Sister-chromatid exchanges induced by ultraviolet light in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts

The relationships between the cytotoxic effect of ultraviolet light and the UV-induced sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were compared among fibroblast cell strains from two unrelated Bloom's syndrome (BS) patients, one xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patient belonging to complementation group A and two unrelated normal controls. The "net" induced SCEs as a function of UV fluence, obtained by subtracting spontaneous SCEs from observed SCEs, were much higher in both BS cells and XP group A cells than in normal cells. The relative efficiency of induced SCE, defined as the "net" induced SCEs as a function of surviving fraction after UV irradiation, was higher in BS cells than in normal and XP cells, and there was essentially no difference between XP and normal cells. These results imply that in addition to the extremely high frequency of spontaneous SCEs, the increased efficiency in UV induction of SCEs may reflect the intrinsic defect(s) in BS cells.