Effect of UVA on RNA synthesis in isolated chicken liver nuclei

Little information is available on the effects of UVA (320-400 nm radiation) on transcription. We examined the effect of UVA on RNA synthesis in isolated chicken liver nuclei. Nuclei in air or nitrogen were irradiated with UVA, and the RNA synthesis induced by endogenous RNA polymerase was estimated under conditions in which little or no initiation occurs. Incorporation of [3H]UMP into the acid-insoluble fraction was used as the measure of RNA synthesis in the nuclei. In air the amount of synthesized RNA decreased with increasing UVA fluence. In contrast, in nitrogen UVA had little effect on RNA synthesis. Sodium azide and histidine, which effectively scavenge singlet oxygen (1O2) as well as hydroxyl radicals (.OH), protected the nuclei from inhibition of RNA synthesis; whereas, sodium formate and dimethyl sulfoxide, both of which much more effectively scavenge .OH than 1O2, had no protective effect. These findings provide a strong indication that 1O2 is involved in the inhibition of RNA synthesis. In addition, RNA polymerase II-dependent synthesis (in the nucleoplasm) was much more sensitive to UVA than RNA polymerase I-dependent synthesis (in the nucleolus).