EFFECT OF X IRRADIATION ON THE PRIMING ACTIVITY OF DNA

DNA polymerase alpha and beta activity in gamma-irradiated HeLa S3 cells

The acute effects (less than 2 hours) of gamma-irradiation on DNA polymerase alpha and beta activity in HeLa S3 cells were studied. The enzyme activities were measured in sonicates of the irradiated cells, using an exogenous DNA as template. Both DNA alpha- and beta-polymerase activities decreased following irradiation of the cells. Doses as low as 100 rad significantly reduced the activities of the enzymes. While the activities of both DNA polymerases decreased as the dose received by the cells increased, the major reduction in enzyme activity occurred with doses of 100--200 rad. The reduction in DNA alpha- and beta-polymerase activities was maximal by 30 min post-irradiation and recovered to control values by 2 hours post-irradiation.

Differential inhibition of mammalian DNA polymerases by X-irradiated DNA

Using mammalian DNA polymerases alpha, beta and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase, we have examined the inhibitory action of X-irradiated DNA on in vitro DNA synthetic activities of these enzymes. It was found that DNA polymerase beta was highly sensitive inhibition by the irradiated DNA as well as DNA polymerases I of E. coli, while DNA polymerase alpha was at least two hundred times more resistant to inhibition than DNA ploymerase beta. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase was inhibited moderately by the single-stranded form of the irradiated DNA. Since the inhibition was competitive with respect to a template-initiator for all DNA polymerases or an initiator for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase, the differences in sensitivities to the inhibition may be due to the different affinities of the enzymes to the X-ray-induced inhibitory sites on the DNA strand.

The synthesis of DNA by DNA-membrane complexes from irradiated E. coli B/r and Bs-1: the role of the membrane

DNA-membrane complexes were isolated from lysed E. coli B/r and Bs-1, either by low g forces from a low salt solution, or by high g forces through a discontinuous sucrose gradient. The latter method was more gentle. Irradiation of the intact bacteria had no effect on the membrane macromolecules or on RNA components of these complexes. DNA loss was not significant after irradiation under anoxic conditions but complexes isolated from from Bs-1 irradiated in air showed an appreciable decrease in DNA content. In the presence of the appropriate nucleotide mixture, both 'free' DNA, found in the supernatant fractions, and rapidly sedimented membrane-associated DNA were able to synthesize DNA in the absence of added polymerase. DNA synthesis associated with 'free' DNA was more sensitive to radiation than that associated with DNA bound to the membrane, which appeared to moderate the effects of radiation on new DNA synthesis. It is concluded that the depression of DNA synthesis is primarily a result of irradiation-induced changes on genome-DNA. The interpretation of earlier work from our laboratories that DNA-membrane complexes contained the macromolecular structure which responded to radiation with a high o.e.r. is not supported by the evidence in this work.

In vitro effect of antibodies to DNA on the template activity of DNA

Blood samples containing antibodies to DNA were obtained from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rabbits immunized with denatured DNA complexed to methylated bovine serum albumin. The immunoglobulin fractions from these sources did not decrease the over-all template activity of singlestranded DNA with DNA polymerase or DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. In competition studies, both DNA polymerase and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibited the binding of DNA antibodies to single-stranded DNA, as evidenced by inhibition of micro-complement fixation. These findings suggest that antibodies to DNA fail to decrease denatured DNA template activity because the enzymes which use a single-stranded DNA template can displace or block the antibodies from the denatured DNA as a result of greater binding affinity to the denatured DNA. The anti-DNA antibodies associated with SLE, therefore, may not be involved in the pathogenesis of the intracellular abnormalities associated with the disease.