Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase enhance DNA strand breaks, excision repair, and sister chromatid exchanges induced by alkylating agents

Emerging Role of PARP Inhibitors in Metastatic Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We highlight the clinical development of Poly (ADP-Ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in prostate cancer.

RECENT FINDINGS

Approximately 10 to 30% of metastatic prostate cancer patients carry germline or somatic mutations in DNA repair pathways. BRCA2 is the most commonly mutated gene in DNA damage repair pathways. Because of its critical function in homologous recombination repair (HRR) machinery, deleterious BRCA2 mutation enables synthetic lethality to a PARP inhibitor. Olaparib demonstrated clinical benefit in patients with deleterious mutations in HRR-related genes and most clearly in patients with BRCA2 mutations. Olaparib received the US FDA approval or mCRPC patients with a qualifying HRR gene mutation in May 2020. Rucaparib received an accelerated FDA approval for patients with BRCA1- or BRCA2-mutated mCRPC based on 43% objective response rate in a phase II study. To expand the application of a PARP inhibitor, several trials have evaluated various combination strategies with an androgen receptor signaling inhibitor, immunotherapy, radium-223, and others. While no PARP inhibitor combination regimen has been approved, promising data from a PARP inhibitor and an ASI combination have been reported. PARP inhibitor represents a standard treatment for patient with mCRPC with germline or somatic mutations in BRCA2 and other HRR pathway genes.

Nicotinamide reverses behavioral impairments and provides neuroprotection in 3-nitropropionic acid induced animal model ofHuntington's disease: implication of oxidative stress- poly(ADP- ribose) polymerase pathway

Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by cognitive and psychiatric impairment caused by neuronal degeneration in the brain. Several studies have supported the hypothesis that oxidative stress is the main pathogenic factor in HD. The current study aims to determine the possible neuroprotective effects of nicotinamide on 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) induced HD. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups. Group I was the vehicle-treated control, group II received 3-NP (20 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.) for 4 days, group III received nicotinamide (500 mg/kg, i.p.). The remaining groups received a combination of 3-NP plus nicotinamide 100, 300 or 500 mg/kg, i.p. respectively for 8 days. Afterward, the motor function and hind paw activity in the limb withdrawal were tested; rats were then euthanized for biochemical and histopathological analyses. Treatment of rats with 3-NP altered the motor function, elevated oxidative stress and caused significant histopathological changes in the brain. The treatment of rats with nicotinamide (100, 300 and 500 mg/kg) improved the motor function tested by locomotor activity test, movement analysis, and limb withdrawal test, which was associated with decreased oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, nitrites) and increased antioxidant enzyme (glutathione) levels. In addition, nicotinamide treatment decreased lactate dehydrogenase and prevented neuronal death in the striatal region. Our study, therefore, concludes that antioxidant drugs like nicotinamide might slow progression of clinical HD and may improve the motor functions in HD patients. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to explore the neuroprotective effects of nicotinamide on 3-NP-induced HD.

Large changes in NAD levels associated with CD38 expression during HL-60 cell differentiation

NAD is an important cofactor involved in multiple metabolic reactions and as a substrate for several NAD-dependent signalling enzymes. One such enzyme is CD38 which, alongside synthesising Ca(2+)-releasing second messengers and acting as a cell surface receptor, has also been suggested to play a key role in NAD(+) homeostasis. CD38 is well known as a negative prognostic marker in B-CLL but the role of its enzymatic activity has not been studied in depth to date. We have exploited the HL-60 cell line as a model of inducible CD38 expression, to investigate CD38-mediated regulation intracellular NAD(+) levels and the consequences of changes in NAD(+) levels on cell physiology. Intracellular NAD(+) levels fell with increasing CD38 expression and this was reversed with the CD38 inhibitor, kuromanin confirming the key role of CD38 in NAD(+) homeostasis. We also measured the consequences of CD38 expression during the differentiation on a number of functions linked to NAD(+) and we show that some but not all NAD(+)-dependent processes are significantly affected by the lowered NAD(+) levels. These data suggest that both functional roles of CD38 might be important in the pathogenesis of B-CLL.

Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 or poly(ADP‑ribose) glycohydrolase individually, but not in combination, leads to improved chemotherapeutic efficacy in HeLa cells

The genome-protecting role of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) has identified PAR polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and PAR glycohydrolase (PARG), two enzymes responsible for the synthesis and hydrolysis of PAR, as chemotherapeutic targets. Each has been previously individually evaluated in chemotherapy, but the effects of combination PARP-1 and PARG inhibition in cancer cells are not known. Here we determined the effects of the inhibition of PARP-1 and the absence or RNAi knockdown of PARG on PAR synthesis, cell death after chemotherapy and long-term viability. Using three experimental/clinical PARP-1 inhibitors in PARG-null cells, we show decreased levels of PAR and increased short-term and long-term viability with each inhibitor, with the exception of DPQ. Treatment with the experimental chemotherapeutic agent, N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), led to increased cell death in PARG-null cells, but decreased cell death when pretreated with each PARP-1 inhibitor. Similar results were observed in MNNG-treated HeLa cells, where RNAi knockdown of PARG or pretreatment with ABT-888 led to increased HeLa cell death, whereas combination PARG RNAi knockdown + ABT-888 failed to produce increased cell death. The results demonstrate the ability of the PARP-1 inhibitors to decrease PAR levels, maintain viability and decrease PAR-mediated cell death after chemotherapeutic treatment in the absence of PARG. Further, the results demonstrate that the combination of PARP-1 and PARG inhibition in chemotherapy does not produce increased HeLa cell death. Thus, the results indicate that inhibiting both PARP-1 and PARG, which both are chemotherapeutic targets that increase cancer cell death, does not lead to synergistic cell death in HeLa cells. Therefore, strategies that target PAR metabolism for the improved treatment of cancer may be required to target PARP-1 and PARG individually in order to optimize cancer cell death.

Regulation of chromatin structure by poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation

The interaction of DNA with proteins in the context of chromatin has to be tightly regulated to achieve so different tasks as packaging, transcription, replication and repair. The very rapid and transient post-translational modification of proteins by poly(ADP-ribose) has been shown to take part in all four. Originally identified as immediate cellular answer to a variety of genotoxic stresses, already early data indicated the ability of this highly charged nucleic acid-like polymer to modulate nucleosome structure, the basic unit of chromatin. At the same time the enzyme responsible for synthesizing poly(ADP-ribose), the zinc-finger protein poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1), was shown to control transcription initiation as basic factor TFIIC within the RNA-polymerase II machinery. Later research focused more on PARP-mediated regulation of DNA repair and cell death, but in the last few years, transcription as well as chromatin modulation has re-appeared on the scene. This review will discuss the impact of PARP1 on transcription and transcription factors, its implication in chromatin remodeling for DNA repair and probably also replication, and its role in controlling epigenetic events such as DNA methylation and the functionality of the insulator protein CCCTC-binding factor.

Role of nicotinamide in DNA damage, mutagenesis, and DNA repair

Nicotinamide is a water-soluble amide form of niacin (nicotinic acid or vitamin B3). Both niacin and nicotinamide are widely available in plant and animal foods, and niacin can also be endogenously synthesized in the liver from dietary tryptophan. Nicotinamide is also commercially available in vitamin supplements and in a range of cosmetic, hair, and skin preparations. Nicotinamide is the primary precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), an essential coenzyme in ATP production and the sole substrate of the nuclear enzyme poly-ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1). Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have clearly shown that PARP-1 and NAD⁺ status influence cellular responses to genotoxicity which can lead to mutagenesis and cancer formation. This paper will examine the role of nicotinamide in the protection from carcinogenesis, DNA repair, and maintenance of genomic stability.

Poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1 and health

Niacin (vitamin B(3)) is required to form nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), which are involved in scores of anabolic and catabolic redox reactions throughout metabolism. It is now understood that NAD(+) is also a substrate for several families of ADP-ribosylation reactions, which control processes like DNA repair, replication and transcription, the activity of G-proteins, chromatin structure and intracellular calcium signalling. Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is the most active of the PARP enzymes, and it has been implicated in both prevention and aggravation of disease processes. Inhibition of poly-ADP-ribose formation will tend to cause genomic instability and tumorigenesis in chronic models of DNA damage, but the same inhibition can prevent many acute disease processes, such as stroke, myocardial infarction and septic shock. In models of acute stress, PARP-1 inhibition may protect cellular NAD pools and prevent nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent inflammatory signalling, while long-term protective roles for PARP-1 include DNA repair and regulation of chromatin structure. Promising new PARP-1 inhibitors may display interactions with dietary niacin status and may have long-term deleterious effects on genomic stability, but may be extremely valuable for the treatment of acute inflammatory conditions.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase offers protection against oxidative and alkylation damage to the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of the retinal pigment epithelium

PURPOSE

To investigate the role of poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP) in protecting against oxidative (H(2)O(2)) and alkylation (MMS) damage to the nDNA and mtDNA genomes of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). We further hypothesized that PARP ribosylation enzymatic activity is required to facilitate efficient nDNA and mtDNA repair to enable the RPE to survive chronic oxidative stress exposure.

METHODS

Cellular sensitivity to H(2)O(2) and MMS was determined by the MTT and LDH assays. PARP ribosyl(ation) activity was inhibited by supplementation of 3-aminobenzamide (competitive PARP inhibitor). The susceptibility and repair capacities of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes were assessed by quantitative PCR and PARP activity assessed using an enzyme assay.

RESULTS

This study demonstrated that cells lacking ribosyl(ation) activity had a significantly lower lesion repair capacity in both nDNA and mtDNA (p < 0.05), which culminated in reduced cell viability after H(2)O(2) exposure only (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the mtDNA demonstrated a significantly greater sensitivity compared to nDNA to both oxidative and alkylation damage (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PARP activity has an important role in providing the RPE with the high oxidative tolerance required for this cell type to survive the constant reactive oxygen species attack in vivo for several decades.

Role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 activation in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications: endothelial dysfunction, as a common underlying theme

Hyperglycemia-induced overproduction of superoxide by mitochondrial electron-transport chain triggers several pathways of injury involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications [protein kinase C (PKC), hexosamine and polyol pathway fluxes, advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation] by inhibiting glyceraldehyde- 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) activity. Increased oxidative and nitrosative stress activates the nuclear enzyme, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP). PARP activation, on the one hand, depletes its substrate, NAD+, slowing the rate of glycolysis, electron transport, and ATP formation. On the other hand, it inhibits GAPDH by poly(ADP-ribosy)lation. These processes result in acute endothelial dysfunction in diabetic blood vessels, which importantly contributes to the development of various diabetic complications. Accordingly, hyperglycemia-induced activation of PKC isoforms, hexosaminase pathway flux, and AGE formation is prevented by blocking PARP activity. Furthermore, inhibition of PARP protects against diabetic cardiovascular dysfunction in preclinical models. PARP activation is present in microvasculature of human diabetic subjects. The oxidative/nitrosative stress-PARP pathway leads to diabetes-induced endothelial dysfunction, which may be an important underlying mechanism for the pathogenesis of other diabetic complications (cardiomyopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy). This review focuses on the role of PARP in diabetic complications and the unique therapeutic potential of PARP inhibition in the prevention or reversal of diabetic complications.

The pathogenesis of diabetic complications: the role of DNA injury and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation in peroxynitrite-mediated cytotoxicity

Recent work has demonstrated that hyperglycemia-induced overproduction of superoxide by the mitochondrial electron-transport chain triggers several pathways of injury [(protein kinase C (PKC), hexosamine and polyol pathway fluxes, advanced glycation end product formation (AGE)] involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications by inhibiting glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) activity. Increased oxidative and nitrosative stress activates the nuclear enzyme, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP). PARP activation, on one hand, depletes its substrate, NAD+, slowing the rate of glycolysis, electron transport and ATP formation. On the other hand, PARP activation results in inhibition of GAPDH by poly-ADP-ribosylation. These processes result in acute endothelial dysfunction in diabetic blood vessels, which importantly contributes to the development of various diabetic complications. Accordingly, hyperglycemia-induced activation of PKC and AGE formation are prevented by inhibition of PARP activity. Furthermore, inhibition of PARP protects against diabetic cardiovascular dysfunction in rodent models of cardiomyopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy. PARP activation is also present in microvasculature of human diabetic subjects. The present review focuses on the role of PARP in diabetic complications and emphasizes the therapeutic potential of PARP inhibition in the prevention or reversal of diabetic complications.

