methylnitronitrosoguanidine and Brain-Neoplasms

The present survey deals with requirements the experimental-oncological models used in morphogenetic investigations should meet. Data on ways of inducing tumours of various organs the most suited for such investigations are presented. The available at present literature comprises data on different variants of morphogenesis of tumours; in a number of cases malignant neoplasms can develop against the background of an unchanged structure without previous alterations. Because of a contradictory character of the literature reports on morphogenesis of tumours, further investigations into the morphodynamics of the process of cancerogenesis are needed; at present, this may be successfully implemented if adequate models of the majority of tumour diseases in man are available. These studies are of importance for better understanding of pathogenesis or tumour growth and for ascertaining the concept of precancer changes.

Topics: 2-Acetylaminofluorene; 9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; Aflatoxins; Animals; Azoxymethane; Benzopyrenes; Brain Neoplasms; Carcinogens; Cricetinae; Dimethylhydrazines; Dogs; Esophageal Neoplasms; Ethionine; Ethylnitrosourea; Female; Hematopoietic System; Intestinal Neoplasms; Liver Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; Methylnitrosourea; Mice; Neoplasms, Experimental; Nitrosamines; Nitroso Compounds; Nitrosoguanidines; o-Aminoazotoluene; p-Dimethylaminoazobenzene; Precancerous Conditions; Rats; Skin Neoplasms; Stomach Neoplasms; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

Glioblastomas (GBM) are lethal brain tumors that are highly resistant to therapy. The only meaningful improvement in therapeutic response came from use of the S(N)1-type alkylating agent temozolomide in combination with ionizing radiation. However, no genetic markers that might predict a better response to DNA alkylating agents have been identified in GBMs, except for loss of O(6-)methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase via promoter methylation. In this study, using genetically defined primary murine astrocytes as well as human glioma lines, we show that loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) confers sensitivity to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), a functional analogue of temozolomide. We find that MNNG induces replication-associated DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), which are inefficiently repaired in PTEN-deficient astrocytes and trigger apoptosis. Mechanistically, this is because PTEN-null astrocytes are compromised in homologous recombination (HR), which is important for the repair of replication-associated DSBs. Our results suggest that reduced levels of Rad51 paralogs in PTEN-null astrocytes might underlie the HR deficiency of these cells. Importantly, the HR deficiency of PTEN-null cells renders them sensitive to the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor ABT-888 due to synthetic lethality. In sum, our results tentatively suggest that patients with PTEN-null GBMs (about 36%) may especially benefit from treatment with DNA alkylating agents such as temozolomide. Significantly, our results also provide a rational basis for treating the subgroup of patients who are PTEN deficient with PARP inhibitors in addition to the current treatment regimen of radiation and temozolomide.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Astrocytes; Benzimidazoles; Brain Neoplasms; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; Dacarbazine; DNA Damage; DNA Repair; Glioblastoma; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors; PTEN Phosphohydrolase; Recombination, Genetic; Temozolomide

Methylating drugs such as temozolomide (TMZ) are widely used in the treatment of brain tumours (malignant gliomas). The mechanism of TMZ-induced glioma cell death is unknown. Here, we show that malignant glioma cells undergo apoptosis following treatment with the methylating agents N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and TMZ. Cell death determined by colony formation and apoptosis following methylation is greatly stimulated by p53. Transfection experiments with O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and depletion of MGMT by O(6)-benzylguanine showed that, in gliomas, the apoptotic signal originates from O(6)-methylguanine (O(6)MeG) and that repair of O(6)MeG by MGMT prevents apoptosis. We further demonstrate that O(6)MeG-triggered apoptosis requires Fas/CD95/Apo-1 receptor activation in p53 non-mutated glioma cells, whereas in p53 mutated gliomas the same DNA lesion triggers the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. This occurs less effectively via Bcl-2 degradation and caspase-9, -2, -7 and -3 activation. O(6)MeG-triggered apoptosis in gliomas is a late response (occurring >120 h after treatment) that requires extensive cell proliferation. Stimulation of cell cycle progression by the Pasteurella multocida toxin promoted apoptosis whereas serum starvation attenuated it. O(6)MeG-induced apoptosis in glioma cells was preceded by the formation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), as measured by gammaH2AX formation. Glioma cells mutated in DNA-PK(cs), which is involved in non-homologous end-joining, were more sensitive to TMZ-induced apoptosis, supporting the involvement of DSBs as a downstream apoptosis triggering lesion. Overall, the data demonstrate that cell death induced by TMZ in gliomas is due to apoptosis and that determinants of sensitivity of gliomas to TMZ are MGMT, p53, proliferation rate and DSB repair.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Apoptosis; Blotting, Western; Brain Neoplasms; Caspases; Cell Cycle; Cell Proliferation; Dacarbazine; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; DNA Damage; Fas Ligand Protein; Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein; Flow Cytometry; Glioma; Guanine; Humans; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; RNA, Small Interfering; Temozolomide; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumor Stem Cell Assay; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

