title: In vitro early changes in intercellular junctions by treatment with a chemical carcinogen.
abstract: To examine early intercellular junction changes caused by treatment with 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA), rat lingual epithelium was cultivated in isolation and observed by electrophysiological, freeze-fracture and whole-mount electron microscopy. Electrophysiological measurements showed a transient decrease in membrane potential of -10.2 mV 6 h after the treatment. It returned to almost the same level as that of the control group 1 day later. Six hours after treatment, input resistance decreased rapidly to 5.3 M omega but increased to 18.0 M omega 12 h after treatment. Transient reduction of input resistance and membrane potential occurred prior to the decrease in the coupling ratio 6 h after treatment with DMBA. In freeze-fracture replicas, the number of gap junctions decreased by approximately 45% of the control value 6 h after treatment with DMBA. At 12 h and thereafter, the number and area of gap junctions subsequently decreased by 60-80% of the control value. Alterations in the number and area of desmosomes were similar to those of the gap junctions. The formation of epithelial cytoskeletons, partially devoid of the 2-4 and 5-8 nm filaments was also observed. A decrease in the density of filament networks beneath the plasma membranes was especially apparent. Treatment with a carcinogen brought about morphological cellular changes as early as 6 h after treatment, and such early changes might trigger metabolic cellular abnormalities. Affected cells appear to move away from normal cells in a process of repeated destruction and revision of intercellular junctions, and cytoskeletons.
mesh_terms: D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; D000818:Animals; D002273:Carcinogens; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000187:drug effects; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene