Transfection of the cloned human excision repair gene ERCC-1 to UV-sensitive CHO mutants only corrects the repair defect in complementation group-2 mutants

First reported patient with human ERCC1 deficiency has cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal syndrome with a mild defect in nucleotide excision repair and severe developmental failure

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a genome caretaker mechanism responsible for removing helix-distorting DNA lesions, most notably ultraviolet photodimers. Inherited defects in NER result in profound photosensitivity and the cancer-prone syndrome xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) or two progeroid syndromes: Cockayne and trichothiodystrophy syndromes. The heterodimer ERCC1-XPF is one of two endonucleases required for NER. Mutations in XPF are associated with mild XP and rarely with progeria. Mutations in ERCC1 have not been reported. Here, we describe the first case of human inherited ERCC1 deficiency. Patient cells showed moderate hypersensitivity to ultraviolet rays and mitomycin C, yet the clinical features were very severe and, unexpectedly, were compatible with a diagnosis of cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal syndrome. This discovery represents a novel complementation group of patients with defective NER. Further, the clinical severity, coupled with a relatively mild repair defect, suggests novel functions for ERCC1.

Plant homologue of human excision repair gene ERCC1 points to conservation of DNA repair mechanisms

Nucleotide excision repair (NER), a highly versatile DNA repair mechanism, is capable of removing various types of DNA damage including those induced by UV radiation and chemical mutagens. NER has been well characterized in yeast and mammalian systems but its presence in plants has not been reported. Here it is reported that a plant gene isolated from male germline cells of lily (Lilium longiflorum) shows a striking amino acid sequence similarity to the DNA excision repair proteins human ERCC1 and yeast RAD10. Homologous genes are also shown to be present in a number of taxonomically diverse plant genera tested, suggesting that this gene may have a conserved function in plants. The protein encoded by this gene is able to correct significantly the sensitivity to the cross-linking agent mitomycin C in ERCC1-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. These findings suggest that the NER mechanism is conserved in yeast, animals and higher plants.

Comparison of common gene mutation tests in mammalian cells in culture: a position paper of the GUM Commission for the Development of Guidelines for Genotoxicity Testing

In gene mutation tests a decision concerning mutations is made on the basis of hereditary functional changes. In terms of the large amount of data available, the most suitable tests for routine testing in mammalian cells in culture are the tests for acquisition of 6-thioguanine resistance in Chinese hamster cells (V79 and CHO) and for acquisition of alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluorothymidine resistance in the mouse lymphoma line L5178Y TK+/- 3.7.2C. The molecular bases, peculiarities, advantages and disadvantages of these systems will be presented. Which system is to be preferred in any particular case depends among other things on the purpose of the study and the extent to which a technically competent performance of these comparatively exacting tests can be guaranteed.

Expression of excision repair genes in non-malignant bone marrow from cancer patients

The patterns of expression of 3 human DNA-repair genes (ERCC1, ERCC2, ERCC6) were assessed in 52 bone-marrow specimens obtained from cancer patients prepared for autologous bone-marrow transplantation. Marrow was collected prior to the initiation of treatment in patients with sarcoma or testicular cancer; marrow was collected after initial cytoreductive therapy for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and other tumors. Slot-blot analysis of marrow RNA showed a bimodal pattern of ERCC1, ERCC2 and ERCC6 gene expression with relative expression values ranging more than 200-fold. This pattern was seen in all patient groups and appeared to be independent of whether or not patients had received prior chemotherapy. In all patient groups, when expression was low for ERCC1, expression was also low for ERCC2 and ERCC6, suggesting that expression of these genes may be coordinated within an individual although they are located on two different chromosomes. Southern blot analyses of Pst I digests of DNA from 6 bone-marrow samples indicate no differences in ERCC1 gene copy number between high expressors and low expressors. There is absence of restriction fragment length polymorphism for ERCC1 suggesting that the different levels of expression in high and low expressors were not due to major deletions or rearrangements of the ERCC1 gene. We conclude that expression of these ERCC genes may vary widely between individuals, and that within an individual, their expression may be linked and coordinated by a common regulatory mechanism.

