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R C Smart

Publications and source records attributed to R C Smart.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Genetic alterations cooperate with v-Ha-ras to accelerate multistage carcinogenesis in TG.AC transgenic mouse skin.

TG.AC transgenic mice harbor a v-Ha-ras transgene and retain two normal c-Ha-ras alleles and are susceptible to skin tumor formation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). To determine whether normal c-Ha-ras antagonizes the oncogenic potential of the v-Ha-ras transgene and/or whether additional non-Ha-ras 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) initiation target genes exist in mouse skin, which could cooperate with v-Ha-ras to increase the frequency of initiation, rate of promotion, or risk of malignant conversion, we treated TG.AC mouse skin with a single subthreshold dose of DMBA. This was followed by limited TPA or diacylglycerol promotion to select for cells with additional genetic alterations over those cells containing the v-Ha-ras transgene only. DMBA-treated/TPA-promoted TG.AC mice demonstrated a 10-fold increase in the average number of papillomas per mouse, a greater incidence of papilloma bearing-mice, and an increased papilloma growth rate when compared to acetone-treated/TPA-promoted TG.AC mice. These profound changes in papilloma frequency and growth occurred in the absence of the characteristic DMBA-induced A182-->T mutation in c-Ha-ras and immunohistochemical nuclear staining for p53 protein. DMBA-treated/acetone-promoted TG.AC mice did not develop any tumors. Limited promotion with the model diacylglycerol, sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol, similarly produced an average of 10-fold more papillomas in DMBA-treated mice than in acetone-treated/sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol-promoted TG.AC mice. DMBA-treated/TPA-promoted TG.AC mice developed their first malignancy by 16 weeks, and by 30 weeks, 50% of the mice developed malignancies, whereas no malignancies were observed in acetone-treated/TPA-promoted TG.AC mice. These results indicate that there exist unidentified DMBA initiation target genes in TG.AC mouse skin that cooperate with mutant Ha-ras to increase papilloma frequency, growth, and malignant conversion, and that promoter treatment can influence malignant conversion by selecting for cells with multiple genetic alterations.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1995

Scintigraphic assessment of colonic function during defaecation.

The aim of this study was to develop a method by which rectal and colonic activity could be examined during defaecation under physiological conditions, in order to evaluate whether the colon plays a role in defaecation. Subjects presented to the Nuclear Medicine department on the day following ingestion of oral In-111 labelled DTPA, when they developed the normal urge to defaecate. Defaecation took place in a private room while dynamic scintigraphy of the rectum and colon was recorded. Fourteen subjects were studied (8 normal subjects, 4 with constipation, 2 with irritable bowel syndrome). In 13 subjects the left colon was visualized during defaecation and emptying was clearly observed in 12. The right colon was visualised in 11 subjects and emptying was seen in 7. Mean percentage segmental evacuation was right colon 20%, left colon 32% and rectum 66%. Colonic emptying occurs during defaecation, which is not a process of rectal evacuation only. This has implications for the understanding of the pathophysiology of obstructed defaecation.

Colon↗
PubMed1995

Lack of effect of retinoic acid and fluocinolone acetonide on mirex tumor promotion indicates a novel mirex mechanism.

Mirex, a halogenated hydrocarbon, is a potent skin tumor promoter in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated mouse skin. In the present study retinoic acid (RA) and fluocinolone acetonide (FA), classical inhibitors of phorbol ester- and non-phorbol ester-type skin tumor promoters, were examined for their ability to inhibit mirex tumor promotion. Female CD-1 mice were initiated with 200 nmol DMBA and promoted with equipotent promoting doses of either 5 nmol 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or 200 nmol mirex twice weekly for 25 weeks and RA (2(1 or 5 nmol), FA (0.5 or 2 nmol) or acetone were applied 30 min prior to each TPA or mirex dose. TPA-promoted papilloma formation was strongly inhibited by > 70% with both doses of RA and by > 90% with both doses of FA. In contrast, mirex-promoted papilloma formation was not inhibited by either dose of RA or 0.5 nmol FA and 2 nmol FA weakly inhibited mirex-promoted papillomas by only 32%. TPA- and mirex-promoted papillomas that were refractory to RA and FA demonstrated the same incidence of Ha-ras mutation as TPA- or mirex-promoted papillomas without RA and FA treatment, further indicating that the inhibitory activity of RA and FA is promoter-dependent and not solely dependent on mutant Ha-ras. FA (2 nmol) treatment completely abolished TPA-induced epidermal hyperplasia and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) S phase-positive cells, however, FA had no inhibitory effect on the weak proliferative response induced by mirex. Collectively, these results indicate that the promotional activity of mirex, as well as its weak proliferative response, result from a distinct promoter mechanism and/or that mirex promotes a unique population of epidermal cells that are insensitive to FA and RA and cannot be distinguished by their mutant Ha-ras genotype.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1994

