
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
A Reduces MPO Activity and DNA Adduct Levels in Bronchoalveolar Lavages of Smokers
1 Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; 2 Particle Research Core, Research Institute for Environmental Health, Düsseldorf, Germany; and Departments of 3 Respiratory Medicine and 4 Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Request for reprints: Frederik J. Van Schooten, Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, Maastricht University, P. O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-43-3881100; Fax: 31-43-3884641. E-mail: F.vanschooten{at}grat.unimaas.nl
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
A genetic polymorphism is associated with a reduced risk for lung cancer, but the underlying mechanism is not yet elucidated. Therefore, the impact of this polymorphism on MPO activity and lipophilic DNA adducts was studied in respectively bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and cells, from 106 smoking Caucasian lung patients. MPO activity was determined spectrophotometrically, aromatic DNA adducts by 32P-postlabeling and MPO genotypes by RFLP analysis. Frequencies of MPO 463AA (13%), MPO 463AG (36%), and MPO 463GG (51%) were in line with earlier observations. MPO activity/neutrophil was lower in MPO 463AA (median 0.04 pU/cell) than in MPO 463AG (median 0.07 pU/cell) and MPO 463GG (median 0.14 pU/cell; P = 0.059) individuals. DNA adducts in BAL cells were measured in 11 MPO 463AA subjects and equal numbers of MPO 463AG and MPO 463GG subjects matched for smoking, age, gender, and clinical diagnosis. DNA adduct levels in MPO 463AA individuals (median 0.62 adducts/108 nucleotides) were lower than in MPO 463AG (median 1.51 adducts/108 nucleotides) and MPO 463GG (median 3.26 adducts/108 nucleotides; P = 0.003) subjects. Overall, no significant correlation was observed between amount of inhaled tar/day and DNA adduct levels. However, correlations improved considerably on grouping according to the MPO genotype; MPO 463AA subjects were the least responsive (R2 = 0.73, slope = 0.4, P = 0.01) followed by MPO 463AG subjects (R2 = 0.70, slope = 1.3, P = 0.01) and MPO 463GG patients (R2 = 0.67, slope = 2.8, P = 0.02). These data demonstrate that MPO 463AA/AG genotypes are associated with (a) reduced MPO activity in BAL fluid and (b) reduced smoking-related DNA adduct levels in BAL cells in a gene-dose manner. These data provide a plausible biological explanation for the reduced risk for lung cancer as observed in MPO 463AA/AG compared with MPO 463GG subjects. | Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Tobacco smoke contains a large number of chemical compounds including carcinogenic substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; Ref. 1). PAHs exert their carcinogenic activity after metabolic activation to form reactive metabolites that can bind covalently to DNA (DNA adducts). If not repaired, these DNA adducts may lead to mutations in oncogenes (e.g., ras) and tumor suppressor genes (e.g., p53), causing transformation of a normal cell into a cancer cell. Direct evidence for the relevance of PAH-DNA adducts comes from the observation that benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)-derived DNA adducts in vitro are directly related to p53 mutational hotspots found in human lung cancer tissue (2). Furthermore, recently, a prospective molecular epidemiological study showed that levels of aromatic DNA adducts were strongly associated with lung cancer outcome (3). As such, measurements of DNA adduct levels are generally accepted as relevant intermediate end points in the carcinogenic process.
