Unscheduled DNA synthesis in lens epithelium after in vivo exposure to UV radiation in the 300 nm wavelength region.

Abstract

A quantitative autoradiographic method was developed to study the pattern of DNA synthesis in the rat lens epithelium after in vivo exposure to UV radiation in the 300 nm wavelength region. It was found that UV radiation (peak transmission = 298 nm, half-width = +/- 10 nm) induces unscheduled DNA synthesis and that the proportion of nuclei in S-phase concurrently is reduced indicating an inhibition of the scheduled DNA synthesis. The registered unscheduled DNA synthesis is believed to be excision repair of DNA damage induced by the UV radiation. Excision repair in lens epithelial cells could be one mechanism involved in the correlation between exposure to sunlight and cataracts.