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PubMed2000

Torsion-induced injury in rat testes does not affect mitochondrial respiration or the accumulation of mitochondrial mutations.

Male rats were subjected to 1 h testicular torsion of the spermatic cord or 1 h torsion followed by detorsion and recovery up to 4 weeks. The extent of tissue damage was evaluated by a testicular biopsy score count and mitochondrial function. Torsion for 1 h followed by detorsion induced significant morphological damage, which became more severe with longer periods of recovery. This morphological damage could not be correlated with mitochondrial damage as assessed by measuring the 4834 bp mitochondrial DNA 'common deletion' using a quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Mitochondrial respiratory chain activity, as measured by mitochondrial oxygen consumption using an oxygen electrode, did not vary between the treated animals and the controls. We conclude that the common mitochondrial DNA deletion and oxygen consumption are not good indicators of testicular damage induced by torsion.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Modes of reproduction and the accumulation of deleterious mutations with multiplicative fitness effects.

Mutational load depends not only on the number and nature of mutations but also on the reproductive mode. Traditionally, only a few specific reproductive modes are considered in the search of explanations for the maintenance of sex. There are, however, many alternatives. Including these may give radically different conclusions. The theory on deterministic deleterious mutations states that in large populations segregation and recombination may lead to a lower load of deleterious mutations, provided that there are synergistic interactions. Empirical research suggests that effects of deleterious mutations are often multiplicative. Such situations have largely been ignored in the literature, since recombination and segregation have no effect on mutation load in the absence of epistasis. However, this is true only when clonal reproduction and sexual reproduction with equal male and female ploidy are considered. We consider several alternative reproductive modes that are all known to occur in insects: arrhenotoky, paternal genome elimination, apomictic thelytoky, and automictic thelytoky with different cytological mechanisms to restore diploidy. We give a method that is based on probability-generating functions, which provides analytical and numerical results on the distributions of deleterious mutations. Using this, we show that segregation and recombination do make a difference. Furthermore, we prove that a modified form of Haldane's principle holds more generally for thelytokous reproduction. We discuss the implications of our results for evolutionary transitions between different reproductive modes in insects. Since the strength of Muller's ratchet is reduced considerably for several forms of automictic thelytoky, many of our results are expected to be also valid for initially small populations.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
PubMed2006

The acquisition of full fluoroquinolone resistance in Salmonella Typhi by accumulation of point mutations in the topoisomerase targets.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the contribution to fluoroquinolone resistance of point mutations in the gyrA and parC genes of Salmonella Typhi. METHODS: Point mutations that result in Ser-83-->Phe, Ser-83-->Tyr and Asp-87-->Asn amino acid substitutions in GyrA and Glu-84-->Lys in ParC were introduced into a quinolone-susceptible, attenuated strain of Salmonella Typhi using suicide vector technology. This is the first time that this approach has been used in Salmonella and abrogates the need for selection with quinolone antibacterials in the investigation of resistance mutations. RESULTS: A panel of mutants was created using this methodology and tested for quinolone resistance. The ParC substitution alone made no difference to quinolone susceptibility. Any single GyrA substitution resulted in resistance to nalidixic acid (MIC >or= 512 mg/L) and increased by up to 23-fold the MIC of the fluoroquinolones ofloxacin (MIC Phe or Tyr and Asp-87-->Asn in GyrA with Glu-84-->Lys in ParC) showed high levels of resistance to all the fluoroquinolones tested (MICs: gatifloxacin, 3-4 mg/L; ofloxacin, 32 mg/L; ciprofloxacin, 32-64 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS: In Salmonella Typhi the fluoroquinolones tested act on GyrA and, at higher concentrations, on ParC. The point mutations conferred reduced susceptibility to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, and also reduced susceptibility to gatifloxacin. Three mutations conferred resistance to ofloxacin (32 mg/L), ciprofloxacin (32 mg/L) and to the more active fluoroquinolone gatifloxacin (MIC >or= 3 mg/L). These results predict that the use of ofloxacin or ciprofloxacin will select for resistance to gatifloxacin in nature.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed1999

Aging-dependent large accumulation of point mutations in the human mtDNA control region for replication.

Progressive damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) during life is thought to contribute to aging processes. However, this idea has been difficult to reconcile with the small fraction of mtDNA so far found to be altered. Here, examination of mtDNA revealed high copy point mutations at specific positions in the control region for replication of human fibroblast mtDNA from normal old, but not young, individuals. Furthermore, in longitudinal studies, one or more mutations appeared in an individual only at an advanced age. Some mutations appeared in more than one individual. Most strikingly, a T414G transversion was found, in a generally high proportion (up to 50 percent) of mtDNA molecules, in 8 of 14 individuals above 65 years of age (57 percent) but was absent in 13 younger individuals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

A mutation in a new gene of Escherichia coli, psu, requires secondary mutations for survival: psu mutants express a pleiotropic suppressor phenotype.

