed to the directly genotoxic agents or processes is discussed.
Formaldehydeis an electrophilic molecule able to crosslink DNA and protein. It has been found to induce tumors in the nasal epithelium in rodents. The safety margin between the maximum tolerated FA concentration in the work place and the concentration found to be tumorigenic in animal studies is very small. Because FA is produced endogenously as a result of a variety of oxidative demethylations, the assessment of the tumor risk from exogenaus FA exposure has tobe related quantitatively to the level of DNA-protein crosslinks induced by endogenaus FA generation. It is reported here that the high level of endogenaus FA formed in the liver after a large dose of methanol or of aminopyrine did not lead to any observable increase in DNA-protein crosslinks. Using positive and negative control data from in vitro incubations of liver homogenate with FA or methanol it is estimated that the endogenous level of DNA damage in the liver must be more than three orders of magnitude below the damage observed at tumorigenic concentrations for the rat nose. The fact that FA is formed endogenously cannot, therefore, be used to claim that exogenous FA merely leads to a negligible increase in DNA damage.
Ich habe versucht darzulegen, daß mechanistische Überlegungen zur Extrapolation der Dosis-WirkungsBeziehung herangezogen werden können. Ein nichtlinearer Verlauf ist nicht nur bei den epigenetischen Kanzerogenen wahrscheinlich, sondern auch bei den DNA-bindenden. Echte Schwellen sind aber nur in solchen Fällen zu erwarten, wo kein endogenes Korrelat besteht. Immerhin können auch steile Nichtlinearitäten zu einer drastischen Risikoreduktion führen, so daß die Anstrengungen dahin gehen sollten, die Steigung und den Bereich des überproportionalen Abfalls experimentell zu zeigen. In einer heterogenen Population kann die 0 0- sis-Wirkungs-Kurve zusätzliche "Wellen" bekommen und wird dadurch grundsätzlich flacher. Im Extremfall ergibt sich eine lineare Dosis-Wirkungs-Beziehung unabhängig vom Wirkmechanismus des Kanzerogens. Diese Proportionalität zwischen tiefster Dosis und Effekt wird bei genotoxischen Kanzerogenen aus mechanistischen Gründen schon für eine homogene Population postuliert, doch kann dies in einer heterogenen Population auch bei epigenetischen Kanzerogenen in Frage kommen.
no abstract available
Many mutagens and carcinogens act via covalent interaction of metabolic intermediates with DNA in the target cell. This report groups those structural elements which are often found to form the basis for a metabolism to such chemically reactive metabolites. ~mpounds which are chemically reactive per se and which do not require metabolic activation form group 1. Group 2 compri~es of olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons where the oxidation via an epoxide can be responsible for the generation of reactive species. Aromatic amines, hydrazines, and nitrosamirres form group 3 requiring an oxidation of a nitrogen atom or of a carbon atom in alpha position to a nitrosated amine. Group 4 compounds are halogenated hydrocarbons which can either give rise to radicals or can form an ·olefin (group 2) upon dehydrohalogenation. Group 5 compounds depend upon some preceding enzymatic activity either not available in the target cell or acting on positions in the molecule which are not directly involved in the subsequent formation of electrophilic atoms. Examples for each group are taken from the "List of Chemieals and Irrdustrial Processes Associated with Cancer in Humans" as compiled by the International Agency for the Research on Cancer, and it is shown that 91% of the organic carcinogens would have been detected on the basis of structural elements characteristic for group 1-5. As opposed to this very high sensitivity, the specificity ( the true negative fraction) of using this approach as a short-term test for carcinogenicity is shown to be bad because detoxification pathways have so far not been taken into account. These competing processes are so complex, however, that either only very extensive knowledge about pharmacokinetics, stability, and reactivity will be required or that in vivo systems have to be used to predict, on a quantitative basis, the darnage expected on the DNA. DNA-binding experiments in vivo are presented with benzene and toluene to demonstrate one possible way for an experimental assessment and it is shown that the detoxification reaction at the methyl group available only in toluene gives rise to a reduction by at least a factor of forty for the binding to rat liver DNA. This quantitative approach available with DNA-binding tests in vivo, also allows evaluation as to whether reactive metabolites and their DNA binding are always the most important single activities contributing to the overall carcinogenicity of a chemical. With the example of the livertumor inducing hexachlorocyclohexane isomers it is shown that situations will be found where reactive metabolites are formed and DNA binding in vivo is measurable but where this activity cannot be the decisive mode of carcinogenic action. It is concluded that the lack of structural elements known to become potentially reactive does not guarantee the lack of a carcinogenic potential.
