The induction of chromosomal structural changes in male chickens by the alkylating agents: triethylene melamine and ethyl methanesulfonate

E. coli chromosomal DNA wastreated with various Pt co-ordiantion compounds and then used as donor DNA in E. coli transformation. Genetic analysis of transformants obtained with Pt-treated DNA showed effects of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cis-Pt(II)) and cis-dimethyl-1,3-diaminopropane CL₄ (cis-Pt(IV) (DMDAP) on the processing of DNA. With trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (trans-Pt(II)) appllied in similar concentrations no effects were found.The effects of cis-Pt(II) and cis-Pt(IV) (DMDAP) on the genetic processing were different. The effects of cis-Pt(II) could be explained by assuming intra-strand crosslinks as an important lesion.     

Modulation of oxidative DNA damage and DNA-crosslink formation induced by cis-diammine-tetrachloro-platinum(IV) in the presence of endogenous reductants

Platinum(IV) [Pt(IV)] complex, satraplatin, is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of various cancers. As a key step of the anti-cancer effect exertion, satraplatin is supposed to be reduced by endogenous reductants to platinum(II) [Pt(II)] complex. In this study, we investigated the interaction of DNA, Pt(IV), and the endogenous reductants such as ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH). As a model Pt(IV) compound, cis-diammine-tetrachloro-Pt(IV) [cis-Pt(IV)], which is a prodrug of cisplatin [cis-diammine-dichloro-Pt(II), cis-Pt(II)], was incubated with calf thymus DNA in the presence of AsA or GSH. In the presence of AsA, cis-Pt(IV) induced oxidative DNA damage. Hydroxyl radical scavengers suppressed the AsA-associated oxidative damage, thereby suggesting that hydroxyl radicals are involved in the DNA oxidation. cis-Pt(II)-like CD spectral change and crosslink formation in calf thymus DNA were also observed during this DNA oxidation, suggesting cis-Pt(IV) reduction by AsA and DNA conformational change induced by the newly formed cis-Pt(II) binding to DNA. GSH did not induce oxidative DNA damage likely due to its own hydroxyl radical scavenging ability. Further, GSH suppressed the Pt(II)-mediated DNA conformational change and crosslink formation, suggesting that GSH sequesters the cis-Pt(II) away from DNA by GSH-cis-Pt(II) complex formation.     

Inhibition of post-replication repair of alkylated DNA by caffeine in Chinese hamster cells but not HeLa cells

Caffeine has been found to potentiate the lethal effects of sulphur mustard (SM) and N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in a line of Chinese hamster cells but not in a line of HeLa cells. The sensitization of SM-treated cells by caffeine was S phase specific, and persisted for up to 24 h after alkylation of asynchronous cell cultures. The sensitization of MNU-treated cells, however, was not S phase specific but persisted for up to 50 h after the initial alkylation. Possible explanations for this difference between these two types of alkylating agent were discussed. Previously, evidence was presented which suggested that the alkylation-induced delay in the time of the peak rate of DNA synthesis in Chinese hamster cells was associated with the operation of post-DNA replication repair mechanism in these cells. Caffeine has now been found to reverse this alkylation-induced delay of DNA synthesis in both SM- and MNU-alkylated Chinese hamster cells. It is therefore proposed that caffeine sensitizes alkylated cells by inhibition of a post-replication DNA repair mechanism. No support was obtained for the alternative possibility that caffeine inhibits alkylation-induced excision repair of damaged DNA. The role of DNA repair in the production of the lethal mutagenic and cytological effects of alkylating agents is discussed.     

Participation of alkaline phosphatase in the active transport of phosphates in brush border membrane vesicles

This paper reports the separation and preliminary characterization of the products formed by the reaction of the antitumor compound cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ with DNA. Electrophoresis of the acid hydrolysed platinum-DNA complex gave a profile of platinum concentration which contained 5 peaks whose relative intensities varied with the amount of cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ fixed on the DNA. Similar analysis of the products formed between DNA and trans-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ or [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl, which are not active antitumor agents, indicated that these compounds bound to DNA in a different manner than cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂. DNA isolated from Escherichia coli which had been treated with cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ or [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl did not give the same electrophoresis profiles as the corresponding platinum-DNA complexes formed in vitro.     

