Lack of effect of inhibitors of DNA synthesis/repair on the ionizing radiation-induced chromosomal damage in G2 stage of ataxia telangiectasia cells

Integrative proteomics and metabolomics analysis reveals the toxicity of cationic liposomes to human normal hepatocyte cell line L02

Changes in the expression of proteins and profiles of metabolites in L02 cells were investigated after exposure to CLs based on the iTRAQ and UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS, and proteomics data were coupled with metabolomics data to comprehensively assess the potential toxicity mechanisms of CLs.

Repair and chromosomal damage

Chromosomal aberrations in somatic cells link DNA damage with radiation-induced cell killing and individual susceptibility to oncogenesis, and are also potential markers of cancer susceptibility. While there is general acceptance that the DNA double-strand break (DSB) is the principal initiating lesion the complexity of the relationship between the induced frequency and the rates of repair and misjoining of DSB, and the production of chromosome and chromatid aberrations has led to much controversy. The principal models of chromosome aberrations are: the classical 'breakage-and-reunion' or 'breakage-first' model of Sax [Genetics 25 (1940) 41-68], the 'mis-recombination' model of Chadwick and Leenhouts [Mutat Res 404 (1998) 113-117] and the 'transcription-based' model of Radford [Int J Radiat Biol 78 (2002) 1081-1093]. Chromatid aberrations have also been variously interpreted on the 'breakage-first model', Revell's 'exchange' model [Proc R Soc B 150 (1959) 563-589] and the 'signal' model [Int J Radiat Biol 73 (1998) 243-251]. Recent evidence argues strongly for different mechanisms for chromosome (formed in G1 or Go) and chromatid (formed in G2) aberrations, i.e. there is little or no correspondence in the relative frequencies between chromosome and chromatid aberrations. The balance of evidence indicates that chromosome aberrations may be formed by a breakage-first type mechanism. Elevated frequencies of chromosomal aberrations occur to various extents in cell lines mutated in genes involved in both non-homologous DSB end-joining and homologous recombinational rejoining of DSB. Chromatid breaks, seem to be formed by a more complex mechanism since there is a lack of correspondence between the rates of DSB rejoining and chromatid break 'disappearance' (assumed by some to represent DSB repair). Thus, a model based on the dissociation of DSB rejoining from chromatid break rejoining is required to explain these data. A substantial proportion (approximately 20%) of both spontaneous and induced chromatid breaks visibly involve inter-chromatid rearrangements (determined using harlequin staining of chromatids). It is postulated that the remaining proportion may also involve rearrangements, but within a single chromatid (i.e. intra-chromatid rearrangements). Disappearance of chromatid breaks with time is postulated to result from the completion of rearrangements, i.e. rather than simply from repair of DSB.

Regulation of the ribonucleotide reductase small subunit gene by DNA-damaging agents in Dictyostelium discoideum

In Escherichia coli, yeast and mammalian cells, the genes encoding ribonucleotide reductase, an essential enzyme for de novo DNA synthesis, are up-regulated in response to DNA damaging agents. We have examined the response of the rnrB gene, encoding the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase in Dictyostelium discoideum, to DNA damaging agents. We show here that the accumulation of rnrB transcript is increased in response to methyl methane sulfonate, 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and irradiation with UV-light, but not to the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor hydroxyurea. This response is rapid, transient and independent of protein synthesis. Moreover, cells from different developmental stages are able to respond to the drug in a similar fashion, regardless of the basal level of expression of the rnrB gene. We have defined the cis -acting elements of the rnrB promoter required for the response to methyl methane sulfonate and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide by deletion analysis. Our results indicate that there is one element, named box C, that can confer response to both drugs. Two other boxes, box A and box D, specifically conferred response to methyl methane sulfonate and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, respectively.

Caffeine does not potentiate gamma-radiation induced DNA damage in ataxia telangiectasia lymphoblastoid cells

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) cells display a profound sensitivity to ionizing radiation, exhibiting more frequent chromosomal breaks, increased micronuclei formation and abnormal DNA repair kinetics following exposure. Despite the recent cloning of the ATM gene there remains a need for a simple and rapid means of discriminating AT heterozygotes from normal individuals. Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethyl xanthine), known to inhibit the repair of double-strand DNA breaks following ionizing radiation, increases the frequency of radiation induced chromosomal breaks in normal cells. Here we report that caffeine potentiates the induction of chromosomal breaks in G2 arrested AT heterozygote and normal lymphoblastoid cells, but not in homozygous AT lymphoblastoid cells. This observation parallels the findings reported by others that caffeine fails to potentiate the effect of ionizing radiation in radiation-sensitive yeast strains and radiation sensitive CHO cells. It also suggests that caffeine may somehow mimic the effect of the ATM gene product in normal cells. We also report that caffeine is unlikely to be useful in helping to discriminate AT heterozygotes from normal individuals.

