Role of DNA replication in carrier-ligand-specific resistance to platinum compounds in L1210 cells.

L1210 cell lines have been described that are sensitive to most platinum compounds (L1210/0), resistant to ethylenediamine (en)-Pt but sensitive to diaminocyclohexane (dach)-Pt (L1210/DDP), and resistant to dach-Pt but sensitive to en-Pt (L1210/DACH). We have examined the effect of the dach and en carrier ligands on the ability of Pt-DNA adducts to inhibit DNA replication. Alkaline sucrose gradient sedimentation was used to determine the influence of both carrier ligands on the inhibition of replicon initiation and DNA chain elongation. Initiation of replicons was inhibited by Pt-DNA adducts to a greater extent than chain elongation in all three cell lines. Inhibition of replicon initiation was affected by the nature of the platinum carrier ligands only in the L1210/DACH cells in which 7.8-fold more dach-Pt adducts than en-Pt adducts were required to reach 63% inhibition. However, a strong carrier ligand effect was observed on the inhibition of DNA chain elongation in both the L1210/DDP and L1210/DACH cell lines. The L1210/DDP cell line required 4-fold more en-Pt adducts than dach-Pt adducts to inhibit DNA chain elongation by 63%. In the L1210/DACH cell line, 2.7-fold more dach-Pt adducts than en-Pt adducts were required for 63% inhibition. The L1210/0 cell line demonstrated no carrier ligand specificity for inhibition of chain elongation. Significant replicative bypass of Pt-DNA adducts was observed even in the L1210/0 cell line in that greater than 50 Pt-DNA adducts per 100 kb were required for 63% inhibition. The same level of inhibition was reached with 1.25 adducts of benzo[a]pyrene diolepoxide I per 100 kb. These data suggest that L1210 cells are capable of substantial replicative bypass of Pt-DNA adducts. Furthermore, the bypass of Pt-DNA adducts is increased in resistant L1210 cells and is markedly dependent on the nature of the platinum carrier ligand.