Inhibition of X-ray-induced DNA strand break repair in polyamine-depleted HeLa cells.

Treatment of HeLa cells with the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors, alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) or methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG), results in, depending on the conditions, partial or complete depletion of the cellular polyamines: putrescine, spermidine and spermine. In this compromised state cells exhibited a distinct deficiency in repair of X-ray-induced DNA strand breaks. The half-time for return of normal DNA sedimentation following 1.6 Gy was 9.5 min for untreated control cells and 22, 32 and 50 min for cells treated with MGBG, DFMO + MGBG and DFMO, respectively. Normal repair kinetics were restored to these cells upon a short incubation in media containing all three polyamines. The rapid early phase of repair following higher X-ray doses (16 Gy) was also delayed in polyamine-depleted cells but later repair occurring 1-4 h post-irradiation, representing chromatin reconstitution, was apparently normal.