DNA polymerase action on bulky deoxyguanosine and deoxyadenosine adducts

In order to determine how individual hydrocarbon-DNA adducts give rise to specific mutations, a single-stranded oligonucleotide, 5'-T8GT10AT8C2T4CT3CT-3', was reacted with the carcinogen 7-bromomethylbenz[a]anthracene which generates both deoxyguanosine and deoxyadenosine adducts in DNA. The products were separated by HPLC to yield unmodified oligonucleotide and oligonucleotide modified either at the single guanine, or at the single adenine, residue. Incubation of these products with 32P-5'-end-labeled primer, 5'-AGA3GA4G2-3', modified T7 DNA polymerase (Sequenase) and deoxyribonucleoside-5'-triphosphates followed by gel electrophoretic analysis indicated that unmodified oligonucleotide template allowed the primer to be rapidly extended to give species of the same length as the template (40 nucleotides) and of 41 nucleotides in length. However, primer extension for the templates containing the guanine and adenine adducts was held up initially (1 min) at the nucleotide preceding the adduct. At longer times (up to 15 min) a nucleotide was added opposite the adduct and, to a lesser extent, another nucleotide was added beyond this. Some full-length oligonucleotide was also synthesized with these carcinogen-modified templates. When synthesis was allowed to proceed only to the nucleotide preceding the adduct, and this template-extended primer complex incubated with individual nucleotide triphosphates plus Sequenase, it was found that deoxyadenosine residues were most readily incorporated opposite the adduct irrespective of whether it was a deoxyguanosine or deoxyadenosine adduct. These results, which suggest that G.C----T.A and A.T----T.A transversions would be the mutagenic consequences of formation of bulky hydrocarbon adducts at guanines and adenines respectively, are consistent with the most frequent hydrocarbon-induced mutational changes reported thus far.     

Translesion DNA synthesis: polymerase response to altered nucleotides

A system for the determination of the specificity of incorporation opposite lesions during DNA synthesis past damaged bases has been used as a model of mutation. The system, based on the dideoxynucleotide sequence method, uses lesions in the template strand as chain terminators. As a first approximation, such lesions constitute non-instructive sites in the DNA. DNA synthesis catalysed by bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase terminates one nucleotide 3' to the lesion on the template strand. With other polymerases, synthesis may terminate opposite the lesion. The details of termination site depend on the enzyme, the metal ion (Mg2+ or Mn2+), the lesion and the particular nucleotide sequence. The sequence effect for termination on normal templates has two components, one ascribable to secondary structure, the other intrinsic to the sequence itself. DNA molecules terminated before lesions may be used as substrates in 'second stage' reactions in which elongation can be detected on the addition of particular dNTPs (deoxynucleoside triphosphates) to a reaction mixture. The specificity of elongation depends on the polymerase, on the activity of the 3'--greater than 5' editing nuclease and on the particular lesion. DNA polymerases have a preference for the addition of purines, particularly adenine, opposite non-instructional sites. This preference suggests an explanation for the specificity of base substitution mutations: treatments that produce non-instructional sites from purines will lead to transversions, treatments that affect pyrimidines lead to transitions. Even though a base is added opposite a lesion, further elongation may be rate limiting. Whether or not elongation occurs is dependent on the sequence 5' to the lesion on the template strand. The interactions of the factors affecting bypass: polymerase, lesion and sequence, may well result in an idiosyncratic behaviour for each mutable site.     

