Effect of ultraviolet irradiation on the protein synthesis of human skin cells: A study with a monochromatic ultraviolet irradiation apparatus

Human beings always suffer from serious risk of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays in general as well as in work environments but the health effects of UV are not yet fully understood. To enable fine analysis of the biological effects of UV at any given wavelength, we developed an apparatus that can experimentally irradiate cultured mammalian cells with monochromatic UV rays at any given wavelength. With this device, the effects of UV at 260, 280, 300 and 320 urn on the total protein synthesis of human skin-derived NB1RGB cells were examined. An inhibitory effect of UV at 260 and 280 nm was evident, whereas UV at 300 and 320 nm had only a marginal effect. UV at 280 nm also decreased amino acid uptake, which appears, at least partly, to be responsible for reduced protein synthesis. Metallothioneins (MTs), known as proteins defending against heavy metal toxicity, have been reported to be induced after UV irradiation, but UV at 280 nm did not induce MTs in NB1RGB cells. Cadmium pretreatment of cells, that had been assumed to protect cells from UV damage via MT induction, did not increase cell viability after exposure to UV at 280 nm. The present study unambiguously revealed the biological effects of monochromatic UV rays, also showing that the UV-irradiating apparatus can be a powerful tool for studying the health effects of UV.