Induction of the DNA repair enzymes uracil DNA glycosylase and 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase in regenerating rat liver.

The capacity of eukaryotic cells to modulate the activities of DNA repair enzymes during cell proliferation was examined. Using regenerating rat liver as a model system, the specific activities of the DNA repair enzymes uracil DNA glycosylase and 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase were determined at specific intervals after partial hepatectomy. The induction of DNA replication and the stimulation of DNA polymerase were also measured in order to relate changes in the potential for DNA repair to those observed for DNA replication. As measured in nuclear extracts, the specific activities of both the uracil DNA glycosylase and the 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase were increased in regenerating rat liver reaching maximal levels 18--24 h after partial hepatectomy. The specific activity of each DNA repair enzyme returned to basal levels by 48 h after the hepatectomy. No increase in either enzyme activity was observed in sham operated controls. The products of the reactions were identified as 3-methyladenine or as uracil by high pressure liquid chromatography or by gel filtration on Sephadex G-10. The 2--3 fold increases in the specific activity observed for each nuclear DNA repair enzyme was comparable to the 2.7 fold increase observed for DNA polymerase activity. The stimulation of DNA repair enzymes in regenerating rat liver is a further suggestion that eukaryotic cells actively regulate excision repair pathways in the defined pattern of gene expression observed during the eukaryotic cell cycle.