title: O6-methylguanine repair in liver cells in vivo: comparison between G1- and S-phase of the cell cycle.
abstract: To compare the formation and persistence of alkylated DNA bases in the G1- and S-phase compartments in liver in vivo, regenerating rat liver was exposed to [14C]dimethylnitrosamine (0.57 mg/kg, IP injection) or N-[methyl14C]-N-nitrosourea (3.3 mg/kg, intraportal injection) during the G1 phase of the cell cycle (12 h after partial hepatectomy), or at 24 h after partial hepatectomy with 30% hepatocytes in DNA synthesis, or at 43 h after partial hepatectomy, 4 h after an hydroxyurea block from 14 to 39 h after operation with 80% hepatocytes in DNA synthesis. At 120 min after dimethylnitrosamine and 90 s, 5, 10, or 60 min after the intraportal pulse of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea the molar fractions of 7-methylguanine (7megua), O6-methylguanine (O6megua), and 3-methyladenine (3mead) and of metabolically labeled guanine were determined from DNA hydrolysates by Sephadex-G10 radiochromatography. After dimethylnitrosamine only minor differences were observed for 7megua formation in the three groups; the 3mead/7megua ratio remained constant irrespective of the number of cells in S phase. In contrast, the O6megua/7megua ratio revealed a loss of O6megua, the extent of which appeared proportional to the fraction of DNA-synthesizing cells in the liver. The rapid loss of O6megua in S-phase cells was confirmed after intraportal administration of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. During the first 10 min after the methylnitrosourea pulse the O6megua/7megua ratio was constant in G1 cells and dropped from 90 s to 10 min by about 15% in liver containing 30% S-phase cells and by about 40% with 80% cells in DNA synthesis. DNA-synthesizing hepatocytes are apparently endowed with a higher O6megua DNA transferase activity than nonproliferating liver cells. The rapid, though exhaustible elimination of O6megua during S-phase might result in partial protection of DNA-synthesizing cells from base-mispairing and/or from hypomethylation at G-C sites.
mesh_terms: D000478:Alkylation; D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004260:DNA Repair; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008770:Methylnitrosourea; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000032:analysis; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D006147:Guanine; D008770:Methylnitrosourea; D004247:DNA; C008449:O-(6)-methylguanine; D008780:Methyltransferases; D019853:O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase