Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:6.5.1.2 (DNA ligase)
 2,749 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The human DNA repair enzyme, methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT, M(r) 21,000), which protects cells against the mutagenic effect of alkylating carcinogens, was found to be localized in the cell nucleus (except the nucleolus) by immunofluorescence staining using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. The supporting experiments came from differential staining of the MGMT-deficient (mer-) and -proficient (mer+) cells, Western blotting analysis, and specific antibody depletion studies with the immobilized fusion protein, GSTMGMT-glutathione-Sepharose. Its localization in the nucleus agrees with its biological function and possibly explains the ineffective protection of mammalian cells (mer-) transfected with the Escherichia coli MGMT genes from bifunctional alkylating agents.
Cancer Res 1992 Dec 01
PMID:Intracellular localization of human DNA repair enzyme methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase by antibodies and its importance. 138 61

Regulation of the expression of the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) has been investigated in a number of human lymphoblastoid cell lines. In a number of Mex- cell lines that do not express methyltransferase activity, CpG sequences in the mgmt gene were hypomethylated with respect to methyltransferase-expressing Mex+ lines. In the cell line GM1953(S), in which the mgmt gene is coregulated with the thymidine kinase and galactokinase genes, reexpression of all three activities was experimentally induced. In this case, the mgmt gene in the nonexpressing cells was found to be hypermethylated and underwent a demethylation at CpG sequences that was coincident with the reappearance of the mgmt mRNA and the three enzyme activities. The simultaneous silencing of three activities in these cells was correlated with an increase in DNA 5-methylcytosine that was widespread throughout the genome. The data indicate that MGMT expression can be controlled epigenetically in human lymphoid cell lines, although the relationship between cytosine methylation and MGMT expression is complex. Furthermore, the rapid alterations in methylation in GM1953(S) cells indicate the existence of signals that can induce widespread and abrupt alterations in cytosine methylation in human cells in culture.
Cancer Res 1992 Oct 01
PMID:Epigenetic silencing of the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase in Mex- human cells. 139 30

The DNA repair enzyme, O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase (ATase), is thought to be the principal mechanism controlling resistance to nitrosoureas and related alkylating agents. We compared the sensitivities of five human testis and five bladder tumour cell lines to two nitrosoureas (N-nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU) and mitozolomide) with cellular levels of ATase. Enzyme levels ranged from 3 to 206 fmol mg-1 protein (0.1 x 10(4) to 5.1 x 10(4) molecules/cell) in the testis lines and from 11 to 603 fmol mg-1 (0.4 x 10(4) to 9.1 x 10(4) molecules/cell) in the bladder lines. Based on IC50s in an MTT assay, the testis tumour cell lines were, on average, four times more sensitive to MNU and six times more sensitive to mitozolomide than the bladder cell lines. The cytotoxicities of MNU and mitozolomide were closely related (R = 0.9). In the testis cell lines ATase activity (molecules/cell) was related to IC50s for mitozolomide (R = 0.97) but not MNU (R = 0.78). In the bladder cell lines and overall, ATase activity correlated with cellular sensitivity to neither agent. Relatively high levels of resistance occurred in cells expressing low levels of ATase, and amongst cell lines expressing high levels of ATase, large differences in IC50s were observed. These results support the suggestion that resistance to nitrosoureas can be mediated by mechanisms other than ATase and that at relatively high levels of expression, ATase does not confer resistance in proportion to its activity.
Br J Cancer 1992 Nov
PMID:O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase activity and nitrosourea sensitivity in human cancer cell lines. 141 26

