Ataxia telangiectasia: an investigation of the repair defect in the cell line AT5BIVA by plasmid reconstitution

ATM mediates repression of DNA end-degradation in an ATP-dependent manner

Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is a PI3-kinase-like kinase (PIKK) associated with DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair and cell cycle control. We have previously reported comparable efficiencies of DSB repair in nuclear extracts from both ATM deficient (A-T) and control (ATM+) cells; however, the repair products from the A-T nuclear extracts contained deletions encompassing longer stretches of DNA compared to controls. These deletions appeared to result from end-joining at sites of microhomology. These data suggest that ATM hinders error-prone repair pathways that depend on degradation of DNA ends at a break. Such degradation may account for the longer deletions we formerly observed in A-T cell extracts. To address this possibility we assessed the degradation of DNA duplex substrates in A-T and control nuclear extracts under DSB repair conditions. We observed a marked shift in signal intensity from full-length products to shorter products in A-T nuclear extracts, and addition of purified ATM to A-T nuclear extracts restored full-length product detection. This repression of degradation by ATM was both ATP-dependent and inhibited by the PIKK inhibitors wortmannin and caffeine. Addition of pre-phosphorylated ATM to an A-T nuclear extract in the presence of PIKK inhibitors was insufficient in repressing degradation, indicating that kinase activities are required. These results demonstrate a role for ATM in preventing the degradation of DNA ends possibly through repressing nucleases implicated in microhomology-mediated end-joining.

The rate of extrachromosomal homologous recombination within a novel reporter plasmid is elevated in cells lacking functional ATM protein

Homologous recombination between identical stretches of DNA depends on the coordinated action of many tightly regulated proteins. Cellular defects in homologous recombination are strongly associated with increased genomic instability and tumorigenesis. In cells of the cancer-prone syndrome ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), increased intrachromosomal recombination has been demonstrated, while extrachromosomal recombination has been discussed controversially. We constructed a novel, episomally replicating pGrec recombination vector containing two mutated alleles of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene. Homologous recombination can reconstitute functional wildtype eGFP, thus allowing detection of recombination events based on cellular eGFP fluorescence. Using an isogenic cell pair of A-T fibroblasts and derivatives complemented by an ATM expression vector, we were able to demonstrate in A-T cells high extrachromosomal recombination rates, which are suppressed upon ectopic ATM expression. We thus found that ATM deficiency increases spontaneous recombination not only in intrachromosomal but also in extrachromosomal substrates, suggesting that lack of ATM increases homologous recombination independent of the chromatin structure.

Genomic DNA is captured and amplified during double-strand break (DSB) repair in human cells

Genomic stability is maintained by the surveillance and repair of DNA damage. Here, we describe a mechanism whereby repair of extrachromosomal DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in human cells can be accompanied by capture of genomic DNA fragments. The availability of the human genome sequence enabled us to characterize these inserts in cells from a normal individual and from a patient with ataxia telangiectasia (AT), deficient for the damage response kinase ATM and prone to genomic instability. We find AT cells exhibit insertions of human chromosomal DNA fragments in excess of 17 kb during DSB repair, whereas we detected no such genomic inserts in normal cells. However, the presence of simian virus 40 (SV40), used to transform these cell lines, resulted in capture of genomic DNA associated with sites of viral integration in both cell types. The genomic instability at sites of SV40 integration was exported to other sites of DNA damage, and acquisition of the viral origin of replication resulted in gene amplification through autonomous replication of the plasmid harbouring the repaired extrachromosomal DSB. Should this same phenomenon apply to the repair of chromosomal DSBs, genome rearrangements made possible via this DSB insertional repair pose risks to genomic integrity, and may contribute to tumorigenic progression.

ATM: genome stability, neuronal development, and cancer cross paths

One of the cornerstones of the web of signaling pathways governing cellular life and differentiation is the DNA damage response. It spans a complex network of pathways, ranging from DNA repair to modulation of numerous processes in the cell. DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), which are formed as a result of genotoxic stress or normal recombinational processes, are extremely lethal lesions that rapidly mobilize this intricate defense system. The master controller that pilots cellular responses to DSBs is the ATM protein kinase, which turns on this network by phosphorylating key players in its various branches. ATM is the protein product of the gene mutated in the human genetic disorder ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), which is characterized by neuronal degeneration, immunodeficiency, sterility, genomic instability, cancer predisposition, and radiation sensitivity. The clinical and cellular phenotype of A-T attests to the numerous roles of ATM, on the one hand, and to the link between the DNA damage response and developmental processes on the other hand. Recent studies of this protein and its effectors, combined with a thorough investigation of animal models of A-T, have led to new insights into the mode of action of this master controller of the DNA damage response. The evidence that ATM is involved in signaling pathways other than those related to damage response, particularly ones relating to cellular growth and differentiation, reinforces the multifaceted nature of this protein, in which genome stability, developmental processes, and cancer cross paths.

