Timothy Benjamin

Identification of gel-separated tumor marker proteins by mass spectrometry

Two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis with subsequent analysis by mass spectrometry was applied to study differences in protein expression between benign and malignant solid tumors from human beast, lung and ovary cells. Cells from freshly resected clinical material were lysed and the extracts were subjected to isoelectric focusing with immobilized pH gradients followed by second‐dimensional separation on 10—13% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/polyacrylamide gels. Polypeptides were identified using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry after in‐gel protein digestion. Some of the upregulated polypeptides in malignant cells are of potential importance as markers of tumor proliferation. Twenty such proteins were identified, ten constituting novel identifications and ten sequence verifications of previously gel‐matched proteins. The proteins identified span a wide range of functions, but several cases of protein truncation were found. Truncated forms of cytokeratins 6D and 8, and of cathepsin D were identified. Truncated froms of these overexpressed proteins support the presence of proteolytic processing steps in tumor material. The protein processing and the difference between protein and mRNA abundancies in tumors of different malignancy and origin suggest that studies at the protein level are important for an understanding of tumor phenotypes.

Enzymic N-Acetylation of 2,4-Toluenediamine by Liver Cytosols from Various Species

1. 2,4-Toluenediamine was incubated with liver cytosol from various species, or cytosol from various tissues of the hamster or rabbit, in the presence of [1-14C]acetyl-CoA. N-Acetylation occurred selectively at the p-amino group of 2,4-toluenediamine and to a much lesser extent on the o-amino group. 2. In hamsters and rabbits the highest N-acetyltransferase activity was present in the liver cytosol, followed by kidney intestinal mucosa and lung cytosols. 3. Hamster liver cytosol had the greatest activity followed by liver cytosols from guinea-pig, rabbit, mouse and rat. With human liver cytosol only a trace of an N-acetyl derivative of 2,4-toluenediamine was found while dog liver cytosol showed no activity. 4. N-Acetyltransferase activity was maximal at pH 7-5 in mouse, pH 6-0 in rat and man, and pH 7-0 in rabbit liver cytosols. 5. There was a slight difference in the levels of N-acetyltransferases in males and females; the female mouse had more enzyme activity than the male, but the male rat had more enzyme activity than the female.

Long-Term Effect of Benzene in C57BL/6N Mice

Weaning male C57BL/6N mice received repeated subcutaneous injections of benzene in corn oil for 54 weeks. These mice and surviving controls were killed 104 weeks after the first injection. There was no evidence of carcinogenic activity in benzene-injected mice. A high incidence of amyloidosis developed in mice of all treated and untreated groups. Butyinitrosourea, used as a positive control, induced lymphomas or leukemias (in most exposed mice) and intestinal tumors in a few.

N-Formylation of an Aromatic Amine as a Metabolic Pathway

1. Feeding 2-aminoanthraquinone (2-AAQ) in the diet to Fischer rats led to nephrotoxicity in females, caused by deposits of crystalline material in the kidney tubules. 2. This material consisted of 2-AAQ, N-acetyl-2-AAQ and N-formyl-2-AAQ. N-Formyl-2-AAQ was also identified in the ether extract of urine of rats fed 2-AAQ. 3. This represents the first case of identification of the N-formyl derivative of a primary aromatic amine as a metabolite in vivo.

The metabolism of 6-aminochrysene in the rat.

Abstract The absorption, distribution and excretion of 6 -aminochrysene- 5 , 6 - 14 C were investigated in rats. The highest concentration of radioactivity in the organs at 48 hr after an i. p. dose were in the liver and kidneys. Only 12% of the administered radioactivity was recovered in the urine and 56% from the feces during a ten day period. Up to 42% of the dose was excreted in the bile during 48 hours. The major biliary metabolite of 6 -aminochrysene was the N-glucuronide of 6 -aminochrysene. 12 -Hydroxy- 6 -acetylaminochrysene was present in the urine as a glucuronide and in unconjugated form in the feces.

Metabolism of the dyestuff intermediate 2,4-diaminoanisole in the rat.

1. 2,4-Diamino[ring-U-14C]anisole.2HCl administered intraperitoneally to rats is excreted chiefly via the urine (79 and 85% of the dose in 24 and 48 h, respectively). The isotope in the faeces was 2.1 and 8.9% of the dose at 24 and 48 h. 2. The major metabolic pathway was acetylation of the amine groups(s), resulting in 4-acetylamino-2-aminoanisole and 2,4-diacetylaminoanisole. 3. Oxidate pathways yielded 2,4-diacetylaminophenol (O-demethylation), 5-hydroxy-2,4-diacetylaminoanisole (ring hydroxylation), and 2-methoxy-5-(glycol-amido)acetanilide or its isomer (omega-oxidation). 4. These major metabolites were excreted in the urine both as free and glucuronic acid conjugates.

Plasma proteins as early biomarkers of exposure to carcinogenic aromatic amines

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DG) has been used to study the changes induced in dog plasma polypeptides by the known urinary bladder carcinogens, 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) and 2-naphthylamine (2-NA). Treatment with 3-aminobiphenyl (3-ABP) and 1-naphthylamine (1-NA), both considered to be non-carcinogenic, were used as controls. The purpose of this study was: (1) to determine whether or not changes that occurred in the plasma protein patterns were specific to 4-ABP and/or other related carcinogenic arylamines; (2) to measure the time course in the changes of the major polypeptides during dosing and their resynthesis during a recovery period; and (3) to determine, by microsequencing, the biochemical identity of the affected proteins. The results indicate that only the most potent carcinogen, 4-ABP, had the effect of suppressing the expression of some proteins, while the other aromatic amines caused no discernible change in the 2DG patterns during a 12-week dosing period. The 4-ABP caused dramatic suppression of two sets of proteins. One set of three spots had an apparent molecular weight of 32.5 kDa, and a pI of 5.8-6.0. The major component in this group was identified as the beta-chain of haptoglobin. Expression of this protein decreased markedly during the first 2 weeks of treatment and recovered slowly after dosing stopped. Since haptoglobin functions to bind with free hemoglobin and facilitates its elimination from the blood stream, these results can be rationalized as a consequence of 4-ABP binding to hemoglobin in the erythrocyte, resulting in cell death and hemolysis. The 4-ABP modified hemoglobin then binds to haptoglobin and this tertiary complex is purged from the blood stream, resulting in the disappearance of free haptoglobin. A second set of spots (mol. wt., 65 kDa; pI, 6.5-6.6) disappeared much faster than the haptoglobin, and recovered more quickly. The major protein is about one-fifth the intensity of haptoglobin and appeared to be N-terminally blocked. Internal microsequencing of four fragments obtained from tryptic cleavage of the major spot of this group showed significant similarity to the serum albumin sequence of several species. This spot group is not the major serum albumin spot, however, since the latter is readily identified as the most abundant spot on the plasma map. During the course of this study, several other polypeptides in the 2DG map of dog plasma were identified and are presented here.