Role of sulfation in the formation of DNA adducts from N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene in rat liver in vivo. Inhibition of N-acetylated aminofluorene adduct formation by penta-chlorophenol

N-Hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF) is metabolicallyconverted into reactive N, O-esters which are capable of formingcovalent adducts with DNA in rat liver in vivo. The effect ofinhibiting one of the proposed pathways, N-O-sulfation, on DNAadduct formation was studied by using a specific sulfotransferaseinhibitor, pentachlorophenol. Rats were pretreated with pentachlorophenoland, after 45 min, N-OH-AAF was administered. Four hours afterdosing the animals were sacrificed and hepatic DNA was isolated.In DNA from control livers two acetylaminofluorene-and one amino-fluorene-substituteddeoxyguanosine adducts were found. The acetylaminofluorene derivatives,N-(deoxy-guanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene and 3-(deoxy-guanosin-N²-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene,accounted for 40% of the total binding in the hydrolyzed DNA.The aminofluorene adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene,accounted for the remainder. In rats that were pretreated withpentachlorophenol, total DNA binding was decreased by 26%. Thesame three adducts were found, but the acetylaminofluorene adductswere now only 13% of the total, while the aminofluorene adductaccounted for 87%. The absolute amount of aminofluorene adductwas not altered as compared to control rats. These data demonstratethe involvement of N-O-sulfation in carcinogen - DNA bindingand indicate that at least 70% of the acetylaminofluorene boundto deoxyguanosine in rat liver DNA, in vivo, is formed throughN-O-sulfation of N-OH-AAF.     

Translesional synthesis on DNA templates containing site-specifically placed deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine adducts formed by the plant carcinogen aristolochic acid

Synthetic oligonucleotides (18-mers) containing either a singledeoxyadenosine residue or a single deoxyguanosine residue weretreated with aristolochic acid I (AAI) or aristolochic acidII (AAII), the main components of theplant carcinogen aristolochicacid (AA). These reactions resulted in the formation of site-specificallyadducted oligonucleotides containing the two known AAI—DNAadducts (dA—AAI, dG—AAI) or the two known AAII—DNAadducts (dA—AAII, dG—AAII) at position 15 from the3'end. Using HPLC chromatography, the oligonucleotides werepurified and subsequently shown to contain the adducts of interestby ³²P-postlabelling. The adducted oligonucleotides were usedas templates in primer (11-mer) extension reactions catalysedby modified bacteriophage T7 DNA polymerase (Sequenase). Regardlessof the type of DNA adduct examined, DNA synthesis was blockedpredominantly (80–90%) at the nucleotide 3' to each adduct,although primer extension to the full length of the templatewas noted with unmodified control templates. However, 15 nucleotideproducts, indicating blocking of DNA synthesis after incorporationof a nucleotide opposite the adduct and translesional synthesisproducts were formed in all cases in different amounts, dependingon the adduct structure. When a 14-mer primer together withhigh dNTP concentrations was used to examine nucleotide incorporationdirectly across from the four different purine adducts we foundthat the deoxyadenosine adducts (dA–AAI and dA–AAII)allowed incorporation of dAMP and dTMP equally well, whereasthe deoxyguanosine adducts (dG–AAI and dG–AAII)allowed preferential incorporation of dCMP. Molecular dynamicsimulations showed that the aristolactam moiety of all adductsexhibit a strong stacking, with the adenine residue at the 3'end of the 14-mer primer. These studies demonstrate that allAA purine adducts provide severe blocks to DNA replication andthat the guanine adducts may not be very efficient mutageniclesions. In contrast, the translesional bypass past adenineadducts of the aristolochic acids suggests a mutagenic potentialresulting from dAMP incorporation by polymerase. AT     

DNA polymerase action on benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adducts.

A 16mer oligonucleotide containing a single guanine residue at nucleotide 13 from the 3' end was treated with the (+)-enantiomer of the 7,8-dihydrodiol 9,10-epoxide of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). Oligonucleotides containing either an adduct in which the epoxide ring was opened trans or cis by the amino group of the guanine residue were separated by chromatography and identified by 32P postlabeling and circular dichroism spectroscopy. In the presence of nucleotide triphosphates and DNA polymerase (either Sequenase, version 2.0 or human polymerase alpha), it was found that the B[a]P adducts inhibited extension of an 11mer primer opposite the nucleotide 3' to the adduct in the template. Under various conditions, this inhibition was greater for the cis adduct than for the trans adduct. After a 10 min incubation with Sequenase, primer extension was reduced to approximately 20% of that seen with unmodified oligonucleotide by the trans adduct and was almost completely inhibited by the cis adduct. When a 12mer primer was used to examine nucleotide incorporation directly across from the guanine or adducted guanine residues, it was clear that deoxycytidylic acid was preferentially incorporated in all cases but that the incorporation was severely inhibited by both the cis and trans adducts. These findings suggest that a cis adduct is a more effective block to replication than a trans adduct, and that these adducts may not be very efficient mutagenic lesions.     