Cloning and characterization of the Drosophila homolog of the xeroderma pigmentosum complementation-group B correcting gene, ERCC3

Previously the human nucleotide excision repair gene ERCC3 was shown to be responsible for a rare combination of the autosomal recessive DNA repair disorders xeroderma pigmentosum (complementation group B) and Cockayne's syndrome (complementation group C). The human and mouse ERCC3 proteins contain several sequence motifs suggesting that it is a nucleic acid or chromatin binding helicase. To study the significance of these domains and the overall evolutionary conservation of the gene, the homolog from Drosophila melanogaster was isolated by low stringency hybridizations using two flanking probes of the human ERCC3 cDNA. The flanking probe strategy selects for long stretches of nucleotide sequence homology, and avoids isolation of small regions with fortuitous homology. In situ hybridization localized the gene onto chromosome III 67E3/4, a region devoid of known D.melanogaster mutagen sensitive mutants. Northern blot analysis showed that the gene is continuously expressed in all stages of fly development. A slight increase (2-3 times) of ERCC3Dm transcript was observed in the later stages. Two almost full length cDNAs were isolated, which have different 5' untranslated regions (UTR). The SD4 cDNA harbours only one long open reading frame (ORF) coding for ERCC3Dm. Another clone (SD2), however, has the potential to encode two proteins: a 170 amino acids polypeptide starting at the optimal first ATG has no detectable homology with any other proteins currently in the data bases, and another ORF beginning at the suboptimal second startcodon which is identical to that of SD4. Comparison of the encoded ERCC3Dm protein with the homologous proteins of mouse and man shows a strong amino acid conservation (71% identity), especially in the postulated DNA binding region and seven 'helicase' domains. The ERCC3Dm sequence is fully consistent with the presumed functions and the high conservation of these regions strengthens their functional significance. Microinjection and DNA transfection of ERCC3Dm into human xeroderma pigmentosum (c.g. B) fibroblasts and group 3 rodent mutants did not yield detectable correction. One of the possibilities to explain these negative findings is that the D.melanogaster protein may be unable to function in a mammalian repair context.

UV-induced hprt mutations in a UV-sensitive hamster cell line from complementation group 3 are biased towards the transcribed strand

The molecular nature of 254 nm ultraviolet light (UV)-induced mutations at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus in UV24 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which are defective in nucleotide excision repair, was determined. Sequence analysis of 19 hprt mutants showed that single base substitutions (9 mutants) and tandem base changes (7 mutants) dominated the UV mutation spectrum in this cell line. Sixty-five percent of the base substitutions were GC greater than AT transitions, whereas the rest consisted of transitions and transversions at AT base pairs. Analysis of the distribution of dipyrimidine sites over the two DNA strands, where the photoproducts causing these mutations presumably were formed, showed that 12 out of 14 mutations were located in the transcribed strand of the hprt gene. A similar strand distribution of mutagenic photoproducts as in UV24 has previously been found in two other UV-sensitive Chinese hamster cell lines (V-H1 and UV5), indicating that under defective nucleotide excision repair conditions the induction of mutations is strongly biased towards lesions in the transcribed strand of the hprt gene. A plausible explanation for this phenomenon is that during DNA replication large differences exist in the error rate with which DNA polymerase(s) bypass lesions in the templates for the leading and lagging strand, respectively.

Increased resistance to the toxic effects of alkylating agents in tobacco expressing the E. coli DNA repair gene ada

The protein coding region of the E. coli gene ada has been transferred to tobacco plants by a leaf disc transformation procedure involving an Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid. Transformed plants were shown to be transgenic for the ada message and had increased levels of O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase activity. The N-methyl-N-nitrosourea- or taurinechlorethylnitrosourea-induced inhibition of growth of calluses or of cells in suspension was considerably lower in ada-transformed than in non-transformed plants. This indicates that O6-alkylguanine, O4-alkylthymine or phosphotriesters are growth-inhibitory lesions in tobacco.

Genetic analysis of ionising radiation sensitive mutants of cultured mammalian cell lines

The genetic diversity of a range of ionising radiation sensitive mutants of cultured mammalian cell lines has been examined. Hybrids were constructed from suitably marked diploid cells by cell fusion and selected using resistance to HAT and ouabain. Hybrids were examined for ploidy and gamma-ray sensitivity. The data suggest that at least 8 and possibly 9 complementation groups exist which confer sensitivity to ionising radiation. Mutants in at least 3 distinct complementation groups have a reduced ability to rejoin DNA double-strand breaks.

Caffeine-induced reduction of the survival of gamma-irradiated HeLa cells and the reversal of the caffeine effect by Escherichia coli RecA protein

It is confirmed that survival of gamma-irradiated HeLa cells is decreased by post-treatment with caffeine. The caffeine effect is believed to be the result of an inhibition of the repair of gamma-ray-induced DNA damage. In this work we show that the caffeine-induced reduction of the survival of gamma-irradiated HeLa cells is reversed when Escherichia coli RecA protein is introduced into the cells with the aid of liposomes.

