The response to DNA damage induced by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide or its 3-methyl derivative in xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts belonging to different complementation groups: evidence for different epistasis groups involved in the repair of large adducts in human DNA.

The data in this paper show that when the inhibition of growth is measured, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) complementation groups A, G and D are very sensitive to 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), whereas only XP groups G and D are very sensitive to 3-methyl-4NQO (3me4NQO). Cells belonging to XP-C group are not particularly sensitive to either agent. Thus there are different epistasis groups for the excision repair of DNA adducts induced by these agents as opposed to the repair of u.v. damage. DNA polymerase alpha is involved in the repair of 4NQO-induced lesions because aphidicolin blocks their repair. XP cells from all the above groups are defective to some extent in this repair. The degree of repair defectiveness follows that seen after u.v., with even the XP-C cell line used having reduced repair (despite the fact that the inhibition of growth by 4NQO in this cell line was not markedly different from normal). Aphidicolin did not induce breaks in the normal or XP cell lines exposed to 3me4NQO, thus the repair of lesions induced by 3me4NQO does not involve DNA polymerase alpha in any of the cell lines. Finally, catalase reduces the alkaline labile lesions induced by 4NQO, but not 3me4NQO, suggesting the latter agent does not induce substantial amounts of DNA damage by the generation of radicals.