Synergistic interaction between the non-phorbol ester-type promoter mirex and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in mouse skin tumor promotion.

Mirex, an organochlorine pesticide and non-genotoxic rodent hepatocarcinogen, is also a potent non-phorbol ester-type promoter of mouse skin tumors. Mirex, unlike most other skin tumor promoters, is not a significant epidermal hyperplasiogen even at a maximally promoting dose (200 nmol). Experiments described here examined whether tumor promotion by mirex and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) are mediated through different mechanisms as indicated by their additivity when co-applied to 7,12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA, 200 nmol)-initiated female CD-1 mouse skin. Instead of the additive response of 14 plus 5 tumors/mouse predicted from mice promoted for 20 weeks (2x/week) with either mirex (200 nmol) or TPA (2 nmol) respectively, their co-application yielded 35 tumors/mouse. This synergy with TPA was specific to mirex since a structurally related compound, chlordecone (Kepone) was inactive. Mirex plus TPA-promoted papillomas contained a c-Ha-ras A182-->T mutation as frequently (13/14) as those promoted by mirex or TPA alone, suggesting that these DMBA-initiated/co-promoted papillomas were not atypical in this genotypic marker. Promotional synergy with mirex was only observed with a submaximal promoting dose of 2 nmol TPA; 5 or 8 nmol TPA plus mirex gave additive or less tumor multiplicities. This synergistic multiplicity with mirex plus 2 nmol TPA (35 tumors/mouse) approximated the sum of individual responses to 200 nmol mirex (14 tumors/mouse) and the maximally promoting dose of TPA (12 nmol), 24 tumors/mouse, suggesting that mirex potentiated the promotional activity of TPA, as well as promoted through a mirex-specific mechanism. Epidermal DNA synthesis induced by 2 nmol TPA was potentiated by mirex, further supporting a role for mirex in potentiation of epidermal TPA activity. Collectively, these studies suggest that mirex affects two possibly related responses: (i) promotion through a distinct mirex-specific mechanism, and (ii) potentiation of a mechanism mediating the promotional activity of TPA.

Adenine↗
PubMed1994

Influence of aging on oral-pharyngeal bolus transit and clearance during swallowing: scintigraphic study.

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of normal aging on regional transit and the efficiency of bolus clearance during the oral and pharyngeal phases of swallowing. We compared scintigraphically derived oral-pharyngeal transit times and isotope clearance during swallowing in 21 healthy aged volunteers (mean age 68 +/- 8 yr) and 9 young controls (mean age 28 +/- 7.5 yr). Subjects swallowed 5- and 10-ml water boluses mixed with 30 MBq 99mtechnetium tin colloid. Oral and pharyngeal transit times, pharyngeal clearance time, and postswallow residual counts in each region were derived from time-activity curves. Pharyngeal residual counts were significantly greater in the aged than in controls (P = 0.0008), but age did not influence oral residual. Aging significantly prolonged oral transit time (P = 0.02), pharyngeal transit time (P = 0.0004), and pharyngeal clearance time (P = 0.0001). We conclude that normal impairs the efficiency of pharyngeal clearance during swallowing, prolongs scintigraphic measures of oral-pharyngeal transit, and increases the exposure time of the glottis to the swallowed bolus.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Characterization of benzo[a]pyrene-initiated mouse skin papillomas for Ha-ras mutations and protein kinase C levels.

