Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.7.7.7 (DNA polymerase)
 17,007 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Segments of DNA that contained the DNA polymerase gene of bacteriophage T5 were isolated. The physical locus of the gene was identified by transforming Escherichia coli with purified DNA fragments generated by restriction enzyme digestions, and the transformed cells were used to rescue amber mutants of T5 with mutations in the gene for DNA polymerase. The method is applicable to any other gene that has mutations with low reversion frequencies. We studied the following mutations of the T5 DNA polymerase gene, reading from left to right by the standard convention (D. J. McCorquodale, Crit. Rev. Microbiol. 4:101-159, 1975): D7, D8, aml, ts5E-ts53, am6, and D9. These loci were found to reside within three pieces of DNA with a total length of 3,600 base pairs. Because the structural gene for T5 DNA polymerase is estimated to be 2,600 base pairs long, the whole structural gene may reside in these segments. These are located 58.3 to 61.3% of the distance from the left end of the DNA. The left-end piece of the DNA (1,100 base pairs) containing the polymerase gene has loci D7 and D8, and the right-end piece (1,600 base pairs) has locus D9, according to the results of the transformation assay. These results are consistent with the genetic map.
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PMID:Physical locus of the DNA polymerase gene and genetic maps of bacteriophage T5 mutants. 298 33

Until recently, lineage fidelity was thought to be preserved in leukaemic cells, which by available tests showed surface markers and enzymatic patterns characteristic of an appropriate normal cell lineage and stage of differentiation. Our data indicate that this theory is too restrictive. If leukaemogenesis occurs in pluripotent progenitors in a relatively high percentage of cases, we would propose a model in which lymphoid and myeloid differentiation antigens are expressed simultaneously until the progenitor cell commits to a single lineage. Lineage commitment could involve external factors, e.g. growth factors (Sherr et al, 1985), that cause genes specific for the opposite lineage to be 'switched off'. The control of gene expression in mammalian cells and the specific chromosomal sites of genes coding for the various lineage-associated markers remain uncertain. However, recent studies indicate that most, if not all, leukaemic cells contain chromosomal abnormalities, many involving rearrangements of DNA (Williams et al, 1986). Since the control of eukaryotic gene expression is known to involve numerous sequence elements, some acting at a distance from the site of transcription (Dynan and Tjian, 1985), genetic perturbations within the cell (e.g. a reciprocal translocation) could be expected to deregulate certain genes, leading to their under- or overexpression analogous to activation of the c-myc oncogene by the 8;14 translocation in Burkitt's lymphoma. Thus, an almost infinite variety of cell lineage-related phenotypes could be expected from this mechanism alone, even if the transforming event did not involve a pluripotent stem cell. Also, we have hypothesized that enzymes such as TdT, a DNA polymerase that catalyses polymerization of deoxyribonucleotides without a DNA template, could serve as a modifier of DNA sequences, permitting otherwise inactive genes to be expressed (Stass and Mirro, 1985). It is interesting that most cases of childhood acute mixed-lineage leukaemia are TdT positive, even though this is not true for the chronic leukaemias of adults. It is now clear that unusual combinations of myeloid and lymphoid cell lineages are much more common in acute leukaemia than have been generally recognized or suspected. The traditional division of the acute leukaemias into ALL and AML may not be the most accurate way to represent this class of haematological malignancies. That mixed-lineage leukaemia may require alternative therapy is a clinically important observation and underscores the need for comprehensive testing of blast cells at diagnosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Lineage heterogeneity in acute leukaemia: acute mixed-lineage leukaemia and lineage switch. 353 42