The reaction of acetyl-4-hydroxyaminoquinoline 1-oxide with DNA: quantitation of single-strand break formation and hyper-reactivity of DNA termini.

Monoacetyl-hydroxyaminoquinoline 1-oxide (Ac-HAQO) is a model of the ultimate form of the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide and so it is useful to characterize its reactions with DNA. We find that Ac-HAQO produces one single-strand break (SSB) for every 60 adducts formed in a reaction with supercoiled DNA. The SSBs do not appear to be formed by a free radical reaction and they are distributed throughout the DNA molecule without regard to nucleotide specificity. Unique DNA fragments were reacted with Ac-HAQO. These substrates could not be degraded by the 3'-5' exonuclease action of T4 DNA polymerase unless they were first cleaved by a restriction endonuclease. This indicated that the ends of all the DNA molecules were blocked by adduct formation in spite of the low overall frequency of adducts per DNA molecule.     

Quantification of adducts formed in DNA treated with N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene or N-hydroxy-2-aminofluorene: comparison of trifluoroacetic acid and enzymatic degradation

We have examined two methods of preparation of DNA adducts fromX174 RF DNA modified by [³H]N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene([³H]NA-AAF) or N-hydroxy-2-amino- fluorene ([³]N-OH-AF). Hydrolysisby enzymes (DNase I, snake venom phosphodiesterase and alkalineor acid phosphatase) and subsequent reverse phase h.p.l.c. ofX174 RF DNA treated with [³H]NA-AAF yielded 73% N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene(dG-C8-AAF), 7% 3-(deoxyguanosin-N²-yl)-2acetylaminofluorene(dG-N²-AAF), and a peak of unidentified radioactivity (13%).When [³H]N-OH-AF modified X174 DNA was analyzed, both N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene(dG-C8-AF) and a large percentage of the imidazole ring-openedderivative and unidentified products were found. In contrast,when anhydrous trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was used to degradethese DNAs, we found for the [³H]NA-AAF modified DNA 86% N-(guanin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene(G-C8-AAF) and 6% 3-(guanin-N²-yl)-2acetylaminofluorene (G-N²-AAF),while for [³H]N-OH-AF modified DNA only the N-(guanin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene(G-C8-AF) was found. When DNA was prepared from human fibroblaststreated with [³H]NA-AAF, only the G-C8-AF product was obtained.Thus, anhydrous TFA solvolysis followed by reverse phase h.p.l.c.is a rapid and convenient method to obtain quantitative yieldsof DNA adducts formed with acetylamino-fluorene and relatedcompounds: quantification by this method prevents loss of G-N²adducts, the conversion of AAF adducts to AF adducts, and theproduction of ring opened products in guanine residue.     

N-acetylated and deacetylated 4'-fluoro-4-aminobiphenyl and 4-aminobiphenyl adducts differ in their ability to inhibit DNA replication of single-stranded M13 in vitro and of single-stranded phi X174 in Escherichia coli.

