Monica Hirsch-Kauffmann

Overexpression of thioredoxin in Fanconi anemia fibroblasts prevents the cytotoxic and DNA damaging effect of mitomycin C and diepoxybutane

Adult T cell leukemia derived factor (ADF)/thioredoxin (Trx) is known to be an important intracellular antioxidant involved in a number of redox reactions such as ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) as well as of tyrosinase. Since RNR is a key enzyme of nucleotide metabolism and DNA synthesis, a reduced Trx level would result in reduced enzymatic activity and cause DNA damage. Furthermore, Trx is considered to be an effective regulator of redox sensitive gene expression. The role of Trx in nucleotide metabolism and gene expression may be an explanation for increased chromosomal instability as well as hypersensitivity towards oxygen, ROI and ROI generating agents. The activity of tyrosinase, the key enzyme of melanin biosynthesis, is influenced by the thioredoxin level and by superoxide radicals. Low thioredoxin levels and high superoxide concentrations activate tyrosinase causing hyperpigmentation of the skin. In addition to the observed high superoxide concentration in Fanconi anemia (FA) patients, a low thioredoxin level might be responsible for the hyperpigmentation (café‐au‐lait spots) in this disease. We observed that overexpression of the thioredoxin cDNA in FA fibroblasts completely abolished the DNA damaging effects of mitomycin C and diepoxybutane and inhibited the constitutive activity of the nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) in SV40 transformed FA fibroblasts. However, spontaneous chromosomal breakage was not affected.

Accelerated telomere shortening in Fanconi anemia fibroblasts – a longitudinal study

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a fatal inherited disease displaying chromosomal instability, disturbances in oxygen metabolism and a high burden of intracellular radical oxygen species. Oxygen radicals can damage DNA including telomeric regions. Insufficient repair results in single strand breaks that can induce accelerated telomere shortening. In a longitudinal study we demonstrate that telomeric DNA is continuously lost at a higher rate in FA fibroblasts compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, we show that this loss is caused rather by an increased shortening per cell division in regularly replicating cells than by apoptosis.

Deficiency of DNA ligase activity in Fanconi's anemia

SummaryA significant decrease in DNA ligase activity was observed in lymphocytes and fibroblasts of a patient with Fanconis anemia (FA). This decrease is related to the observed DNA repair deficiency indicated by the delayed closing of repair DNA strands following UV irradiation. Other steps of DNA repair were analyzed in the FA fibroblasts, including endonucleolytic incision of DNA, repair DNA synthesis, and exonucleolytic removal of the photoproducts. No differences were found against control cells. The action of DNA ligase is delayed during replication in the FA cells, as seen by an accumulation of replicative intermediates.

Isolation of ADP-ribosyltransferase by affinity chromatography☆

An affinity adsorbent for ADP-ribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.30) has been synthesized by coupling 3-aminobenzamide to Sepharose 4B. Using this material, ADP-ribosyltransferase from human placenta has been purified from crude extract to homogeneity within a few hours. The enzyme has an apparent Km for NAD+ of 52 microM. Its molecular mass is 115,000 as determined by gel electrophoresis. The enzyme is DNA dependent and stimulated by histone, its temperature optimum is at 25 degrees C, and its pH optimum is around pH 9. alpha-NAD+, thymidine, caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, 3-methoxybenzamide, and nicotinamide inhibit the enzyme. Purification of ADP-ribosyltransferases from horse, rat, and chicken liver was also achieved with the method described.

Control of gene expression in bacteriophage T7: Transcriptional controls

SummaryTwo transcriptional control mechanisms of T7 can be distinguished both affecting the transcription by E. coli RNA polymerase: An early control and an “early-late” control. In wild type infections, both transcriptional control proteins appear at approximately the same time. Mutations in the early control gene have, therefore, little effect on transcription, if tested in the presence of virus RNA polymerase. Using mutants in T7 RNA polymerase, the appearance of the “early-late” control is delayed. Then, the effect of the early control gene is dramatic, its deficiency leading to an overproduction of host and early T7 RNA. The early RNA control appears to be exerted by the T7 protein kinase, the “early-late” control protein is most likely identical with the transcriptional inhibitor, which has been isolated and purified (Ponta et al., 1974). Both control proteins inhibit the initiation of RNA synthesis by E. coli RNA polymerase.

