Abstract
1,2-Dibromoethane (DBE, ethylene dibromide) is a potent carcinogen due at least in part to its DNA cross-linking effects. DBE cross-links glutathione (GSH) to DNA, notably to sites on 2'-deoxyadenosine and 2'-deoxyguanosine ( Cmarik , J. L. , et al. ( 1991 ) J. Biol. Chem. 267 , 6672 - 6679 ). Adduction at the N6 position of 2'-deoxyadenosine (dA) had not been detected, but this is a site for the linkage of O6-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase ( Chowdhury , G. , et al. ( 2013 ) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 52 , 12879 - 12882 ). We identified and quantified a new adduct, S-[2-(N6-deoxyadenosinyl)ethyl]GSH, in calf thymus DNA using LC-MS/MS. Replication studies were performed in duplex oligonucleotides containing this adduct with human DNA polymerases (hPols) η, ι, and κ, as well as with Sulfolobus solfataricus Dpo4, Escherichia coli polymerase I Klenow fragment, and bacteriophage T7 polymerase. hPols η and ι, Dpo4, and Klenow fragment were able to bypass the adduct with only slight impedance; hPol η and ι showed increased misincorporation opposite the adduct compared to that of unmodified 2'-deoxyadenosine. LC-MS/MS analysis of full-length primer extension products by hPol η confirmed the incorporation of dC opposite S-[2-(N6-deoxyadenosinyl)ethyl]GSH and also showed the production of a -1 frameshift. These results reveal the significance of N6-dA GSH-DBE adducts in blocking replication, as well as producing mutations, by human translesion synthesis DNA polymerases.