Evidence for the involvement of lesions other than O6-alkylguanine in mammalian cell mutagenesis.

Marked differences between the mutagenic efficiency of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), a potent carcinogen, methyl methane sulphonate (MMS) and dimethyl sulphate (DMS), both weak carcinogens, have been reported at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) and ouabain loci in V79 cells. Differences in levels of O6-guanine methylation produced by these alkylating agents, has been interpreted as indicating that O6-methylguanine is the DNA lesion specifically responsible for their mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. Because of the heterogeneity of molecular events which can result in forward mutation this conclusion seems unjustified. The development and characterisation of a reverse assay from 6-thioguanine resistance and HAT medium sensitivity (TG(R) and HAT(S)), to 6-thioguanine sensitivity and HAT medium resistance (TG(S) and HAT(R)) HGPRT(-)-->HGPRT+ in V79 cells, has allowed us to test the above hypothesis in a more specific way. Ethyl methane sulphonate, a weak carcinogen and MNU, both of which produce significant levels of O atom alkylation, were similarly effective mutagens in the reverse direction. At equitoxic doses, DMS was 40-60 fold less efficient. There was however, no quantitative correlation between numbers of revertants induced and measured levels of O6-alkylguanine. From these and other observations it is concluded that O6-alkylguanine is not the only potentially mutagenic lesion in mammalian cells.