THE EFFECT OF ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT ON THE CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE SYSTEM OF HUMAN FIBROBLASTS

Abstract— The concentrations of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP in human skin fibroblasts in culture were determined after exposing the cells to varying fluences of UV (254 nm) light. The cyclic nucleotide concentrations of cells irradiated in the log phase of growth were unchanged relative to controls. In contrast, there was a rise in the concentration of cyclic AMP in cells irradiated after they reached confluency. The increase in concentration was observed as early as 30 min after irradiation, reached a maximum of about 200% of control at 4 to 6 h after exposure, and returned to control values by 24 h after irradiation. The effect was proportional to a UV fluence from 5 to 20 J/m², and was blocked by the addition of the UV absorbing agent para-aminobenzoic acid. In contrast, our results indicated that UV light had no effect on the concentration of cyclic GMP in human fibroblast cell cultures. Because of the importance of cyclic nucleotides in the regulation of cellular function, it is reasonable to hypothesize that changes in cyclic AMP induced by UV light may affect the extranuclear functions of irradiated cells.