Bloom's Syndrome Fibroblasts Research Articles

Considerations for radiotherapy in Bloom Syndrome: A case series

Bloom Syndrome (BS) is a genetic DNA repair disorder, caused by mutations in the BLM gene. The clinical phenotype includes growth retardation, immunodeficiency and a strong predisposition to different types of malignancies. Treatment of malignancies in BS patients with radiotherapy or chemotherapy is believed to be associated with increased toxicity, but clinical and laboratory data are lacking. We collected clinical data of two Dutch BS patients with solid tumors. Both were treated with radiotherapy before the diagnosis BS was made and tolerated this treatment well. In addition, we collected fibroblasts from BS patients to perform in vitro clonogenic survival assays to determine radiosensitivity. BS fibroblasts showed less radiosensitivity than the severely radiosensitive Artemis fibroblasts. Moreover, studies of double strand break kinetics by counting 53BP1 foci after irradiation showed similar patterns compared to healthy controls. In combination, the clinical cases and laboratory experiments are valuable information in the discussion whether radiotherapy is absolutely contraindicated in BS, which is the Case in other DNA repair syndromes like Ataxia Telangiectasia and Artemis.

RECQ-like helicases Sgs1 and BLM regulate R-loop-associated genome instability.

Sgs1, the orthologue of human Bloom's syndrome helicase BLM, is a yeast DNA helicase functioning in DNA replication and repair. We show that SGS1 loss increases R-loop accumulation and sensitizes cells to transcription-replication collisions. Yeast lacking SGS1 accumulate R-loops and γ-H2A at sites of Sgs1 binding, replication pausing regions, and long genes. The mutation signature of sgs1Δ reveals copy number changes flanked by repetitive regions with high R-loop-forming potential. Analysis of BLM in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts or by depletion of BLM from human cancer cells confirms a role for Sgs1/BLM in suppressing R-loop-associated genome instability across species. In support of a potential direct effect, BLM is found physically proximal to DNA:RNA hybrids in human cells, and can efficiently unwind R-loops in vitro. Together, our data describe a conserved role for Sgs1/BLM in R-loop suppression and support an increasingly broad view of DNA repair and replication fork stabilizing proteins as modulators of R-loop-mediated genome instability.

Protein Kinase A Subunit Expression is Altered in Bloom Syndrome Fibroblasts and the BLM Protein is Increased in Adrenocortical Hyperplasias: Inverse Findings for BLM and PRKAR1A

Bloom syndrome is a genetic disorder associated with chromosomal instability and a predisposition to tumors that is caused by germline mutations of the BLM gene, a RecQ helicase. Benign adrenocortical tumors display a degree of chromosomal instability that is more significant than benign tumors of other tissues. Cortisol-producing hyperplasias, such as primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease (PPNAD), which has been associated with protein kinase A (PKA) abnormalities and/or PRKAR1A mutations, also show genomic instability. Another RecQ helicase, WRN, directly interacts with the PRKAR1B subunit of PKA. In this study, we have investigated the PRKAR1A expression in primary human Bloom syndrome cell lines with known BLM mutations and examined the BLM gene expression in PPNAD and other adrenal tumor tissues. PRKAR1A and other protein kinase A (PKA) subunits were expressed in Bloom syndrome cells and their level of expression differed by subunit and cell type. Overall, fibroblasts exhibited a significant decrease in protein expression of all PKA subunits except for PRKAR1A, a pattern that has been associated with neoplastic transformation in several cell types. The BLM protein was upregulated in PPNAD and other hyperplasias, compared to samples from normal adrenals and normal cortex, as well as samples from cortisol- and aldosterone-producing adenomas (in which BLM was largely absent). These data reveal an inverse relationship between BLM and PRKAR1A: BLM deficiency is associated with a relative excess of PRKAR1A in fibroblasts compared to other PKA subunits; and PRKAR1A deficiency is associated with increased BLM protein in adrenal hyperplasias.

