Biomarkers and their use in cervical cancer chemoprevention.

Cervical cancer chemoprevention agents under study include diet and micronutrients (particularly beta-carotene, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E); medications such as retinoids (retinyl acetate gel, all-trans-retinoic acid, and 4-hydroxyphenylretinamide) that are chemically related to micronutrients; and other chemopreventives meant to affect the carcinogenic process at the cellular level, including such polyamine synthesis inhibitors as alpha-difluoromethylornithine. Agents become reasonable candidates for study when they have a biologic rationale, they are of low toxicity, and they can be taken for a long period of time. Since the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major etiologic agent, the medication should show activity against HPV-positive preinvasive and invasive cell lines. The medication needs to be of low toxicity because it may be taken for long periods of time and less toxicity is tolerated in the precancerous setting. Until 1995, none of the studies used surrogate end point biomarkers (SEBs), relying instead on histologic and colposcopic regression as end points. All studies typically included subjects with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Conclusions to be drawn from these studies include the following: Though micronutrients are logical candidates for chemoprevention, they haven't worked consistently, and the reasons remain unclear. Furthermore, SEBs need to be validated in phase I trials. Finally, a better understanding of the role of HPV needs elucidation, including an understanding of the relationship of the medication to HPV status and of the immunobiology of HPV throughout the trial.

Effects of DNA-binding drugs on T4 DNA ligase.

A number of DNA intercalating and externally binding drugs have been found to inhibit nick sealing, cohesive and blunt end ligation, AMP-dependent DNA topoisomerization and EDTA-induced DNA nicking mediated by bacteriophage T4 DNA ligase. The inhibition seems to arise from drug-substrate interaction so that formation of active DNA-Mg2(+)-AMP-enzyme complex is impaired while assembled and active complexes are not disturbed by drug binding to the substrate.

Segregation of relaxed replicated dimers when DNA ligase and DNA polymerase I are limited during oriC-specific DNA replication.

An in vitro Escherichia coli oriC-specific DNA replication system was used to investigate the DNA replication pathways of oriC plasmids. When this system was perturbed by the DNA ligase inhibitor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), alterations occurred in the initiation of DNA synthesis and processing of intermediates and DNA products. Addition of high concentrations of NMN soon after initiation resulted in the accumulation of open circular dimers (OC-OC). These dimers were decatenated to open circular monomers (form II or OC), which were then processed to closed circular supercoiled monomers (form I or CC) products. After a delay, limited ligation of the interlinked dimers (OC-OC to CC-OC and CC-CC) also occurred. Similar results were obtained with replication protein extracts from polA mutants. The presence of NMN before any initiation events took place prolonged the existence of nicked template DNA and promoted, without a lag period, limited incorporation into form II molecules. This DNA synthesis was nonspecific with respect to oriC, as judged by DnaA protein dependence, and presumably occurred at nicks in the template DNA. These results are consistent with oriC-specific initiation requiring closed supercoiled molecules dependent on DNA ligase activity. The results also show that decatenation of dimers occurs readily on nicked dimer and represents an efficient pathway for processing replication intermediates in vitro.

dATP-mediated inhibition of DNA ligase by 2'-deoxycoformycin in T and B cell leukemia.

2'-Deoxycoformycin (dCF), a potent adenosine deaminase inhibitor, has been reported to display greater toxicity for T than for B lymphoblasts. Since this compound can block DNA replication and since this effect is mediated by the intracellular ATP/dATP balance, its possible effect on DNA ligase was investigated. dCF at relatively low concentrations (1 microM), in association with dATP (100 microM), is a strong inhibitor of DNA ligase in T blasts, whereas it has no significant effect in B blasts at this concentration. The AMP-ligase complex is the target of the observed inhibition because the combined presence of the inhibitor and dATP results in a more stable dAMP-ligase complex. Because of this observation and of the greater adenosine deaminase activity observed in T cells, the dATP mediated dCF inhibition of ligase might be the crucial replication target of T cell toxicity. These observations are discussed in terms of T immunodeficiencies including Graft Versus Host Disease and related syndromes.

Inhibition of DNA ligase activity by arsenite: a possible mechanism of its comutagenesis.

