ENHANCEMENT OF ULTRAVIOLET-DNA REPAIR IN den V GENE TRANSFECTANTS and T4 ENDONUCLEASE V-LIPOSOME RECIPIENTS

The phage T4 denV gene, coding for the pyrimidine-dimer specific T4 endonuclease V, was transfected into human repair-proficient fibroblasts, repair-deficient xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts, and into wild type CHO hamster cells. Transfectants maintained denV DNA and expressed denV mRNA. Purified T4 endonuclease V encapsulated in liposomes was also used to treat repair-proficient and -deficient human cells. The denV transfected clones and liposome-treated cells showed increased unscheduled DNA synthesis and enhanced removal of pyrimidine dimers compared to controls. Both denV gene transfection and endonuclease V liposome treatment enhanced post-UV survival in xeroderma pigmentosum cells but had no effect on survival in repair-proficient human or hamster cells. The results demonstrate that an exogenous DNA repair enzyme can correct the DNA repair defect in xeroderma pigmentosum cells and enhance DNA repair in normal cells.     

UV-DNA Damage in Mouse and Human Cells Induces the Expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor α

Ultraviolet light induces the expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in many mammalian cells. We have examined the signal for this induction in a human DNA repair-deficient cell line carrying a transgene composed of the murine TNF regulatory sequences fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) structural gene. When compared by fluence, UVC was a more efficient inducer of CAT than was UVB, but they were equivalent inducers when compared by the frequency of cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimers produced by each source. Further, treatment of UV-irradiated cells with the prokaryotic DNA repair enzyme T4 endonuclease V in-creased the level of repair of dimers and concomitantly reduced CAT gene expression. Membrane-bound TNFα expression was increased by UV and reduced by repair of dimers. Finally, in the TNFcat transgene system, DNA damage directly to the cell with the transgene was required as cocultivation of unirradiated TNFcat cells with UV-irradiated cells did not increase CAT activity. These results show that DNA damage is a signal for the induction of TNFa gene expression in mouse and human cells.     

Direct Comparison of DMA Damage, Isomerization of Urocanic Acid and Edema in the Mouse Produced by Three Commonly Used Artificial UV Light Sources

Exposure to sunlight can result in a number of harmful effects, including sunburn, erythema, premature aging of the skin, immune suppression and skin cancer. Studies designed to understand the underlying mechanisms often depend upon the use of artificial sources of UV radiation. Unfortunately, conclusions from different laboratories using different lamps often conflict, and it is entirely possible that the different spectra of sunlights used in each may be a source of conflict. To minimize confounding variables, we employed two of the more commonly used UV light sources, fluorescent sunlamps, such as the FS-40 and Kodacel-filtered FS-40 sunlamps, and a xenon arc solar simulator and compared, in one series of standardized experiments, the effects of each light source on DNA damage, urocanic acid isomerization and edema formation. The dose-response curves, calculated by linear regression or curve fitting were compared. The data indicate that DNA damage and urocanic acid isomerization were more sensitive to shorter wavelengths of UV than longer wavelengths, and the biological endpoint of edema most closely correlated with the induction of DNA damage. The results emphasize the dominance of shorter wavelengths within the UV spectrum in damaging biological tissues, even when the solar simulator, which contains significant amounts of UVA, was used and demonstrate that each light source has a characteristic pattern of induction of biochemical and biological endpoints.