Smoking causes a local inflammatory response in the lung that is accompanied by the influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN; Ref. 4). Activated neutrophils release myeloperoxidase (MPO), which catalyzes the conversion of H2O2 into the bactericidal compound hypochlorous acid (5). However, in addition to the direct damaging effects of the oxidants generated by MPO, the enzyme is involved in the activation of PAHs, such as BaP, into their reactive metabolites [e.g., BaP-diol-epoxide; Refs. 6, 7). This process may be especially relevant for tissues and/or organs, including the lung, where the levels of cytochrome P450 are relatively low. Previously, we showed that BaP-diol-epoxide DNA adduct levels were significantly increased in lung epithelial cells after coincubation with BaP and stimulated PMN, implicating a role for neutrophil-derived MPO (8). A frequently occurring polymorphism in the promoter region of MPO in the Caucasian population is a 463G
A transition that is associated with reduced gene expression (9). The distribution of this 463G
A polymorphism among healthy Caucasians shows that 210% of the population are homozygous for the mutant A allele, 3143% heterozygous for GA, and 4964% is homozygous for the wild-type G allele (10, 11). Several case-control studies showed that this MPO polymorphism is closely associated with lung cancer; persons carrying the mutant AA genotype have a 4070% reduced risk for lung cancer (1018). Although not all studies could confirm these results (19, 20), the protective effect was predominantly observed in Caucasian smokers. Interestingly, in a recent study, the protective effect was strongest for small cell lung cancer, which is a type of lung cancer strongly associated with cigarette smoking (11).
Although it is obvious to speculate on a role of the MPO polymorphism in PAH-mediated lung carcinogenesis, the underlying mechanisms are still not clear. Previously, we observed a strong relationship between MPO polymorphism and PAH-DNA adducts in skin of atopic dermatitis patients (21). Because PAH-DNA adducts are closely associated with lung carcinogenesis, and MPO is implicated in the activation of PAHs, the present study has aimed to further investigate the relation among MPO genotype, MPO activity, and DNA adduct levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells derived from smokers.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
MPO Activity in BAL Fluid
MPO packaged in neutrophils will have no effect on PAH metabolism because MPO must be released extracellularly during the oxidative burst of neutrophils (68). Therefore, extracellular MPO activity was measured to assess of the role of MPO in PAH metabolism and DNA adduct formation. MPO activity in cell-free BAL fluid was measured as described by Klebanoff (23). The assay solution was prepared freshly by mixing 107.6 ml H2O, 12 ml 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, 0.192 ml Guaiacol, and 0.4 ml 0.1 M H2O2. Cell-free BAL fluid (100 µl) was added to a 1 cm light path cuvette containing 400 µl of the assay solution and mixed rapidly. The generation of tetraguaiacol was measured spectrophotometrically at 470 nm (Beckman DU-64) and the change of absorbance/min was calculated. The activity of MPO in units (1 unit is the amount of enzyme that consumes 1 µmol H2O2/min) was calculated with the formula: U/ml = (
A x Vt x 4) / (E x
t x Vs) in which Vt = total volume (ml), Vs = sample volume (ml),
A = delta absorption, and
t = measuring time.
MPO Genotyping
The detection of the MPO 463G
A polymorphism was performed by RFLP after PCR as described by London et al. (12). A 350-bp DNA fragment was amplified using forward primer MPOF (5'-CGG TAT AGG CAC ACA ATG GTG AG) and reverse primer MPOR (5'-GCA ATG GTT CAA GCG ATT CTT C). PCR was performed and 10 µl of the PCR product were digested with the restriction enzyme AciI. After electrophoresis, the digested products resulted in banding patterns indicative for the genotypes: 169, 120, and 61 bp fragments for the homozygous wild-type (463GG); 289, 169, 120, and 61 bp fragments for the heterozygous type (463AG); and 289 and 61 bp fragments for the homozygous mutant type (463AA). GSTM1 genotypes were determined as described by Brockmöller et al. (24).
