Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

The Lambda Select cII Mutation Detection System
Published on: April 26, 2018
Ultraviolet-induced transformation of keratinocytes: possible involvement of long interspersed element-1 reverse
Gautam Banerjee1, Nishma Gupta, Jyoti Tiwari
1Cell and Molecular Biology, Toxicology Section, Environmental Safety Laboratory, Hindustan Lever Research Centre, B.D. Sawant Marg, Andheri, Mumbai, India. gautam.banerjee@unilever.com
Abstract:
The normal human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, was transformed using multiple doses of ultraviolet (UV)A+B (UVA, 150-200 mJ/cm(2) and UVB, 15-20 mJ/cm(2) x 6). Malignant transformation was confirmed by upregulation of Cyclin D1 (mRNA) and formation of colonies on soft agar. To identify the genes involved in this transformation process, we have done rapid amplification of polymorphic DNA using RNA from unexposed and multiple-exposed cells. Six percent PAGE showed several differentially regulated genes in exposed cells compared with unexposed cells. Total 19 genes were identified, cloned and sequenced. Three of these 19 cloned genes showed 99% homology at both DNA and protein levels to a stretch of 540 bp (180 aa) of long interspersed element (LINE)-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) open reading frame (ORF-2). Colonies from soft agar showed upregulation of this gene compared with non-colonized (lawn on soft agar) cells as detected by RT-PCR. This data implicates LINE-1 RT (ORF-2) in UV-induced malignancy and can possibly be used as a marker for the diagnosis of UV-induced skin cancer.
Related Concept Videos
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Mutations
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Mutations
Non-LTR Retrotransposons
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

