Benzo(a)pyrene induced glycine N-methyltransferase messenger RNA expression in Fundulus heteroclitus embryos

Glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) is a mediator in the methionine and folate cycles, and is responsible for the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to glycine forming S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) and sarcosine. All the known DNA methyltransferases use SAM as a methyl donor thus, GNMT is critically involved in regulation of DNA methylation. Altered GNMT activities have been associated with liver pathologies including hepatocellular carcinoma. The homotetramer form of GNMT is enzymatically active, but the homodimeric form has been suggested as the 4S PAH-binding protein which may mediate CYP1A expression. To further understand the role of GNMT in benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)-related toxicity, full length Fundulus heteroclitus GNMT cDNA was cloned from adult liver. The open reading frame (ORF) of GNMT is 888 base pairs long and encodes a deduced protein of 295 amino acids which has 74% identity with human GNMT. Expression of GNMT mRNA was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. In unfertilized, 2days postfertilization (dpf), and 3 dpf embryos GNMT was constitutively higher than in 4, 7, 10 or 14 dpf embryos. Embryos were also exposed to waterborne BaP at 10 and 100 microg L⁻¹, and by 10 dpf the higher BaP dose caused increased expression of GNMT mRNA. These results suggest that PAH exposure may alter expression of an important physiological methylation mediator. Future work will be necessary to determine enzyme level effects of BaP exposure as well.