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)

The largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) contains a remarkable region of tandem heptapeptide repeats of the consensus sequence Tyr-Ser-Pro-Thr-Ser-Pro-Ser at its carboxyl terminus. This COOH-terminal domain (CTD) is unphosphorylated in RNAP IIA, extensively phosphorylated in RNAP IIO, and absent in RNAP IIB. The reversible phosphorylation of the CTD has been proposed to be integral to each cycle of transcription from the adenovirus-2 major late promoter. The adenovirus-2 major late promoter, however, may not be a good paradigm for the study of CTD function because in vitro transcription from this promoter is not dependent on the CTD. Previous studies suggest that transcription from the murine dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) promoter requires the CTD. In an effort to investigate the role of the CTD and its phosphorylation, a RNAP II-dependent reconstituted transcription system specific for the DHFR promoter was established. In this reconstituted system, RNAP IIA, but not RNAP IIB, can transcribe from the DHFR promoter. Furthermore, RNAP IIB does not compete with RNAP IIA for preinitiation complex assembly. These results suggest that the CTD plays a critical role in the recruitment of RNAP II to the DHFR promoter. The analysis of preinitiation complexes assembled on the DHFR promoter indicates that RNAP IIA readily assembles into functional preinitiation complexes in contrast to the inefficient assembly of RNAP IIO. However, transcript elongation is catalyzed by RNAP IIO as demonstrated by the photoactivated cross-linking of nascent DHFR transcripts to subunit IIo. These results indicate that transcription from the DHFR promoter involves the reversible phosphorylation of the CTD and support the idea that RNAPs IIA and IIO have essential but distinct functions.
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PMID:RNA polymerases IIA and IIO have distinct roles during transcription from the TATA-less murine dihydrofolate reductase promoter. 822 67

Transposon Tn5tac1 can generate conditional mutations by virtue of an outward-facing tac promoter, which is regulated by the lac repressor and isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). We report here on a Tn5tac1 insertion in Escherichia coli that results in a conditional (IPTG-elicited) folA mutant phenotype: During aerobic growth, IPTG caused decreased synthesis of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR; encoded by the folA gene) and hypersensitivity to trimethoprim (a DHFR inhibitor); during anaerobic growth, IPTG elicited auxotrophy that was satisfied by thymine or glycine or threonine. The Tn5tac1 insertion was downstream from folA, with the tac promoter pointing into the gene (antisense direction). Complementation tests indicated that the conditional folA deficiency was a cis effect of transcription from the tac promoter, perhaps due to head-to-head collision between converging RNA polymerases.
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PMID:Conditional dihydrofolate reductase deficiency due to transposon Tn5tac1 insertion downstream from the folA gene in Escherichia coli. 838 26

To elucidate the role of a flexible loop (residues 64-72) in the stability and function of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase, glycine-67 in this loop was substituted by site-directed mutagenesis with seven amino acids (Ala, Cys, Asp, Leu, Ser, Thr, and Val). The circular dichroism spectra suggested that the confirmation of the native structure was affected by the mutations in both the presence and absence of NADPH. The free energy change of unfolding by urea decreased in the order of G67A > G67S > or = wild-type > or = G67D > G67T > G67C > or = G67L > G67V. The steady-state kinetic parameters for the enzyme reaction, Km and kcat, were only slightly influenced, but the rate of the hydride transfer reaction was significantly changed by the mutations, as revealed by the deuterium isotope effect on the enzyme activity. These results suggest that site 67 in the flexible loop, being very far from the active site, plays an important role in the stability and function of this enzyme. The characteristics of the mutations were discussed in terms of the modified flexibility of the native structure, compared with the results of mutations at site 121 in another flexible loop.
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PMID:Effects of point mutations at the flexible loop glycine-67 of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase on its stability and function. 874 72

Plasmodium falciparum isolates from 24 Papua New Guinean patients with symptomatic malaria were tested for susceptibility to pyrimethamine and cycloguanil. Thirteen isolates were sensitive to both agents and the remainder exhibited varying degrees of resistance. No isolates were found to be resistant to one agent yet sensitive to the other and a positive correlation suggesting cross-resistance was found. Parasite DNA extracted from the patients' stained blood slides was amplified and sequenced to examine point mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and dihydropteroate synthetase genes (DHPS) associated with antifolate resistance. All resistant isolates possessed mutations in the DHFR gene at codon 108, the majority changing from Ser to Asn, but one isolate from Ser to Thr, a change not previously reported in field isolates. A second mutation of the DHFR gene at Cys-59 to Arg was present in isolates with higher level resistance, but not exclusively so. Sequencing the DHPS gene, as a predictor of sulfadoxine resistance, revealed only one example that was different from DHPS alleles of sensitive isolates.
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PMID:Point mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase and dihydropteroate synthetase genes and in vitro susceptibility to pyrimethamine and cycloguanil of Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Papua New Guinea. 878 Apr 62

