The human carcinogen vinyl chloride is metabolized in the liver to reactive intermediates which generate various ethenobases in DNA. It has been reported that 1,N6-ethenoadenine (epsilon A) is excised by a DNA glycosylase present in human cell extracts, whereas protein extracts from Escherichia coli and yeast were devoid of such an activity. We confirm that the human 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase (ANPG protein) excises epsilon A residues. This finding was extended to the rat (ADPG protein). We show, at variance with the previous report, that pure E.coli 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase II (AlkA protein) as well as its yeast counterpart, the MAG protein, excise epsilon A from double stranded oligodeoxynucleotides that contain a single epsilon A. Both enzymes act as DNA glycosylases. The full length and the truncated human (ANPG 70 and 40 proteins, respectively) and the rat (ADPG protein) 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylases activities towards epsilon A are 2-3 orders of magnitude more efficient than the E.coli or yeast enzyme for the removal of epsilon A. The Km of the various proteins were measured. They are 24, 200 and 800 nM for the ANPG, MAG and AlkA proteins respectively. These three proteins efficiently cleave duplex oligonucleotides containing epsilon A positioned opposite T, G, C or epsilon A. However the MAG protein excises A opposite cytosine much faster than opposite thymine, guanine or adenine.
O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase)-deficient murine haemopoietic stem cells were transfected, following electroporation, with a G418-selectable expression vector containing the protein coding region of the Escherichia coli ATase gene ada. Clones of cells that were resistant to G418 or the chloroethylating agent mitozolomide (Mz) were selected and most were shown to express very high levels of bacterial gene-encoded ATase. In comparison with control cells that were transfected with the parent vector, the ATase-expressing clones were considerably more resistant to the toxic effects of the methylating agents N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and methylmethanesulphonate or the chloroethylating agents Mz or taurine chloroethylnitrosourea, but unchanged in their susceptibility to the bis-chloroethylating agent nitrogen mustard. Thus alkylation damage in DNA that can be repaired by the E. coli ATase constitutes the principal lethal lesion produced by alkylating agents in murine haemopoietic stem cells and the ATase deficiency in these cells can be complemented by electroporation-mediated gene transfection.
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