Increased UV resistance in xeroderma pigmentosum group A cells after transformation with a human genomic DNA clone

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive disease in which the major clinical manifestation is a 2,000-fold enhanced probability of developing sunlight-induced skin tumors, and the molecular basis for the disease is a defective DNA excision repair system. To clone the gene defective in XP complementation group A (XP-A), cDNA clones were isolated by a competition hybridization strategy in which the corresponding mRNAs were more abundant in cells of the obligately heterozygous parents relative to cells of the homozygous proband affected with the disease. In this report, a human genomic DNA clone that contains this cDNA was transformed into two independent homozygous XP-A cell lines, and these transformants displayed partial restoration of resistance to the killing effects of UV irradiation. The abundance of mRNA corresponding to this cDNA appears to correlate well with the observed UV cell survival. The results of unscheduled DNA synthesis after UV exposure indicate that the transformed cells are repair proficient relative to that of the control XP-A cells. However, using this same genomic DNA, transformation of an XP-F cell line did not confer any enhancement of UV survival or promote unscheduled DNA synthesis after UV exposure.

Molecular cloning and biological characterization of the human excision repair gene ERCC-3

In this report we present the cloning, partial characterization, and preliminary studies of the biological activity of a human gene, designated ERCC-3, involved in early steps of the nucleotide excision repair pathway. The gene was cloned after genomic DNA transfection of human (HeLa) chromosomal DNA together with dominant marker pSV3gptH to the UV-sensitive, incision-defective Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mutant 27-1. This mutant belongs to complementation group 3 of repair-deficient rodent mutants. After selection of UV-resistant primary and secondary 27-1 transformants, human sequences associated with the induced UV resistance were rescued in cosmids from the DNA of a secondary transformant by using a linked dominant marker copy and human repetitive DNA as probes. From coinheritance analysis of the ERCC-3 region in independent transformants, we deduce that the gene has a size of 35 to 45 kilobases, of which one essential segment has so far been refractory to cloning. Conserved unique human sequences hybridizing to a 3.0-kilobase mRNA were used to isolate apparently full-length cDNA clones. Upon transfection to 27-1 cells, the ERCC-3 cDNA, inserted in a mammalian expression vector, induced specific and (virtually) complete correction of the UV sensitivity and unscheduled DNA synthesis of mutants of complementation group 3 with very high efficiency. Mutant 27-1 is, unlike other mutants of complementation group 3, also very sensitive toward small alkylating agents. This unique property of the mutant is not corrected by introduction of the ERCC-3 cDNA, indicating that it may be caused by an independent second mutation in another repair function. By hybridization to DNA of a human x rodent hybrid cell panel, the ERCC-3 gene was assigned to chromosome 2, in agreement with data based on cell fusion (L. H. Thompson, A. V. Carrano, K. Sato, E. P. Salazar, B. F. White, S. A. Stewart, J. L. Minkler, and M. J. Siciliano, Somat. Cell. Mol. Genet. 13:539-551, 1987).

Molecular cloning and biological characterization of the human excision repair gene ERCC-3

In this report we present the cloning, partial characterization, and preliminary studies of the biological activity of a human gene, designated ERCC-3, involved in early steps of the nucleotide excision repair pathway. The gene was cloned after genomic DNA transfection of human (HeLa) chromosomal DNA together with dominant marker pSV3gptH to the UV-sensitive, incision-defective Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mutant 27-1. This mutant belongs to complementation group 3 of repair-deficient rodent mutants. After selection of UV-resistant primary and secondary 27-1 transformants, human sequences associated with the induced UV resistance were rescued in cosmids from the DNA of a secondary transformant by using a linked dominant marker copy and human repetitive DNA as probes. From coinheritance analysis of the ERCC-3 region in independent transformants, we deduce that the gene has a size of 35 to 45 kilobases, of which one essential segment has so far been refractory to cloning. Conserved unique human sequences hybridizing to a 3.0-kilobase mRNA were used to isolate apparently full-length cDNA clones. Upon transfection to 27-1 cells, the ERCC-3 cDNA, inserted in a mammalian expression vector, induced specific and (virtually) complete correction of the UV sensitivity and unscheduled DNA synthesis of mutants of complementation group 3 with very high efficiency. Mutant 27-1 is, unlike other mutants of complementation group 3, also very sensitive toward small alkylating agents. This unique property of the mutant is not corrected by introduction of the ERCC-3 cDNA, indicating that it may be caused by an independent second mutation in another repair function. By hybridization to DNA of a human x rodent hybrid cell panel, the ERCC-3 gene was assigned to chromosome 2, in agreement with data based on cell fusion (L. H. Thompson, A. V. Carrano, K. Sato, E. P. Salazar, B. F. White, S. A. Stewart, J. L. Minkler, and M. J. Siciliano, Somat. Cell. Mol. Genet. 13:539-551, 1987).

