Tomasz H. Zastawny

DNA base modifications in chromatin of human cancerous tissues

Free radical‐induced damage to DNA in vivo is implicated to play a role in carcinogenesis. Evidence exists that DNA damage by endogenous free radicals occurs in vivo, and there is a steady‐state level of free radical‐modified bases in cellular DNA. We have investigated endogenous levels of typical free radical‐induced DNA base modifications in chromatin of various human cancerous tissues and their cancer‐free surrounding tissues. Five different types of surgically removed tissues were used, namely colon, stomach, ovary, brain and lung tissues. In chromatin samples isolated from these tissues, five pyrimidine‐derived and six purine‐derived modified DNA bases were identified and quantitated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected‐ion monitoring. These were 5‐hydroxy‐5‐methylhydantoin, 5‐hydroxyhydantoin, 5‐(hydroxymethyl)uracil, 5‐hydroxycytosine, 5,6‐dihydroxycytosine, 4,6‐diamino‐5‐formamidopyrimidine, 8‐hydroxyadenine, xanthine, 2‐hydroxyadenine, 2,6‐diamino‐4‐hydroxy‐5‐formamidopyrimidine, and 8‐hydroxyguanine. These compounds are known to be formed typically by hydroxyl radical attack an DNA bases. In all cases, elevated amounts over control levels of modified DNA bases were found in cancerous tissues. The amounts modified bases depended on the tissue type. Lung tissues removed from smokers had the highest increases of modified bases above the control levels, and the highest overall amounts. Colon cancer tissue samples had the lowest increases of modified buses over the control levels. The results clearly indicate higher steady‐state levels of modified DNA bases in cancerous tissues than in their cancer‐free surrounding tissues. Some of these lesions are known to be promutagenic, although others have not been investigated for their mutagenicity. Identified DNA lesions may play a causative role in carcinogenesis.

Oxidative DNA base damage and antioxidant enzyme activities in human lung cancer

We have investigated levels of antioxidant enzymes and free radical‐induced DNA base modifications in human cancerous lung tissues and in their cancer‐free surrounding tissues. Various DNA base lesions in chromatin of lung tissues were measured by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were also measured in lung tissues. Higher levels of DNA lesions were observed in cancerous tissues than in cancer‐free surrounding tissues. Antioxidant enzyme levels were lower in cancerous tissues. The results indicate an association between decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes and increased levels of DNA lesions in cancerous tissues. Higher levels of DNA lesions suggest that free radical reactions may be increased in malignant tumor cells.

Formation of DNA-protein cross-links in cultured mammalian cells upon treatment with iron ions

Formation of DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) in mammalian cells upon treatment with iron or copper ions was investigated. Cultured murine hybridoma cells were treated with Fe(II) or Cu(II) ions by addition to the culture medium at various concentrations. Subsequently, chromatin samples were isolated from treated and control cells. Analyses of chromatin samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after hydrolysis and derivatization revealed a significant increase over the background amount of 3-[(1,3-dihydrio-2,4-dioxopyrimidin-5-yl)-methyl]- L-tyrosine (Thy-Tyr crosslink) in cells treated with Fe(II) ions in the concentration range of 0.01 to 1 mM. In contrast, Cu(II) ions at the same concentrations did not produce this DPC in cells. No DNA base damage was observed in cells treated with Cu(II) ions, either. Preincubation of cells with ascorbic acid or coincubation with dimethyl sulfoxide did not significantly alleviate the Fe(II) ion-mediated formation of DPCs. In addition, a modified fluorometric analysis of DNA unwinding assay was used to detect DPCs formed in cells. Fe(II) ions caused significant formation of DPCs, but Cu(II) ions did not. The nature of the Fe(II)-mediated DPCs suggests the involvement of the hydroxyl radical in their formation. The Thy-Tyr crosslink may contribute to pathological processes associated with free radical reactions.

Characterization and mechanism of action of Drosophila ribosomal protein S3 DNA glycosylase activity for the removal of oxidatively damaged DNA bases.

