Repair of the main UV-induced thymine dimeric lesions within Arabidopsis thaliana DNA: evidence for the major involvement of photoreactivation pathways

The UV-B induced formation of thymine cis-syn cyclobutane dimer and related (6-4) photoproduct was monitored within DNA of cultured cells and plants of Arabidopsis thaliana. This was achieved using a sensitive and accurate HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry assay. It was found that the cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer was formed in a ninefold higher yield than the (6-4) photoproduct. The removal of the lesions was then studied by incubating irradiated cells either in the darkness, under visible light or upon exposure to UV-A radiation. Dark repair of both cyclobutane dimers and (6-4) photoproducts was found to be very ineffective. In contrast, a rapid decrease in the level of photoproducts was observed when UV-B-irradiated cells were exposed to UV-A and, to a lesser extent, to visible light. The removal of (6-4) adducts was found to occur more efficiently. These results strongly suggest that repair of UV-induced photolesions in plants is mainly mediated by photolyases.