Functional Interaction of p53 and BLM DNA Helicase in Apoptosis

The Bloom syndrome (BS) protein, BLM, is a member of the RecQ DNA helicase family that also includes the Werner syndrome protein, WRN. Inherited mutations in these proteins are associated with cancer predisposition of these patients. We recently discovered that cells from Werner syndrome patients displayed a deficiency in p53-mediated apoptosis and WRN binds to p53. Here, we report that analogous to WRN, BLM also binds to p53 in vivo and in vitro, and the C-terminal domain of p53 is responsible for the interaction. p53-mediated apoptosis is defective in BS fibroblasts and can be rescued by expression of the normal BLM gene. Moreover, lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) derived from BS donors are resistant to both gamma-radiation and doxorubicin-induced cell killing, and sensitivity can be restored by the stable expression of normal BLM. In contrast, BS cells have a normal Fas-mediated apoptosis, and in response to DNA damage normal accumulation of p53, normal induction of p53 responsive genes, and normal G(1)-S and G(2)-M cell cycle arrest. BLM localizes to nuclear foci referred to as PML nuclear bodies (NBs). Cells from Li-Fraumeni syndrome patients carrying p53 germline mutations and LCLs lacking a functional p53 have a decreased accumulation of BLM in NBs, whereas isogenic lines with functional p53 exhibit normal accumulation. Certain BLM mutants (C1055S or Delta133-237) that have a reduced ability to localize to the NBs when expressed in normal cells can impair the localization of wild type BLM to NBs and block p53-mediated apoptosis, suggesting a dominant-negative effect. Taken together, our results indicate both a novel mechanism of p53 function by which p53 mediates nuclear trafficking of BLM to NBs and the cooperation of p53 and BLM to induce apoptosis.

Differential expression of p53, p21waf1/cip1 and hdm2 dependent on DNA damage in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts.

The Bloom's syndrome gene, BLM, encodes a protein which bears homology to the RecQ helicases. It is believed to be involved in DNA replication and has been implicated in the maintenance of genomic stability. To investigate whether BLM was involved in cellular responses to DNA damage Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts were treated with either UV or ionizing radiation and the levels of p53 and two of its down stream effectors, p21waf1/cip1 and hdm2, were determined by western blot analysis. Following 20 J/m2 UVC-radiation we observed that the maximal accumulation of p21waf1/cip1 and hdm2 proteins preceded that of p53 in both a normal diploid fibroblast cell strain (GM0038) and in two Bloom's syndrome cell strains. Furthermore, the Bloom's syndrome cells demonstrated a delayed and prolonged accumulation of all three proteins and a delayed recovery of the protein levels back to pre-damage levels compared with the normal cell strain. Conversely, normal and Bloom's syndrome cell response following 2.5 Gy of ionizing radiation was quite similar for p21waf1/cip1 and hdm2, but differed significantly for p53. Maximum accumulation of p53 occurred within 2 h of damage and preceded that of p21waf1/cip1 and hdm2. These results suggest that the BLM protein may play a role in the detection of certain types of DNA damage and in the cellular response to that damage.

V(D)J recombination in ataxia telangiectasia, Bloom's syndrome, and a DNA ligase I-associated immunodeficiency disorder.

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) and Bloom's syndrome (BS) patients are characterized by sensitivity to radiation, increased lymphoid malignancy, and frequent translocations to the antigen receptor loci. Because of these features, there has been a persistent question as to whether the V(D)J recombinase might be abnormal in cells from these patients. Such abnormalities might be due to inappropriate to inaccurate expression of components of the V(D)J recombinase or due to mutation in a component shared between V(D)J recombination and other cellular processes, such as DNA repair. Bloom's syndrome is associated with a ligation deficiency, and this activity may contribute in the end resolution steps of both site-specific and general DNA-processing reactions. In the current study, we have activated V(D)J recombination in normal, AT, and BS fibroblasts and in fibroblasts from a patient with mutations that largely abolish DNA ligase I activity. We find that the signal and coding joint formation of the V(D)J recombination reaction are entirely normal in AT, BS, and DNA ligase I mutant cells. In addition to ruling out abnormalities of the V(D)J recombinase in AT, BS, and DNA ligase I mutant cells, these studies suggest that DNA ligase I is unlikely to be required for signal or coding end joining in the V(D)J recombination reaction.

Relationship of DNA strand breakage produced by bromodeoxyuridine to topoisomerase II activity in Bloom-syndrome fibroblasts

Cells from patients with Bloom syndrome, a cancer-prone disorder with cutaneous photosensitivity and spontaneous chromosome breakage, exhibit an abnormally increased number of sister-chromatid exchanges following treatment with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). This effect has been postulated to be mediated by abnormal topoisomerase II activity. We used alkaline elution to measure DNA single-strand breakage following prolonged exposure to BrdU. Five-day exposure to BrdU produced equal numbers of alkali-labile sites in normal and Bloom-syndrome fibroblasts. These breaks were not protein-associated but were produced by alkali. Treatment with topoisomerase II inhibitors induced similar frequencies of DNA single-strand breaks in normal and Bloom-syndrome fibroblasts. These findings imply that BrdU incorporation into cellular DNA induces alkali-labile DNA lesions that are independent of topoisomerase II activity in Bloom and normal cells.

