Defective transcription-coupled repair in Cockayne syndrome B mice is associated with skin cancer predisposition

CSA-dependent degradation of CSB by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway establishes a link between complementation factors of the Cockayne syndrome

Mutations in the CSA or CSB complementation genes cause the Cockayne syndrome, a severe genetic disorder that results in patients' death in early adulthood. CSA and CSB act in a transcription-coupled repair (TCR) pathway, but their functional relationship is not understood. We have previously shown that CSA is a subunit of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Here we demonstrate that CSB is a substrate of this ligase: Following UV irradiation, CSB is degraded at a late stage of the repair process in a proteasome- and CSA-dependent manner. Moreover, we demonstrate the importance of CSB degradation for post-TCR recovery of transcription and for the Cockayne syndrome. Our results unravel for the first time the functional relationship between CSA and CSB.

Mice with skin-specific DNA repair gene (Ercc1) inactivation are hypersensitive to ultraviolet irradiation-induced skin cancer and show more rapid actinic progression

Ercc1 has an essential role in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway that protects against ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA damage and is also involved in additional repair pathways. The premature death of simple Ercc1 mouse knockouts meant that we were unable to study the role of Ercc1 in the skin. To do this, we have used the Cre-lox system to generate a skin-specific Ercc1 knockout. With a Cre transgene under control of the bovine keratin 5 promoter we achieved 100% recombination of the Ercc1 gene in the epidermis. Hairless mice with Ercc1-deficient skin were hypersensitive to the short-term effects of UV irradiation, showing a very low minimal erythemal dose and a dramatic hyperproliferative response. Ultraviolet-irradiated mice with Ercc1-deficient skin developed epidermal skin tumours much more rapidly than controls. These tumours appeared to arise earlier in actinic progression and grew more rapidly than tumours on control mice. These responses are more pronounced than have been reported for other NER-deficient mice, demonstrating that Ercc1 has a key role in protecting against UV-induced skin cancer.

Increased genomic instability is not a prerequisite for shortened lifespan in DNA repair deficient mice

Genetic defects in nucleotide excision repair (NER) are associated with premature aging, including cancer, in both humans and mice. To investigate the possible role of increased somatic mutation accumulation in the accelerated appearance of symptoms of aging as a consequence of NER deficiency, we crossed four different mouse mutants, Xpa-/-, Ercc6(Csb)-/-, Ercc2(Xpd)m/m and Ercc1-/m, with mice harboring lacZ-reporter genes to assess mutant frequencies and spectra in different organs during aging. The results indicate an accelerated accumulation of mutations in both liver and kidney of Xpa defective mice, which correlated with a trend towards a decreased lifespan. Until 52 weeks, Xpa deficiency resulted mainly in 1-bp deletions. At old age (104 weeks), the spectrum had undergone a shift, in both organs, to G:C-->T:A transversions, a signature mutation of oxidative DNA damage. Ercc1-/m mice, with their short lifespan of 6 months and severe symptoms of premature aging, especially in liver and kidney, displayed an even faster lacZ-mutant accumulation in liver. In this case, the excess mutations were mostly genome rearrangements. Csb-/- mice, with mild premature aging features and no reduction in lifespan, and Xpdm/m mice, exhibiting prominent premature aging features and about 20% reduction in lifespan, did not have elevated lacZ-mutant frequencies. It is concluded that while increased genomic instability could play a causal role in the mildly accelerated aging phenotype in the Xpa-null mice or in the severe progeroid symptoms of the Ercc1-mutant mice, shortened lifespan in mice with defects in transcription-related repair do not depend upon increased mutation accumulation.

Initiation of DNA repair mediated by a stalled RNA polymerase IIO

The transcription-coupled repair (TCR) pathway preferentially repairs DNA damage located in the transcribed strand of an active gene. To gain insight into the coupling mechanism between transcription and repair, we have set up an in vitro system in which we isolate an elongating RNA pol IIO, which is stalled in front of a cisplatin adduct. This immobilized RNA pol IIO is used as 'bait' to sequentially recruit TFIIH, XPA, RPA, XPG and XPF repair factors in an ATP-dependent manner. This RNA pol IIO/repair complex allows the ATP-dependent removal of the lesion only in the presence of CSB, while the latter does not promote dual incision in an XPC-dependent nucleotide excision repair reaction. In parallel to the dual incision, the repair factors also allow the partial release of RNA pol IIO. In this 'minimal TCR system', the RNA pol IIO can effectively act as a loading point for all the repair factors required to eliminate a transcription-blocking lesion.

Cockayne syndrome group B protein has novel strand annealing and exchange activities

Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a rare inherited human genetic disorder characterized by UV sensitivity, severe neurological abnormalities and prageroid symptoms. The CS complementation group B (CSB) protein is involved in UV-induced transcription coupled repair (TCR), base excision repair and general transcription. CSB also has a DNA-dependent ATPase activity that may play a role in remodeling chromatin in vivo. This study reports the novel finding that CSB catalyzes the annealing of complementary single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules with high efficiency, and has strand exchange activity. The rate of CSB-catalyzed annealing of complementary ssDNA is 25-fold faster than the rate of spontaneous ssDNA annealing under identical in vitro conditions and the reaction occurs with a high specificity in the presence of excess non-homologous ssDNA. The specificity and intrinsic nature of the reaction is also confirmed by the observation that it is stimulated by dephosphorylation of CSB, which occurs after UV-induced DNA damage, and is inhibited in the presence of ATPγS. Potential roles of CSB in cooperation with strand annealing and exchange activities for TCR and homologous recombination are discussed.

The Effect of DNA Repair Defects on Reproductive Performance in Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) Mouse Models: An Epidemiological Approach

In this study, we used an epidemiological approach to analyze an animal database of DNA repair deficient mice on reproductive performance in five Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) mutant mouse models on a C57BL/6 genetic background, namely CSA, CSB, XPA, XPC [models for the human DNA repair disorders Cockayne Syndrome (CS) and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), respectively] and mHR23B (not associated with human disease). This approach allowed us to detect and quantify reproductive effects based on a relatively small number of matings. We measured and quantified the scale of the effect between factors that might influence reproductive performance (i.e. age at co-housing, seasons) and reproductive parameters (i.e. litter size and pairing-to-birth interval -'pbi'). Besides, we detected and quantified the differences in reproductive performance between wild type mice and heterozygous/homozygous NER mutant mice. From our analyses, we found impaired reproduction in heterozygous and homozygous knock out mice; in particular, reduced litter size and lengthened pbi was related to the NER mutation-mHR23B, in heterozygous couples, even if they were otherwise phenotypically normal. Heterozygous mHR23B couples produced a 6.6-fold lower number of mHR23B(-/-) pups than indicated by Mendelian expectation; other genetic deficiencies studied were not statistically significant from each other or wild type controls. We concluded that careful epidemiological evaluations by analysis of animal database could provide reliable information on reproductive performance and detect deviations that would remain unnoticed without this. Also, some managerial aspects of mouse breeding could be evaluated.

