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.

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.

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.