Enhancement of frequencies of restriction endonuclease-induced chromatid breaks by arabinoside adenine in normal human and ataxia telangiectasia cells

The effect of ara A (9-beta-D-arabino furanosyladenine) a potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis on the frequencies of chromatid breaks induced by restriction endonucleases (RE) has been investigated in normal human and ataxia telangiectasia (AT) lymphoblastoid cells. PvuII, PstI and BamHI which cause blunt-ended, 3'-overhang and 5'-overhang cohesive-ended DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) respectively, were introduced into two AT cell lines (AT-KM and AT-PA) and a normal human (N-SW) cell line by the use of streptolysin-O poration. Controls were exposed to gamma-irradiation and similarly treated with or without ara A. Both AT cell lines were found to exhibit higher frequencies of chromatid breaks when treated with RE alone as compared with the normal cell line. The pattern of chromatid response to the three RE was shown to be similar in all three cell lines i.e. PvuII was most clastogenic while PstI and BamHI were both less effective at inducing chromosomal aberrations. Incubation of cells with ara A resulted in an increase in frequencies of chromatid breaks in PvuII and PstI treated cells but no increase was observed in BamHI treated cells. Normal cells showed most response to ara A following treatment with PvuII and PstI (enhancement ratios 4.63 and 3.75 respectively) while AT cells were affected by ara A to a lesser extent indicating a reduced expression of damage by ara A in these lines. Since ara A is a potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis, it was concluded from the elevated frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the presence of ara A that rejoining of RE-induced dsb in genomic DNA of human cells involves nucleotide insertion at dsb termini prior to ligation.

Chromosomal sensitivity to clastogenic agents and cell cycle perturbations in Nijmegen breakage syndrome lymphoblastoid cell lines

The relationship between chromosomal breakage and perturbations of cell cycle progression was investigated in lymphoblastoid cell lines established from a healthy donor, two subjects affected by Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome (NBS) and an ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) patient. The cytogenetic analysis revealed a similar chromosomal hypersensitivity in both NBS and AT cells exposed in the G1 phase to 200 cGy X-rays or in G2 to 15-30 cGy. Similarly, no differences were observed in the frequency of chromatid-type aberrations induced in G2 by 1-2 pg/ml calicheamicin gamma 1I, a DNA double-strand break inducer. In addition, as observed in AT cells, the rate of G2 radiation-induced chromosomal damage was less enhanced in NBS than in control cells following 3-h incubation with inhibitors of DNA synthesis/repair (cytosine arabinoside, aphidicolin, DMSO, hydroxyurea, caffeine). This is suggestive of an altered DNA lesion-processing pathway common to both syndromes. Despite the close resemblance of cellular phenotypes in the two syndromes, the analysis of mitotic indices carried out at 2 and 4 h postirradiation indicated that NBS sustained a G2-delay greater than that observed in AT cells, Furthermore, the flow cytometric analysis of 50-300 cGy irradiated cells at 10 and 20 h before harvesting showed that NBS cells sustained a G2/M phase arrest markedly lower than AT cells. Our data indicate that NBS and AT gene products are involved in a common pathway of radiation-induced chromosomal damage, but in a different one for cell cycle control after irradiation.

Micronucleus induction by 60Co gamma-rays and fast neutrons in ataxia telangiectasia lymphocytes

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a progressive neuronal degeneration, immunodeficiency, cancer proneness and an extreme sensitivity to ionizing radiation. In this work, micronucleus dose-response curves for lymphocytes of normal and AT individuals, exposed in G(zero) to low LET gamma-rays and high LET fast neutrons, are compared. After gamma-irradiation, the micronucleus yields for AT lymphocytes are strongly increased compared with controls. The micronucleus dose-response curve for AT cells shows a linear dependence instead of a linear-quadratic one which is found for normal cells. After neutron irradiation, the increase in micronucleus yield above controls is less pronounced than with gamma-rays and the micronucleus dose-response curves are linear, as expected. The high increase in micronucleus yield compared with controls after gamma-irradiation further suggests the application of the micronucleus assay as a diagnostic tool for ataxia telangiectasia.