EBV-based plasmid DNA rearrangements after transfection of eukaryotic cells

The cDNA encoding influenza virus (A/Udorn/307/72 strain) M2 protein was subcloned into the EBV-based vector pREP9. Three continuous kidney cellular lines of different origin were transfected with recombinant plasmid pREP9-M2. One and 5 months after transfection plasmid DNA rearrangements were detected by means of restriction analysis of recovered plasmids and their hybridization with an influenza-virus-specific radioactive probe. Deletions were the most frequent type of pREP9-M2 mutations. PCR with primers corresponding to cellular genome and plasmid DNA followed by Southern blot analysis with the [(32)P]-labeled M2-fragment allowed host DNA rearrangements to be revealed in transfected cells.

The controlling role of ATM in homologous recombinational repair of DNA damage

The human genetic disorder ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), caused by mutation in the ATM gene, is characterized by chromosomal instability, radiosensitivity and defective cell cycle checkpoint activation. DNA double-strand breaks (dsbs) persist in A-T cells after irradiation, but the underlying defect is unclear. To investigate ATM's interactions with dsb repair pathways, we disrupted ATM along with other genes involved in the principal, complementary dsb repair pathways of homologous recombination (HR) or non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) in chicken DT40 cells. ATM(-/-) cells show altered kinetics of radiation-induced Rad51 and Rad54 focus formation. Ku70-deficient (NHEJ(-)) ATM(-/-) chicken DT40 cells show radiosensitivity and high radiation-induced chromosomal aberration frequencies, while Rad54-defective (HR(-)) ATM(-/-) cells show only slightly elevated aberration levels after irradiation, placing ATM and HR on the same pathway. These results reveal that ATM defects impair HR-mediated dsb repair and may link cell cycle checkpoints to HR activation.

Modification of non-conservative double-strand break (DSB) rejoining activity after the induction of cisplatin resistance in human tumour cells

The induction of collateral radioresistance after the development of cisplatin resistance is a well-documented phenomenon; however, the exact processes that are responsible for the cisplatin-induced radioresistance remain to be elucidated. There was no obvious difference in the level of radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), in DSB rejoining rates, or the level of the catalytic subunit of the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) in the cisplatin- and radiation-sensitive 2780/WT and cisplatin-resistant 2780/CP cell lines. However, there was a significantly (P < 0.01) lower level of DSB misrejoining activity within nuclear protein extracts derived from the cisplatin- and radiation-sensitive 2780/WT and OAW42/WT tumour cell lines than in similar extracts from their cisplatin- (and radiation-) resistant 2780/CP and OAW42/CP counterparts. All of the DSB misrejoining events involved deletions of between 134 and 444 bp that arose through illegitimate recombination at short repetitive sequences, such as those that arise through non-homologous repair (NHR). These data further support the notion that the radiosensitivity of DSB repair proficient human tumour cell lines may be partly determined by the predisposition of these cell lines to activate non-conservative DSB rejoining pathways. Furthermore, our data suggest that the induction of acquired cisplatin resistance is associated with a two- to threefold decrease in the activity of a non-conservative DSB rejoining mechanism that appears to be a manifestation of NHR.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity is not affected in ataxia telangiectasia cells and knockout mice

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a constitutive factor of the DNA damage surveillance network in dividing cells. Based on its capacity to bind to DNA strand breaks, PARP plays a regulatory role in their resolution in vivo. ATM belongs to a large family of proteins involved in cell cycle progression and checkpoints in response to DNA damage. Both proteins may act as sensors of DNA damage to induce multiple signalling pathways leading to activation of cell cycle checkpoints and DNA repair. To determine a possible relationship between PARP and ATM, we examined the PARP response in an ATM-null background. We demonstrated that ATM deficiency does not affect PARP activity in human cell lines or Atm-deficient mouse tissues, nor does it alter PARP activity induced by oxidative damage or gamma-irradiation. Our results support a model in which PARP and ATM could be involved in distinct pathways, both effectors transducing the damage signal to cell cycle regulators.

