Normal reactivation of plasmid DNA inactivated by UV irradiation by lymphocytes from individuals with hereditary dysplastic naevus syndrome.

Hereditary dysplastic naevus syndrome (DNS) is a familial disorder characterized by dysplastic naevi and an approximately 85-fold increased risk of developing malignant cutaneous melanoma. Cell lines from individuals with DNS have shown hypermutability following exposure to UV irradiation. The cause of this hypermutability is unknown, and no DNA repair defect has been identified. We have studied the capacity of lymphocytes from individuals with DNS to reactivate the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene in transfected plasmids that had been inactivated by UV irradiation. We found no difference in plasmid reactivation between lymphocytes from individuals with DNS and those obtained from healthy control persons matched for sex, age and smoking habits. This finding indicates that DNS is not associated with a significant quantitative defect in nucleotide excision repair of DNA.