We have previously shown that the inhibition of MNU-induced DNA repair by arsenite occurs after the incision step in Chinese hamster V79 cells. We now report that nuclear DNA ligase activity is inhibited after arsenite treatment and that the inhibited activity is mostly DNA ligase II. Both constitutive and MNU-inducible levels of DNA ligase II are inhibited. The addition of arsenite in vitro also indicates that DNA ligase II is more sensitive to arsenite inhibition than DNA ligase I. Since DNA ligase II is reported to be involved in the ligation step of excision repair, its inhibition by arsenite is a likely mechanism for the inhibition of DNA repair by arsenite and may account for the fact that arsenite acts as a comutagen with a number of different types of mutagens. The carcinogenicity of arsenite may also be a result of ligase inhibition.

Effects of clinical combinations of antileukemic drugs on DNA ligase from human thymocytes and normal, stimulated, or leukemic lymphocytes.

Human DNA ligase was purified from different kinds of immunocompetent cells: thymocytes, normal and stimulated lymphocytes, blasts from ALL (Burkitt and non-T, non-B) and ANLL (M1, M2, and M5). Based upon the protocol for the treatment of these leukemias, the purified enzymes were assayed in the presence of routinely used combinations of antileukemic drugs. At the range of concentration tested (between 0.1 and 5 microM) some drugs taken separately were totally inactive on the enzyme from the different sources. For those being inhibitory, when used in combination their effect was always different from what was observed when the compound was tested alone. Some combinations were more effective in inhibiting the enzyme from leukemic than from normal cells (vincristine + cyclophosphamide + prednisone in ALL and rubidazone + Ara-C, Ara-C + m-AMSA, in ANLL). However, some combinations of drugs are without effect on ligase from leukemic cells at this dose range (vincristine + rubidazone + Ara-C + prednisone and adriamycin + asparaginase + Ara-C in ALL or etoposide + Ara-C, adriamycin + cyclophosphamide in ANLL). This is the first direct observation of the effect of cytostatic drugs on DNA ligase, a key enzyme of the DNA replication and repair process. The clinical consequences of these observations are discussed in an attempt to selectively inhibit replication, thereby division, of cancer cells.

Peplomycin. DNA breakage and in vivo inhibition of DNA polymerases and ligase from human normal and leukemic cells.

Peplomycin, a bleomycin-related cytostatic agent, was tested on DNA polymerases and DNA ligase. These enzymes were purified from normal human immunocompetent cells (thymocytes and lymphocytes) and from peripheral blast cells from different kinds of acute lymphoblastic and acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia. At low concentration ranges (1-25 microM) this compound was found to strongly inhibit polymerase alpha and ligase from leukemic cells while being less effective on the enzyme activity from normal thymocytes and lymphocytes. At the DNA level, low concentrations of peplomycin resulted in the induction of dose-dependent single-stranded breaks. The incubation of peplomycin (5 microM) with plasmid DNA resulted in its degradation as observed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Lowering the peplomycin concentration showed that ligase inhibition takes place prior to this phenomenon. The decreased formation of the ligase--adenylate complex under the effect of peplomycin is consistent with a direct interaction between the drug and the enzyme. These results are discussed in terms of possible selective cytostatic effects of peplomycin on leukemic cells.

DNA unwinding and inhibition of T4 DNA ligase by anthracyclines.

The ability to alter DNA tertiary structure of ten anthracycline derivatives whose antitumor potency is known was studied by an assay that makes use of nicked circular DNA and bacteriophage T4 DNA ligase. This assay allows the detection of tertiary structure alterations caused by DNA binding of both intercalating and non-intercalating drugs. The determination of these events can be obtained at different temperatures in the range of activity of DNA ligase. The results indicate that anthracyclines alter the DNA tertiary structure but this property does not correlate with their cytotoxic or antitumor activities. An additional interesting finding was that several anthracyclines inhibit T4 DNA ligase. The inhibition can be complete and is a cubic function of drug concentration. The inhibition of DNA ligase does not correlate with the ability of anthracyclines to alter the tertiary structure of DNA but is dependent from the presence of an amino group on the sugar ring.

Inhibition of DNA ligase from human thymocytes and normal or leukemic lymphocytes by antileukemic drugs.

