| A promutagen is a chemical agent that is not mutagenic in itself but can be metabolically transformed into a mutagen by plant or animal systems. Many aromatic amines are promutagens and plants can activate these agents into stable mutagens. The biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in bioactivation of promutagens into mutagens have been partially revealed in mammalian systems to understand cancer induction mechanisms. This laboratory demonstrated that simple aromatic amines are activated into potent frameshift mutagens by cultured tobacco cells (TX1). In this study, biochemical, genetic, and molecular approaches were used to define the mechanisms involved in the plant-activation of an arylamine model compound, m-Phenylenediamine. This study showed that bacterial acetyl CoA:N-hydroxyarylamine O-acetyltransferase (OAT) as well as human acetyltransferase (NAT) play a key role in the bioactivation of m-PDA into potent mutagens. The mutagenic potency of the isolated m-PDA metabolites were stable for more than 1 year when stored at 4... |