32P-Postlabeling of Aromatic DNA Adducts
DNA was isolated with the QIAamp DNA blood midi kits according to the instructions of the manufacturer (Qiagen, Inc., Hilden, Germany). The DNA was dissolved in 2 mM Tris (pH 7.4) and concentration and purity of the DNA were determined spectroscopically at 230, 260, and 280 nm. DNA concentrations were adjusted to 2 µg/µl. The 32P-postlabeling assay for lipophilic DNA adducts was performed as described earlier (25). Briefly, DNA (10 µg) was digested into deoxyribonucleoside 3'-monophosphates by incubation with micrococcal endonuclease and spleen phosphodiesterase for 3 h at 37°C. Half of the digest was treated with nuclease P1 for 40 min at 37°C and the reaction was terminated by adding 0.5 M Tris. The other half of the digest was used for determination of the amount of normal nucleotides in the analysis. Labeling was performed using [
32P]-ATP (50 µCi) in the presence of T4 polynucleotide kinase for 30 min at 37°C, and subsequently, TLC was performed using polyethyleneimine cellulose sheets (Macherey Nagel, Düren, Germany) using the following solvent systems: D1 1 M NaH2PO4 (pH 6.5); D2 8.5 M urea, 5.3 M lithium formate (pH 3.5); D3 1.2 M lithium chloride, 0.5 M Tris, 8.5 M urea (pH 8.0); D4 1.7 M NaH2PO4 (pH 6.0). Nucleotide quantification was performed by diluting 1 µl aliquot of the DNA digest 1200 times. Normal nucleotides were labeled under the same conditions as the modified nucleotides mentioned above and subsequently one-dimensionally chromatographed on polyethyleneimine cellulose sheet (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany) using a solvent system of 0.12 M NaH2PO4 (pH 6.8). For calibration, two standards of [3H]BaP-diol-epoxide modified DNA with known modification levels (1 per 107 and 108 nucleotides) were run in parallel in each experiment. Quantification was performed using a PhosphorImager (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, CA) with a detection limit of 1 adduct/109 nucleotides.
Statistics
Data were not normally distributed and therefore presented as median and range. The nonparametric Jonckheere-Terpstra test was applied to assess statistical significance among the MPO 463AA, 463AG, and 463GG genotypes. Linear regression was used to investigate the relationship between DNA adducts and the amount of inhaled tar/day for the entire study population and for individuals grouped according to the MPO genetic polymorphism. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the additional impact of other factors (age, gender, diagnosed disease, genotypes, or cigarette consumption). P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
2). The MPO activity was measured in duplicate in BAL fluid samples from 95 subjects. Duplicate measurements showed a mean difference of 7%. The median MPO activity in BAL fluid samples of individuals with the MPO 463AA genotype (0.19 mU/ml, range 052.26; n = 13) did not significantly differ from the median activity found in BAL fluid of subjects with the MPO 463AG genotype (0.41 mU/ml, range 0137.09; n = 35) or subjects with the MPO 463GG genotype (0.34 mU/ml, range 0257.60; n = 47; P = 0.86; Table 1). However, the MPO activity is mainly determined by the number of neutrophils (PMN) as evidenced by the positive correlation between MPO activity and number of PMN in the BAL fluid samples (R2 = 0.303, P = 0.01). Therefore, we adjusted the MPO activity for the number of PMN to see whether genotype-related differences could be found. MPO 463AA displayed the lowest median MPO activity/neutrophil (median 0.04 pU/cell, range 00.17) compared with MPO 463AG (0.07, range 010.66) and MPO 463GG (0.14, range 080.47), reaching borderline significance (P = 0.059; Table 1).
|
|
2-fold lower than in MPO-AG individuals (1.51 adducts/108 nucleotides, range 0.198.28) and 5-fold lower than in MPO-GG subjects (3.26 adducts/108 nucleotides, range 0.9116.44; P = 0.003; Fig. 1). Multiple linear regression displayed that these results were not influenced by differences in age, gender, diagnosed disease, cigarette consumption, or GSTM1 genotype. A borderline significant difference in DNA adduct levels in BAL cells was found between GSTM1-null subjects and GSTM1-positive subjects (median 1.97 versus 1.09, respectively, P = 0.052). However, this relationship disappeared when both GSTM1 and MPO genotypes were included in a multiple regression analysis, indicating that MPO had the predominant modulatory effect on DNA adduct levels in BAL cells of these smokers.