Radiosensitive human tumour cell lines show misrepair of DNA termini

Physical measures of the rejoining of radiation-induced breaks in DNA strands are limited in terms of sensitivity and the fact that they do not assess the fidelity with which the rejoining occurs. In this report, transfection of cleaved plasmid has been used as a probe for repair in three radiosensitive tumour cell lines and shown them to have low repair fidelity compared with resistant cells. Errors in the repair of linear plasmid were found by Southern analysis, in keeping with the measured repair fidelity. Radiosensitive tumour cells showed few errors in the uptake and integration of circular plasmid, in contrast to ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) cells. In the neuroblastoma HX142, the repair of blunt-ended linear plasmid was associated with deletions of > 1 kb; staggered-ended linear plasmid was repaired with small insertions and circular plasmid integration was intact in > 60% of the copies. The neuroblastoma SKN.SH, processed staggered-ended plasmid by insertions of a variety of sizes, but processed circular plasmid largely error-free. In contrast, A-T cells (AT5BIVA) had the same spectrum of errors irrespective of the form of plasmid transfected. Cell fusion between HX142 and AT5BIVA showed complementation to a resistant phenotype, suggesting that misrepair in the tumour cell did not result from somatic mutation in the ATM gene. In conclusion, radiosensitive tumours show evidence of misrepair of DNA termini, with a mechanism which is functionally and genetically distinct from that in A-T cells.

Radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks and the radiosensitivity of human cells: a closer look

A large number of reports suggest that DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) play a major role in the radiation-induced killing of mammalian cells. However, the arguments supporting the relationship between DSB and radiosensitivity are generally indirect. Furthermore, care must be taken to allow for the possible impact of the techniques and of the experimental protocols on the relationship between DSB and cell death. The recent data on DSB induction, repair and misrepair in human cell lines and their correlation with intrinsic radiosensitivity are reviewed.

Identification of defective illegitimate recombinational repair of oxidatively-induced DNA double-strand breaks in ataxia-telangiectasia cells

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is an autosomal-recessive lethal human disease. Homozygotes suffer from a number of neurological disorders, as well as very high cancer incidence. Heterozygotes may also have a higher than normal risk of cancer, particularly for the breast. The gene responsible for the disease (ATM) has been cloned, but its role in mechanisms of the disease remain unknown. Cellular A-T phenotypes, such as radiosensitivity and genomic instability, suggest that a deficiency in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) may be the primary defect; however, overall levels of DSB rejoining appear normal. We used the shuttle vector, pZ189, containing an oxidatively-induced DSB, to compare the integrity of DSB rejoining in one normal and two A-T fibroblast cells lines. Mutation frequencies were two-fold higher in A-T cells, and the mutational spectrum was different. The majority of the mutations found in all three cell lines were deletions (44-63%). The DNA sequence analysis indicated that 17 of the 17 plasmids with deletion mutations in normal cells occurred between short direct-repeat sequences (removing one of the repeats plus the intervening sequences), implicating illegitimate recombination in DSB rejoining. The combined data from both A-T cell lines showed that 21 of 24 deletions did not involve direct-repeats sequences, implicating a defect in the illegitimate recombination pathway. These findings suggest that the A-T gene product may either directly participate in illegitimate recombination or modulate the pathway. Regardless, this defect is likely to be important to a mechanistic understanding of this lethal disease.

Hypersensitivity of ataxia telangiectasia fibroblasts to ionizing radiation is associated with a repair deficiency of DNA double-strand breaks

We have studied the intrinsic radiosensitivity, repair of potentially lethal damage (PLD) and the repair rate of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in 11 non-transformed human fibroblast cell lines, four of which were homozygous for the A-T mutation and two that were heterozygous (A-TH). All the experiments were done on cells in plateau phase of growth (97-99% of cells in G0/G1). With a dose of 30 Gy delivered at 4 degrees C, the A-T cell lines had faster repair rates of up to 6 h, after which the repair curve crossed that of the control so that the residual damage at 24 h was higher in the A-T cells. Irradiation at 37 degrees C at low dose rate 1 cGy.min-1) produced even more marked differences between the A-T cells and controls: the residual DSB level was always higher in A-T cells than controls at doses of 5-40 Gy, due to defective repair of a small fraction of DSB in A-T cells. The two protocols showed DSB repair rates for the A-TH cell lines that were intermediate between those of the A-T and control cells. There was a quantitative relationship between the residual DSB after irradiation at 37 degrees C and the intrinsic radiosensitivity, and with the extent of PLD repair. There were very few apoptotic cells in the non-transformed control and A-T cell line, both before and after irradiation. In combination, these result support the contention that the defective repair of DSB is a mechanism of the hypersensitivity linked to the A-T mutation.

