Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.5.4.1 (cytosine deaminase)
 747 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cancer genomic DNA sequences enable identification of all mutations and suggest targets for precision medicine. The identities and patterns of the mutations themselves also provide critical information for deducing the originating DNA damaging agents, causal molecular mechanisms, and thus additional therapeutic targets. A classic example is ultraviolet light, which crosslinks adjacent pyrimidines and leads to C-to-T transitions. A new example is the DNA cytosine deaminase APOBEC3B, which was identified recently as a source of DNA damage and mutagenesis in breast, head/neck, cervix, bladder, lung, ovary, and to lesser extents additional cancer types. This enzyme is normally an effector protein in the innate immune response to virus infection but upregulation in these cancer types causes elevated levels of genomic C-to-U deamination events, which manifest as C-to-T transitions and C-to-G transversions within distinct DNA trinucleotide contexts (preferentially 5'-TCA and 5'-TCG). Genomic C-to-U deamination events within the same trinucleotide contexts also lead to cytosine mutation clusters (kataegis), and may precipitate visible chromosomal aberrations such as translocations. Clinical studies indicate that APOBEC3B upregulation correlates with poorer outcomes for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients, including shorter durations of disease-free survival and overall survival after surgery. APOBEC3B may therefore have both diagnostic and prognostic potential. APOBEC3B may also be a candidate for therapeutic targeting because inhibition of this non-essential enzyme is predicted to decrease tumor mutation rates and diminish the likelihood of undesirable mutation-dependent outcomes such as recurrence, metastasis, and the development of therapy resistant tumors.
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PMID:Molecular mechanism and clinical impact of APOBEC3B-catalyzed mutagenesis in breast cancer. 2584 4

Cytosine mutations within TCA/T motifs are common in cancer. A likely cause is the DNA cytosine deaminase APOBEC3B (A3B). However, A3B-null breast tumours still have this mutational bias. Here we show that APOBEC3H haplotype I (A3H-I) provides a likely solution to this paradox. A3B-null tumours with this mutational bias have at least one copy of A3H-I despite little genetic linkage between these genes. Although deemed inactive previously, A3H-I has robust activity in biochemical and cellular assays, similar to A3H-II after compensation for lower protein expression levels. Gly105 in A3H-I (versus Arg105 in A3H-II) results in lower protein expression levels and increased nuclear localization, providing a mechanism for accessing genomic DNA. A3H-I also associates with clonal TCA/T-biased mutations in lung adenocarcinoma suggesting this enzyme makes broader contributions to cancer mutagenesis. These studies combine to suggest that A3B and A3H-I, together, explain the bulk of 'APOBEC signature' mutations in cancer.
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PMID:The DNA cytosine deaminase APOBEC3H haplotype I likely contributes to breast and lung cancer mutagenesis. 2765 Aug 91

The DNA cytosine deaminase APOBEC3B (A3B) is a newly recognized endogenous source of mutations in a range of human tumors, including head/neck cancer. A3B inflicts C-to-T and C-to-G base substitutions in 5'-TCA/T trinucleotide motifs, contributes to accelerated rates of tumor development, and affects clinical outcomes in a variety of cancer types. High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection causes A3B overexpression, and HPV-positive cervical and head/neck cancers are among tumor types with the highest degree of APOBEC signature mutations. A3B overexpression in HPV-positive tumor types is caused by the viral E6/E7 oncoproteins and may be an early off-to-on switch in tumorigenesis. In comparison, less is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for A3B overexpression in HPV-negative head/neck cancers. Here, we utilize an immunohistochemical approach to determine whether A3B is turned from off-to-on or if it undergoes a more gradual transition to overexpression in HPV-negative head/neck cancers. As positive controls, almost all HPV-positive oral epithelial dysplasias and oropharyngeal cancers showed high levels of nuclear A3B staining regardless of diagnosis. As negative controls, A3B levels were low in phenotypically normal epithelium adjacent to cancer and oral epithelial hyperplasias. Interestingly, HPV-negative and low-grade oral epithelial dysplasias showed intermediate A3B levels, while high-grade oral dysplasias showed high A3B levels similar to oral squamous cell carcinomas. A3B levels were highest in grade 2 and grade 3 oral squamous cell carcinomas. In addition, a strong positive association was found between nuclear A3B and Ki67 scores suggesting a linkage to the cell cycle. Overall, these results support a model in which gradual activation of A3B expression occurs during HPV-negative tumor development and suggest that A3B overexpression may provide a marker for advanced grade oral dysplasia and cancer.
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PMID:Endogenous APOBEC3B overexpression characterizes HPV-positive and HPV-negative oral epithelial dysplasias and head and neck cancers. 3263 79