[en] The near-UV (NUV, 300-400 nm) sensitivity of logarithmically growing Escherichia coli cells of the fatty acid auxotroph K1060 increases with the number of carbon carbon double bonds in the fatty acid used as supplement. Cultures of K1060 grown to stationary phase on unsaturated fatty acids of the same chain length but differing in the number of carbon double bonds per molecule differed only marginally in their NUV sensitivity. The clear NUV-sensitizing effect of increasing double bonds in the fatty acid supplement used to support logarithmic growth implies that the membrane may be an important NUV target only for logarithmically growing cells. Based on these observations, a previous suggestion that inefficient conversion of fatty acids in the membrane to their cyclopropane analogs as an explanation for the NUV-sensitizing effect of the nur mutation on stationary E. coli cell populations must be wrong. (author)

[en] Lyophilized aged garlic extract has been incorporated at concentrations of 0.1%, 1% and 4% by weight into semi purified powdered diets and fed to hairless mice. Under moderate UVB exposure conditions resulting in 58% suppression of the systemic contact hypersensitivity response in control-fed mice, a dose-responsive protection was observed in the garlic-fed mice; contact hypersensitivity in the UVB-exposed mice fed 4% garlic extract was suppressed by only 19%. If the UVB exposure was replaced by topical application of one of a series of lotions containing increasing concentrations of cis-urocanic acid, a dose-responsive suppression of contact hypersensitivity was demonstrated in control-fed mice (urocanic acid at 25, 50, 100 and 200 micrograms per mouse resulting in 22-46% suppression). Mice fed a diet containing 1% aged garlic extract were partially protected from cis-urocanic acid-induced suppression of contact hypersensitivity, with greater protection from the lower concentrations of urocanic acid. Mice fed a diet containing 4% aged garlic extract were protected from all concentrations of urocanic acid. The results indicate that aged garlic extract contains ingredient(s) that protect from UVB-induced suppression of contact hypersensitivity and suggest that the mechanism of protection is by antagonism of the cis-urocanic acid mediation of this form of immunosuppression

[en] Pyrimidine dimer sites associated with the newly-synthesized DNA were detected during post-replication repair of DNA in UV-irradiated human fibroblasts. These pyrimidine dimer sites were inferred from a decrease in the molecular weight of pulse-labelled DNA after treatment with an extract of Micrococcus luteus containing UV-specific endonuclease activity. In DNA synthesized immediately after irradiation the frequency of these daughter strand dimer sites was 7-20% of that in the parental DNA. Such sites were found in fibroblasts from normal donors and from xeroderma pigmentosum patients (with defects in excision-repair or post-replication repair). They were excised from the DNA of normal cells. As the time between UV-irradiation and pulse-labelling was increased, the frequency of dimer sites associated with the labelled DNA decreased. If the pulse-label was delivered 6 h after irradiation of normal cells or excision-defective xeroderma pigmentosum cells, no dimer sites were detected in the labelled DNA. It has usually been assumed that daughter-strand dimer sites were the result of recombinational exchanges. The assay procedure used in these experiments and in similar experiments of others did not distinguish between labelled DNA containing pyrimidine dimers within the labelled section, and labelled DNA which did not contain pyrimidine dimers but was attached to unlabelled DNA which did contain dimers. The latter structures would arise during normal replication immediately following UV-irradiation of mammalian cells. Calculations are presented which suggest that a significant proportion and conceivably all of the dimer sites associated with the daughter strands may have arisen in this way, rather than from recombinational exchanges as has been generally assumed. (author)

[en] Stationary cells of isogenic pairs of Escherichia coli K12 strains presumably differing only in the recA function, were inactivated with near-UV (300-400 nm) radiation. Based on near-UV inactivation kinetics, the strains can be divided into two discrete categories in which near-UV sensitivity does not necessarily correlate with far-UV sensitivity conferred by two different recA alleles. Lack of overlap between near-UV and far-UV (recA) sensitivity can be explained by assuming that a different chromosomal gene (nur) controls near-UV sensitivity. Support for this hypothesis came from a mating experiment in which four selected recombinants, isogenic with respect to auxotrophic markers, were identified exhibiting all four possible combinations of far-UV (recA1 vs recA⁺) and near-UV sensitivity (nur vs nur⁺). Transduction with phase P1 showed that introduction of the recA1 allele into a recA⁺ recipient did not affect the near-UV sensitivity of the recipient. Additional matings together with transduction experiments suggested that the nur gene is located at a position on the E. coli linkage map clearly separable from recA (minute 58). (author)

