Photoimmunology and nucleotide excision repair: impact of transcription coupled and global genome excision repair

Ultraviolet (UV) light generates damage to DNA which is removed by a versatile mechanism called nucleotide excision repair (NER). There are two subpathways for NER: the transcription coupled repair (TCR) pathway which removes DNA damage from actively transcribed genes and the global genome repair pathway which removes damage throughout the genome. Most types of DNA lesions are processed more rapidly by TCR than by GGR. It is widely accepted that immunological processes play a pivotal role in the generation of skin tumours induced by exposure to ultraviolet light and first evidence is emerging that GGR and TCR play different roles in skin reactions such as erythema and delayed type hypersensitivity. The relationship between UV-induced responses of the skin and the two NER subpathways is discussed.

Local UV-induced DNA damage in cell nuclei results in local transcription inhibition

UV-induced DNA damage causes cells to repress RNA synthesis and to initiate nucleotide excision repair (NER). NER and transcription are intimately linked processes. Evidence has been presented that, in addition to damaged genes, undamaged loci are transcriptionally inhibited. We investigated whether RNA synthesis from undamaged genes is affected by the presence of UV damage elsewhere in the same nucleus, using a novel technique to UV irradiate only part of a nucleus. We show that the basal transcription/repair factor TFIIH is recruited to the damaged nuclear area, partially depleting the undamaged nuclear area. Remarkably, this sequestration has no effect on RNA synthesis. This result was obtained for cells that are able to carry out NER and for cells deficient in NER. We conclude that cross talk between NER and transcription occurs only over short distances in nuclei of living cells.

Restoration of nucleotide excision repair in a helicase-deficient XPD mutant from intragenic suppression by a trichothiodystrophy mutation

The UV-sensitive V-H1 cell line has a T46I substitution mutation in the Walker A box in both alleles of XPD and lacks DNA helicase activity. We characterized three partial revertants that curiously display intermediate UV cytotoxicity (2- to 2.5-fold) but normal levels of UV-induced hprt mutations. In revertant RH1-26, the efficient removal of pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts from both strands of hprt suggests that global-genomic nucleotide excision repair is normal, but the pattern of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer removal suggests that transcription-coupled repair (TCR) is impaired. To explain the intermediate UV survival and lack of RNA synthesis recovery in RH1-26 after 10 J of UV/m(2), we propose a defect in repair-transcription coupling, i.e., the inability of the cells to resume or reinitiate transcription after the first TCR event within a transcript. All three revertants carry an R658H suppressor mutation, in one allele of revertants RH1-26 and RH1-53 and in both alleles of revertant RH1-3. Remarkably, the R658H mutation produces the clinical phenotype of trichothiodystrophy (TTD) in several patients who display intermediate UV sensitivity. The XPD(R658H) TTD protein, like XPD(T46I/R658H), is codominant when overexpressed in V-H1 cells and partially complements their UV sensitivity. Thus, the suppressing R658H substitution must restore helicase activity to the inactive XPD(T46I) protein. Based on current knowledge of helicase structure, the intragenic reversion mutation may partially compensate for the T46I mutation by perturbing the XPD structure in a way that counteracts the effect of this mutation. These findings have implications for understanding the differences between xeroderma pigmentosum and TTD and illustrate the value of suppressor genetics for studying helicase structure-function relationships.

UV-induced DNA damage, repair, mutations and oncogenic pathways in skin cancer

Repair of UV induced DNA damage is of key importance to UV-induced skin carcinogenesis. Specific signal transduction pathways that regulate cell cycling, differentiation and apoptosis are found to be corrupted in skin cancers, e.g., the epidermal growth-stimulating Hedgehog pathway in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). Mutations in genes coding for proteins in these pathways lead to persistent disturbances that are passed along to daughter cells, e.g., mutations in the gene for the Patched (PTCH) protein in the Hedgehog pathway. Thus far only the point mutations in the P53 gene from squamous cell carcinomas and BCCs, and in PTCH gene from BCC of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patients appear to be unambiguously attributable to solar UV radiation. Solar UVB radiation is most effective in causing these point mutations. Other forms of UV-induced genetic changes (e.g., deletions) may, however, contribute to skin carcinogenesis with different wavelength dependencies.

Impact of radiation quality on the spectrum of induced chromosome exchange aberrations

PURPOSE

To study the impact of radiation quality on the spectrum of chromosome exchange aberrations in human lymphocytes using chromosome arm-specific and telomeric probes. The analysis is focused on: (1) incomplete exchanges, (2) interstitial fragments, (3) interarm intrachanges and (4) the complexity of the aberration patterns. The present data after neutron exposure are compared with previously obtained data after X-irradiation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Isolated human lymphocytes from three donors were irradiated with 1 MeV fast neutrons (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 Gy). Analysis was performed on first post-irradiation metaphases with arm-specific probes for chromosome 1 in combination with a pan-centromeric probe, or with telomeric and centromeric PNA probes.

RESULTS

In comparison with X-rays, exposure to neutrons leads to: (1) similar frequencies of incomplete exchanges or terminal deletions, (2) a significantly higher induction of both inter- and intraarm intrachanges, (3) a higher proportion of complex aberrations, and (4) aberrations with a higher degree of complexity, i.e. derived from more chromosome breaks which interact more frequently in a non-reciprocal fashion. Essentially no dose dependence was found for the yield ratios between the various types of chromosomal aberrations.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the reduced rejoining deficiency of DNA double-strand breaks induced by high-LET radiation, exposure to neutrons does not lead to enhanced levels of unrejoined chromosome breaks that can be observed as incomplete exchanges in cells that have reached mitosis. Proximity effects are more pronounced after densely ionizing radiation than after sparsely ionizing radiation. Clustered damage produced by neutron tracks results in a high proportion of complex aberrations and in non-reciprocal interactions of chromosome breaks. Most of the exchanges occur within one neutron track and little interaction seems to take place between the breaks formed in different tracks.

DMBA-induced toxic and mutagenic responses vary dramatically between NER-deficient Xpa, Xpc and Csb mice

Heterogeneity in cancer susceptibility exists between patients with an inherited defect in nucleotide excision repair (NER). While xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patients have elevated skin cancer rates, Cockayne syndrome (CS) patients do not appear to have increased cancer susceptibility. To investigate whether differences in mutagenesis are the basis for the variability in cancer proneness, we studied mutagenesis at the X-chromosomal Hprt gene and the autosomal Aprt gene in splenic T-lymphocytes after 7,12-dimethyl-1,2-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA) exposure in total NER-deficient Xpa mice, global genome repair (GGR)-deficient Xpc mice and transcription coupled repair (TCR)-deficient Csb mice. Surprisingly, while all intraperitoneally-treated Xpc(-/-) mice survived a dose of 40 mg/kg DMBA, a substantial fraction of the treated Xpa(-/-) and Csb(-/-) mice died a few days after treatment with a 20-fold lower dose. Functional TCR of DMBA adducts in Xpc(-/-) mice thus appears to alleviate DMBA toxicity. However, the mutagenic response in Xpc(-/-) mice was +/- 2-fold enhanced at both the Hprt and the Aprt gene compared to heterozygous controls, indicating that GGR at least partially removes DMBA adducts from the genome overall. DMBA-induced SCE frequencies in mouse dermal fibroblasts were significantly enhanced in Xpa- and Csb-, but not in Xpc-deficient background compared to the frequency in normal fibroblasts. These results indicate that both damage-induced cytotoxicity as well as intra-chromosomal recombinational events were not correlated to differences in cancer susceptibility in human NER syndrome patients.