Mechanism of toxicity of platinum(II) compounds in repair-deficient strains of Escherichia coli

The survival of wild-type and repair-deficient Escherichia coli treated with cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂, trans-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ and [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl (dien = H₂NCH₂CH₂NHCH₂CH₂NH₂) was inversely correlated with the ability of these compounds to inhibit DNA synthesis in different bacterial strains. The relative amounts of these 3 compounds covalently bound to DNA immediately after treatment with the same dose were, respectively, 1:?2:1, their relative abilities to inhibit DNA synthesis were 6:1:0 and their relative toxicities toward the wild-type and uvrA strains were 3–5:1:0. More repair synthesis, as measured by density-gradient centrifugation techniques, was observed in wild-type bacteria after treatment with the cis than with the trans isomer whereas no repair synthesis was detected after exposure to [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl.These results are consistent with the hypothesis that cis-Pt(NH₃)Cl₂ binds to DNA and inhibits DNA synthesis thereby killing the cell. The lower toxicity of this compound toward wild-type bacteria compared with repair-deficient strains is in part a consequence of DNA repair. trans-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ and [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl are less toxic than the cis isomer; this lesser toxicity is not a consequence of low levels of DNA binding or enhanced repair of the lesions but appears to reflect a weaker inhibition of DNA synthesis by these Pt-DNA adducts.     

Reaction of cis and trans isomers of platinum(II) diamminedichloride with purine,adenine and its derivatives in dilute solutions

Reactions of the cytostatic and antitumour agent, cis-platinum(II) diamminedichloride, and its trans isomer with purine, adenine and its N-9 derivatives were followed spectrophotometrically in dilute aqueous solutions. While the cis isomer formed with all compounds studied complexes with the metal-to-ligand ratios ML, ML₂ and M₂L, it was found that the trans isomer did not form the complexes ML₂ with adenosine and AMP. The values of dissociation constants, reaction rate constants and activation energies of the reactions of the cis and trans isomers with purine, adenine and its derivatives were in most cases comparable. Lower stability was exhibited only by the complexes of trans-platinum(II) diamminedichloride (trans-Pt(II)) with AMP as well as by its complexes M₂L with adenine and adenosine. The ability of cis-platinum(II) diamminedichloride (cis-Pt(II)) to react with two adenine residues can explain the greater tendency of the cis isomer to form intrastrand cross-links in nucleic acids as compared with the trans isomer.     

The effect of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) on Escherichia coli B. The role of fil, exr and hcr markers

The effects of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) (cis-Pt(II)) upon the colony forming ability (c.f.a.) and growth of Escherichia coli B was studied with strains mutated in loci fil, hcr and exr.The growth in the presence of cis-Pt(II) remained unaffected for 2 h even in the most sensitive strains grown at concentrations that reduced the c.f.a. by five orders of magnitude. In the given set of mutants, the sensitivity of the c.f.a. to cis-Pt(II) went roughly parallel with the sensitivity to UV. However, the relative role of mutations in individual markers was different. Of the loci investigated here, the most important one for the survival measured by the ability to form colonies was the exr locus, whose mutation raised the sensitivity 13–23 times. The hcr locus affected the sensitivity by a factor of 2–5. The fil locus controlled cell elongation and the preservation of c.f.a. during growth in the presence of cis-Pt(II), although it had little effect on the survival of resting cells under our experimental conditions.We believe that the sensitivity to cis-Pt(II) depends to a great extent on the pleiotypic response of the cells.     

