Quantitative measurement of DNA adducts in carcinogen-exposed cells provides the information about the frequency of formation and the rate of removal of DNA lesions in vivo, which yields insights into the initial events of mutagenesis. Metabolic activation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and its reduction product 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), leads to pyridyloxobutylation and pyridylhydroxybutylation of DNA. In this study, we employed a highly robust nanoflow liquid chromatography-nanoelectrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-nESI-MS/MS) coupled with the isotope-dilution method for simultaneous quantification of O(6)-[4-(3-pyridyl)-4-hydroxylbut-1-yl]-2′-deoxyguanosine (O(6)-PHBdG) and O(2)- and O(4)-[4-(3-pyridyl)-4-hydroxylbut-1-yl]-thymidine (O(2)-PHBdT and O(4)-PHBdT). Cultured mammalian cells were exposed to a model pyridylhydroxybutylating agent, 4-(acetoxymethylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNALOAc), followed by DNA extraction, enzymatic digestion, and sample enrichment prior to nLC-nESI-MS/MS quantification. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that O(4)-PHBdT is quantifiable in cellular DNA and naked DNA upon NNALOAc exposure. We also show that nucleotide excision repair (NER) machinery may counteract the formation of O(2)-PHBdT and O(4)-PHBdT, and O(6)-alkylguanine DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) may be responsible for the repair of O(6)-PHBdG and O(4)-PHBdT in mammalian cells. Together, our study provides new knowledge about the occurrence and repair of NNAL-induced DNA lesions in mammalian cells.
