Complementation of the xeroderma pigmentosum DNA repair synthesis defect with Escherichia coli UvrABC proteins in a cell-free system.

A newly developed cell-free system was used to study DNA repair synthesis carried out by extracts from human cell lines in vitro. Extracts from a normal human lymphoid cell line and from cell lines established from individuals with hereditary dysplastic nevus syndrome perform damage-dependent repair synthesis in plasmid DNA treated with cis- or trans-diamminedichloro-platinum(II) or irradiated with ultraviolet light. Cell extracts of xeroderma pigmentosum origin (complementation groups A, C, D, and G) are deficient in DNA repair synthesis. When damaged plasmid DNA was pretreated with purified Escherichia coli UvrABC proteins, xeroderma pigmentosum cell extracts were able to carry out DNA repair synthesis. The ability of E. coli UvrABC proteins to complement xeroderma pigmentosum cell extracts indicates that the extracts are deficient in incision, but can carry out later steps of repair. Thus the in vitro system provides results that are in agreement with the incision defect found from studies of xeroderma pigmentosum cells.     

Repair of damaged DNA by extracts from a xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A revertant and expression of a protein absent in its parental cell line.

Cells derived from individuals with mutations in the xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A gene (XP-A gene) are hypersensitive to UV light and have a severe defect in nucleotide excision repair of damaged DNA. UV-resistant revertant cell lines can arise from XP-A cells in culture. Cells of one such revertant, XP129, were previously shown to remove (6-4) photoproducts from irradiated DNA, but to have poor repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. To analyze the biochemical nature of the reversion, whole cell extracts were prepared from the SV40-immortalized fibroblast cell lines XP12RO (an XP-A cell line), the revertant XP129 (derived from XP12RO), and 1BR.3N (from a normal individual). The ability of extracts to carry out repair synthesis in UV-irradiated DNA was examined, and immunoblots were performed using antiserum that recognizes XP-A protein. XP12RO extracts exhibited a very low level of repair and no detectable XP-A protein, but repair activity could be conferred by adding purified XP-A protein to the reaction mixture. XP129 extracts have essentially normal repair synthesis consistent with the observation that most repair of UV-irradiated DNA by extracts appears to occur at (6-4) photoproducts. An XP-A polypeptide of normal size was present in XP129, but in reduced amounts. The results indicate that in XP129 a mutational event has converted the inactive XP12RO XP-A gene into a form which expresses an active XP-A protein.     

Substrate overlap and functional competition between human nucleotide excision repair and Escherichia coli photolyase and (a)BC excision nuclease

Human cell free extract prepared by the method of Manley et al. (1980) carries out repair synthesis on UV-irradiated DNA. Removal of pyrimidine dimers by photoreactivation with DNA photolyase reduces repair synthesis by about 50%. With excess enzyme in the reaction mixture photolyase reduced the repair signal by the same amount even in the absence of photoreactivating light, presumably by binding to pyrimidine dimers and interfering with the binding of human damage recognition protein. Similarly, the UvrB subunit of Escherichia coli (A)BC excinuclease when loaded onto UV-irradiated or psoralen-adducted DNA inhibited repair synthesis by cell-free extract by 75-80%. The opposite was true also as HeLa cell free extract specifically inhibited the photorepair of a thymine dimer by DNA photolyase and its removal by (A)BC excinuclease. Cell-free extracts from xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) complementation groups A and C were equally effective in blocking the E. coli repair proteins, while extracts from complementation groups D and E were ineffective in blocking the E. coli enzyme. These results suggest that XP-D and XP-E cells are defective in the damage recognition subunit(s) of human excision nuclease.     

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.     

Requirement for ERCC-1 and ERCC-3 gene products in DNA excision repair in vitro. Complementation using rodent and human cell extracts.

Numerous rodent cell lines exist that have defects in nucleotide excision repair of DNA caused by alterations in genes that fall into 10 different complementation groups. The precise roles in the repair of these genes are unknown. We report here that extracts from Chinese hamster ovary cells of excision repair-defective complementation groups 1 and 3 are defective in DNA excision repair in a cell-free system. In vitro complementation can be achieved by mixing extracts from the two groups with one another. In addition, extracts from a human cell line representing xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group B could complement rodent complementation group 1 extracts, but not group 3 extracts. This is consistent with an identity of the ERCC-3 and xeroderma pigmentosum group B genes. Cellular evidence points toward a defect in the incision of damaged DNA in group 1 and 3 mutants. Since the ERCC-1 and ERCC-3 proteins are required for the in vitro reaction, it appears that both gene products are directly involved in the enzymatic incision of damaged DNA, or in preincision reactions. The experiments reported here provide the biochemical basis of an approach to analyze the function of these nucleotide excision repair proteins.     

