APHIDICOLIN DOES NOT INHIBIT DNA REPAIR SYNTHESIS IN UV IRRADIATED HELA CELLS A RADIOAUTOGRAPHIC STUDY

A radioautographic examination of nuclear DNA synthesis in unirradiated and uv-irradiated HeLa (human cervical carcinoma) cells, in the presence and in the absence of aphidicolin, showed that aphidicolin inhibits nuclear DNA replication and has no detectable effect on DNA repair synthesis. Although the results establish that in uv-irradiated HeLa cells most of the DNA repair synthesis is not due to DNA polymerase .alpha., they do not preclude a significant role for this enzyme in DNA repair processes.