Genotoxicity of the free-radical producers CCl4 and lipoperoxide in Aspergillus nidulans

Evaluating genotoxicity data to identify a mode of action and its application in estimating cancer risk at low doses: A case study involving carbon tetrachloride

In the new USEPA cancer risk assessment guidelines, mode of action (MoA) information, combined with a determination of whether or not a chemical is mutagenic, plays an important role in determining whether a linear or nonlinear approach should be used to estimate cancer risks at low doses. In this article, carbon tetrachloride (CT) is used as an example to illustrate how mixed genotoxicity data can be evaluated and used to identify a likely MoA. CT is essentially negative in inducing gene mutations in Salmonella, but is consistently positive in inducing recombination and aneuploidy in fungi. Negative or equivocal results were seen in most in vitro and in vivo studies in mammals, including mutation studies in transgenic mice. However, DNA adducts, primarily those derived from oxidation- and lipid-peroxidation-derived products as well as DNA double-strand breaks and micronucleated cells, have been seen repeatedly in the liver of CT-treated animals. On the basis of the weight of evidence, CT should not be considered a directly mutagenic agent. Mutagenic as well as other genotoxic effects, as they occur, will most likely be generated through indirect mechanisms resulting from oxidative and lipid peroxidative damage and/or damage occurring during necrosis or apoptosis. As key events in this process are expected to occur in a nonlinear fashion, the expected relationship between CT dose and carcinogenic response in the liver is likely to be nonlinear with a steep dose response. This conclusion is consistent with rodent cancer bioassay results in which steep nonlinear dose responses have been seen.

Postulated carbon tetrachloride mode of action: a review

Under the 2005 U.S. EPA Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (1), evaluations of carcinogens rely on mode of action data to better inform dose response assessments. A reassessment of carbon tetrachloride, a model hepatotoxicant and carcinogen, provides an opportunity to incorporate into the assessment biologically relevant mode of action data on its carcinogenesis. Mechanistic studies provide evidence that metabolism of carbon tetrachloride via CYP2E1 to highly reactive free radical metabolites plays a critical role in the postulated mode of action. The primary metabolites, trichloromethyl and trichloromethyl peroxy free radicals, are highly reactive and are capable of covalently binding locally to cellular macromolecules, with preference for fatty acids from membrane phospholipids. The free radicals initiate lipid peroxidation by attacking polyunsaturated fatty acids in membranes, setting off a free radical chain reaction sequence. Lipid peroxidation is known to cause membrane disruption, resulting in the loss of membrane integrity and leakage of microsomal enzymes. By-products of lipid peroxidation include reactive aldehydes that can form protein and DNA adducts and may contribute to hepatotoxicity and carcinogenicity, respectively. Natural antioxidants, including glutathione, are capable of quenching the lipid peroxidation reaction. When glutathione and other antioxidants are depleted, however, opportunities for lipid peroxidation are enhanced. Weakened cellular membranes allow sufficient leakage of calcium into the cytosol to disrupt intracellular calcium homeostasis. High calcium levels in the cytosol activate calcium-dependent proteases and phospholipases that further increase the breakdown of the membranes. Similarly, the increase in intracellular calcium can activate endonucleases that can cause chromosomal damage and also contribute to cell death. Sustained cell regeneration and proliferation following cell death may increase the likelihood of unrepaired spontaneous, lipid peroxidation- or endonuclease-derived mutations that can lead to cancer. Based on this body of scientific evidence, doses that do not cause sustained cytotoxicity and regenerative cell proliferation would subsequently be protective of liver tumors if this is the primary mode of action. To fulfill the mode of action framework, additional research may be necessary to determine alternative mode(s) of action for liver tumors formed via carbon tetrachloride exposure.

Chloroform and carbon tetrachloride induce intrachromosomal recombination and oxidative free radicals in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Chlorination of drinking water results in the generation of low levels of numerous chlorinated hydrocarbons due to the reaction of chlorine with naturally occurring organic compounds in the water. Concern has been raised about the safety of these chlorinated contaminants as several of them, most notably chloroform (trichloromethane), have been shown to be carcinogenic in long-term rodent bioassays and weak correlations between trihalomethane levels in drinking water and an increased risk of bladder and colorectal cancer in humans have been found. Chloroform and carbon tetrachloride induce liver cancer in rats and mice only at doses where significant hepatotoxicity is observed and have been classed as non-genotoxic carcinogens. We have investigated the ability of chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and 1,1,1-trichloroethane to induce deletions via intrachromosomal recombination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Chloroform and carbon tetrachloride induced this genotoxic recombination event at similar doses, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane gave only a weak response in the DEL recombination assay and only at the highest dose. We further show that chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, but not trichloroethane, induced oxidative free radical species in our yeast strain. The free radical scavenger N-acetylcysteine reduced chloroform-induced toxicity and recombination, and both chloroform and carbon tetrachloride were able to oxidize the free radical-sensitive reporter compound dichlorofluorescein diacetate in vivo. The implications of these findings to the carcinogenic activities of the three compounds are discussed.