Detection of free radical-induced DNA damage with bromodeoxyuridine/Hoechst flow cytometry: implications for Bloom's syndrome

The clinical radiosensitiser bromodeoxyridine (BrdU) was shown to enhance oxygen free radical-mediated growth inhibition. Cells from Bloom's syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by pre- and post-natal growth deficits, telangiectatic erythema, recurrent respiratory infections and a high incidence of cancer, exhibit in culture a hypersensitivity to BrdU. We analysed disturbed cell kinetics of Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts and permanent B-cell lines with a novel cell kinetic method: BrdU/Hoechst flow cytometry. Fibroblasts show a pattern similar to that of normal cells exposed to a breakdown product of lipid peroxides, whereas B-cells exhibit the cell kinetic disturbance provoked by elevated oxygen concentrations in normal cells. In both cell types the cell kinetic pattern was dependent upon the BrdU concentration in the culture medium. These data suggest an elevated endogenous generation of oxygen free radicals in Bloom's syndrome cells, which may relate to the elevated incidence of malignancies in these patients.

Cell Kinetic Evidence Suggests Elevated Oxidative Stress in Cultured Cells of Bloom's Syndrome

Bromodeoxyuridine/Hoechst flow cytometry was used to analyse disturbed cell proliferation of fibroblasts and lymphoblastoid cells from Bloom's syndrome (BS). Fibroblasts show poor activation, arrest in the G2 phase of the cell cycle along with a prolongation of the G1 phase. This pattern of perturbed cells proliferation is akin to that elicited in normal fibroblasts by 4-hydroxy-nonenal, a breakdown product of lipid peroxides. Treatment with vitamin E improved growth of BS fibroblasts more strongly than growth of normal fibroblasts. Lymphoblastoid cells from BS, to the contrary, experience only a minor arrest in the G2 phase after one round of bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, but are strongly inhibited during and after the second S phase. Thus, their cell cycle arrest is dependent upon BrdU incorporation, as has been found previously in normal cells exposed to elevated concentrations of oxygen or paraquat, a superoxide generating compound. These results suggest that BS cells may suffer from an elevated, endogenous generation of oxygen free radicals.

Expression of a DNA-ligase-stimulatory factor in Bloom's syndrome cell line GM1492.

An increased DNA ligase activity is observed in extracts of Bloom's syndrome (BS) fibroblast cell line GM1492. The activity is 2-3-fold higher in this cell line compared to normal human fibroblasts, and 5-20-fold higher than in three other BS cell lines investigated. The DNA ligase activity in GM1492 cells is promoted by a heat-resistant, protease-sensitive factor comigrating with DNA ligases on single-stranded-DNA--cellulose. The factor stimulates DNA ligase I as well as DNA ligase II, and is not identical to the activity-promoting homologous DNA pairing, which is also enhanced in GM1492 cell extracts.

Disparate effects of 5-bromodeoxyuridine on sister-chromatid exchanges and chromosomal aberrations in Bloom syndrome fibroblasts

The existence of a high frequency of spontaneous sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in Bloom syndrome (BS) has thus far been supported by data on a small number of BS cell lines. To examine the cause of baseline SCEs more broadly, the frequencies of SCEs, as well as chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in 4 additional BS fibroblast strains were compared, under different assay and cell culture conditions, with those of normal cells in the range of approximately 0.9–90% 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) substitution into template DNA. SCEs at low levels of BrdUrd substitution were detected by an extremely sensitive immunofluorescent technique. From approximately 0.9% to 4.5% BrdUrd substitution, the SCE frequency in BS cells remained constant, at a level (40/cell) 8 times higher than that of normal cells. As BrdUrd substitution increased further, the SCE frequency in BS cells increased almost linearly, reaching 70–100 per cell at approximately 90% substitution, while the SCE increment in control fibroblasts was less than 5 per cell. Analysis of SCEs in 3 successive replication cycles similarly revealed that the SCE increment in BS cells depended on BrdUrd only at a high BrdUrd substitution level. In contrast to data SCEs, CA induction by incorporated BrdUrd in BS cells was only slightly higher than that in normal cells. Thus, BS cells are extremely sensitive to BrdUrd for SCE induction, but much less so for CA induction.

