T. Itoh et al., Reinvestigation of the classification of five cell strains of xeroderma pigmentosum group E with reclassification of three of them, J INVES DER, 114(5), 2000, pp. 1022-1029
Xeroderma pigmentosum is a photosensitive syndrome caused by a defect in nu
cleotide excision repair or postreplication repair. Individuals of xeroderm
a pigmentosum group E (xeroderma pigmentosum E) have a mild clinical form o
f the disease and their cells exhibit a high level of nucleotide excision r
epair as measured by unscheduled DNA synthesis, as well as biochemical hete
rogeneity. Cell strains from one group of xeroderma pigmentosum E patients
have normal damage-specific DNA binding activity (Ddb(+)), whereas others d
o not (Ddb(-)). Using a refinement of a previously reported cell fusion com
plementation assay, the previously assigned Ddb(+) xeroderma pigmentosum E
strains, XP89TO, XP43TO, and XP24KO, with various phenotypes in DNA repair
markers, were reassigned to xeroderma pigmentosum group F, xeroderma pigmen
tosum variant, and ultraviolet-sensitive syndrome, respectively. The Ddb(-)
xeroderma pigmentosum E strains, XP82TO, and GM02415B, which showed almost
normal cellular phenotypes in DNA repair markers, however, remained assign
ed to xeroderma pigmentosum group E. With the exception of the Ddb(+) strai
n XP89TO, which demonstrated defective nucleotide excision repair, both Ddb
(-) and Ddb(+) xeroderma pigmentosum E cells exhibited the same levels of v
ariation in unscheduled DNA synthesis that were seen in normal control cell
s. By genome DNA sequencing, the two Ddb(-) xeroderma pigmentosum E strains
were shown to have mutations in the DDB2 gene, confirming previous reports
for XP82TO and GM02415B, and validating the classification of both cells.
As only the Ddb(-) strains investigated remain classified in the xeroderma
pigmentosum E complementation group, it is feasible that only Ddb(-) cells
are xeroderma pigmentosum E and that mutations in the DDB2 gene are solely
responsible for the xeroderma pigmentosum E group.