ERCC2: cDNA cloning and molecular characterization of a human nucleotide excision repair gene with high homology to yeast RAD3

Human ERCC2 genomic clones give efficient, stable correction of the nucleotide excision repair defect in UV5 Chinese hamster ovary cells. One clone having a breakpoint just 5' of classical promoter elements corrects only transiently, implicating further flanking sequences in stable gene expression. The nucleotide sequences of a cDNA clone and genomic flanking regions were determined. The ERCC2 translated amino acid sequence has 52% identity (73% homology) with the yeast nucleotide excision repair protein RAD3. RAD3 is essential for cell viability and encodes a protein that is a single-stranded DNA dependent ATPase and an ATP dependent helicase. The similarity of ERCC2 and RAD3 suggests a role for ERCC2 in both cell viability and DNA repair and provides the first insight into the biochemical function of a mammalian nucleotide excision repair gene.

Cyclobutane-pyrimidine dimer excision in UV-sensitive CHO mutants and the effect of the human ERCC2 repair gene

Using a radiochromatographic assay, we have examined cis-syn cyclobutane-pyrimidine dimer removal after ultraviolet irradiation in cell lines representative of the first 6 complementation groups of Chinese hamster ovary DNA nucleotide excision repair mutants. AA8, the CHO cell line from which these mutants were derived, consistently showed normal dimer excision for a rodent cell. The mutants uniformly exhibited no significant dimer excision within the limits of determination. Additionally, V-H1, a mutant belonging to complementation group 2 and derived from V79 hamster cells, exhibited no dimer excision. Two UV5 derived transformants that carry the complementing human ERCC2 repair gene showed a capacity for dimer excision comparable to the AA8 wild-type cells.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a mammalian excision repair gene that partially restores UV resistance to xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group D cells

A hamster DNA repair gene has been isolated by cosmid rescue after two rounds of transfection of an immortalized xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) complementation group D cell line with neomycin-resistance gene (neo)-tagged normal hamster DNA and selection with G418 and ultraviolet irradiation. The functional length of the sequence has been defined as 11.5 kilobase pairs by measurement of the region of overlap between two hamster DNA-containing cosmids, cloned by selection for the integrated neo gene, that are able to confer an increase in resistance to ultraviolet irradiation on two XP-D cell line but not on an XP-A line. Detailed molecular characterization of the hamster repair gene has revealed no obvious similarities to two human excision repair genes (ERCC1 and ERCC2) that correct repair-defective hamster cells but have no effect on XP cells. Hybridization analyses of normal human and XP cell genomic DNAs and mRNAs, using a cosmid-clone probe from which repeated sequences have been removed, show that homologues are present and expressed in all cases.

Cytogenetical characterisation of Chinese hamster 43-3B transferants with the amplified or non-amplified human DNA repair gene ERCC-1

A comparative study on the biological responses to different mutagens (UV, 4NQO, MMC, MMS and EMS) was made on CHO wild-type cells (CHO-9), its UV-hypersensitive mutant 43-3B, and 2 types of its transferants, i.e., one containing a few copies of the human repair gene ERCC-1 and the other having more than 100 copies of ERCC-1 (due to gene amplification). Cell survival, chromosomal aberrations and SCEs were used as biological end-points. The spontaneous frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the transferants was less than found in 43-3B mutant cells, but still 2-3 times higher than in wild-type CHO cells. The spontaneous frequency of SCEs in the transferants was less than in 43-3B and similar to that of wild-type cells. The induction of SCEs by all tested agents in transferants was similar to that found in CHO-9 cells, while the mutant is known to respond with higher frequencies. ERCC-1 also bestowed resistance to MMS and EMS on the mutant to induction of chromosomal aberrations and cell killing to levels comparable with those of the wild-type strain. On the other hand ERCC-1 could not completely regain the repair proficiency against cell killing and induction of chromosomal aberrations by UV or MMC to the wild-type level. These results suggest that the ERCC-1 corrects the repair defect in CHO mutant cells, but it is unable to rectify fully the defect; probable reasons for this are discussed. However, amplified transferants (having more than 100 copies of the ERCC-1 gene) restored the impaired repair function in 43-3B to UV-, MMC- or 4NQO-induced DNA damage better than non-amplified transferants with a few copies of the ERCC-1. This difference may be due to the high amount of gene product involved in the excision repair process in the amplified cells.