DNA excision repair in mammalian cell extracts.

The many genetic complementation groups of DNA excision-repair defective mammalian cells indicate the considerable complexity of the excision repair process. The cloning of several repair genes is taking the field a step closer to mechanistic studies of the actions and interactions of repair proteins. Early biochemical studies of mammalian DNA repair in vitro are now at hand. Repair synthesis in damaged DNA can be monitored by following the incorporation of radiolabelled nucleotides. Synthesis is carried out by mammalian cell extracts and is defective in extracts from cell lines derived from individuals with the excision-repair disorder xeroderma pigmentosum. Biochemical complementation of the defective extracts can be used to purify repair proteins. Repair of damage caused by agents including ultraviolet irradiation, psoralens, and platinating compounds has been observed. Neutralising antibodies against the human single-stranded DNA binding protein (HSSB) have demonstrated a requirement for this protein in DNA excision repair as well as in DNA replication.     

Repair synthesis by human cell extracts in DNA damaged by cis- and trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II)

DNA damage was induced in closed circular plasmid DNA by treatment with cis- or trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II). These plasmids were used as substrates in reactions to give quantitative measurements of DNA repair synthesis mediated by cell free extracts from human lymphoid cell lines. Adducts induced by both drugs stimulated repair synthesis in a dose dependent manner by an ATP-requiring process. Measurements by an isopycnic gradient sedimentation method gave an upper limit for the average patch sizes in this in vitro system of around 140 nucleotides. It was estimated that up to 3% of the drug adducts induce the synthesis of a repair patch. The repair synthesis is due to repair of a small fraction of frequent drug adducts, rather than extensive repair of a rare subclass of lesions. Nonspecific DNA synthesis in undamaged plasmids, caused by exonucleolytic degradation and resynthesis, was reduced by repeated purification of intact circular forms. An extract made from cells belonging to xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A was deficient in repair synthesis in response to the presence of cis- or trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) adducts in DNA.     

Asymmetry of DNA replication and translesion synthesis of UV-induced thymine dimers

In vitro replication assays for detection and quantification of bypass of UV-induced DNA photoproducts were used to compare the capacity of extracts prepared from different human cell lines to replicate past the cis,syn cyclobutane thymine dimer ([c,s]TT). The results demonstrated that neither nucleotide excision repair (NER) nor mismatch repair (MMR) activities in the intact cells interfered with measurements of bypass replication efficiencies in vitro. Extracts prepared from HeLa (NER- and MMR-proficient), xeroderma pigmentosum group A (NER-deficient), and HCT116 (MMR-deficient) cells displayed similar capacity for translesion synthesis, when the substrate carried the site-specific [c,s]TT on the template for the leading or the lagging strand of nascent DNA. Extracts from xeroderma pigmentosum variant cells, which lack DNA polymerase eta, were devoid of bypass activity. Bypass-proficient extracts as a group (n=16 for 3 extracts) displayed higher efficiency (P=0.005) for replication past the [c,s]TT during leading strand synthesis (84+/-22%) than during lagging strand synthesis (64+/-13%). These findings are compared to previous results concerning the bypass of the (6-4) photoproduct [Biochemistry 40 (2001) 15215] and analyzed in the context of the reported characteristics of bypass DNA polymerases implicated in translesion synthesis of UV-induced DNA lesions. Models to explain how these enzymes might interact with the DNA replication machinery are considered. An alternative pathway of bypass replication, which avoids translesion synthesis, and the mutagenic potential of post-replication repair mechanisms that contribute to the duplication of the human genome damaged by UV are discussed.     

Efficient in vitro repair of 7-hydro-8-oxodeoxyguanosine by human cell extracts: involvement of multiple pathways.

To investigate the repair of oxidative damage in DNA, we have established an in vitro assay utilizing human lymphoblastoid whole cell extracts and plasmid DNA damaged by exposure to methylene blue and visible light. This treatment has been shown to produce predominantly 7-hydro-8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in double-stranded DNA at low levels of modification. DNA containing 1. 6 lesions per plasmid is substrate for efficient repair synthesis by cell extracts. The incorporation of dGMP is 2.7 +/- 0.5 times greater than the incorporation of dCMP, indicating an average repair patch of 3-4 nucleotides. Damage-specific nicking occurs within 15 min, while resynthesis is slower. The incorporation of dGMP increases linearly, while the incorporation of dCMP exhibits a distinct lag. Extracts from xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) complementation groups A and B exhibit 25 and 40%, respectively, of the incorporation of dCMP compared with normal extracts, but extracts from an XP-D cell line exhibit twice the activity. These data suggest that the efficient repair of 8-oxodG lesions observed in human cell extracts involves more than one pathway of base excision repair.     