We have analyzed the sensitivity of 14 human medulloblastoma- and glioma-derived cell lines to the clinically used methylating agents temozolomide and streptozotocin. The cell lines responded similarly to these agents, displaying a 3-fold range in cytotoxicity, assessed as the 10% survival dose (LD10). The contribution of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) to resistance, measured as reduction in the LD10 by O6-benzylguanine (O6-BG), varied among the lines by 1 order of magnitude for both agents. However, in all MGMT-expressing lines, O6-BG eliminated a threshold dose that accounted for up to one-half of the LD10. The effect of O6-BG on the rate of killing varied 13-fold for temozolomide and 14-fold for streptozotocin. Some lines displayed two subpopulations with different rates of killing, with one subpopulation that comprised 20-60% of cells showing essentially no dependence of the rate of killing on MGMT. O6-BG increased the range of the LD10 for both agents. The persistent, heightened variability in cytotoxicity in the absence of MGMT, the lack of correlation between MGMT content of the lines and cytoxicity (LD10), and the lack of correlation between MGMT content and the contribution of MGMT to resistance (O6-BG-mediated reduction of the LD10) reflect the operation of resistance mechanisms other than MGMT. We also analyzed sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate, observing little dependence of resistance on MGMT and persistent variability in cytotoxicity in the presence of O6-BG. We discuss the implications for clinical use of methylators and O6-BG.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Brain Neoplasms; Dacarbazine; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Guanine; Humans; Methyl Methanesulfonate; Methylation; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; Streptozocin; Temozolomide; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) has been implicated in resistance of human brain tumors to alkylating agents. We observed that 14 human medulloblastoma- and glioma-derived cell lines differ in sensitivity to the methylating agent N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), as shown by their 28-fold range in 10% survival dose (LD10). By using the substrate analogue inhibitor O6-benzylguanine (O6-BG), we showed that the contribution of MGMT to resistance varies widely, as evidenced by 3- to 30-fold reductions in LD10 among the lines, and varies up to 20-fold among subpopulations of individual lines. Importantly, variability in resistance, manifested as a 20-fold range in LD10, persists after measurable MGMT is eliminated, disclosing differential contributions of other resistance mechanisms to survival. Cells exposed to MNNG while suspended in growth medium are more resistant than cells alkylated as subconfluent monolayers, and MGMT accounts for a smaller proportion of their resistance. Notably, the MGMT content of the lines is not statistically correlated with MNNG resistance or with potentiation of killing by O6-BG, even though MGMT is a biochemically demonstrated determinant of resistance. In contrast, the same lines vary less in resistance to the ethylating agent N-ethylnitrosourea (ENU), and MGMT makes only a small contribution to resistance. Our results strongly indicate that resistance to both MNNG and ENU is multifactorial.

Topics: Alkylating Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Brain Neoplasms; Cell Adhesion; Colonic Neoplasms; Culture Media; Drug Resistance; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Ethylnitrosourea; Glioma; Medulloblastoma; Methylation; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; Methyltransferases; O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced rat glioma N32 was treated with the mutagenic compound N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and the surviving cells cloned by limited dilution. Out of 20 clones tested 8 did not produce tumors subcutaneously even after challenge doses 3 log units above the minimal tumor dose for N32. All of 5 clones grew in a retarded manner intracerebrally but produced tumors in some animals. Preimmunizations with three of the rejected clones (tum-) gave protection against subcutaneous and intracerebral isografts of the unmutated N32. This effect could be enhanced if the cells used for immunizations were pretreated with interferon gamma (IFN gamma) for 48 h. If immunizations were started subsequent to challenge, only immunization with one of two tested tum- clones pretreated with IFN gamma induced significant rejection against intracerebral N32 isografts. Both N32 and its tum- clones were MHC class I positive and MHC class II negative. IFN gamma treatment enhanced the MHC class I expression with 20%-90% on the tum- clones and with 40% on N32. MHC class II expression could be induced on N32 cells after 7 days of IFN gamma treatment but not on any of the tum- clones tested. We conclude that the enhancing effect of IFN gamma treatment on tumor isograft rejection may depend on up-regulation of MHC class I but not of MHC class II. This investigation demonstrates that it is possible to induce rejection of weakly immunogenic intracerebral brain tumors by immunization with selected highly immunogenic tumor cell mutants. In conjunction with relevant cytokines, the cross-protective effect of these tum- variants might be further enhanced and serve as a model for immunotherapy against malignant human brain tumors.

Topics: Animals; Brain Neoplasms; Female; Flow Cytometry; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Glioma; Graft Rejection; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; Immunization; Immunotherapy; Interferon-gamma; Male; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; Neoplasm Transplantation; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Survival Analysis; Survival Rate; Time Factors; Transplantation, Isogeneic; Treatment Outcome; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Topics: Brain Neoplasms; Glioma; Humans; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; Occupational Diseases

Topics: Adenoviruses, Human; Astrocytoma; Brain Neoplasms; Cell Line; DNA Repair; Glioma; Humans; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; Ultraviolet Rays; Virus Cultivation

Topics: Animals; Brain; Brain Neoplasms; Female; Male; Methylnitronitrosoguanidine; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nitrosoguanidines