Sequential assembly of the nucleotide excision repair factors in vivo

Here, we describe the assembly of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) complex in normal and repair-deficient (xeroderma pigmentosum) human cells, employing a novel technique of local UV irradiation combined with fluorescent antibody labeling. The damage recognition complex XPC-hHR23B appears to be essential for the recruitment of all subsequent NER factors in the preincision complex, including transcription repair factor TFIIH. XPA associates relatively late, is required for anchoring of ERCC1-XPF, and may be essential for activation of the endonuclease activity of XPG. These findings identify XPC as the earliest known NER factor in the reaction mechanism, give insight into the order of subsequent NER components, provide evidence for a dual role of XPA, and support a concept of sequential assembly of repair proteins at the site of the damage rather than a preassembled repairosome.

Gene and sequence specificity of DNA damage induction and repair: consequences for mutagenesis

The field of DNA repair has been expanded enormously in the last 20 years. In this paper, work on gene and sequence specificity of DNA damage induction and repair is summarized in the light of the large and broad contribution of Phil Hanawalt to this field of research. Furthermore, the consequences of DNA damage and repair for mutation induction is discussed, and the contribution of Paul Lohman to the development of assays employing transgenic mice for the detection of gene mutations is highlighted.

Mouse mismatch repair gene Msh2 is not essential for transcription-coupled repair of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers

The human mutS homolog gene MSH2 is essential for DNA mismatch repair (MMR) and defects in this gene can result in increased mutagenesis, genomic instability and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Besides correcting mismatch errors arising from DNA replication, it was shown that deficiencies in bacterial and human MMR genes including MSH2 resulted in defective transcription-coupled repair (TCR) of UV-induced photolesions. Here we show that MMR-deficient fibroblasts derived from two independent isogenic mouse strains with defined Msh2 deficiencies are as proficient in TCR of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) as wildtype fibroblasts. Our results indicate that in mouse cells Msh2 is not essential for TCR of UV-induced CPD in contrast to bacteria and human cells and suggest that the biological effects of UV in mouse Msh2(-/-) cells and mice are not due to defective TCR.

Domain structure, localization, and function of DNA polymerase eta, defective in xeroderma pigmentosum variant cells

DNA polymerase eta carries out translesion synthesis past UV photoproducts and is deficient in xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) variants. We report that poleta is mostly localized uniformly in the nucleus but is associated with replication foci during S phase. Following treatment of cells with UV irradiation or carcinogens, it accumulates at replication foci stalled at DNA damage. The C-terminal third of poleta is not required for polymerase activity. However, the C-terminal 70 aa are needed for nuclear localization and a further 50 aa for relocalization into foci. Poleta truncations lacking these domains fail to correct the defects in XP-variant cells. Furthermore, we have identified mutations in two XP variant patients that leave the polymerase motifs intact but cause loss of the localization domains.

Differential effects of toxic metal compounds on the activities of Fpg and XPA, two zinc finger proteins involved in DNA repair

Even though not mutagenic, compounds of the carcinogenic metals nickel, cadmium, cobalt and arsenic have been shown previously to inhibit nucleotide excision repair and base excision repair at low, non-cytotoxic concentrations. Since some toxic metals have high affinities for -SH groups, we used the bacterial formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg protein) and the mammalian XPA protein as models to investigate whether zinc finger structures in DNA repair enzymes are particularly sensitive to carcinogenic and/or toxic metal compounds. Concentrations of </=1 mM Ni(II), Pb(II), As(III) or Co(II) did not affect the activity of the Fpg protein significantly. In contrast, the enzyme was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by Cd(II), Cu(II) or Hg(II), starting at concentrations of 50 microM, 5 microM and 50 nM, respectively. Simultaneous treatment with Cd(II) or Cu(II) and Zn(II) partly prevented the inhibitions, while no reversal of inhibition was observed when Zn(II) was added after Cd(II) or Cu(II). In the case of Hg(II), Zn(II) had no protective effect independent of the time of its addition; however, the enzyme activity was completely restored by glutathione. Regarding XPA, Hg(II), Pb(II) or As(III) did not diminish its binding to an UV-irradiated oligonucleotide, while Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) reduced its DNA-binding ability. Simultaneous treatment with Zn(II) prevented largely the inhibition induced by Cd(II), Co(II), and Ni(II), but only slightly in the case of Cu(II). Collectively, the results indicate that both proteins were inhibited by Cd(II) and Cu(II), XPA was additionally inactivated by Ni(II) and Co(II), and Fpg but not XPA was strongly affected by Hg(II). Even though other mechanisms of protein inactivation cannot be completely excluded, zinc finger structures may be sensitive targets for toxic metal compounds, but each zinc finger protein has unique sensitivities.

Inhibition of repair of X-ray-induced DNA double-strand breaks in human lymphocytes exposed to sodium butyrate

PURPOSE

Sodium butyrate is known to inhibit histone deacetylase enzymes and to enhance the frequencies of X-ray-induced dicentrics and rings in human lymphocytes. In this study an investigation was made of the mechanisms underlying this enhancement by assessing the effect of sodium butyrate on the extent of X-ray-induced DNA damage and its repair in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Unstimulated G0 lymphocytes were pretreated for 24h with sodium butyrate at a final concentration of 5 mM, irradiated with different doses of X-rays and then analysed for different endpoints either immediately or after different repair periods. The frequencies of DNA strand breaks were determined biochemically using nucleoid sedimentation, alkaline elution and immunochemical analysis as well as cytogenetically using the premature chromosome condensation (PCC) technique.

RESULTS

The results show that sodium butyrate pretreatment does not lead to a significant increase of DNA double- or single-strand breaks nor to an increase of alkali labile base damage in G0 lymphocytes. Moreover, sodium butyrate treatment had no effect on the initial frequency of chromosome breaks. However, PCC analysis clearly showed that the presence of sodium butyrate post-irradiation severely inhibited DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, which most likely accounts for the increase in X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations.

CONCLUSIONS

Sodium butyrate treatment leading to changes in histone acetylation and increased accessibility of chromatin had no effect on the initial levels of X-ray-induced DNA damage. However, sodium butyrate may affect either the chromatin configuration or the enzymatic activities that play a key role in the repair of DSB.

The relationship between benzo[a]pyrene-induced mutagenesis and carcinogenesis in repair-deficient Cockayne syndrome group B mice

Cockayne syndrome (CS) patients are deficient in the transcription coupled repair (TCR) subpathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER) but in contrast to xeroderma pigmentosum patients, who have a defect in the global genome repair subpathway of NER, CS patients do not have an elevated cancer incidence. To determine to what extent a TCR deficiency affects carcinogen-induced mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, CS group B correcting gene (CSB)-deficient mice were treated with the genotoxic carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P) at an oral dose of 13 mg/kg body weight, three times a week. At different time points, mutant frequencies at the inactive lacZ gene (in spleen, liver, and lung) as well as at the active hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) gene (in spleen) were determined to compare mutagenesis at inactive versus active genes. B[a]P treatment gave rise to increased mutant frequencies at lacZ in all of the organs tested without a significant difference between CSB-/- and wild-type mice, whereas B[a]P-induced Hprt mutant frequencies in splenic T-lymphocytes were significantly more enhanced in CSB-/- mice than in control mice. The sequence data obtained from Hprt mutants indicate that B[a]P adducts at guanine residues were preferentially removed from the transcribed strand of the Hprt gene in control mice but not in CSB-/- mice. On oral treatment with B[a]P, the tumor incidence increased in both wild-type and CSB-deficient animals. However, no differences in tumor rate were observed between TCR-deficient CSB-/- mice and wild-type mice, which is in line with the normal cancer susceptibility of CS patients. The mutagenic response at lacZ, in contrast to Hprt, correlated well with the cancer incidence in CSB-/- mice after B[a]P treatment, which suggests that mutations in the bulk of the DNA (inactive genes) are a better predictive marker for carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis than mutations in genes that are actively transcribed. Thus, the global genome repair pathway of NER appears to play an important role in the prevention of cancer.

