Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.1.1.37 (DNA methyltransferase)
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One of the low molecular weight components of myosin, g2, was isolated by alkali treatment of myosin and was chemically modified with a spin label reagent, 4-maleimido-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinooxyl. The label on g2 showed a rather weakly immobilized ESR spectrum and it was clearly affected by Ca2+; the half-maximal change was at around pCa 4. The spin-labeled g2 was incorporated into myosin by exchange with the intrinsic g2 of myosin in 0.6 M KSCN or 4 M LiC1. The label on g2 became strongly immobilized on association with myosin. Under the conditions used, ESR spectral change due to Ca2+ occurred at two different concentration ranges, which were as low as pCa 8 and at around pCa 4. Phosphorylated g2 was isolated from myosin after the protein kinase [EC 2.1.1.37]-catalyzed phosphorylation of myosin and it was also modified with the maleimide label. Dephosphorylation of the phosphorylated g2 was performed using E. coli alkaline phosphatase [EC 3.1.3.1]. The effects of Ca2+ on the ESR spectra of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated g2 were investigated on the state associated with myosin. A change in the ESR spectrum from strongly immobilized to weakly immobilized states was observed with both g2 chains on the addition of Ca2+. However, the effective concentration ranges of Ca2+ were quite different; around pCa 4 for the phosphorylated g2 and around pCa 8 for the dephosphorylated g2. The results indicate that g2 undergoes a conformational change at physiological levels of Ca2+ sufficient to saturate troponin, but it does not do so after phosphorylation.
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PMID:Ca2+-induced conformational changes of spin-labeled g2 chain bound to myosin and the effect of phosphorylation. 18 78

O6-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is a DNA repair protein which plays an important role in chemotherapy, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis. The specific activity of MGMT in female rat liver can be induced by approximately 20-fold by treatment of the rats with gamma-irradiation. Maximum response occurred 48 h after 15 Gy irradiation. MGMT levels in male rats were induced by only 3-fold. MGMT activity was also induced by irradiation of rat hepatoma H4IIE cells with a 3-fold increase noted after treatment with 3 Gy. Northern analysis and nuclear run-on assays indicated that the induction of MGMT was regulated at the transcriptional level. The radiation-mediated increase in MGMT was blocked by H7, a protein kinase inhibitor, but not by H89, an inhibitor of protein kinase A. Hydroxyl radicals may play a role in the induction mechanism since dimethyl sulfoxide, a radical scavenger, blocked the radiation-mediated increase in MGMT. MGMT activity was also increased by treatment of the cells with H2O2, in accordance with the involvement of activated oxygen species in the induction of MGMT. Finally, the addition of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, prior to but not after irradiation, abolished the increase in MGMT activity.
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PMID:Irradiation-induced expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase in mammalian cells. 137 30

Chemically modified phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) have become critical tools for research in the fields of gene expression and experimental therapeutics. Bioanalytical assays were developed that utilized fast anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) for the determination of 20-mer ODNs in biological fluids (plasma and urine) and tissues. A 20 mer ODN in the antisense orientation directed against DNA methyltransferase (denoted as MT-AS) was studied as the model ODN. The anion-exchange HPLC method employed a short column packed with non-porous polymer support and a ternary gradient elution with 2 M lithium bromide containing 30% formamide. Analysis of the MT-AS is accomplished within 5 min with a detection limit of approximately 3 ng on-column at 267 nm. For plasma and urine, samples were diluted with Nonidet P-40 in 0.9% NaCl and directly injected onto the column, resulting in 100% recovery. For tissue homogenates, a protein kinase K digestion and phenol-chloroform extraction were used, with an average recovery of about 50%. Since the HPLC assay cannot provide one-base separation, biological samples were also processed by an anion-exchange solid-phase extraction and a CGE method to characterize MT-AS and its catabolites of 15-20-mer, species most relevant to biological activity. One base separation, under an electric field of 400 V/cm at room temperature, was achieved for a mixture of 15-20-mer with about 50 pg injected. Assay validation studies revealed that the combined HPLC-CGE methods are accurate, reproducible and specific for the determination of MT-AS and its catabolites in biological fluids and tissue homogenates, and can be used for the pharmacokinetic characterization of MT-AS.
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PMID:Determination of antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides and catabolites in biological fluids and tissue extracts using anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary gel electrophoresis. 918 82

