The potent carcinogen, ethylnitrosourea, has been shown to ethylate oxygens, in preference to nitrogens, in the DNA of cultured cells. We have now studied the removal of seven ethyl derivatives in replicating cells. The following findings are reported. 1) The absolute amounts of 02-EtT, 04-EtT and 02-EtC are decreased in cellular DNA after correction for cell growth. However the rate of decrease diminishes after approximately 20 hr and after more than two cell doublings 20--40% of each derivative persists. This decrease is presumed to be due to enzymes since these derivatives are stable in isolated DNA. 2) The amount of ethyl phosphotriesters remains almost unchanged during 72 hr of cell culture. 3) The unstable purine derivatives, 7-EtG and 3-EtA, are both removed from cellular DNA with a rate faster than can be accounted for by the lability of the glycosyl bond. 4) Both GM 637 fibroblasts and Xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts (12-RO) (XP-12) have similar ability to remove ethyl products, except for O6-ethyl G which persists to a greater extent in XP12 cells. 5) The implications of the in vivo persistence of ethylated bases is discussed in regard to recent demonstrations that O2-EtT, O4-ET, O2-EtC and O6-EtG are all mutagenic.

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3-Aminobenzamide, an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis, has been commonly used in attempts to demonstrate a regulatory role for the polymer during a late stage of repair. When a range of inhibitor concentrations was used paradoxical results were obtained. Up to 1 mM, 3-aminobenzamide appeared to reduce DNA break frequencies in cells damaged by methyl methane sulfonate; at doses of 2 mM and above, it appeared to increase break frequencies. In the high concentration range, many nonspecific side effects and cellular toxicity predominate. Evidence used to assert a role for poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis during ligation has usually been derived from experiments using high concentrations of 3-aminobenzamide, but these may be attributed to toxic side effects. 3-Aminobenzamide stimulates a large increase in repair replication which does not result from increased excision of damaged sites or an increased patch length but may be attributable to other cellular effects such as endogenous nuclease attack on DNA. The cellular effects of 3-aminobenzamide are therefore complicated by nonspecific effects over a commonly used concentration range and evidence for a specific regulatory role of poly(ADP-ribose) in DNA repair is weak.

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