N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine sensitivity, mutator phenotype and sequence specificity of spontaneous mutagenesis in FEN-1-deficient cells.

Intact pZ189 DNA was allowed to replicate in FL-FEN-1(-) cell line that was established in this laboratory in which the expression of FEN-1 gene was blocked by dexamethasone-inducible expression of antisense RNA to FEN-1. E. coli MBM7070 was transfected with the replicated plasmid, and those with mutations in the supF gene were identified. The frequency of mutants that did not contain recognizable changes in the electrophoretic mobility of the plasmid DNA was scored. The frequency of such mutants was 19.1 x 10(-4) (34/17781), significantly higher than those of 2.9 x 10(-4) (4/13668) and 3.0 x 10(-4) (3/9857) in the corresponding controls, respectively. Sequence analysis of the supF genes of these mutants showed that all (37/37) the base substitutions occurred at C:G base pairs; 68% (23/37) of the base substitutions were base transversions, while 32% (12/37) were transitions. Approximately 76% (23/37) of these base substitutions occurred frequently at nine positions; two of these sites contain triple pyrimidine (T or C) repeat upstream to the mutated base; four of these sites consist of 5'-TTN1N2 and mutations occurred at N1 site sequence; another two sites have the characteristics of triple A flanked at both 5' and 3' side by TCT, with the base substitution occurring at C in the context sequence. These data suggested that these sites are the hot spot of mutagenesis in plasmid replicated in FEN-1-deficient cells. Besides the mutator phenotype of the FEN-1-deficient cell, it was also demonstrated that FEN-1-deficient cell exhibited an increased N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) sensitive phenotype.

The Influence of FEN-1 Gene on Cell Cycle and Genetic Stability.

FEN-1 is essential in the cell replication, repair and in the maintenance of cellular genetic stability. In this report, it was verfied that FEN-1 antisense mRNA fragment was expressed in the cell line FL-FEN-1(-),constructed in our lab, blocking FEN-1 gene expression. It was found by the flow cytometer analysis that the cell cycle of FL-FEN-1(-) cells was delayed in the S-phase DNA synthesis process and arrested in G(1) phase. In a mutation assay, based on the shuttle-plasmid pZ189, the spontaneous mutation frequency of SupF tRNA gene in the plasmid in the FL-FEN-1(-) cells was 19.1x10(4),while it was 2.9x10(4) and 3.0x10(4) in the control cells FL and FL-M, respectively. Further study showed that nontargeted mutation frequency of the FL-FEN-1(-) cell induced by MNNG was almost the same as the control, indicating that the mutants derived from the block of FEN-1 gene and the nontargeted mutants may be formed through different passways. The FL-FEN-1(-) cells exhibit increased sensitivity to alkylating agent MNNG.

Establishment of Cell Line with the FEN-1 Gene Blocked by Its Antisense.

FEN-1 is a structure-specific endo/exonuclease, which is involved in the process of both DNA duplication and DNA repair. In this work a mammalian expression vector expressing antisense FEN-1 gene fragment pMAMneoAmp(-)FNB(-) was constructed, after cloning the NcoI-BamHI fragment of FEN-1 gene into the mammalian expression vector pMAMneoAmp(-) in antisense orientation. After FL cell was transfected with pMAMneoAmp(-)FNB(-) and selected by G418, the FL-FEN-1(-) cell line, in which the FEN-1 gene expression was blocked, was established. It was found that the growth of FL-FEN-1(-) was decreased upon the induction with dexamethasone and its T(D) was 3.03 d, while the T(D) of controls FL and FL-M induced with dexamethasone was 2.03 and 2.22 d, respectively, and the T(D) of the FL-FEN-1(-) cell without dexamethasone was 2.38 d.