Low levels of NPM gene expression in UV-sensitive human cell lines

Nucleophosmin (NPM) is a major nuclear matrix protein associated with neoplastic growth in various cell types. We recently suggested that expression of the NPM gene is involved in an increased resistance to UV irradiation in human cells against the cell-killing effects of UV (mainly 254nm wavelength far-ultraviolet ray) [Y. Higuchi, K. Kita, H. Nakanishi, X–L. Wang, S. Sugaya, H. Tanzawa, H. Yamamori, K. Sugita, A. Yamaura, N. Suzuki, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 248 (1998) 597–602]. In the present study, expression levels of the NPM gene were examined in human cell lines with a high sensitivity to UV cell-killing. Cockayne syndrome patient-derived cell lines, CSAI and CSBI, and the Xeroderma pigmentosum patient-derived cell line, XP2OS(SV), XP13KY, XP3KA, XP6BE(SV), XP101OS and XP3BR(SV), have been investigated for their NPM mRNA expression with Northern blotting analysis. All of these UV-sensitive cells demonstrated lower expression levels compared with those of normal fibroblast cells, FF, or an UV-resistant cell line, UHr-10; quite a lower level of expression in XP205(SV) cells after UV irradiation in contrast to a distinguishable increase in the expression in UVr- cells. These results confirmed an intimate correlation between degree of UV sensitivity and expression levels of the NPM gene in human cells.