|
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Because DNA adduct levels represent the net effect of PAH exposure, absorption, activation, detoxification, and DNA repair, they can be seen as an integrative measurement of the biological effective PAH dose, which is closely linked with lung carcinogenesis (1, 2). Although DNA adducts were not determined in target cells for lung carcinogenesis, we and others have demonstrated that similar smoking-related DNA adduct types can be found in both whole lung tissue samples and BAL cells, including BaP_DNA adducts (2630). Moreover, previous studies in smokers showed that BAL cells contained about 4-fold more lipophilic DNA adducts than circulating blood lymphocytes and that DNA adduct levels in BAL cells were closely related to smoking behavior (3133). As such, the sensitivity of BAL cells toward adduct inducing agents in cigarette smoke and their easy accessibility make them a very suitable source of DNA to determine the biologically effective dose of carcinogens in lung tissue.
Genetic polymorphisms in carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes may at least partly explain the observed large interindividual differences in DNA adduct formation. Indeed, currently, there is accumulating evidence that genetic polymorphisms in carcinogen activating and detoxifying enzymes are associated with the formation of PAH-DNA adducts (reviewed in Ref. 34). BaP activation mainly occurs through the sequential oxidation into BaP-7,8-oxide, BaP-7,8-diol, and, ultimately, BaP-diol-epoxide, a process in which various genes are involved, including an array of CYP450 genes (35). However, the epoxidation of BaP-7,8-diol to BaP-diol-epoxide is also mediated through the action of MPO (7). This MPO-mediated activation of PAHs may be especially relevant in organs such as the lung that contain relatively low levels of CYP450. As a result, a polymorphism in the MPO gene could have deleterious effects on the ultimate DNA adduct level in lung tissue, especially in case of inflammatory diseases that are characterized by a high PMN influx into the lung. In the present study, we hypothesized that a reduced MPO activity in mutant (MPO 463AA/AG) subjects would decrease the formation of reactive metabolites on exposure to PAH. As a result, DNA adduct levels were expected to be lower in these individuals as compared with those with the wild-type (MPO 463GG) genotype. Indeed, we showed that the mutant subjects (MPO 463AA/AG) had 5-fold lower DNA adduct levels than the carriers of the wild-type gene. This is in line with previous studies in which we determined adduct formation in skin biopsies from patients suffering from atopic dermatitis, who were therapeutically treated with PAH-containing coal-tar ointments (21). DNA adduct levels in the skin of coal-tar-treated patients were similarly reduced (56-fold) in MPO 463AA/AG individuals as compared with the MPO 463GG genotype. Importantly, in the present study, we have additionally investigated phenotypical effects of the MPO polymorphism, as we assessed MPO activity in the cell-free BAL fluid. Because MPO activity in BAL fluid is derived from activated neutrophils, MPO activity was expressed per neutrophil to correct for interindividual differences in BAL cellularity. We found that MPO activity/neutrophil in the mutant subjects (MPO 463AA/AG) was lower as compared with the wild-type carriers, albeit of borderline significance.
Other important genetically polymorphic enzymes involved in the detoxification of PAH metabolites are the µ and
class glutathione S-transferases. However, a recent study showed that GSTM1 and GSTP1 genotypes were no significant determinants of aromatic DNA adduct levels in BAL fluid samples from active smokers (33). In the present study, we also investigated the GSTM1 polymorphism and found that persons lacking the GSTM1 had higher levels of DNA adducts than those carrying the gene. However, this effect was completely lost when the MPO genotype was taken into account. Recent in vitro studies showed that GSTP1 activity could potently be inhibited by the MPO product hypochlorous acid (36). Apart from its role in the activation of BaP, these observations indicate that MPO may also modulate DNA adduct formation by inhibition of detoxification processes.
The overall lipophilic DNA adduct levels in the present study were positively associated with the number of cigarettes smoked/day and the amount of tar daily consumed, although correlation coefficients were low and of borderline significance. These correlations improved substantially within the groups carrying the respective MPO genotypes, indicating that the MPO genotype is an important modulator of the dose-response relationship (Fig. 2). Most of the studies investigating gene and xenobiotic-dose interactions are dealing with acute exposures to (single) compounds in relative high doses in medical settings. In addition, the study by Rojas et al. (21) involved short-term treatment of dermatitis patients with therapeutic coal-tar containing extremely high doses of PAH. The present study, however, is an illustration of how genetic polymorphisms may modulate the metabolism and adverse reactions of a chronic and rather low-dose exposure to a complex mixture of compounds.