A mutation in an apparently new gene of Escherichia coli, psu, maps close to ara (1.3 min). psu mutants express a pleiotropic suppressor phenotype in which several auxotrophic requirements and some deletion mutations are suppressed. psu cloned in pBR322 can be maintained by the transformed cell only in the presence of several secondary mutations which accumulate in cultures of psu mutants and have an apparently compensatory role. The accumulation of secondary mutations is not due to mutator activity. The secondary mutations can each act as a suppressor of an auxotrophic requirement in the absence of psu, while suppression of deletions requires the presence of psu. Thus, the suppressor phenotype of psu mutants is due to both psu and the secondary mutations. The functions of psu and the secondary mutations are not known. However, two observations suggest an association with DNA gyrase and with DNA supercoiling. (i) psu mutants are highly resistant to oxolinic acid, the gyrase A inhibitor, while the secondary mutants vary from being very sensitive to more resistant than the wild-type strain. (ii) Novobiocin, which decreases the level of DNA supercoiling, significantly stimulates suppression of auxotrophy in some secondary mutants.

Ampicillin Resistance↗
PubMed2003

Development of resistance against diketo derivatives of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 by progressive accumulation of integrase mutations.

The diketo acid L-708,906 has been reported to be a selective inhibitor of the strand transfer step of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integration process (D. Hazuda, P. Felock, M. Witmer, A. Wolfe, K. Stillmock, J. A. Grobler, A. Espeseth, L. Gabryelski, W. Schleif, C. Blau, and M. D. Miller, Science 287:646-650, 2000). We have now studied the development of antiviral resistance to L-708,906 by growing HIV-1 strains in the presence of increasing concentrations of the compound. The mutations T66I, L74M, and S230R emerged successively in the integrase gene. The virus with three mutations (T66I L74M S230R) was 10-fold less susceptible to L-708,906, while displaying the sensitivity of the wild-type virus to inhibitors of the RT or PRO or viral entry process. Chimeric HIV-1 strains containing the mutant integrase genes displayed the same resistance profile as the in vitro-selected strains, corroborating the impact of the reported mutations on the resistance phenotype. Phenotypic cross-resistance to S-1360, a diketo analogue in clinical trials, was observed for all strains. Interestingly, the diketo acid-resistant strain remained fully sensitive to V-165, a novel integrase inhibitor (C. Pannecouque, W. Pluymers, B. Van Maele, V. Tetz, P. Cherepanov, E. De Clercq, M. Witvrouw, and Z. Debyser, Curr. Biol. 12:1169-1177, 2002). Antiviral resistance was also studied at the level of recombinant integrase. Single mutations did not appear to impair specific enzymatic activity. However, 3' processing and strand transfer activities of the recombinant integrases with two (T66I L74M) and three (T66I L74M S230R) mutations were notably lower than those of the wild-type integrase. Although the virus with three mutations was resistant to inhibition by diketo acids, the sensitivity of the corresponding enzyme to L-708,906 or S-1360 was reduced only two- to threefold. As to the replication kinetics of the selected strains, the replication fitness for all strains was lower than that of the wild-type HIV-1 strain.

Acetoacetates↗
PubMed1998

Nonlinearity of radiation health effects.

The prime concern of radiation protection policy since 1959 has been to protect DNA from damage. In 1994 the United Nations Scientific Community on the Effects of Atomic Radiation focused on biosystem response to radiation with its report Adaptive Responses to Radiation of Cells and Organisms. The 1995 National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements report Principles and Application of Collective Dose in Radiation Protection states that because no human data provides direct support for the linear nonthreshold hypothesis (LNT), confidence in LNT is based on the biophysical concept that the passage of a single charged particle could cause damage to DNA that would result in cancer. Several statistically significant epidemiologic studies contradict the validity of this concept by showing risk decrements, i.e., hormesis, of cancer mortality and mortality from all causes in populations exposed to low-dose radiation. Unrepaired low-dose radiation damage to DNA is negligible compared to metabolic damage. The DNA damage-control biosystem is physiologically operative on both metabolic and radiation damage and effected predominantly by free radicals. The DNA damage-control biosystem is suppressed by high dose and stimulated by low-dose radiation. The hormetic effect of low-dose radiation may be explained by its increase of biosystem efficiency. Improved DNA damage control reduces persistent mis- or unrepaired DNA damage i.e., the number of mutations that accumulate during a lifetime. This progressive accumulation of gene mutations in stem cells is associated with decreasing DNA damage control, aging, and malignancy. Recognition of the positive health effects produced by adaptive responses to low-dose radiation would result in a realistic assessment of the environmental risk of radiation.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

SOD1 mutation is associated with accumulation of neurofilaments in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene are found in 15 to 20% of patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS). Increased levels of neurofilament subunits in transgenic mouse models of ALS also suggests a key role for these proteins in the pathogenesis of the disease. We report the coexistence of an Ile113-->Thr substitution in exon 4 of the SOD1 gene and marked neurofilamentous pathology in the same FALS patient. These observations suggest that two mechanisms, SOD1-induced toxicity and neurofilament disruption, are acting together.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Two waves of memory B-cell generation in the primary immune response.

