Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a high frequency of skin cancer on sun-exposed areas, and neurological complications. XP has a defect in the early step(s) of nucleotide-excision repair (NER) and consists of eight different genetic complementation groups (groups A-G and a variant). We established XPA (group-A XP) gene-deficient mice by gene targeting of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. The XPA-deficient mice showed neither obvious physical abnormalities nor pathological alterations, but were defective in NER and highly susceptible to ultraviolet-B- or 9,10-dimethyl-1,2-benz[a]anthracene-induced skin carcinogenesis. These findings provide in vivo evidence that the XPA protein protects mice from carcinogenesis initiated by ultraviolet or chemical carcinogen. The XPA-deficient mice may provide a good in vivo model to study the high incidence of skin carcinogenesis in group A XP patients.

The MRN complex (Mre11/RAD50/NBS1) and ATM (ataxia telangiectasia, mutated) are critical for the cellular response to DNA damage. ATM disruption causes ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), while MRN dysfunction can lead to A-T-like disease (ATLD) or Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS). Neuropathology is a hallmark of these diseases, whereby neurodegeneration occurs in A-T and ATLD while microcephaly characterizes NBS. To understand the contrasting neuropathology resulting from Mre11 or Nbs1 hypomorphic mutations, we analyzed neural tissue from Mre11 ATLD1/ATLD1 and Nbs1 DB/DB mice after genotoxic stress. We found a pronounced resistance to DNA damage-induced apoptosis after ionizing radiation or DNA ligase IV (Lig4) loss in the Mre11 ATLD1/ATLD1 nervous system that was associated with defective Atm activation and phosphorylation of its substrates Chk2 and p53. Conversely, DNA damage-induced Atm phosphorylation was defective in Nbs1 DB/DB neural tissue, although apoptosis occurred normally. We also conditionally disrupted Lig4 throughout the nervous system using Nestin-cre (Lig4Nes-Cre ), and while viable, these mice showed pronounced microcephaly and a prominent age-related accumulation of DNA damage throughout the brain. Either Atm À/À or Mre11 ATLD1/ATLD1 genetic backgrounds, but not Nbs1 DB/DB , rescued Lig4 Nes-Cre microcephaly. Thus, DNA damage signaling in the nervous system is different between ATLD and NBS and likely explains their respective neuropathology.[Keywords: NBS; ATLD; A-T; DNA damage; neurodegeneration] Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.

Trisomy 21 (Ts21) is the most common live-born human aneuploidy; it results in a constellation of features known as Down's syndrome (DS). Ts21 is the most frequent cause of congenital heart defects and the leading genetic cause of mental retardation. To investigate the gene dosage effects of an extra copy of human chromosome 21 (Chr 21) on various phenotypes, we used microcell-mediated chromosome transfer to create embryonic stem (ES) cells containing Chr 21. ES cell lines retaining Chr 21 as an independent chromosome were used to produce chimeric mice with a substantial contribution from Chr 21-containing cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and PCR-based DNA analysis revealed that Chr 21 was substationally intact but had sustained a small deletion. The freely segregating Chr 21 was lost during development in some tissues, resulting in a panel of chimeric mice with various mosaicism as regards retention of the Chr 21. These chimeric mice showed a high correlation between retention of Chr 21 in the brain and impairment in learning or emotional behavior by open-field, contextual fear conditioning and forced swim tests. Hypoplastic thymus and cardiac defects, i.e. double outlet right ventricle and riding aorta, were observed in a considerable number of chimeric mouse fetuses with a high contribution of Chr 21. These chimeric mice mimic a wide variety of phenotypic traits of DS, revealing the utility of mice containing Chr 21 as unique models for DS and for the identification of genes responsible for DS.

This paper introduces an aqueous solution of platinum blue (Pt-blue) as an alternative to uranyl acetate (UA) for staining in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Pt-blue was prepared from a reaction of cis-dichlorodiamine-platinum (II) (cis-platin) with thymidine. When Pt-blue was dried on a microgrid and observed by TEM it showed a uniform appearance with tiny particles less than 1 nm in diameter. The effect of Pt-blue as an electron stain was then examined not only for positive staining of conventional ultrathin resin sections and counterstaining of post-embedding immuno-electron microscopy but also for negative staining. In ultrathin sections of the rat liver and renal glomerulus, Pt-blue provided good contrast images, especially in double staining combined with a lead stain (Pb). Almost all cell organelles were clearly observed with high contrast in these sections. Glycogen granules in the hepatic parenchymal cells were particularly electron dense in Pt-blue stained sections compared with those treated with UA. In longitudinal and transverse sections of budding influenza A viruses, a specific arrangement of rod-like structures, which correspond to the ribonucleoprotein complexes, was clearly shown in each virion stained with Pt-blue and Pb. When post-embedding immunoelectron microscopy was performed in ultrathin sections of HeLa cells embedded in Lowicryl K4M, the localization of Ki-67 protein was sufficiently detected even after Pt-blue and Pb staining. The present study also revealed that Pt-blue could be used for the negative staining of E. coli, allowing the visualization of a flagellum. These findings indicate that Pt-blue is a useful, safe, and easily obtainable electron stain that is an alternative to UA for TEM preparations.