The XPA gene was initially cloned based on the ability of its cDNA to improve survival of cells from xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A (XP-A) patients following irradiation of the cells with UV. We used plasmid host cell reactivation assays to compare UV mutagenesis and the proficiency of DNA repair in a cell line from an XP-A patient, XP2OS(SV40), two derivative cell lines stably expressing XPA cDNAs and in a DNA repair proficient human cell line. Expression of XPA protein in XP2OS cells allowed them to repair UV-treated plasmid pRSVCAT, increasing activity of the damaged CAT marker gene > 100-fold to levels produced by similarly damaged plasmids in normal cells. Expression of the XPA protein in XP2OS cells improved replication of the UV-treated shuttle vector pSP189, increasing plasmid survival and decreasing plasmid mutation frequency to the levels measured in normal cells. The sequence locations of most mutation hotspots in the plasmid marker gene were similar for the three cell lines and the differences did not correlate with the DNA repair status of the cells. This suggests that the location of mutation hotspots is not directly influenced by DNA repair. Expression of the XPA protein did cause a shift in the types of mutations seen in the plasmid gene. In the XP2OS cells > 95% of the plasmid mutations were G:C-->A:T transition mutations. In contrast, XP2OS cells expressing XPA produced other types of mutations: three times as many transversion mutations and a 12-fold increase in mutations at A:T base pairs. Furthermore, the distribution of these types of mutations was similar to the proportions measured in normal cells. Strikingly similar patterns of transition and transversion mutations were found by examination of reports of XP and non-XP skin carcinomas containing mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene, suggesting that the repair status of the cells influenced mutagenesis associated with these skin cancers. Our data suggest that loss of XPA gene function may be sufficient to effect the quantitative and qualitative changes in mutagenesis associated with the large increase in skin cancers seen in XP-A patients.