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

Deficiency of alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1AT), a plasma serine protease inhibitor, increases the risk of precocious pulmonary emphysema. Patients with alpha 1AT deficiency in Japan are extremely rare and no Z type alpha 1AT deficiency, which is one of the most frequent genetic disorders among Caucasians, are reported in Japan at the level of gene analysis. It is not yet clear why Z type alpha 1AT is rare among Japanese. When Ala213(GCG)-Val213(GTG) mutation in the alpha 1AT gene was examined by restriction endonuclease BstPI, all of 156 Japanese samples were Val213(GTG) in contrast to the finding that 30% of U.S. Caucasians are Ala213(GCG), indicating that alpha 1AT genes among Japanese were diverted from M1(Val213) variant and are different from M1(Ala213) variant, from which Z variant was likely diverted. This may explain why Z type alpha 1AT deficiency is not found among Japanese. A new alpha 1AT deficient variant, Siiyama (Ser53(TCC)-Phe53(TTC)), was found in a 39-year-old male with pulmonary emphysema (Seyama K, et al, J Biol Chem, 266, 12627, 1991). Interestingly, 6 out of 10 families with alpha 1AT deficiency in Japan shared the identical substitution as Siiyama. This indicates that although Caucasian type Z alpha 1AT deficiency is not found, Siiyama variant may be relatively common in Japan and even in other oriental countries because of the historical migration of people.
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PMID:[Alpha 1-antitrypsin genes in patients with alpha 1AT deficiency in Japan: mutational analysis and allelic background]. 143 14

The structure of the human corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) gene has been determined, and restriction endonuclease maps of human placental DNA and cloned genomic DNA indicate that CBG is encoded by a single gene. The transcription unit for hepatic CBG mRNA comprises five exons distributed over approximately 19 kilobases (kb), and nuclease protection and primer extension studies using human liver RNA demonstrate that the first exon spans 70 base pairs (bp). Typical of many eukaryotic promoters, sequences that resemble TATA and CAAT-box motifs are centered 28 bp and 73 bp upstream from the origin of transcription, respectively. In addition, six highly conserved sequence elements, responsible for efficient, liver-specific expression of the mouse albumin gene, are located within the first 200 bp of the 5'-flanking region. Further analysis of a region (500 bp) immediately 5' of the transcription start site, however, failed to reveal sequences that might correspond to known steroid hormone response elements. When compared to other serine protease inhibitor genes, the organization of the human CBG gene is most closely related to the human alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin genes. It would therefore appear that these proteins are derived from a common ancestral gene, and this supports the concept that they may be functionally related.
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PMID:Organization of the human corticosteroid binding globulin gene and analysis of its 5'-flanking region. 260 68

DNA fragmentation in isolated rat liver nuclei is a Mg(2+)-dependent, multi-step process which is potentiated by Ca2+ and cleaves the DNA into > or = 700, 200-300 and 30-50 kilobase pair (kbp) fragments, prior to internucleosomal cleavage by Ca2+/Mg(2+)-dependent endonuclease(s). We now show that Cd2+, Hg2+, dichloroisocoumarin (DCI, a serine protease inhibitor) and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) block both Mg2+ and Ca2+/Mg(2+)-dependent processes. Inhibition of DNA cleavage produced an increase in the size of the DNA fragments, from mono-/oligonucleosomes to 30-50, 200-300, > or = 700 kbp and finally to intact DNA. NEM and DCI inhibition was blocked by dithiothreitol, and it is proposed that a critical thiol(s) is involved in the DNA cleavage reactions which are a feature of the apoptotic process.
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PMID:Multi-step DNA cleavage in rat liver nuclei is inhibited by thiol reactive agents. 784 12

An important biochemical hallmark of apoptosis is the cleavage of chromatin into oligonucleosomal fragments. Here, we purified a Mg2+-dependent endonuclease from etoposide-treated HL-60 cells undergoing apoptosis. High levels of Mg2+-dependent endonuclease activity were detected in etoposide-treated HL-60 cells, and this activity increased in a time-dependent manner following etoposide treatment. Such an activity could not be detected in untreated cells or in cells treated with etoposide in the presence of the caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-(OMe)-fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD-fmk) or the serine protease inhibitor tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK). This Mg2+-dependent endonuclease was purified by a series of chromatographic procedures. The enzyme preparation showed a single major protein band with Mr 34,000, determined by SDS-PAGE. The presence of the Mr 34,000 Mg2+-dependent endonuclease was also confirmed by activity gel analysis. The enzyme required only Mg2+ for full activity. pH optimum was in the range of 6.5-7.5. This enzyme introduced single- and double-strand breaks into SV40 DNA and produced internucleosomal DNA cleavage in isolated nuclei from untreated cells. The DNA breaks were terminated with 3'-OH, consistent with characteristic products of apoptotic chromatin fragmentation. We propose to designate this Mr 34,000 Mg2+-dependent endonuclease AN34 (apoptotic nuclease Mr 34,000).
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PMID:Purification and characterization of a Mg2+-dependent endonuclease (AN34) from etoposide-treated human leukemia HL-60 cells undergoing apoptosis. 963 81

The discovery of caspase-mitochondrial pathway counts as one of the most important discovery in apoptosis biochemistry. Today, however, we begin to recognize its limits. Inhibition of caspase does not prevent cell death in many mammalian models. Targeted disruption of caspases does not impair every type of apoptosis. Other pathways, caspase independent, are now described. Here we present one of these pathways. It is a serine-protease dependent pathway and its key event is the transformation of LEI (a serine protease inhibitor) into L-DNase II (an endonuclease). When using this apoptotic pathway the cell activates, at the same time, its endonuclease activity (L-DNase II appears) and its protease activity (there is a release of inhibition of proteases).
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PMID:A caspase-independent cell clearance program. The LEI/L-DNase II pathway. 1119 35

The discovery of caspase activation counts as one of the most important finds in the biochemistry of apoptosis. However, targeted disruption of caspases does not impair every type of apoptosis. Other proteases can replace caspases and several so called "caspase independent" pathways are now described. Here we review our current knowledge on one of these pathways, the LEI/L-DNase II. It is a serine protease-dependent pathway and its key event is the transformation of LEI (leukocyte elastase inhibitor, a serine protease inhibitor) into L-DNase II (an endonuclease). The molecular events leading to this change of enzymatic function as well as the cross-talk and interactions of this molecule with other apoptotic pathway, including caspases, are discussed.
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PMID:Molecular mechanism of L-DNase II activation and function as a molecular switch in apoptosis. 1876 Oct