Damage and repair of DNA in 5-bromodeoxyuridine-labeled Chinese hamster cells exposed to fluorescent light.

Illumination of Chinese hamster cells with fluorescent light after 5-bromodeoxyuridine incorporation leads to extensive single-strand breakage in the DNA of the exposed cells. The rate of production of single-strand breaks is dependent on the extent to which thymine is replaced by 5-bromouracil. At least some of the breaks observed with alkaline gradients are probably produced in vivo and are probably not contingent upon alkaline hydrolysis since breakage can be demonstrated with neutral gradients also. Cells are able to rejoin most of the single-strand breaks within 60 min; however, damage to the DNA-containing material (the "complex") initially released from cells is repaired more slowly. Cysteamine protects against single-strand breakage with a dose-modifying factor of 2.8. A comparison is made between the production of single-strand breaks by fluorescent light and X-rays, and the significance of such breaks relative to cell survival is discussed.