Mechanisms of DNA repair and their potential modification for radiotherapy

The potentiation of radiation damage, which can be accomplished by the inhibition of repair, is estimated from published studies of repair deficient mutants. Sensitization factors as high as 10 have been achieved. Because it has previously been suggested that the most probable lethal lesion is a DNA double strand break (DSB), it is not surprising that cells deficient in repairing this type of damage are the most radiosensitive. The structures of DNA DSBs and other Locally Multiply Damaged Sites (LMDS) (involving both single strand breaks (SSB) and base damage sites) are reviewed, together with the processes by which cells may attempt to repair these lesions. Repair processes occur in competition with damage fixation, again, mechanisms of damage fixation are predicted from studies in model systems. A strategy for inhibiting the repair processes is devised that consists of holding the first SSB constituent of the LMDS open by repairing in the presence of deoxynucleoside analogues, such as ara-C, so that there is a higher probability of the formation of a DSB upon cleavage of the second site (on the other strand) by hydrolysis of a labile bond or by endonuclease cleavage of a base damaged site. To achieve preferential sensitization of tumor vs. normal tissue it may be possible to take advantage of the deficiency in alkaline phosphatase in tumor vs. normal vasculature, that is, in analogy with treatment with WR-2721. The deoxynucleoside analogue would be delivered together with the phosphate ester (deoxynucleotide) of the correct deoxynucleoside, for example, ara-C, in the presence of deoxycytidine monophosphate (dCMP). Higher alkaline phosphatase levels in normal tissue capillaries would hydrolyse the dCMP to deoxycytidine, which competes effectively with ara-C in repair replication.