Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.1.30.2 (endonuclease)
 18,621 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Studies were done to characterize a DNA-negative temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant of human adenovirus type 2, H2 ts111. The temperature-sensitive defect, which was reversible on shift-down in the absence of protein synthesis, was expressed as early as 2 h postinfection, and the results of density-labeling experiments are in agreement with at least a DNA replication initiation block. On shift-up, after allowing viral DNA synthesis at permissive temperatures, the newly synthesized viral DNA and the mature viral DNA were cleaved into fragments which sedimented as a broad peak with a mean coefficient of 10-12S. This cleavage was more marked in the presence of hydroxyurea as the DNA synthesis inhibitor. Parental DNA in infected cells was degraded to a much lesser extent regardless of the incubation temperature. In contrast, the parental DNA was strongly degraded when early gene expression was permitted at 33 degrees C before shift-up to 39.5 degrees C. Furthermore, cellular DNA was also degraded at 39.5 degrees C in ts111-infected cells, the rate of cleavage being related to the multiplicity of infection. This cleavage effect, which did not seem to be related to penton base-associated endonuclease activity, was also enhanced when early gene expression was allowed at 33 degrees C before shift-up. The ts111 defect, which was related to an initiation block and endonucleolytic cleavage of viral and cellular DNA, seemed to correspond to a single mutation. The implication of the ts111 gene product in protection of viral and cellular DNA by way of a DNase-inhibitory function is discussed.
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PMID:Adenovirus early function required for protection of viral and cellular DNA. 23 88

DNA breaks in eukaryotic cells can be detected by alkaline electrophoresis of cells embedded in agarose. DNA containing breaks extends in the direction of the anode forming an image resembling the tail of a comet. We have adapted this procedure of single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) for studying DNA damage and repair induced by UV-C-radiation, using HeLa cells. UV-C itself does not induce DNA breakage, and though cellular repair of UV-C damage produces DNA breaks as intermediates, these are too short-lived to be detected by SCGE. Incubation of UV-C-irradiated cells with the DNA synthesis inhibitor aphidicolin causes accumulation of incomplete repair sites to a level readily detected by SCGE even after doses as low as 0.5 J m-2 and incubation for as little as 5 min. We have also used SCGE to study UV-C-dependent incision, repair synthesis and ligation in permeable cells. Finally, we have incubated permeable cells, after UV-C-irradiation, with exogenous UV endonuclease, examining the consequent breaks both by SCGE and by alkaline unwinding in order to express results of the electrophoretic method in terms of DNA break frequencies. The sensitivity of the SCGE technique can thus be estimated; as few as 0.1 DNA breaks per 10(9) daltons are detected.
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PMID:Single-cell gel electrophoresis applied to the analysis of UV-C damage and its repair in human cells. 135 33

When activated with either Con A, a CD3-specific mAb, or Ag-pulsed B lymphoma (LK35.2) cells, CD4 (Th1) clones quickly induce DNA fragmentation in target cells followed by release of 51Cr-labeled intracellular materials. Both activated CD4 clones and CD8 (CTL) cells fragment target DNA into electrophoretically identical "ladder" pattern made of approximately 200 bp. The effect of various metabolic inhibitors on the ability of CD4 and CD8 cells to induce target DNA fragmentation was studied. Little effect was observed with the DNA synthesis inhibitor, mitomycin C. The RNA synthesis inhibitor, actinomycin D, and the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, strongly inhibited the ability of CD4 cells, but not CD8 cells, to induce target DNA fragmentation. In contrast, target DNA fragmentation by CD8 cells, but not by CD4 cells, was inhibited by cholera toxin. Although cyclosporin A inhibited CD4 cells to fragment target DNA during the early phase (90 min) of E:T interaction, this inhibition was not sustained in the later phase (210 min) of the assay. Zinc ions inhibited the ability of both CD4 and CD8 cells to fragment target DNA. Treatment of effectors and targets with these inhibitors, followed by washings, demonstrated that the action of these inhibitors on effector cells alone is sufficient to inhibit target DNA fragmentation. The strong correlation among these parameters of DNA fragmentation and Cr-release assays supports the hypothesis of programed cell death. Although distinct cytolytic pathways are used by CD4 and CD8 cells to kill targets, both pathways deliver a signal that activates endonuclease(s), fragments target DNA, causes Cr-release, and lyses target cells. Taken together with our previous studies, the present findings demonstrate that activated cytolytic CD4 clones do not use perforin, serine proteases, and TNF as mediators for resistant target DNA fragmentation.
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PMID:Distinct pathways of CD4 and CD8 cells induce rapid target DNA fragmentation. 167 Oct 51