The dose-response relationship between extracellular concentration of cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) and intracellular formation of the putative active metabolites of ara-C [ara-C incorporation into DNA and intracellular pools of ara-C in triphosphate form (ara-CTP)] was investigated in blast cells obtained from patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) by exposing these cells in vitro to 10, 100, or 1,000 nmol/L of ara-C. We studied 23 untreated patients who subsequently achieved complete remission (CR) with a regimen using daunorubicin and conventional doses of ara-C (ara-C-sensitive group), and 30 patients judged to be ara-C-resistant either by failing initial induction therapy (16 patients) or by having relapsed on an ara-C-containing maintenance regimen (14 patients). In both patient groups, ara-C incorporation into DNA and intracellular ara-CTP both displayed statistically significant increases in response to increasing extracellular concentrations of ara-C (P = .0001 in both cases), with the rate of increase of ara-CTP greater than that of ara-C incorporation. Moreover, blast cells from all patients, even those who were most clinically resistant to ara-C, were able to form ara-CTP and to incorporate ara-C into DNA. Each tenfold increment in extracellular ara-C concentration caused an 8.5-fold increase in ara-CTP, but only a 3.6-fold increase in ara-C incorporation into DNA. Thus, the efficiency of incorporation of ara-C into DNA (defined as the ratio of ara-C incorporation to ara-CTP pools) decreased by 58% with each tenfold increment in the extracellular concentration of ara-C (P less than .0001), presumably as a result of the inhibitory effect of ara-CTP on DNA polymerase. Using an analysis of covariance, modest differences were found in the levels of the ara-C metabolite variables in the ara-C-sensitive group as compared with the resistant group. However, because there was considerable overlap in ara-C metabolite formation among the patient groups, it was not possible to predict clinical outcome by these in vitro assessments of ara-C metabolism.
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PMID:Metabolism of ara-C by blast cells from patients with ANLL. 371 4

An RNA-directed DNA polymerase was isolated from the peripheral blood leukocytes of a patient with acute myelomonocytic leukemia by successive purification of a particulate cytoplasmic fraction with endogenous, ribonuclease-sensitive DNA polymerase activity. Like RNA-directed DNA polymerase from mammalian type-C virus, the human leukemic cell enzyme efficiently utilized (A)(n).(dT)(12-18) and (C)(n).(dG)(12-18) and had an approximate molecular weight of 70,000. Further, the leukemic cell enzyme was strongly inhibited by antisera to RNA-directed DNA polymerase of primate type-C virus in a fashion similar to that noted with an extensively purified RNA-directed DNA polymerase from a person with acute myelogenous leukemia [Todaro, G.J. & Gallo, R.C. (1973), Nature 244, 206]. By these biochemical and immunological results the leukemic cell enzyme could be differentiated from all other known cellular DNA polymerases but could not be distinguished from RNA-directed DNA polymerase of primate type-C virus. We interpret these data, combined with observations published elsewhere, to indicate that human acute myelogenous leukemia cells contain components related to primate type-C virus. The parameters used in this study may provide the specificity and sensitivity required for determining the presence or absence and (if present) the relatedness of RNA-directed DNA polymerase in other cases and types of human leukemia.
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PMID:Relationship between RNA-directed DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) from human acute leukemic blood cells and primate type-C viruses. 413 50

DNA polymerase alpha from the leukemic cells of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was found to be more resistant to the inhibition by 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine 5'-triphosphate than that from acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). Apparent Ki values for 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine 5'-triphosphate of DNA polymerase alpha from eight patients with ALL [26.7 +/- 7.1 (S.D.) microM] were 5 times higher than those from nine patients with AML [5.2 +/- 1.3 microM]. In contrast, apparent Km values for a normal substrate deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate of DNA polymerase alpha preparations from either AML and ALL were almost identical (9.4 to 10.9 microM). Likewise, apparent Ki values for another arabinoside analog, 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine 5'-triphosphate, of DNA polymerase alpha from blasts of seven patients with ALL (16.9 +/- 6.9 microM) were significantly higher than those from patients with AML (3.8 +/- 0.5 microM). These results indicate that DNA polymerase alpha from ALL blast cells has a decreased affinity to the arabinoside analogs of deoxynucleotide triphosphate. The sensitivity of DNA polymerase alpha of blast cells to 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine 5'-triphosphate may be one of the determinants of the clinical response to 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine treatment.
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PMID:Altered sensitivity to 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine 5'-triphosphate of DNA polymerase alpha from leukemic blasts of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 694 8

