Inactivation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase and sensitization of human tumor cells to killing by chloroethylnitrosourea by O6-methylguanine as a free base.

Human fibroblasts and tumor cells with constitutive levels of the DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase were incubated with mM concentrations of the free base O6-methylguanine for up to 24 h. This treatment depleted the cells of their transferase activity, and sensitized the cells to killing by the antineoplastic drug 1-[2-chloroethyl]-1-nitrosourea. Cells constitutively lacking the methyltransferase were not sensitized to cell killing. Cell free extracts incubated with O6-methylguanine also lost methyltransferase activity. Other alkylpurines, such as O6-methylguanosine, S6-methylthioguanine, O6-ethylguanine, and 3-methyladenine, did not have this effect on extracts of human tumor cells, while O6-methylguanosine and O6-methylguanine inactivated purified methyltransferase from Escherichia coli. The data suggest that the free base O6-methylguanine is probably a substrate for the methyltransferase. Calculation of the second order rate constants for free base versus O6-methylguanine in DNA, and experiments in which the free base was mixed with DNA containing O6-methylguanine before reaction with methyltransferase, indicated that the base in DNA is about 4 X 10(7) better as a substrate than is the free base. These results demonstrate that DNA repair capacity of tumor cells can be diminished without DNA damage, and suggest a method for increasing the efficiency of chemotherapy.