The kinetics of mating type switching in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be followed at the DNA level by using a galactose-inducible HO (GAL-HO) gene to initiate the event in synchronously growing cells. From the time that HO endonuclease cleaves MAT a until the detection of MAT alpha DNA took 60 min. When unbudded G1-phase cells were induced, switched to the opposite mating type in "pairs." In the presence of the DNA synthesis inhibitor hydroxyurea, HO-induced cleavage occurred but cells failed to complete switching. In these blocked cells, the HO-cut ends of MATa remained stable for at least 3 h. Upon removal of hydroxyurea, the cells completed the switch in approximately 1 h. The same kinetics of MAT switching were also seen in asynchronous cultures and when synchronously growing cells were induced at different times of the cell cycle. Thus, the only restriction that confined normal homothallic switching to the G1 phase of the cell cycle was the expression of HO endonuclease. Further evidence that galactose-induced cells can switch in the G2 phase of the cell cycle was the observation that these cells did not always switch in pairs. This suggests that two chromatids, both cleaved with HO endonuclease, can interact independently with the donors HML alpha and HMRa.
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PMID:Physical monitoring of mating type switching in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 284 79

The HO gene, which encodes an endonuclease responsible for initiating mating type switching in yeast, is transcribed at START during the cell cycle of mother cells but not at all during the cell cycle of daughter cells. At least six genes, called SWI1-6, are necessary for HO transcription. We describe the isolation and characterization of mutations in two new genes called SDI1 and SDI2, which partially suppress the requirement for SWI5 and which cause daughter cells to express HO. The analysis of mating type switching in swi5- sdi1- and SWI5+ sdi1- strains suggests that the mother cell specificity of HO transcription is due exclusively to the selective action of SWI5 in mother cells. SDI1 encodes (or regulates) a repressor protein that binds to the HO promoter and prevents HO transcription in daughter cells by causing HO to be fully SWI5 dependent.
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PMID:Both positive and negative regulators of HO transcription are required for mother-cell-specific mating-type switching in yeast. 302 42

