Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:1.5.1.3 (dihydrofolate reductase)
 5,819 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Protozoa contain thymidylate synthase (TS) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) on the same polypeptide. In the bifunctional protein, the DHFR domain is on the amino terminus, TS is on the carboxyl terminus, and the two domains are separated by a junction peptide of varying size depending on the source. The native protein is composed of a dimer of two such subunits and is 110-140 kDa. Most studies of the bifunctional TS-DHFR have been performed with the protein from anti-folate resistant strains of Leishmania major, which show amplification of the TS-DHFR gene and overproduction of the bifunctional protein. The Leishmania TS-DHFR has also been highly expressed in heterologous systems. There appears to be extensive communication among domains and channeling of the H2folate product of TS to DHFR. Anti-folates commonly used to treat microbial infections are poor inhibitors of L. major DHFR. However, selective inhibition of L. major vs. human DHFR does not appear difficult to achieve, and selective inhibitors are known. The TS-DHFR from Plasmodium falciparum has also been cloned and has recently been expressed in Escherichia coli, albeit in small amounts. Interestingly, pyrimethamine-resistant strains of P. falciparum all have a common point mutation in the DHFR coding sequence (Thr/Ser 108 to Asn), which causes decreased binding of the folate analog. It is suggested that if an appropriate inhibitor of the pyrimethamine-resistant P. falciparum DHFRs can be found, it may serve in combination with pyrimethamine as an antimalarial regimen with low propensity for the development of resistance. In the future, we project that we will have a detailed knowledge of the structure and function of TS-DHFRs, and have the essential tools necessary for a molecular-based approach to drug design.
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PMID:Bifunctional thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase in protozoa. 218 Jul 68

The point mutation at nucleotide 323 within the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase gene of Plasmodium falciparum, which distinguishes pyrimethamine-sensitive from drug-resistant isolates, can be discriminated by the polymerase chain reaction using mutation-specific primers. The technique makes use of the principle that short oligonucleotides with a perfect match at their 3' ends, complementary to the mutation to be detected, will initiate the polymerization by Taq polymerase far more efficiently than primers with a single mismatch in this position. The Asn-108 codon was detected using a primer of 17 nucleotides with an adenosine at its 3' end, the Thr-108 codon with a 14-mer primer ending with a cytosine and the Ser-108 codon with a 16-mer containing guanidine at the critical 3' end. By selecting appropriate counterprimers, the size of the amplification products is either indicative of pyrimethamine-resistant parasites of the 7G8 type, or of pyrimethamine-sensitive parasites of the FCR-3 type or 3D7 type. The fragments obtained can be easily separated in a single lane after agarose gel electrophoresis. Coded P. falciparum DNA samples were typed unambiguously using these primers as were reconstituted parasitized blood samples stored as high salt lysates. Sensitivity, speed and specificity make this assay a realistic alternative to in vitro drug testing to monitor the resistance of P. falciparum to inhibitors of the dihydrofolate reductase.
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PMID:Detection of pyrimethamine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum by mutation-specific polymerase chain reaction. 218 8

Cycloguanil, the active metabolite of the antimalarial drug proguanil, is an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase as is another antimalarial, pyrimethamine. Its use has been limited by the rapid development of resistance by parasites around the world. We have determined the cycloguanil- and pyrimethamine-sensitivity status of 10 isolates of Plasmodium falciparum and have sequenced in all these isolates the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR; 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate: NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.3) portion of the DHFR-thymidylate synthase (TS; 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate: dUMP C-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.45) gene. Instead of the known serine-to-asparagine change at position 108 that is important in pyrimethamine resistance, a serine-to-threonine change at the same position is found in cycloguanil-resistant isolates along with an alanine-to-valine change at position 16. We conclude that pyrimethamine and cycloguanil resistance most commonly involve alternative mutations at the same site. However, we also have identified a parasite with a unique set of changes that results in resistance to both drugs.
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PMID:Amino acids in the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase gene of Plasmodium falciparum involved in cycloguanil resistance differ from those involved in pyrimethamine resistance. 218 21