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase is a unique DNA polymerase that can carry out DNA synthesis on an initiator molecule in the absence of a template. The usefulness of this enzyme as a biological marker for following patients during treatment and remission has been suggested. The potential usefulness of this enzyme in predicting the onset of relapse before any morphological indications has been demonstrated in chronic myelogenous leukemia patients in blast phase of the disease. In order to be able to detect low levels of TdT activity especially during remission phase, we have used cell separation techniques which can enrich cell populations containing TdT activity. A number of cell separation techniques have been developed to separate different cell types. We have used the techniques of unit gravity sedimentation and free flow electrophoresis to achieve enrichment of TdT positive cell populations. Our results show that up to 20 fold enrichment of TdT activity in normal human bone marrow can be accomplished by using cell separation techniques. With the use of free flow electrophoresis, we have achieved enrichment of TdT positive cell populations from normal human bone marrow, cells from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast phase of the disease. No TdT positive cells were detected in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. These cell separation techniques should prove to be useful in early detection of relapse in patients in remission.
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PMID:Enrichment of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity by cell separation. 698 Dec 92

The current study was undertaken to determine the relevance of leukemic blast cell proliferative activity, cellular parameters of Ara-C metabolism and the in vitro sensitivity to GM-CSF in association with the clinical response to TAD-9 induction therapy in 66 patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Proliferative activity was assessed by 3H-thymidine (3H-TdR) incorporation and thymidine kinase (TK) activity, parameters of Ara-C metabolism comprised the activities of deoxycytidine kinase (DCK) and DNA polymerase alpha (poly alpha) as well as Ara-CTP concentrations and 3H-Ara-C uptake into DNA. GM-CSF sensitivity was determined by in vitro incubation of blasts for 48 h with or without GM-CSF (100 U/ml) followed by an additional 4 h concurrent exposure to GM-CSF and 3H-TdR (0.5 microCi/ml). The following results were obtained as expressed by median values and ranges: 3H-TdR incorporation: 1.07 pmol/10(5) cells (0.0-10.1), TK: 7.3 pmol/min/mg protein (1.3-56.0), DCK: 9.3 pmol/min/mg protein (0.77-47.1), poly alpha: 1.7 pmol/min/mg protein (0.00-28.9), Ara-CTP: 53.3 ng/10(7) cells (13.3-211.0), 3H-Ara-C uptake: 0.06 pmol/10(5) cells (0.0-0.57). 3H-Ara-C uptake was correlated with 3H-TdR incorporation (r = 0.74) and with the (S-phase dependent) activities of TK (r = 0.73) and poly alpha (r = 0.71, but not with DCK activity or intracellular Ara-CTP content. Blast cells of 37 from 55 analyzed patients were found to be sensitive to GM-CSF stimulation as defined by an increase in 3H-TdR incorporation > or = 1.5-fold over control values after the 48 h GM-CSF exposure. In vitro data were related with clinical response to TAD-9 induction therapy in 43 patients with newly diagnosed AML, taking the blast cell reduction at day 10 or 16 to < 5% or > or = 5% residual blasts as early parameter for adequate or inadequate response, respectively. While neither 3H-Ara-C uptake, nor intracellular Ara-CTP concentration, TK nor DCK activity were predictive for response, a high 3H-TdR incorporation and a high poly alpha activity were associated with adequate blast cell reduction. Median values of 3H-TdR incorporation were 2.26 pmol/10(5) cells for patients with adequate blast cell clearance and 0.80 pmol/10(5) cells for patients with inadequate blast cell clearance (P = 0.11), the respective values for poly alpha were 3.22 pmol/min/mg protein for responders and 1.1 pmol/min/mg protein for non-responders (P = 0.0085).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Blast cell proliferative activity and sensitivity to GM-CSF in vitro are associated with early response to TAD-9 induction therapy in acute myeloid leukemia. 747 75

