During the last two decades, chemical and cellular studies have contributed enormously to our understanding of metal-induced carcinogenesis, and many hypotheses on the role of metals in pathophysiological processes have been investigated. In addition, new techniques are available to shed light on the mechanism of carcinogenesis in molecular terms. This conference on Molecular Mechanisms of Metal Toxicity and Carcinogenesis in September 2000 focused on the latest research in molecular mechanisms of metal-induced toxicity and carcinogenesis. The conference promoted a multidisciplinary investigative approach and included presentations from international experts on state-of-the-art information in this field.

Inhalt
Molecular mechanisms of metal toxicity and carcinogenesis.- Cadmium-induced apoptosis and phenotypic changes in mouse thymocytes.- Cytotoxicity and transcriptional activation of stress genes in human liver carcinoma cells (HepG2) exposed to cadmium chloride.- Arsenic-induced NFiB transactivation through Erks-and JNKs-dependent pathways in mouse epidermal JB6 cells.- Lead-related effects on rat fibroblasts.- In vivoreduction of chromium (VI) and its related free radical generation.- Atrazine potentiation of arsenic trioxide-induced cytotoxicity and gene expression in human liver carcinoma cells (HcpG2).- CombiningDmsophila melanogastersomatic-mutation-recombination and electron-spin-resonance-spectroscopy data to interpret epidemiologic observations on chromium carcinogenicity.- Carcinogenic potential and genomic instability of beryllium sulphate in BALB/c-3T3 cells.- Cr (VI) induces cell growth arrest through hydrogen peroxide-mediated reactions.- Comparison of roles of three mitogen-activated protein kinases induced by chromium(VI) and cadmium in non-small-cell lung carcinoma cells.- Differential zinc and DNA binding by partial peptides of human protamine HP2.- Reduction of Cr (VI) by cysteine: Significance in human lymphocytes and formation of DNA damage in reactions with variable reduction rates.- Transactivation of RARE and GRE in the cellular response to arsenic.- Orthopaedic implant related metal toxicity in terms of human lymphocyte reactivity to metal-protein complexes produced from cobalt-base and titanium-base implant alloy degradation.- Arsenic contamination of groundwater and prevalence of arsenical dermatosis in the Hetao plain area, Inner Mongolia, China.- Involvement of Erks activation in cadmium-induced AP-1 transactivationin vitroandin vivo.- Chromium (VI)-induced oxidative stress, apoptotic cell death and modulation of p53 tumor suppressor gene.- Review.- Carcinogenic metals and NF-?B activation.- Effects of glutathione on chromium-induced DNA crosslinking and DNA polymerase arrest.- Minireview.- Cell apoptosis induced by carcinogenic metals.- Gene expression profile in response to chromium-induced cell stress in A549 cells.- Cr (VI) increases tyrosine phosphorylation through reactive oxygen species-mediated reactions.- Molecular biology of nickel carcinogenesis.- Model reactions of Cr (VI) with DNA mediated by thiol species.- On the mechanism of Cr (VI)-induced carcinogenesis: Dose dependence of uptake and cellular responses.- Index to Volume 222.- Instructions to Authors.