Mutation induction by ionizing radiation in three human bladder tumour cell lines

UV-A induces persistent genomic instability in human keratinocytes through an oxidative stress mechanism

Ultraviolet-A (UV-A, 320 to 400 nm) radiation comprises 95% of the solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) reaching the earth's surface. It has been associated experimentally and epidemiologically with malignant melanoma. In this study we investigated whether UV-A radiation can induce a persistent, heritable hypermutability in mammalian cells similar to that observed following ionising radiation (IR). Using the immortalized human skin keratinocyte cell line HaCaT we found that UV-A radiation does lead to a continuing reduction in plating efficiency, an increased "spontaneous" mutant fraction, and an increase in micronucleus formation up to 21 d after initial exposure. Reversal of these effects using catalase may indicate a role for hydrogen peroxide in this phenomenon. These results add to the significance of UV-A radiation as a risk factor in skin carcinogenesis.

Hprt- mutation spectrum in a closely related pair of human bladder tumour cell lines after gamma-irradiation at different dose-rates

The spectrum of deletion sizes in mutants of two human bladder carcinoma cell lines has been examined. The cell lines were MGH-U1 and a radiation-sensitive subline (U1-S40b) that has been developed in this laboratory. Three groups, each of 20-30 mutants at the hprt locus were investigated: arising spontaneously, or induced after exposure to 10 Gy gamma-radiation either at high dose-rate (2 Gy/min) or low dose-rate (0.01 Gy/min). Data on the mutation frequency of the two cell lines at low dose-rate were obtained to supplement previously published data at high dose-rate. The mutation frequency was lower in U1-S40b than in MGH-U1 both for high and low dose-rate irradiation. The presence of intact copies of each of the nine hprt exons was examined using multiplex PCR, supplemented by single-exon PCR. The incidence of small hprt mutations (i.e. leading to no change in the size of the PCR products) was the same for spontaneous mutations in the two cell lines; for radiation-induced mutants it was higher in U1-S40b. The incidence of total deletions (i.e. no positive exon amplification) was lower in U1-S40b both for high and low dose-rate irradiation. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that large deletions tend to lead to the loss of adjacent essential genes and thereby to the death of potential mutants.

Nature of mutation in the human hprt gene following in vivo exposure to ionizing radiation of cesium-137

The current study comprises the analysis of mutations in 10 individuals accidentally exposed to cesium-137 during the 1987 radiological accident in Goiânia, Brazil. Their exposures were among the highest experienced, ranging from 1 to 7 Gy. Peripheral T-lymphocyte samples were obtained 3.3 years after the original exposure and mutation was studied at the hprt locus using the 6-thioguanine-resistance selection assay. The mutational spectrum for the exposed population is comprised of 90 independent mutants. Based on T-cell receptor analysis, only 5% (5/95) were clonally related. Mutants were initially studied using RT-PCR and directly sequenced using an automated laser fluorescent DNA sequencer. Mutants that repeatedly failed to produce cDNAs were studied using a multiplex PCR assay with genomic DNA. Missense mutations were the most frequent event recovered, comprising 40% (23/57) of the spectral sample. An excess of events involving A:T base pairs was observed, exhibiting a significant difference (chi 2 = 12.7, P = 0.0004) when compared to the spontaneous spectrum. This finding may reflect the effect of ionizing radiation-induced damage, suggesting a potential similarity to radiation effects in prokaryotes. At the genomic level, 36.7% (33/90) of the mutants exhibited gross structural alterations, as detected by multiplex PCR. Deletion events were over-represented in our spectral sample, displaying a twofold increase when compared to the frequency observed in the spontaneous mutation database.

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.