Parp-1 deficiency causes an increase of deletion mutations and insertions/rearrangements in vivo after treatment with an alkylating agent

Accumulated evidence suggests that Parp-1 is involved in DNA repair processes, including base excision repair, single-strand and double-strand break repairs. To understand the precise role of Parp-1 in genomic stability in vivo, we carried out mutation analysis using Parp-1 knockout (Parp-1(-/-)) mice harboring two marker genes, gpt and red/gam genes. Spontaneous mutant frequencies of both genes in the bone marrows and livers did not differ significantly between Parp-1(-/-) and Parp-1(+/+) mice (P > 0.05). After treatment with an alkylating agent, N-nitrosobis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine (BHP), the mutant frequency of the red/gam genes in the liver in Parp-1(-/-) mice was 1.6-fold higher than that in Parp-1(+/+) mice (P<0.05). Categorization of the mutations revealed that deletions larger than 1 kb or those accompanying 1-5 lip insertions at the deletion junctions, as well as rearrangements, were more frequently observed in Parp-1(-/-) than in Parp-1(+/+) mice (P<0.05, respectively). In contrast, mutant frequencies of the gpt gene in the livers of Parp-1(-/-) and Parp-1(+/+) mice after BHP treatment were both elevated and there was no significant difference between the genotypes. These results indicate that Parp-I is implicated in suppressing deletion mutations in vivo, especially those accompanying small insertions or rearrangements. Published online 20 December 2004.