RecA-like activity in mammalian cell extracts of different origin

The occurence of a RecA-like activity similar to the one detected in the fibroblast cell line GM1492 derived from a patient suffering from the autosomal recessive disease Bloom's syndrome has been investigated in cell extracts of different origin. The formation of D-loop containing joint molecules from ΦX174 RFI DNA and fragments of ΦX174 single-stranded DNA by partially purified extracts was measured by a filter binding assay. The RecA-like activity, dependent on ATP and Mg 2+, was detected at an elevated level only in the human and rodent cell lines, GM1492 and CHO respectively. The level of activity in DNA-cellulose-purified cell extracts from these cell lines was 4–7-fold higher compared to normal human fibroblasts. Low levels of activity were also detected in extracts from two additional Bloom's syndrome fibroblast cell lines, Fanconi's anemia fibroblasts, virus-(Epstein-Barr virus, Simian virus 40) transformed human cells and human placenta. Cell extracts from rat testis, spleen and calf thymus were also of low activity.

Hypersensitivity of Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts to N-ethyl- N-nitrosourea

Fibroblast cells from two Japanese patients with Bloom's syndrome (BS) and normal donors were studied for the inactivation of colony-forming ability and the induction of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) after N-ethyl- N-nitrosourea (ENU) treatment. The reduction of ENU-induced SCEs as a function of post-treatment incubation time was also compared between BS and normal fibroblasts. BS cells were approximately 4 times more sensitive than normal cells to the lethal effect of ENU and remarkably hypersensitive to the SCE induction by ENU. The post-treatment incubation of ENU-treated normal cells in the fresh medium resulted in a time-dependent decrease of the SCE level until 6 h after which time the SCE level remained the plateau of about 50% of the initial level. In contrast, the ENU-induced SCEs in BS cells decreased much more slowly with post-treatment incubation time and its half life was 24 h. These results collectively support the view that BS cells may be defective in the rapid repair of certain type(s) of DNA damages induced by ENU.

Cultured Bloom's syndrome substrains: A relationship between growth in low serum and the expression of double minute chromosomes

Four Bloom's syndrome fibroblast strains were examined for chromosome changes, immortalization, tumorigenicity, anchorage independent growth, and the ability to grow in low serum. Only one strain (GM 1492) exhibited some of these characteristics, which are generally associated with neoplastic cells. Strain GM 1492 also exhibited a low frequency of cells that contained double minute chromosomes. Substrains from GM 1492 were cloned, and showed that some of the above characteristics were expressed as a heritable trait. Karyotype instability (heteroploidy) was seen in all clones studied, with modal chromosome numbers ranging from near-diploid to near-tetraploid, as confirmed by DNA content distributions. Although no clones studied were tumorigenic in nude mice or immortalized, some showed an increased cellular proliferative capacity. Several clones were isolated after growth in 1% fetal bovine serum, and these all showed an increased expression of double minute chromosomes. Two of these 1% serum-isolated clones, (1492/clone 3-1% and clone 8-1%) were further studied by G-banding analysis, and found to show specific chromosomal anomalies. Clone 3 showed monosomy for chromosomes #4, #13, and #19, along with the absence of both copies of chromosome #7 but with both i(7p) and i(7q) chromosomes consistently seen. Clone 8 showed monosomy for chromosome #13. Preliminary experiments using DNA slot blots indicated that erb a and b, v- fes, v- mos, c- myc, n- myc, v- src, and v- sis showed no sequence amplification in GM 1492 cells or subclones.

Effects of Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts on genetic recombination and mutagenesis of herpes simplex virus type 1.

The effects of Bloom's syndrome (BS) fibroblasts on genetic recombination and the mutation frequency of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) was determined by employing two factor crosses of selected temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants. A significant increase in the recombination frequency (RF) was observed in seven of nine crosses when multiple BS fibroblast lines were compared to normal human fibroblasts. The RF of HSV-1 ts mutants increased following 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treatment of normal, but not BS fibroblasts, suggesting that BS fibroblasts express higher constitutive levels of genetic recombination activity. HSV-1 ts mutants demonstrated significantly higher reversion frequencies to the nontemperature sensitive (ts+) phenotype following growth in BS rather than normal fibroblasts, indicating that exogenous viral DNA encoding many of the enzymes necessary for its own replication is affected by the mutator phenotype of BS.

Sister-chromatid exchanges induced by ultraviolet light in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts

The relationships between the cytotoxic effect of ultraviolet light and the UV-induced sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were compared among fibroblast cell strains from two unrelated Bloom's syndrome (BS) patients, one xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patient belonging to complementation group A and two unrelated normal controls. The “net” induced SCEs as a function of UV fluence, obtained by subtracting spontaneous SCEs from observed SCEs, were much higher in both BS cells and XP group A cells than in normal cells. The relative efficiency of induced SCE, defined as the “net” induced SCEs as a function of surviving fraction after UV irradiation, was higher in BS cells than in normal and XP cells, and there was essentially no difference between XP and normal cells. These results imply that in addition to the extremely high frequency of spontaneous SCEs, the increased efficiency in UV induction of SCEs may reflect the intrinsic defect(s) in BS cells.

