Estrogen receptors and endocrine diseases: lessons from estrogen receptor knockout mice

The estrogen receptors ERalpha and ERbeta are the main mediators of estrogen action and estrogens play an important role in a variety of aspects of physiology besides their well acknowledged function in reproduction. In vivo and in vitro studies indicate that the estrogen receptors are mechanistically implicated in endocrine-related diseases. Recent studies with estrogen receptor knockout mice have helped to unravel the role of the estrogen receptors in brain degeneration, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

Immortalized testis cell lines from estrogen receptor (ER) alpha knock-out and wild-type mice expressing functional ERalpha or ERbeta

The surprising findings that male mice lacking the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha (alphaERKO) have atrophic testis and are infertile proved that ERalpha is involved in normal testicular function. To obtain compatible in vitro model systems for alphaERKO male mice, we immortalized different cell lines from the testis of alphaERKO and wild-type (C57BL/6) mice with the human papilloma virus E6/E7 genes. The established cell lines were characterized for Sertoli, Leydig, and peritubular cell markers by means of messenger RNA expression and functional assays. One wild-type-derived cell line showed Leydig cell-specific marker gene expression and produced testosterone after stimulation with cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Most wild-type cell lines expressed androgen receptor and a functional ERalpha as shown by high estrogenic activity in a luciferase-based transactivation assay. Most notably, the wild-type-derived WL3, and the ES4 cell line derived from alphaERKO mice expressed ERbeta and showed ER-mediated transcriptional activity, but no ERalpha protein expression. These cell lines with and without functional ERalpha or ERbeta enable the analyses of ER subtype-specific responses and their function in testicular cell signaling, morphogenesis, and neoplasia.

Supra-additive genotoxicity of a combination of gamma-irradiation and ethyl methanesulfonate in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells

While testing for genotoxicity is usually performed on single chemicals, exposure of humans always comprises a number of genotoxic agents. The investigation of potentially synergistic effects of combinations therefore is an important issue in toxicology. Combinations of 511 keV gamma-radiation with the chemical alkylating agent ethyl methane-sulfonate were investigated in the in vitro micronucleus test in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells. With combinations in the low dose linear effect range for the individual agents (0. 25-2 Gy and 0.8-3.2 mM, respectively), supra-additivity by 34-86% was seen. The synergism was more pronounced at the higher dose levels. Supra-additivity was confirmed in experiments using cytochalasin B and analyzing binucleate cells only, to control for putative effects on the cell cycle. Statistical significance was shown by a 2-factor analysis of variance with interaction. The results indicate that damage to DNA by gamma-radiation and alkylation could affect different rate limiting steps in the formation of micronuclei. Further investigations will have to show whether the observations are of general validity, in particular, whether other end-points of genotoxicity produce the same results and whether the degree of supra-additivity is always dose dependent. The latter would have a strong impact on risk assessment for mixtures at low doses.

Helicobacter pylori induces DNA damage in vitro

A close association between Helicobacter pylori infection and the development of gastric adenocarcinoma in humans has been demonstrated. Therefore, the direct induction of DNA damage by H. pylori was investigated here using the in vitro micronucleus assay. After 5 days of incubation with bacterial lysate a dose-dependent formation of micronuclei was found, which was not limited to cytotoxic protein concentrations and was not observed after treatment with Escherichia coli lysate (control). This induction of DNA damage may be a link between chronic H. pylori infection and development of adenocarcinoma of the stomach.

Characterization of the genotoxicity of anthraquinones in mammalian cells

Naturally occurring 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinones are under consideration as possible carcinogens. Here we wanted to elucidate a possible mechanism of their genotoxicity. All three tested anthraquinones, emodin, aloe-emodin, and danthron, showed capabilities to inhibit the non-covalent binding of bisbenzimide Hoechst 33342 to isolated DNA and in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells comparable to the topoisomerase II inhibitor and intercalator m-amsacrine. In a cell-free decatenation assay, emodin exerted a stronger, danthron a similar and aloe-emodin a weaker inhibition of topoisomerase II activity than m-amsacrine. Analysis of the chromosomal extent of DNA damage induced by these anthraquinones was performed in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells. Anthraquinone-induced mutant cell clones showed similar chromosomal lesions when compared to the topoisomerase II inhibitors etoposide and m-amsacrine, but were different from mutants induced by the DNA alkylator ethyl methanesulfonate. These data support the idea that inhibition of the catalytic activity of topoisomerase II contributes to anthraquinone-induced genotoxicity and mutagenicity.

