Effect of Damage Type on Stimulation of Human Excision Nuclease by SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Factor

To investigate the repair of different types of DNA lesions in chromatin, we prepared mononucleosomes containing an acetylaminofluorene-guanine adduct (AAF-G), a (6-4) photoproduct, or a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) and measured the repair of these lesions by reconstituted 6-factor human excision nuclease. We find that incorporation into nucleosomes inhibits the repair of CPD more severely than repair of the AAF-G adduct and the (6-4) photoproduct. Equally important, we find that SWI/SNF stimulates the removal of AAF-G and (6-4) photoproduct but not of CPD from nucleosomal DNA. These results shed new light on the low rate of repair of CPDs in human cells in vivo.