Are poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation by PARP-1 and deacetylation by Sir2 linked?

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) safeguards genomic integrity by limiting sister chromatid exchanges. Overstimulation of PARP-1 by extensive DNA damage, however, can result in cell death, as prolonged PARP-1 activation depletes NAD(+), a substrate, and elevates nicotinamide, a product. The decline of NAD(+) and the rise of nicotinamide may downregulate the activity of Sir2, the NAD(+)-dependent deacetylases, because deacetylation by Sir2 is dependent on high concentration of NAD(+) and inhibited by physiologic level of nicotinamide. The Sir2 deacetylase family has been implicated in mediating gene silencing, longevity and genome stability. It is conceivable that poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation by PARP-1, which is induced by DNA damage, could modulate protein deacetylation by Sir2 via the NAD(+)/nicotinamide connection. The possible linkage of the two ancient pathways that mediate broad biological activities may spell profound evolutionary roles for the conserved PARP-1 and Sir2 gene families in multicellular eukaryotes.

1,5-isoquinolinediol increases the frequency of gene targeting by homologous recombination in mouse fibroblasts

Gene targeting is a technique that allows the introduction of predefined alterations into chromosomal DNA. It involves a homologous recombination reaction between the targeted genomic sequence and an exogenous targeting vector. In theory, gene targeting constitutes the ideal method of gene therapy for single gene disorders. In practice, gene targeting remains extremely inefficient for at least two reasons: very low frequency of homologous recombination in mammalian cells and high proficiency of the mammalian cells to randomly integrate the targeting vector by illegitimate recombination. One known method to improve the efficiency of gene targeting is inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP). It has been shown that PARP inhibitors, such as 3-methoxybenzamide, could lower illegitimate recombination, thus increasing the ratio of gene targeting to random integration. However, the above inhibitors were reported to decrease the absolute frequency of gene targeting. Here we show that treatment of mouse Ltk cells with 1,5-isoquinolinediol, a recent generation PARP inhibitor, leads to an increase up to 8-fold in the absolute frequency of gene targeting in the correction of the mutation at the stable integrated HSV tk gene.

Niacin deficiency increases spontaneous and etoposide-induced chromosomal instability in rat bone marrow cells in vivo

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) binds to DNA single and double strand breaks and uses NAD in the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) (pADPr). Niacin deficiency in rats decreases bone marrow NAD(+) and limits pADPr synthesis in response to DNA damage, while pharmacological supplementation with nicotinic acid (NA) increases bone marrow NAD(+) and pADPr. The purpose of this study was to determine if niacin status alters the extent of DNA damage and chromosomal instability before and after treatment with the chemotherapy drug etoposide (ETO). Genotoxicity was evaluated using the comet, micronucleus and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assays. Male Long-Evans rats were fed niacin deficient (ND), or pair-fed (PF) niacin replete (30mg niacin/kg) or NA supplemented (4g niacin/kg) diets for 3 weeks. Rats were gavaged with ETO (1-25mg/kg) suspended in corn oil or an equal volume of vehicle (CON). Comet analysis demonstrated that ETO-induced DNA damage (mean tail moment (MTM) and proportion of cells with significant damage) was greater in bone marrow cells from ND rats, compared to PF or NA rats. Surprisingly, niacin deficiency alone caused 6.2- and 2.8-fold increases in spontaneous micronucleus formation and SCE frequency, respectively. As expected, ETO treatment increased the level of micronuclei (MN) and SCEs in all diet groups; however, the absolute increases were greater in ND bone marrow. These data show that niacin is required for the maintenance of chromosomal stability and may facilitate DNA repair in vivo, in a tissue that is sensitive to niacin depletion and impaired pADPr metabolism. Pharmacological intakes of niacin do not appear to be further protective compared to adequate intakes. Niacin supplementation may help to protect the bone marrow cells of cancer patients with compromised nutritional status from the side effects of genotoxic chemotherapy drugs.

Niacin, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and genomic stability

Nicotinic acid (NA) and nicotinamide (NAM), commonly called niacin, are the dietary precursors for NAD(+) (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), which is required for DNA synthesis, as well as for the activity of the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1; EC 2.4.2.30) for which NAD(+) is the sole substrate. The enzyme PARP-1 is highly activated by DNA strand breaks during the cellular genotoxic stress response, is involved in base excision repair, plays a role in p53 expression and activation, and hence, is thought to be important for genomic stability. In this review, first the absorption, metabolism of niacin to NAD(+), as well as the assessment of niacin status are discussed. Since NAD(+) is important for PARP-1 activity, various aspects of PARP-1 in relation to DNA synthesis and repair, and regulation of gene expression are addressed. This is followed by a discussion on interactions between dietary methyl donor deficiency, niacin status, PARP-1 activity and genomic stability. In vitro studies show that PARP-1 function is impaired and genomic stability decreased when cells are either depleted from NAD(+) or incubated with high concentrations of NAM which is a PARP-1 inhibitor. In vitro as well as animal studies indicate that niacin deficiency increases genomic instability especially in combination with genotoxic and oxidative stress. Niacin deficiency may also increase the risk for certain tumors. Preliminary data suggest that niacin supplementation may protect against UV-induced tumors of the skin in mice, but data on similar preventive effects in humans are not available. NAM has been shown in vitro to have an antioxidant activity comparable to that of ascorbic acid. Data on niacin status and genomic stability in vivo in humans are limited and yield ambiguous results. Therefore, no firm conclusions with respect to optimal niacin intake are possible. As a consequence of oral niacin supplementation, however, NAM levels in the body may increase, which may result in inhibition of PARP-1 and increased genomic instability. More studies are needed to define an optimal level of niacin nutriture in relation to genomic stability and tumorigenesis.

Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase stimulates extrachromosomal homologous recombination in mouse Ltk-fibroblasts

Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) is an abundant nuclear enzyme activated by DNA breaks. PARP is generally believed to play a role in maintaining the integrity of the genome in eukaryote cells via anti-recombinogenic activity by preventing inappropriate homologous recombination reactions at DNA double-strand breaks. While inhibition of PARP reduces non-homologous recombination, at the same time it stimulates sister chromatid exchange and intrachromosomal homologous recombination. Here we report that the inhibition of PARP with 100 microg/ml (0.622 mM) 1,5-isoquinolinediol results in an average 4.6-fold increase in the frequency of extrachromosomal homologous recombination between two linearized plasmids carrying herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase genes inactivated by non-overlapping mutations, in mouse Ltk-fibroblasts. These results are in disagreement with the previously reported observation that PARP inhibition had no effect on extrachromosomal homologous recombination in Ltk-cells.

The role of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase in the induction of sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei by mitomycin C in Down's syndrome cells as compared to euploid cells

Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP; EC 2.4.2.30), such as 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), can be used to assess the role of the enzyme in the induction of DNA lesions in euploid cells as compared to cells of genetic conditions known to exhibit increased susceptibility to chemical or physical mutagens, such as Down's syndrome (DS) lymphocytes. We report in this work on the effect of PARP inhibition by 3-AB in the induction of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and micronuclei (MN) in DS lymphocytes as compared to lymphocytes from normal controls exposed in vitro to a gradient of mitomycin C (MMC). For both types of cells, DS and normal lymphocytes, MMC induces a significant increase in frequencies of SCE and MN in the absence and in the presence of 3-AB. In the presence of 3-AB the yield of SCE and MN induced by MMC was significantly higher in normal lymphocytes as compared to lymphocytes from DS patients. The molecular mechanisms by which 3-AB affects the yield of SCE and MN remains to be fully elucidated; however, it seems clear that DS patients display a different behavior in what concerns poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation as compared to normal individuals.