Sea urchin egg fertilization studied with a fluorescent probe (ANS)

The rates of intracellular DNA synthesis at various temperatures between 39 ° and 31 °C were determined in hamster fibroblasts and HeLa cells by measuring average amounts of ³H-thymidine incorporated per cell in S phase per unit of time. The energy of activation and Q₁₀ for intracellular DNA synthesis were calculated from the slopes of the relative rates of DNA synthesis in HeLa cells and hamster fibroblasts vs. time, plotted on Arrhenius coordinates. In both cell types the incorporation of thymidine into DNA is characterized by an energy of activation of 21 000 calories/mole and a Q₁₀ of 2.94. The absolute rates of DNA synthesis were determined in hamster cells at various temperatures, with values ranging from 1.44 to 0.60 × 10^?14 g DNA/ min/cell at 39 ° to 31 °C, respectively. The length of the S phase of the hamster cell was calculated over a 39 ° to 31 °C range, and found to be 5.0 to 11.9 h, respectively. It is concluded that the S phase length is partly determined by the rate of temperature-dependent DNA synthesis.     

The interactions of cis- and trans-diammineplatinum compounds with 5′-guanosine monophosphate and 5′-deoxyguanosine monophosphate. A proton nmr investigation

The interactions of cis- and trans-diammineplatinum compounds with 5′-GMP and 5′-dGMP in dilute aqueous solution at neutral pH were investigated by ¹H nmr. In addition to the 1:2 Pt nucleotide complexes cis- and trans-Pt(NH₃)₂(GMP)₂, it was possible to study the formation of the 1:1 Pt-nucleotide complexes with either one coordinated water or chloride ion. At 5°C GMP reacts with a stoichiometric amount of cis-diaquodiammine-platinum to yield cis-Pt(NH₃)₂(GMP) (H₂O) as a sole reaction product. From the present results it is concluded that such a complex may play an important role as the initial reaction product between antitumor compounds like cis-Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂ and guanine in DNA in living organisms. The coupling constant ³J(H(1′)-H(2′)) of the H(1′) sugar proton in cis-Pt(NH₃)₂(GMP)₂ is temperature dependent, indicating a conformational change in the sugar moiety.     

Replicative bypass repair of ultraviolet damage to DNA of mammalian cells: Caffeine sensitive and caffeine resistant mechanisms

Replicative bypass repair of UV damage to DNA was studied in wide variety of human, mouse and hamster cells in culture. Survival curve analysis revealed that in established cell lines (mouse L, Chinese hamster V79, HeLa S3 and SV40-transformed xeroderma pigmentosum (XP)), post-UV caffeine treatment potentiated cell killing by reducing the extrapolation number and mean lethal UV fluence (Do). In the Do reduction as the result of random inactivation by caffeine of sensitive repair there were marked clonal differences among such cell lines, V79 being most sensitive to caffeine potentiation. However, other diploid cell lines (normal human, excision-defective XP and Syrian hamster) exhibited no obvious reduction in Do by caffeine. In parallel, alkaline sucrose sedimentation results showed that the conversion of initially smaller segments of DNA synthetized after irradiation with 10 J/m² to high-molecular-weight DNA was inhibited by caffeine in transformed XP cells, but not in the diploid human cell lines. Exceptionall, diploid XP variants had a retarded ability of bypass repair which was drastically prevented by caffeine, so that caffeine enhanced the lethal effect of UV. Neutral CsCl study on the bypass repair mechanism by use of bromodeoxyuridine for DNA synthesis on damaged template suggests that the pyrimidine dimer acts as a block to replication and subsequently it is circumvented presumably by a new process involving replicative bypassing following strand displacement, rather than by gap-filling de novo. This mechanism worked similarly in normal and XP cells, whether or not caffeine was present, indicating that excision of dimer is not always necessary. However, replicative became defective in XP variant and transformed XP cells when caffeine was present. It appears, therefore, that the replicative bypass repair process is either caffeine resistant or sensitive, depending on the cell type used, but not necessarily on the excision repair capability.     