Age-dependent spontaneous mutagenesis in Xpc mice defective in nucleotide excision repair

DNA damages caused by cellular metabolites and environmental agents induce mutations, that may predispose to cancer. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major cellular defence mechanism acting on a variety of DNA lesions. Here, we show that spontaneous mutant frequencies at the Hprt gene increased 30-fold in T-lymphocytes of 1 year old Xpc-/- mice, possessing only functional transcription-coupled repair (TCR). Hprt mutant frequencies in Xpa-/- and Csb-/- mice that both have a defect in this NER subpathway, remained low during ageing. In contrast to current models, the elevated mutation rate in Xpc-/- mice does not lead to an increased tumour incidence or premature ageing. Oncogene (2000) 19, 5034 - 5037

Differential role of transcription-coupled repair in UVB-induced G2 arrest and apoptosis in mouse epidermis

Nucleotide excision repair (NER), apoptosis, and cell-cycle regulation are major defense mechanisms against the carcinogenic effects of UVB light. NER eliminates UVB-induced DNA photolesions via two subpathways: global genome repair (GGR) and transcription-coupled repair (TCR). Defects in NER result in the human disorders xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and Cockayne syndrome (CS), displaying severe UV sensitivity and in the case of XP, cancer proneness. We investigated the impact of deficiencies in NER subpathways on apoptosis, hyperplasia, and cell cycle progression in the epidermis of UVB-exposed CS group B (Csb(-/-)) mice (no TCR), XP group C (Xpc(-/-)) mice (no GGR), and XP group A (Xpa(-/-)) mice (no TCR and no GGR). On UVB treatment (250 J/m(2)), Xpa(-/-) and Csb(-/-) mice revealed an extensive apoptotic response in the skin, a blockage of cell cycle progression of epidermal cells, and strong hyperplasia. Interestingly, the absence of this apoptotic response in the skin of wild-type and Xpc(-/-) mice coincided with the ability of epidermal cells to enter the S phase. However, only epidermal cells of Xpc(-/-) mice subsequently became arrested in the G(2) phase. Our data demonstrate that TCR (and/or restoration of UVB-inhibited transcription) enables damaged cells to progress through S phase and prevents the induction of apoptosis and hyperplasia. G(2) arrest is manifest only under conditions of proficient TCR in combination with deficient GGR, indicating that epidermal cells become arrested in the G(2) phase as a result of persisting damage in their genome.

UV-induced inhibition of transcription involves repression of transcription initiation and phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II

Cells from patients with Cockayne syndrome (CS) are hypersensitive to DNA-damaging agents and are unable to restore damage-inhibited RNA synthesis. On the basis of repair kinetics of different types of lesions in transcriptionally active genes, we hypothesized previously that impaired transcription in CS cells is a consequence of defective transcription initiation after DNA damage induction. Here, we investigated the effect of UV irradiation on transcription by using an in vitro transcription system that allowed uncoupling of initiation from elongation events. Nuclear extracts prepared from UV-irradiated or mock-treated normal human and CS cells were assayed for transcription activity on an undamaged beta-globin template. Transcription activity in nuclear extracts closely mimicked kinetics of transcription in intact cells: extracts from normal cells prepared 1 h after UV exposure showed a strongly reduced activity, whereas transcription activity was fully restored in extracts prepared 6 h after treatment. Extracts from CS cells exhibited reduced transcription activity at any time after UV exposure. Reduced transcription activity in extracts coincided with a strong reduction of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) containing hypophosphorylated C-terminal domain, the form of RNAPII known to be recruited to the initiation complex. These results suggest that inhibition of transcription after UV irradiation is at least partially caused by repression of transcription initiation and not solely by blocked elongation at sites of lesions. Generation of hypophosphorylated RNAPII after DNA damage appears to play a crucial role in restoration of transcription. CS proteins may be required for this process in a yet unknown way.

Impact of global genome repair versus transcription-coupled repair on ultraviolet carcinogenesis in hairless mice

The nucleotide excision repair (NER) system is comprised of two subpathways, i.e., transcription-coupled repair (TCR) and global genome repair (GGR). To establish the relative importance of TCR and GGR for UV effects on the skin, we have used hairless knockout mouse strain lacking either TCR (CSB -/-) or GGR (XPC -/-). In single exposure experiments, we found that CSB -/- mice have a 7-16 times higher susceptibility to sunburn than XPC -/- mice and than heterozygous (+/-) and wild-type (+/+) controls. Exposure to 80 J/m2 UV radiation (i.e., suberythemogenic in CSB -/-) on 10 consecutive days gives rise to epidermal hyperplasia in CSB -/- and XPC -/-, whereas repair-proficient controls do not show epidermal hyperplasia from these exposures. In addition, CSB -/- mice develop marked parakeratosis, whereas XPC -/- mice and controls do not. Under continued exposure to this daily dose, squamous cell carcinomas appear in CSB -/-, XPC -/-, and in the control groups, whereas only in the CSB -/- animals is a fairly high number of benign papillomas also found. The median latency time of squamous cell carcinomas (diameters > or = 1 mm) is 84 days for the XPC -/- mice, 115 days for the CSB -/- mice, and 234-238 days for the heterozygous and wild-type control groups. These results indicate that GGR is more important than TCR in protection against UV-induced carcinomas of the skin but not against other UV effects such as sunburn, epidermal thickening, scaling of the stratum corneum, and development of papillomas. These results also indicate that GGR capacity may serve as a better predictor for skin cancer susceptibility than sensitivity to sunburn. The relative cancer susceptibilities of GGR- and TCR-deficient skin could well depend on the balance between an increased mutation rate and the presence (in CSB -/-) or lack (in XPC -/-) of a compensatory apoptotic response.

Mutagenesis and carcinogenesis in nucleotide excision repair-deficient XPA knock out mice

Mice with a defect in the xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA) gene have a complete deficiency in nucleotide excision repair (NER). As such, these mice mimic the human XP phenotype in that they have a >1000-fold higher risk of developing UV-induced skin cancer. Besides being UV-sensitive, XPA(-/-) mice also develop internal tumors when they are exposed to chemical carcinogens. To investigate the effect of a total NER deficiency on the induction of gene mutations and tumor development, we crossed XPA(-/-) mice with transgenic lacZ/pUR288 mutation-indicator mice. The mice were treated with various agents and chemicals like UV-B, benzo[a]pyrene and 2-aceto-amino-fluorene. Gene mutation induction in several tumor target- and non-target tissues was determined in both the bacterial lacZ reporter gene and in the endogenous Hprt gene. Furthermore, alterations in the p53- and ras genes were determined in UV-induced skin tumors of XPA(-/-) mice. In this work, we review these results and discuss the applicability and reliability of enhanced gene mutant frequencies as early indicators of tumorigenesis.

