Nucleic Acids Research, Vol 26, Issue 14 3397-3403, Copyright © 1998 by Oxford University Press
SL Yu, SK Lee, H Alexander and S Alexander
Organisms use different mechanisms to detect and repair different types of
DNA damage, and different species vary in their sensitivity to DNA damaging
agents. The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum has long been
recognized for its unusual resistance to UV and ionizing radiation. We have
recently cloned three nucleotide excision repair (NER) genes from
Dictyostelium , the rep B, D and E genes (the homologs of the human
xeroderma pigmentosum group B, D and E genes, respectively). Each of these
genes has a unique pattern of expression during the multicellular
development of this organism. We have now examined the response of these
genes to DNA damage. The rep B and D DNA helicase genes are rapidly and
transiently induced in a dose dependent manner following exposure to both
UV-light and the widely used chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin.
Interestingly, the rep E mRNA level is repressed by UV but not by
cisplatin, implying unique signal transduction pathways for recognizing and
repairing different types of damage. Cells from all stages of growth and
development display the same pattern of NER gene expression following
exposure to UV-light. These results suggest that the response to UV is
independent of DNA replication, and that all the factors necessary for
rapid transcription of these NER genes are either stable throughout
development, or are continuously synthesized. It is significant that the
up-regulation of the rep B and D genes in response to UV and chemical
damage has not been observed to occur in cells from other species. We
suggest that this rapid expression of NER genes is at least in part
responsible for the unusual resistance of Dictyostelium to DNA damage.
ARTICLES
Rapid changes of nucleotide excision repair gene expression following UV-irradiation and cisplatin treatment of Dictyostelium discoideum
Division of Biological Sciences, 422 Tucker Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7400, USA.
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