Inducible protective processes in animal systems. X. Influence of nicotinamide in methyl methanesulfonate-adapted mouse bone marrow cells

Abstract

The adaptive response is an error-free DNA repair mechanism induced by low levels of physical or chemical agents. Cells pre-exposed to such agents are resistant to genetic damage induced by subsequent treatment at a high dose. There are many reports on such adaptive responses. Recently we have shown the existence of adaptive responses in vivo in the grasshopper Poecilocerus pictus and the mouse and in vitro in human lymphocytes. Different enzymes are implicated in this DNA repair pathway. In an attempt to understand the molecular mechanism of the methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-induced adaptive response, the present investigations have been undertaken employing nicotinamide, an inhibitor of the DNA repair enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Pre-, inter- and post-treatments with nicotinamide of MMS-treated mouse bone marrow cells were carried out. The results revealed that there is a significant reduction in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations compared with combined treatment, suggesting an enhancement of the adaptive response by nicotinamide. Further, the results of NAD+ assay in the inter-treatment experiment showed that there is no depletion of NAD+. Thus, it can be stated that PARP is not involved in the MMS-induced adaptive response in mouse bone marrow cells.