DNA ligation and changes in chromatin structure associated with repair patches under conditions of inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis.

Abstract

The rate of intracellular ligation of excision repair patches has been measured under conditions of inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis by 3-aminobenzamide. Excision repair patches in DNA of cells damaged by methyl methanesulfonate were labeled with [3H]thymidine and blocked at an intermediate stage by aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA polymerase alpha. Nearly half of the [3H]thymidine label in the repair patches was sensitive to rapid digestion by exonuclease III, indicating that the label was at unligated 3' termini of repair sites. Removal of [3H]thymidine and aphidicolin permitted the intracellular ligation rate to be determined. From analysis of chromatin, ligation appeared to occur rapidly, independent of the effect of 3-aminobenzamide. Analysis of purified DNA, however, indicated that high doses of methyl methanesulfonate resulted in slow ligation rates but that 3-aminobenzamide accelerated the rates of ligation. The analysis of chromatin, therefore, indicates that unligated repair sites are sites of protein accretion which block exonuclease III action. The results from analysis of DNA indicate that poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis and associated pool depletion inhibits ligation rates; 3-aminobenzamide prevents poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis, maintains pool levels high and facilitates rapid ligation.