Late activation of stress kinases (SAPK/JNK) by genotoxins requires the DNA repair proteins DNA-PKcs and CSB

Although genotoxic agents are powerful inducers of stress kinases (SAPK/JNK), the contribution of DNA damage itself to this response is unknown. Therefore, SAPK/JNK activation of cells harboring specific defects in DNA damage-recognition mechanisms was studied. Dual phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK by the genotoxin methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) occurred in two waves. The early response (< or = 2 h after exposure) was similar in cells knockout for ATM, PARP, p53, and CSB or defective in DNA-PK(cs) compared with wild-type cells. The late response however (> or = 4 h), was drastically reduced in DNA-PK(cs) and Cockayne's syndrome B (CSB)-deficient cells. Similar results were obtained with human cells lacking DNA-PK(cs) and CSB. Activation of SAPK/JNK by MMS was not affected upon inhibition of base excision repair (BER), indicating base damage itself does not signal to SAPK/JNK. Because SAPK/JNK activation was attenuated in nongrowing cells, DNA replication-dependent processing of lesions, involving DNA-PK(cs) and CSB, appears to be required. DNA-PK(cs) coprecipitates with SEK1/MKK4 and SAPK/JNK, supporting a role of DNA-PK(cs) in SAPK/JNK activation. In this process, Rho GTPases are involved since inhibition of Rho impairs MMS-induced signaling to SAPK/JNK. The data show that sensing of DNA damage by DNA-PK(cs) and CSB causes a delayed SEK1/MKK4-mediated dual phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK.

Database of mouse strains carrying targeted mutations in genes affecting biological responses to DNA damage Version 7

We present Version 7 of a database of mouse mutant strains that affect biological responses to DNA damage. This database is also electronically available at http://pathcuricl.swmed.edu/research/research.htm.

Transcription-coupled repair and premature ageing

During the past decades, several cellular pathways have been discovered to be connected with the ageing process. These pathways, which either suppress or enhance the ageing process, include regulation of the insulin/growth hormone axis, pathways involved with caloric restriction, ROS metabolism and DNA repair. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of cancer and/or accelerated ageing pathologies associated with defects in the multi-step nucleotide excision repair pathway. Moreover, we will discuss evidence suggesting that there is a causative link between transcription-coupled repair and ageing.

Repair characteristics and differentiation propensity of long-term cultures of epidermal keratinocytes derived from normal and NER-deficient mice

Epidermal keratinocytes constitute the most relevant cellular system in terms of DNA damage because of their continuous exposure to UV light and genotoxic chemicals from the environment. Here, we describe the establishment of long-term keratinocyte cultures from the skin of wild-type and nucleotide excision repair (NER) deficient mouse mutants. The use of media with a lowered calcium concentration and the inclusion of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) permitted repeated passaging of the cultures and resulted in the generation of stable cell lines that proliferated efficiently. The cells retained their normal ability to engage into terminal differentiation when triggered with high calcium concentrations or after suspension in semi-solid medium. The cultures reflected the cellular characteristics (i.e. repair and transcription profiles) of the Xpa(-/-), Xpc(-/-), Csb(-/-) and Xpd(TTD) mouse models from which they were derived. For instance, in line with earlier in vivo results, Xpd(TTD) keratinocytes were disturbed in their ability to terminally differentiate in vitro. This was concluded from a delay in calcium-induced stratification and by reduced transcription of both early (keratin 10) and late (loricrin) terminal differentiation marker genes. UDS measurements in wild-type cells committed to terminal differentiation did not reveal any reduction in global DNA repair that could be indicative of differentiation associated repair (DAR) as found in neurons. UV sensitivity data revealed that in keratinocytes global genome repair contributes more to cell survival than previously concluded from fibroblast studies. It is inferred that these fully controllable in vitro cultures will be a valuable tool to assess critical parameters of genome care-taking systems in cell proliferation and differentiation.

Selective DNA damage responses in murine Xpa-/-, Xpc-/- and Csb-/- keratinocyte cultures

Cellular DNA damage responses (DDRs) are induced by unrepaired DNA lesions and constitute a protective back-up system that prevents the expansion of damaged cells. These cellular signaling pathways trigger either growth arrest or cell death and are believed to be major components of an early anti-cancer barrier. Cultures of C57BL/6J keratinocytes with various defects in NER sub-pathways allowed us to follow the kinetics of DDRs in an isogenic background and in the proper (physiologically relevant) target cells, supplementing earlier studies in heterogenic human fibroblasts. In a series of well-controlled parallel experiments we have shown that, depending on the NER deficiency, murine keratinocytes elicited highly selective DDRs. After a dose of UV-B that did not affect wild-type keratinocytes, Xpa(-/-) keratinocytes (complete NER deficiency) showed a rapid depletion of DNA replicating S-phase cells, a transient increase in quiescent S-phase cells (not replicating DNA), followed by massive apoptosis. Csb(-/-) keratinocytes (TC-NER deficient) responded by a more sustained increase in QS-phase cells and appeared more resistant to UV-B induced apoptosis than Xpa(-/-). In irradiated Xpc(-/-) keratinocytes (GG-NER deficient) the loss of replicating S-phase cells was associated with a gradual build-up of both QS-phase cells and cells arrested in late-S phase, in complete absence of apoptosis. Our analysis complements and extends previous in vivo investigations and highlights both similarities and differences with earlier fibroblast studies. In vitro cultures of murine keratinocytes provide a new tool to unravel the molecular mechanisms of UV-induced cellular stress responses in great detail and in a physiologically relevant background. This will be essential to fully appreciate the implications of DDRs in tumor suppression and cancer prevention.

Relationship between UV-induced mutant p53 patches and skin tumours, analysed by mutation spectra and by induction kinetics in various DNA-repair-deficient mice

Clusters of p53 immunopositive epidermal keratinocytes (so-called p53 patches, clones or foci) are found in sun or ultraviolet (UV) light-exposed skin. We investigated to what extent these p53 patches are genuine precursors of skin carcinomas in chronically irradiated hairless (SKH1) mice. The mutation spectra of exons 5-8 of the p53 gene of laser-micro-dissected mutant p53 patches and carcinomas were therefore compared. The mutations we found were mainly UV-signature mutations (C-->T and CC-->TT at dipyrimidine sites) located at known hotspots. No significant differences were found between both spectra, indicating that all p53 patches harbour mutations with which they could progress to carcinomas. To examine whether these p53 patches can be used as tumour risk indicators, we made an extensive comparison of the induction kinetics of these patches and carcinomas in genetically modified mice with various defects in nucleotide excision repair (NER), i.e. xeroderma pigmentosum A (Xpa), Xpc and Cockayne syndrome B (Csb) and wild-type mice. In this aforementioned order, the mouse strains developed both p53 patches and carcinomas in the course of daily exposure to 40 J/m(2) UV. Hence, the order in which the NER-deficient mice developed patches was predictive of the order in which they developed tumours. The induction kinetics of the patches in Xpc-deficient mice differed notably from the others: there was a stationary phase (days 13-41) where the numbers were limited to 5-10 patches per mouse before an explosive increase which ran parallel to the other groups. The chance that a p53 patch progresses to carcinoma is relatively small (estimated at 1 out of 8300-40,000/individual when the first tumour appears), but our results are strongly indicative of a causal relationship between p53 patches and carcinomas.