Enhancement of frequencies of restriction endonuclease-induced chromatid breaks by arabinoside adenine in normal human and ataxia telangiectasia cells

The effect of ara A (9-beta-D-arabino furanosyladenine) a potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis on the frequencies of chromatid breaks induced by restriction endonucleases (RE) has been investigated in normal human and ataxia telangiectasia (AT) lymphoblastoid cells. PvuII, PstI and BamHI which cause blunt-ended, 3'-overhang and 5'-overhang cohesive-ended DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) respectively, were introduced into two AT cell lines (AT-KM and AT-PA) and a normal human (N-SW) cell line by the use of streptolysin-O poration. Controls were exposed to gamma-irradiation and similarly treated with or without ara A. Both AT cell lines were found to exhibit higher frequencies of chromatid breaks when treated with RE alone as compared with the normal cell line. The pattern of chromatid response to the three RE was shown to be similar in all three cell lines i.e. PvuII was most clastogenic while PstI and BamHI were both less effective at inducing chromosomal aberrations. Incubation of cells with ara A resulted in an increase in frequencies of chromatid breaks in PvuII and PstI treated cells but no increase was observed in BamHI treated cells. Normal cells showed most response to ara A following treatment with PvuII and PstI (enhancement ratios 4.63 and 3.75 respectively) while AT cells were affected by ara A to a lesser extent indicating a reduced expression of damage by ara A in these lines. Since ara A is a potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis, it was concluded from the elevated frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the presence of ara A that rejoining of RE-induced dsb in genomic DNA of human cells involves nucleotide insertion at dsb termini prior to ligation.

Differential level of DSB repair fidelity effected by nuclear protein extracts derived from radiosensitive and radioresistant human tumour cells

A cell-free plasmid reactivation assay was used to determine the fidelity of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair in a panel of eight DSB repair-proficient human tumour cell lines. Nuclear protein extracts derived from radiosensitive tumour cells were less capable of correctly rejoining EcoRI-induced DSBs than were similar extracts from radioresistant tumour cells. Linear regression analysis suggests that there was a significant (r2 = 0.84, P = 0.001, d.f. = 6) correlation between the fidelity of DSB rejoining and the SF2 values of the cell lines studied. This cell-free assay is clearly sensitive to differences in the nuclear protein composition that reflect the clinically relevant radiosensitivity of these cell lines. The fact that our cell-free assay yielded similar results to previous studies that used intracellular plasmid reactivation assays suggests that those differences in DSB mis-rejoining frequencies in radiosensitive and radioresistant cell lines may be due to inherent differences in nuclear protein composition and are not directly attributable to differences in proliferation rates between cell lines. The underlying cause for this association between DSB mis-rejoining frequencies and radiosensitivity is presently unknown, however restriction endonuclease mapping and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification analysis revealed that approximately 40% of the mis-rejoined DSBs arose as a result of the deletion of between 40 and 440 base pairs. These data raise the possibility that the radiosensitivity of DSB repair-proficient human tumour cell lines may be partly determined by the predisposition of these cell lines to activate non-conservative DSB rejoining pathways.

DNA-damage processing in blood lymphocytes of head-and-neck-squamous-cell-carcinoma patients is dependent on tumor site

It has been reported that an intrinsic susceptibility to cancer is related to the way an individual responds to DNA-damaging agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether, in addition to bleomycin-induced chromosomal instability, radiation-induced initial DNA damage and subsequent repair is associated with the development of head-and-neck squamous-cell carcinoma. In this study, 2 assays were performed to measure DNA damage in human peripheral-blood lymphocytes. One was a chromosomal aberration assay which determines sensitivity to chromatid breaks induced by bleomycin, the other an elegant immunochemical assay which measures the level of radiation-induced strand breaks as well as subsequent repair. Age, smoking and alcohol-drinking behavior did not influence the number of chromatid breaks, initial DNA damage or repair capacity. As has been found in previous studies, the mean number of chromatid breaks per cell was significantly different between patients (n = 18) and control persons (n = 19), whereas the amount of initial DNA damage was not. No correlation was found between the outcome of the 2 assays in the subject groups. In contrast to laryngeal-carcinoma patients, oral-cavity-carcinoma patients showed significantly slower repair capacity than controls. Our hypothesis is that the way DNA damage is processed by the patients determines at which site cancer develops in the head and neck area.