Clinical and biochemical studies in three patients with severe early infantile Cockayne syndrome

SummaryWe present clinical and biochemical data from three patients with severe Cockayne syndrome (CS) of very early onset. Unlike in classic CS, signs became evident in the first weeks of life and led to unusually early death. Fibroblasts from two of the patients showed a complete defect of the repair of UV-induced thymine dimer lesions. They were unable to remove thymine dimer lesions from their DNA, had a severe reduction of the RNA synthesis rates after UV irradiation, and showed no reactivation of an UV-inactivated indicator gene and no DNA recondensation after UV irradiation. DNA repair investigated in these two fibroblast cell strains resembled that of xeroderma pigmentosum cells of complementation group A. In contrast, fibroblasts from the third patient showed the same in vitro repair characteristics as classic CS cells.

Transcriptional regulation and autoregulation of the human gene for ADP-ribosyltransferase

Human nuclear poly(ADP-ribosyl)transferase (ADPRT) modifies proteins with branched ADP-ribose-polymers. Various proteins, including ADPRT itself, serve as acceptors for polyADP-ribose. Target proteins include those controlling basic cellular processes such as DNA repair, differentiation and proliferation. Because of the outstanding features of this enzyme: automodification, several functional domains and central role in physiology of the cell, the molecular biology of ADPRT gained wide interest. The promoter structure contains several CCAAT/TATA boxes and SP1 sites. However, there is no CCAAT/TATA box in the neighbourhood of an SP1 site and, thus no obvious site for initiation of transcription. Within this region there are several noteworthy inverted repeats, which by internal basepairing could form two types of cruciform structures. Deletion analysis revealed that these cruciform structures have functional significance. Removal of one type increases the promoter activity, whereas removal of the other diminishes the promoter function.Overexpression of ADPRT from heterologous promoters (MMTV, SV40) leads to repression of the activity of the ADPRT promoter. Indeed, ADPRT was shown to bind specifically to one type of cruciform structure. This specific interaction indicates autorepression of the ADPRT gene: the enzyme ADPRT acts directly as a negative modulator of the activity of its own promoter.

Overexpressed thioredoxin compensates Fanconi anemia related chromosomal instability

The cause of the molecular defect of Fanconi anemia (FA) remains unknown. Cells from patients with FA exert an elevated spontaneous chromosomal instability which is further triggered by mitomycin C. The induced lability is reduced by overexpression of thioredoxin which is not the case for spontaneous instability. However, both are eliminated by overexpression of thioredoxin cDNA with an added nuclear localization signal. This implies that thioredoxin is lacking in the nuclei of FA cells. The total thioredoxin content in all FA cells tested is reduced. The resultant lack of nuclear thioredoxin can be the explanation for the major symptomatology in FA. Since thioredoxin is known to be the reactive cofactor of ribonucleotid reductase its shortcoming reduces the supply of deoxyribonucleotides thus hindering the DNA and replication repair with resultant chromosomal breaks. Furthermore, depression of tyrosine hydroxylase, the key enzyme of melanine synthesis, could be the basis for the pathognomotic ‘café au lait’ spots of FA. The observation of thioredoxin reduction in FA cells permits insight into the molecular phathophysiology of FA.

Intracellular distribution of DNA topoisomerase I in fibroblasts from patients with Fanconi's anaemia

SummaryThe activity of DNA topoisomerase I (DNA nicking-closing enzyme) was analysed in cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts of six independently derived Fanconi and four normal fibroblast cell lines. In all experiments the total cellular activity was predominantly found in the nuclear extracts (88–100%). In addition, a minor proportion of the enzyme (up to 12%) was randomly present in some of the cytoplasmic fractions of both Fanconi and normal fibroblasts. These results indicate that Fanconis anaemia is probably not due to or accompanied by a maldistribution of topoisomerase I between nuclei and cytoplasm.

Involvement of the Fanconi anemia protein FA-C in repair processes of oxidative DNA damages

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by skeletal abnormalities, pancytopenia and a marked predisposition to cancer. FA cells exhibit chromosomal instability and hypersensitivity towards oxygen and cross‐linking agents such as diepoxybutane and mitomycin C. An increased level of reactive oxygen intermediates and an elevation of 8‐oxoguanine in FA cells point to a defective oxygen metabolism in FA cells. We investigated the repair activity of oxidatively damaged DNA in lymphoblastoid cells from FA patients of complementation groups A–E. The repair activity for oxidatively damaged DNA was significantly reduced in lymphoblastoid cell lines of complementation groups B–E. Complementation of the FA‐C cell line with the wild type FA‐C gene restored the repair activity to normal. This indicates that the FA‐C protein participates in the repair of oxidatively damaged DNA.