Memory B cells can be generated independently of germinal center (GC) formation and affinity maturation in Bcl-6-deficient mice, but the contribution of the GC-independent pathway for memory B-cell generation in normal mice remains unknown. To examine this, we administrated anti-inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) mAbs into mice at the onset of GC formation in the primary response. This manipulation affected the generation of GC B cells in the spleen, but neither IgG1 memory B cell nor production of IgG1 long-term antibody was affected. In ICOS-manipulated mice, GC B cells accumulated somatic mutations in the IgV(H) genes and underwent affinity maturation; however, memory B cells scarcely accumulated mutations and reconstituted the secondary response by low affinity, supporting the notion that low-affinity memory B cells are generated in a GC-independent manner. Thus, it appears that memory B cells are established by two different pathways, associated with or without GC reaction and affinity maturation. The generation and long-term persistence of low-affinity IgG1 memory B cells and antibodies in ICOS-manipulated mice support the idea that low-affinity memory B cells may give rise to long-term antibody-forming cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Mutations in APC, Kirsten-ras, and p53--alternative genetic pathways to colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most significant causes of cancer death. A genetic model for colorectal cancer has been proposed in which the sequential accumulation of mutations in specific genes, including adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), Kirsten-ras (K-ras), and p53, drives the transition from healthy colonic epithelia through increasingly dysplastic adenoma to colorectal cancer. We have characterized tumor mutation spectra in a large cohort of colorectal cancer patients. In marked contrast to the predictions of the sequential model of mutation accumulation, only 6.6% of tumors were found to contain mutations in APC, K-ras, and p53, with 38.7% of tumors containing mutations in only one of these genes. The most common combination of mutations was p53 and APC (27.1%), whereas mutations in both p53 and K-ras were extremely rare. Statistical analysis (two-sided Fisher's exact test) confirmed that mutations in K-ras and p53 co-occurred less frequently than expected by chance (P < 0.01, Fisher's exact test). This finding suggests that these mutations lie on alternate pathways of colorectal tumor development. The heterogeneous pattern of tumor mutations in our patient cohort suggests that multiple alternative genetic pathways to colorectal cancer exist and that the widely accepted genetic model of cancer development is not representative of the majority of colorectal tumors.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Population genetics: surviving under mutation pressure.

Concern has been voiced about the survival of endangered species, and even the long-term prospects for humans, in the face of accumulating deleterious mutations. Two experiments have investigated the mutation accumulation process in laboratory Drosophila populations, with apparently conflicting results.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Dominant mutations of hepatitis B virus variants in hepatoma accumulate in B-cell and T-cell epitopes of the HBx antigen.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X gene, encoding a pleotropic transactivator of HBx protein, has been associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Molecular information on liver-derived HBV variants isolated from HCC among Taiwanese population was studied. Amplification of the HBV X genes of 20 HCC patients in high stringency with HBV specific primers was observed. The resulting amplified HBV X genes were purified and individually-cloned into pUC-T vector. Sequences of the eight liver-derived X gene were aligned and compared with the wild type, the ayw HBV serotype. Results indicate that the HBx protein of variants were found predominantly within the regions of amino acid positions 26-45 in N-terminus, and positions 87, 88, 116, 118, 119, 127 and 144. Sequences from six out of the eight variants were found to be identical. These accumulated sequence mutations among the eight HBx variants were found to coincide within the B-cell epitopes (positions 29-48), particularly in the HBx proline and serine rich (PSR) domain, and the T-cell epitopes regions (positions 116-127). These frequent mutations of HBV variants, rather than subtype-specific polymorphic sites, may be involved in immunoevasion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

The distribution of mutation effects on viability in Drosophila melanogaster.

