Hepatitis C virus structural proteins reside in the endoplasmic reticulum as well as in the intermediate compartment/cis-Golgi complex region of stably transfected cells.

The intracellular localization of hepatitis C virus structural proteins was analyzed by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, cell fractionation, and immunoelectron microscopy in stably transfected cells that do not overexpress the viral proteins. The results strongly suggest that at steady state the structural proteins reside not only in the endoplasmic reticulum but also in the intermediate compartment and cis-Golgi complex region. By analogy with other viral systems, this finding raises the possibility that the intermediate compartment and cis-Golgi complex play a role in the assembly and budding of hepatitis C virus.

Analysis of metal-regulated metallothionein and heat shock gene expression in HeLa-derived cadmium-resistant cells.

The expression of metallothionein (MT) and heat shock protein gene families was investigated in normal and in HeLa-derived cadmium-resistant cells, named H454. In the absence of amplification of MT genes H454 cells accumulated elevated concentrations of cadmium ions and synthesized higher levels of MT proteins than unselected HeLa cells. Northern blot analyses revealed higher levels of MT mRNAs in the resistant cells than in wild-type cells after Cd2+ and Zn2+ exposure. Evaluation of the cytotoxic potential of the different metals confirmed the high resistance to cadmium of the H454 cells. Two proteins of the heat shock family, hsp70 and GRP78, were synthesized in Cd(2+)-exposed H454 cells at levels comparable to the ones present in Cd(2+)-treated normal cells. Northern blot analyses of the mRNA levels corresponding to these proteins revealed elevated expression of both hsp70 and GRP78 mRNAs in H454 cells upon exposure to cadmium ions and no response to zinc induction. These data suggest the existence in the H454 cells of a cadmium-specific pathway of regulation of MT and heat shock genes.

Different fate of a single reporter protein containing KDEL or KKXX targeting signals stably expressed in mammalian cells.

In mammalian cells, resident luminal and type I transmembrane proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum usually contain KDEL and KKXX at the carboxyl terminus. These sequences induce retrieval from compartments located downstream in the secretory pathway. It has been suggested that the retrieval may occur from multiple sites, ranging from the intermediate compartment to the trans-Golgi network. To compare the retrieval of luminal and type I membrane proteins, we have used different forms of a single reporter, the human CD8 glycoprotein, stably expressed in FRT cells. Metabolic labeling and oligosaccharide analysis show that the mechanism based on the KDEL signal is leaky. With time, the KDEL-containing CD8 form reaches the trans/trans-Golgi network compartments, where the protein is terminally glycosylated. At this stage, the retrieval mechanism stops being effective and the protein is consequently secreted. Conversely, the mechanism based on the KKXX signal guarantees that most of the KKXX-containing CD8 form resides in the endoplasmic reticulum, little in the Golgi complex and undetectable levels at the plasma membrane. The O-glycosylation of this protein comprises for the vast majority the sole addition of peptide-bound GalNAc that occurs in an early Golgi compartment.

Effect of ATP depletion and DTT on the transport of membrane proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum and the intermediate compartment to the Golgi complex.

Newly synthesized membrane proteins are exported from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex through an intermediate compartment. Incubation at low temperature (15 degrees C) arrests the proteins in the intermediate compartment and prevents the entry into the Golgi complex. We have studied, in living cells, the effect of dithiothreitol (DTT) and ATP depletion on the transport to the Golgi complex of proteins accumulated either in the endoplasmic reticulum or in the intermediate compartment after a temperature block. The morphological results obtained with vesicular stomatitis virus ts-O45 G glycoprotein and the biochemical analysis performed with human CD8 protein, an O-glycosylated protein, showed that: 1) ATP depletion blocks the export to the Golgi complex of proteins located either in the endoplasmic reticulum or in the intermediate compartment and ii) DTT interferes with the folding and export of proteins located in the endoplasmic reticulum, but it does not prevent the transfer from the intermediate compartment to the Golgi complex.

Effect of rat liver cytosolic enzymes and cofactors on mutagenicity of 1-amino-8-nitropyrene.

1-Amino-8-nitropyrene (1,8-ANP), a product of 1,8-dinitropyrene metabolism by either bacterial or mammalian enzymes, is weakly mutagenic to the 'classical nitroreductase'-deficient Salmonella tester strain TA98NR. The addition to the test system of rat liver cytosol without cofactors did not produce any effect on the 1,8-ANP mutagenic response toward TA98NR strain. Conversely, when both rat hepatic cytosol and NADPH (1 mM) were added to the mutagenicity assay, a 10-fold increase in 1,8-ANP mutagenic activity was observed. This suggests the involvement of rat hepatic cytosolic NADPH-dependent nitroreductase(s) in 1,8-ANP mutagenic activation. The addition to the mutagenesis assay of pentachlorophenol, an inhibitor of O-acetyltransferase and sulfotransferase, produced a dose-dependent decrease of 1,8-ANP mutagenic activation, whereas 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol, a more specific inhibitor of sulfotransferase than O-acetyltransferase, did not affect the activation of 1,8-ANP to a mutagen at concentrations that selectively inhibit only bacterial sulfotransferase. This indicates that bacterial O-acetyltransferase but not sulfotransferase plays a role in the mutagenic activation of 1,8-ANP. Addition of acetyl co-enzyme A (AcCoA) and adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS), cofactors for O-acetyl-transferase and sulfotransferase respectively, to the test system caused a dose-dependent inhibition of 1,8-ANP mutagenic activation by rat liver cytosol and NADPH, probably due to the formation of highly reactive O-acetoxy and N-sulfate ester derivatives of 1,8-ANP, which react with nucleophilic sites before reaching bacterial DNA. This hypothesis was confirmed by DNA covalent binding in in vitro experiments showing that both the cofactors AcCoA and PAPS enhanced the NADPH/rat liver cytosol-mediated covalent binding of 1,8-ANP to DNA from calf thymus 10- and 3-fold respectively. It seems likely that rat hepatic cytosolic nitroreductases activate 1,8-ANP to an N-hydroxyarylamine derivative which can be further metabolized to mutagenic species by either bacterial or mammalian O-acetyltransferase.