Nucleotide excision repair- and p53-deficient mouse models in cancer research

Cancer is caused by the loss of controlled cell growth due to mutational (in)activation of critical genes known to be involved in cell cycle regulation. Three main mechanisms are known to be involved in the prevention of cells from becoming cancerous; DNA repair and cell cycle control, important to remove DNA damage before it will be fixed into mutations and apoptosis, resulting in the elimination of cells containing severe DNA damage. Several human syndromes are known to have (partially) deficiencies in these pathways, and are therefore highly cancer prone. Examples are xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) caused by an inborn defect in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway and the Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which is the result of a germ line mutation in the p53 gene. XP patients develop skin cancer on sun exposed areas at a relatively early age, whereas Li-Fraumeni patients spontaneously develop a wide variety of early onset tumors, including sarcomas, leukemia's and mammary gland carcinomas. Several mouse models have been generated to mimic these human syndromes, providing us information about the role of these particular gene defects in the tumorigenesis process. In this review, spontaneous phenotypes of mice deficient for nucleotide excision repair and/or the p53 gene will be described, together with their responses upon exposure to either chemical carcinogens or radiation. Furthermore, possible applications of these and newly generated mouse models for cancer will be given.

Mismatch repair protein Msh2 contributes to UVB-induced cell cycle arrest in epidermal and cultured mouse keratinocytes

Nucleotide excision repair (NER), cell cycle regulation and apoptosis are major defence mechanisms against the carcinogenic effects of UVB radiation. NER eliminates UVB-induced DNA photolesions via two subpathways: global genome repair (GGR) and transcription-coupled repair (TCR). In a previous study, we found UVB-induced accumulation of tetraploid (4N) keratinocytes in the epidermis of Xpc(-/-) mice (no GGR), but not in Xpa(-/-) (no TCR and no GGR) or in wild-type (WT) mice. We inferred that this arrest in Xpc(-/-) mice is caused by erroneous replication past photolesions, leading to 'compound lesions' known to be recognised by mismatch repair (MMR). MMR-induced futile cycles of breakage and resynthesis at sites of compound lesions may then sustain a cell cycle arrest. The present experiments with Xpc(-/-)Msh2(-/-) mice and derived keratinocytes show that the MMR protein Msh2 indeed plays a role in the generation of the UVB-induced arrested cells: a Msh2-deficiency lowered significantly the percentage of arrested cells in vivo (40-50%) and in vitro (30-40%). Analysis of calyculin A (CA)-induced premature chromosome condensation (PCC) of cultured Xpc(-/-) keratinocytes showed that the delayed arrest occurred in late S phase rather than in G(2)-phase. Taken together, the results indicate that in mouse epidermis and cultured keratinocytes, the MMR protein Msh2 plays a role in the UVB-induced S-phase arrest. This indicates that MMR plays a role in the UVB-induced S-phase arrest. Alternatively, Msh2 may have a more direct signalling function.

2-AAF-induced tumor development in nucleotide excision repair-deficient mice is associated with a defect in global genome repair but not with transcription coupled repair

The nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway comprises two sub-pathways, transcription coupled repair (TCR) and global genome repair (GGR). To establish the importance of these separate sub-pathways in tumor suppression, we exposed mice deficient for either TCR (Csb), GGR (Xpc) or both (Xpa) to 300 ppm 2-acetylaminofluorene (in feed, ad libitum) in a unique comparative exposure experiment. We found that cancer proneness was directly linked to a defect in the GGR pathway of NER as both Xpa and Xpc mice developed significantly more liver tumors upon 2-AAF exposure than wild type or Csb mice. In contrast, a defect in TCR appeared to act tumor suppressive, leading to a lower hepatocellular tumor response in Xpa mice (tumor incidence of 25%) as compared to Xpc mice (53% tumor-bearing mice). The link between deficient GGR and tumor proneness was most pronounced in the liver, but this phenomenon was also found in the urinary bladder. As tumor induction by 2-AAF appeared almost exclusively dependent on a defect in GGR, we examined whether gene mutation induction in the non-transcribed lacZ locus could reliably predict tumor risk. Interestingly, however, short-term 2-AAF exposure induced lacZ mutant levels in Csb mice almost as high as those found in Xpa or Xpc mice. This indicates that lacZ mutant frequencies are not correlated with a specific DNA repair defect and eventual tumor outcome, at least not in the experimental design presented here.

Differential role of RB in response to UV and IR damage

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB) is functionally inactivated in the majority of cancers and is a critical mediator of DNA damage checkpoints. Despite the critical importance of RB function in tumor suppression, the coordinate impact of RB loss on the response to environmental and therapeutic sources of damage has remained largely unexplored. Here, we utilized a conditional knockout system to ablate RB in adult fibroblasts. This model system enabled us to investigate the temporal role of RB loss on cell cycle checkpoints and DNA damage repair following ultraviolet (UV) and ionizing radiation (IR) damage. We demonstrate that RB loss compromises rapid cell cycle arrest following UV and IR exposure in adult primary cells. Detailed kinetic analysis of the checkpoint response revealed that disruption of the checkpoint is concomitant with RB target gene deregulation, and is not simply a manifestation of chronic RB loss. RB loss had a differential effect upon repair of the major DNA lesions induced by IR and UV. Whereas RB did not affect resolution of DNA double-strand breaks, RB-deficient cells exhibited accelerated repair of pyrimidine pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4 PP). In parallel, this repair was coupled with enhanced expression of specific factors and the behavior of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) recruitment to replication and repair foci. Thus, RB loss and target gene deregulation hastens the repair of specific lesions distinct from its ubiquitous role in checkpoint abrogation.

Database of mouse strains carrying targeted mutations in genes affecting biological responses to DNA damage (Version 6)

We present Version 6 of a database of mouse mutant strains that affect biological responses to DNA damage. This database is also electronically available at http://pathcuric1.swmed.edu/research/research.htm.

Severe growth retardation and short life span of double-mutant mice lacking Xpa and exon 15 of Xpg

In addition to xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), mutations in the human XPG gene cause an early onset of Cockayne syndrome (CS) in some patients (XP-G/CS) with characteristics, such as growth retardation and a short life span. In the previous studies, we generated four Xpg mutant mice with two different C-terminal truncations, null, or a base substitution mutation to identify the protein region that causes the onset of CS, and found that the CS-causing mutations, null or a deletion of the last 360 amino acids, completely inhibited the NER activity of mouse XPG (Xpg), but the non-CS-causing mutations, XpgD811A (base substitution that eliminates the nuclease activity of Xpg) or XpgDeltaex15 (deletion of the exon 15 corresponding to the last 183 amino acids), resulted in the retention of residual NER activity. To understand why mutations that completely eliminate the NER activity of Xpg cause CS but those that abolish the nuclease activity without totally eliminating the NER activity of Xpg do not result in CS, we made a series of Xpg mutant mice with Xpa-null mutant allele and found that mice with the non-CS-causing deletion mutation (XpgDeltaex15) exhibited the CS phenotype when XPA was also absent but the base substitution mutation (XpgD811A) that eliminated the Xpg nuclease activity did not. These results indicate that Xpg has a second function, beside NER, and that the disruption of this second function (deletion of the last 183 amino acids) when combined with an NER defect causes CS. When we compared amino acid sequences corresponding to the exon 15 of Xpg, a significant homology was conserved among vertebrates, but not in Drosophila and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These observations suggest that the second function of XPG may be conserved only in vertebrates and CS symptoms may occur in its absence.