A role for the human single-stranded DNA binding protein HSSB/RPA in an early stage of nucleotide excision repair.

The human single-stranded DNA binding protein (HSSB/RPA) is involved in several processes that maintain the integrity of the genome including DNA replication, homologous recombination, and nucleotide excision repair of damaged DNA. We report studies that analyze the role of HSSB in DNA repair. Specific protein-protein interactions appear to be involved in the repair function of HSSB, since it cannot be replaced by heterologous single-stranded DNA binding proteins. Anti-HSSB antibodies that inhibit the ability of HSSB to stimulate DNA polymerase alpha also inhibit repair synthesis mediated by human cell-free extracts. However, antibodies that neutralize DNA polymerase alpha do not inhibit repair synthesis. Repair is sensitive to aphidicolin, suggesting that DNA polymerase epsilon or delta participates in nucleotide excision repair by cell extracts. HSSB has a role other than generally stimulating synthesis by DNA polymerases, as it does not enhance the residual damage-dependent background synthesis displayed by repair-deficient extracts from xeroderma pigmentosum cells. Significantly, when damaged DNA is incised by the Escherichia coli UvrABC repair enzyme, human cell extracts can carry out repair synthesis even when HSSB has been neutralized with antibodies. This suggests that HSSB functions in an early stage of repair, rather than exclusively in repair synthesis. A model for the role of HSSB in repair is presented.     

Human nucleotide excision repair in vitro: repair of pyrimidine dimers, psoralen and cisplatin adducts by HeLa cell-free extract.

We searched for nucleotide excision repair in human cell-free extracts using two assays: damage-specific incision of DNA (the nicking assay) and damage-stimulated DNA synthesis (the repair synthesis assay). HeLa cell-free extract prepared by the method of Manley et al. (1980) has a weak nicking activity on UV irradiated DNA and the nicking is only slightly reduced when pyrimidine dimers are eliminated from the substrate by DNA photolyase. In contrast to the nicking assay, the extract gives a strong signal with UV irradiated substrate in the repair synthesis assay. The repair synthesis activity is ATP dependent and is reduced by about 50% by prior treatment of the substrate with DNA photolyase indicating that this fraction of repair synthesis is due to removal of pyrimidine dimers by nucleotide excision. Psoralen and cisplatin adducts which are known to be removed by nucleotide excision repair also elicited repair synthesis activity 5-10 fold above the background synthesis. When M13RF DNA containing a uniquely placed psoralen adduct was used in the reaction, complete repair was achieved in a fraction of molecules as evidenced by the restoration of psoralen inactivated KpnI restriction site. This activity is absent in xeroderma pigmentosum group A cells. We conclude that our cell-free extract contains the human nucleotide excision repair enzyme activity.     

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.     

Preferential repair of nuclear matrix associated DNA in xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C

The distribution of ultraviolet-induced DNA repair patches in the genome of xeroderma pigmentosum cells of complementation group C was investigated by determining the molecular weight distribution of repair labeled DNA and prelabeled DNA in alkaline sucrose gradients after treatment with the dimerspecific endonuclease V of bacteriophage T4. The results were consistent with the data reported by Mansbridge and Hanawalt (1983) and suggest that DNA-repair synthesis in xeroderma pigmentosum cells of complementation group C occurs in localized regions of the genome. Analysis of the spatial distribution of ultraviolet-induced repair patches in DNA loops attached to the nuclear matrix revealed that in xeroderma pigmentosum cells of complementation group C repair patches are preferentially situated near the attachment sites of DNA loops at the nuclear matrix. In normal human fibroblasts we observed no enrichment of repair-labeled DNA at the nuclear matrix and repair patches appeared to be distributed randomly along the DNA loops. The enrichment of repair-labeled DNA at the nuclear matrix in xeroderma pigmentosum cells of complementation group C may indicate that the residual DNA-repair synthesis in these cells occurs preferentially in transcribing regions of the genome.     

Alteration of a DNA-dependent ATPase activity in xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C cells.

