Mutations induced in a shuttle vector plasmid exposed to monofunctionally activated mitomycin C

Reductive activation of mitomycin C leads to its covalent binding to DNA, forming monoadducts and cross-links. The cytotoxicity of mitomycin C has been attributed to cross-link formation, whereas monoadducts are assumed to cause mutagenicity. We have developed a 32P-postlabeling technique to measure mitomycin C DNA adducts. Using this technique, we have measured monoadduct formation in the shuttle vector plasmid pSP189 and have determined mutations induced by monoadduct formation. The shuttle vector plasmid was incubated with mitomycin C under conditions favoring monofunctional activation of mitomycin C. The plasmid was then replicated in human Ad293 cells, rescued in bacteria, and analyzed for mutations in the supF tRNA gene sequence of pSP189. One major mitomycin C/DNA adduct was observed by 32P-postlabeling and was characterized as a monoadduct of guanine. When pSP189 was exposed to monofunctionally activated mitomycin C, increases in adduct levels and mutation frequency were found to be related to mitomycin C concentration. The majority of the mutations involved single bases, with base substitutions making up 59.1% of the total mutations observed. Of the base substitutions, 67.2% were transversions and 32.8% were transitions, with nearly 80% of all base substitutions involving G:C base pairs. Deletions, either as single bases or large deletions, also involved G:C base pairs the majority of the time. The observed bias of mutations at G:C and the formation of a mitomycin C/DNA monoadduct involving guanine suggests that monoadduct formation may be responsible for the mutations.