Differential Role of Transcription-Coupled Repair in UVB–Induced Response of Human Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes

Most solar radiation–induced skin cancers arise in keratinocytes. In the human epidermis, protection against cancer is thought to be mediated mainly by nucleotide excision repair (NER) of UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, and by elimination of the damaged cells by apoptosis. NER consists of two subpathways: global genome repair (GGR) and transcription-coupled repair (TCR). Here, we investigate the impact of defects in NER subpathways on the cellular response to UVB-induced damage by comparing primary human keratinocytes and fibroblasts from normal, XP-C (GGR-defective), and CS-A (TCR-defective) individuals. We show that human keratinocytes are more resistant to UVB killing than fibroblasts and present higher levels of UVB-induced DNA repair synthesis due to a more efficient GGR. The CS-A defect is associated with a strong apoptotic response in fibroblasts but not in keratinocytes. Following an UVB dose of 1,000 J/m2, no p53-mediated transactivation of mdm2 is observed in CS-A fibroblasts, whereas the p53-mdm2 circuit is fully activated in CS-A keratinocytes. Thus, in fibroblasts, the signal for apoptosis originates from DNA photoproducts in the transcribed strand of active genes, whereas in keratinocytes, it is largely TCR-independent. This study shows that the response to UVB radiation is cell type–specific in humans and provides the first evidence that a deficiency in TCR has a different impact depending on the cell type. These findings have important implications for the mechanism of skin cancer protection after UVB damage and may explain the lack of skin cancer in patients with Cockayne syndrome.

Introduction of human telomerase reverse transcriptase to normal human fibroblasts enhances DNA repair capacity

PURPOSE

From numerous reports on proteins involved in DNA repair and telomere maintenance that physically associate with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), we inferred that hTERT/telomerase might play a role in DNA repair. We investigated this possibility in normal human oral fibroblasts (NHOF) with and without ectopic expression of hTERT/telomerase.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

To study the effect of hTERT/telomerase on DNA repair, we examined the mutation frequency rate, host cell reactivation rate, nucleotide excision repair capacity, and DNA end-joining activity of NHOF and NHOF capable of expressing hTERT/telomerase (NHOF-T). NHOF-T was obtained by transfecting NHOF with hTERT plasmid.

RESULTS

Compared with parental NHOF and NHOF transfected with empty vector (NHOF-EV), we found that (a) the N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced mutation frequency of an exogenous shuttle vector was reduced in NHOF-T, (b) the host cell reactivation rate of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-damaged plasmids was significantly faster in NHOF-T; (c) the nucleotide excision repair of UV-damaged DNA in NHOF-T was faster, and (d) the DNA end-joining capacity in NHOF-T was enhanced. We also found that the above enhanced DNA repair activities in NHOF-T disappeared when the cells lost the capacity to express hTERT/telomerase.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that hTERT/telomerase enhances DNA repair activities in NHOF. We hypothesize that hTERT/telomerase accelerates DNA repair by recruiting DNA repair proteins to the damaged DNA sites.

Different effects of CSA and CSB deficiency on sensitivity to oxidative DNA damage

Mutations in the CSA and CSB genes cause Cockayne syndrome, a rare inherited disorder characterized by UV sensitivity, severe neurological abnormalities, and progeriod symptoms. Both gene products function in the transcription-coupled repair (TCR) subpathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER), providing the cell with a mechanism to remove transcription-blocking lesions from the transcribed strands of actively transcribed genes. Besides a function in TCR of NER lesions, a role of CSB in (transcription-coupled) repair of oxidative DNA damage has been suggested. In this study we used mouse models to compare the effect of a CSA or a CSB defect on oxidative DNA damage sensitivity at the levels of the cell and the intact organism. In contrast to CSB(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), CSA(-/-) MEFs are not hypersensitive to gamma-ray or paraquat treatment. Similar results were obtained for keratinocytes. In contrast, both CSB(-/-) and CSA(-/-) embryonic stem cells show slight gamma-ray sensitivity. Finally, CSB(-/-) but not CSA(-/-) mice fed with food containing di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (causing elevated levels of oxidative DNA damage in the liver) show weight reduction. These findings not only uncover a clear difference in oxidative DNA damage sensitivity between CSA- and CSB-deficient cell lines and mice but also show that sensitivity to oxidative DNA damage is not a uniform characteristic of Cockayne syndrome. This difference in the DNA damage response between CSA- and CSB-deficient cells is unexpected, since until now no consistent differences between CSA and CSB patients have been reported. We suggest that the CSA and CSB proteins in part perform separate roles in different DNA damage response pathways.

The ubiquitin-conjugating DNA repair enzyme HR6A is a maternal factor essential for early embryonic development in mice

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD6 protein is required for a surprising diversity of cellular processes, including sporulation and replicational damage bypass of DNA lesions. In mammals, two RAD6-related genes, HR6A and HR6B, encode highly homologous proteins. Here, we describe the phenotype of cells and mice deficient for the mHR6A gene. Just like mHR6B knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, mHR6A-deficient cells appear to have normal DNA damage resistance properties, but mHR6A knockout male and female mice display a small decrease in body weight. The necessity for at least one functional mHR6A (X-chromosomal) or mHR6B (autosomal) allele in all somatic cell types is supported by the fact that neither animals lacking both proteins nor females with only one intact mHR6A allele are viable. In striking contrast to mHR6B knockout males, which show a severe spermatogenic defect, mHR6A knockout males are normally fertile. However, mHR6A knockout females fail to produce offspring despite a normal ovarian histology and ovulation. The absence of mHR6A in oocytes prevents development beyond the embryonic two-cell stage but does not result in an aberrant methylation pattern of histone H3 at this early stage of mouse embryonic development. These observations support redundant but dose-dependent roles for HR6A and HR6B in somatic cell types and germ line cells in mammals.

DDB2 gene disruption leads to skin tumors and resistance to apoptosis after exposure to ultraviolet light but not a chemical carcinogen

Mutations in the human DDB2 gene give rise to xeroderma pigmentosum group E, a disease characterized by increased skin tumorigenesis in response to UV-irradiation. Cell strains derived from xeroderma pigmentosum group E individuals also have enhanced resistance to UV-irradiation due to decreased p53-mediated apoptosis. To further address the precise function(s) of DDB2 and the consequence of non-naturally occurring DDB2 mutations, we generated mice with a disruption of the gene. The mice exhibited significantly enhanced skin carcinogenesis in response to UV-irradiation, and cells from the DDB2(-/-) mice were abnormally resistant to killing by the radiation and had diminished UV-induced, p53-mediated apoptosis. Notably, the cancer-prone phenotype and the resistance to cellular killing were not observed after exposure to the chemical carcinogen, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), to which mice carrying defective nucleotide excision repair genes respond with enhanced tumors and cell killing. Although cells from heterozygous DDB2(+/-) mice appeared normal, these mice had enhanced skin carcinogenesis after UV-irradiation, so that XP-E heterozygotes might be at risk for carcinogenesis. In sum, these results demonstrate that DDB2 is well conserved between humans and mice and functions as a tumor suppressor, at least in part, by controlling p53-mediated apoptosis after UV-irradiation.

Transgenic and knockout mice for DNA repair functions in carcinogenesis and mutagenesis

Genetically modified mouse models with defects in DNA repair pathways, especially in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and mismatch repair (MMR), are powerful tools to study processes like carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. The use of mutant mice in these studies has many advantages over using normal wild type mice with respect to costs, number of animals, predictive value towards carcinogenic compounds and the duration of study. Short-term carcinogenicity assays still require considerable number of animals and extensive pathological analyses. Therefore, alternatives demanding less animals and shorter exposure times would be desirable. In this respect, one approach could be the use of transgenic mice harbouring marker genes, that can easily detect mutagenic features of carcinogenic compounds, especially when such models are in a DNA repair deficient background. Here, we review the progress made in the development and use of DNA repair deficient mouse models as replacements for long-term cancer assays and discuss the applicability of enhanced gene mutant frequencies as early indicators of tumourigenesis. Although promising models exist, there is still a need for more universally responding and highly sensitive mouse models, since it is likely that non-genotoxic carcinogens will go undetected in a DNA repair deficient mouse. One attractive candidate mouse model, having a presumptive broad detective range, is the Xpa/p53 mutant mouse model, which will be discussed in more detail.

Association of transcription-coupled repair but not global genome repair with ultraviolet-B-induced Langerhans cell depletion and local immunosuppression

Exposure to ultraviolet-B radiation impairs cellular immune responses. This immunosuppression seems to be associated with Langerhans cell migration. DNA damage appears to play a key role because enhanced nucleotide excision repair, a pathway essential for elimination of ultraviolet-B-induced DNA lesions, strongly counteracts immunosuppression. To determine the effect of DNA repair on ultraviolet-B-induced local immunosuppression and Langerhans cell disappearance, three mouse strains carrying different defects in nucleotide excision repair were compared. XPC mice, which were defective in global genome repair, were as sensitive to ultraviolet-B-induced local suppression of contact hypersensitivity to picryl chloride as their wild-type littermates. CSB mice, defective in transcription-coupled repair, were far more sensitive for immunosuppression as were XPA mice, defective in both transcription-coupled repair and global genome repair. Only a moderate depletion of Langerhans cells was observed in XPC mice and wild-type littermates. Ultraviolet-B-induced Langerhans cell depletion was enhanced in CSB and XPA mice. Hence, the major conclusion is that local immunosuppression is only affected when transcription-coupled DNA repair is impaired. Furthermore, a defect in transcription-coupled repair was linked to enhanced ultraviolet-B-induced Langerhans cell depletion. In combination with earlier experiments, it can be concluded that Langerhans cell disappearance is related to ultraviolet-B-induced local but not to systemic immunosuppression.

Cockayne syndrome group B cellular and biochemical functions

The devastating genetic disorder Cockayne syndrome (CS) arises from mutations in the CSA and CSB genes. CS is characterized by progressive multisystem degeneration and is classified as a segmental premature-aging syndrome. The CS complementation group B (CSB) protein is at the interface of transcription and DNA repair and is involved in transcription-coupled and global genome-DNA repair, as well as in general transcription. Recent structure-function studies indicate a process-dependent variation in the molecular mechanism employed by CSB and provide a starting ground for a description of the mechanisms and their interplay.

Divide and conquer: nucleotide excision repair battles cancer and ageing

Protection from cancer and ensured longevity are tightly linked in mammals. One of the fundamental mechanisms contributing to both is the cellular response to DNA damage. The appropriate response is an initial attempt at repair, but if the damage is too extensive or compromises DNA metabolism, a signalling cascade triggers cellular senescence or death. Evidence in mice and humans suggests a division of tasks amongst DNA repair pathways: transcription-coupled repair and interstrand crosslink repair of cytotoxic lesions are predominantly responsible for longevity assurance, whereas excision repair of mutagenic lesions provides protection against cancer. Similarly, the signalling component of the DNA-damage response might contribute unequally to organismal outcomes depending on its set point: an inadequate response to DNA damage sanctions carcinogenesis but might limit local ageing, whereas overzealous signalling provides cancer protection but accelerates ageing.

Aging and genome maintenance: lessons from the mouse?

Recent progress in the science of aging is driven largely by the use of model systems, ranging from yeast and nematodes to mice. These models have revealed conservation in genetic pathways that balance energy production and its damaging by-products with pathways that preserve somatic maintenance. Maintaining genome integrity has emerged as a major factor in longevity and cell viability. Here we discuss the use of mouse models with defects in genome maintenance for understanding the molecular basis of aging in humans.

Cell type-specific hypersensitivity to oxidative damage in CSB and XPA mice

Mutations in the CSB gene cause Cockayne syndrome (CS), a rare inherited disorder, characterized by UV-sensitivity, severe neurodevelopmental and progeroid symptoms. CSB functions in the transcription-coupled repair (TCR) sub-pathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER), responsible for the removal of UV-induced and other helix-distorting lesions from the transcribed strand of active genes. Several lines of evidence support the notion that the CSB TCR defect extends to other non-NER type transcription-blocking lesions, notably various kinds of oxidative damage, which may provide an explanation for part of the severe CS phenotype. We used genetically defined mouse models to examine the relationship between the CSB defect and sensitivity to oxidative damage in different cell types and at the level of the intact organism. The main conclusions are: (1) CSB(-/-) mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibit a clear hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation, extending the findings in genetically heterogeneous human CSB fibroblasts to another species. (2) CSB(-/-) MEFs are highly sensitive to paraquat, strongly indicating that the increased cytotoxicity is due to oxidative damage. (3) The hypersenstivity is independent of genetic background and directly related to the CSB defect and is not observed in totally NER-deficient XPA MEFs. (4) Wild type embryonic stem (ES) cells display an increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation compared to fibroblasts. Surprisingly, the CSB deficiency has only a very minor additional effect on ES cell sensitivity to oxidative damage and is comparable to that of an XPA defect, indicating cell type-specific differences in the contribution of TCR and NER to cellular survival. (5) Similar to ES cells, CSB and XPA mice both display a minor sensitivity to whole-body X-ray exposure. This suggests that the response of an intact organism to radiation is largely determined by the sensitivity of stem cells, rather than differentiated cells. These findings establish the role of transcription-coupled repair in resistance to oxidative damage and reveal a cell- and organ-specific impact of this repair pathway to the clinical phenotype of CS and XP.

