| dc.description.abstract | A number of known chemical carcinogens were tested as potential inducers of mouse tissue esterases. Only the nitrosamines, DEN and DPN, altered the electrophoretic profiles of esterases in this study. While nitrosamines had been previously shown to increase esterase levels in mouse plasma, the tissue source and specific genes involved in this increase were not demonstrated. This study indicated that the increased plasma esterase levels were due primarily to increased enzyme production in the liver. More specifically, the product of the ES-11 gene on chromesome 8 was a major contributor to the elevated levels. Closely linked ES-2 and ES-6 genes were not induced by these stimuli. A subcellular study revealed that the increased levels of ES-11 accumulated primarily in the microsomal fraction, probably due to an increased rate of protein synthesis. The time limitations of this study and the difficulty of isolating the product of the ES-11 gene did not allow final verification of this hypothesis. | en |
