Functional Compartmentation of dCTP Pools: PREFERENTIAL UTILIZATION OF SALVAGED DEOXYCYTIDINE FOR DNA REPAIR IN HUMAN LYMPHOBLASTS

Abstract

The utilization of dCTP derived from de novo synthesis through ribonucleotide reductase in exponentially growing CCRF-CEM cells was compared with the metabolic fate of dCTP produced by the salvage pathway. Exogenous dCyd was not effectively incorporated into replicating DNA; instead, dCTP derived from ribonucleotide reductase (labeled by [5-3H]Cyd) was the main precursor for that purpose, apparently because of functional compartmentation of the dCTP pool in these cells. Studies of the metabolic route of incorporation of exogenous [5-3H]dCyd into DNA of growing CCRF-CEM cells demonstrated that it was mainly incorporated through the DNA repair pathway. Incorporation of [5-3H]dCyd into DNA of synchronized cell populations was maximal in G1 cells, whereas [3H]dThd incorporation occurred predominantly in S phase cells. When cellular DNA was density labeled by incubation with BrdUrd, repaired DNA, which was less dense than replicated DNA, was preferentially labeled by [5-3H]dCyd. In contrast, replicated DNA was labeled by both [3H]dThd and [5-3H]Cyd. The DNA-damaging agents methylmethanesulfonate, ultraviolet irradiation, and gamma-irradiation inhibited [3H]dThd incorporation, whereas they stimulated the accumulation of [5-3H]dCyd in DNA. Based on these results, we propose that the dCTP pool is functionally compartmentalized in growing CCRF-CEM cells. dCTP derived from the salvage pathway is utilized predominantly for DNA repair, whereas the de novo pathway supplies dCTP for DNA replication.