Inhibition of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase by O6-benzyl-N2-acetylguanosine increases chloroethylnitrosourea-induced apoptosis in Mer+ human melanoma cells

The exposure of cells to -benzyl- 2-acetylguanosine (BNAG) and several guanine derivatives is known to reduce -alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGAT) activity and to decrease the resistance of methyl enzyme repair positive (Mer ) cells to chloroethylnitrosoureas (CENUs) and. We evaluated the influence of AGAT activity inhibition by BNAG on the ability of two CENUs, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) and 3-(2-chloroethyl)-1-(2-methylsulphonyl)ethyl-3-nitrosourea (cystemustine), to induce an apoptotic response in two melanoma cell lines, M3 Dau (Mer ) and IPC 227F (Mer ). The apoptotic morphology of cells was assessed by microscopy after Wright-Giemsa or Hoechst 33342 staining of cells, and DNA internucleosomal cleavage was demonstrated by the ladder-like pattern of DNA separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. The concentration-dependent number of apoptotic cells assessed using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-fluorescein nick-end labelling (TUNEL) assay 72 h after BCNU or cystemustine treatment (0-400 microM for 2 h) was increased by prior AGAT depletion with BNAG pretreatment (300 microM for 4 h) in Mer cells. These results suggest that the DNA lesions on the position of guanine are a key event in inducing an apoptotic response in melanoma cells. We also observed that cystemustine was a more potent inducer of apoptosis than BCNU, and that the synergism with BNAG was more potent with cystemustine than with BCNU. These results suggest that the nature of the CENUs associated with an AGAT inhibitor is a determinant factor in forecasting the clinical efficacy of the association, especially in melanoma.