p53 protein accumulation and gene mutations in human glioma cell lines.

Mutations in, and aberrant expression of, the p53 tumor suppressor gene were assessed in 17 cell lines derived from human malignant brain tumors (glioblastoma multiforme). Exons 5 through 8 were screened by single strand conformational polymorphism analysis (SSCP), followed by direct DNA sequencing. Mutations were found in 6 of 17 glioma cell lines, i.e., at a frequency similar to that found in primary malignant gliomas. Loss of the wild type allele was observed in 4 of the mutated cell lines. Two cell lines had the same mutation (CGG-->TGG; Arg-->Trp) in codon 248. Five of 6 mutations were transitions, 4 of which occurred at CpG dinucleotides. In one cell line a 10-bp deletion at the intron 4/exon 5 junction was found. Five of 6 glioma cell lines contained a mutation identical to that in the respective primary tumor despite prolonged in vitro culture (140-221 passages). Thus, the acquisition of p53 mutations during culture appears to be infrequent. Two cell lines derived from heterozygous tumors maintained the wild type p53 allele during long term culture. p53 protein levels were assessed by immunofluorescence cytochemistry and immunoprecipitation followed by Western blot analysis and revealed elevated levels of the p53 protein, although to a variable extent, in all cell lines with p53 mutations. A marked p53 protein accumulation was also observed in two cell lines lacking p53 mutations in exons 5 through 8, indicating that a prolonged half life of the gene product is not solely dependent on an aberrant coding sequence. The remaining cell lines had either low levels or no detectable p53 protein; one of the latter contained a gross rearrangement of the p53 gene. Our results suggest that with respect to p53 gene status, glioma cell lines usually resemble the original tumors and may, therefore, be suitable for studying the biological changes associated with p53 mutations in glial tumors.

p53 mutations in phenacetin-associated human urothelial carcinomas.

Chronic abuse of the analgesic drug phenacetin is associated with an increased risk of development of transitional cell carcinomas of the urinary tract. It is unclear whether phenacetin acts through chronic tissue damage (phenacetin nephropathy) or via a genotoxic metabolite causing promutagenic DNA lesions. In the present study, we investigated 15 urothelial carcinomas from 13 patients with evidence of phenacetin abuse. Tumors were screened for p53 mutations in exons 5-8 by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, followed by direct sequencing of PCR-amplified DNA. p53 Mutations were detected in 8/14 primary tumors (57%). All except one were missense mutations located in exon 5 (three mutations), exon 6 (one), exon 7 (two) and exon 8 (one). The type of mutation varied, with a preference for CpG sites. A frameshift mutation resulting from the insertion of a single cytosine at codons 151/152 was detected in a bladder tumor and its lung metastasis. Urothelial carcinomas located in the renal pelvis and in the ureter of the same patient exhibited two different mutations, strongly suggesting that they developed independently. Another patient had tumors in the renal pelvis and bladder, both of which contained the same p53 mutation, indicating intracavitary metastatic spread. This demonstrates that screening of p53 mutations allows the clonal origin of tumors in patients with multiple primary and metastatic lesions to be determined. None of the tumors investigated contained mutations in codons 12, 13 or 61 of H-ras or K-ras protooncogenes.

[p53 mutation in phenacetin-induced urothelial carcinomas]. / p53 Mutationen in Phenazetin-induzierten Urothelkarzinomen.

We investigated 16 urothelial carcinomas from 13 patients with evidence of phenacetin abuse for p53 mutations by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and direct DNA sequencing. p53 mutations were detected in 8 of 14 primary tumors (57%). Missense mutations were located in exon 5 (3 mutations), exon 6 (1), exon 7 (2) and exon 8 (1). An insertion of a single cytosine in exon 5 was detected in a bladder tumor and its lung metastasis. In one patient, urothelial carcinomas in the renal pelvis and in the ureter exhibited two different mutations, strongly suggesting that these tumors developed independently. In contrast, the tumors in the renal pelvis and bladder of another patient contained the same mutation, indicating intracavitary metastatic spread. Our data support the view that phenacetin causes urothelial carcinomas through chronic tissue damage rather than promutagenic DNA lesions.

Modulation of N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine bioactivation by diallyl sulfide in vivo.

Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a major component of garlic oil, is an inhibitor of tumorigenesis by various metabolically activated carcinogens. In rats, pretreatment with DAS has been observed to suppress completely the induction of oesophageal neoplasms by N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBzA) (Wargovich et al. (1988) Cancer Res., 48, 6872-6875). This communication reports the effects of DAS on overall NMBzA metabolism and on DNA methylation of NMBzA in vivo under conditions equivalent to a single treatment of the chemoprevention assay. Male Fischer 344 rats received a single i.g. dose of DAS (200 mg/kg body wt) followed by an s.c. injection of [methyl-14C]NMBzA (3.5 mg/kg). In controls, exhalation of 14CO2 was complete within 5 h (t1/2max = 1.2 h), with 50% of the injected radioactivity recovered as 14CO2. When DAS was given 3 h prior to [methyl-14C]NMBzA, 49% of the injected radioactivity was released within 10 h (t1/2max = 3 h). When DAS was administered 18 h before the carcinogen, 42% of [methyl-14C]NMBzA was converted to 14CO2, with exhalation complete after 6 h (t1/2max = 1.8 h). We further examined the effects of acute doses of 10-200 mg/kg of DAS on DNA methylation by a single dose of NMBzA (3.5 mg/kg; survival time, 6 h) administered 3 h later. At 200 mg/kg, DAS inhibited the formation of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine (O6-MEdG) in oesophagus (-26%), nasal mucosa (-51%), trachea (-68%) and lung (-78%). In liver, levels of 7-MEdG were reduced by 43%. Decreases in DNA methylation were proportional to dose for > 25 mg/kg of DAS in oesophagus, liver and nasal mucosa, for 25-200 mg/kg in trachea and 10-50 mg/kg in lung. The dose-activity relationship for inhibition by DAS of DNA methylation by NMBzA suggests that short-term modulation of carcinogen bioactivation in situ contributes to but may not be sufficient for the chemo-prevention of nitrosamine tumorigenesis by DAS.

Effects of ethanol and various alcoholic beverages on the formation of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine from concurrently administered N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine in rats: a dose-response study.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages has been identified as a major cause of oesophageal cancer in industrialized countries, with an exceptionally high risk associated with apple-based liquors (calvados). In the present study, we have determined the dose--activity relationship of the effects of coincident ethanol on the formation of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine (O6-MEdG) by the oesophageal carcinogen N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBzA). Male Fischer 344 rats received a single intragastric dose of NMBzA (2.5 mg/kg body wt; 7.4 ml/kg body wt) in tap water containing 0-20% ethanol (v/v). Survival time was 3 h. In controls, concentrations of O6-MEdG were similar in oesophagus, lung and liver (11-14.9 mumol/mol dG). In oesophagus, coincident ethanol increased levels of O6-MEdG from 15.2 mumol/mol (0.1% ethanol) to 46.0 mumol/mol (20%). This increase was dose dependent for 1-20% ethanol; however, low doses produced a larger effect per gram of ethanol than higher doses. In lung, concentrations of O6-MEdG increased from 11 mumol/mol (0.1%) to a plateau value of 24 mumol/mol (greater than or equal to 5%). In nasal mucosa, an increase in O6-MEdG from 3.9 mumol/mol (controls) to 30.7 mumol/mol was observed with 4% ethanol. Effects of ethanol on hepatic DNA methylation were statistically non-significant. Modulation of NMBzA bioactivation by various alcoholic beverages (adjusted to 4% ethanol) was also investigated. Increases in oesophageal O6-MEdG were similar (+50% to +116%) with pear brandy, rice wine (sake), farm-made calvados, gin, Scotch whisky, white wine, Pilsner beer and aqueous ethanol. Significantly higher increases were elicited by commercially distilled calvados (+125%) and red burgundy (+162%). In contrast to its effects at an ethanol content of 4%, farm-made calvados diluted to 20% ethanol produced significantly higher (+200%) increases in oesophageal DNA methylation than aqueous ethanol (+148%). Our results show that ethanol is an effective modulator of nitrosamine bioactivation in vivo at intake levels equivalent to moderate social drinking, and that some alcoholic beverages contain congeners that amplify the effects of ethanol, suggesting that modulation of nitrosamine metabolism by acute ethanol may play a role in the etiology of human cancer.

An immuno-slot-blot assay for detection and quantitation of alkyldeoxyguanosines in DNA.