Reduced telomere length in ataxia-telangiectasia fibroblasts

Chromosomal instability with a high frequency of telomere fusion is characteristic of ataxia-telangiectasia cells both in vivo and in vitro. We have measured telomere length and found it to be consistently reduced in both diploid and SV40-transformed cells A-T fibroblasts, relative to control cells. We examined a few possible mechanisms which might account for telomeric length reduction, including telomerase activity in transformed cells and endogenous nuclease activities, but found no differences between A-T and control cells in these parameters.

Micronucleus induction by 60Co gamma-rays and fast neutrons in ataxia telangiectasia lymphocytes

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a progressive neuronal degeneration, immunodeficiency, cancer proneness and an extreme sensitivity to ionizing radiation. In this work, micronucleus dose-response curves for lymphocytes of normal and AT individuals, exposed in G(zero) to low LET gamma-rays and high LET fast neutrons, are compared. After gamma-irradiation, the micronucleus yields for AT lymphocytes are strongly increased compared with controls. The micronucleus dose-response curve for AT cells shows a linear dependence instead of a linear-quadratic one which is found for normal cells. After neutron irradiation, the increase in micronucleus yield above controls is less pronounced than with gamma-rays and the micronucleus dose-response curves are linear, as expected. The high increase in micronucleus yield compared with controls after gamma-irradiation further suggests the application of the micronucleus assay as a diagnostic tool for ataxia telangiectasia.

Atm-deficient mice: a paradigm of ataxia telangiectasia

A murine model of ataxia telangiectasia was created by disrupting the Atm locus via gene targeting. Mice homozygous for the disrupted Atm allele displayed growth retardation, neurologic dysfunction, male and female infertility secondary to the absence of mature gametes, defects in T lymphocyte maturation, and extreme sensitivity to gamma-irradiation. The majority of animals developed malignant thymic lymphomas between 2 and 4 months of age. Several chromosomal anomalies were detected in one of these tumors. Fibroblasts from these mice grew slowly and exhibited abnormal radiation-induced G1 checkpoint function. Atm-disrupted mice recapitulate the ataxia telangiectasia phenotype in humans, providing a mammalian model in which to study the pathophysiology of this pleiotropic disorder.

Regulation of the cell cycle following DNA damage in normal and Ataxia telangiectasia cells

A proportion of the population is exposed to acute doses of ionizing radiation through medical treatment or occupational accidents, with little knowledge of the immediate effects. At the cellular level, ionizing radiation leads to the activation of a genetic program which enables the cell to increase its chances of survival and to minimize detrimental manifestations of radiation damage. Cytotoxic stress due to ionizing radiation causes genetic instability, alterations in the cell cycle, apoptosis, or necrosis. Alterations in the G1, S and G2 phases of the cell cycle coincide with improved survival and genome stability. The main cellular factors which are activated by DNA damage and interfere with the cell cycle controls are: p53, delaying the transition through the G1-S boundary; p21WAF1/CIP1, preventing the entrance into S-phase; proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and replication protein A (RPA), blocking DNA replication; and the p53 variant protein p53 as together with the retinoblastoma protein (Rb), with less defined functions during the G2 phase of the cell cycle. By comparing a variety of radioresistant cell lines derived from radiosensitive ataxia telangiectasia cells with the parental cells, some essential mechanisms that allow cells to gain radioresistance have been identified. The results so far emphasise the importance of an adequate delay in the transition from G2 to M and the inhibition of DNA replication in the regulation of the cell cycle after exposure to ionizing radiation.

