Mapping of UV photoproducts along the human P53 gene.

Abstract

Methods to detect DNA adducts at the DNA sequence level in mammalian cells have been developed, and it is now possible to relate adduct frequency and repair efficiency with mutations at certain nucleotide positions in human cancer-relevant genes. Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene have been found in a large proportion of human skin cancers. These mutations are predominantly C to T transitions and CC to TT double transition mutations, two types of base alterations specifically induced by UV light. In order to find possible correlations between adduct distribution and mutations at specific p53 sequences, we have mapped at single-base resolution the distribution of cyclobutane dimers (CBD) and (6-4) photoproducts along the p53 gene in UV-irradiated human skin fibroblasts by ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LMPCR).