Toxicology of halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons: structural and molecular determinants for the disturbance of chromosome segregation and the induction of lipid peroxidation

The induction of mitotic chromosome malsegregation, mitotic arrest and lethality by a set of 55 halogenated hydrocarbons was investigated. To this aim, genetic assays in the mould Aspergillus nidulans, able to provide precise quantitative information on the end-points studied, were used throughout the work. The experimental data obtained were used to develop QSAR models for the induction of aneuploidy, which pointed to a major role of electrophilicity as molecular determinant for the aneugenic potential of the halogenated hydrocarbons investigated. Within the hypothesis of a link between the electrophilicity of haloalkanes and their propensity to undergo a reductive biotransformation, with production of free radical species, a subset of 27 compounds was also tested for the ability to induce lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes in vitro. The results obtained indicate a partial coincidence between the abilities to initiate lipid peroxidation and to disturb chromosome segregation at mitosis. The data base obtained was also used to investigate the relationship between chemical structure and peroxidative potential. The analysis indicated that electronic and structural parameters related to the ease of homolitic cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond play a pivotal role as determinants for the peroxidative character of haloalkanes.

The induction of mitotic chromosome malsegregation in Aspergillus nidulans. Quantitative structure activity relationship (OSAR) analysis with chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons

The biological activity of 24 chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons has been studied in the mold Aspergillus nidulans. The ability to induce chromosome malsegregation, lethality and mitotic growth arrest has been experimentally determined for each chemical. These data, together with those of 11 related compounds previously investigated, generated a data base which was used for quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis. To this aim, both physico-chemical descriptors and electronic parameters of each compound have been calculated and included in the analysis. The QSAR analysis indicated that toxic effects induced by chlorinated aliphatics in A. nidulans are mainly dependent on steric factors, as indicated by the correlation with molar refractivity (MR). Conversely, the ease with which they accept electrons, parametrized by LUMO (energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital), plays a prevailing role in determining the aneuploidizing properties. An involvement of free radicals, generated by the reductive metabolism of haloalkanes, is hypothesized as an explanation of the data.

Induction of chromosome malsegregation by halogenated organic solvents in Aspergillus nidulans: unspecific or specific mechanism?

Three chloromethanes (dichloromethane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride) and 8 chlorinated ethanes (1,1- and 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1- and 1,1,2-trichloroethane, 1,1,1,2- and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, pentachloroethane and hexachloroethane) were assayed in tests for the induction of mitotic segregation in Aspergillus nidulans diploid strain P1. Eight of the 11 compounds assayed (dichloromethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1- and 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, 1,1,1,2- and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane) significantly increased the frequency of morphologically abnormal colonies which produced euploid whole-chromosome segregants (haploids and non-disjunctional diploids). Only in one case (1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane) was a borderline increase in crossing-over frequency observed, thus suggesting the involvement of non-DNA targets in aneuploidy induction by these chlorinated hydrocarbons. Conclusive evidence for the induction of aneuploidy as the primary genetic event was provided by experiments in haploid strain 35 with 1,2-dichloroethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrachloroethane. Mutagenic, lethal and growth-arresting activities were quantitatively estimated and compared to a series of descriptors of physical and chemical properties of the molecules by means of multivariate statistical analysis. Lipophilicity, known to be related to c-mitotic activity, did not show any significant relationship with aneuploidizing activity, whereas a possible correlation among physico-chemical descriptors and toxic properties of test chemicals was highlighted.