The frequency and spectrum of Ha-ras mutations in benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)-initiated/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-promoted CD-1 mouse skin papillomas were characterized by amplifying high molecular weight papilloma DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by direct DNA sequencing. Analysis of 10 individual B[a]P-initiated early emergence papillomas indicated that 90% contained a Ha-ras mutation. Twenty percent of these papillomas contained a GGA-->GTA transversion in the 12th codon, 50% contained a GGC-->GTC transversion in the 13th codon and 20% contained a CAA-->CTA transversion in the 61st codon. A characteristic of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated papillomas, which contain an A-->T mutation in the 61st codon of Ha-ras, is that they exhibit a constitutive decrease in both protein kinase C (PKC) activity and PKC alpha and beta 2 isozyme levels when compared to epidermis. In the present study we found that total PKC activity, as well as PKC alpha and beta 2 isoforms, were markedly decreased in B[a]P-initiated early emergence papillomas and that this decrease was also accompanied by an altered subcellular distribution of PKC activity. The particulate/cytosolic (P/C) ratio of PKC activity in the epidermis was 0.39, whereas the P/C ratio in the papillomas was 0.77. These results demonstrate that B[a]P-initiated/TPA-promoted papillomas exhibit a high incidence of specific ras mutations and that PKC levels are constitutively decreased in these papillomas, indicating that an activated ras gene is associated with and may contribute to the observed decrease in PKC levels.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1993

Diacylglycerol is an effector of the clonal expansion of cells containing activated Ha-ras genes.

Diacylglycerols (DAG) are lipid second messengers which are generated during phospholipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of phospholipids. The model DAG, sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol (DIC10), is an effective topical tumor promoter in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated mouse skin. We now report that 11/12 of DMBA-initiated/DIC10-promoted papillomas examined contain an A-->T mutation in the 61st codon of the Ha-ras gene, suggesting that DAGs affect the clonal expansion of activated Ha-ras-containing cells. To explore further the DIC10-induced clonal expansion of activated Ha-ras-containing cells, we have examined the tumor-promoting effect of DIC10 in the skin of transgenic TG.AC mice, which harbor a v-Ha-ras transgene. By 9 weeks of promotion, 100% of the TG.AC mice developed squamous papillomas and by 15 weeks these mice developed > 20 papillomas/mouse. Because fatty acids are known to participate in signal transduction pathways, and since cellular lipases could cleave the fatty acid side chains present in DIC10, we have examined the tumor promoting activity of n-decanoic acid to verify the specificity of promotional activity of DIC10. n-Decanoic acid did not function as a tumor promoter. These data implicate DAG as an effector of the clonal expansion of mutated Ha-ras-containing cells, and support a mechanism whereby an increase in endogenous DAG could contribute to the clonal expansion of cells containing a Ha-ras oncogene.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1993

Characterization of skin tumor promotion by mirex: structure-activity relationships, sexual dimorphism and presence of Ha-ras mutation.

In the present study we have compared the tumor-promoting activity of the non-phorbol ester-type skin tumor promoter, mirex, a halogenated cycloalkane pesticide, to the following: (i) chlordane, a halogenated cycloalkane pesticide; (ii) 1,1-bis (4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichlorethane (DDT), a halogenated bridged aromatic pesticide; and (iii) kepone, a halogenated cycloalkane pesticide, which only differs from mirex by the substitution of two chlorine atoms with an oxygen atom. Topical application of 200 nmol mirex three times weekly for 20 weeks to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated female mouse skin produced approximately 16 tumors/mouse with a 96% incidence of tumor bearing mice. Neither chlordane (2 mumol) or DDT (5 mumol) promoted tumors in DMBA-initiated mouse skin after three times weekly application for 20 weeks. Unexpectedly, DMBA-initiated mice treated with 250 nmol kepone three times weekly for 20 weeks did not develop any tumors, demonstrating that the replacement of two chlorine atoms by an oxygen atom results in loss of the skin tumor-promoting activity of mirex. To further characterize mirex-induced skin tumor promotion, male mice were initiated with a single topical application of 200 nmol DMBA and promoted topically three times weekly for 20 weeks with 200 nmol mirex. As compared to female mice, male mice demonstrated (i) 70% fewer tumors/mouse, (ii) decreased incidence of tumor bearing mice, (iii) increased time to first tumor and (iv) increased latency. To determine the role of ovarian hormones in the increased sensitivity of female mice, mice were initiated with DMBA, ovariectomized (OVX) 2 weeks later and then promoted with mirex. OVX mice exhibited 70% fewer tumors/mouse and a 40% decrease in incidence of tumor-bearing mice as compared to controls. Finally, > 90% of DMBA-initiated/mirex-promoted papillomas from male mice and female mice demonstrated a mutated Ha-ras gene with an A-->T transversion in the middle base of the 61st codon. Collectively, these data indicate that the tumor-promoting ability of mirex is highly structure specific, and ovarian hormones are a factor in the increased sensitivity of female mice to the skin tumor-promoting ability of mirex. Furthermore, mirex appears to clonally expand epidermal cells with a mutated Ha-ras oncogene.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1993