In conclusion, this study provides an example of a gene-environment interaction in which DNA adduct formation at a given dose of environmental carcinogens (e.g., PAHs in cigarette smoke) is profoundly affected by the individual genetic background. Specifically, the results showed that, in comparison with wild-type MPO 463GG genotypes, the mutant MPO 463AA/AG genotypes are associated with (a) reduced MPO activity in BAL fluid and (b) reduced smoking-related DNA adduct levels in human lung-derived cells. Moreover, because DNA adduct formation is closely linked to carcinogenesis, these data provide a plausible biological explanation for the association between the MPO 463AA/AG genotypes and the decreased risk for lung cancer.
| Footnotes |
|---|
Note: Present address of A.W. Boots: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University, P. O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Received 11/ 4/03; revised 1/19/04; accepted 1/23/04.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
A polymorphism and lung cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers & Prev 2002;11:1550-4.
A polymorphism with lung cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers & Prev 2000;9:181-4.
A) polymorphism associated with lower risk of lung cancer. Mayo Clin Proc 2002;77:17-22.
A polymorphism does not decrease lung cancer susceptibility in Caucasians. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers & Prev 2002;11:1555-9.This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
E. Taioli Gene-environment interaction in tobacco-related cancers Carcinogenesis, August 1, 2008; 29(8): 1467 - 1474. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. W. J. de Waard, T. M. C. M. de Kok, L. M. Maas, A. A. C. M. Peijnenburg, R. L. A. P. Hoogenboom, J. M. M. J. G. Aarts, and F.-J. van Schooten Influence of TCDD and natural Ah receptor agonists on benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adduct formation in the Caco-2 human colon cell line Mutagenesis, January 1, 2008; 23(1): 67 - 73. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
N. Gungor, R. W.L. Godschalk, D. M. Pachen, F. J. Van Schooten, and A. M. Knaapen Activated neutrophils inhibit nucleotide excision repair in human pulmonary epithelial cells: role of myeloperoxidase FASEB J, August 1, 2007; 21(10): 2359 - 2367. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. Yang, C. B. Ambrosone, C.-C. Hong, J. Ahn, C. Rodriguez, M. J. Thun, and E. E. Calle Relationships between polymorphisms in NOS3 and MPO genes, cigarette smoking and risk of post-menopausal breast cancer Carcinogenesis, June 1, 2007; 28(6): 1247 - 1253. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. S. Wang, S. Davis, J. R. Cerhan, P. Hartge, R. K. Severson, W. Cozen, Q. Lan, R. Welch, S. J. Chanock, and N. Rothman Polymorphisms in oxidative stress genes and risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma Carcinogenesis, September 1, 2006; 27(9): 1828 - 1834. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
X. Wu, J. Gu, T.-T. Wu, S. G. Swisher, Z. Liao, A. M. Correa, J. Liu, C. J. Etzel, C. I. Amos, M. Huang, et al. Genetic Variations in Radiation and Chemotherapy Drug Action Pathways Predict Clinical Outcomes in Esophageal Cancer J. Clin. Oncol., August 10, 2006; 24(23): 3789 - 3798. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. M. Knaapen, N. Gungor, R. P. F. Schins, P. J. A. Borm, and F. J. Van Schooten Neutrophils and respiratory tract DNA damage and mutagenesis: a review Mutagenesis, July 1, 2006; 21(4): 225 - 236. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Cancer Research | Clinical Cancer Research |
| Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention | Molecular Cancer Therapeutics |
| Molecular Cancer Research | Cancer Prevention Research |
| Cancer Prevention Journals Portal | Cancer Reviews Online |
| Annual Meeting Education Book | Meeting Abstracts Online |