High frequency and error-prone DNA recombination in ataxia telangiectasia cell lines

The only specific DNA repair defect found in ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) cells is mis-repair of cleaved DNA. In this report we measured DNA recombination, given its role in DNA repair and genetic instability. Using plasmids containing selectable reporter genes, we found a higher frequency of both chromosomal recombination (>100 times) and extra-chromosomal recombination (27 times) in SV40-transformed A-T cell lines compared with in an SV40-transformed normal fibroblast cell line. Southern analysis of single A-T colonies exhibiting post-integration recombination revealed that 24/27 had undergone aberrant rearrangements; recombination in normal fibroblast colonies was achieved by gene conversion in 8/11 clones and 10/11 clones showed unchanged copies of the plasmid. Using co-transfection of two integrating plasmids, each containing a separate deletion in the xgprt reporter gene, the 27 times difference in extra-chromosomal recombination was found when the plasmids were cleaved at a distance from the reporter gene. When the plasmids were cleaved within the reporter gene, the co-transfection frequency was reduced in A-T, but was increased in normal cells. We conclude that A-T cell lines have not only a high frequency chromosomal and extra-chromosomal recombination, but also exhibit error-prone recombination of cleaved DNA.

Dose-rate effect on induction and repair rate of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks in a normal and an ataxia telangiectasia human fibroblast cell line

Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PGFE), we measured DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in a normal human fibroblast and in a cell line derived from a patient suffering from ataxia telangiectasia (AT), a syndrome associated with a hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation. Initial DSB levels assessed after irradiation at 4 degrees C are similar in both cell lines. The DSB repair rate was measured after 30 Gy delivered at 4 degrees C and followed by an incubation at 37 degrees C for 24 h. In AT cells, the DSB repair rate is faster between 0.5 and 9 h and slower between 9 and 24 h. In addition, the DSB levels were measured after irradiation at 37 degrees C at 0.01 Gy min-1 (5-40 Gy). The shape of the curves was curvilinear and a plateau was reached at 10 Gy in the control. After an irradiation at 37 degrees C, DSB levels were significantly higher in AT cells than in the normal fibroblast cells. A model was developed assuming that DSB induction is independent of temperature and that DSB repair rate is independent of dose-rate and dose. This model was used to predict the 37 degrees C DSB data on the basis of the 4 degrees C data. Experimental data and predictions are in agreement, thus validating the above assumptions. It is suggested that, even for extreme situations such as 30 Gy delivered at 4 degrees C or 30 Gy delivered at 37 degrees C at 0.01 Gy min-1, DSB induction and repair are identical. Our results could be interpreted assuming an heterogeneity of DSB. A small fraction of DSB is slowly repaired. This fraction is lower in control than in AT cells. By protracting repair time, the 37 degrees C low-dose rate experiments permit a cleaner distinction between AT and control cells.

The study of responses to 'model' DNA breaks induced by restriction endonucleases in cells and cell-free systems: achievements and difficulties

The use of restriction endonucleases (RE) as a means of implicating DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) in cellular responses is reviewed. The introduction of RE into cells leads to many of the responses known to be characteristic of radiation damage--cell killing, chromosomal aberration, oncogenic transformation, gene mutation and amplification. Additionally, radiosensitive cell lines are hypersensitive to RE, including those from the human disorder ataxia-telangiectasia. However, quantitation of response and comparisons of the effectiveness of different RE are difficult, partly because of unknown activity and lifetime of RE in the cell. RE-induced dsb have also been used to reveal molecular mechanisms of repair and misrepair at specific sites in DNA. Dsb have been implicated in recombination processes including those leading to illegitimate rejoining (formation of deletions and rearrangements) at short sequence features in DNA. Also model dsb act as a signal to activate other cellular processes, which may influence or indirectly cause some responses, including cell death. In these signalling responses the detailed chemistry at the break site may not be very important, perhaps explaining why there is considerable overlap in responses to RE and to ionizing radiations.

Ionizing radiation-induced cell death

Selected aspects of radiation-induced cell death, connected with signal transduction pathways are reviewed. Cell death is defined as insufficiency of the cellular signal transducing system to maintain the cell's physiological functions. The insufficiency may be due to impaired signal reception and/or transduction, lack or erroneous transcription activation, and eventual cellular 'misexpression' of the signal. The molecular basis of this insufficiency would be damage to genomic (but also other cellular) structures and closing of specific signalling pathways or opening of others (like those leading to apoptosis). I describe experimental data that suggest an important role of RAS/NF1 and p53/p105 Rb proteins in cell cycle control-coupled responses to DNA damage.

