Abstract
Chlorambucil is known to alkylate primarily N7 of guanine and N3 of adenine to induce DNA monofunctional adducts and interstrand cross-links (ISC). We have investigated the sequence specificity for DNA ISC induced by chlorambucil using duplex oligomers containing a defined cross-linkable sequences $ 5^{I}-A*TT, 5^{I}-G*TTor5^{I}-G*CC$ under bar which asterisk indicates the potential cross-linking site and underlined base indicates the potential cross-linking site on the opposite strand. An analysis of 20% denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that chlorambucil was albe to induce DNA ISC in the duplex oligomers containing a sequence $5^I-GCC$. The formation of DNA ISC was not observed in the duplex oligomers containing sequences $5^I-ATT$. or $5^I-GTT$. These results indicate that chlorambucil induces guanine-guanine DNA ISC but not guanine-adenine or adenine-adenine DNA ISC. In addition, we have tested the ability of chlorambucil to induce DNA ISC within $5^I-GNNC$ or $5^I-GNNC$sequences using duplex oligomers containing the sequence$5^I-G^4G^3G^2^C$. The result of DNA strand cleavage assay showed that DNA ISC was formed at the $5^I-GGC$ sequence (an 1,3 cross-link, $G^1-G^3$) but not at $5^I-GGGC$ (an 1,4 cross-link, $G^1-G^4$) or $5^I-GC$ sequence (an 1,2 cross-link, $G^1-G^2$).