Human DNA ligase was purified from both normal and leukemic peripheral lymphocytes and normal thymocytes. The activity of the purified enzymes was assayed in the presence of several widely used antileukemic drugs. Melphalan and prednisone at 5 mM had no effect. Carmustine, chlorambucil, and cyclophosphamide were more effective at inhibiting the enzyme from leukemic cells, whereas Adriamycin and vinblastine and their derivatives were stronger inhibitors of the enzyme from normal cells. Vincristine and etoposide inhibited DNA ligase from thymocytes and normal lymphocytes with a low Ki but were totally ineffective on the enzyme from leukemic cells. The three classes of intercalating anthracyclines, Vicia alkaloids, and podophyllotoxin derivatives, were the only drugs found to markedly inhibit DNA ligases from normal cells. Less substituted molecules of the Vicia alkaloids and podophyllotoxin classes were the more active inhibitors, whereas in the intercalating anthracycline group, it was the more substituted compounds. The clinical consequences of these observations are discussed with respect to the role of DNA ligase in DNA replication and repair.

Inhibition of DNA polymerase alpha, DNA polymerase beta, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase, and DNA ligase II by poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reaction in vitro.

Incubation of DNA polymerase alpha, DNA polymerase beta, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase, or DNA ligase II in a reconstituted poly(ADP-ribosyl)ating enzyme system markedly suppressed the activity of these enzymes. Components required for poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis including poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, NAD+, DNA, and Mg2+ were all essential for the observed suppression. Purified poly(ADP-ribose) itself, however, was slightly inhibitory to all of these enzymes. Furthermore, the suppressed activities of DNA polymerase alpha, DNA polymerase beta, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase were largely restored (3 to 4-fold stimulation was observed) by a mild alkaline treatment, a procedure known to hydrolyze alkaline-labile ester linkage between poly(ADP-ribose) and an acceptor protein. All of these results strongly suggest that the four nuclear enzymes were inhibited as a result of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of either the enzyme molecule itself or some regulatory proteins of these enzymes.

[Interaction of DNA and RNA ligases of phage T4 with Cibacron Blue F 3GA]. / Vzaimodeistvie DNK- i RNK-ligaz faga T4 s tsibakronom golubym F3GA.

Using kinetic methods and differential spectrophotometry, the interaction between DNA and RNA ligases T4 and cibacron blue F3GA was studied. It was shown that the dye inhibits the first step of the enzymatic reaction, i. e. the formation of the AMP ligase complex. A 50% inhibition of the AMP-ligase complex by DNA ligase occurs at the dye concentration of 1 X 10(-5) M, that by RNA ligase--at 1 X 10(-4) M. Cibacron blue F3GA also inhibits the formation of end products of the reaction catalyzed by these enzymes. The dye is a noncompetitive inhibitor of RNA ligase with respect to [32P]oligoA20 and a competitive one with respect to ATP. Using differential spectrophotometry, it was found that the interaction occurs predominantly via electrostatic bonds between the SH-groups of the dye and the amino groups of lysine residues. DNA ligase possesses a higher affinity for the dye than RNA ligase.

Synthesis and function of (2'-5')An: inhibition of (2'-5')An synthetase by heparin and the use of heparin-agarose for partial purification of (2'-5')An synthetase from rabbit reticulocyte lysates.

Heparin, but not a number of other acid mucopolysaccharides, inhibits (2'-5')An synthetase partially purified from rabbit reticulocytes. The effect of heparin was apparent at 10 micrograms/ml (21%). Maximum inhibition was observed at 200 micrograms/ml (80%). At the latter concentration, the dsRNA-dependent (2'-5')An synthetase activity was inhibited 80% whereas the dsRNA-independent enzyme activity was inhibited only 30%. The formation of the dimer, trimer, tetramer and high oligomers of (2'-5')An was inhibited to the same extent with the addition of heparin. Heparin covalently bound to agarose beads was shown to be a useful affinity resin for the purification of (2'-5')An synthetase from rabbit reticulocyte lysates.

Inhibition of DNA ligase activity by histones and its reversal by poly(ADP-ribose).

The molecular mechanism by which poly(ADP-ribose) participates in DNA repair was investigated using purified DNA ligase in DNA-histone systems. The ligase activity was markedly inhibited by histones; the inhibition was greater than 80% with histone H1 at concentrations equal to DNA. This inhibition was reversed efficiently by poly(ADP-ribose), either added exogenously or synthesized in situ with poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase. The reversal effect was specific for poly(ADP-ribose); other polyanions such as mRNA, rRNA's, tRNA, and synthetic poly(A) were less effective or totally ineffective. The poly(ADP-ribose) effect appeared to be caused by binding to histones and decreasing DNA-histone interactions. Poly(ADP-ribose) also had high affinity for DNA ligase. These observations, together with the findings of absolute dependence of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase activity on DNA strand ends and extensive automodification of the synthetase in DNA-damaged cells, suggested a possible mechanism of poly(ADP-ribose) action in DNA repair, in which auto-modified poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase serves as a link between DNA damage and activation of DNA ligase.