Growth-phase-dependent response to DNA damage in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase deficient cell lines: basis for a new hypothesis describing the role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in DNA replication and repair

We have studied the role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in the repair of DNA damage induced by x-ray and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) by using V79 chinese hamster cells, and two derivative mutant cell lines, ADPRT54 and ADPRT351, that are deficient in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity. Under exponentially growing conditions these mutant cell lines are hypersensitive to x-irradiation and MNNG compared to their parental V79 cells which could be interpreted to suggest that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is involved in the repair of DNA damage. However, the level of DNA strand breaks induced by x-irradiation and MNNG and their rates of repair are similar in all the cell lines, thus suggesting that it may not be the difference in strand break formation or in its rate of repair that is contributing to the enhanced cell killing in exponentially growing poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase deficient cell lines. In contrast, under growth-arrested conditions, all three cell lines become similarly sensitive to both x-irradiation and MNNG, thus suggesting that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase may not be involved in the repair of DNA damage in growth-arrested cells. These paradoxical results could be interpreted to suggest that poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is involved in DNA repair in a cell-cycle-dependent fashion, however, it is functionally active throughout the cell cycle. To resolve this dilemma and explain these results and those obtained by many others, we propose that the normal function of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is to prevent DNA recombination processes and facilitate DNA ligation.

Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase: a perplexing participant in cellular responses to DNA breakage

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase is a major nuclear protein of 116 kd, coded by a gene on chromosome 1, that plays a role in cellular responses to DNA breakage. The polymerase binds to DNA at single- and double-strand breaks and synthesizes long branched chains of poly(ADP-ribose), which covalently, but transiently, modifies itself and numerous other cellular proteins and depletes cells of NAD+. This much is known, but the physiological role of the polymerization-degradation cycle is still unclear. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of proteins generally inhibits their function and can dissociated chromatin proteins from DNA. Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase increases to toxicity of alkylating agents and some other DNA-damaging agents and increases sister-chromatid exchange frequencies. During repair of alkylation damage, inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase makes no change in excision of damaged products. increases the total number of repair patches, accelerates the rejoining of DNA breaks, and makes variable increases or decreases in net break frequencies. The polymerization cycle consequently is a major player in the response of cells to DNA breakage, but the game it plays is yet to be explained.

Isolation of Chinese hamster ovary cells with reduced poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity

The biological function of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in DNA repair, cell-cycle regulation and cellular differentiation has yet to be defined. Isolation of cells which are deficient in poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis would greatly facilitate the determination of the biological role of this enzyme. A method is described for isolating Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells deficient in the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity by direct screening of colonies for enzyme activity. Colonies with decreased production of poly(ADP-ribose) are recovered from nylon replicas for further analysis. Using this method we have isolated a series of CHO cells which have 50% or less poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity. These mutants have normal generation times and are 20% more sensitive to the effects of DNA (m)ethylating agents than the parental cell. However, these mutants display normal sensitivity to gamma-rays.

The effect of 3-aminobenzamide on X-ray induction of chromosome aberrations in Down syndrome lymphocytes

Human lymphocytes from normal and Down syndrome (DS) subjects were examined to determine the effect of 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) on X-ray-induced chromosome aberrations. Lymphocytes were treated with 150 or 300 rad of X-rays in the presence of 3 mM 3AB for various times after irradiation, and then the cells were analyzed for the presence of chromosome aberrations in mitotic cells. 3-Aminobenzamide had no effect on the frequency of chromosome aberrations produced by X-rays in G0 lymphocytes from normal subjects. In contrast, lymphocytes from DS patients displayed an increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations as a result of treatment with X-rays in the presence of 3AB. These observations indicate that DS lymphocytes are more sensitive to the inhibition of poly(ADP)ribose synthetase than normal lymphocytes.