Pyrimethamine and cycloguanil resistance of Plasmodium falciparum has been linked to mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) portion of the dhfr-ts gene. In this paper, the DNA sequence of the dhfr-ts gene of 50 isolates from Vietnam and 2 clones (T9/94 and T9/96) isolated from a malaria patient from Thailand have been analyzed. A comparison between these isolates and clones showed differential mutation patterns. Forty-eight isolates were found to consist of mutations associated with Pyr. A novel leucine mutation at position 140 was found in the isolate VP8 and in clone T9/94. The isolate VP8 and the clone T9/94 were found to also have the characteristic changes at positions 16 (Val) and 108 (Thr) that have been found in cycloguanil-resistant isolates. The isolate VP35 was shown to be resistant to both antifolates, while the clone T9/96 was found to be sensitive to both antifolates and to have a sequence identical to that of wild-type dhfr-ts. The two clones from a single patient showed the coexistence of resistant and sensitive clones in the absence of treatment by antifolates. Since cycloguanil resistance seems to be rare in Vietnam, cycloguanil alone or in combination with other antimalarial agents might be an alternative for treatment and prophylaxis, even in areas with high resistance to pyrimethamine.
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PMID:Plasmodium falciparum: mutation pattern in the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase genes of Vietnamese isolates, a novel mutation, and coexistence of two clones in a Thai patient. 888 32

The nucleotide sequence of a 37 000 base pair region from the left arm of chromosome XV of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been determined and analysed. This region contains 21 open reading frames (ORFs) coding for proteins of more than 100 amino acids. Six ORFs correspond to the genes PAC1, VPH1, MOD5, CAP20, ORF1 and SNF2 already described. Eight ORFs show some similarities to known genes from yeast and other organisms. They include genes coding for serine/threonine protein kinases, a multidrug resistance family homologue, a protein related to dihydrofolate reductase, a cluster of heat shock-like proteins and a gene coding for an enzyme related to protein disulfide isomerase. Finally seven ORFs do not show any similarities with a known gene. In addition we found a new ala-tRNA (UGC) gene located next to a sigma sequence.
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PMID:DNA sequence analysis of the VPH1-SNF2 region on chromosome XV of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 889 71

Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates resistant to several antimicrobial agent classes including trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole have been reported with increasing frequency throughout the world. The MICs of trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (1:19) for 259 clinical isolates from South Africa were determined, and 166 of these 259 (64%) isolates were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (MICs > or =20 mg/liter). Trimethoprim resistance was found to be more strongly correlated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance (correlation coefficient, 0.744) than was sulfamethoxazole resistance (correlation coefficient, 0.441). The dihydrofolate reductase genes from 11 trimethoprim-resistant (MICs, 64 to 512 microg/ml) clinical isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae were amplified by PCR, and the nucleotide sequences were determined. Two main groups of mutations to the dihydrofolate reductase gene were found. Both groups shared six amino acid changes (Glu20-Asp, Pro70-Ser, Gln81-His, Asp92-Ala, Ile100-Leu, and Leu135-Phe). The first group included two extra changes (Lys60-Gln and Pro111-Ser), and the second group was characterized by six additional amino acid changes (Glu14-Asp, Ile74-Leu, Gln91-His, Glu94-Asp, Phe147-Ser, and Ala149-Thr). Chromosomal DNA from resistant isolates and cloned PCR products of the genes encoding resistant dihydrofolate reductases were capable of transforming a susceptible strain of S. pneumoniae to trimethoprim resistance. The inhibitor profiles of recombinant dihydrofolate reductase from resistant and susceptible isolates revealed that the dihydrofolate reductase from trimethoprim-resistant isolates was 50-fold more resistant (50% inhibitory doses [ID50s], 3.9 to 7.3 microM) than that from susceptible strains (ID50s, 0.15 microM). Site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed that one mutation, Ile100-Leu, resulted in a 50-fold increase in the ID50 of trimethoprim. The resistant dihydrofolate reductases were characterized by highly conserved redundant changes in the nucleotide sequence, suggesting that the genes encoding resistant dihydrofolate reductases may have evolved as a result of inter- or intraspecies recombination by transformation.
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PMID:Mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase gene of trimethoprim-resistant isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae. 937 41

