A. Malapetsa et al., IDENTIFICATION OF A 116 KDA PROTEIN ABLE TO BIND 1,3-BIS(2-CHLOROETHYL)-1-NITROSOUREA-DAMAGED DNA AS POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASE, Mutation research. DNA repair, 362(1), 1996, pp. 41-50
SKI-I is a 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU)-resistant gliom
a cell line and SK-MG-I is a BCNU-sensitive glioma cell line. Both cel
l lines do not express O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyl transferase (MGMT)
and exhibit comparable levels of 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase. In
order to detect DNA binding proteins involved in alternative DNA repai
r mechanisms of BCNU damage, we performed Southwestern analysis using
a DNA probe damaged with BCNU and nuclear protein extracts from SKI-1
and SK-MG-1 cell lines. Both cell lines express a protein of M(r) 116
000 that is able to bind to BCNU-damaged DNA with higher specificity t
han to undamaged DNA. This protein was identified as poly(ADP-ribose)
polymerase (PARP). Using glioma extracts depleted of PARP or using ant
ibody to block the DNA binding domain of PARP no other protein binding
to BCNU-treated probe was observed. Addition of methoxyamine, an inhi
bitor of DNA strand breaks, led to a significant reduction of PARP bin
ding to BCNU-treated DNA. BCNU treatment of both glioma cell lines led
to reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels, indicating activ
ation of PARP. Thus, the recognition and binding of PARP to BCNU-induc
ed DNA nicks with concomitant PARP activation may be important process
es that are involved in the initial stage of DNA repair of BCNU lesion
s in glial cells.