Calf thymus single-stranded (ss) DNA was modified with the N-sulfate conjugate of N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-AAF), N-hydroxy-4'-fluoro-4-acetylaminobiphenyl (N-OH-FAABP) or N-hydroxy-4-acetylaminobiphenyl (N-OH-AABP) to yield predominantly N-acetylated adducts of 2-aminofluorene, 4-aminobiphenyl and 4'-fluoro-4-amino-biphenyl respectively to C8 of deoxyguanosine (dG-C8-AAF, dG-C8-AABP and dG-C8-FAABP). The modified DNAs were used as templates for in vitro DNA synthesis. DNA replication on the randomly primed template was inhibited as compared to control (unmodified) DNA to the same extent by all three types of adducts, irrespective of whether polymerization was performed by Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, modified T7 DNA polymerase or Thermus aquaticus (Taq) DNA polymerase. In addition, all three types of adducts completely blocked replication of ss phi X174 in an E. coli host: on average one adduct per DNA molecule was sufficient to inactivate the bacteriophage. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of DNA fragments synthesized by E. coli DNA polymerase I on FAABP- and AABP-modified ss M13mp9 DNA templates, showed that termination occurred predominantly one nucleotide before (and occasionally opposite) a modified deoxyguanosine in the template. However, the deacetylated adducts, dG-C8-AF, dG-C8-ABP and dG-C8-FABP (obtained by reacting DNA with their N-trifluoroacetyl-N-acetoxy esters) were frequently bypassed during replication of ss phi X174 in E. coli, though with different efficiencies: 1 out 7, 1 out of 2 and 1 out of 3 adducts on average respectively caused bacteriophage inactivation. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that termination of DNA synthesis occurred at least as frequently opposite as 3' to a modified deoxyguanosine in the template.     

DNA polymerase-mediated nucleotide incorporation adjacent to hydrocarbon-deoxyadenosine and hydrocarbon-deoxyguanosine adducts

To examine the effect of DNA adducts on nucleotide incorporation by DNA polymerase at 3' neighboring bases, synthetic oligonucleotides (16mers) containing a purine at position 13 from the 3' end and any one of the four possible bases at position 12 were prepared and reacted with 7-bromomethylbenz[a]anthracene. Using HPLC, unmodified oligonucleotide was separated from oligonucleotide containing a single adduct, at either an adenine or a guanine residue. These products were annealed with a 32P 5'-end labeled primer (11mer) and incubated with modified T7 DNA polymerase (Sequence, version 2.0) in the presence of deoxyribonucleoside 5'-triphosphates. Analysis by gel electrophoresis showed that unmodified oligonucleotide template allowed the primer to be rapidly extended to the entire length of the template. However, the presence of an adduct caused primer extension to stop at the base 3' to the adduct. While correct base pairing occurred at this termination site with most adducted templates, there was a high frequency of misincorporation of guanine opposite a thymine located 3' to an adenine adduct. This result suggest that some bulky carcinogen--DNA adducts may lead to base mismatches at neighboring bases.     

Perturbations of enzymic uracil excision due to guanine modifications in DNA

Phage PBS2 DNA, which contains uracil in place of thymine, was used as substrate for purified Bacillus subtilis uracil:DNA glycosylase. Incubation of this DNA with the ultimate carcinogen N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene resulted in the production of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)acetylaminofluorene. A decreased Vmax resulted from the reaction of the glycosylase with this arylamidated substrate. Addition of a 2-fold excess of control PBS2 DNA following initiation of the reaction with the modified substrate showed delayed dissociation of the enzyme from the arylamidated DNA. This shows that the presence of a carcinogen-modified DNA base can reduce the capacity for uracil excision. Therefore, interference with enzymic release of uracil from DNA may be an indirect mechanism of mutagenesis by carcinogen:DNA adducts.     

Arrest of replication by mammalian DNA polymerases α and β caused by chromium-DNA lesions

We have previously shown that trivalent chromium, and hexavalent chromium in the presence of one of its primary in vivo reductants, ascorbate, can bind to DNA and form interstrand crosslinks capable of obstructing replication. This effect was demonstrated in vitro by using Sequenase Version 2.0 T7 DNA polymerase; its parent enzyme, the unmodified T7 DNA polymerase; and Escherichia coli polymerase I large (Klenow) fragment; and it was demonstrated ex vivo by using Taq polymerase and DNA from chromium-treated human lung cells as template. This study was performed to determine whether DNA-bound chromium affects mammalian DNA polymerases in the same manner. Two mammalian enzymes, DNA polymerase α and DNA polymerase β, were used. DNA polymerase α is a processive enzyme believed to be the primary lagging-stand synthetase, whereas DNA polymerase β is a non-processive enzyme believed to function in DNA repair by filling single stranded gaps one base at a time. DNA polymerase arrest assays were performed with each of these enzymes to replicate DNA with toxicologically relevant levels of chromium adducts produced by either trivalent chromium or hexavalent chromium and ascorbate. Both enzymes responded to chromium-DNA damage by arresting replication, and the arrests increased in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the guanine-specific pattern of arrests produced when an exonuclease-free preparation of DNA polymerase β was used corresponded exactly to the arrest patterns produced in vitro by the exonuclease-free enzyme Sequenase and ex vivo by Taq polymerase. These results suggest that replication arrest may be a common response of polymerases to DNA-chromium lesions and provide a plausible mechanism for the inhibition of DNA synthesis and S-phase cell-cycle delay that occurs in mammalian cells treated with genotoxic chromium compounds. Mol. Carcinog. 23:201–206, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

In vitro reactions of butadiene monoxide with single- and double-stranded DNA: characterization and quantitation of several purine and pyrimidine adducts

We have previously shown that butadiene monoxide (BM), the primary metabolite of 1,3-butadiene, reacted with nucleosides to form alkylation products that exhibited different rates of formation and different stabilities under in vitro physiological conditions. In the present study, BM was reacted with single-stranded (ss) and double-stranded (ds) calf thymus DNA and the alkylation products were characterized after enzymatic hydrolysis of the DNA. The primary products were regioisomeric N-7-guanine adducts. N-3-(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)adenine and N-3-(1-hydroxy-3-buten-2-yl)adenine, which were depurinated from the DNA more rapidly than the N-7-guanine adducts, were also formed. In addition, N6-(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)deoxyadenosine and N6-(1-hydroxy-3-buten-2-yl)deoxyadenosine were detected and evidence was obtained that these adducts were formed by Dimroth rearrangement of the corresponding N-1-deoxyadenosine adducts, not while in the DNA, but following the release of the N-1-alkylated nucleosides by enzymatic hydrolysis. N-3-(2-hydroxy-3-buten-1-yl)deoxyuridine adducts, which were apparently formed subsequent to deamination reactions of the corresponding deoxycytidine adducts, were also detected and were stable in the DNA. Adduct formation was linearly dependent upon BM concentration (10-1000 mM), with adduct ratios being similar at the various BM concentrations. At a high BM concentration (750 mM), the adducts were formed in a linear fashion for up to 8 h in both ssDNA and dsDNA. However, the rates of formation of the N-3-deoxyuridine and N6-deoxyadenosine adducts increased 10- to 20-fold in ssDNA versus dsDNA, whereas the N-7-guanine adducts increased only slightly, presumably due to differences in hydrogen bonding in ssDNA versus dsDNA. These results may contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis and carcinogenesis of both BM and its parent compound, 1,3-butadiene.     

Localization of chloroacetaldehyde-induced DNA damage in human p53 gene by DNA polymerase fingerprint analysis

