Photoreactivation of UV damage in Sminthopsis crassicaudata

Inhibition of RNA and DNA synthesis in UV-irradiated normal human fibroblasts is correlated with pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproduct formation

UV-irradiation of living cells results in an inhibition of RNA and DNA synthesis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether specific photoproducts or the total combined yield of lesions were responsible for these effects. Asynchronously dividing human fibroblasts from normal donors were irradiated with UVC (254 nm), broad spectrum UVB (290-320 + nm, Westinghouse FS20 lamp) or narrow spectrum UVB (310-315 nm, Philips TL01 lamp) at fluences which induce known yields of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone photoproducts or Dewar isomers. DNA synthesis was approximately 3-4 times more sensitive to both UVC and UVB irradiation than RNA synthesis. The immediate inhibition of RNA and DNA synthesis was correlated with (6-4) rather than overall photoproduct formation suggesting that the (6-4) photoproduct is the mediator of these inhibitory effects. In support of this suggestion we found that photoreactivation of cells cultured from the marsupial, mouse Sminthopsis crassicaudata, resulted in removal of 70% of pyrimidine dimers from the overall genome, but had only a slight effect on the recovery of RNA synthesis.

Photoreactivation of ultraviolet radiation-induced release of arachidonic acid from marsupial cells

Exposure of an established marsupial cell line, PtK2 (Potorous tridactylus), to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from an FS-40 sunlamp (280-400 nm) resulted in a fluence-dependent release of radiolabeled arachidonic acid (AA) from cell membranes. Post-UVR, but not pre-UVR, exposure to photoreactivating light reversed UVR-induced pyrimidine dimers in DNA and suppressed the UVR-induced release of AA. These data indicate that DNA damage contributes to the release of AA from membrane phospholipids.