Topoisomerases constitute a family of highly conserved essential enzymes, which exist in all investigated living pro- and eukaryotic cells. They are indispensable for the control of DNA topology. Humans possess 4 types of topoisomerases, i. e. topoisomerase (topo) I, II, III and V. Topo I, a 100-kDa protein, is a member of the type-I enzyme group (type IB). Functionally, it is an ATP-independent DNA single-strand endonuclease and ligase that functions mainly during transcription but also during DNA replication. Topo II belongs to the type-II enzymes and is represented in humans by 2 highly homologous isoforms, alpha (170 kDa) and beta (180 kDa). Contrary to topo I, the 2 topo II isoforms are ATP-dependent double-strand endonucleases and ligases. Topo I and the beta-form of topo II are expressed in a proliferation-independent manner, whereas topo IIalpha is cell-cycle-regulated. Because of the crucial role of topoisomerases for the maintenance and replication of DNA during proliferation, cells become highly vulnerable when these functions are lost. Consequently, a wide range of drugs with cytostatic effects are topo inhibitors. Topo I inhibitors in clinical use belong to the camptothecin family, e. g. topotecan and irinotecan. Topo IIalpha inhibitors are constituents of most chemotherapeutic protocols and form a large heterogeneous group. It includes clinically used compounds such as the podophyllotoxin analogues etoposide and teniposide, the anthracyclines daunorubicin, doxorubicin and idarubicin, the anthracenedione mitoxantrone and amsacrine. Recently, substances with dual specificity that inhibit both topo I and topo IIalpha have been found. The clinical relevance of these new compounds remains to be established. Specific inhibitors of topo IIbeta have not been described yet. The majority of topo inhibitors interfere with the religation step in the normal action of the enzymes, which leads to a stabilisation of the so-called cleavable complex. This results in DNA single-strand breaks in the case of topo I or double-strand breaks in the case of topo II. DNA single-strand breaks due to topo I inhibition are converted into double-strand breaks in the course of DNA replication. Such topo-mediated DNA strand breaks likely induce repair or apoptosis mechanisms via p53 and/or p21(WAF1/Clip1). As a consequence, while topoisomerases are required for proliferation, proliferation is also essential for efficacious topo inhibition. The cell-cycle-dependent expression of topo IIwas also successfully used for prognostic evaluations of survival in patients with cancer. Copyright 2000 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg
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PMID:Human DNA-Topoisomerases - Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications for Cancer. 1144 Dec 36

Background p21 (WAF1/CIP1) is a downstream protein from p53 and can arrest the cell cycle at the G1/S phase in response to signal from p53. The most frequently seen polymorphic site is at codon 31, where a base change from AGC to AGA causes an amino acid change from serine to arginine. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine that is secreted from macrophages, and is related to a sequence of events in the response to inflammation and cancer formation. The TNF-alpha gene promoter -308 G/A polymorphism has been reported to be associated with some cancers. In this study, these polymorphisms were proposed to be a candidate genetic marker of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The distribution was analyzed in 47 NPC patients and a control group of 119 healthy people. The association of the p21 codon 31 polymorphism with NPC was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction analysis by Blp I endonuclease, and calculated by the chi-square test. The TNF-alpha gene promoter -308 G/A polymorphism was identified by Nco I endonuclease. The distribution of the gene p21 codon 31 polymorphisms showed no significant difference between the two groups. The serine form of p21 codon 31 was more prominent in smokers than nonsmokers among the NPC patients (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the distribution of TNF-alpha gene promoter -308 G/A polymorphism between control and cancer patients. The results indicate that the gene p21 codon 31 polymorphism and TNF-alpha promoter -308 polymorphism are not correlated with NPC. However, the difference between smokers and nonsmokers suggests that an environmental factor may be involved in association with the p21 gene in the formation of NPC.
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PMID:Correlation of p21 gene codon 31 polymorphism and TNF-alpha gene polymorphism with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. 1196 52

Flap endonuclease-1 (FEN1) is a key enzyme for maintaining genomic stability and replication. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) binds FEN1 and stimulates its endonuclease activity. The structural basis of the FEN1-PCNA interaction was revealed by the crystal structure of the complex between human FEN1 and PCNA. The main interface involves the C-terminal tail of FEN1, which forms two beta-strands connected by a short helix, the betaA-alphaA-betaB motif, participating in beta-beta and hydrophobic interactions with PCNA. These interactions are similar to those previously observed for the p21CIP1/WAF1 peptide. However, this structure involving the full-length enzyme has revealed additional interfaces that are involved in the core domain. The interactions at the interfaces maintain the enzyme in an inactive 'locked-down' orientation and might be utilized in rapid DNA-tracking by preserving the central hole of PCNA for sliding along the DNA. A hinge region present between the core domain and the C-terminal tail of FEN1 would play a role in switching the FEN1 orientation from an inactive to an active orientation.
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PMID:Structural basis for recruitment of human flap endonuclease 1 to PCNA. 1561 78