The structure of the Escherichia coli thymidylate synthase (TS) covalent inhibitory ternary complex consisting of enzyme, 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridylate (FdUMP) and 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate (CH2-H4PteGlu) has been determined at 2.5 A resolution using difference Fourier methods. This complex is believed to be a stable structural analog of a true catalytic intermediate. Knowledge of its three-dimensional structure and that for the apo enzyme, also reported here, suggests for the first time how TS may activate dUMP and CH2-H4PteGlu leading to formation of the intermediate and offers additional support for the hypothesis that the substrate and cofactor are linked by a methylene bridge between C-5 of the substrate nucleotide and N-5 of the cofactor. By correlating these structural results with the known stereospecificity of the TS-catalyzed reaction it can be inferred that the catalytic intermediate, once formed, must undergo a conformational isomerization before eliminating across the bond linking C-5 of dUMP to C-11 of the cofactor. The elimination itself may be catalyzed by proton transfer to the cofactor's 5 nitrogen from invariant Asp169 buried deep in the TS active site. The juxtaposition of Asp169 and bound tetrahydrofolate in TS is remarkably reminiscent of binding geometry found in dihydrofolate reductase where a similarly conserved carboxyl group serves as a general acid for protonating the corresponding pyrazine ring nitrogen of dihydrofolate.
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PMID:Stereochemical mechanism of action for thymidylate synthase based on the X-ray structure of the covalent inhibitory ternary complex with 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridylate and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate. 220 79

The synthesis of 2'-fluoro-10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and its 2-desamino, 2-desamino-2-hydroxymethyl, and 2-desamino-2-methoxy analogues is described. In general the synthetic route involved the coupling of diethyl N-[2-fluoro-4-(prop-2-ynylamino)benzoyl]-L-glutamate with the appropriate 6-(bromomethyl)quinazoline followed by deprotection with mild alkali. These four compounds together with the 2-desamino-2-methyl analogue were tested for their activity against L1210 thymidylate synthase (TS). They were also examined for their inhibition of the growth of the L1210 cell line and of two mutant L1210 cell lines, the L1210:R7A that overproduces dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and the L1210:1565 that has impaired uptake of reduced folates. Compared with their non-fluorinated parent compounds, the 2'-fluoro analogues were all approximately 2-fold more potent as TS inhibitors. Similarly, they also showed improved inhibition of L1210 cell growth (1.5-5-fold), and this activity was prevented by co-incubation with thymidine. All had retained or improved activity against both the L1210:R7A and L1210:1565 cell lines.
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PMID:Quinazoline antifolate thymidylate synthase inhibitors: 2'-fluoro-N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid and derivatives with modifications in the C2 position. 223 7

Selection of the rodent malaria Plasmodium chabaudi with low levels of the antifolate drug pyrimethamine has previously been shown by us to result in duplication of the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) gene by a duplication of chromosome 7 and subsequent rearrangements. We have selected this resultant parasite line with large doses of pyrimethamine and analysed the DHFR-TS gene and chromosomes for any changes. Increased drug pressure has resulted in reappearance of a chromosome with the same structure as chromosome 7 from DS the parent line. Sequencing of the DHFR gene from each of the chromosomes has identified a single point mutation that results in a serine to asparagine change at position 106. This is the equivalent mutation that has been identified as the key residue in the mechanism of resistance to pyrimethamine in Plasmodium falciparum. There is no apparent increase in transcription of the DHFR-TS gene and the large increase in resistance is most likely a result of the mutation in the DHFR gene.
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PMID:Chromosomal rearrangements and point mutations in the DHFR-TS gene of Plasmodium chabaudi under antifolate selection. 223 98

Trypanosomatid protozoa frequently cause severe diseases in humans. Many molecules likely to have a role during the infectious cycle have been identified, yet proof of their function is often lacking. We describe studies in Leishmania major of homologous gene targeting, a powerful method for testing gene function in other organisms. Following introduction of a construct containing dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (dhfr-ts) flanking sequences fused to neomycin phosphotransferase, 45% of the colonies contained the planned homologous replacement; this frequency rose to nearly 100% in transfections using low amounts of DNA. Integrative transfection in Leishmania thus resembles that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in giving predominantly homologous events. To facilitate studies of folate metabolism and chemotherapy the sole dhfr-ts copy in a heterozygous deletion line was replaced, yielding lines that were functionally DHFR-TS-. Although most genes are diploid in trypanosomatids, methods exploiting the high frequency of homologous recombination should permit complete replacement of any parasite gene.
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PMID:Gene replacement in parasitic protozoa. 223 72

