ABSTRACT
The covalent poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of nuclear DNA-binding proteins in eukaryotic cells is a post-translational modification reaction related in part to the modulation of chromatin structure and function in DNA-damaged and apoptotic cells. This chapter presents evidence that constituents of Jet Propulsion Fuel-8 (JP-8) jet fuel may be genotoxic stressors that induce, in a dose-dependent manner, different levels of PARP-1 activation. Involvement of PARP-1 in the process of the inflammatory response, with the modulation of redox transcription factors and the production of pro-inflammatory factors, are discussed. The expression of genes whose products contribute to the cellular response to oxidative stress or chemical toxicants, including glutathione 5-transferases and cytochromes, was also prominently increased in lung tissue from rats exposed to JP-8 at the higher dose. This assay identified altered expression in stress response, or apoptosis-related genes to JP-8 in cultured lymphocytes.