Disturbances in DNA precursor metabolism associated with exposure to an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase

3-Aminobenzamide (3AB) is widely used as an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase to study the effect of protein ribosylation on various cellular processes, but the specificity of its inhibition has not been demonstrated. We found that 3AB has a wide range of effects on DNA precursor metabolism, as determined by high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of deoxynucleosides derived from enzymatic digestion of cellular DNA. 3AB (10-20 mM) significantly reduced cell growth in human lymphoblastoid cells. Furthermore, the incorporation of [3H]deoxycytidine into DNA was significantly enhanced relative to incorporation of [3H]deoxythymidine, [3H]deoxyguanosine, and [3H]deoxyadenosine. Incorporation of fragments of [3H]glucose into the pyrimidine fraction of DNA was significantly inhibited relative to incorporation into the purine fraction. At only 1 mM, 3AB had a major inhibitory effect on the incorporation of the methyl group from [3H]methionine into deoxyguanosine, deoxyadenosine, and deoxycytidine, with 50% inhibition into deoxyguanosine and deoxyadenosine and 90% inhibition into deoxycytidine. The specificity of 3AB inhibition to poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase is therefore doubtful in view of this variety of metabolic effects, involving pyrimidine synthesis and de novo synthesis via the one-carbon pool.

Potentiation of sister chromatid exchange by 3-aminobenzamide is not modulated by topoisomerases or proteases

Poly(ADP-ribose) is synthesized in response to DNA strand breaks and covalently modifies numerous intracellular proteins. We have proposed that this modification regulates, i.e., inhibits, the activity of these enzymes, e.g., topoisomerases and proteases, which could otherwise cause additional DNA damage or alterations in chromatin structure. Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase by 3-amino-benzamide (3AB) in cells exposed to DNA-damaging agents would, according to this proposal, eliminate the regulatory role of ADP-ribosylation. When Chinese hamster ovary cells are cultured with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and 3AB, a synergistic increase in sister chromatid exchange frequency is observed. We investigated the regulatory role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase to see if topoisomerases or proteases are involved in this synergistic increase. Cells were exposed to MMS or the intercalating agent 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (m-AMSA), 3AB, and either the topoisomerase inhibitor novobiocin or the protease inhibitor antipain. Neither novobiocin nor antipain affected the synergistic response of MMS and 3AB or the additive response of m-AMSA and 3AB. These results suggest that topoisomerases or proteases do not account for the effect of 3AB on sister chromatid exchange frequency after DNA damage.

Role of oxygen radicals in tumor promotion

Tumor promoters provoke the elaboration of oxygen radicals by direct chemical generation and through the indirect activation or alteration of cellular sources including membrane oxidases, peroxisomes, and electron transport chains in mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. Although direct measurement of amplified oxygen radical production in response to tumor promoters in target tissues remains problematic, studies with scavengers of reactive oxygen species demonstrate inhibition of biochemical and biological sequelae of tumor promoter exposure and provide strong presumptive evidence for oxygen radical involvement in this late stage of carcinogenesis. The critical macromolecular targets for these oxygen radicals remain undefined; however, they may include lipids, DNA, DNA repair systems, and other enzymes.

The contribution of DNA single-strand breaks to the formation of chromosome aberrations and SCEs

The induction of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs) with bleomycin (BLM), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), short-wave ultraviolet (UV)-irradiation, and long-wave UV-irradiation was investigated in V79 cells with BrdUrd-substituted DNA. The application of a Neurospora endonuclease (NE) which specifically cleaves single-stranded DNA after these treatments showed that DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) are induced by these agents. The SSBs are converted to double-strand breaks (DSBs) by NE and become visible as CAs on metaphase chromosomes. H2O2 and both types of UV-irradiation also led to an induction of CAs and SCEs, whereas BLM only induced aberrations. Cysteine (Cys) reduced the frequency of the induced SSB-dependent CAs in all treatments, but had no influence on the SCE frequencies after BLM and H2O2 treatment and had only a slight effect on the UV-induced SCEs. The results confirm the opinion that directly induced SSBs can contribute to the induction of CAs in cells with BrdUrd-substituted DNA, but that these SSBs are not efficiently converted to SCEs. The more recent conceptions regarding the mechanism of SCE are in accordance with these findings and the conclusions derived therefrom.