To elucidate the role of a flexible loop (residues 142-149) in the stability and function of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase, alanine-145 in this loop was substituted by site-directed mutagenesis with ten amino acids (Glu, Phe, Gly, His, Ile, Leu, Arg, Ser, Thr, and Val). The amount of three mutant proteins (A145E, A145I, and A145L) in cells was too small to allow the measurement of circular dichroism (CD) spectra and urea unfolding. The CD spectra of other seven mutants were identical with those of the wild-type DHFR, indicating that the native conformation of DHFR was not affected by the mutations. The free energy change of unfolding by urea decreased with an increase in the hydrophobicity of amino acid residues introduced, A145T>A145R>A145G>=A145S>=A145H>A145V++ +>wild-type>=A145F. The steady-state kinetic parameters for the enzyme reaction, Km and ksub, were only slightly influenced by the mutations. These results suggest that site 145 in the flexible loop plays an important role in the stability but has little or no effect on the native structure and function of this enzyme. The characteristics of the mutations are discussed in comparison with those of mutations at site 67 [Ohmae et al. (1996) J. Biochem. 119, 703-710] and at site 121 [Gekko et al. (1994) J. Biochem. 116, 34-41] in two other flexible loops.
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PMID:Effects of point mutations at the flexible loop alanine-145 of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase on its stability and function. 956 14

Several point mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene of Plasmodium falciparum have been correlated with in vitro anti-folate drug resistance of laboratory and field isolates. Furthermore, two different point mutations that generate amino acid substitutions at the same position of the enzyme have been observed in all the isolates studied to date. These point mutations change a serine (Ser-108) in the wild type to an asparagine (Asn-108 mutation) or to a threonine (Thr-108 mutation). Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), it is possible to identify isolates that present these mutations. We used a mutation-specific PCR to screen 71 samples from several geographic locations of Colombia for the Asn-108 mutation (pyrimethamine resistance). In this initial screening 53 of 71 yielded amplification product with the DHFR mutation-specific primers. We further analyzed the 18 samples that did not amplify using a mutation-specific nested PCR. Of those 18 samples, seven amplified with primers specific for the Thr-108 mutation (proguanil resistance), one with the wild type (Ser-108), and 10 did not amplify. Of these 10 samples, three were identified as P. falciparum using a species-specific diagnostic nested PCR base on sequences from the small ribosomal RNA subunit gene. Overall, 51.6% of the samples amplified for the Asn-108 mutation, 10.9% for the Thr-108 mutation, 35.9% with the wild type specific primer, and 4.8% did not amplify with any of the DHFR primers. We observed variability in the frequency of the mutation between the different geographic location. The frequency of the Asn-108 and Thr-108 mutations in the state of Narifio was 25% each, while in Valle del Cauca the frequencies were 59% and 11%, respectively. These results contrast with observations in Brazil in which the Asn-108 mutation was found in 90% of the blood samples screened.
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PMID:Frequency of the Asn-108 and Thr-108 point mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase gene in Plasmodium falciparum from southwest Colombia. 968 39

Two new dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) mutations were recently discovered in Plasmodium falciparum samples from an area of Bolivia with high rates of in vivo resistance to pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine: a Cys-->Arg point mutation in codon 50 and a five amino acid insertion after codon 30, termed the Bolivia repeat. We used a yeast expression system to screen these new DHFR mutants, as well as all of the other known DHFR mutant genotypes, against four antifolates: pyrimethamine, cycloguanil, chlorcycloguanil, and WR99210. The prodrug proguanil was also evaluated. The primary 108-Asn mutation, the known secondary mutations 51-Ile, 59-Arg and 164-Leu, as well as the 50-Arg mutation, all progressively enhanced pyrimethamine resistance in naturally observed combinations with one another, with the presence of 164-Leu most significantly increasing resistance. Cycloguanil and chlorcycloguanil resistance were most impacted by 164-Leu and the paired 16-Val/108-Thr. Proguanil had no effect on malaria DHFR. All DHFRs analyzed were sensitive to WR99210. The Bolivia repeat did not markedly affect drug sensitivity. We conclude that malaria DHFR can be reliably, rapidly and inexpensively analyzed in yeast for activity against a broad spectrum of antifolates. This system may be useful for initially characterizing newly discovered genotypes before proceeding to P. falciparum transfection; for large-scale geographic surveys of drug resistance; and for screening new antifolates or new antifolate combinations for their effectiveness against a large panel of DHFR mutants.
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PMID:Antifolate resistance due to new and known Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase mutations expressed in yeast. 974 71


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