Increased uracil-DNA glycosylase, AP-DNA binding protein and deoxyribonuclease activities in tumor and SV40-transformed cell lines of human origin.
The activities of three human DNA metabolizing enzymes--uracil-DNA glycosylase, apurinic/apyrimidinic(AP)-DNA binding protein (an AP-DNA endonuclease) and the major cellular deoxyribonuclease (presumably DNase III and/or DNase IV)--were measured in logarithmic growing (diploid non-established) fibroblast strains, tumor-derived cell lines and SV40-transformed cell lines. The levels of activity of uracil-DNA glycosylase and DNase were increased, on average, 5- to 6-fold in tumor cell lines and 10-fold in SV40-transformed cell lines compared to those observed in normal fibroblast strains. AP-DNA binding activity was only 2- to 3-fold higher in both tumor-derived and SV40-transformed cell lines. Measurements in serum-deprived (and hence growth-retarded) SV40-transformed cells indicated that the observed increase in enzyme activity was only partially due to a higher proportion of S-phase cells in the rapidly growing transformed lines. Cell extract mixing experiments indicated that the relatively low levels of activity of the three enzymes in normal fibroblasts could not be ascribed to the presence of an inhibitory factor(s) in the crude extract.