Synthesis and anticancer activity of dichloroplatinum(II) complexes of podophyllotoxin

A series of dichloroplatinum(II) complexes of podophyllotoxin (PPT) were prepared, and their cytotoxicity against sensitive (A-549, HeLa, HCT-8, Hep-G2, K562) and resistant (ADM/K562) cell lines were evaluated. Complex cis-[4α-O-(2″,3″-diaminopropanoyl)-podophyllotoxin] dichloride platinum(II) (12) displayed most potent cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ value in the range 0.071–2.98 μM. Complex 12 induces cell cycle arrest in the G₂/M phase, and inhibits the formation of microtubules in HeLa cells. Furthermore, this complex exhibits potent DNA cleavage capabilities.     

Specific biological activity of platinum complexes. Contribution to the theory of molecular mechanism

The effect of various coordination complexes of Pt(II) on the renaturation of the DNA was studied with special attention to the degree of hydrolysis. We found that hydrolysed solutions of biologically active complexes (cis-dichlorodiammine-platinum(II) (cis-Pt(II)), dichloroethylenediamine platinum(II), oxalatodiammine-platinum(II), malonatodiammineplatinum(II) and malonatoethylenediaminepiatinum(II)) do stimulate the renaturation immediately after the mixing with DNA, whereas the inactive complexes (trans-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II), K₂PtCl₄ and K₂PtCl₆ have no effect, or have it only after a longer heating of the mixture. Higher concentration of chlorides shifts the optimal Pt/P_dna ratio to higher values. The interaction which is responsible for the stimulation of the renaturation cannot be removed by dialysis. All observations support the suggestion that hydrolysis is the first step in the interaction of biologically active complexes with the components of living systems.     

Inhibition by caffeine of post-replication repair in Chinese hamster cells treated with cis platinum (II) Diamminedichloride: the extent of platinum binding to template DNA in relation to the size of low molecular weight nascent DNA.

Treatment of Chinese hamster lung V79-379A cells with the anti-tumour agent cis platinum (II) diamminedichloride, (cis Pt(II)), resulted in an immediate recuction in the rate of DNA synthesis. Sedimentation of newly synthesised DNA through alkaline sucrose gradients revealed it to be approximately the same size as that obtained from untreated cells. In contrast, in the presence of 0.75 mM caffeine, the rate of DNA synthesis rapidly returned to control levels, although sedimentation analysis showed the DNA synthesised in cis Pt(II)-treated cells to be of lower molecular weight than in untreated cells. The reduction in molecular weight was directly proportional to the initial dose of the platinum compound. Furthermore, the results of separate binding studies suggested that at several levels of reaction the new DNA was synthesised up to a size approximately equal to the interplatinum distance in the template strand. This has been interpreted as being the result of the formation of a gap in the daughter DNA strand opposite every DNA-platinum product in the template strand. If caffeine was removed from the culture medium, there was a rapid increase in the molecular weight of the nascent DNA strands. However, if caffeine remained in the medium, the DNA remained of lower molecular weight than in untreated cells. It is proposed that this effect of caffeine is the result of the inhibition of a post-replicative DNA repair process which allows the eventual synthesis of a continuous DNA strand on a template containing unexcised lesions. It is further proposed that inhibition of this post-replicative DNA repair process provides a molecular basis for the previously observed potentiation by caffeine of cis Pt(II)-induced chromosomal aberrations and lethality.     

