Accurate measurement of psoralen-crosslinked DNA: direct biochemical measurements and indirect measurement by hybridization

Efficient DNA interstrand crosslinking by 6-thioguanine and UVA radiation

Patients taking the immunosuppressant and anticancer thiopurines 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine or 6-thioguanine (6-TG), develop skin cancer at a very high frequency. Their DNA contains 6-TG which absorbs ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation, and their skin is UVA hypersensitive, consistent with the formation of DNA photodamage. Here we demonstrate that UVA irradiation of 6-TG-containing DNA causes DNA interstrand crosslinking. In synthetic duplex oligodeoxynucleotides, the interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) can form between closely opposed 6-TG bases and, in a less favoured reaction, between 6-TG and normal bases on the opposite strand. In vivo, UVA irradiation of cultured cells containing 6-TG-substituted DNA also causes ICL formation and induces the chromosome aberrations that are characteristically associated with this type of DNA lesion. 6-TG/UVA activates the Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway via monoubiquitination of the FANCD2 protein. Cells defective in the FA pathway or other factors involved in ICL processing, such as XPF and DNA Polζ, are all hypersensitive to killing by 6-TG/UVA-consistent with a significant contribution of photochemical ICLs to the cytotoxicity of this treatment. Our findings suggest that sunlight-exposed skin of thiopurine treated patients may experience chronic photochemical DNA damage that requires constant intervention of the FA pathway.

Polydeoxyribonucleotide C photoconjugated with lysine or arginine present unique epitopes for human anti-DNA autoantibodies

Studies have been carried out to synthesize and characterize the photoconjugates between positively charged amino acids (lysine and arginine) and the polydeoxyribonucleotide C [poly(dC)]. Poly(dC) was covalently crosslinked with lysine or arginine under ultraviolet light. Both lysine and arginine were found covalently photoconjugated to poly(dC), resulting in the formation of photoadduct. Photoaddition of lysine or arginine to poly(dC) rendered them thermodynamically more stable than their native form. A strong recognition of photoadducts was observed with anti-DNA autoantobodies found in the sera of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Poly(dC)-lysine was recognized more strongly than poly(dC)-argine photoadduct. Poly(dC)-lysine photoadduct appears to provide an immunodominant epitope for SLE autoantibody recognition. The result suggests for the possible involvement of these photoadducts as a potential trigger for anti-DNA autoantibody production.

Role of ROS modified human DNA in the pathogenesis and etiology of cancer

The effect of hydroxyl radical, generated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of hydrogen peroxide, on human placental DNA was monitored by UV spectroscopy, melting temperature studies, S1 nuclease digestibility and hydroxyapatite column chromatography. Immunological data indicated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) modified human DNA induced high titer antibodies. In ELISA, serum antibodies from various cancer patients showed a higher recognition of ROS-human DNA as compared to native DNA. Retarded mobility of the immune complex formed between IgG, isolated from cancer sera, and ROS-human DNA provided convincing evidence for antigen-antibody interaction. Oxidative lesions in DNA of cancer patients were probed using anti-ROS-human DNA IgG. DNA from cancer patients were found to inhibit anti-ROS-human DNA IgG activity in the range of 40% to 57%. These binding results indicate the presence of oxidative lesions in the cancer patient's genome.

Effects of nuclear isolation on psoralen affinity for chromatin

We have tested the effects of nuclear isolation on intercalation of TMP (a psoralen) at specific sequences and in total DNA of cultured human cells. DNA in nuclei photobound about 20% more TMP than in cells and about 10% as much as purified DNA. In contrast, a transcribed ras gene and a randomly selected polymorphic sequence each bound about 20% more TMP than total DNA in cells. However, in nuclei, as in purified DNA, both sequences were just as sensitive as total DNA. Apparently, chromatin in cells exists within diverse TMP-binding environments and some of this diversity was lost upon nuclear isolation.