Oxidative DNA base damage induced by singlet oxygen and photosensitization: recognition by repair endonucleases and mutagenicity.

We have analyzed the recognition by various repair endonucleases of DNA base modifications induced by three oxidants, viz. [4-(tert-butyldioxycarbonyl)benzyl]triethylammonium chloride (BCBT), a photochemical source of tert-butoxyl radicals, disodium salt of 1,4-etheno-2,3-benzodioxin-1,4-dipropanoic acid (NDPO(2)), a chemical source of singlet oxygen, and riboflavin, a type-I photosensitizer. The base modifications induced by BCBT, which were previously shown to be mostly 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoGua) residues, were recognized by Fpg and Ogg1 proteins, but not by endonuclease IIII, Ntg1 and Ntg2 proteins. In the case of singlet oxygen induced damage, 8-oxoGua accounted for only 35% of the base modifications recognized by Fpg protein. The remaining Fpg-sensitive modifications were not recognized by Ogg1 protein and relatively poor by endonuclease III, but they were relatively good substrates of Ntg1 and Ntg2. In the case of the damage induced by photoexcited riboflavin, the fraction of Fpg-sensitive base modifications identified as 8-oxoGua was only 23%. In contrast to the damage induced by singlet oxygen, the remaining lesions were not only recognized by Ntg1 and Ntg2 proteins and (relatively poor) by endonuclease III, but also by Ogg1 protein. The analysis of the mutations observed after transfection of modified plasmid pSV2gpt into Escherichia coli revealed that all agents induced near exclusively GC-->TA and GC-->CG transversions, the numbers of which were correlated with the numbers of 8-oxoGua residues and Ntg-sensitive modifications, respectively. In conclusion, both singlet oxygen and the type-I photosensitizer riboflavin induce predominantly oxidative guanine modifications other than 8-oxoGua, which most probably give rise to GC-->CG transversions and in which eukaryotic cells are substrates of Ntg1 and Ntg2 proteins.