Potentiation of alkylation-induced sister chromatid exchange frequency by 3-aminobenzamide is mediated by intracellular loss of NAD+.

3-Aminobenzamide (3AB) is a competitive inhibitor of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase. It will interact synergistically with certain monofunctional alkylating agents to increase the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. 3AB will also increase the baseline SCE frequency in exposed cells. The extent of interaction between 3AB and monofunctional alkylating agents varies depending on the alkylating agent used and appears to be due to the different amounts of membrane damage produced by the alkylating agents. In this study, exogenously added beta-NAD+ was found to reduce substantially SCE frequency in cells that had been treated with combinations of 3AB and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) but not in cells treated with 3AB and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). MMS produces more cell membrane damage than MNNG at equitoxic doses. beta-NAD+ is the substrate for ADP-ribosylation and normally does not freely diffuse into cells. beta-NAD+ had no significant effect on SCE induction in intact cells or in cells treated with either 3AB or alkylating agent alone. In contrast to beta-NAD+, exogenously added alpha-NAD+, which is an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, increased SCE frequency in MMS-treated cells. Thus the interaction between 3AB and certain monofunctional alkylating agents in SCE formation is apparently due to cell membrane permeabilization and the loss of intracellular NAD+ which in turn probably results in a greater inhibition of ADP-ribosylation in the presence of 3AB.