The cloned human DNA excision repair gene ERCC-1 fails to correct xeroderma pigmentosum complementation groups A through I

The human DNA excision repair gene ERCC-1 complements the ultraviolet light (UV) and mitomycin C (MMC) sensitivity of CHO mutants of complementation group 1. We have investigated whether ERCC-1 is the mutated gene in cell lines from xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) complementation groups A through I by analyzing the endogenous gene in XP cells and by introduction of the gene followed by repair assays. Our studies show that ERCC-1 is not deleted or grossly rearranged in representative cell lines of 9 XP groups. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis revealed correct transcription of ERCC-1 in all groups. The cloned human ERCC-1 gene was introduced into immortalized XP cells by DNA transfection (groups A, C, D, E and F). The presence of the integrated transfected sequences was verified on Southern blots and by selection for 2 dominant marker genes that flank the ERCC-1 gene on the transfected cos43-34 DNA. ERCC-1 failed to confer a normal UV survival and UV-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) to transfected populations. In the case of the remaining XP complementation groups (B, G, H and I), nuclear microinjection was used to introduce an ERCC-1 cDNA construct driven by an SV40 promoter into primary fibroblasts. Coinjection of the SV40 large T gene and analysis of its expression served as a control for the injection. The ERCC-1 cDNA failed to induce increased levels of UDS in the microinjected fibroblasts. We infer from these experiments that ERCC-1 is not the mutated gene in the 9 XP complementation groups examined. From a similar type of experiments we conclude that ERCC-1 is not the defective gene in UV-sensitive Cockayne's syndrome cells.

The molecular genetics of the incision step in the DNA excision repair process

This review describes the evolution of research into the genetic basis of how different organisms use the process of excision repair to recognize and remove lesions from their cellular DNA. One particular aspect of excision repair, DNA incision, and how it is controlled at the genetic level in bacteriophage, bacteria, S. cerevisae, D. melanogaster, rodent cells and humans is examined. In phage T4, DNA is incised by a DNA glycosylase-AP endonuclease that is coded for by the denV gene. In E. coli, the products of three genes, uvrA, uvrB and uvrC, are required to form the UVRABC excinuclease that cleaves DNA and releases a fragment 12-13 nucleotides long containing the site of damage. In S. cerevisiae, genes complementing five mutants of the RAD3 epistasis group, rad1, rad2, rad3, rad4 and rad10 have been cloned and analyzed. Rodent cells sensitive to a variety of mutagenic agents and deficient in excision repair are being used in molecular studies to identify and clone human repair genes (e.g. ERCC1) capable of complementing mammalian repair defects. Most studies of the human system, however, have been done with cells isolated from patients suffering from the repair defective, cancer-prone disorder, xeroderma pigmentosum, and these cells are now beginning to be characterized at the molecular level. Studies such as these that provide a greater understanding of the genetic basis of DNA repair should also offer new insights into other cellular processes, including genetic recombination, differentiation, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis and aging.

Evolution and mutagenesis of the mammalian excision repair gene ERCC-1

The human DNA excision repair protein ERCC-1 exhibits homology to the yeast RAD10 repair protein and its longer C-terminus displays similarity to parts of the E. coli repair proteins uvrA and uvrC. To study the evolution of this 'mosaic' ERCC-1 gene we have isolated the mouse homologue. Mouse ERCC-1 harbors the same pattern of homology with RAD10 and has a comparable C-terminal extension as its human equivalent. Mutation studies show that the strongly conserved C-terminus is essential in contrast to the less conserved N-terminus which is even dispensible. The mouse ERCC-1 amino acid sequence is compatible with a previously postulated nuclear location signal and DNA-binding domain. The ERCC-1 promoter harbors a region which is highly conserved in mouse and man. Since the ERCC-1 promoter is devoid of all classical promoter elements this region may be responsible for the low constitutive level of expression in all mouse tissues and stages of embryogenesis examined.