aplysiatoxin and Cell-Transformation--Neoplastic

This review is designed to inform the clinician of current concepts regarding the pathogenesis of chemically induced skin cancer. Chemicals induce cutaneous cancers in a wide variety of experimental animals and in humans. The most common benign experimental tumors are papillomas and keratoacanthomas, whereas common malignancies are squamous cell carcinomas and melanomas. Carcinoma development is a multistage process that involves at least three mechanistically distinct steps. Initiation is the earliest change in an epidermal cell exposed to carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkylating agents, or nitrosamines. This stage appears to result from carcinogen-induced deoxyribonucleic acid damage leading to a mutation-like genetic change. Only a limited number of epidermal genes may be changed to yield the initiated cell, and one has been identified as the Harvey ras gene, a gene involved in epidermal proliferation. Initiated epidermal cells are not malignant but are insensitive to the normal signals for terminal differentiation in the epidermis. The second stage, tumor promotion, results from repeated exposure of initiated skin to one of a variety of noncarcinogenic promoting agents such as phorbol esters, benzoyl peroxide, anthralin, or certain halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. Some promoters require specific cellular receptors and produce transient changes in the growth or differentiation of the epidermis. Collectively these agents produce a tissue environment that is conducive to the selective clonal outgrowth of the initiated cell population, resulting in a clinically apparent premalignant tumor. During the third stage of carcinogenesis, premalignant cells are converted to malignancy. This step may occur spontaneously, but the frequency is greatly enhanced by exposure to mutagens, including several initiating agents. Thus malignant conversion is likely due to additional mutations in a benign tumor cell. The Harvey ras gene may also be a potential target in the conversion step. Several agents, such as corticosteroids and retinoids, have been identified as anticarcinogens for skin. They appear to be primarily antipromoting agents and could important clinical applications. Melanomas can be induced in several species by repeated exposure to initiators or by exposure to an initiator and a tumor promoter. the experimental pathogenesis of this tumor is unclear. It is proposed that intermediates in the synthesis of melanin pigment could act as

Topics: Animals; Anthralin; Carcinogens; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Disease Models, Animal; DNA; Enzyme Activation; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Halogenated; Lyngbya Toxins; Mice; Oncogenes; Peroxides; Phorbol Esters; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Skin Neoplasms

Topics: Alkaloids; Animals; Cell Adhesion; Cell Aggregation; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Enzyme Induction; Humans; Isomerism; Lactones; Lyngbya Toxins; Marine Toxins; Mice; Mollusk Venoms; Neoplasms; Ornithine Decarboxylase; Phorbols; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

Aplysiatoxin and debromoaplysiatoxin, which are isolated from the seaweed, Lyngbya gracilis, differ in their chemical structure only by the presence or absence of a bromine residue in the hydrophilic region. The function and the structure-activity relation of the hydrophilic region are not known. Aplysiatoxin increased malignant transformation, stimulated DNA synthesis, and inhibited the binding of phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate and epidermal growth factor to cell receptors. Debromoaplysiatoxin inhibited the binding of these two substances as strongly as aplysiatoxin but did not increase malignant transformation or stimulate DNA synthesis. These results indicate that a slight change in the chemical structure of the hydrophilic region of aplysiatoxin affects its abilities to increase cell transformation and stimulate DNA synthesis and that the abilities of the tumor promoters to inhibit the binding of phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate and epidermal growth factor are dissociable from their abilities to increase cell transformation and stimulate DNA synthesis under some circumstances.

Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Carcinogens; Carrier Proteins; Cell Line; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; DNA; Epidermal Growth Factor; ErbB Receptors; Lactones; Lyngbya Toxins; Mice; Phorbol 12,13-Dibutyrate; Phorbol Esters; Protein Kinase C; Receptors, Cell Surface; Receptors, Drug; Structure-Activity Relationship