Parameters of continuous distributions of effects and rates of spontaneous mutation for relative viability in Drosophila are estimated by maximum likelihood from data of two published experiments on accumulation of mutations on protected second chromosomes. A model of equal mutant effects gives a poor fit to the data of the two experiments; higher likelihoods are obtained with leptokurtic distributions or for models in which there is more than one class of mutation effect. Minimum estimates of mutation rates (events per generation) at polygenes affecting viability on chromosome 2 are 0.14 and 0.068, but estimates are strongly confounded with other parameters in the model. Separate information on rates of molecular divergence between Drosophila species and from rates of movement of transposable elements is used to infer the overall genomic mutation rate in Drosophila, and the viability data are analyzed with mutation rate as a known parameter. If, for example, a mutation rate for chromosome 2 of 0.4 is assumed, maximum likelihood estimates of mean mutant effect on relative viability are 0.4% and 1%, but the majority of mutations have very much smaller effects than these values as distributions are highly leptokurtic. The methodology is applied to estimate viability effects of single P element insertional mutations. The mean effect per insertion is found to be higher, and their distribution is found to be less leptokurtic than for spontaneous mutations. The equilibrium genetic variance of viability predicted by a mutation-selection balance model with parameters estimated from the mutation accumulation experiments is similar to laboratory estimates of genetic variance of viability from natural populations of Drosophila.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Rapid mutational declines of viability in Drosophila.

High rates of mildly deleterious mutation could cause the extinction of small populations, reduce neutral genetic variation and provide an evolutionary advantage for sex. In the first attempts to estimate the rate of mildly deleterious mutation, Mukai and Ohnishi allowed spontaneous mutations to accumulate on D. melanogaster second chromosomes shielded from recombination and selection. Viability of the shielded chromosomes appeared to decline rapidly, implying a deleterious mutation rate on the order of one per zygote per generation. These results have been challenged, however; at issue is whether Mukai and Ohnishi may have confounded viability declines caused by mutation with declines resulting from environmental changes or other extraneous factors. Here, using a method not sensitive to non-mutational viability changes, I reanalyse the previous mutation-accumulation (MA) experiments, and report the results of a new one. I show that in each of four experiments, including Mukai's two experiments, viability declines due to mildly deleterious mutations were rapid. The results give no support for the view that Mukai overestimated the declines. Although there is substantial variation in estimates of genomic mutation rates from the experiments, this variation is probably due to some combination of sampling error, strain differences and differences in assay conditions, rather than to failure to distinguish mutational and non-mutational viability changes.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[Comparison of nuclear accumulation of p53 protein with mutations in the p53 gene on the tissues of human breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To compare nuclear accumulation of p53 protein with mutations in the p53 gene on the tissues of human breast cancer. METHOD: Fifty-four invasive ductal carcinomas of breast were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) silver stain and strep-avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (SABC) immunohistochemistry. RESULT: A highly significant association between the presence of p53 gene mutation and nuclear accumulation of p53 protein was found (r = 0.714, P < 0.01). All 22 tumors with p53 gene mutations showed nuclear accumulation of p53 protein. Of the 32 tumors with gene mutations undetected, 9(28%) showed nuclear accumulation of p53 protein. Both p53 mutation protein and p53 gene mutations were prevalent in steroid and progesterone receptors negative tumors (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant association between the nuclear accumulation of p53 protein and lymph node invasion (P < 0.05). So did p53 gene mutations (P < 0.05). Therefore, p53 abnormalities might be associated with an aggressive phenotype in breast cancer. CONCLUSION: The immunohistochemical detection of nuclear p53 protein accumulation is highly associated with p53 gene mutations in breast cancer tissues. This method is useful for rapid screening of p53 abnormalities. In some cases of slightly positive for p53 nuclear protein we must observe p53 genemutations to avoid the false positive reaction.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2002

Genes involved in DNA repair are mutational targets in endometrial cancers with microsatellite instability.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is observed in a subset of endometrial cancers (ECs) and is attributed to defects in mismatch repair. Mismatch repair deficiency allows for accumulation of mutations in the coding repeats of key target genes, which may be involved in the initiation and progression of MSI+ EC. We examined genes implicated in DNA repair pathways in 38 MSI-high (MSI-H), 10 MSI-low, 25 microsatellite stable ECs, and a selected panel of associated premalignant hyperplasias. Genetic alterations were correlated to histopathological data, including tumor grade and stage. Somatic frameshift mutations were observed in hMLH3, hMSH3, hMSH6, CHK1, and BAX genes in MSI-H endometrial hyperplasias and cancers, whereas mutations in ATR and CDC25C were observed only in MSI-H ECs. Increased mutation frequency in DNA damage response pathway genes including ATR, CHK1, and BAX demonstrated a significant trend with advancing tumor grade (P < 0.05). Our observations of the same mutations at short coding mononucleotide repeats in both premalignant lesions and tumors and association of increased frequency of mutation accumulation with advancing tumor grade suggest that these alterations may play a role in the development and progression of MSI+ EC.

Adenocarcinoma↗