Defective repair of gamma-ray induced DNA damage in xeroderma pigmentosum cells.

We used the bromouracil-photolysis technique to estimate the sizes of the repaired regions in normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cells irradiated by gamma-rays aerobically or anoxically. After 1 1/2 hours of incubation, single-strand breaks were repaired and the repaired regions were small--one to two BrUra residues--for cells irradiated aerobically or anoxically. After a 20-hour incubation, the repaired region in normal cells showed a component mimicking U.V.-repair. There were large patches (approximately 30 BrUra residues) in the approximate ratios of one per six chain breaks for aerobic irradiation and one per three chain breaks for anoxic irradiation. XP cells, however, only showed large patches at 20 hours if they had been irradiated aerobically. We could not detect such regions in XP cells irradiated anoxically. These results indicate (1) that some part of ionizing damage mimics excision of U.V. damage in that the repair patches are large and the repair takes an appreciable time; (2) the types of such damage depend on whether the irradiation is done aerobically or anoxically; and (3) XP cells are defective in repairing a component of anoxic damage.     

Regulation of DNA repair in serum-stimulated xeroderma pigmentosum cells

The regulation of DNA repair during serum stimulation of quiescent cells was examined in normal human cells, in fibroblasts from three xeroderma pigmentosum complementation groups (A, C, and D), in xeroderma pigmentosum variant cells, and in ataxia telangiectasia cells. The regulation of nucleotide excision repair was examined by exposing cells to ultraviolet irradiation at discrete intervals after cell stimulation. Similarly, base excision repair was quantitated after exposure to methylmethane sulfonate. WI-38 normal human diploid fibroblasts, xeroderma pigmentosum variant cells, as well as ataxia telangiectasia cells enhanced their capacity for both nucleotide excision repair and for base excision repair prior to their enhancement of DNA synthesis. Further, in each cell strain, the base excision repair enzyme uracil DNA glycosylase was increased prior to the induction of DNA polymerase using the identical cells to quantitate each activity. In contrast, each of the three xeroderma complementation groups that were examined failed to increase their capacity for nucleotide excision repair above basal levels at any interval examined. This result was observed using either unscheduled DNA synthesis in the presence of 10 mM hydroxyurea or using repair replication in the absence of hydroxyurea to quantitate DNA repair. However, each of the three complementation groups normally regulated the enhancement of base excision repair after methylmethane sulfonate exposure and each induced the uracil DNA glycosylase prior to DNA synthesis. These results suggest that there may be a relationship between the sensitivity of xeroderma pigmentosum cells from each complementation group to specific DNA damaging agents and their inability to regulate nucleotide excision repair during cell stimulation.     

Repair of gamma-ray-induced DNA base damage in xeroderma pigmentosum cells

The repair of DNA damage produced by 137Cs gamma irradiation was measured with a preparation from Micrococcus luteus containing DNA damage-specific endonucleases in combination with alkaline elution. The frequency of these endonuclease sensitive sites (ESS) was determined after 54 or 110 Gy of oxic irradiation in normal and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) fibroblasts from complementation groups A, C, D, and G. Repair was rapid in all cell strains with greater than 50% repair after 1.5 h of repair incubation. At later repair times, 12-17 h, more ESS remained in XP than in normal cells. The frequency of excess ESS in XP cells was approximately 0.04 per 10(9) Da of DNA per Gy which was equivalent to 10% of the initial ESS produced. The removal of ESS was comparable in XP cells with normal radiosensitivity and XP3BR cells which have been reported to be moderately radiosensitive.     