The detection and quantitation of DNA adducts plays a central role in the determination of dose-response relationships for chemical carcinogens, mutagens, and chemotherapeutic agents in experimental laboratory investigations. Furthermore, it serves in molecular dosimetry and risk estimation of humans chronically exposed to environmental carcinogens, and of cancer patients undergoing treatment with alkylating cytostatic drugs (1,2). These investigations require sensitive methods that do not necessitate the administration of radioactively labeled compounds.

An immuno-slot-blot assay for detection and quantitation of alkyldeoxyguanosines in DNA.

The detection and quantitation of DNA adducts plays a central role in the determination of dose-response relationships for chemical carcinogens, mutagens, and chemotherapeutic agents in experimental laboratory investigations. Furthermore, it serves in molecular dosimetry and risk estimation of humans chronically exposed to environmental carcinogens, and of cancer patients undergoing treatment with alkylating cytostatic drugs (1,2). These investigations require sensitive methods that do not necessitate the administration of radioactively labeled compounds.

DNA methylation in the digestive tract of F344 rats during chronic exposure to N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.

The formation of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine (O6-MedGuo) was determined by an immuno-slot-blot assay in DNA of various tissues of F344 rats exposed to N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in the drinking water at 400 ppm for 2 weeks. Although the pyloric region of the glandular stomach is a target organ under these experimental conditions, the extent of DNA methylation was highest in the forestomach (185 mumol O6-MedGuo/mol guanine). Fundus (91 mumol/mol guanine) and pylorus (105 mumol/mol guanine) of the glandular stomach, oesophagus (124 mumol/mol guanine) and duodenum (109 mumol/mol guanine) showed lower levels of O6-MedGuo but differed little between each other. Thus, no correlation was observed between target organ specificity and the extent of DNA methylation. This is in contrast to the gastric carcinogen, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), which preferentially alkylates DNA of the pylorus, the main site of induction of gastric carcinomas by this chemical. In contrast to MNU, the non-enzymic decomposition of MNNG is accelerated by thiol compounds (reduced glutathione, L-cysteine), which are present at much higher concentrations in the glandular stomach than in the forestomach and oesophagus. During chronic exposure to MNNG (80 ppm), mucosal cells immunoreactive to O6-MedGuo are limited to the luminal surface [Kobori et al. (1988) Carcinogenesis 9:2271-2274]. Although MNU (400 ppm) produced similar levels of O6-MedGuo in the pylorus, no cells containing methylpurines were detectable by immunohistochemistry, suggesting a more uniform methylation of mucosal cells by MNU than by MNNG. After a single oral dose of MNU (90 mg/kg) cells containing methyl-purines were unequivocally identified using antibodies to O6-MedGuo and the imidazole-ring-opened product of 7-methyldeoxyguanosine. In the gastric fundus, their distribution was similar to those methylated by exposure to MNNG, whereas the pyloric region contained immunoreactive cells also in the deeper mucosal layers. After a 2-week MNU treatment, the rate of cell proliferation, as determined by bromodeoxyuridine immunoreactivity, was only slightly enhanced in the oesophagus and in the fundus, but markedly in the forestomach and the pyloric region of the glandular stomach. It is concluded that the overall extent of DNA methylation, the distribution of alkylated cells within the mucosa and the proliferative response all contribute to the organ-specific carcinogenicity of MNU.

DNA methylation in various rat tissues by the esophageal carcinogen N-nitrosomethyl-n-amylamine and six of its positional isomers.

The major pathway for the bioactivation of asymmetric N-nitrosomethylalkylamines involves cytochrome P-450 catalyzed alpha-C hydroxylation of the alkyl moiety opposite the methyl group, leading to the formation of a methanediazonium ion as the ultimate carcinogen. In the present study we have investigated the effect of the steric configuration of the pentyl chain on the bioactivation of N-nitrosomethylpentylamines in vivo. N-Nitrosomethyl-n-amylamine, a potent esophageal carcinogen, and six of its positional isomers were synthesized by nitrosation of the precursor amines. Overall yields and proportions of the respective Z- and E-isomers reflected the steric hindrance at the alpha-carbon of the pentyl groups. The extent of DNA methylation in various rat tissues after a single dose (0.1 mmol/kg; 6-h survival) of the isomers was determined by cation-exchange HPLC with fluorescence detection. (1) Among extrahepatic tissues, methylpurine concentrations were highest in esophagus, followed by the nasal and tracheal mucosa and lung. In these tissues, which are phylogenetically derived from the rat ventral entoderm, the relative extent of DNA methylation followed the same pattern for all isomers. (2) In the esophagus, formation of O6-methylguanine (O6-meG) was observed only for isomers with an unsubstituted alpha-methylene in the pentyl moiety, i.e., N-nitrosomethylisoamylamine, -n-amylamine, -(2-methylbutyl)amine, and -(2,2-dimethylpropyl)amine. (3) In trachea, methylated purines were also detectable after administration of the alpha-substituted isomer, N-nitrosomethyl(1-methylbutyl)amine. (4) Only nasal mucosa and lung were capable of bioactivating N-nitrosomethyl(1,2-dimethylpropyl)amine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bioactivation of asymmetric N-dialkylnitrosamines in rat tissues derived from the ventral entoderm.