We recently demonstrated thatDrosophila ribosomal protein S3 specifically cleaved duplex oligodeoxynucleotides at sites of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoGua), presumably due to S3 protein possessing an N-glycosylase activity that is associated with its known apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) lyase activity. Here we show, using DNA substrates prepared by γ-irradiation under N2O and analyzed by gas chromatography/isotope-dilution mass spectrometry, that S3 protein efficiently liberates 8-oxoGua as a free base from the damaged DNA substrate. Of the 15 additional modified bases present in the DNA substrate, the only other one acted on by S3 protein was 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyGua). Specificity constants measured for the removal of 8-oxoGua and FapyGua indicate that S3 protein has a similar preference for both of these modified purines. Having established that S3 protein contains anN-glycosylase activity, we next examined the repair of duplex oligonucleotides containing 8-oxoGua (8-oxoGua-37-mer) positioned opposite Cyt, Gua, Thy, or Ade. Significant cleavage of the 8-oxoGua-37-mer was only detected for an opposing Cyt. Moreover, we show that an imino covalent enzyme-substrate intermediate is formed between S3 protein and 8-oxoGua-37-mer, a result similar to other DNA repair enzymes that catalyze N-glycosylase/AP lyase-type reactions at sites of DNA damage.

DNA base modifications and membrane damage in cultured mammalian cells treated with iron ions

We investigated DNA base damage in mammalian cells exposed to exogenous iron ions in culture. Murine hybridoma cells were treated with Fe(II) ions at concentrations of 10 microM, 100 microM, and 1 mM. Chromatin was isolated from treated and control cells and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for DNA base damage. Ten modified DNA bases were identified in both Fe(II)-treated and control cells. The quantification of modified bases was achieved by isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. In Fe(II)-treated cells, the amounts of modified bases were increased significantly above the background levels found in control cells. Dimethyl sulfoxide at concentrations up to 1 M in the culture medium did not significantly inhibit the formation of modified DNA bases. A mathematical simulation used to evaluate the plausibility of DNA damage upon Fe(II) treatment predicted a dose-dependent response, which agreed with the experimental results. In addition, Fe(II) treatment of cells increased the cell membrane permeability and caused production of lipid peroxides. The nature of DNA base lesions suggests the involvement of the hydroxyl radical in their formation. The failure of dimethyl sulfoxide to inhibit their formation indicates a site-specific mechanism for DNA damage with involvement of DNA-bound metal ions. Fe(II) treatment of cells may increase the intracellular iron ion concentration and/or cause oxidative stress releasing metal ions from their storage sites with subsequent binding to DNA. Identified DNA base lesions may be promutagenic and play a role in pathologic processes associated with iron ions.

Tert.-Butyl hydroperoxide-mediated DNA base damage in cultured mammalian cells

tert.-Butyl hydroperoxide has been utilized to study the effect of oxidative stress on living cells; however, its effect on DNA bases in cells has not been characterized. In the present work, we have investigated DNA base damage in mammalian cells exposed to this organic hydroperoxide. SP2/0 derived murine hybridoma cells were treated with 4 concentrations of tert.-butyl hydroperoxide for varying periods of time. Chromatin was isolated from treated and control cells and subsequently analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected-ion monitoring for DNA base damage. Quantification of damaged DNA bases was achieved by isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. The amounts of 8 products were significantly higher than control levels in cells treated with tert.-butyl hydroperoxide at a concentration range of 0.01-0.1 mM. At concentrations from 1.0 to 10 mM, product formation was inhibited and the amounts of products were similar to those in control cells. The bimodal nature of the dose-response may be qualitatively analogous to previous reports of bimodal killing of E. coli bacteria by hydrogen peroxide. The nature of the identified DNA base lesions suggests the involvement of the hydroxyl radical in their formation. tert.-Butyl hydroperoxide is known to produce the tert.-butoxyl radical in reactions with metal ions. However, it is unlikely that the tert.-butoxyl radical produces these DNA lesions. It is suggested that DNA base damage arises from tert.-butyl hydroperoxide-mediated oxidative stress in cells, resulting in formation of hydroxyl radicals in close proximity to DNA. The inhibition of product formation at high concentrations of tert.-butyl hydroperoxide may be explained by the scavenging of tert.-butoxyl radical by tert.-butyl hydroperoxide resulting in inhibition of oxidative stress. The plausibility of the scavenging mechanism was evaluated with a mathematical simulation of the dose-response for DNA damage in solutions containing hydrogen peroxide. The simulation model predicted a bimodal dose-response which agreed qualitatively with the results in this study and with other in vivo and in vitro studies reported in the literature.