Mechanistic possibilitles responsible for nonlinear shapes of the dose-response relationship in chemical carcinogenesis are discussed. (i) Induction and saturation of enzymatic activation and detoxification processes and of DNA repair affect the relationship between dose and steady-state DNA adduct Ievel; (ii) The fixation of DNA adducts in the form of mutations is accelerated by stimulation of the cell division, for Jnstance due to regenerative hyperplasia at cytotoxic dose Ievels; (iii) The rate of tumor formation results from a superposition of the rates of the individual steps. It can become exponential with dose if more than one step is accelerated by the DNA damage exerted by the genotoxic carcinogen. The strongly sigmoidal shapes often observed for dose-tumor incidence relationships in animal bioassays supports this analysis. A power of four for the dose in the su~linear part of the curve is the maximum observed (formaldehyde). In contrast to animal experiments, epidemiological data ln humans rarely show a slgnificant deviation from linearity. The discrepancy might be explained by the fact that a I arge nu mber of genes contribute to the overall sensitivity of an individual and to the respective heterogeneity within the human population. Mechanistic nonlinearities are flattened out in the presence of genetic and life-style factors which affect the sensitivity for the development of cancer. For a risk assessment, linear extrapolation from the high-dose lncidence to the spontaneaus rate can therefore be approprlate in a heterogeneous population even if the mechanism of action would result in a nonlinear shape of the dose-response curve in a homogeneaus population.
~n order to investigate the role of the stimu~ation of ceU division for the initiation (and possi:bly promotion) of live·r tumors by chemical carcinogens, the incorporation of radiolabeUed thymidine into liver DNA was dete:rmined in male rats. Single doses of various level!s of af.latoxin 81, benzidine and carbon tetrachloride (aU known to be genotoxic via DNA binding} did not affect cell division, whereas several hepatoca:rcinogens known not to bind to DNA (alphaHCH, dofibrate, and 2,3;7,8-t!etrachlorodiibenzo~p~dioxin) gave rise to a dosedependent stimulation of Ii ver DNA synthesis within 24 h. An equation combining the infl.uences of mitotic stimu:lation, expressed as dose required to double the contro~ Ievei of DNA synthesis, and DNA binding potency, exp:ressed as t.he Covalent Binding Index, correliated weil with the cardnogenk potency for both dasses of hepatocardnogens.
[7-3H)Styrene 7,8-oxide was administered by oral gavage to male CD rats at a dose of 1.3 mg/kg. After 4 h, the forestomach was excised, DNA was isolated, purified to constant specific radioactivity and degraded nzymatically to the 3 '-nucleotides. Highperformance liquid chromatography fractions with the normal nucleotides contained most of the radiolabel, but a minute level of adduct label was also detccted. Using the units of the covalent binding index (micromoles adduct per mole DNA nucleotide)/(millimole chemical administered per kilogram body weight), a DNA binding potency of 1.0 was derived. A comparison of the covalent binding indices and carcinogenic potencies of other genotoxic forestarnach carcinogens showed that the tumorigenic activity of styrene oxide is unlikely to be purely genotoxic. Therefore, styrene oxide was compared with 3-tbutylhydroxyanisole (BHA) with respect to stimulation of cell proliferation in the forestomach. Male Fischer 344 rats were treated for four weeks at three dose levels of styrene oxide (0, 137, 275 and 550 mg/kg, three times per week by oral gavage) and BHA (0, 0.5, 1 and 2% in the diet); the highest doses had been reported to result in 84% and 22% carcinomas in the forestomach, respectively. Cell proliferation was assessed by incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine into DNA and immunohistochemical analysis. An increase in the lablling indexwas found in a11 treated animals. In the prefundic region of the forestomach, the labeHing index increased significantly, from 42% (controls) to 54% with styrene oxide and from 41 to 55% with BHA. Rats treated with BHA also had severe hyperplastic lesions in the prefundic region, i.e., at the location of BHA-induced forestomach carcinomas. The number of cells per millimetre of section length was increased up to 19 fold. Hyperplastic lesions were not seen with styrene oxide, despite the higher tumour incidence reported with this compound. We conclude that the carcinogenicity of styrene oxide to the forestomach most probably involves a mechanism in which marginal genotoxicity is combined with promotion by increased cell proliferation.