DNA adducts are a measure of internal exposure to genotoxicants and an important biomarker for human risk assessment. However, the employment of DNA adducts as biomarkers in human studies is often restricted because fresh frozen tissues are not available. In contrast, formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues with clinical diagnosis are readily accessible. Recently, our laboratory reported that DNA adducts of aristolochic acid, a carcinogenic component of Aristolochia herbs used in traditional Chinese medicines world-wide, can be recovered quantitatively from FFPE tissues. In this study, we have evaluated the efficacy of our method for retrieval of DNA adducts from archived tissue by measuring DNA adducts derived from four other classes of human carcinogens: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic amines, heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), and N-nitroso compounds (NOCs). The deoxyguanosine (dG) adducts of the PAH benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), 10-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)-7,8,9-trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-benzo[a]pyrene (dG-N2-B[a]PDE); the aromatic amine 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP), N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-ABP (dG-C8-4-ABP); the HAA 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-PhIP (dG-C8-PhIP); and the dG adducts of the NOC, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), O6-methyl-dG (O6-Me-dG) and O6-pyridyloxobutyl-dG (O6-POB-dG) formed in liver, lung, bladder, pancreas, or colon were recovered in comparable yields from fresh frozen and FFPE preserved tissues of rodents treated with the procarcinogens. Quantification was achieved by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Ion Trap-Multistage Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-IT-MS3). These advancements in the technology of DNA adduct retrieval from FFPE tissue clear the way for the use of archived pathology samples in molecular epidemiology studies designed to assess the causal role of exposures to hazardous chemicals with cancer risk.

A robust, quantitative ultraperformance liquid chromatography ion trap multistage scanning mass spectrometric (UPLC/MS3) method was established to characterize and measure five deoxyguanosine (dG) adducts formed by reaction of the chemotherapeutic nitrogen mustard (NM) bis-(2-chloroethyl)ethylamine with calf thymus (CT) DNA. In addition to the known N7-guanine (NM-G) adduct and its crosslink (G-NM-G), the ring-opened formamidopyrimidine (FapyG) mono-adduct (NM-FapyG) and cross-links in which one (FapyG-NM-G) or both (FapyG-NM-FapyG) guanines underwent ring-opening to FapyG units were identified. Authentic standards of all adducts were synthesized and characterized by NMR and mass spectrometry. These adducts were quantified in CT DNA treated with NM (1 μM) as their deglycosylated bases. A two-stage neutral thermal hydrolysis was developed to mitigate the artifactual formation of ring-opened FapyG adducts involving hydrolysis of the cationic adduct at 37 °C, followed by hydrolysis of the FapyG adducts at 95 °C. The limit of quantification values ranged between 0.3 and 1.6 adducts per 107 DNA bases, when the equivalent of 5 μg DNA hydrolysate was assayed on column. The principal adduct formed was the G-NM-G cross-link, followed by the NM-G mono-adduct; the FapyG-NM-FapyG adduct was at the limit of detection. The NM-FapyG adducts formed in CT DNA at a level of ~20% that of the NM-G adduct. NM-FapyG has not been previously quanitified and the FapyG-NM-G and FapyG-NM-FapyG adducts have not be previously characterized. Our validated analytical method was then applied to measure DNA adduct formation in the MDA-MB-231 mammary tumor cell line exposed to NM (100 μM) for 24 h. The major adduct formed was NM-G (970 adducts per 107 bases), followed by G-NM-G (240 adducts per 107 bases) and NM-FapyG (180 adducts per 107 bases), and lastly the FapyG-NM-G cross-link adduct (6.0 adducts per 107 bases). These lesions are expected to contribute to the NM-mediated toxicity and genotoxicity in vivo.

Aging, the main risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), is associated with increased α–synuclein levels in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Excess α-synuclein spurs Lewy-like pathology and dysregulates the activity of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). PP2A dephosphorylates many neuroproteins, including the catecholamine rate-limiting enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). A loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons induces PD movement problems, but before those abnormalities occur, behaviors such as olfactory loss, anxiety, and constipation often manifest. Identifying mouse models with early PD behavioral changes could provide a model in which to test emerging therapeutic compounds. To this end, we evaluated mice expressing A53T mutant human (A53T) α–synuclein for behavior and α–synuclein pathology in olfactory bulb, adrenal gland, and gut. Aging A53T mice exhibited olfactory loss and anxiety that paralleled olfactory and adrenal α-synuclein aggregation. PP2A activity was also diminished in olfactory and adrenal tissues harboring insoluble α-synuclein. Low adrenal PP2A activity co-occurred with TH hyperactivity, making this the first study to link adrenal synucleinopathy to anxiety and catecholamine dysregulation. Aggregated A53T α–synuclein recombinant protein also had impaired stimulatory effects on soluble recombinant PP2A. Collectively, the data identify an excellent model in which to screen compounds for their ability to block the spread of α-synuclein pathology associated with pre-motor stages of PD.