5-Bromodeoxyuridine-dependent increase in sister chromatid exchange formation in Bloom's syndrome is associated with reduction in topoisomerase II activity

Bloom's syndrome is characterized by a high sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency, the basis for which is not yet understood. Immunofluorescent detection of SCE formation in dermal fibroblasts was employed over a wide range of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) substitution into template DNA to show that this SCE elevation reflects both an increased baseline SCE frequency and an exaggerated increment in SCE formation as BrdU substitution increases. The impact of BrdU on SCE formation in Bloom's syndrome is paralleled by its ability to reduce the activity in nuclear extracts of topoisomerase II, an enzyme important for DNA replication and interchange. The extractable topoisomerase II activity of Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts, as measured by unknotting of page P4 DNA, is much more strongly inhibited by cell growth in medium containing BrdU than is that of normal fibroblasts. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that much of the BrdU-dependent component of SCE formation in Bloom's syndrome may be mediated by an effect of BrdU substitution of template DNA on topoisomerase II activity.

DNA synthesis in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts.

The relationship between relative rates of DNA synthesis and DNA content in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts (BS cells) was investigated by flow cytometry. The cells were pulse labelled with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). The BrdU content and cellular DNA content of individual BS cells were simultaneously measured by flow cytometry in which the cells were double-stained by a FITC-conjugated anti BrdU monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the BrdU content (green) and by PI (propidium iodide) (red) for total DNA content. Their red fluorescence histograms were analysed by a microcomputer to evaluate the cell fractions of each S compartment. The BrdU uptake in the early S phase of BS cells was lower than that of normal cells (fibroblasts from skin of a normal human), whereas the uptake in the middle and late S phase was essentially the same as that of normal cells. The early S phase in BS cells accounted for over 50% of the S phase cells. These findings suggest that, in comparison with normal cells, the rate of DNA synthesis in the early S phase of BS cells is lower, but is identical to controls in the middle and late S phases.

O6-Methylguanine methyltransferase increases before S phase in normal human cells but does not increase in hypermutable Bloom's syndrome cells

The regulation of the O 6-methylguanine methyltransferase was examined during cell proliferation in hypermutable Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts and normal human skin fibroblasts. During synchronous growth following serum stimulation normal human cells enhanced methyltransferase activity 2.4-fold in the absence of exogenous damage as a normal regulatory event during the cell cycle. Methyltransferase activity was increased prior to the induction of DNA replication and of DNA polymerase and was diminished when each replicative activity was maximal. In contrast, although methyltransferase levels in quiescent cells are equivalent, hypermutable Bloom's syndrome cells did not increase methyltransferase at any interval in the cell cycle.

Abnormal regulation of uracil-DNA glycosylase induction during cell cycle and cell passage in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts.

The uracil-DNA glycosylase activity was compared in cell-free extracts of normal (NHSF6) and Bloom's syndrome (BS) skin fibroblasts (BS1KA and BS2KA from Japanese patients) at middle culture age. The enzyme activity in the extracts of exponentially growing NHSF6 and BS2KA cells increased linearly with the DNA synthetic activity, while such a relation was not obvious in BS1KA cells. The thermal stability and the inhibition by the end product uracil of the BS1KA enzyme did not differ from those of the NHSF6 enzyme. Synchronized-cell studies showed the following characteristics. (i) Uracil-DNA glycosylase activity was enhanced in a temporal sequence only during S phase and reached a peak level a few hours prior to that of DNA synthesis in NHSF6. (ii) BS2KA cells were normal in the temporal induction sequence but BS1KA cells revealed the delayed peak induction of the enzyme occurring simultaneously with peak DNA synthesis. (iii) With progress of culture passage, the uracil-DNA glycosylase activity became highly expressed at G0 and during G1 despite a little change in the S-phase activity in NHSF6 cells. (iv) Another abnormality of BS1KA cells was that such a culture-age-dependent dysregulation occurred earlier during middle passages. The above results (i) and (ii) suggest that the delayed enzyme induction in BS1KA cells may be related to the observation that BS1KA cells were more sensitive to 5-bromodeoxyuridine-induced cell killing and to sister chromatid exchange formation than BS2KA cells of the clinically milder subject.