Lack of effect of inhibitors of DNA synthesis/repair on the ionizing radiation-induced chromosomal damage in G2 stage of ataxia telangiectasia cells

The relationship between the repair processes occuring at the G2 phase of the cell cycle and cytogenetic damage in ataxia telangiectasia (AT) cells was studied. Lymphoblastoid cells derived from normal, heterozygote AT (HzAT) and three AT patients were exposed to X-rays or fission neutrons and post-treated with inhibitors of DNA synthesis/repair, such as inhibitors of DNA polymerases alpha, delta and epsilon (cytosine arabinoside, ara-C; aphidicolin, APC; buthylphenylen-guanine, BuPdG) or ribonucleotide reductase (hydroxyurea, HU). A strong increase of radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations was observed in normal and HzAT cells post-treated with ara-C, APC and HU, but not in the presence of BuPdG. No enhancing effect was observed in cells derived from AT patients, except for HU post-irradiation treatment. These results suggest that the enzymes that can be inhibited by these agents are not directly involved in the repair of radiation damage induced in G2 cells from AT patients, indicating that probably the AT cells that we used lack the capability to transform the primary DNA lesions into reparable products, or that AT cells might contain a mutated form of DNA polymerase resistant to the inhibitors.

The repair fidelity of restriction enzyme-induced double strand breaks in plasmid DNA correlates with radioresistance in human tumor cell lines

PURPOSE

The accuracy of DNA repair may play a role in determining the cytotoxic effect of ionizing radiation. Repair, as measured by DNA strand breakage, often shows little difference between tumor cell lines of widely different radiosensitivity. The mechanism by which DNA fragments are rejoined is poorly understood. This study used plasmid transfection as a probe to assess the balance between correct repair and misrepair.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Using techniques described, a double-strand break was introduced into a coding sequence of circular plasmid DNA using a restriction endonuclease as a model for a radiation-induced double-strand break; it was then transfected as a linear molecule into human tumor cells, and the subsequent cell-mediated restoration of the coding sequence, evidenced by intact gene function, was documented. The plasmid used in these experiments, pPMH16, is known to integrate into genomic DNA. Gene function was tested by the ability to grow colonies in selection media. The plasmid also contains a second selectable marker gene that was used to identify transfected cells, before the function of the damaged gene was tested. The proportion of transfected cells that had correctly restored the damaged gene gave a measure of repair fidelity.

RESULTS

A general trend for sensitive cells to show lower repair fidelity relative to resistant cells was observed. The type of double-strand cleavage of the plasmid (staggered or blunt) made little difference to the measured repair fidelity, in contrast to published studies in which restriction-enzyme breaks had been introduced into DNA within chromatin. Specific comparison of parent lines and their radiosensitive clones showed significant differences in repair fidelity for a relatively small change in radiation response, which was in line with the overall correlation. These same pairs have previously been shown to have no difference in the loss of DNA fragmentation with time after irradiation, and Southern analysis had confirmed the integrated plasmid copy number was similar in the cell lines compared. The number of intact copies of the damaged gene relative to the undamaged gene mirrored the observed repair fidelity. However, in one cell line out of the 10 studied, an exception to the observed trend was found. In a comparison of two equally radioresistant bladder cancer cell lines, large differences in repair fidelity were observed. Again, no difference in the integrated copy number was found, and the damaged gene was highly rearranged or deleted in the cell line with low repair fidelity.

CONCLUSION

These studies have shown repair fidelity to correlate closely with radiosensitivity, including the comparison of genetically related lines. It is suggested that repair fidelity can be, but is not invariably, a measure of correct repair relative to misrepair, resulting from the processing of double-strand breaks and, hence, the response to ionizing radiation.

Molecular determinants of radiosensitivity in mammalian cells

Knowledge of the biochemical and molecular basis of sensitivity to ionizing radiation will provide useful information regarding carcinogenesis, cancer proneness and patient responses to radiotherapy. Cellular endpoints following irradiation are primarily the product of the induction, processing and manifestation of DNA damage. There are therefore several points in the postirradiation sequelae that can be altered to modify the sensitivity of a cell. At the present time there is no consensus as to the single most important determinant of radiosensitivity, but maybe this is because it does not exist. There could be a basic cellular characteristic, such as DNA conformation, which can influence every aspect of the cellular response to radiation, but it is likely that the critical controlling steps differ in different cell systems.