Use of alpha- and beta-tubulin mutants for the study of spontaneous and induced chromosomal mis-distribution in Aspergillus nidulans

The effect of two different mutations, one involving an alpha-tubulin (tubA) and the other a beta-tubulin (benA33) gene, on somatic segregation has been investigated in diploid strains of A. nidulans. Both mutations, particularly benA33, increase the level of spontaneous chromosomal mis-distribution (CMD) phenomena, without affecting the frequency of crossing-over. The employment of homozygous strains for each of the two mutations in sensitivity tests toward various chemicals, allowed the clear identification of those interfering with microtubule assembly-disassembly processes (i.e. chloral hydrate, diamide, aminocarb, N-ethyl-maleimide, p-chlormercuribenzoate). Such compounds turned out to be very efficient and specific inducers of CMD in a somatic segregation assay performed using the wild-type strain P1. The same assay, when carried out with some of these compounds but employing a tubA/tubA strain, revealed a marked proneness toward CMD to be associated with such mutation, which is known to confer microtubule hypostability.

Mechanistic aspects on chemical induction of spindle disturbances and abnormal chromosome numbers

Work on the chemical induction of spindle disturbances and abnormal chromosome numbers, and work on the composition and biochemistry of the spindle are reviewed. Some early investigations have shown that there is an unspecific mechanism for chemical induction of spindle disturbances. This mechanism is based on the interaction of compounds with cellular hydrophobic compartments. Some compounds act differently and are more active than predicted from their lipophilic character. Selected compounds of that kind and their possible mechanisms of action are discussed. Changes in sulfhydryl and ATP levels, oxidative damage of membranes and impaired control of cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels are discussed in this context.

A comparative study on selected chemical carcinogens for chromosome malsegregation, mitotic crossing-over and forward mutation induction in Aspergillus nidulans

10 "false negative" chemical carcinogens, i.e. ineffective in bacterial mutagenicity assays, were thoroughly investigated for their genotoxic activity in the mould Aspergillus nidulans. Forward mutations (methionine suppressors), mitotic crossing-over and chromosome malsegregation were the end-points scored. Positive results were obtained in tests for the induction of mitotic segregation with benzene, ethylenethiourea and urethane, which increased the frequency of abnormal presumptive aneuploid colonies with euploid sectors showing whole chromosome segregation (i.e. non-disjunctional diploids and haploids). The same compounds were ineffective in increasing the frequency of mitotic crossing-over or forward mutations. The other chemical carcinogens investigated, namely acetamide, amitrole, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, nitrilotriacetic acid, p,p'-DDT and thiourea were ineffective both as inducers of forward mutations and mitotic segregation.

Systems and results of tests for chemical induction of mitotic malsegregation and aneuploidy in Aspergillus nidulans

In Aspergillus several types of test systems have been developed for detection of chemicals which induce aneuploidy and/or malsegregation of chromosomes. Results from 23 papers were reviewed in which numerical data for 42 chemicals had been reported. The test systems fall into two groups. One group includes all purely genetic tests that detect euploid mitotic segregants from heterozygous diploids and identify these either as products of malsegregation of chromosomes or as products of crossing-over (13 papers, several reviewed in detail previously; Käfer et al. (1982) and Scott et al. (1982)). The other group includes tests that treat haploid or diploid strains and detect aneuploids as unstable abnormally growing segregants which can be identified as specific disomics or trisomics by their characteristic phenotypes. In addition, such tests characterize abnormal segregants from heterozygous diploids by correlating phenotypes with patterns of genetic segregation in spontaneous euploid sectors. This analysis makes it possible to distinguish between induced primary aneuploidy of whole chromosomes and partial tri- or monosomy resulting from chromosome breakage and secondary spontaneous malsegregation (10 papers). Based on results of both types of tests, it is postulated that chemicals which cause increases of euploid malsegregants, but not of crossovers, normally induce aneuploids as primary products (as shown for 7 of the 14 cases). These include compounds which damage spindles or membranes (especially the well-known haploidizing agents) and generally are effective only when growing cells are exposed. (8 chemicals that may belong in this category could not be classified for certain, because information was insufficient.) On the other hand, chemicals which cause increases of all types of euploid segregants (11 cases), mostly induce drastic mutations and aberrations as primary effects and cause spontaneous malsegregation or crossing-over only as secondary events (as demonstrated for radiation-induced abnormals). In addition, a few chemicals were negative, because they increased only crossing-over or showed no increased segregation at all at concentrations which reduced survival or growth rate (9 cases). Recommendations are made for standardization of methods and protocols. New tester strains and specific procedures are outlined which should be useful for conclusive tests of chemicals that may induce aneuploidy.