Aliphatic methylalkylnitrosamines with a chain length of three to six carbon atoms are powerful oesophageal carcinogens in rats and have been shown to methylate target organ DNA preferentially. This class of carcinogens is efficiently metabolized not only in the oesophageal mucosa but also in the mucosa of the nasal and oral cavity, trachea and bronchioli, i.e., tissues derived from the rat ventral entoderm. In order to determine whether more than one cytochrome P450 isozyme is involved in the bioactivation of asymmetrical aliphatic dialkylnitrosamines in these tissues, we have studied the effects of various modulators of nitrosamine metabolism, including dietary zinc deficiency, ethanol and disulfiram, on DNA alkylation by N-nitrosomethyl-n-butylamine (NMBA) and its ethyl analogue N-nitrosoethyl-n-butylamine (NEBA). Formation of O6-methyl- and O6-ethyldeoxyguanosine by a single dose of NMBA and NEBA, respectively, was quantified after a survival time of 6 h by immuno-slot-blot assay. In control rats, methylation of DNA by NMBA was highest in oesophagus, followed by nasal mucosa, liver and lung. Formation of O6-ethyldeoxyguanosine from NEBA, however, was twice as high in liver as in nasal mucosa and lung and four times as high in liver as in oesophagus. In oesophagus, trachea and bronchioli, both nitrosamines were selectively metabolized in mucosal cells. Bioactivation of NMBA and NEBA was almost completely inhibited in nasal mucosa by ethanol. In contrast, a striking interorgan shift in DNA methylation by NMBA from liver (-50%) to lung (+100%), oesophagus (+300%) and nasal mucosa (+400%) was obtained with dietary disulfiram, whereas only 20-50% increases in extrahepatic DNA ethylation were determined for NEBA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mutagenicity, DNA damage and DNA adduct formation by N-nitroso-2-hydroxyalkylamine and corresponding aldehydes.

The potent carcinogen N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA) becomes mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 when activated by alcohol dehydrogenase from yeast or horse liver. Metabolic pathways different from alpha-oxidation might therefore be important for the activation of N-nitroso-2-hydroxyalkylamines such as NDELA. In an in-vitro test system (Namalva cells), neither NDELA nor N-nitrosoethyl-2-hydroxyethylamine was genotoxic, whereas the corresponding metabolites from alcohol dehydrogenase-mediated oxidation, N-nitroso-2-hydroxymorpholine and N-nitrosoethylethanalamine, induced single-strand breaks even at low doses. An immuno-slot-blot assay was used to study the formation of O6-2-hydroxyethyldeoxyguanosine in rat liver after oral administration of different N-nitroso-2-hydroxyalkylamines. When given at equimolar doses (0.375 mmol/kg), DNA hydroxyethylation was considerably lower (6.7 mumol/mol deoxyguanosine) with NDELA than with N-nitrosoethyl-2-hydroxyethylamine (48.7 mumol/mol deoxyguanosine) or N-nitrosomethyl-2-hydroxyethylamine (72.1 mumol/mol deoxyguanosine). N-Nitroso-2-hydroxymorpholine did not form detectable levels of O6-2-hydroxyethyldeoxyguanosine.

DNA hydroxyethylation by hydroxyethylnitrosoureas in relation to their organ specific carcinogenicity in rats.

