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The DNAmismatch repair (MMR) and base excision repair (BER) systems are important determinants of cellular toxicity following exposure to agents that cause oxidative DNA damage. To examine the interactions between these different repair systems, we examined whether toxicity, induced by t-BOOH and KBrO3, differs in BER proficient (Mpg+/+, Nth1+/+) and deficient (Mpg-/-, Nth1-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) following Msh2 knockdown of between 79 and 88% using an shRNA expression vector. Msh2 knockdown in Nth1+/+ cells had no effect on t-BOOH and KBrO3 induced toxicity as assessed by an MTT assay; knockdown in Nth1-/- cells resulted in increased resistance to t-BOOHand KBrO3, a result consistent withNth1 removing oxidised pyrimidines. Msh2 knockdown in Mpg+/+ cells had no effect on t-BOOH toxicity but increased resistance to KBrO3; in Mpg-/- cells, Msh2 knockdown increased cellular sensitivity to KBrO3 but increased resistance to t-BOOH, suggesting a role for Mpg in removing DNA damage induced by these agents. MSH2 dependent and independent pathways then determine cellular toxicity induced by oxidising agents. A complex interaction betweenMMRand BER repair systems, that is, exposure dependent, also exists to determine cellular toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]