Mitochondrial repair of 8-oxoguanine is deficient in Cockayne syndrome group B

Reactive oxygen species, which are prevalent in mitochondria, cause oxidative DNA damage including the mutagenic DNA lesion 7,8-dihydroxyguanine (8-oxoG). Oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA has been implicated as a causative factor in a wide variety of degenerative diseases, and in cancer and aging. 8-oxoG is repaired efficiently in mammalian mitochondrial DNA by enzymes in the base excision repair pathway, including the 8-oxoguanine glycosylase (OGG1), which incizes the lesion in the first step of repair. Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a segmental premature aging syndrome in humans that has two complementation groups, CSA and CSB. Previous studies showed that CSB-deficient cells have reduced capacity to repair 8-oxoG. This study examines the role of the CSB gene in regulating repair of 8-oxoG in mitochondrial DNA in human and mouse cells. 8-oxoG repair was measured in liver cells from CSB deficient mice and in human CS-B cells carrying expression vectors for wild type or mutant forms of the human CSB gene. For the first time we report that CSB stimulates repair of 8-oxoG in mammalian mitochondrial DNA. Furthermore, evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that wild type CSB regulates expression of OGG1.

A global DNA repair mechanism involving the Cockayne syndrome B (CSB) gene product can prevent the in vivo accumulation of endogenous oxidative DNA base damage

The Cockayne syndrome B (CSB) gene product is involved in the repair of various types of base modifications in actively transcribed DNA sequences. To investigate its significance for the repair of endogenous oxidative DNA damage, homozygous csb(-/-)/ogg1(-/-) double knockout mice were generated. These combine the deficiency of CSB with that of OGG1, a gene coding for the mammalian repair glycosylase that initiates the base excision repair of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). Compared to ogg1(-/-) mice, csb(-/-)/ogg1(-/-) mice were found to accumulate with age severalfold higher levels of oxidited purine modifications in hepatocytes, splenocytes and kidney cells. In contrast, the basal (steady-state) levels of oxidative DNA modifications in cells from csb(-/-) mice were not different from those in wild-type mice and did not increase with age. The analysis of the repair rates of additional oxidative DNA base modifications induced by photosensitization in immortalized embryonic fibroblasts was in accordance with these findings: compared to wild-type cells, the global repair was only slightly affected in csb(-/-) cells, more compromised in ogg1(-/-) cells, but virtually absent in csb(-/-)/ogg1(-/-) cells. An inhibition of transcription by alpha-amanitin did not block the Csb-dependent repair in ogg1(-/-) fibroblasts. The influence of Csb on the global repair of 8-oxoG was not detectable in assays with total protein extracts and in a shuttle vector system. The data indicate a role for Csb in the removal of 8-oxoG from the overall genome that is independent of both Ogg1-mediated base excision repair and regular transcription.

Enhanced repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and improved UV resistance in photolyase transgenic mice

During evolution, placental mammals appear to have lost cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) photolyase, an enzyme that efficiently removes UV-induced CPDs from DNA in a light-dependent manner. As a consequence, they have to rely solely on the more complex, and for this lesion less efficient, nucleotide excision repair pathway. To assess the contribution of poor repair of CPDs to various biological effects of UV, we generated mice expressing a marsupial CPD photolyase transgene. Expression from the ubiquitous beta-actin promoter allowed rapid repair of CPDs in epidermis and dermis. UV-exposed cultured dermal fibroblasts from these mice displayed superior survival when treated with photoreactivating light. Moreover, photoreactivation of CPDs in intact skin dramatically reduced acute UV effects like erythema (sunburn), hyperplasia and apoptosis. Mice expressing the photolyase from keratin 14 promoter photo reactivate CPDs in basal and early differentiating keratinocytes only. Strikingly, in these animals, the anti-apoptotic effect appears to extend to other skin compartments, suggesting the presence of intercellular apoptotic signals. Thus, providing mice with CPD photolyase significantly improves repair and uncovers the biological effects of CPD lesions.

Ageing: repair and transcription keep us from premature ageing

Trichothiodystrophy (TTD) is a complex disorder caused by mutations in the XPD gene which affect both DNA repair and transcription. A mouse with a TTD mutation has now been found to display remarkable signs of premature ageing.

Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group E and UV-damaged DNA-binding protein

UV-damaged DNA-binding protein (UV-DDB) is composed of two subunits, DDB1 (p127) and DDB2 (p48). Mutations in the DDB2 gene inactivate UV-DDB in individuals from complementation group E of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP-E), an autosomal recessive disease characterized by sun sensitivity, severe risk for skin cancer and defective nucleotide excision repair. UV-DDB is also deficient in many rodent tissues, exposing a shortcoming in rodent models for cancer. In vitro, UV-DDB binds to cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), 6-4 photoproducts and other DNA lesions, stimulating the excision of CPDs, and to a lesser extent, of 6-4 photoproducts. In vivo, UV-DDB plays an important role in the p53-dependent response of mammalian cells to DNA damage. When cells are exposed to UV, the resulting accumulation of p53 activates DDB2 transcription, which leads to increased levels of UV-DDB. Binding of UV-DDB to CPDs targets these lesions for global genomic repair, suppressing mutations without affecting UV survival. Apparently, cells are able to survive with unrepaired CPDs because of the activity of bypass DNA polymerases. Finally, there is evidence that UV-DDB may have roles in the cell that are distinct from DNA repair.

The gene expression and deficiency phenotypes of Cockayne syndrome B protein in Caenorhabditis elegans

The Caenorhabditis elegans Cockayne syndrome B protein homologue is encoded by 10 exons of the predicted open reading frame F53H4.1. The gene is expressed in germ cells and all somatic cells of the embryonic to adult stage. Although the gene expression was ubiquitous, its expression level was relatively higher in dividing cells and cells that play fundamental roles in essential physiological functions such as feeding, sensation, and reproduction. RNA interference of the gene hypersensitized C. elegans to UV radiation, as observed in enhanced germ cell proliferation arrest and apoptosis, and increased embryonic lethality, suggesting its role in nucleotide excision repair.

Requirement of yeast RAD2, a homolog of human XPG gene, for efficient RNA polymerase II transcription. implications for Cockayne syndrome

In addition to xeroderma pigmentosum, mutations in the human XPG gene cause early onset Cockayne syndrome (CS). Here, we provide evidence for the involvement of RAD2, the S. cerevisiae counterpart of XPG, in promoting efficient RNA polymerase II transcription. Inactivation of RAD26, the S. cerevisiae counterpart of the human CSB gene, also causes a deficiency in transcription, and a synergistic decline in transcription occurs in the absence of both the RAD2 and RAD26 genes. Growth is also retarded in the rad2 Delta and rad26 Delta single mutant strains, and a very severe growth inhibition is seen in the rad2 Delta rad26 Delta double mutant. From these and other observations presented here, we suggest that transcriptional defects are the underlying cause of CS.

