Effect of UV light on small nuclear RNA synthesis: increased inhibition during postirradiation cell incubation

It has been shown previously that the synthesis of small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) U1, U2, U3, U4, and U5, in contrast to that of all other RNA species tested, decreases markedly within 2 h of cell incubation after exposure to UV light (254 nm), while pyrimidine dimers are being removed from DNA. We examined the possibility that the postirradiation cell incubation-dependent, UV light-induced inhibition of snRNA synthesis might reflect hypersensitivity of the snRNA transcriptional domains to single-stranded DNA nicks or relaxation of DNA torsional stress or both that occur during DNA repair. This late suppression of snRNA biosynthesis was as pronounced in UV light-irradiated (DNA incision-deficient) xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts (complementation group A) as in irradiated normal human fibroblasts. The synthesis of snRNAs was not preferentially sensitive to gamma radiation (which produces single-stranded DNA breaks) or novobiocin or nalidixic acid (which induce DNA relaxation). Neither of these two drugs prevented the UV light-induced inhibition of snRNA synthesis observed during postirradiation cell incubation. These results suggest that the late suppression of snRNA synthesis does not result from hypersensitivity of snRNA transcriptional domains to single-stranded DNA cleavages or relaxation of DNA torsional strain. The UV light-induced late inhibition of snRNA synthesis: shows an inactivation curve whose slope differs from that observed immediately after irradiation; is seen in untransformed cells as well as established cells lines; and has been conserved between birds and mammals.