Nilemycin, an intercalating agent for deoxyribonucleic acid.

1. Nilemycin (NM) is found to exert an inhibitory effect on the mouse tumor Sarcoma 180 near toxic doses but not with Leukemia 1210. 2. In Yoshida rat sarcoma cells NM inhibits cellular de novo nucleic acid synthesis and protein to a much lesser extent. 3. More than 50% inhibition by NM to de novo synthesis of RNA, in a system using calf thymus DNA as a template, could be observed. 4. Suitable levels of NM reduce the S values of DNA. 5. The antibiotic induced metachromatic changes in the u.v. spectrum of DNA solutions. 6. NM markedly inhibited the polynucleotide ligase repairing action on DNase-1-nicked DNA. 7. It is presumed that NM intercalates nicked DNA into such a configuration that the reactive sites of the polynucleotides are inaccessible to the ligase activities.

Specific and reversible inhibition of the blunt end joining activity of the T4 DNA ligase.

Specific, complete and reversible inhibition of the joining of blunt ended DNA duplexes catalyzed by the T4 DNA ligase can be obtained by using ATP, the enzyme cofactor, at concentrations of 5 mM and higher. On cohesive DNA ends, 5 mM ATP, which completely inhibits blunt end ligation, brings about only a limited (8%) reduction in the level of joining obtainable under optimal ATP concentration (0,5 mM or lower). A similar but less drastic uncoupling of the two kinds of joining can be achieved at lower ATP concentration (2,5 mM) using 1 mM Mg++. The joining of DNA blunt ends can also be inhibited almost completely by 10 mM spermidine, without noticeable effect on the joining of cohesive termini.

Inhibition of double-stranded ribonucleic acid activated protein kinase and 2',5'-oligo(adenylic acid) polymerase by ethidium bromide.

The activation of two enzymes induced by interferon, a protein kinase and the 2',5'-oligo(adenylic acid) polymerase [2'5'-oligo(A) polymerase], is inhibited by ethidium bromide. The activation of these enzymes requires double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and binding of ethidium to dsRNA inhibits the activation process. This was shown by determining the concentration of ethidium inhibitory for poly(A) . poly(U)- and poly(I) . poly(C)-activated reactions. Activation of both protein kinase and 2',5'-oligo(A) polymerase is inhibited by much lower concentrations of ethidium with the former polymer as activator than with the latter polymer. Correspondingly, in the presence of magnesium, ethidium binds with much greater affinity to poly(A) . poly(U) than to poly(I) . poly(C). Synthesis of 2',5'-oligo(A) with poly(A) . poly(U) as activator is arrested by adding low ethidium concentrations, but it is resumed upon addition of poly(I) . poly(C). Kinase activity, however, is not inhibited when ethidium is added after the activating dsRNA. This suggests that the kinase interacts with dsRNA in a manner different from the 2',5'-oligo(A) polymerase interaction.

DNA polymerase I-mediated ultraviolet repair synthesis in toluene-treated Escherichia coli.

DNA synthesis after ultraviolet irradiation is low in wild type toluene-treated cells. The level of repair incorporation is greater in strains deficient in DNA polymerase I. The low level of repair synthesis is attributable to the concerted action of DNA polymerase I and polynucleotide ligase. Repair synthesis is stimulated by blocking ligase activity with the addition of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) or the use of a ligase temperature-sensitive mutant. NMN stimulation is specific for DNA polymerase I-mediated repair synthesis, as it is absent in isogenic strains deficient in the polymerase function or the 5' leads to 3' exonuclease function associated with DNA polymerase I. DNA synthesis that is stimulated by NMN is proportional to the ultraviolet exposure at low doses, nonconservative in nature, and is dependent on the uvrA gene product but is independent of the recA gene product. These criteria place this synthesis in the excision repair pathway. The NMN-stimulated repair synthesis requires ATP and is N-ethylmaleimide-resistant. The use of NMN provides a direct means for evaluating the involvement of DNA polymerase I in excision repair.