Yeast RAD26, a homolog of the human CSB gene, functions independently of nucleotide excision repair and base excision repair in promoting transcription through damaged bases

RAD26 in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the counterpart of the human Cockayne syndrome group B (CSB) gene. Both RAD26 and CSB act in the preferential repair of UV lesions on the transcribed strand, and in this process, they function together with the components of nucleotide excision repair (NER). Here, we examine the role of RAD26 in the repair of DNA lesions induced upon treatment with the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). MMS-induced DNA lesions include base damages such as 3-methyl adenine and 7-methyl guanine, and these lesions are removed in yeast by the alternate competing pathways of base excision repair (BER), which is initiated by the action of MAG1-encoded N-methyl purine DNA glycosylase, and NER. Interestingly, a synergistic increase in MMS sensitivity was observed in the rad26 Delta strain upon inactivation of NER or BER, indicating that RAD26 promotes the survival of MMS-treated cells by a mechanism that acts independently of either of these repair pathways. The galactose-inducible transcription of the GAL2, GAL7, and GAL10 genes is reduced in MMS-treated rad26 Delta cells and also in mag1 Delta rad14 Delta cells, whereas a very severe reduction in transcription occurs in MMS-treated mag1 Delta rad14 Delta rad26 Delta cells. From these observations, we infer that RAD26 plays a role in promoting transcription by RNA polymerase II through damaged bases. The implications of these observations are discussed in this paper.

Premature aging in mice deficient in DNA repair and transcription

One of the factors postulated to drive the aging process is the accumulation of DNA damage. Here, we provide strong support for this hypothesis by describing studies of mice with a mutation in XPD, a gene encoding a DNA helicase that functions in both repair and transcription and that is mutated in the human disorder trichothiodystrophy (TTD). TTD mice were found to exhibit many symptoms of premature aging, including osteoporosis and kyphosis, osteosclerosis, early greying, cachexia, infertility, and reduced life-span. TTD mice carrying an additional mutation in XPA, which enhances the DNA repair defect, showed a greatly accelerated aging phenotype, which correlated with an increased cellular sensitivity to oxidative DNA damage. We hypothesize that aging in TTD mice is caused by unrepaired DNA damage that compromises transcription, leading to functional inactivation of critical genes and enhanced apoptosis.

p53 Binds and activates the xeroderma pigmentosum DDB2 gene in humans but not mice

The DDB2 gene, which is mutated in xeroderma pigmentosum group E, enhances global genomic repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and suppresses UV-induced mutagenesis. Because DDB2 transcription increases after DNA damage in a p53-dependent manner, we searched for and found a region in the human DDB2 gene that binds and responds transcriptionally to p53. The corresponding region in the mouse DDB2 gene shared significant sequence identity with the human gene but was deficient for p53 binding and transcriptional activation. Furthermore, when mouse cells were exposed to UV, DDB2 transcription remained unchanged, despite the accumulation of p53 protein. These results demonstrate direct activation of the human DDB2 gene by p53. They also explain an important difference in DNA repair between humans and mice and show how mouse models can be improved to better reflect cancer susceptibility in humans.

Multiple mutations are common at mouse Aprt in genotoxin-exposed mismatch repair deficient cells

Mismatch repair deficiency is known to contribute to elevated rates of mutations, particularly at mono- and dinucleotide repeat sequences. However, such repeats are often missing from the coding regions of endogenous genes. To determine the types of mutations that can occur within an endogenous gene lacking highly susceptible repeat sequences, we examined mutagenic events at the 2.3 kb mouse Aprt gene in kidney cell lines derived from mice deficient for the PMS2 and MLH1 mismatch repair proteins. The Aprt mutation rate was increased 33-fold and 3.6-20-fold for Mlh1 and Pms2 null cell lines, respectively, when compared with a wild-type kidney cell line. For the Pms2 null cells this increase resulted from both intragenic events, which were predominantly base-pairs substitutions, and loss of heterozygosity events. Almost all mutations in the Mlh1 null cells were due to base-pair substitutions. A:T-->G:C transitions (54% of small events) were predominant in the Pms2 null cells whereas G:C-->A:T transitions (36%) were the most common base-pair change in the Mlh1 null cells. Interestingly, 4-9% of the spontaneous mutant alleles in the mismatch repair deficient cells exhibited two well-separated base-pair substitution events. The percentage of mutant alleles with two and occasionally three base-pair substitutions increased when the Pms2 and Mlh1 null cells were treated with ultraviolet radiation (15-21%) and when the Mlh1 null cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide (35%). In most cases the distance separating the multiple base-pair substitutions on a given allele was in excess of 100 base-pairs, suggesting that the two mutational events were not linked directly to a single DNA lesion. The significance of these results is discussed with regards to the roles for the PMS2 and MLH1 proteins in preventing spontaneous and genotoxin-related mutations.

UVB radiation-induced cancer predisposition in Cockayne syndrome group A (Csa) mutant mice

Cockayne syndrome (CS) is an inherited photosensitive neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a specific defect in the transcription-coupled repair (TCR) sub-pathway of NER. Remarkably, despite their DNA repair deficiency, CS patients do not develop skin cancer. Here, we present a mouse model for CS complementation group A. Like cells from CS-A patients, Csa-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs): (i) are ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive; (ii) show normal unscheduled DNA synthesis (indicating that the global genome repair sub-pathway is unaffected); (iii) fail to resume RNA synthesis after UV-exposure and (iv) are unable to remove cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) photolesions from the transcribed strand of active genes. CS-A mice exhibit UV-sensitivity and pronounced age-dependent loss of retinal photoreceptor cells but otherwise fail to show the severe developmental and neurological abnormalities of the human syndrome. In contrast to human CS, Csa-/- animals develop skin tumors after chronic exposure to UV light, indicating that TCR in mice protects from UV-induced skin cancer development. Strikingly, inactivation of one Xpc allele (encoding a component of the damage recognition complex involved in the global genome repair sub-pathway) in Csa-/- mice resulted in a strongly enhanced UV-mediated skin cancer sensitivity, indicating that in a TC repair defective background, the Xpc gene product may be a rate-limiting factor in the removal of UV-induced DNA lesions.

Developmental defects and male sterility in mice lacking the ubiquitin-like DNA repair gene mHR23B

mHR23B encodes one of the two mammalian homologs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD23, a ubiquitin-like fusion protein involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER). Part of mHR23B is complexed with the XPC protein, and this heterodimer functions as the main damage detector and initiator of global genome NER. While XPC defects exist in humans and mice, mutations for mHR23A and mHR23B are not known. Here, we present a mouse model for mHR23B. Unlike XPC-deficient cells, mHR23B(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts are not UV sensitive and retain the repair characteristics of wild-type cells. In agreement with the results of in vitro repair studies, this indicates that mHR23A can functionally replace mHR23B in NER. Unexpectedly, mHR23B(-/-) mice show impaired embryonic development and a high rate (90%) of intrauterine or neonatal death. Surviving animals display a variety of abnormalities, including retarded growth, facial dysmorphology, and male sterility. Such abnormalities are not observed in XPC and other NER-deficient mouse mutants and point to a separate function of mHR23B in development. This function may involve regulation of protein stability via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway and is not or only in part compensated for by mHR23A.

