Alternaria toxins: Altertoxin II is a much stronger mutagen and DNA strand breaking mycotoxin than alternariol and its methyl ether in cultured mammalian cells

Altertoxin II (ATX II) is one of the several mycotoxins produced by Alternaria fungi. It has a perylene quinone structure and is highly mutagenic in Ames Salmonella typhimurium, but its mutagenicity in mammalian cells has not been studied before. Here we report that ATX II is a potent mutagen in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells, inducing a concentration-dependent increase of mutations at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase gene locus at concentrations similar to that of the established mutagen 4-quinoline-N-oxide. Thus, ATX II is at least 50-times more potent as a mutagen than the common Alternaria toxins alternariol (AOH) and alternariol methyl ether (AME). In contrast to AOH and AME, ATX II does not affect the cell cycle of V79 cells. ATX II also causes DNA strand breaks in V79 cells, with a potency again exceeding that of AOH and AME. The high mutagenic and DNA strand breaking activity of ATX II raises the question of whether this Alternaria toxin poses a risk for public health, and warrants studies on the occurrence of ATX II and other perylene quinone-type mycotoxins in food and feed.

► Altertoxin II induces gene mutations and DNA strand breaks in V79 cells.
► This is the first report on mammalian mutagenicity of a perylene quinone-type toxin.
► Altertoxin II has a more than 50-fold higher mutagenic potency than alternariol.
► Unlike alternariol, altertoxin II does not interfere with cell cycle.