Chloroacetaldehyde (CAA) reacts with DNA bases, forming hydroxyethano derivatives of different stability, which are subsequently converted into etheno (epsilon) adducts: epsilon A, epsilon C, epsilon G. DNA polymerase fingerprint analysis was used to study the distribution of CAA-induced modifications in the p53 sequence. A plasmid bearing cDNA containing the human p53 gene was reacted in vitro with CAA, then dehydrated for conversion of hydroxyethano into etheno adducts, and primer extension by T7 DNA polymerase in the presence of four dNTPs was performed. The DNA repair enzymes methylpurine-DNA glycosylase and Escherichia coli exonuclease III were used to convert epsilon A residues in the template into DNA strand breaks, which enabled precise localization of the epsilon A residues within the p53 gene. Hydroxyethano derivatives of adenine and cytosine in a template blocked T7 DNA polymerase and caused premature chain termination opposite adenine or one base before cytosine. After dehydration, both epsilon A and epsilon C were much more easily by-passed by T7 DNA polymerase. Formation of epsilon G was identified as 'stop bands' one base before guanine residues. Modification of cytosine and guanine was additionally recognized by weakening or disappearance of non-specific stops on an undamaged template, probably due to steric hindrance by the tertiary DNA structure for polymerase. Etheno adduction of cytosine and guanine relaxed the compact DNA structure and enabled DNA polymerase to by-pass. In exons 5-8 of p53, 143 out of 500 sites appeared to be damaged by CAA, with four particularly densely modified regions between codons 135-147, 218-222, 234-255 and 284-292. The pattern of modification followed the pattern of p53 mutations found in vinyl chloride-associated liver angiosarcomas in humans and rats, but only in regions that showed 100% homology with the human sequence. The factors that influence DNA damage and induction of mutations in the p53 gene by CAA and vinyl chloride are discussed.     

Comparative survival of aminobiphenyl- and aminofluorene-substituted plasmid DNA in Escherichia coli Uvr endonuclease deficient strains

pBR322 plasmid DNA, randomly substituted with arylamine moieties, was introduced into Escherichia coli Uvr endonuclease deficient strains. Plasmid survival was determined by selection in the presence of ampicillin. Modification of plasmid DNA with N-acetoxy-N-trifluoroacetylaminobiphenyl yielded primarily N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-aminobiphenyl residues. Reaction of DNA with N-acetoxy-N-acetylaminobiphenyl produced only N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-4-acetylaminobiphenyl adducts. The aminobiphenyl (ABP) and acetylaminobiphenyl adducts reduced the ability of the plasmid DNA to transform E. coli to approximately the same extent in a wild-type strain. In uvrA, uvrB and uvrC, i.e. Uvr endonuclease deficient strains, both adducts produced equivalent decreases in survival, however, the reduction in survival was much more pronounced in the uvr- cells than in the wild-type strain. A similar pattern of toxicity was observed with plasmids carrying N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-acetylaminofluorene adducts, although the acetylaminofluorene adduct was approximately 5-fold more effective in reducing the biological activity of the plasmid. In contrast, the deacetylated aminofluorene (AF) lesion, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl-2-aminofluorene, exhibited relatively little effect on plasmid survival in uvrA and uvrB cells as compared to the wild-type strain, even though the survival of both ABP and AF adducts was essentially similar in the uvrC and wild-type strains. These data demonstrate that (i) both the deacetylated and acetylated lesions are subject to repair by the Uvr endonuclease complex, and (ii) the presence of the N-acetyl group is not the sole determinant of the differential effects of arylamine adducts in uvr cells. These observations provide indirect evidence that both the N-acetyl and aryl moieties of these adducts alter the conformation of DNA.     

Action of 2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine on DNA synthesis.