This report completes a preliminary analysis of the sequence of the 330,740-bp chlorella virus PBCV-1 genome, the largest virus genome to be sequenced to date. The PBCV-1 genome is 57% the size of the genome from the smallest self-replicating organism, Mycoplasma genitalium. Analysis of 74 kb of newly sequenced DNA, from the right terminus of the PBCV-1 genome, revealed 153 open reading frames (ORFs) of 65 codons or longer. Eighty-five of these ORFs, which are evenly distributed on both strands of the DNA, were considered major ORFs. Fifty-nine of the major ORFs were separated by less than 100 bp. The largest intergenic distance was 729 bp, which occurred between two ORFs located in the 2.2-kb inverted terminal repeat region of the PBCV-1 genome. Twenty-seven of the 85 major ORFs resemble proteins in databases, including the large subunit of ribonucleotide diphosphate reductase, ATP-dependent DNA ligase, type II DNA topoisomerase, a helicase, histidine decarboxylase, dCMP deaminase, dUTP pyrophosphatase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a transposase, fungal translation elongation factor 3 (EF-3), UDP glucose dehydrogenase, a protein kinase, and an adenine DNA methyltransferase and its corresponding DNA site-specific endonuclease. Seventeen of the 153 ORFs resembled other PBCV-1 ORFs, suggesting that they represent either gene duplications or gene families.
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PMID:Analysis of 74 kb of DNA located at the right end of the 330-kb chlorella virus PBCV-1 genome. 935 47

Hybridon is conducting studies of the DNA methyltransferase gene and has identified specific sequences on mRNA as targets for chemically-modified antisense oligonucleotides. Hybridon has synthesized compounds that alter methylation of cultured human cancer cells and inhibit their ability to grow in cell culture and inhibit tumor formation in mice [191303]. The work is being carried out in collaboration with McGill University in Montreal and as part of a joint venture called MethylGene, set up by Hybridon and private investors. GEM-231 (a mixed backbone oligonucleotide) is a strand of synthetic DNA, which has been modified with 2'-O-methyl ribose at both ends in order to resemble RNA. It has the ability to inhibit expression of the R1-alpha subunit of protein kinase A, a gene whose expression has been associated with many types of cancer [273331,275860].
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PMID:Technology evaluation: GEM-231, Hybridon Inc. 1124 79

The phage growth limitation (Pgl) system, encoded by Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), confers protection against the temperate bacteriophage phiC31 and its homoimmune relatives. The Pgl phenotype is characterized by the ability of Pgl+ hosts to support a phage burst on initial infection but subsequent cycles are severely attenuated. Previously, two adjacent genes pglY and pglZ were shown to be required for Pgl. It had been shown by Southern blotting that Streptomyces lividans, a close relative of S. coelicolor and naturally Pgl-, does not contain homologues of pglYZ and that introduction of pglYZ into S. lividans is not sufficient to confer a Pgl+ phenotype. Moreover, the mechanism of the Pgl+<--> Pgl- phase variation associated with this phenotype is also not understood. Here we describe two novel genes, pglW and pglX, that were shown to be part of this system by complementation of Pgl- mutants and by insertional mutagenesis. pglW encodes a 169 kDa protein that includes putative motifs for both serine/threonine protein kinase activity and DNA binding. pglX encodes a 136 kDa protein with putative adenine-specific DNA methyltransferase activity. pglW and pglX have overlapping stop-start codons suggesting transcriptional and translational coupling. S1 mapping of transcripts initiating up-stream of pglW indicated that, like pglYZ, pglWX is expressed in uninfected cultures. A homologue of pglX with 76% amino acid identity was identified in S. coelicolor, and insertional mutagenesis indicated that this gene was not required for the Pgl+ phenotype. Southern blots indicated that S. lividans does not contain homologues of pglW or pglX. A plasmid encoding pglWXYZ was able to confer the Pgl+ phenotype to S. lividans implying that these four genes constitute the whole system.
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PMID:Genetics of the phage growth limitation (Pgl) system of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). 1197 85

Recent studies show that stable expression of the human telomerase catalytic subunit, hTERT, alone can lead several types of normal human somatic cells to bypass replicative senescence and become immortal. The molecular mechanisms by which telomerase immortalizes cells are not fully understood, although a key function of telomerase is to maintain a critical length of telomeres in order to preserve the stability and integrity of the genome. Here we report that stable transfection of hTERT alone was sufficient to allow bovine capillary endothelial (BCE) cells to bypass senescence and acquire immortality. Surprisingly, telomere lengths in these stable transfectants were progressively shortened during an increasing number of population doublings (PDLs), despite high telomerase activity. The expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) p16INK4A and p21CIP1/WAF1 was concomitantly repressed, and the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) was maintained in a hyperphosphorylated state in the telomerase-expressing cells. Re-expression of p16INK4A in these cells by either treatment with a demethylating agent or by adenovirus-mediated expression reinduced a senescence-like phenotype, suggesting that the inactivation of p16INK4A was due to DNA methylation and was crucial for the immortalization process. In agreement with this finding, the expression levels of the prototypic DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 were elevated in the hTERT-positive cells.
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PMID:Immortalization of bovine capillary endothelial cells by hTERT alone involves inactivation of endogenous p16INK4A/pRb. 1258 45