A review of studies on the effects of ultraviolet irradiation on the resistance to infections: evidence from rodent infection models and verification by experimental and observational human studies

Recent studies on the immunosuppressive effects of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and the related resistance to infections in rodents and humans are presented. The waveband dependency of trans-to-cis isomerisation of urocanic acid in the stratum corneum and the role of DNA damage in UVR-induced erythema and immunosuppression were investigated to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, human experimental studies on UVR-induced immunomodulation were performed. It appeared that the doses needed to suppress various immune parameters in humans (e.g. NK activity, contact hypersensitivity) were higher than those needed in experiments in rodents. Still, extrapolation of experimental animal data to the human situation showed that UVR may impair the resistance to different systemic infections at relevant outdoor doses. In observational human studies we aimed to substantiate the relevance of UVR for infections in humans. It was shown that sunny season was associated with a slightly retarded but clinically non-relevant antibody response to hepatitis B vaccination. Furthermore, sunny season appeared to be associated with a small decline in the number of CD4+ T-helper cells in a cohort of HIV-infected persons and a higher recurrence of herpes simplex and herpes zoster in a cohort of renal transplant recipients. However, in a study among young children a higher exposure to solar UVR was associated with a lower occurrence of upper respiratory tract symptoms. As disentangling the effects of UVR from other relevant factors is often impossible in observational studies, concise quantitative risk estimations for the human situation cannot be given at present.

Early postnatal ataxia and abnormal cerebellar development in mice lacking Xeroderma pigmentosum Group A and Cockayne syndrome Group B DNA repair genes

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and Cockayne syndrome (CS) are rare autosomal recessive disorders associated with a defect in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway required for the removal of DNA damage induced by UV light and distorting chemical adducts. Although progressive neurological dysfunction is one of the hallmarks of CS and of some groups of XP patients, the causative mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we show that mice lacking both the XPA (XP-group A) and CSB (CS-group B) genes in contrast to the single mutants display severe growth retardation, ataxia, and motor dysfunction during early postnatal development. Their cerebella are hypoplastic and showed impaired foliation and stunted Purkinje cell dendrites. Reduced neurogenesis and increased apoptotic cell death occur in the cerebellar external granular layer. These findings suggest that XPA and CSB have additive roles in the mouse nervous system and support a crucial role for these genes in normal brain development.

Effects of XPD mutations on ultraviolet-induced apoptosis in relation to skin cancer-proneness in repair-deficient syndromes

To understand the relationship between DNA repair, apoptosis, transcription, and cancer-proneness, we have studied the apoptotic response and the recovery of RNA synthesis following ultraviolet C and ultraviolet B irradiation in nucleotide excision repair deficient diploid fibroblasts from the cancer-prone xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) syndrome patients and the non-cancer-prone trichothiodystrophy (TTD) patients. Analysis of four XPD and four TTD/XPD fibroblast strains presenting different mutations on the XPD gene has shown that XPD cells are more sensitive to ultraviolet-induced apoptosis than TTD/XPD cells, and this response seems to be modulated by the type and the location of the mutation on the XPD gene. Moreover, the other xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblast strains analyzed (groups A and C) are more sensitive to undergo apoptosis after ultraviolet irradiation than normal human fibroblasts, showing that the cancer-proneness of xeroderma pigmentosum patients is not due to a deficiency in the ultraviolet-induced apoptotic response. We have also found that cells from transcription-coupled repair deficient XPA, XPD, TTD/XPD, and Cockayne's syndrome patients undergo apoptosis at lower ultraviolet doses than transcription-coupled repair proficient cells (normal human fibroblasts and XPC), indicating that blockage of RNA polymerase II at unrepaired lesions on the transcribed strand is the trigger. Moreover, XPD and XPA cells are more sensitive to ultraviolet-induced apoptosis than trichothiodystrophy and Cockayne's syndrome fibroblasts, suggesting that both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and pyrimidine 6-4 pyrimidone on the transcribed strand trigger apoptosis. Finally, we show that apoptosis is directly proportional to the level of inhibition of transcription, which depends on the density of ultraviolet-induced lesions occurring on transcribed sequences.

The DNA damage signal for Mdm2 regulation, Trp53 induction, and sunburn cell formation in vivo originates from actively transcribed genes

The stratum corneum and DNA repair do not completely protect keratinocytes from ultraviolet B. A third defense prevents cells with DNA photoproducts from becoming precancerous mutant cells: apoptosis of ultraviolet-damaged keratinocytes ("sunburn cells"). As signals for ultraviolet-induced apoptosis, some studies implicate DNA photoproducts in actively transcribed genes; other studies implicate non-nuclear signals. We traced and quantitated the in vivo DNA signal through several steps in the apoptosis-signaling pathway in haired mice. Homozygous inactivation of Xpa, Csb, or Xpc nucleotide excision repair genes directed the accumulation of DNA photoproducts to specific genome regions. Repair-defective Xpa-/- mice were 7-10-fold more sensitive to sunburn cell induction than wild-type mice, indicating that 86-90% of the ultraviolet B signal for keratinocyte apoptosis involved repairable photoproducts in DNA; the remainder involves unrepaired DNA lesions or nongenomic targets. Csb-/- mice, defective only in excising photoproducts from actively transcribed genes, were as sensitive as Xpa-/-, indicating that virtually all of the DNA signal originates from photoproducts in active genes. Conversely, Xpc-/- mice, defective in repairing the untranscribed majority of the genome, were as resistant to apoptosis as wild type. Sunburn cell formation requires the Trp53 tumor suppressor protein; 90-96% of the signal for its induction in vivo involved transcribed genes. Mdm2, which regulates the stability of Trp53 through degradation, was induced in vivo by low ultraviolet B doses but was suppressed at erythemal doses. DNA photoproducts in actively transcribed genes were involved in approximately 89% of the Mdm2 response.

How nucleotide excision repair protects against cancer

Eukaryotic cells can repair many types of DNA damage. Among the known DNA repair processes in humans, one type--nucleotide excision repair (NER)--specifically protects against mutations caused indirectly by environmental carcinogens. Humans with a hereditary defect in NER suffer from xeroderma pigmentosum and have a marked predisposition to skin cancer caused by sunlight exposure. How does NER protect against skin cancer and possibly other types of environmentally induced cancer in humans?

PTEN is a target of chromosome 10q loss in anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and PTEN alterations are associated with poor prognosis

Allelic loss of 10q is a common genetic event in malignant gliomas, with three 10q tumor suppressor genes, ERCC6, PTEN, and DMBT1, putatively implicated in the most common type of malignant glioma, glioblastoma. Anaplastic oligodendroglioma, another type of malignant glioma, provides a unique opportunity to study the relevance of particular genetic alterations to chemosensitivity and survival. We therefore analyzed these three genes in 72 anaplastic oligodendrogliomas. Deletion mapping demonstrated 10q loss in 14 of 67 informative cases, with the PTEN and DMBT1 regions involved in all deletions but with the ERCC6 locus spared in two cases. Seven tumors had PTEN gene alterations; two had homozygous DMBT1 deletions, but at least one reflected unmasking of a germline DMBT1 deletion. No mutations were found in ERCC6 exon 2. Chemotherapeutic response occurred in two of the seven tumors with PTEN alterations, but with unexpected short survival times. PTEN gene alterations were not associated with poor therapeutic response in multivariate analysis, but were independently predictive of poor prognosis even after multivariate adjustment for both 10q and 1p loss. In anaplastic oligodendroglioma, therefore, PTEN is a target of 10q loss, and PTEN alterations are associated with poor prognosis, even in chemosensitive cases.