Rate of DNA synthesis as a function of temperature in cultured hamster fibroblasts (V-79) and HeLa-S3 cells

The rates of intracellular DNA synthesis at various temperatures between 39 ° and 31 °C were determined in hamster fibroblasts and HeLa cells by measuring average amounts of ³H-thymidine incorporated per cell in S phase per unit of time. The energy of activation and Q₁₀ for intracellular DNA synthesis were calculated from the slopes of the relative rates of DNA synthesis in HeLa cells and hamster fibroblasts vs. time, plotted on Arrhenius coordinates. In both cell types the incorporation of thymidine into DNA is characterized by an energy of activation of 21 000 calories/mole and a Q₁₀ of 2.94. The absolute rates of DNA synthesis were determined in hamster cells at various temperatures, with values ranging from 1.44 to 0.60 × 10⁻¹⁴ g DNA/ min/cell at 39 ° to 31 °C, respectively. The length of the S phase of the hamster cell was calculated over a 39 ° to 31 °C range, and found to be 5.0 to 11.9 h, respectively. It is concluded that the S phase length is partly determined by the rate of temperature-dependent DNA synthesis.     

Significance of treatment interval and DNA repair in the enhancement of viral transformation by chemical carcinogens and mutagens

Treatment of Syrian hamster embryo cells with diverse classes of chemical carcinogens enhanced transformation by a carcinogenic simian adenovirus, SA7. Optimal enhancement was a function of time of chemical addition in relation to time of virus addition and cell transfer. Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and the polycyclic hydrocarbons, benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA), and 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) enhanced SA7 transformation when added prior to virus, but inhibited transformation when added after virus adsorption and cell transfer. The enhancement of SA7 transformation was maximal when cytosine arabinoside, caffeine and 6-acetoxy-benzo(a)pyrene (6-ac-B(a)P) were added after virus, but minimal when added before virus. A third class of chemicals, including β-propiolactone (β-PL), methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (Ac-AAF), N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), and methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM-ac), enhanced SA7 transformation added before, or after, virus inoculation and cell transfer. All chemicals, which induced changes in DNA sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients and unscheduled DNA (repair) synthesis in hamster cells, increased the frequency of SA7 transformation. However, several chemicals such as dibenz(a,h)anthracene (DB(a,h)A), benzo(e)pyrene (B(e)P), cytosine arabinoside, and caffeine enhanced SA7 transformation but did not induce DNA sedimentation changes or repair. Chemicals that cause DNA damage, which can be repaired by hamster cells, may enhance viral transformation by providing additional sites for integration of viral DNA during the repair process. Chemicals that apparently do not induce DNA repair synthesis may enhance viral transformation by incorporation of viral DNA into gaps in cell DNA at sites of unrepaired damage during scheduled DNA synthesis.     

Differential effects of caffeine on DNA damage and replication cell cycle checkpoints in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Caffeine potentiates the lethal effects of ultraviolet and ionising radiation on wild-type Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells. In previous studies this was attributed to the inhibition by caffeine of a novel DNA repair pathway in S. pombe that was absent in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Studies with radiation-sensitive S. pombe mutants suggested that this caffeine-sensitive pathway could repair ultraviolet radiation damage in the absence of nucleotide excision repair. The alternative pathway was thought to be recombinational and to operate in the G₂ phase of the cell cycle. However, in this study we show that cells held in G₁ of the cell cycle can remove ultraviolet-induced lesions in the absence of nucleotide excision repair. We also show that recombination-defective mutants, and those now known to define the alternative repair pathway, still exhibit the caffeine effect. Our observations suggest that the basis of the caffeine effect is not due to direct inhibition of recombinational repair. The mutants originally thought to be involved in a caffeine-sensitive recombinational repair process are now known to be defective in arresting the cell cycle in S and/or G₂ following DNA damage or incomplete replication. The gene products may also have an additional role in a DNA repair or damage tolerance pathway. The effect of caffeine could, therefore, be due to interference with DNA damage checkpoints, or inhibition of the DNA damage repair/tolerance pathway. Using a combination of flow cytometric analysis, mitotic index analysis and fluorescence microscopy we show that caffeine interferes with intra-S phase and G₂ DNA damage checkpoints, overcoming cell cycle delays associated with damaged DNA. In contrast, caffeine has no effect on the DNA replication S phase checkpoint in reponse to inhibition of DNA synthesis by hydroxyurea.     

