Excision of 7-bromomethylbenz[a]anthracene--DNA adducts in replicating mammalian cells

The excision of 7-bromomethylbenz[a]anthracene--DNA adducts was studied in two cell lines (HeLa S-3 and Chinese hamster V-79379A). In both cell lines, carcinogen-modified adenine residues were excised more readily than the modified guanine residues and the percentage of the total products excised decreased after treatment with higher concentrations of carcinogen. At the highest concentrations used in the Chinese hamster cells, neither DNA synthesis nor excision was detected. The lowest concentration used for these cells permitted almost 100% survival and all the DNA was replicated in a 30-h interval even though 50% of the initial damage was still present. The two- to threefold lower sensitivity of the Chinese hamster cells (compared with the Hela cells) to the carcinogen is attributed to this capacity for replication of DNA on a damaged template since the two cell lines' capacities for excision of the chemical damage were found to be comparable.