Repair of ultraviolet radiation damage in xeroderma pigmentosum cells belonging to complementation group F

DNA-repair characteristics of xeroderma pigmentosum belonging to complementation group F were investigated. The cells exhibited an intermediate level of repair as measured in terms of (1) disappearance of T4 endonuclease-V-susceptible sites from DNA, (2) formation of ultraviolet-induced strand breaks in DNA, and (3) ultraviolet-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis during post-irradiation incubation. The impaired ability of XP3YO to perform unscheduled DNA synthesis was restored, to half the normal level, by the concomitant treatment with T4 endonuclease V and ultraviolet-inactivated Sendai virus. It is suggested that xeroderma pigmentosum cells of group F may be defective, at least in part, in the incision step of excision repair.     

Mechanisms of impairment of DNA repair in human cells. Interferons stimulated DNA repair in xeroderma pigmentosum cells

DNA repair synthesis and strand break DNA repair induced by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and UV-irradiation in Xeroderma pigmentosum lymphocytes and fibroblasts pretreated by leucocyte interferons were studied. Stimulation of DNA repair synthesis in interferon-pretreated Xeroderma pigmentosum cells, defective in incision, was detected. No such effect was noted for strand break DNA repair. Hence, antimutagenic activity of interferons in human cells is connected with their modificating effect on DNA repair.     

Defective repair replication of DNA in xeroderma pigmentosum. 1968

Most forms of the human hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentation (XP) are due to a defect in nucleotide excision repair of DNA damage in skin cells associated with exposure to sunlight. This discovery by James Cleaver had an important impact on our understanding of nucleotide excision repair in mammals.     

Defective recovery of semi-conservative DNA synthesis in xeroderma pigmentosum cells following split-dose ultraviolet irradiation.

In normal human fibroblasts we observe an enhancement of the recovery of the rate of semi-conservative DNA synthesis after split-dose UV-irradiation relative to a single total UV dose. The enhanced recovery is totally absent in both a xeroderma pigmentosum variant line and two xeroderma pigmentosum lines belonging to complementation groups A and C.     

Unique DNA repair properties of a xeroderma pigmentosum revertant.

A group A xeroderma pigmentosum revertant with normal sensitivity was created by chemical mutagenesis. It repaired (6-4) photoproducts normally but not pyrimidine dimers and had near normal levels of repair replication, sister chromatid exchange, and mutagenesis from UV light. The rate of UV-induced mutation in a shuttle vector, however, was as high as the rate in the parental xeroderma pigmentosum cell line.     

Effects of inhibitors on repair of DNA in normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum cells after exposure to x-rays and ultraviolet irradiation

Experiments were carried out to obtain direct evidence for the hypothesis that in human cells the repair of UV-damaged DNA is initiated by an incision step, and that this step is defective in cells from patients having Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). The alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation technique was used to detect breaks in the DNA.A decreased sedimentation velocity of the DNA was found after exposure of normal and XP cells to high doses of UV (5000 erg/mm²). Breaks were induced in the DNA by the UV irradiation without the action of an enzyme. After exposure of both types of cell to UV doses of 100–500 erg/mm², breaks that might occur by enzymic incision were not observed, possibly because of immediate rejoining.After single-strand breaks had been induced by X-rays, rejoining did not occur at temperatures lower than 22°. Rejoining was inhibited by KCN, 2,4-dinitrophenol, EDTA, iodoacetate and crystal violet. Actinomycin D, acriflavine and phleomycin, also tested as potential inhibitors of the repair process, induced breaks or conformational changes in the DNA of unirradiated normal and XP cells.Application to UV-exposed cells of conditions that inhibit the rejoining of breaks did not cause accumulation of breaks in the DNA. The results suggest a coordinated and sequential performance of the steps in the repair of each UV lesion by repair enzymes which may act as a complex.     

DNA damage, DNA repair and chromosome aberrations of xeroderma pigmentosum cells and controls following exposure to nitrosation products of methylguanidine

Nitrosation of methylguanidine (MG) led to products that caused DNA fragmentation (shift in sedimentation profiles of velocity centrifugation through alkaline sucrose gradients), a DNA repair synthesis (unscheduled uptake of (³H]TdR), chromosome aberrations and a lethal effect of cultured human fibroblasts. The response of repair-deficient xeroderma pigmentosum cells did not differ from that of controls. The nitrosation of MG must be carried out at a pH level below 3, in order to obtain products that react with cellular DNA. The results show that a DNA repair synthesis of human fibroblasts appear to be a sensitive assay for carcinogenic and mutagenic nitrosation products which may be formed within an organism from non-carcinogenic compounds.     

