Postreplication repair and the susceptibility of Chinese hamster cells to cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of alkylating agents.

A cell variant (VR-43) resistant to the cytotoxic effect of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosourea was isolated from Chinese hamster V79 cells for use in studies of the relationship among cell survival, mutagenesis, and DNA repair by alkylating agents. Resistance to ouabain or 6-thioguanine was used as the genetic marker. After treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, the VR-43 cells exhibited mutation frequencies that were lower, on a dose basis, than those of the wild-type V79 cells. However, when analyzed at equicytotoxic doses, the VR-43 cells were more mutable than the V79 cells. No difference in cell survival or mutagenicity could be observed after treatment with other mutagens such as N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, ethyl methanesulfonate, or x-rays. Postreplication repair was analyzed by determination of the molecular weight of the newly synthesized DNA by alkaline sucrose gradients. After treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, the VR-43 cells exhibited an enhanced postreplication repair relative to the V79 cells. No such enhancement was found after N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine or ethyl methanesulfonate treatment. Based on these results we propose that, after treatment of these and presumably other mammalian cells with some methylating mutagens, postreplication repair can cope with DNA lesions responsible for cytotoxicity and, to a lesser degree, with lesions responsible for mutagenicity.