Interference by toxic metal compounds with isolated zinc finger DNA repair proteins

Compounds of nickel, cadmium, cobalt and arsenic have been shown previously to inhibit DNA repair processes at low concentrations. In the present study we investigated whether this repair inhibition may be caused by the displacement of zinc in zinc finger structures of DNA repair proteins. As models, the bacterial formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and the mammalian XPA protein were applied. Both proteins were inhibited by Cd(II) and Cu(II). Hg(II) strongly inhibited the Fpg protein, but did not affect the XPA protein. In contrast, the XPA protein was disturbed by Co(II) and Ni(II), while the activity of the Fpg protein was not reduced. Neither protein was inhibited by As(III) or Pb(II). Thus, each zinc finger protein appears to have its own structural features and sensitivities towards toxic metal ions. Furthermore, each metal exerts specific mechanisms leading to DNA repair inhibition.

The role of nucleotide excision repair in protecting embryonic stem cells from genotoxic effects of UV-induced DNA damage

In this study the role of nucleotide excision repair (NER) in protecting mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells against the genotoxic effects of UV-photolesions was analysed. Repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) in transcribed genes could not be detected whereas the removal of (6-4) photoproducts (6-4PP) was incomplete, already reaching its maximum (30%) 4 h after irradiation. Measurements of repair replication revealed a saturation of NER activity at UV doses >5 J/m2 while at a lower dose (2.5 J/m2) the repair kinetics were similar to those in murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of photolesions were determined in ES cells differing in NER activity. ERCC1-deficient ES cells were hypermutable (10-fold) compared to wild-type cells, indicating that at physiologically relevant doses ES cells efficiently remove photolesions. The effect of the NER deficiency on cytoxicity was only 2-fold. Exposure to high UV doses (10 J/m2) resulted in a rapid and massive induction of apoptosis. Possibly, to avoid the accumulation of mutated cells, ES cells rely on the induction of a strong apoptotic response with a simultaneous shutting down of NER activity.

Cells from XP-D and XP-D-CS patients exhibit equally inefficient repair of UV-induced damage in transcribed genes but different capacity to recover UV-inhibited transcription

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare hereditary human disorder clinically associated with severe sun sensitivity and predisposition to skin cancer. Some XP patients also show clinical characteristics of Cockayne syndrome (CS), a disorder associated with defective preferential repair of DNA lesions in transcriptionally active genes. Cells from the two XP-patients who belong to complementation group D and exhibit additional clinical symptoms of CS are strikingly more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of UV-light than cells from classical XP-D patients. To explain the severe UV-sensitivity it was suggested that XP-D-CS cells have a defect in preferential repair of UV-induced 6-4 photoproducts (6-4PP) in active genes. We investigated the capacity of XP-D and XP-D-CS cells to repair UV-induced DNA lesions in the active adenosine deaminase gene (ADA) and in the inactive 754 gene by determining (i) the removal of specific lesions, i.e. cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 6-4PP, or (ii) the formation of BrdUrd-labeled repair patches. No differences in repair capacity were observed between XP-D and XP-D-CS cells. In both cell types repair of CPD was completely absent whereas 6-4PP were inefficiently removed from the ADA gene and the 754 gene with similar kinetics. However, whereas XP-D cells were able to restore UV-inhibited RNA synthesis after a UV-dose of 2 J/m2, RNA synthesis in XP-D-CS cells remained repressed up to 24 h after irradiation. Our results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that differences in the capacity to perform preferential repair of UV-induced photolesions in active genes between XP-D and XP-D-CS cells are the cause of the extreme UV-sensitivity of XP-D-CS cells. Rather, the enhanced sensitivity of XP-D-CS cells may be associated with a defect in transcription regulation superimposed on the repair defect.

Altered association of transcriptionally active DNA with the nuclear-matrix after heat shock

PURPOSE

Exposure of human cells to heat leads to denaturation and aggregation of proteins. Within the nucleus, it has been suggested that protein aggregation is linked to the selective inhibition by hyperthermia of nucleotide excision repair in transcriptionally active genes. In this study it was investigated in detail whether and how the inhibition of repair of transcriptionally active genes might be related to alterations in their association with the nuclear-matrix.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Different protocols for nuclear-matrix isolation (high salt and lithium 3',5'-diiodosalycilate [LIS] extraction of nuclei) were used to compare DNA loop organization and positioning of transcriptionally active genes in both heated and non-heated cells.

RESULTS

DNaseI digestion of total genomic DNA in Cu2+ -stabilized LIS-extracted nuclei revealed that heat shock perturbed the formation of nuclear-matrix attachment sites. Specific labelling of active genes indicated that the number of nuclear-matrix attachment sites in transcriptionally active DNA was increased due to the heat shock. At the level of individual genes, heat treatment led to stabilization of the 5' matrix attachment site (MAR) in the transcriptionally active adenosine deaminase (ADA) housekeeping gene. Moreover, heat shock resulted in the formation of an additional MAR at the 3' end of the ADA gene. The inactive 754 locus was unassociated, irrespective of a heat shock.

CONCLUSIONS

The reported changes in chromatin structure might underlie the selective inhibition of repair in transcriptionally active genes and consequently may be mechanistically linked to the sensitization of heated cells to ionizing radiation.

Nickel(II) increases the sensitivity of V79 Chinese hamster cells towards cisplatin and transplatin by interference with distinct steps of DNA repair

Nickel compounds are carcinogenic to humans and to experimental animals. In contrast to their weak mutagenicity, they have been shown previously to increase UV-induced cytotoxicity and mutagenicity and to interfere with the repair of UV-induced DNA lesions by disrupting DNA-protein interactions involved in DNA damage recognition. In the present study we applied cisplatin, transplatin and mitomycin C to investigate whether these enhancing effects and DNA repair inhibition are also relevant for other DNA damaging agents. Nickel(II) at non-cytotoxic concentrations of 50 microM and higher caused a pronounced increase in cisplatin-, transplatin- and mitomycin C-induced cytotoxicity, which was neither due to an altered uptake of cisplatin or transplatin nor to an increase in DNA adduct formation. However, nickel(II) inhibited the repair of cisplatin- and transplatin-induced DNA lesions. In combination with transplatin, it decreased the incision frequency, indicating that the DNA damage recognition/incision step during nucleotide excision repair is affected in general by nickel(II). In support of this, concentrations as low as 10 microM nickel(II) decreased binding of the xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A protein to a cisplatin-damaged oligonucleotide. When combined with cisplatin, the incision frequency was affected only marginally, while nickel(II) led to a marked accumulation of DNA strand breaks, indicating an inhibition of the polymerization/ligation step of the repair process. This effect may be explained by interference with the repair of DNA-DNA interstrand crosslinks induced by cisplatin. Our results suggest that nickel(II) at non-cytotoxic concentrations inhibits nucleotide excision repair and possibly crosslink repair by interference with distinct steps of the respective repair pathways.

