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Mutagenesis Advance Access originally published online on December 8, 2008
Mutagenesis 2009 24(2):161-167; doi:10.1093/mutage/gen064
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the UK Environmental Mutagen Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Histone H2AX phosphorylation in response to changes in chromatin structure induced by altered osmolarity

Jennifer Baure, Atefeh Izadi1, Vannina Suarez1, Erich Giedzinski1, James E. Cleaver2, John R. Fike and Charles L. Limoli1,*

Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA 1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, Irvine Medical Sciences I, Room B-149, Irvine, CA 92697-2695, USA 2Auerback Melanoma Laboratory, UCSF Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA

DNA strand breaks trigger marked phosphorylation of histone H2AX (i.e. {gamma}-H2AX). While DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) provide a strong stimulus for this event, the accompanying structural alterations in chromatin may represent the actual signal that elicits {gamma}-H2AX. Our data show that changes in chromatin structure are sufficient to elicit extensive {gamma}-H2AX formation in the relative absence of DNA strand breaks. Cells subjected to hypotonic (0.05 M) treatment exhibit {gamma}-H2AX levels that are equivalent to those found after the induction of 80–200 DNA DSBs (i.e. 2–5 Gy). Despite this significant increase in phosphorylation, cell survival remains relatively unaffected (<10% cytotoxicity), and there is no significant increase in apoptosis. Nuclear staining profiles indicate that {gamma}-H2AX-positive cells induced under altered tonicity exhibit variable levels of staining, ranging from uniform pan staining to discrete punctate foci more characteristic of DNA strand breakage. The capability to induce significant {gamma}-H2AX formation under altered tonicity in the relative absence of DNA strand breaks suggests that this histone modification evolved in response to changes in chromatin structure.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +949 824 3053; Fax: +949 824 3566; Email: climoli{at}uci.edu

Received on November 8, 2007; revised on October 29, 2008; accepted on October 31, 2008.


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