[en] Non-dividing human cells degenerate and eventually detach from a culture vessel surface when exposed to UV light. Action spectra for this kind of cell inactivation were determined using eight monochromatic wavelengths from 240 to 313 nm and both a normal DNA excision-repair-proficient strain and repair-deficient Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP12BE) strain. The action spectra for both strains have similar shapes with a broad peak between 254 and 280 nm followed by a steep decline at wavelengths greater than 280 nm. The relative action spectra are similar to those for inactivation of reproductive capacity and pyrimidine dimer formation in rodent cells suggesting that the critical target and critical damage for inactivation of non-dividing human cells is DNA and damage to DNA, respectively. Normal repair-proficient cells are 5-7 times more resistant at all wavelengths, based on a comparison of Dsub(o) values, than repair-deficient XP12BE cells, supporting the conclusion that the inactivating damage at all wavelengths is to DNA. (author)

[en] Enhanced cell killing due to combined exposure to sunlight-like near-UV light (Westinghouse Sun Lamps, FS20) and X-rays, indicative of damage interaction was observed at all stages of the cell cycle. The greatest interaction was observed in the middle of the DNA synthetic phase. At equal survival, 'sunlight' damage was only partly additive to X-ray damage, and vice versa, whereas in earlier studies it was found that far-UV light (254 nm) produced damage completely additive to X-ray damage. Loss of damage interaction between radiation was more rapid after a first dose of X-rays than after a first dose of 'sunlight'. (author)

[en] Among the progeny produced by UV-irradiated adenovirus 5ts2 when infecting either A498 (human kidney tumor) or CRL1187 (normal human fibroblast) strains at 32⁰C were a certain number (UV-fluence dependent) of revertants able to grow at 39⁰C. Within experimental error, the induced reversion frequency was independent of whether or not the cells received UV (5 J/m²) 20 h prior to infection, indicating that induced error-prone repair was not observed in these experiments. (author)

[en] Nondividing human fibroblasts are inactivated by radiation from a source (a Westinghouse sun lamp) that simulates the UV spectrum of sunlight. Survival curves determined for a DNA excision repair-proficient and a repair-deficient strain (XP12BE) are related to those determined using germicidal light (254nm) by constant fluence modification factors. In addition, the same fraction of XP12BE cells are killed per pyrimidine dimer by 254nm and sun lamp light. These results, when related to other survival and photoreactivation studies, suggest that the mechanism for inactivation of nondividing human cells by sun lamp light is the same as that by 254nm and that pyrimidine dimers, are the major responsible photolesion. Repair reverses some of the lethal effects of this light. It is suggested that these conclusions apply to sunlight-irradiated skin cells in vivo. (author)

[en] The wavelength dependence of ultraviolet radiation-induced cell killing and mutagenicity in L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells has been determined from 235 nm to 313 nm. Cells were irradiated in phosphate buffered saline at 20⁰C. The amount of cell killing was determined by cloning in soft agar medium immediately after irradiation. Mutation frequency was determined, after a 3-day expression time, by cloning in soft agar medium in the presence and the absence of 5-bromo-2' deoxyuridine (BrdUrd). The endpoint used to quantitate lethal effects was the exposure necessary to reduce the surviving fraction to 10%, while the endpoint for mutagenesis was the exposure necessary to increase the frequency of BrdUrd-resistant colonies ten-fold over the background level. Data were corrected for quantum energy and the action spectra for cell killing and mutagenesis were plotted as relative biological effectiveness per quantum vs wavelength, relative to the effect at 265.2 nm. Both action spectra show broad maxima at 270 nm, and are very similar to the action spectra determined by Rothman and Setlow (1979) for pyrimidine dimer formation and cell killing in V-79 cells. (author)

[en] The effect of chlorpromazine (CPZ) and UVA on lysosomes of cultured normal human fibroblasts has been investigated. Acid phosphatase (ACPase) activity in 12000 g pellet of cells treated with CPZ (10 μg/ml) and UVA (6 x 10⁴ J/m²) was found to be decreased as compared with non-treated, CPZ or UVA treated control cells. This decrease, however, was not accompanied by a concomitant increase in ACPase activity in the 12000 g supernatant. The addition of Triton X-100 to cells pre-treated with CPZ + UVA resulted in only a moderate increase in ACPase activity of the 12000 g supernatant. ACPase activity of the cells incubated in media containing pre-irradiated CPZ was also found to be decreased. These results indicate that CPZ + UVA directly inactivate lysosomal enzymes, possibly without affecting the membrane. (author)