Nucleotide excision repair modulates the cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of N-n-butyl-N-nitrosourea in cultured mammalian cells as well as in mouse splenocytes in vivo

The butylating agent N-n-butyl-N-nitrosourea (BNU) was employed to study the role of nucleotide excision repair (NER) in protecting mammalian cells against the genotoxic effects of monofunctional alkylating agents. The direct acting agent BNU was found to be mutagenic in normal and XPA mouse splenocytes after a single i.p. treatment in vivo. After 25 and 35 mg/kg BNU, but not after 75 mg/ kg, 2- to 3-fold more hprt mutants were detected in splenocytes from XPA mice than from normal mice. Using O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT)-deficient hamster cells, it was found that NER-deficient CHO UV5 cells carrying a mutation in the ERCC-2 gene were 40% more mutable towards lesions induced by BNU when compared with parental NER-proficient CHO AA8 cells. UV5 cells were 1.4-fold more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of BNU compared with AA8 cells. To investigate whether this increased sensitivity of NER-deficient cells is modulated by AGT activity, cell survival studies were performed in human and mouse primary fibroblasts as well. BNU was 2.7-fold more toxic for mouse XPA fibroblasts compared with normal mouse fibroblasts. Comparable results were found for human fibroblasts. Taken together these data indicate that the role of NER in protecting rodent cells against the mutagenic and cytotoxic effects of the alkylating agent BNU depends on AGT.

Enhanced UV-induced mutagenesis in the UV61 cell line, the Chinese hamster homologue of Cockayne's syndrome B, is associated with defective transcription coupled repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers

Cells from Cockayne's syndrome (CS) patients are hypersensitive to the cytotoxic effects of UV-irradiation and are defective in transcription coupled repair (TCR). We have examined the mutagenic consequences of impaired TCR in the Chinese hamster cell line UV61, the rodent homologue of CS complementation group B. Analysis of the two major UV-induced photolesions, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4 PP), revealed that repair of CPD from the transcribed strand was strongly reduced in UV61 cells, but repair of 6-4 PP was indistinguishable from that in wild-type hamster cells. UV-induced mutation induction was enhanced in UV61 compared to that observed in repair proficient cells. The spectrum of UV-induced base substitutions in UV61 was clearly different from that observed in wild-type hamster cells and resembled the spectrum previously observed in nucleotide excision repair deficient hamster cells. In UV61 cells a strong strand bias for mutation induction was found; assuming that premutagenic lesions occur at dipyrimidine sequences, 76% of the mutations could be attributed to lesions in the transcribed strand. These data strongly favour the hypothesis that defective TCR of CPD is responsible for the enhanced UV-induced mutagenesis in UV61 cells.

UV-induced alterations in the spatial distribution of the basal transcription factor TFIIH: an early event in nucleotide excision repair

New findings concerning the molecular mechanisms of nucleotide excision repair (NER) are discussed.

Links between chromatin structure, DNA repair and chromosome fragility

This paper is a brief overview of the studies we have recently conducted to unravel how chromatin structure and DNA repair modulate the fragility of diverse chromosomes and chromosomal regions. We have employed a combination of molecular cytogenetic techniques, including interphase and metaphase multicolour FISH, reverse FISH with CpG-rich probes or repaired DNA fractions, and several combinations of FISH and immunocytogenetics with antibodies against acetylated histones. The targets of our investigation were human constitutive and facultative heterochromatin, chromosomes with high and low gene density and human and hamster fragile sites. The role of DNA repair was investigated by using DNA repair deficient mutants and DNA repair inhibitors. We found that intragenomic heterogeneity in DNA repair and chromatin structure may explain a substantial part of the differential fragility of diverse chromosomes and chromosomal regions.

Elevated frequencies of benzo(a)pyrene-induced Hprt mutations in internal tissue of XPA-deficient mice

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patients are hypersensitive to sunlight and have a high predisposition to developing cancer. At the cellular level, XP patients are defective in nucleotide excision repair (NER). Recently, mice have been generated via gene targeting that are deficient in the expression of the XPA gene [A. de Vries et al., Nature (Lond.), 377: 169-173, 1995]. We have assessed the consequences of defective NER for mutagenesis in normal and XPA mice exposed to benzo(a)pyrene and 2-acetylaminofluorene. To study mutagenesis, mature T lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen and stimulated to proliferate in vitro to select for mutants at the endogenous Hprt locus. Background mutant frequencies in normal and XPA mice were very similar and not influenced by age. Single doses of benzo(a)pyrene administered i.p. resulted in a dose-dependent increase of the Hprt mutant frequency in normal mice. In addition, after chronic exposure to benzo(a)pyrene, Hprt mutants were readily detectable in XPA mice at an early onset of treatment but only at a later stage in normal mice. In contrast, chronic treatment of either normal or XPA mice with 2-acetylaminofluorene did not increase Hprt mutant frequency above the background frequency. This absence of significant induction of Hprt mutants can be entirely attributed to the low frequency of 2-acetylaminofluorene-induced DNA adducts in lymphoid tissue. These results provide the first direct evidence in mammals that deficient NER leads to enhanced mutagenesis in endogenous genes in internal tissue after exposure to relevant environmental mutagens, such as benzo(a)pyrene.

Lack of transcription-coupled repair of acetylaminofluorene DNA adducts in human fibroblasts contrasts their efficient inhibition of transcription

The N-(deoxyguanosine-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene (dG-C8-AAF) lesion is among the most helix distorting DNA lesions. In normal fibroblasts dG-C8-AAF is repaired rapidly in transcriptionally active genes, but without strand specificity, indicating that repair of dG-C8-AAF by global genome repair (GGR) overrules transcription-coupled repair (TCR). Yet, dG-C8-AAF is a very potent inhibitor of transcription. The target size of inhibition (45 kilobases) suggests that transcription inhibition by dG-C8-AAF is caused by blockage of initiation rather than elongation. Cockayne's syndrome (CS) cells appear to be extremely sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of dG-C8-AAF and are unable to recover inhibited RNA synthesis. However, CS cells exhibit no detectable defect in repair of dG-C8-AAF in active genes, indicating that impaired TCR is not the cause of the enhanced sensitivity of CS cells. These and data reported previously suggest that the degree of DNA helix distortion determines the rate of GGR as well as the extent of inhibition of transcription initiation. An interchange of the transcription/repair factor TFIIH from promoter sites to sites of damage might underlie inhibition of transcription initiation. This process is likely to occur more rapidly and efficiently in the case of strongly DNA helix distorting lesions, resulting in a very efficient GGR, a poor contribution of TCR to repair of lesions in active genes, and an efficient inhibition of transcription.

Impairment of nucleotide excision repair by apoptosis in UV-irradiated mouse cells

We investigated the relationship between nucleotide excision repair (NER) activity and apoptosis in UV-irradiated cells. Mouse erythroleukemia (MEL) and lymphoma (GRSL) cells exhibited enhanced sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of UV radiation compared to hamster cell lines, although normal UV-induced hprt mutation frequencies were found. Determination of UV-induced repair replication revealed a limited capacity of MEL and GRSL cells to perform NER consistent with poor removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone photoproducts from transcriptionally active genes during the first 8 h after UV exposure. However, both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone photoproducts appeared to be processed to almost normal level 24 h after UV treatment. In parallel, we observed that the UV-irradiated MEL and GRSL cells suffered from severe DNA fragmentation particularly 24 h after UV exposure. Taken together, these data indicate a reduced repair of UV-induced photolesions in apoptotic cells, already established at the early onset of apoptosis. To test whether inhibition of repair in cells was due to inactivation of NER or to apoptosis-induced chromatin degradation, we performed in vitro excision assays using extracts from UV-irradiated MEL cells. These experiments showed that the NER capacity during early apoptosis was intact, indicating that slow removal of UV-induced photolesions in apoptotic cells is due to substrate modification (presumably degradation of chromatin) rather than direct inhibition of factors involved in NER.

