UV-sensitive rodent mutant cell lines of complementation groups 6 and 8 differ phenotypically from their human counterparts.

Rodent UV-sensitive mutant cell lines of complementation groups 6 and 8 are the genetic counterparts of human Cockayne syndrome CS-B and CS-A, respectively. The original mutant in this group, UV61, was described as defective in cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer removal after high doses of UV. We have examined the responses of several cell lines from group 6 to low doses of UV irradiation, and find that these mutants have wild-type capacity for DNA repair as indicated by incision, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer, and (6-4) photoproduct removal. ERCC6, the product of the gene defective in CS-B and group 6 mutants, is implicated in the regulation of repair of actively transcribed genes in Cockayne syndrome; however, this protein clearly is not required for the processing of low levels of damage in CHO cells, which occurs remarkably efficiently, 40-50% of dimers being removed in both wild-type and group 6 mutants in 5 hours following 0.1 Jm(-2) of UV. The group 8 mutant cell line US31, on the other hand, is very deficient in repair of UV damage, showing a more extreme phenotype than is seen in the corresponding human syndrome CS-A. In both complementation groups, expression of mutations in a gene involved in regulation of DNA repair takes very different forms in human and rodent cells.