BackgroundGenomic mutations caused by cytotoxic agents used in cancer chemotherapy may cause secondary malignancies as well as contribute to the evolution of treatment-resistant tumour cells. The stable diploid genome of the chicken DT40 lymphoblast cell line, an established DNA repair model system, is well suited to accurately assay genomic mutations.ResultsWe use whole genome sequencing of multiple DT40 clones to determine the mutagenic effect of eight common cytotoxics used for the treatment of millions of patients worldwide. We determine the spontaneous mutagenesis rate at 2.3 × 10–10 per base per cell division and find that cisplatin, cyclophosphamide and etoposide induce extra base substitutions with distinct spectra. After four cycles of exposure, cisplatin induces 0.8 mutations per Mb, equivalent to the median mutational burden in common leukaemias. Cisplatin-induced mutations, including short insertions and deletions, are mainly located at sites of putative intrastrand crosslinks. We find two of the newly defined cisplatin-specific mutation types as causes of the reversion of BRCA2 mutations in emerging cisplatin-resistant tumours or cell clones. Gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, hydroxyurea, doxorubicin and paclitaxel have no measurable mutagenic effect. The cisplatin-induced mutation spectrum shows good correlation with cancer mutation signatures attributed to smoking and other sources of guanine-directed base damage.ConclusionThis study provides support for the use of cell line mutagenesis assays to validate or predict the mutagenic effect of environmental and iatrogenic exposures. Our results suggest genetic reversion due to cisplatin-induced mutations as a distinct mechanism for developing resistance.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-016-0963-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The most preferred residue in the substrates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) protease is glutamic acid in the P2' position. The catalytic importance of this charged residue has been studied to obtain a detailed insight into the mechanism of action, which will promote drug design to combat the virus. To this end, we have synthesized Lys-Ala-Arg-Val-Leu*Phe(NO2)-Glu-Ala-Nle (substrate E) and its counterpart containing the neutral Gln (substrate Q) in place of Glu. Kinetic analyses have shown that the specificity rate constants (kcat/Km) display bell-shaped pH dependencies for both substrates, but the pH-independent limiting value is 35-40-fold higher with substrate E than with substrate Q. In contrast to the pH-rate profiles of kcat/Km, there is a striking difference between the pH dependencies of Km and kcat for the two substrates. This indicates different ground state and transition state stabilizations in the two reactions. Solvent kinetic deuterium isotope effects show that the rate-limiting step for the hydrolysis of substrate E is a chemical step coupled with proton transfer whereas with substrate Q it is a physical step, presumably a conformational change. Accordingly, the charged residue in P2' alters the rate-limiting step and the nature of the enzyme-substrate complex, resulting in different mechanisms for the two substrates.

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