DNA strand breaking and rejoining in response to ultraviolet light in normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum cells.

We describe a reproducible technique for measuring DNA strand breaking and rejoining in cells after treatment with U.V.-light. Results obtained with normal human cells, xeroderma pigmentosum cells (XP, complementation group A) and XP variant cells suggest that all three of these cell-types can carry out single-strand incision with equal rapidity. However, the breaks so induced appeared to be only slowly rejoined in the XP variant cells and rejoined not at all in XP complementation group A cells. Furthermore, parental strand rejoining was inhibited by caffeine in XP variant cells but not in normal cells.     

Complementation of the xeroderma pigmentosum DNA repair defect in cell-free extracts

Soluble extracts from human lymphoid cell lines that perform repair synthesis on covalently closed circular DNA containing pyrimidine dimers or psoralen adducts are described. Short patches of nucleotides are introduced by excision repair of damaged DNA in an ATP-dependent reaction. Extracts from xeroderma pigmentosum cell lines fail to act on damaged circular DNA, but are proficient in repair synthesis of ultraviolet-irradiated DNA containing incisions generated by Micrococcus luteus pyrimidine dimer-DNA glycosylase. Repair is defective in extracts from all xeroderma pigmentosum cell lines investigated, representing the genetic complementation groups A, B, C, D, H, and V. Mixing of cell extracts of group A and C origin leads to reconstitution of the DNA repair activity.     

Recovery of DNA synthesis after ultraviolet irradiation of xeroderma pigmentosum cells depends on excision repair and is blocked by caffeine

Normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP, excision-defective group A) cells (both SV40-transformed) pulse-labeled with [(3)H]thymidine at various times after irradiation with ultraviolet light showed a decline and recovery of both the molecular weights of newly synthesized DNA and the rates of synthesis per cell. At the same ultraviolet dose, both molecular weights and rates of synthesis were inhibited more in XP than in normal cells. This indicates that excision repair plays a role in minimizing the inhibition of chain growth, possibly by excision of dimers ahead of the growing point. The ability to synthesize normal-sized DNA recovered more rapidly than rates of synthesis in normal cells, but both parameters recovered in phase in XP cells. During recovery in normal cells there are therefore fewer actively replicating clusters of replicons because the single-strand breaks involved in the excision of dimers inhibit replicon initiation. XP cells have few excision repair events and therefore fewer breaks to interfere with initiation, but chain growth is blocked by unexcised dimers. In both cell types recovery of the ability to synthesize normal-sized DNA was prevented by growing cells in caffeine after irradiation, possibly because of competition between the DNA binding properties of caffeine and replication proteins.Our observations imply that excision repair and semiconservative replication interact strongly in irradiated cells to produce a complex spectrum of changes in DNA replication which may be confused with parts of alternative systems such as post-replication repair.     

Proximity of repair patches to persistent pyrimidine dimers in DNA of normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum cells

The proximity of repair patches to persistent pyrimidine dimers in normal human cells and xeroderma pigmentosum group C and D cells was analyzed by sequential digestion of repaired DNA with Micrococcus luteus UV-endonuclease and Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I. Although this enzymatic digestion removed one-third of the pyrimidine dimers, less than 3% of the label associated with repair patches and a similar amount of uniformly labeled DNA were removed. The repair patches therefore appear to be similarly distant from persistent dimers in all cell types, and, in particular, are not adjacent to unexcised dimers in xeroderma pigmentosum group D cells. A previous model that suggested that patches are inserted adjacent to dimers in xeroderma pigmentosum group D cells receives no support from these results.