COMPARISON OF OXIDATIVE BASE DAMAGE IN MITOCHONDRIAL AND NUCLEAR DNA

The levels of endogenous pig liver cells mitochondrial DNA oxidative base damage have been investigated using isotope dilution gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Higher levels of five measured bases were found in mtDNA in relation to nuclear DNA. We have also detected large differences in the modified base ratios of mitochondrial versus nuclear DNA. These ratios for the bases with promutagenic properties as 8OHGua and 5OHCyt are much lower than for other bases (5OHHyd, 5OHMeHyd, 5OHMeUra).

DNA base modifications and antioxidant enzyme activities in human benign prostatic hyperplasia

The authors have studied DNA base damage and activities of antioxidant enzymes in human benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues and surrounding disease-free tissues removed from prostate glands of 15 patients. In these tissues, endogenous levels of various typical hydroxyl radical-induced products of DNA bases and activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were measured. The majority of patients had higher levels of DNA base lesions and lower activities of enzymes in BPH tissues than in normal prostate tissues. When activities of both enzymes were lower in BPH tissues than in normal tissues, the increases in the amounts of DNA base lesions over control levels were most prominent. In the case of similar enzyme activities in both BPH and normal tissues, no changes in levels of DNA base lesions were observed. These results suggest a possible association between antioxidant enzyme activities and levels of DNA base lesions in BPH tissues. Some of the identified DNA lesions are known to be premutagenic and may play a role in carcinogenesis. Although a possible link between BPH and prostate cancer is controversial, BPH patients with both decreased antioxidant enzyme activities and increased levels of DNA lesions may be at risk of developing prostate cancer.

DNA base damage in lymphocytes of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy

We investigated DNA base damage in genomic DNA of lymphocytes of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Lymphocyte chromatin samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/isotope-dilution mass spectrometry for DNA base damage. The results provided evidence for formation of typical hydroxyl radical-induced base modifications in genomic DNA of lymphocytes. Different levels of DNA products in individuals were observed and, in the case of some patients, there was no significant product formation, possibly resulting from differences between individuals and between the types of radiation exposures. Decreases in product levels after an initial increase by radiation exposure were observed. This may indicate the removal of modified bases from lymphocyte DNA by cellular repair.

A novel DNA N-glycosylase activity of E. coli T4 endonuclease V that excises 4,6-diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine from DNA, a UV-radiation- and hydroxyl radical-induced product of adenine

We report on a novel activity of T4 endonuclease V. This enzyme is well known to be specific for the excision of pyrimidine dimers from UV-irradiated DNA. In this work, we show that T4 endonuclease V excises 4,6-diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine from DNA. 4,6-Diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine is formed as a product of adenine in DNA upon action of hydroxyl radicals and upon UV-irradiation. DNA substrates were prepared by UV-or gamma-irradiation of DNA in aqueous solution. DNA substrates were incubated either with active T4 endonuclease V or with heat-inactivated T4 endonuclease V or without the enzyme. After incubation, DNA was precipitated and supernatant fractions were separated. Supernatant fractions after derivatization, and pellets after hydrolysis and derivatization were analyzed by gas chromatography/isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. The results provide evidence for the excision of 4,6-diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine by T4 endonuclease V from both gamma-and UV-irradiated DNA. Kinetics of excision were also determined. Fifteen other pyrimidine- and purine-derived base lesions that were identified in DNA samples were not substrates for this enzyme. It was concluded that, in addition to its well known activity for pyrimidine photodimers, T4 endonuclease V possesses an N-glycosylase activity for a major UV-radiation- and hydroxyl radical-induced monomeric product in DNA.