Minimal role of enhanced cell proliferation in skin tumor promotion by mirex: a nonphorbol ester-type promoter.

Mirex, a chlorinated hydrocarbon previously used as a systemic insecticide and flame retardant, is a nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogen in both rats and mice. In liver, mirex induced biochemical responses and hyperplasia characteristic of increased cell proliferation, which is consistent with its role as a liver tumor promoter. We have recently shown that mirex is a potent nonphorbol ester-type skin tumor promoter in 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated mice. However, unlike its effect in liver, a single topical application of mirex to skin does not induce the acute biochemical responses, such as increased epidermal DNA synthesis and ornithine decarboxylase activity, indicative of increased cell proliferation. Multiple topical applications of mirex over a 1 month period induced only a minimal increase in the number of epidermal nucleated cell layers, which contrasts with definitive hyperplasia induced by a comparable tumor-promoting dose of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Collectively, these data indicated that mirex is promoting through a novel mechanism. Further evidence that mirex promotes tumors through a mechanism distinct from that of the prototypical skin tumor promoter, TPA, was obtained by examining the effect of their simultaneous co-treatment. The co-application of mirex and TPA yielded a tumor multiplicity greater than the sum of the responses of each promoter individually. In summary, our results demonstrate that mirex, a carcinogenic and hyperplastic agent in liver, is also a very effective tumor promoter in mouse skin, but suggest that mirex operates via a novel mechanism in skin that may involve only a minimal role for enhanced cell proliferation.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1992

The chlorinated pesticide mirex is a novel nonphorbol ester-type tumor promoter in mouse skin.

The hepatocarcinogenic organochlorine pesticide, mirex, was examined as a tumor promoter in the mouse skin initiation-promotion model. Female CD-1 mice were initiated with 200 nmol 7,12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene and topically promoted three times weekly for 20 weeks with doses of 25, 50, 100, or 200 nmol mirex. Mirex promoted tumors at all dose levels in a dose-dependent manner. At 20 weeks, mice promoted with 25, 50, 100, and 200 nmol mirex developed an average of 0.2, 4, 10, and 16 tumors per mouse with a 10, 60, 93, and 96% incidence of tumor-bearing mice, respectively. With continued treatment to 34 weeks, mice promoted with 25, 50, and 100 nmol mirex developed an average of 0.7, 7, and 12 tumors per mouse with a 27, 85, and 100% incidence of tumor-bearing mice, respectively. These results demonstrate that mirex is a very effective tumor promoter in mouse skin. The effect of mirex on several biochemical and morphological events associated with tumor promotion was then investigated. Mirex did not stimulate epidermal protein kinase C activity in vitro. Unlike the phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, a single topical application of mirex (200 nmol) did not increase [3H]thymidine incorporation into epidermal DNA up to 108 h after application. Furthermore, multiple applications of 200 nmol mirex (3 times weekly for 4 weeks) resulted in only a very weak proliferative response; mirex increased the number of nucleated epidermal cell layers from 1 to 2 in acetone-treated controls to 2 to 3 while 2 nmol 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate produced 6 to 7 nucleated cell layers. Mirex (200 nmol) did not induce ornithine decarboxylase activity up to 56 h after a single topical application. Collectively, these data indicate that mirex is a novel nonphorbol ester-type tumor promoter in mouse skin.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1992

