Further characterization of monoclonal antibody indicates specificity for (6-4)-dipyrimidine photoproducts

Monoclonal antibody aUVssDNA-1 is produced by hybridoma cell line 25JF.C3B6 originally selected from cell fusions using spleen cells from mice immunized with UV-irradiated polydeoxynucleotides (Strickland and Boyle, Photochem. Photobiol. 34, 595-601, 1981). Original and subsequent studies of the binding characteristics of aUVssDNA-1 indicated that it was specific for cyclobuta-dithymidine photoproducts. Those investigations examined action spectrum, short-wavelength photo-reversal, nucleotide sequence effects, and photoreactivation using E. coli photolyase and incandescent light. However, the more recent studies reported here examined acetophenone-UV-B photosensitization, UV-B photoisomerization, and photoreactivation using cloned E. coli photolyase and filtered incandescent light. The results indicate that aUVssDNA-1 recognizes photoproducts with characteristics of (6-4)-dipyrimidines. Thus, previous studies in which relatively rapid repair of cyclobuta-dithymidine photoproducts was inferred using this antibody, require re-interpretation in light of these new findings.