N-Hydroxyethylnitroso-N'-ethylurea (HEENU) and N-hydroxyethylnitroso-N'-chloroethylurea (HCNU) are two of the few nitrosoureas which induce hepatocellular tumours in rats without further treatment. In the present study we have investigated whether this is due to selectively elevated levels of DNA hydroxyethylation in the target tissue. Formation of the promutagenic base O6-hydroxyethyldeoxyguanosine (O6-HEdG) in various rat tissues was determined by immuno-slot-blot assay. After a single dose by gavage (0.36 mmol/kg body wt) of HEENU, initial levels of O6-HEdG in liver and brain were close to the detection limit of 1.5 mumol/mol deoxyguanosine. In liver, steady state concentrations of 3.5 mumol/mol were reached after 6 h and maintained for at least 18 h. In brain, O6-HEdG levels were 1.7 mumol/mol after 6 h and 3.0 mumol/mol after 24 h. In a second experiment, the formation of O6-HEdG was assessed in target and non-target tissues 6 h after a single dose by gavage (0.36 mmol/kg) of HEENU, HCNU or hydroxyethylnitrosourea (HENU), which is not hepatocarcinogenic. The extent of DNA hydroxyethylation was greatest with HENU in all tissues examined. Concentrations of O6-HEdG were highest in liver (37.2 mumol/mol), followed by kidney (23.3 mumol/mol), lung (18.9 mumol/mol), brain (6.8 mumol/mol) and testes (3.8 mumol/mol). With HEENU and HCNU, levels of 1.4-3.3 mumol O6-HEdG/mol dG were observed in all tissues. In vitro, the alkylation reactions for all three compounds were nearly complete within 6 h. On a molar basis, yields of O6-HEdG in vitro were similar for HENU and HCNU and 3.7 times lower for HEENU. This suggests that the in vivo reactions of the dialkylnitrosoureas are by pathways other than or in addition to those occurring in vitro. We conclude that the hepatocarcinogenicity of HCNU and HEENU cannot be explained on the basis of their reaction with cellular DNA.

Bioactivation of N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine and N-nitrosomethyl-amylamine in oesophageal papillomas.

Oesophageal papillomas were induced in male F344 rats by continuous exposure to N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBzA) and N-nitrosomethyl(2-methylbutyl)amine in the drinking water at concentrations of 10 and 19.5 p.p.m. respectively. After 81-141 days animals received a single i.p. chasing dose of NMBzA (0.1 mmol/kg), [14C-methyl]NMBzA or N-nitroso[14C-methyl]amylamine and were killed 6 h later. Induced papillomas (3-9 per animal) were analysed by autoradiography and by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody to O6-methyldeoxyguanosine. Both techniques revealed the presence of high levels of alkylation products in all papillomas investigated. Immunohistochemical staining of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine was largely restricted to nuclei of the basal layer and of epithelial cells with incipient keratinization. These findings demonstrate that NMBzA and N-nitrosomethylamylamine and probably related methylalkylnitrosamines are effectively bioactivated in premalignant lesions, indicating that during chronic exposure papillomas can acquire additional mutations that are likely to play a major role in tumour progression.

DNA methylation in rat stomach and duodenum following chronic exposure to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and the effect of dietary taurocholate.

N-Methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) induces a high incidence of carcinomas in the glandular stomach of rats following chronic administration in the drinking water. We determined the level of 7-methylguanine and O6-methylguanine in gastric and duodenal DNA during chronic exposure to MNNG (80 p.p.m.). After considerable fluctuations during the initial 3 weeks, levels of methylpurines reached a steady state which was approximately three times higher in the pylorus (i.e. the preferential site of tumor induction) than in the fundus and duodenum, with 7-methylguanine and O6-methylguanine values in the range of 520 and 110 mumol/mol guanine, respectively. When rats were given MNNG in the drinking water at concentrations ranging from 10 to 80 p.p.m. for 3 weeks, levels of methylpurines reached maximum values already at 10-20 p.p.m. At higher MNNG concentrations, there was no further increase in DNA alkylation. The reason for this lack of dose response remained unclear. Immunohistochemical analyses showed that DNA methylation by MNNG is restricted to epithelial cells bordering the luminal surface. The possibility exists that in this target cell population the content of free thiols is a limiting factor for the decomposition of MNNG and its reaction with macromolecules in the gastric mucosa. Addition to the diet of sodium taurocholate, a bile acid previously shown to enhance MNNG-induced stomach carcinogenesis, did not influence the extent of DNA methylation, indicating that it acts as a promoter.