Damage to DNA can be assessed using a technique for labeling nicks in DNA by incubating paraformaldehyde-fixed cells in a mixture of biotin-labeled dUTP, dATP with dNTP and DNA polymerase I. The addition of labeled nucleotides can then be identified by fluorescence by their reaction with streptavidin. We have used this method to examine damage to the DNA of OCI/AML-2 cells caused by cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) and the effects of hydrocortisone and retinoic acid on this damage (regulated drug sensitivity). Concurrent measurements of clonogenic cells were used to allow a comparison of damage as shown by labeled nicks in DNA with loss of colony-forming capacity. Both methods gave comparable ara-C dose-response curves, for cells incubated with the drug for 24 h. Both methods showed that exposure of OCI/AML-2 cells to hydrocortisone before ara-C greatly reduced the toxicity of the drug; and that retinoic acid given after ara-C increased both its lethal effects on colony formation and the extent of DNA damage as assessed by labeled nicks. Clonogenic assays required for colony formation are not readily adapted to the study of development and repair of damage. The labeled nick assay is suitable for such kinetic studies. OCI/AML-2 cells were exposed in suspension to either hydrocortisone before ara-C or retinoic acid after ara-C. At 24 h intervals thereafter, cells were harvested, assayed by both methods, and recultured after dilution to the original cell concentration. In cultures exposed only to ara-C (controls), the number of cells with labeled nicks increased during the first 24 h and cells with damaged DNA could be detected for 48-72 h, depending on the ara-C dose in spite of the dilution at each passage. OCI/AML-2 cells exposed to hydrocortisone before drug showed fewer nick-labeled cells than controls at the first observation and damaged cells rapidly disappeared from the population with increasing time. For cells treated with retinoic acid after ara-C, the nick-labeled cell population was greater than controls and remained greater throughout subsequent observations. We propose that in the control cultures, sublethal damage either became lethal with time and was seen as increased numbers of cells with damaged DNA, or alternatively, sublethal damage was repaired. From this point of view we consider that hydrocortisone promotes repair of sublethal damage while retinoic acid inhibits repair.
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PMID:Fluorescence-labeling of nicks in DNA from leukemic blast cells as a measure of damage following cytosine arabinoside. Application to the study of regulated drug sensitivity. 780 94

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to develop an optimized, reliable method for the flow cytometric analysis of the intranuclear DNA polymerase, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) in acute myeloid leukemia, and (2) to establish the usefulness of a novel, fluorescein-isothiocyanate conjugated monoclonal anti-TdT antibody (HT-6) in double-fluorescence staining for surface antigens in the characterization of leukemic cells. Inclusion of an aldehyde blocking buffer in the staining protocol reduced background fluorescence sufficiently to allow for the detection of the low-level fluorescent TdT+ myeloblasts. When admixed to normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells, 0.4-0.5% of HLA-DR+ or myeloid surface antigen+, TdT+ double-stained myeloblasts could be reliably detected above background levels. Flow cytometric TdT measurements using the HT-6 antibody in 55 patients with TdT+ acute lymphocytic or myelocytic leukemia or blast crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia were equal or superior to the results obtained with a mixture of monoclonal anti-TdT antibodies (anti-HTDT-Mix) and comparable to those obtained by the conventional slide method employing polyclonal rabbit anti-human TdT antiserum. This flow cytometric TdT determination in combination with surface antigen staining using a novel anti-TdT monoclonal antibody (HT-6) allows for the recognition of minimal leukemic blast cells during clinical remission in acute myeloid leukemia.
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PMID:Detection of terminal transferase in acute myeloid leukemia by flow cytometry. 792 95

We examined whether the allegedly aberrant expression of the lymphoid lineage associated DNA polymerase, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT), in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is associated with alterations of the enzyme at the cellular, biochemical or transcriptional level when compared to lymphoid leukaemia (ALL), either lacking or expressing myeloid antigens. By flowcytometric analysis, the intensity of TdT staining with monoclonal anti-TdT antibody was considerably weaker in TdT+ AML and myeloid+ ALL (M+ ALL) than in myeloid- ALL (M- ALL). TdT enzyme activity in TdT+ AML was on an average 10%, and in M+ ALL 25% of that measured in M- ALL. Anti-TdT antibodies precipitated a major specific protein of identical relative molecular mass (58 kD) from metabolically labelled TdT+ myeloblasts and lymphoblasts. By Northern blot analysis and ribonuclease protection assay, TdT transcript levels were significantly lower in TdT+ myeloblasts and M+ lymphoblasts than in M- ALL (P < 0.0001). The level of TdT transcription in AML was independent of the simultaneous expression of lymphoid-specific antigens, such as CD2 and CD19. Our data demonstrate that TdT expression is downregulated in association with myeloid features, not only in AML but also in ALL. This observation may provide the molecular basis for the differential therapeutic responsiveness, particularly to glucocorticoids, in these various leukaemia subtypes.
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PMID:Differential expression of terminal transferase (TdT) in acute lymphocytic leukaemia expressing myeloid antigens and TdT positive acute myeloid leukaemia as compared to myeloid antigen negative acute lymphocytic leukaemia. 821 92


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