DNA-dependent ATPase activities in crude extracts prepared from HeLa cells were separated into five peaks by fast protein liquid chromatography Mono Q column chromatography. Similar elution profiles were observed with the extracts from human cells normal in repair and xeroderma pigmentosum cells belonging to complementation groups A through G except for group C. An alteration in elution of one of the five ATPases, designated DNA-dependent ATPase Q1, was observed with a cell line of complementation group C. This alteration was observed with all tested cell lines that belonged to group C. ATPase Q1 in HeLa cell extracts exhibited about 2-fold higher activity with ultraviolet light-irradiated DNA as compared to that with non-irradiated DNA, whereas little difference in the effects of two DNAs was observed with the ATPase activities in the extract from group C cells.     

Localization of DNA repair synthesis by human cell extracts to a short region at the site of a lesion

Double-stranded bacteriophage M13 DNA molecules were constructed containing a single specifically placed 2-(acetylamino)fluorene adduct or a single 4'-hydroxymethyl-4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen monoadduct. These circular DNA molecules were used to analyze in vitro DNA repair synthesis by cell extracts from normal human lymphoid cell lines. Both types of lesions stimulate DNA repair synthesis at the site of the adduct. DNA repair synthesis induced by the 2-(acetyl-amino)fluorene adduct took place in the damaged strand and was confined to a region within a 31-base pair restriction fragment around the adduct.     

DNA repair replication by soluble extracts from human lymphoid cell lines

A system is described in which extracts from human cells can perform repair replication on DNA damaged by ultraviolet light or chemical carcinogens. Whole cell extracts from lymphoid cell lines are incubated with damaged plasmid DNA circles at 30 degrees C in the presence of ATP and the four deoxynucleoside triphosphates. Repair synthesis is monitored by the incorporation of alpha-32P-dATP into closed circular plasmid molecules. Analysis of the time course of the reaction suggests that the slowest step in repair is incision, rather than polymerization or ligation. The size of repair patches inserted into ultraviolet-irradiated DNA during a reaction was estimated by substitution of thymidine triphosphate with 5-bromodeoxyuridine triphosphate and sedimentation in alkaline cesium chloride gradients. Patches with heterogeneous sizes of less than 120 bases were observed.     

UV stimulation of DNA-mediated transformation of human cells.

Irradiation of dominant marker DNA with UV light (150 to 1,000 J/m2) was found to stimulate the transformation of human cells by this marker from two- to more than fourfold. This phenomenon is also displayed by xeroderma pigmentosum cells (complementation groups A and F), which are deficient in the excision repair of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers in the DNA. Also, exposure to UV of the transfected (xeroderma pigmentosum) cells enhanced the transfection efficiency. Removal of the pyrimidine dimers from the DNA by photoreactivating enzyme before transfection completely abolished the stimulatory effect, indicating that dimer lesions are mainly responsible for the observed enhancement. A similar stimulation of the transformation efficiency is exerted by 2-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene modification of the DNA. No stimulation was found after damaging vector DNA by treatment with DNase or gamma rays. These findings suggest that lesions which are targets for the excision repair pathway induce the increase in transformation frequency. The stimulation was found to be independent of sequence homology between the irradiated DNA and the host chromosomal DNA. Therefore, the increase of the transformation frequency is not caused by a mechanism inducing homologous recombination between these two DNAs. UV treatment of DNA before transfection did not have a significant effect on the amount of DNA integrated into the xeroderma pigmentosum genome.     

Ultraviolet light-resistant primary transfectants of xeroderma pigmentosum cells are also DNA repair-proficient

In a previous work, an immortal xeroderma pigmentosum cell line belonging to complementation group C was complemented to a UV-resistant phenotype by transfection with a human cDNA clone library. We now report that the primary transformants selected for UV-resistance also acquired normal levels of DNA repair. This was assessed both by measurement of UV-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation and by equilibrium sedimentation analysis of repair-DNA synthesis. Therefore, the transduced DNA element which confers normal UV-resistance also corrects the excision repair defect of the xeroderma pigmentosum group C cell line.     

Repair of UV-endonuclease-susceptible sites in the 7 complementation groups of xeroderma pigmentosum A through G

7 strains of human primary fibroblasts were chosen from the complementation groups A through G of xeroderma pigmentosum; these strains are UV-sensitive and deficient in excision repair of UV damage on the criterion of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS). They were compared with normal human fibroblasts and one xeroderma pigmentosum variant with regard to their capacity to remove pyrimidine dimers, induced in their DNA by UV at 253.7 nm. The XP variant showed a normal level of dimer removal, whereas 6 of the other XP strains had a greatly reduced capacity to remove this DNA damage, in agreement with their individual levels of UDS. Strain XP230S (complementation group F), however, only showed a 20% reduction in the removal of dimers, which is much less than expected from the low level of UDS in this strain.