Defective global genome repair in XPC mice is associated with skin cancer susceptibility but not with sensitivity to UVB induced erythema and edema

It is generally presumed that xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patients are extremely sensitive to developing UV erythema, and that they have a more than 1000-fold increased skin cancer risk. Recently established mouse models for XP can be employed to investigate the mechanism of these increased susceptibilities. In line with human data, both XPA and XPC knockout mice have been shown to have an increased susceptibility to UVB induced squamous cell carcinomas. In XPA knockouts, nucleotide excision repair of UV induced DNA photolesions is completely defective (i.e., both global genome repair and transcription coupled repair are defective). We determined the strand specific removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and pyrimidine [6-4] pyrimidone photoproducts from the p53 gene in cells from XPC knockout mice and wild-type littermates. Analogous to human XPC cells, embryonic fibroblasts from XPC knockout mice are only capable of performing transcription coupled repair of DNA photolesions. We show that these XPC knockout mice, in striking contrast to XPA knockout mice, do not have a lower minimal erythema/edema dose than their wild-type littermates. Hence, defective global genome repair appears to lead to skin cancer susceptibility, but does not influence the sensitivity to acute effects of UVB radiation, such as erythema and edema. The latter phenomena thus relate to the capacity to perform transcription coupled repair, which suggests that blockage of RNA synthesis is a key event in the development of UV erythema and edema.

Impaired DNA repair capacity in skin fibroblasts from various hereditary cancer-prone syndromes

Host-cell reactivation (HCR) of UV-C-irradiated herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has been determined in skin fibroblasts from the following hereditary cancer-prone syndromes: aniridia (AN), dysplastic nevus syndrome (DNS), Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL), Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) and a family with high incidence of breast and ovarian cancer. Cells from AN, DNS or VHL patients were found to exhibit heterogeneity in HCR. Cells from individuals belonging to an LFS family show reduced HCR in all cases where the cells were derived from persons carrying one mutated p53 allele, whereas cells derived from members with two wild-type alleles show normal HCR. LFS cells with reduced HCR also reveal reduced genome overall repair, and a slower gene-specific repair of the active adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene, but little if any repair of the inactive 754 gene. In the breast/ovarian cancer family, reduced HCR is observed in skin fibroblasts derived from both afflicted and unaffected individuals. In addition, these cells display lower survival after exposure to UV-C and exhibit higher levels of SCEs than those in normal cells. These observations indicate that various hereditary cancer-prone syndromes, carrying mutations in different tumor-suppressor genes, exhibit an unexplained impairment of the capacity to repair UV-damaged DNA.

DNA repair of UV photoproducts and mutagenesis in human mitochondrial DNA

The induction and repair of DNA photolesions and mutations in the mitochondrial (mt) DNA of human cells in culture were analysed after cell exposure to UV-C light. The level of induction of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA was comparable, while a higher frequency of pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4 PP) was detected in mitochondrial than in nuclear DNA. Besides the known defect in CPD removal, mitochondria were shown to be deficient also in the excision of 6-4 PP. The effects of repair-defective conditions for the two major UV photolesions on mutagenesis was assessed by analysing the frequency and spectrum of spontaneous and UV-induced mutations by restriction site mutation (RSM) method in a restriction endonuclease site, NciI (5'CCCGG3') located within the coding sequence of the mitochondrial gene for tRNALeu. The spontaneous mutation frequency and spectrum at the NciI site of mitochondrial DNA was very similar to the RSM background mutation frequency (approximately 10(-5)) and type (predominantly GC>AT transitions at G1 of the NciI site). Conversely, an approximately tenfold increase over background mutation frequency was recorded after cell exposure to 20 J/m2. In this case, the majority of mutations were C>T transitions preferentially located on the non-transcribed DNA strand at C1 and C2 of the NciI site. This mutation spectrum is expected by UV mutagenesis. This is the first evidence of induction of mutations in mitochondrial DNA by treatment of human cells with a carcinogen.

Electrochemical detection and quantification of the acetylated and deacetylated C8-deoxyguanosine DNA adducts induced by 2-acetylaminofluorene

The genotoxic agent 2-acetylaminofluorene induces, upon metabolic activation, two main types of DNA adducts in animal tissue, i.e., (deoxyguanine-8-yl)-aminofluorene (dG-C8-AF) and N-(deoxyguanine-8-yl)-acetylaminofluorene (dG-C8-AAF). Quantification of the frequency of these adducts usually relies on the use of radioactively labeled 2-acetylaminofluorene. Here, we report the development of a sensitive, non-radioactive method for the quantification of dG-C8-AF and dG-C8-AAF. Essentially, the modified DNA bases are separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and quantified by electrochemical detection. We established that both modified bases guanine-C8-aminofluorene and guanine-C8-acetylaminofluorene are electrochemically active. Subsequently, a procedure was developed to quantify dG-C8-AF and dG-C8-AAF in genomic DNA. Following DNA hydrolysis the adducted bases were extracted by ethyl acetate, separated by HPLC, and detected electrochemically. This procedure has been applied in the analysis of dG-C8-AAF in N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene-modified calf thymus DNA and in the detection of dG-C8-AAF and dG-C8-AF in liver DNA of mice injected intraperitoneally with 150-450 mg N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene/kg. The quantification of relatively low dG-C8-AF and dG-C8-AAF adduct levels (i.e., 0.1-1 adduct/10(6) nucleotides) in mouse liver DNA demonstrates the sensitivity of this electrochemical detection procedure. The detection limit of the method is 1 adduct per 10(6) nucleotides for both adducts using 20 micrograms of DNA and 4 adducts per 10(8) nucleotides using 500 micrograms DNA.

Characterization of defective nucleotide excision repair in XPC mutant mice

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a fundamental process required for maintaining the integrity of the genome in cells exposed to environmental DNA damage. Humans defective in NER suffer from the hereditary cancer-prone disease xeroderma pigmentosum. In order to model this disease in mice a mutation in the mouse XPC gene was generated and used to replace a wild-type XPC allele in mouse embryonic stem cells by homologous recombination. These cells were used to derive XPC mutant mice. Fibroblasts from mutant embryos were more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of ultraviolet light than wild-type and heterozygous cells. Repair synthesis of DNA following irradiation with ultraviolet light was reduced in these cells, indicating a defect in NER. Additionally, XPC mutant embryo fibroblasts were specifically defective in the removal of pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts from the non-transcribed strand of the transcriptionally active p53 gene. Mice defective in the XPC gene appear to be an excellent model for studying the role of NER and its interaction with other proteins in the molecular pathogenesis of cancer in mammals following exposure to environmental carcinogens.