Reproducibility of lateral spine scans using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Reproducibility of lateral spine dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (LAT DEXA) scans using a Lunar DPX-L scanner was assessed in a cadaveric phantom and in patients. One hundred phantom measurements over 7 months demonstrated a longitudinal stability of 1.7% (coefficient of variation, CV). Additional scans were performed with the phantom rotated by up to 20 degrees in each of the three orthogonal planes to assess the effects of variable patient positioning. Horizontal and vertical rotation of the spine had little effect on the estimated bone mineral density (BMD), however, axial rotation of greater than 8 degrees led to errors in the BMD measurement. One hundred consecutive patients had two lateral scans performed within 1 month. BMD (range 0.10-1.6 g/cm2) was determined for each scan by one operator. Significant overlap from ribs and pelvis was often seen with L2 and L4 vertebrae but one vertebra (L3) could be measured in every case. Intraoperator and interoperator variability was assessed by three experienced operators, each analyzing 10 patients' scans on five separate occasions, and was found to be less than 1.1% for a single vertebra. BMD estimation of vertebral bodies and midslices by lateral DEXA scans (CV% of 3.8% and 4.6%) have a 95% confidence interval of 0.074 g/cm2 and 0.096 g/cm2, respectively for two vertebrae. This variability is due mainly to axial rotation, with operator variability, horizontal rotation, and vertical rotation having little effect on BMD estimation.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1992

Oral colon transit scintigraphy using indium-111 DTPA: variability in healthy subjects.

Oral colon transit scintigraphy using indium-111 diethylene-triamine-pentaacetic acid was performed in 41 healthy subjects (22 females, 19 males) to determine variability with age and sex and to define normal ranges. Repeat studies were performed in 10 females and 9 males to assess intra-subject variability. Females showed slightly but significantly slower colonic transit than men and slightly greater intra-subject variability. There was no correlation between age and colonic transit. The results have implications for the definition of normal ranges.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Alterations in protein kinase C isozymes alpha and beta 2 in activated Ha-ras containing papillomas in the absence of an increase in diacylglycerol.

The levels of protein kinase C (PKC) activity, PKC isozymes, as well as the level of endogenous diacylglycerols (DAG) were examined in early emergence mouse skin papillomas and compared to the levels in the epidermis. The papillomas were derived from a two-stage carcinogenesis protocol in which mice were initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and promoted twice weekly for only 12 weeks with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). As expected, greater than 90% of these early emergence papillomas contained an activated Ha-ras gene with an A----T transversion in the 61st codon. There was a TPA-independent, irreversible decrease in total PKC activity (70%) in the early emergence papillomas compared to that in the epidermis. Immunoblot analysis of epidermis and papillomas taken 4 weeks following the cessation of TPA treatment, a time when PKC catalytic activity has completely recovered to control level in epidermis but not in papillomas, revealed that the levels of PKC-alpha and PKC-beta 2 were dramatically decreased in the cytosol of the papillomas, while the levels of these two isozymes in the particulate fraction were approximately equal to the epidermis. PKC-delta, -epsilon and -zeta immunoreactive proteins were present in both epidermis and papillomas and only minor changes were observed in the papillomas. PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon displayed a particulate fraction localization in both the epidermis and papillomas, while PKC-zeta was found in both subcellular fractions. We were unable to detect PKC-gamma in mouse epidermis or papillomas. Since the level of DAG has been shown to be elevated in some ras-transformed cells, we examined DAG levels in the papillomas, as an increased DAG level could explain the constitutive decreases in the levels of PKC. Measurements of cellular DAG indicated that there was no elevation in the total pool of DAG in the early emergence papillomas. These data demonstrate an irreversible decrease in and alteration of the subcellular distribution of PKC-alpha and beta 2 in DMBA-initiated/TPA-promoted papillomas. These changes are TPA-independent, and occur in the absence of an elevation in the total pool of endogenous DAG. These alterations of PKC isozymes may be important early events in multistage tumorigenesis.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗
PubMed1991

Effect of ascorbic acid and its synthetic lipophilic derivative ascorbyl palmitate on phorbol ester-induced skin-tumor promotion in mice.

