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

Helenalin and tenulin injected into CF1 male mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumors inhibit DNA synthesis and DNA polymerase enzymatic activity in the tumor cells. Helenalin inhibited protein synthesis. Both drugs increased the concentration of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate, and interfered with glycolytic and mitochondrial energy processes. Cholesterol synthesis was also inhibited, resulting in lower serum cholesterol levels in tumor-bearing animals. Data obtained in vitro indicate that the cyclopentenone-bearing sesquiterpene lactone and related compounds do not alkylate puring bases of nucleic acids but rather undergo a Michael-type addition reaction with the sulfhydryl groups of reduced glutathione and l-cysteine. Thus, the inhibition of cellular enzyme activities and metabolism that has been observed with these drugs might be explained by the occurrence of a Michael-type teaction.
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PMID:Sesquiterpene antitumor agents: inhibitors of cellular metabolism. 19 9

Naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactones and their semisynthetic derivatives, such as the O = C-C = CH-bearing helenalin and its esters, have been shown to demonstrate potent cytotoxicity against the growth of murine L1210 lymphoid leukemia and human Tmolt3 leukemia, colon adenocarcinoma, HeLaS3, lung bronchogenic, KB, osteosarcoma, and glioma cells. The modes of action of helenalin in L1210 cells are the inhibition of DNA, RNA, and protein syntheses. This study confirms that thiol bearing enzymes of nucleic acid metabolism were significantly inhibited, e.g. DNA polymerase alpha, IMP hydrogenase, and ribonucleoside reductase. The addition of GSH to the reaction medium demonstrated total recovery of L1210 ribonucleoside reductase activity. Helenalin reduced cellular GSH levels in L1210 cells. Helenalin also reduced all four pool levels of d(NTP)s which would account for part of the observed inhibition of DNA synthesis. Reductions in the ribonucleotide pool levels were also generally evident after drug treatment. Thus, the sesquiterpene lactones appear to have more than one mode of action in L1210 cells. All of the modes of actions of helenalin are feasible mechanisms to lower nucleic acid synthesis and cause cell death of the L1210 leukemia cells.
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PMID:The cytotoxicity of helenalin, its mono and difunctional esters, and related sesquiterpene lactones in murine and human tumor cells. 152 2

Helenalin and bis (helenalinyl) malonate, sesquiterpene lactones, were shown to be cytotoxic against the growth of P-388 lymphocytic leukemia cells in culture. DNA and protein synthesis were reduced by these agents preferentially, with RNA synthesis being affected only marginally. This study focused on the identification of the enzyme target(s) responsible for the inhibition of DNA synthesis by the sesquiterpene lactones. Purine synthesis was strongly inhibited at the IMP dehydrogenase step. Suppression of IMP dehydrogenase activity and purine synthesis paralleled the DNA synthesis inhibition with respect to both dose dependence and time of incubation with drug. Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate pools in the P-388 cells were significantly reduced by both drugs and the DNA polymerase alpha activity was only moderately inhibited by both drugs in cytoplasmic preparation. However, inhibition of a partially purified DNA polymerase alpha was of a much greater magnitude. Activity of the ribonucleotide reductase complex was reduced by more than 50% at 100 microM concentration of either drug. The drugs appeared to affect the hydrogen donor system of the reductase complex, since the activity of the ribonucleotide reductase enzyme itself was not affected but both thioredoxin and glutaredoxin were markedly inactivated by the sesquiterpene lactones. Thymidylate synthetase activity was not affected by the sesquiterpene lactones in P-388 cells. These data suggest that the inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase and the ribonucleotide reductase complex activities by helenalin and bis (helenalinyl) melonate was the primary reason for the observed inhibition of DNA synthesis, but that inhibition of DNA polymerase alpha may also play a role. The inhibition of the sensitive enzymes is likely to be related to drug alkylation of thiol active groups of the enzymes in a manner similar to the action of N-ethylmaleimide. The mode of action of helenalin and bis (helenalinyl) malonate does not appear to be similar to that of the parthenolide-type sesquiterpene lactones which contain an epoxide moiety.
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PMID:Inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis in P-388 lymphocytic leukemia cells in culture by sesquiterpene lactones. 289 92

Helenalin and bis(helenalinyl)malonate were shown to be cytotoxic against the growth of human KB carcinoma cells. DNA synthesis was inhibited significantly. This inhibition was afforded because of the drugs' effects on a number of enzyme activities. The inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase and ribonucleotide reductase complex activities correlated positively with the inhibition of DNA synthesis of the KB cells. DNA polymerase activity was inhibited by the drugs to a lesser degree. The deoxyribonucleotide pools were markedly reduced in the presence of the drug, which would be consistent with a blockage of the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase as well as suppression of DNA synthesis. XMP levels were also reduced, which is consistent with suppression of IMP dehydrogenase activity by the drugs. Ribonucleoside phosphate pools, particularly CDP and GDP, were elevated after drug treatment, which would be expected with a blockage at ribonucleotide reductase. Thus DNA alkylation is not the mechanism of action of the antineoplastic sesquiterpene lactones; rather, the cell-killing effect is related to DNA synthesis inhibition by the drug.
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PMID:Effect of helenalin and bis(helenalinyl)malonate on nucleic acid and protein synthesis in human KB carcinoma cells. 290 84