Inhibition of repair of UV-damaged DNA by caffeine and mutation induction in Chinese hamster cells

The effect of caffeine on UV-irradiated Chinese hamster cells in vitro was studied on the cellular and molecular levels. Caffeine (1 mM) was shown to decrease the colony-forming ability and the frequencies of spontaneous and UV-induced mutations in Chinese hamster cells. The effect of caffeine in reducing the frequency of UV-induced mutations was demonstrated only if caffeine was present in the culture medium during the first post-irradiation cell division. Using alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation, both parental and newly synthesized DNA in UV-irradiated and unirradiated cells were studied in the presence and absence of caffeine. Caffeine affected the sedimentation profile of DNA synthesized in UV-irradiated cells but not in unirradiated cells. Caffeine had no apparent effect on the incorporation of [³H]-thymidine into DNA of control or UV-irradiated cells, nor on the small amount of excision of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers. These results may be interpreted by a hypothesis that caffeine inhibits a certain S-phase specific, post-replication, dark-repair mechanism. The hamster and perhaps other rodent cells exposed to low doses of UV are capable of DNA replication, by-passing the non-excised pyrimidine dimers. This postulated repair process probably involves de novo DNA synthesis to seal the gaps in the nascent strand. This repair may be also responsible for the enzymatic production of mutations.     

Crystal structures of Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes with the free radical 4-aminoTEMPO

Pt(II) and Pd(II) compounds containing the free radical 4-aminoTEMPO (4amTEMPO) were synthesized and characterised by X-ray diffraction methods. The disubstituted complexes cis- and trans-Pt(4amTEMPO)₂I₂ were studied. The trans isomer was prepared from the isomerisation of the cis analogue. The two Pd(II) compounds trans-Pd(4amTEMPO)₂X₂ (X = Cl and I) were also characterised by crystallographic methods. A mixed-ligand complex cis-Pt(DMSO)(4amTEMPO)Cl₂ was synthesized from the isomerisation of the trans isomer in hot water. Its crystal structure was also determined. In all the complexes, the 4amTEMPO ligand is bonded to the metal through the -NH₂ group, since the nitroxide O atom is not a good donor atom for the soft Pt(II) and Pd(II) metals. The conformation of the 4-aminoTEMPO ligand was compared to those of the few reported structures in the literature.     

An invitro characterization of interstrand cross-links in DNA exposed to the antitumor drug cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II)

The $\text{cis}$-isomer of the antitumor drug dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) [$\text{cis}$-Pt(II)] was tested for its abilty to introduce nicks (single-strand breaks) into supercoiled PM2 DNA. Whereas incubations up to 24 h show no indication of $\text{cis}$-Pt(II)-treated DNA having single-strand breaks, DNA interstrand cross-links were detected in the first 15 min of incubation. Furthermore, the formation of DNA interstrand cross-links was $\text{both}$ inhibited and fully reversed after incubation with 2 mM thiourea.     

Cytogenetic toxicity of antitumor platinum compounds in Fanconi's anemia

Summary Peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with Fanconi's anemia (FA) were tested for their susceptibility to chromosome breakage by cis-platinum(II)-diamminedichloride [cis-Pt(II)], cis-platinum(IV)diamminetetrachloride [cis-Pt(IV)], and trans-platinum(IV)diamminetetrachloride [trans-Pt(IV)]. Low doses (0.1 g/ml) of the DNA-DNA cross-linking agents cis-Pt(II) and cis-Pt(IV) dramatically increased the chromosome breakage level in FA cultures without affecting the controls. The predominantly DNA-protein cross-linking compound trans-Pt(IV), however, was much less effective in producing chromosomal damage in FA. The differential response of FA cells to cis-Pt(IV) and trans-Pt(IV) suggests that the high susceptibility of FA to bifunctional cross-linking agents is due to an impairment of the cells to tolerate DNA-DNA cross-links, rather than DNA-protein cross-links.