Response of fibroblast cultures from ataxia-telangiectasia patients to reactive oxygen species generated during inflammatory reactions

Cells from patients with ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) are more sensitive than cells from normal individuals to a number of compounds which induce DNA damage via oxygen-derived free radical attack. We tested the hypothesis that AT cells would show a sensitivity to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by activated inflammatory cells. AT cells were exposed to neutrophils activated with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or to xanthine/xanthine oxidase (X/XO), an enzyme system which generates superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. Induced micronuclei (MN) frequencies (corrected for spontaneous MN frequencies) were significantly higher in AT cell cultures than in cultures from normal individuals (comparison of MN frequencies of AT vs. normal cultures: for treatment with activated neutrophils, P = 0.003; for X/XO, P = 0.05). The comet assay was used to determine whether the elevated chromosomal damage in the treated AT cells was due to a difference in strand breakage or its rejoining. X/XO treatment was used in studies of single-stranded (SS) DNA breakage, and X-ray treatment for double-stranded (DS) DNA damage. AT and normal cells showed no significant differences in the initial levels of SS (P = 0.29) or DS (P = 0.91) DNA damage. Likewise, they exhibited similar rejoining kinetics (rejoining half-time for SS = 10 min, for DS = 30 min). These data support the involvement of the AT loci in determining a cell's ability to deal with oxidative stress, although the mechanism underlying this effect has yet to be resolved. The data also suggest that AT patients are at elevated risk of sustaining DNA damage in tissues undergoing inflammatory reactions.

Similarities between human ataxia fibroblasts and murine SCID cells: high sensitivity to gamma rays and high frequency of methotrexate-induced DHFR gene amplification, but normal radiosensitivity to densely ionizing alpha particles

Two gamma-ray hypersensitive cell lines, human ataxia telangiectasia (AT) and murine severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) cells, proved to be very competent in amplifying their dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene under methotrexate selection stress. Over a period of months, methotrexate-resistant clones were obtained which were able to grow in progressively increasing methotrexate concentrations up to 1 mM. By then methotrexate-resistant AT and SCID cells had amplified their DHFR gene 6- and 30-fold, respectively, and showed very high DHFR mRNA expression. In contrast, related cells with normal radiosensitivity (human GM637 and mouse BALB/c fibroblasts) did not show DHFR gene amplification under comparable conditions. This correlation of the capacity of DHFR gene amplification and gamma-ray hypersensitivity in AT and SCID cells suggests that gene amplification may have a mechanism(s) in common with those involved in repair of gamma-radiation-induced damage. No difference in cell killing could be observed following exposure to densely ionizing alpha particles: AT and SCID cells exhibited comparable survival rates to GM637 and BALB/c cells, respectively.

The biology of radioresistance: similarities, differences and interactions with drug resistance

Cells and tissues have developed a variety of ways of responding to a hostile environment, be it from drugs (toxins) or radiation (summarized in Fig. 1). Three categories of radiation damage limitation are: (i) DNA repair (ii) changes in cellular metabolism (iii) changes in cell interaction (cell contact or tissue-based resistance; whole organism based resistance). DNA repair has been evaluated predominantly by the study of repair-deficient mutants. The function of the repair genes they lack is not fully understood, but some of their important interactions are now characterized. For example, the interaction of transcription factors with nucleotide excision repair is made clear by the genetic syndromes of xeroderma-pigmentosum groups B, D and G. These diseases demonstrate ultraviolet light sensitivity and general impairment of transcription: they are linked by impaired unwinding of the DNA required for both transcription and repair. The transfer of DNA into cells is sometimes accompanied by a change in sensitivity to radiation, and this is of special interest when this is the same genetic change seen in tumors. DNA repair has a close relationship with the cell cycle and cell cycle arrest in response to damage may determine sensitivity to that damage. DNA repair mechanisms in response to a variety of drugs and types of radiation can be difficult to study because of the inability to target the damage to defined sequences in vivo and the lack of a satisfactory substrate for in vitro studies. Changes in cellular metabolism as a result of ionizing radiation can impart radiation resistance, which is usually transient in vitro, but may be more significant in vivo for tissues or tumors. The mechanisms by which damage is sensed by cells is unknown. The detection of free radicals is thought likely, but distortion to DNA structure or strand breakage and a direct effect on membranes are other possibilities for which there is evidence. Changes in extracellular ATP occur in response to damage, and this could be a direct membrane effect. External purinergic receptors can then be involved in signal transduction pathways resulting in altered levels of thiol protection or triggering apoptosis. Changes in the functional level of proteins as a consequence of ionizing radiation include transcription factors, for example c-jun and c-fos; cell cycle arrest proteins such as GADD (growth arrest and DNA damage inducible proteins) and p53; growth factors such as FGF, PDGF; and other proteins leading to radioresistance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)