UV-enhanced reactivation of UV-damaged SV40 is due to the restoration of viral early gene function

Enhanced host cell reactivation of a UV-damaged reporter gene in pre-UV-treated cells is delayed in Cockayne syndrome cells

We have used a non-replicating recombinant adenovirus, Ad5HCMVlacZ, which expresses the beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) reporter gene, to examine the time course of UV-inducible repair of UV-damaged DNA in human fibroblasts. Host cell reactivation (HCR) of beta-gal activity for UV-irradiated Ad5HCMVlacZ was examined in non-irradiated and UV-irradiated nucleotide excision repair (NER) proficient normal human fibroblasts, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) group C fibroblasts which are defective in the global genomic repair (GGR) pathway of NER and Cockayne syndrome (CS) fibroblasts which are defective in the transcription coupled repair (TCR) pathway of NER. HCR was deficient in untreated XP-C and CS cells indicating that both TCR and GGR are involved in removal of photolesions from the transcribed strand of the reporter gene in unirradiated human cells as reported previously. Prior UV-irradiation of cells with low UV fluences resulted in a transient enhancement of HCR in normal and XP-C fibroblasts that reached a maximum when cells were infected at 25-35 h after UV. In contrast, UV-enhanced HCR was delayed in CS-B cells, reaching levels similar to that in normal cells only when cells were infected between 40 and 60 h after UV exposure. These results are consistent with a UV-induced up-regulation of GGR through a TCR dependent pathway in CS cells.

UV-enhanced reactivation of a UV-damaged reporter gene suggests transcription-coupled repair is UV-inducible in human cells

The genetic disorders xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and Cockayne syndrome (CS) exhibit deficiencies in the repair of UV-induced DNA damage. CS fibroblasts retain proficient nucleotide excision repair (NER) of inactive (or bulk) DNA, but are deficient in the transcription-coupled repair (TCR) of active genes. In contrast, XP complementation group C (XP-C) fibroblasts retain proficient TCR, but are deficient in bulk DNA repair. The remaining NER-deficient XP groups exhibit deficiencies in both repair pathways. Ad5HCMVsp1lacZ is a recombinant adenovirus vector that is unable to replicate in human fibroblasts, but can efficiently infect and express the beta-galactosidase reporter gene in these cells. We have examined the host cell reactivation (HCR) of beta-galactosidase activity for UV-irradiated Ad5HCMVsp1lacZ in non-irradiated and UV-irradiated normal, XP-B, XP-C, XP-D, XP-F, XP-G, CS-A and CS-B fibroblasts. HCR of beta-galactosidase activity for UV-irradiated Ad5HCMVsp1lacZ was reduced in non-irradiated cells from each of the repair-deficient groups examined (including XP-C) relative to that in non-irradiated normal cells. Prior irradiation of cells with low UV fluences resulted in an enhancement of HCR for normal and XP-C strains, but not for the remaining XP and CS strains. HCR of the UV-damaged reporter gene in UV-irradiated XP and CS strains was similar to measurements of TCR reported previously for these cells. These results suggest that UV treatment results in an induced repair of UV-damaged DNA in the transcribed strand of an active gene in XP-C and normal cells through an enhancement of TCR or a mechanism which involves the TCR pathway.

Heat-shock enhanced reactivation of a UV-damaged reporter gene in human cells involves the transcription coupled DNA repair pathway

A recombinant nonreplicating human adenovirus type 5, Ad5HCMVsp1lacZ, expressing the lacZ gene under control of the human cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter, was used to assess the effect of heat-shock (HS) on DNA repair of a UV-damaged reporter gene. Host cell reactivation (HCR) of beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) activity for UV-irradiated Ad5HCMVsp1lacZ was used as an indicator of DNA repair in the transcribed strand of an active gene. Repair was examined in heat-shock (HS) pretreated and mock-treated normal fibroblasts, normal lung epithelial cells, xeroderma pigmentosum group A, C, D and G fibroblasts (XP-A, XP-C, XP-D and XP-G), Cockayne's syndrome group A fibroblasts (CS-A), SV40-transformed normal fibroblasts (GM637f) and 5 tumour cell lines (SKOV-3, HeLa, HT29, SCC-25 and U20S). HS enhanced reactivation (HSER) of the reporter gene was detected in normal cells, HT29 tumour cells and XP-C fibroblasts. HSER was reduced or absent in all other XP, CS and tumour cell lines tested. HSER in normal and XP-C cell lines, but not CS-A, XP-A, XP-D or XP-G cells, suggests that HS treatment can enhance the repair of UV-damaged DNA through an enhancement of transcription coupled repair (TCR) or a mechanism which involves the TCR pathway. Since this response was absent in the SV40-transformed fibroblast cell line and 4 of 5 tumour cell lines examined, HSER of beta-gal activity for UV-irradiated Ad5HCMVsp1lacZ also requires some cellular function(s) affected by transformation.