The effect of topical application of ascorbic acid (AA) and ascorbyl palmitate (AP) on 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced tumor promotion in mouse skin was investigated. A single application of TPA decreased epidermal AA by 45%. Repetitive application of 6 and 28 mumol AA with 2 nmol TPA inhibited tumor multiplicity by 39% and 76%. Repetitive application of 0.16, 0.8, and 4.0 mumol AA with 5 nmol TPA inhibited tumor multiplicity by 16%, 46%, and 91%. Because AA may be poorly absorbed cutaneously, we evaluated the effect of dietary AA. Supplementation of drinking water with AA increased epidermal ascorbic acid levels by 50%. Dietary intake of AA did not inhibit TPA-induced tumor promotion. Preliminary data suggest that the mice not receiving AA developed increased epidermal AA levels in response to the tumor promoting regimen. Recently we have found that dietary AP inhibited TPA-induced biochemical parameters associated with tumor promotion.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Comparison of oral iodine-131-cellulose and indium-111-DTPA as tracers for colon transit scintigraphy: analysis by colon activity profiles.

In 11 normal subjects and 11 patients with a clinical diagnosis of constipation, oral 131I-cellulose and 111In-DTPA were compared simultaneously as tracers for radionuclide colon transit scintigraphy. Visual assessment of the images revealed no differences between tracers. Quantitation was performed using total and segmental percent retention and the derived value of clearance half-time. In addition, profiles of the activity distribution along the length of the colon were generated and the mean position of the activity in the colon calculated. For all indices, the results were similar in both normal subjects and constipated patients when comparing tracers, although marked differences were present between normal subjects and constipated patients for each tracer. Indium-111-DTPA was easy to administer and dosimetry was more acceptable than for 131I-cellulose, especially in constipated patients. It is concluded that 111In-DTPA is the preferred tracer for oral colon transit scintigraphy.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1990

Differential down-regulation of epidermal protein kinase C by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and diacylglycerol: association with epidermal hyperplasia and tumor promotion.

A single topical application of 2 nmol 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to CD-1 mouse skin resulted in a rapid decrease in cytosolic, particulate, and total epidermal protein kinase C (PKC) activity at 6 h, which remained decreased by 70% at 96 h. This dose of TPA produced epidermal hyperplasia as determined by an increase in the number of nucleated epidermal cell layers. A single application of 10 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol, a model sn-1,2-diacylglycerol and complete tumor promoter, induced ornithine decarboxylase to an extent similar to that of 2 nmol TPA. However, sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol produced an 80% increase in particulate PKC activity that was accompanied by a 45% decrease in cytosolic PKC activity, resulting in no net change in total PKC activity. Unlike TPA, this dose of sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol did not produce a hyperplastic response. Additional dosing regimens were examined to determine whether the down-regulation of particulate PKC activity was associated with hyperplasia and tumor promotion. A tumor-promoting dosing regimen consisting of multiple applications of 5 or 10 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol twice daily for 1 week resulted in more than a 60% decrease in cytosolic and particulate PKC activity and a marked epidermal hyperplasia. Twice-weekly application of 10 mumol sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol, a nonpromoting dosing rate, for 1 week decreased cytosolic PKC activity but increased particulate PKC activity and did not produce hyperplasia. Dosing regimens utilizing multiple applications of TPA decreased both particulate and cytosolic PKC activity and were also hyperplastic. PKC activity was also measured in epidermal papillomas from mice initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]- anthracene and promoted with either sn-1,2-didecanoylglycerol or TPA. Cytosolic- and particulate-associated PKC activity in these papillomas was decreased by at least 70% and 40%, respectively, when compared with epidermis and whole skin. After 2 months without promoter treatment, both cytosolic and particulate PKC activity remained decreased in the papillomas, whereas epidermal PKC activity returned to control values by 2 to 3 weeks following cessation of several weeks of TPA treatment. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the down-regulation of epidermal PKC is associated with and may be a permissive event for epidermal hyperplasia and tumor promotion.

Acetone↗