Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.5.4.4 (adenosine deaminase)
 5,136 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Experiments over the past decade have revealed a third component in the autonomic nervous system which is neither adrenergic nor cholinergic. These nerves are strongly represented in the gastrointestinal tract of a wide range of vertebrate species and have also been identified in lung, trachea, retractor penis, bladder, oesophagus, eye, seminal vesicle and in some parts of the cardiovascular system and brain. Evidence has been presented that the principal active substance released by these nerves in the gut is a purine nucleotide, probably ATP, and they have therefore been termed 'purinergic'. The evidence includes: (1) synthesis and storage of ATP in nerves; (2) release of ATP from the nerves when they are stimulated; (3) mimicry by exogenously applied ATP of the action of nerve-released transmitter; (4) the presence of Mg2+-activated ATPase, 5'-nucleotidase and adenosine deaminase, enzymes which inactivate ATP; (5) the similar blocking and potentiating effects produced by drugs on the responses to exogenously applied ATP and nerve stimulation. A tentative model for the synthesis, storage, release and inactivation of ATP during purinergic nerve transmission is proposed. Some properties of purinergic receptors are described.
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PMID:The purinergic nerve hypothesis. 2 31

Analysis of the biological effects of specific DNA alkylations by simple alkylating agents is complicated by the variety of sites involved. It is, therefore, of value to be able to incorporate into cellular DNA nucleosides alkylated in a single position, e.g., O6-methyldeoxyguanosine. Such cellular incorporation is particularly difficult to achieve because this nucleoside is rapidly demethylated by adenosine deaminase. We have attempted to achieve such incorporation into the DNA of V79 cells by using coformycin, an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, and by forcing the cells to depend on exogenous purines by the use of medium containing aminopterin. The DNA of V79 cells exposed to O6-methyl-[8-3H]deoxyguanosine (2.4 microM, sp. act. 14500 Ci/mole) showed an incorporation level of 4 X 10(-8) nucleotides. When 1000-fold higher concentrations were employed (3-15 mM, sp. act. 1.6 Ci/mole), significant cytotoxicity and inhibition of DNA synthesis was observed. However, because it was not economically feasible to administer high specific activity O6-methyldeoxyguanosine to the cells at these concentrations, we could not determine the amount of labeled nucleoside incorporated into DNA. Examination of the frequency of 6-thioguanine-resistant cells in these treated populations showed no significant increase above the background level. Comparison of the cytotoxic effect of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine with deoxyadenosine showed that the toxicity induced by O6-methyldeoxyguanosine could have resulted from mimicry of deoxyadenosine, rather than by incorporation of the alkylated nucleoside itself.
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PMID:Biological effects of incorporation of O6-methyldeoxyguanosine into Chinese hamster V79 cells. 668 81