[In vivo studies on the transformation of cyclophosphamide to mutagenic metabolites]. / Studi in vivo sull'attivazione della ciclofosfammide a metaboliti mutageni.

Cyclophosphamide (CP), a widely used antineoplastic drug, requires hepatic mixed-function-oxidase-mediated activation to show alkylating activity as well as cytotoxicity, oncogenic transformation and chromosomal aberrations. Evidences are here reported that in vivo activation of CP to urinary mutagenic metabolites is catalyzed primarily by a phenobarbital-inducible cytochrome P-450 system. 24 hours urines from male Sprague-Dawley rats treated i.p. by a single CP administration were filtered through XAD-2 columns and mutagenicity of the acetonic extract was assayed by the Ames test in absence of enzymatic microsomal activation. a highly positive response with a linear dose-dependence was obtained in the range 0.500 mg/kg of CP. Treating rats with Phenobarbital, before CP (500 mg/kg) administration, induced a 250% increase in urine mutagenic activity, whereas. -Naphthoflavone pretreatment reduced the CP activation to urine mutagenic metabolites to 51% as compared with control CP-treated rats.

Abortion and the public opinion polls. 1. Morality and legality.

PIP: Analysis of 2 recent surveys of the attitudes of US women on the morality and legality of abortion and the political implications of those attitudes, and on the characteristics of women who report having had abortions. About 70% of women surveyed believed legal abortion should be available for any woman who wants 1, but only 1/3 believed abortion to be morally justified under all circumstances. Only a minority believed that abortion was wrong under the most commonly given reasons for abortion, and a substantial majority believed it is justified for reasons of health or in cases of rape or incest or a defective fetus. Because there was no single circumstance among the 10 choices which were held to be immoral by a majority of the women, a legal restriction which would not violate the consciences of a majority of women would be difficult to construct. While opponents of abortion are more likely than supporters to support political candidates solely on the abortion issue, supporters so far outnumber opponents that single issue voters are twice as likely to be prochoice than antiabortion. Little differences were found among Catholics and nonCatholics in the proportions that support legal abortions, although Catholics were more likely to have moral reservations. Strongest support for legal abortion was found among women who had had abortions, blacks, and from women who attend religious services less than once a month. Majorities in opposition to legal abortions were found in none of the subgroups. Comparison with surveys of abortion providers showed that the truthfulness with which women reported their abortion experience in these polls was greater among younger women: 80% and 60% of women under age 25 reported truthfully, while 32% and 53% of those aged 25-44 underreported abortion experience. Among other findings of the polls: at least 4 million US women now living have had illegal abortions; Catholic and Protestant women are about as likely to obtain an abortion; women who attend religious services regularly are relatively less likely to obtain them; older women of higher socioeconomic status were more likely to have obtained an abortion during the period when they were illegal; the overwhelming majority of women who had abortions believed it to have been right to do so and that they are better off for having done so.^ieng

Mutagenic epoxide impurities discovered in two new beta-adrenergic blocking agents.

Preparations of two new beta-adrenergic blocking drugs, Zami 1305 [1-(2-nitro-3-methyl-phenoxy)-3-tert-butylaminopropan-2-ol] and Zami 1327 [1-(6-nitro-3-methyl-phenoxy)-3-tert-butylaminopropan-2-ol], were found to be contaminated by expoxides which are direct acting mutagens on TA 100 and TA 1535 in the Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity test. Because of the suggested correlation between mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of a chemical [10,11], beta-adrenergic blocking agents contaminated by mutagenic expoxide impurities may be a health hazard.

Free and membrane-bound polyribosomes in BHK cells infected with Sindbis virus.

The data presented in the paper demonstrate that in BHK cells infected with Sindbis virus virtually all the 42S mRNA not in nucleocapsid is associated with free polyribosomes, whereas the 26S mRNA is distributed between free and membrane-bound polyribosomes. We suggest that the 26S RNA polyribosomes are bound to the membranes through the nascent chains of the B1 protein and that a large percentage of 26S RNA polyribosomes free in the cytoplasm may be due to the small amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum in BHK cells. In addition, we found that intracellular nucleocapsid is in the nonmembrane fraction of the cytoplasm of infected cells.