Frequent genetic alterations in hematopoietic neoplasias (chromosomal translocations, point mutations, etc.) have provided biologic targets for the development of effective novel therapies. A rapidly increasing body of knowledge provides evidence also for multiple epigenetic alterations in these disorders, which can complement or even precede genetic aberrations. Gene inactivation ('silencing') of tumor suppressor and growth inhibitory genes (e.g. the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p16, p15, p21) is frequently mediated by DNA methylation of gene promoters. The acetylation state of histones (functionally linked to the DNA methylation state by the methylcytosine binding protein 2, recruiting histone deacetylases) provides a second major epigenetic silencing mechanism. Therapeutic reversal strategies are being developed for acute leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes and malignant lymphomas. Since the discovery of the DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt) inhibitory activity of two azanucleosides (5-azacytidine, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine/decitabine) even at doses with minimal nonhematologic toxicity, both have been clinically studied in several myeloid neoplasias, particularly in elderly patients unable to tolerate aggressive treatment. Further development of agents counteracting aberrant methylation is directed at more targeted approaches, for example, antisense molecules against Dnmts. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) can be inhibited by numerous compounds (sodium phenylbutyrate, valproic acid, novel compounds such as depsipeptide), which have entered the clinical arena in similar indications as Dnmt inhibitors. Impressive effects of HDAC inhibition in acute promyelocytic leukemia models (PML/RARA expression) translate the finding of HDAC recruitment by this chimeric transcription factor to its target genes. The recent discovery of recruitment by PML/RARA also of Dnmt activity to the retinoic acid receptor-beta promoter makes it an interesting candidate for Dnmt inhibitors. Studies combining a 're-expressor' strategy with inhibitors of Dnmts and HDACs are underway. Thus, resensitization to biological agents such as retinoids, colony-stimulating factors and other differentiation inducers may be envisioned.
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PMID:Epigenetic targets in hematopoietic malignancies. 1452 73

AKAP12/Gravin, one of the A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs), functions as a kinase scaffold protein and as a dynamic regulator of the beta2-adrenergic receptor complex. However, the biological role of AKAP12 in cancer development is not well understood. The AKAP12 gene encodes two major isoforms of 305 and 287 kDa (designated AKAP12A and AKAP12B, respectively, in this report). We found that these two isoforms are independently expressed and that they are probably under the control of two different promoters. Moreover, both isoforms were absent from the majority of human gastric cancer cells. The results from methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite sequencing revealed that the 5' CpG islands of both AKAP12A and AKAP12B are frequently hypermethylated in gastric cancer cells. Treatment with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor and/or histone deacetylase inhibitor efficiently restored the expression of AKAP12 isoforms, confirming that DNA methylation is directly involved in the transcriptional silencing of AKAP12 in gastric cancer cells. Hypermethylation of AKAP12A CpG island was also detected in 56% (10 of 18) of primary gastric tumors. The restoration of AKAP12A in AKAP12-nonexpressing cells reduced colony formation and induced apoptotic cell death. In conclusion, our results suggest that AKAP12A may function as an important negative regulator of the survival pathway in human gastric cancer.
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PMID:AKAP12/Gravin is inactivated by epigenetic mechanism in human gastric carcinoma and shows growth suppressor activity. 1525 66

Tissue culture has been widely used for mass propagation of Phalaenopsis. However, somaclonal variation occurred during micropropagation process posed a severe problem by affecting product quality. In this study, wild type and peloric flower buds of Phalaenopsis hybrids derived from flower stalk nodal culture were used for cDNA-RAPD and cDNA suppression subtractive hybridization analyses in order to study their genetic difference in terms of expressed sequence tags. A total of 209 ESTs from normal flower buds and 230 from mutants were sequenced. These ESTs sequences can be grouped into several functional categories involved in different cellular processes including metabolism, signal transduction, transcription, cell growth and division, protein synthesis, and protein localization, and into a subcategory of proteins with unknown function. Cymbidium mosaic virus transcript was surprisingly found expressed frequently in the peloric mutant of P. Little Mary. Real-time RT-PCR analysis on selected ESTs showed that in mutant flower buds, a bZIP transcription factor (TGA1a-like protein) was down-regulated, while up-regulated genes include auxin-regulated protein kinase, cyclophilin, and TCP-like genes. A retroelement clone was also preferentially expressed in the peloric mutant flowers. On the other hand, ESTs involved in DNA methylation, chromatin remodeling and post-transcriptional regulation, such as DNA methyltransferase, histone acetyltransferase, ERECTA, and DEAD/DEAH RNA helicase, were enriched in normal flower buds than the mutants. The enriched transcripts in the wild type indicate the down regulation of these transcripts in the mutants, and vice versa. The potential roles of the analyzed transcripts in the development of Phalaenopsis flowers are discussed.
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PMID:Transcription analysis of peloric mutants of Phalaenopsis orchids derived from tissue culture. 1611 54


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