Enzymatic activities involved in the DNA resynthesis step of nucleotide excision repair are firmly attached to chromatin

In this study the role of nuclear architecture in nucleotide excision repair (NER) was investigated by gentle dismantling of the cell and probing the capability of chromatin to carry out repair in vitro. The rationale behind this approach is that compartmentalization of NER at nuclear structures would make the enzymatic activities refractory to extraction by buffers that solubilize cellular membranes. In order to obtain intact chromatin primary human fibroblasts were encapsulated in agarose microbeads and lysed in isotonic buffers containing the non-ionic detergent Triton X-100. Under these conditions the majority of cellular proteins diffuse out of the beads, but the remaining chromatin is able to replicate and to transcribe DNA in the presence of triphosphates and Mg2+. UV irradiation of confluent repair-proficient human fibroblasts prior to lysis stimulated the incorporation of deoxynucleotide triphosphates in Triton X-100-isolated chromatin, even under stringent lysis conditions. In addition, experiments with UV-sensitive xeroderma pigmentosum (complementation groups A and C) and Cockayne's syndrome fibroblasts (complementation group A) revealed that this repair synthesis was due to global genome repair activity. Transcription-coupled repair was only detectable in cells permeabilized by streptolysin O (SLO). Repair synthesis in Triton X-100-isolated chromatin amounted to 15% of the total repair synthesis as measured in SLO-permeabilized cells. To allow the detection of these activities in vitro, presynthesis complexes have to be formed in intact cells, indicating that chromatin from Triton X-100-lysed cells is unable to initiate NER in vitro. Our data indicate that the components involved in the resynthesis step of NER are tightly associated with chromatin. A substantial fraction of total proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which is required for the resynthesis step in NER, has been reported to become Triton X-100 non-extractable and tightly associated with nuclear structures after UV irradiation of cells. We propose that Triton X-100-resistant repair synthesis might be mediated by this chromatin-bound fraction of total PCNA.

Interaction of arsenic(III) with nucleotide excision repair in UV-irradiated human fibroblasts

Even though epidemiological studies have identified arsenic compounds as carcinogenic to humans, they are not mutagenic in bacterial and mammalian test systems. However, they increase the mutagenicity and clastogenicity in combination with other DNA damaging agents and there are indications of inhibition of DNA repair processes. We investigated the effect of arsenic(III) on nucleotide excision repair (NER) after UV irradiation in human fibroblasts in detail by using two repair-proficient and one partly repair-deficient xeroderma pigmentosum group C human fibroblast cell lines. The results show that two steps of NER are affected by arsenite. Most severely, the incision frequency is reduced at concentrations as low as 2.5 microM arsenic(III); at higher, cytotoxic concentrations, the ligation of repair patches is also impaired. Furthermore, our results indicate that both the global genome repair pathway and the transcription-coupled repair pathway are affected by arsenite. Repair inhibition may well explain the potentiation of genotoxic effects by arsenic in combination with other DNA damaging agents and may thus be of high relevance for the carcinogenic action of arsenic compounds.

Cobalt(II) inhibits the incision and the polymerization step of nucleotide excision repair in human fibroblasts

Compounds of cobalt are carcinogenic to experimental animals, but the mutagenicity in mammalian cells in culture is rather weak. In contrast, cobalt(II) has been shown to inhibit the removal of DNA damage induced by UVC light, indicating an interference with cellular DNA repair processes. In the present study it was investigated which step of the nucleotide excision repair is affected by cobalt(II) and which mechanisms are involved. In this context, the effect of non-cytotoxic cobalt(II) concentrations on the induction as well as on the repair of UVC-induced DNA lesions has been examined in human fibroblasts by using the alkaline unwinding technique under various conditions. Cobalt(II) concentrations as low as 50 microM inhibit the incision as well as the polymerization step. In contrast, the ligation of repair patches is not disturbed by this metal. By combining the alkaline unwinding technique with the repair enzyme T4 endonuclease V, it is demonstrated that the incision at the site of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers is affected at concentrations of 150 microM and higher. As one mode of action, the competition with essential magnesium(II) ions by cobalt(II) ions could be identified.

The sensitivity of human fibroblasts to N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene is determined by the extent of transcription-coupled repair, and/or their capability to counteract RNA synthesis inhibition

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) mechanism is the major pathway responsible for the removal of a large variety of bulky lesions from the genome. Two different NER subpathways have been identified, i.e. the transcription-coupled and the global genome repair pathways. For DNA-damage induced by ultraviolet light both transcription-coupled repair and global genome repair are essential to confer resistance to cytotoxic effects. To gain further insight into the contribution of NER subpathways in the repair of bulky lesions and in their prevention of biological effects we measured the rate of repair of dG-C8-AF in active and inactive genes in normal human cells, XP-C cells (only transcription-coupled repair) and XP-A cells (completely NER-deficient) exposed to NA-AAF. XP-C cells are only slightly more sensitive to NA-AAF than normal cells and, like normal cells, they are able to recover RNA synthesis repressed by the treatment. In contrast, XP-A cells are sensitive to NA-AAF and unable to recover from RNA synthesis inhibition. Repair of dG-C8-AF in the active ADA gene proceeds in a biphasic way and without strand specificity, with a subclass of lesions quickly repaired during the first 8 h after treatment. Repair in the inactive 754 gene occurs more slowly than in the ADA gene. In XP-C cells, repair of dG-C8-AF in the ADA gene is confined to the transcribed strand and occurs at about half the rate of repair seen in normal cells. Repair in the inactive 754 gene in XP-C cells is virtually absent. Consistent with these results we found that repair replication in XP-C is drastically reduced when compared with normal cells and abolished by alpha-amanitin indicating that the repair in XP-C cells is mediated by transcription-coupled repair only. Our data suggest that dG-C8-AF is a target for transcription-coupled repair and that this repair pathway is the main pathway or recovery of RNA synthesis inhibition conferring resistance to cytotoxic effects of NA-AAF. In spite of this, repair of dG-C8-AF in active genes in normal cells by transcription-coupled repair and global genome repair is not additive, but dominated by global genome repair. This indicates that the subset of lesions which are capable of stalling RNA polymerase II, and are, therefore, a substrate for TCR, are also the lesions which are very efficiently recognized by the global genome repair system.

The sensitivity of Cockayne's syndrome cells to DNA-damaging agents is not due to defective transcription-coupled repair of active genes

Two of the hallmarks of Cockayne's syndrome (CS) are the hypersensitivity of cells to UV light and the lack of recovery of the ability to synthesize RNA following exposure of cells to UV light, in spite of the normal repair capacity at the overall genome level. The prolonged repressed RNA synthesis has been attributed to a defect in transcription-coupled repair, resulting in slow removal of DNA lesions from the transcribed strand of active genes. This model predicts that the sensitivity of CS cells to another DNA-damaging agent, i.e., the UV-mimetic agent N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (NA-AAF), should also be associated with a lack of resumption of RNA synthesis and defective transcription-coupled repair of NA-AAF-induced DNA adducts. We tested this by measuring the rate of excision of DNA adducts in the adenosine deaminase gene of primary normal human fibroblasts and two CS (complementation group A and B) fibroblast strains. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of DNA adducts revealed that N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene (dG-C8-AF) was the main adduct induced by NA-AAF in both normal and CS cells. No differences were found between normal and CS cells with respect to induction of this lesion either at the level of the genome overall or at the gene level. Moreover, repair of dG-C8-AF in the active adenosine deaminase gene occurred at similar rates and without strand specificity in normal and CS cells, indicating that transcription-coupled repair does not contribute significantly to repair of dG-C8-AF in active genes. Yet CS cells are threefold more sensitive to NA-AAF than are normal cells and are unable to recover the ability to synthesize RNA. Our data rule out defective transcription-coupled repair as the cause of the increased sensitivity of CS cells to DNA-damaging agents and suggest that the cellular sensitivity and the prolonged repressed RNA synthesis are primarily due to a transcription defect. We hypothesize that upon treatment of cells with either UV or NA-AAF, the basal transcription factor TFIIH becomes involved in nucleotide excision repair and that the CS gene products are involved in the conversion of TFIIH back to the transcription function. In this view, the CS proteins act as repair-transcription uncoupling factors. If the uncoupling process is defective, RNA synthesis will stay repressed, causing cellular sensitivity. Since transcription is essential for transcription-coupled repair, the CS defect will affect those lesions whose repair is predominantly transcription coupled, i.e., UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers.