Organ and cell specificity of DNA methylation by N-nitrosomethylamylamine in rats.

N-Nitrosomethylamylamine (NMAA) is a potent carcinogen in rodents with the esophagus as the principal target organ. The present study aims at an assessment of DNA methylation by NMAA in various rat tissues and an identification of cell populations actively involved in its bioactivation. Adult male F344 rats received a single i.p. dose of N-nitroso[methyl-14C]amylamine (0.1 mmol/kg). After 6 h organs were removed and the DNA was extracted, hydrolyzed in 0.1 M HCl, and subjected to radiochromatography on Sephasorb-HP. Highest levels of DNA alkylation were found in esophagus (798 mumol 7-methylguanine/mol mol guanine), followed by nasal epithelium (672 mumol) and liver (624 mumol). Trachea, lung, forestomach, and kidney had considerably lower levels of alkylation and in glandular stomach, spleen, and duodenum, values were close to the limit of detection. Specific target cell populations were identified autoradiographically and by immunohistochemistry using a rabbit antiserum to O6-methyldeoxyguanosine. In the esophagus, NMAA was selectively metabolized by the basal cells of the mucosa. In the respiratory tract, O6-methyldeoxyguanosine was almost exclusively present in the tracheal and bronchiolar epithelia. In the nasal cavity, labeled nuclei were found in both the olfactory and the respiratory epithelium and in the serous glands. Our studies indicate that NMAA and related asymmetrical nitrosamines are, in addition to liver, preferentially metabolized in tissues derived from the ventral entoderm, including the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tract.

Stimulation of intestinal Na+/D-glucose cotransport by monoclonal antibodies.

The small intestinal brush border membrane is endowed with a number of transport systems. Monoclonal antibodies were produced against integral membrane proteins and tested for their ability to bind to such membranes. For this purpose papain-digested, deoxycholate-extracted BBMVs from rabbit small intestine were used to immunize mice. Of the 765 hybridoma supernatants tested, 119 gave a significantly higher extent of binding to the crude antigen preparation as compared with the background. The monoclonal antibodies were also tested for their ability to influence the sodium-dependent uptake of solutes into intact BBMVs. Two monoclonal antibodies clearly showed stimulation of secondary active D-glucose transport, whereas sodium-dependent uptake of L-alanine and L-proline was not affected. Hydrophobically labeled, i.e. intrinsic, membrane proteins of 175, 78 and 65 kilodaltons could be immunoprecipitated by both monoclonal antibodies, the 78 kDa band corresponding in all likelihood to the Na+/glucose cotransporter.

Formation and persistence of O6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2' -deoxyguanosine in DNA of various rat tissues following a single dose of N-nitroso-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)urea. An immuno-slot-blot study.

Rabbit antibodies against O6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine (O6-HEdg) were used to develop a highly sensitive immuno-slot-blot assay for this promutagenic base which enabled the quantitation of greater than or equal to 3.6 mumol O6-HEdG/mol deoxyguanosine, corresponding to greater than or equal to 5 fmol in a 3-mug DNA sample. This assay was used to study DNA hydroxyethylation by N-nitroso-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)urea (HENU) in adult male F344 rats. Initial amounts of O6-HEdG 2 h after a single i.v. dose of 50 mg/kg were highest in kidney (81 mumol O6-HEdG/mol deoxyguanosine), followed by lung and liver (67 and 55 mumol/mol dG respectively). Formation of O6-HEdG in cerebral DNA was considerably lower (18 mumol O6-HEdG/mol deoxyguanosine), probably reflecting delayed crossing of the blood-brain barrier by HENU due to its hydrophilicity. The formation of O6-HEdG in liver and kidney was strictly proportional to dose over a range of 5-50 mg HENU/kg. Repair of O6-HEdG was very rapid in liver (apparent half-life, 12 h), and somewhat slower in kidney and lung (approximate half-life, 40 h and 48 h respectively). In contrast, 62% of the initial amount of O6-HEdG in cerebral DNA was still present after 7 days. Saturation of the hepatic O6-alkyl-guanine-DNA alkyltransferase by pretreatment with N-nitroso-dimethylamine (20 mg/kg) almost completely inhibited the removal of O6-HEdG, indicating that O6-HEdG is predominantly repaired by this repair enzyme.