EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE ON DNA REPAIR OF UV-IRRADIATED DICTYOSTELIUM DISCOIDEUM

Live imaging of theDictyosteliumcell cycle reveals widespread S phase during development, a G2 bias in spore differentiation and a premitotic checkpoint

The regulation of the Dictyostelium cell cycle has remained ambiguous owing to difficulties in long-term imaging of motile cells and a lack of markers for defining cell cycle phases. There is controversy over whether cells replicate their DNA during development, and whether spores are in G1 or G2 of the cell cycle. We have introduced a live-cell S-phase marker into Dictyostelium cells that allows us to precisely define cycle phase. We show that during multicellular development, a large proportion of cells undergo nuclear DNA synthesis. Germinating spores enter S phase only after their first mitosis, indicating that spores are in G2. In addition, we demonstrate that Dictyostelium heterochromatin is copied late in S phase and replicates via accumulation of replication factors, rather than recruitment of DNA to pre-existing factories. Analysis of variability in cycle times indicates that regulation of the cycle manifests at a single random transition in G2, and we present the first identified checkpoint in Dictyostelium, which operates at the G2-M transition in response to DNA damage.

Unique DNA repair property of an ultraviolet-sensitive (radC) mutant of Dictyostelium discoideum

Dictyostelium discoideum is an organism that shows higher UV resistance than other organisms, such as Escherichia coli and human cultured cells. We examined the removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 6-4 photoproducts from DNA in the radC mutant and the wild-type strain using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with monoclonal antibodies. Wild-type cells excised more than 90% of both CPD and 6-4 photoproducts within 4 h. Dictyostelium discoideum appeared to have a special repair system, because 6-4 photoproducts were repaired faster than CPD in E. coli and human cultured cells. In radC mutant cells, although only 50% of CPD were excised from DNA within 8 h, effective removal of 6-4 photoproducts (80% in 8 h) was observed. Excision repair-deficient mutants generally cannot remove both CPD and 6-4 photoproducts. Though the radC mutant shows deficient excision repair, it can remove 6-4 photoproducts to a moderate degree. These results suggest that D. discoideum has two kinds of repair systems, one mainly for CPD and the other for 6-4 photoproducts, and that the radC mutant has a defect mainly in the repair enzyme for CPD.

Depression of hyperthermic potentiation in cell killing of ultraviolet light-irradiated Dictyostelium discoideum by pre-heat treatment

Heat treatment of 30 degrees C for 15 min immediately after ultraviolet (UV) irradiation enhanced cell killing of Dictyostelium discoideum. However, when the cells were heated at 30 degrees C for 15 min and then cultured for more than 10 min at 23 degrees C prior to UV exposure, the hyperthermic potentiation in cell killing was depressed. When these preheated cells were cultured in the presence of cycloheximide, the depression of the hyperthermic potentiation disappeared. These results suggest that the depression in hyperthermic potentiation may be the result of the induction of some heat-shock-type proteins.

Hyperthermic effects on DNA repair of UV-irradiated Dictyostelium discoideum

DNA repair of a lower eukaryote, Dictyostelium discoideum, has been investigated through the analysis of heat effects on cell mortality and DNA repair of UV-irradiated amoeboid cells. In a wild-type strain (NC4), an increase in temperature immediately after UV irradiation resulted in an increase in cell mortality, though similar heat treatment before UV irradiation had no such effect. Similar results were obtained in another wild-type strain, HPS83. In NC4, heat treatment after UV irradiation did not inhibit the nicking of DNA strands during excision repair processes, but did inhibit the rejoining of the DNA strand breaks. Removal of thymine-containing pyrimidine dimers from DNA molecules was also depressed by heat treatment after UV irradiation. In contrast, heat treatment before UV irradiation had no effect on any stage of the nicking process, the excision of the dimers or the rejoining. On the other hand, a radiation-sensitive mutant (TW8) defective in an incision step of the excision repair process did not show an increase in cell mortality in response to heat treatment administered either before or after UV irradiation. Though the optimum temperature for cell growth of the amoebae was 23 degrees C, the critical temperature for effective enhancement of cell killing was ca. 30 degrees C. Hence we assume that the excision repair of UV-damaged DNA is selectively sensitive to heat treatment.