Occurrence of emodin, chrysophanol and physcion in vegetables, herbs and liquors. Genotoxicity and anti-genotoxicity of the anthraquinones and of the whole plants

1,8-Dihydroxyanthraquinones, present in laxatives, fungi imperfecti, Chinese herbs and possibly vegetables, are in debate as human carcinogens. We screened a variety of vegetables (cabbage lettuce, beans, peas), some herbs and herbal-flavoured liquors for their content of the 'free' anthraquinones emodin, chrysophanol and physcion. For qualitative and quantitative analysis, reversed-phase HPLC (RP-LC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and RP-LC-MS were used. The vegetables showed a large batch-to-batch variability, from 0.04 to 3.6, 5.9 and 36 mg total anthraquinone per kg fresh weight in peas, cabbage lettuce, and beans, respectively. Physcion predominated in all vegetables. In the herbs grape vine leaves, couch grass root and plantain herb, anthraquinones were above the limit of detection. Contents ranged below 1 mg/kg (dry weight). All three anthraquinones were also found in seven of 11 herbal-flavoured liquors, in a range of 0.05 mg/kg to 7.6 mg/kg. The genotoxicity of the analysed anthraquinones was investigated in the comet assay, the micronucleus test and the mutation assay in mouse lymphoma L5178Y tk+/- cells. Emodin was genotoxic, whereas chrysophanol and physcion showed no effects. Complete vegetable extract on its own did not show any effect in the micronucleus test. A lettuce extract completely abolished the induction of micronuclei by the genotoxic anthraquinone danthron. Taking into consideration the measured concentrations of anthraquinones, estimated daily intakes, the genotoxic potency, as well as protective effects of the food matrix, the analysed constituents do not represent a high priority genotoxic risk in a balanced human diet.

Biotransformation of the anthraquinones emodin and chrysophanol by cytochrome P450 enzymes. Bioactivation to genotoxic metabolites

The studies presented here were designed to elucidate the enzymes involved in the biotransformation of naturally occurring 1, 8-dihydroxyanthraquinones and to investigate whether biotransformation of 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinones may represent a bioactivation pathway. We first studied the metabolism of emodin (1, 3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone), a compound present in pharmaceutical preparations. With rat liver microsomes, the formation of two emodin metabolites, omega-hydroxyemodin and 2-hydroxyemodin, was observed. The rates of formation of omega-hydroxyemodin were not different with microsomes from rats that had been pretreated with inducers for different cytochrome P450 enzymes. Thus, the formation of omega-hydroxyemodin seems to be catalyzed by several cytochrome P450 enzymes at low rates. The formation of 2-hydroxyemodin was increased in liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-pretreated rats and was inhibited by alpha-naphthoflavone, by an anti-rat cytochrome P450 1A1/2 antibody, and, to a lesser degree, by an anti-rat cytochrome P450 1A1 antibody. These data suggest the involvement of cytochrome P450 1A2 in the formation of this metabolite. However, other cytochrome P450 enzymes also seem to catalyze this reaction. The anthraquinone chrysophanol (1,8-dihydroxy-3-methylanthraquinone) is transformed, in a cytochrome P450-dependent oxidation, to aloe-emodin (1, 8-dihydroxy-3-hydroxymethylanthraquinone) as the major product formed. The mutagenicity of the parent dihydroxyanthraquinones and their metabolites was compared in the in vitro micronucleus test in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells. 2-Hydroxyemodin induced much higher micronucleus frequencies, compared with emodin. omega-Hydroxyemodin induced lower micronucleus frequencies, compared with emodin. Aloe-emodin induced significantly higher micronucleus frequencies than did chrysophanol. These data indicate that the cytochrome P450-dependent biotransformation of emodin and chrysophanol may represent bioactivation pathways for these compounds.

Structural analysis of the interaction of the tRNA modifying enzymes Tgt and QueA with a substrate tRNA

The enzymes tRNA guanine-transglycosylase (Tgt) and S-adenosylmethionine :tRNA ribosyltransferase-isomerase (QueA) participate in the biosynthesis of the hypermodified tRNA nucleoside queuosine (Q) in Escherichia coli. Here we show by HPLC analysis and gel retardation that both enzymes interact with an in vitro transcribed tRNA(ASP) from yeast, specifically modified with a Q precursor molecule. RNase I footprinting experiments showed strong protein tRNA contacts in the anticodon stem-loop and a minor interaction with the dihydrouridine loop. This suggests that all identity elements for the recognition of Q-specific tRNAs are clustered in the anticodon region and explains earlier results that both enzymes accept a RNA microhelix with the sequence of an anticodon stem-loop as substrate.