ALTERED STEROID INDUCED PUFFING BY CHROMATIN BOUND ALUMINUM IN A POLYTENE CHROMOSOME OF THE BLACKFLY SIMULIUM VITTATUM

Abstract

The neurotoxic element aluminum accumulates selectively upon nuclear chromatin of several cell types, including neurons and glial cells of experimental animals and man. However, no mechanism of toxic action has been identified. Histometric analyses of the puffing patterns induced by ecdysterone in polytene chromosomes in the dipteran, Simulium vittatum (Zetterstedt) showed that chromosomes of salivary gland cells exposed to aluminum in vitro exhibit significant alterations in their response to ecdysterone. Specifically, chromatin bound aluminum completely inhibits (p < 0.05) puffing at seven out of nine sites normally puffed by ecdysterone and partially inhibits (p < 0.05) puffing at one site. Aluminum induces a partial puff (p < 0.05) at one site previously inhibited when both aluminum and ecdysterone were present. These findings suggest that one mode of toxic action of chromatin bound aluminum may be related to changes in gene expression.