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Title: Complementation of a Fanconi anemia group A cell line by UbA{sup 52}

Journal Article · · American Journal of Human Genetics
OSTI ID:134263
; ;  [1]
  1. Oregon Health Sciences Univ., Portland OR (United States); and others

Cells from patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) display chromosomal instability and increased sensitivity to mitomycin C (MMC) and diepoxybutane (DEB) relative to normal cells. Several genes act in this pathway of DNA damage processing based upon four known complementation groups in FA. We have made a cDNA expression library in a vector with a G418 selectable marker to identify FA genes other than the FA-C group. Approximately 1 x 10{sup 6} independent cDNA clones were isolated with an average cDNA size of 1.5 kb. Five cell lines resistant to MMC and DEB were isolated from 6 x 10{sup 6} G418-resistant transfectants from 65 individual transfections of the FA-A fibroblast line GM6914. The isolated cell lines also showed normal chromosome stability. The same cDNA (600 bp) was recovered from three independent cell lines by PCR using flanking sequence primers. The gene has sequence identity with a known gene, the ubiquitin fusion gene, UbA{sub 52}. Interestingly, each of the cDNAs were inserted in antisense orientation relative to the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter as determined by sequencing and PCR using UbA{sub 52}-specific internal primers. Southern blot analysis indicated the cell lines had distinct chromosomal insertion sites. Mutation analysis by chemical cleavage showed no reading frame mutations, indicating that UbA{sub 52} is not the FA-A gene. Re-transfection with the UbA{sub 52} gene in antisense gave complementation for MMC, DEB and chromosome stability to varying degrees. Re-transfection of the antisense construct with the CMV promotor removed or with a sense construct did not alter the MMC sensitivity. We conclude that the antisense UbA{sub 52} gene has a non-specific effect, perhaps acting by altering the cell cycle or susceptibility to apoptosis.

OSTI ID:
134263
Report Number(s):
CONF-941009-; ISSN 0002-9297; TRN: 95:005313-0999
Journal Information:
American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 55, Issue Suppl.3; Conference: 44. annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Montreal (Canada), 18-22 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English