The action of the new deoxycytidine analogue 2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine (dFdC) on DNA synthesis was investigated in whole cells and in vitro assay systems with purified DNA polymerases. DNA synthesis in human lymphoblastoid CEM cells was inhibited by dFdC in a concentration-dependent manner that could not be reversed by exogenous deoxynucleosides. The analogue was incorporated into cellular DNA; most of the incorporated dFdC 5'-monophosphate (dFdCMP) residues were in internucleotide linkage. In vitro DNA primer extension assays demonstrated that dFdC 5'-triphosphate (dFdCTP) competed with deoxycytidine triphosphate for incorporation into the C sites of the growing DNA strand. The ratios of the apparent Km values for the incorporation of dFdCTP and dCTP into a C site of M13mp19 DNA were 21.8 and 22.9 for DNA polymerases alpha and epsilon, respectively. The apparent Ki values of dFdCTP were 11.2 microM for DNA polymerase alpha and 14.4 microM for polymerase epsilon. After dFdCMP incorporation, the primer was extended by one deoxynucleotide before a major pause in the polymerization process was observed. This was in contrast to the action of arabinosylcytosine 5'-triphosphate, which caused both DNA polymerases alpha and epsilon to pause at the site of incorporation. The 3'----5' exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase epsilon was essentially unable to excise nucleotides from DNA containing dFdCMP at either the 3'-end or at an internal position, whereas arabinosylcytosine monophosphate was removed from the 3'-terminus at 37% the rate for deoxynucleotides. The cytotoxic activity of dFdC was strongly correlated with the amount of dFdCMP incorporated into cellular DNA. Our results demonstrate qualitative and quantitative differences in the molecular actions of dFdC and arabinosylcytosine on DNA metabolism, but are consistent with an important role for such incorporation in the toxicity of dFdC.     

Induction of mutations by N-acetoxy-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene modified M13 viral DNA

The specificity of N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (G-8-AAF) adducts in double-stranded DNAs from M13mp8 and M13mp9 bacteriophage was determined following transfection of modified DNA with multiple adducts into competent JM103 cells. Mutant phages were selected by phenotypic screening for colorless or light blue plaques indicating a defective beta-galactosidase marker enzyme. Mutation frequencies of phage DNA with G-8-AAF adducts were increased up to 8-fold in SOS-induced host cells as compared to the uninduced JM103 host cells. DNA sequencing of mutants from SOS-induced host cells indicated approximately 52% frameshifts and 39% base substitutions in M13mp8 DNA and 65% frameshifts and 25% base substitutions in M13mp9 DNA. Mutation spectra exhibited mutations at many sites within the bp 6200-6400 region; one mutational hotspot at position 6343-6347 (5' GGGGG 3') for frameshifts was also observed. The G-8-AAF adduct induced mostly single base deletions at this site. In contrast, a deacetylated adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-2-aminofluorene (G-8-AF) in our previous experiments induced mostly single base additions at the same position indicating the ability of adduct structure to modulate the specificity of frameshift mutations. A number of other frameshift mutations (11 out of 29) were observed within non-repetitive and non-palindromic sequences. Molecular mechanisms for the induction of these mutations by DNA perturbations produced by the G-8-AAF adducts are discussed.     

Formation and removal of specific acetylaminofluorene-DNA adducts in mouse and human cells measured by radioimmunoassay.

Rabbit antiserum prepared against N-(guanosin-8-yl)-acetylaminofluorene was utilized in radioimmunoassay to detect formation and removal of C-8 adducts from the DNA of cultured cells exposed to N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminoflorene. The assay was able to quantitate both acetylated and deacetylated C-8 adducts between 0.5 and 5 pmol while the N2 adduct, 3-(deoxyguanosin-N2-yl)acetylaminofluorene, was not detected below 160 pmol. By varying the proportions of acetylated and deacetylated C-8 adducts in the radioimmunoassay, a series of standard curves were developed from which the relative proportion of each adduct could be determined in unknown mixtures. DNA from mouse epidermal cells and human skin fibroblasts exposed to N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene in culture contained only 3 and 5% respectively, of the C-8 adduct in the acetylated form. Quantitation by radioimmunoassay of total C-8 adducts bound to DNA yielded values approximately 25% lower than total carcinogen binding determined by radiolabeling. When removal of C-8 adducts was followed over a 23-hr, carcinogen-free culture period, mouse and human cells removed 40 and 50%, respectively, of bound acetylated and deacetylated C-8 adducts. These studies demonstrate the versatility of radioimmunoassay as a molecular probe for studies of chemical carcinogens.