Mimosine is a potent clastogen in primary and transformed hamster fibroblasts but not in primary or transformed human lymphocytes

The cytogenetic effects of mimosine, a naturally occurring plant amino acid known to arrest cell-cycle progression at the G1-S border in cultured cells, have been studied. It was found that mimosine inhibits the cell-cycle progression in a dose-dependent manner in primary and transformed Chinese hamster fibroblasts as well as primary lymphocytes and transformed lymphoblastoid cells of human origin. In the Chinese hamster fibroblast cells, the first division metaphases analysed were found to be highly damaged or pulverized. The damaged cells which could pass through the next cell division, showed very high frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) compared with untreated second division cells. No such cytogenetic alterations could be detected in the human cells. The absence of clastogenic effect in cells of lymphoid origin appears to be related to the known capacity of these cells to undergo apoptosis, thereby efficiently eliminating cells with high frequencies of chromosomal aberrations. Our study demonstrates the clastogenic potency of mimosine and suggests the need for a careful interpretation of the results while using mimosine for cellular or molecular studies pertaining to cell cycle events.

Repair of UV-induced pyrimidine(6-4)pyrimidone photoproducts is selectively inhibited in transcriptionally active genes after heat treatment of human fibroblasts

In normal human fibroblasts, repair of (6-4)PP in the active adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene occurs with similar rate in the transcribed and non-transcribed strand of the ADA gene, and removal of (6-4)PP from the active ADA gene is faster than from the inactive X-chromosomal 754 locus. Heat shock decreased the rate of repair of the active ADA gene down to the level of inactive genes, whereas the rate of repair of the inactive 754 locus was not affected.

Selective inhibition of repair of active genes by hyperthermia is due to inhibition of global and transcription coupled repair pathways

Hyperthermia specifically inhibits the repair of UV-induced DNA photolesions in transcriptionally active genes. To define more precisely which mechanisms underlie the heat-induced inhibition of repair of active genes, removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) was studied in human fibroblasts with different repair capacities and different transcriptional status of the adenosine deaminase gene, i.e. normal human cells, human cells carrying an inactive copy of the adenosine deaminase gene and xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C fibroblasts. The results indicate that repair of active genes is impaired by inhibition of two repair pathways: (i) a global repair system involved in the repair of CPDs in potentially active genes; and (ii) the transcription-coupled repair pathway responsible for the accelerated repair of the transcribed strand. Since X-ray-induced DNA damage is also preferentially removed from the transcribed strand of active genes, selective inhibition of repair of radiation-induced DNA damage in active genes may play a key role in radiosensitization due to hyperthermia.

Transcription-coupled repair removes both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 6-4 photoproducts with equal efficiency and in a sequential way from transcribed DNA in xeroderma pigmentosum group C fibroblasts

We investigated the contribution of the global and the transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair pathway to the removal of structurally different DNA lesions. The repair kinetics of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4PPs) were determined in an active and inactive gene in normal human fibroblasts and in xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XP-C) fibroblasts. Previously we have shown that in normal human cells exposed to a UV dose of 10 J/m2 repair of CPDs takes place via two pathways: global repair and transcription-coupled repair, the latter being responsible for accelerated repair of CPDs in the transcribed strand of active genes. So far, no clear evidence for transcription-coupled repair of 6-4PPs has been presented. Here we demonstrate that 6-4PPs really form a target for transcription-coupled repair. In XP-C cells, exposed to 30 J/m2 and only capable of performing transcription-coupled repair, CPDs as well as 6-4PPs are removed selectively and with similar kinetics from the transcribed strand of the adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene. The non-transcribed strand of the ADA gene and the inactive 754 gene are hardly repaired. In contrast to XP-C cells, normal cells exposed to 30 J/m2 lack strand-specific repair of both 6-4PPs and CPDs, suggesting that transcription-coupled repair is overruled by global repair, probably due to severe inhibition of transcription at this high UV dose. The much more rapid repair of 6-4PPs compared with CPDs in normal cells may be related to higher affinity of the global repair system for the former lesion. In XP-C cells the similarity of the rate of repair of both 6-4PPs and CPDs in the transcribed strand at 30 J/m2 indicates that transcription-coupled repair of photolesions takes place in a sequential way. Our results strongly suggest that the significance of transcription-coupled repair for removal of lesions depends on the type of lesion and on the dose employed.

Analysis of repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone photoproducts in transcriptionally active and inactive genes in Chinese hamster cells

Irradiation of cells with short wave ultraviolet light (UV-C) induces both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) as well as pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4 PP). We have focused on the removal of both types of DNA photolesions from the transcriptionally active adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) genes and the inactive c-mos gene. Induction levels of both CPD and 6-4 PP were similar for all three genes analyzed, with the induction of 6-4 PP being about 3-fold lower than of CPD. Repair of CPD was analyzed using the CPD-specific enzyme T4 endonuclease V; repair of 6-4 PP was examined employing Escherichia coli UvrABC excinuclease. Unlike the HPRT gene, in which CPD were removed selectively from the transcribed strand, both strands of the 16-kilobase fragment encompassing the 2.6-kilobase APRT gene were repaired efficiently. This suggests the existence of multiple transcription units in the APRT region including transcription units running in the opposite direction of the APRT gene. Only a marginal part of the CPD was removed from the inactive c-mos gene after 24 h. In all three genes investigated, 6-4 PP were repaired more rapidly than CPD and, as demonstrated for the HPRT and APRT genes, without strand specificity. The difference in the repair phenotype of CPD between the HPRT gene and the APRT gene coincides with differences between both genes with regard to the DNA strand distribution of previously published UV-induced mutations.

Strand-specific removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers from the p53 gene in the epidermis of UVB-irradiated hairless mice

Removal of UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) from each of the two strands of the transcriptionally active p53 tumor suppressor gene and the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) gene was determined in the epidermis of the hairless mouse using the CPD-specific enzyme T4 endonuclease V. Mice were exposed to a single dose of UVB (2 kJ/m2) and kept in darkness for up to 24 h. About 80% of the CPD were removed from the transcribed strand of the p53 and HPRT genes within 24 h. Most rapid removal was observed during the first 4 h. In contrast, very little removal of CPD from the nontranscribed strand of the p53 and the HPRT genes was observed in 24 h. The same low level of repair was observed in the inactive c-mos proto-oncogene. The efficient repair of the transcribed strand compared to the nontranscribed strand of transcriptionally active genes in the epidermis of the hairless mouse resembles the repair of CPD in cultured rodent cells. Moreover, the selective removal of CPD from the transcribed strand of the p53 gene correlates well with the known strand bias of u.v.-induced mutations at dipyrimidine sites in the p53 gene of u.v.-induced mouse skin tumors.