Metabolic inhibitors which act in the process of pyrimidine salvage influenced on the uracil incorporation into nucleic acids of Toxoplasma. Inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase, pyrimethamine and methotrexate, and inhibitors of thymidylate synthase, fluoro-uridine, fluoro-dUMP and fluoro-uracil, diminished isotopic uracil uptake in dose-dependent manners. Azauridine which suppresses de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis did not affect the salvage even in a relatively high dose. These results suggested that the activation of uracil salvage should be closely related with the function of TMP biosynthetic enzymes. The pattern of thymidine uptake had no differences between control HL-60 cells and Toxoplasma infected cells, which did not reflect the specific proliferation of Toxoplasma. It can be exploited to characterize the effects of various compounds related with the proliferation of Toxoplasma, especially its DNA synthesis.
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PMID:Effects of pyrimidine salvage inhibitors on uracil incorporation of Toxoplasma gondii. 227 4

Fetal liver or bone marrow-derived T lymphocyte precursors undergo extensive, developmentally regulated proliferation in response to inductive signals from the thymic microenvironment. We have used neonatal mouse thymocytes size-separated by centrifugal elutriation to study the cell cycle stage-specific expression of several genes associated with cell proliferation. These include genes involved in the biosynthesis of deoxyribonucleotide precursors, such as dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), thymidylate synthase (TS), and the M1 and M2 subunits of ribonucleotide reductase, as well as c-myc, a cellular oncogene of unknown function. Using nuclear run-on assays, we observed that the transcription rates for these genes, with the exception of TS, are essentially invariant not only throughout the cell cycle in proliferating cells, but also in noncycling (G0) cells. The TS gene showed a transient increase in transcription rate in cells which bordered between a proliferating and nonproliferating status. Studies of an elutriated T cell line, S49.1, yielded similar results, indicating that the process of immortalization has not affected the transcriptional regulation of these genes. Analysis of steady-state mRNA levels using an RNase protection assay demonstrated that the levels of DHFR and TS mRNA accumulate as thymocytes progress through the cell cycle. In contrast, only the M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase showed cyclic regulation. Finally, in contrast to cultured cell models, we observed an abrupt fivefold increase in the steady-state level of c-myc mRNA in the transition from G1 to S-phase. We conclude from these studies that the transcriptional regulation of specific genes necessary for cellular proliferation is a minor component of the developmental modulation of the thymocyte cell cycle.
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PMID:A cell cycle analysis of growth-related genes expressed during T lymphocyte maturation. 227 81

To delineate segments of the genome of the human protozoan parasite Leishmania major necessary for replication and expression, we developed a vector (pR-NEO) which can be reproducibly introduced into L. major. This DNA was derived from a 30-kilobase extrachromosomal amplified DNA bearing the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase gene, with the coding region for neomycin phosphotransferase substituted for that of dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase and a bacterial origin of replication and selectable marker added. G418-resistant lines were obtained at high efficiency by electroporation of pR-NEO (approaching 10(-4) per cell), while constructs bearing an inverted neo gene or lacking Leishmania sequences did not confer resistance. pR-NEO replicated in L. major and gave rise to correctly processed transcripts bearing the trans-spliced miniexon. Molecular karyotype analysis showed that in some lines pR-NEO DNA exists exclusively as an extrachromosomal circle, a finding supported by the rescue of intact pR-NEO after transformation of Escherichia coli. These data genetically localize all elements required in cis for DNA replication, transcription, and trans splicing to the Leishmania DNA contained within pR-NEO DNA and signal the advent of stable transfection methodology for addressing molecular phenomena in trypanosomatid parasites.
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PMID:Stable transfection of the human parasite Leishmania major delineates a 30-kilobase region sufficient for extrachromosomal replication and expression. 230 58


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