We have investigated whether the presence of a DNA repair enzyme, O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT), affects the nature of spontaneous mutations in a mammalian cell line. We compared spontaneous mutations in the adenine phosphoribosyl transferase gene of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line that expressed 14,000 MGMT molecules/cell with those in the parental CHO cells lacking this DNA repair activity. The mutation rate/cell/generation of the two CHO cell lines did not differ significantly. However, DNA sequence analysis of spontaneous mutations in the MGMT-proficient CHO cell line revealed a complex picture. No significant difference from the parental CHO cells was found in the number or type of deletions, frameshifts, multiple substitutions, or insertions. The frequency of G:C to T:A transversions was elevated in MGMT-proficient CHO cells. Expression of the enzyme considerably reduced G:C to A:T transitions (25% versus 8.3%). This latter result is the first evidence that this protein is active on an endogenous source of O6-methylguanine that is normally responsible for spontaneous G:C to A:T transition mutations.
Cancer Res 1992 Dec 01
PMID:Expression of the endogenous O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase protects Chinese hamster ovary cells from spontaneous G:C to A:T transitions. 142 94

The DNA repair enzyme O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AT) was analysed in the human ovarian-cancer SW626 cell line and in the human promonocytic leukemia U937 cell line following their synchronisation with low non-toxic concentrations of methotrexate. In SW626, AT increased in the early S phase of the cell cycle and then declined during progression of the S phase to levels found in the G1 phase of unsynchronised cells. In contrast, at the G1/S-phase boundary and in the S phase, U937 cells showed a lower AT content than did exponentially growing unsynchronised cells. In addition, AT activity was greatly reduced in resting U937 cells but was not reduced appreciably in resting SW937 cells but was not reduced appreciably in resting SW626 cells. The results of these studies indicate that AT fluctuations do not follow a constant pattern during the cell cycle of different cell lines.
Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 1992
PMID:O6-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase content in synchronised human cancer cells. 158 85

Resistance to alkylating agents is partly due to the presence of the DNA repair enzyme, termed O6 alkyltransferase (O6AT). Preclinical evidence of the transient restoration of sensitivity of cells resistant to nitrosoureas by pretreatment with a methylating agent, whose role is to deplete cells of O6AT activity and clinical evidence of such a depletion in patients lymphocytes, led us to test the sequential administration of dacarbazine 3 h prior to fotemustine, a chloroethylnitrosourea derivative. 24 patients with measurable advanced melanoma entered the trial and are evaluable. Toxicity was mainly haematological with early neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia. Clinical activity (33%) was impressive especially on lung metastases with high complete response rate for that site (7/14). Unfortunately, the occurrence of a rapidly fatal pulmonary toxicity precludes further use of the regimen before a plausible explanation for this unexpected toxicity is obtained. Indeed, similar cases have been reported in other trials using the sequential schedule while no lung toxicity was reported in single agent or alternated administrations. Preclinical studies are ongoing to test the hypothesis of a glutathione depletion and the possibility of a rescue treatment.
Eur J Cancer 1992
PMID:Sequential administration of dacarbazine and fotemustine in patients with disseminated malignant melanoma--an effective combination with unexpected toxicity. 159 Oct 62

Drug resistance is a major problem in cancer chemotherapy. Treatment protocols generally include a number of different cytotoxic drugs given in combination. Therefore, drug resistance in the tumor is likely to result from the coexpression of several cellular activities able to prevent cell killing by any of the drugs used. In this study we have measured several potential drug resistance mechanisms consisting of the multidrug resistance gene product P-glycoprotein, glutathione, glutathione-transferase and -peroxidase, and the DNA repair enzyme O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase in samples of colon carcinoma and normal adjacent mucosa from 23 untreated patients. All of these, with the exception of P-glycoprotein, showed significant increases in tumor tissue levels when compared with normal tissue from the same patient. The significance was highest for glutathione peroxidase (P less than or equal to 0.0005). Individual patients, however, showed very different patterns, with none, several, or all monitored resistance mechanisms elevated in the tumor. The implications both in the choice of drugs and in the use of resistance modifying agents to improve therapy for the individual patient are discussed.
Cancer Res 1991 Apr 15
PMID:Assessment of P-glycoprotein, glutathione-based detoxifying enzymes and O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase as potential indicators of constitutive drug resistance in human colorectal tumors. 167 23

The specificities of the DNA repair enzyme O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase from brain and liver cells of the chick embryo and of DNase I were demonstrated in vitro by their response to substrate DNA pretreated with monofunctional alkylating agents of different O6-guanine alkylating ability and some antineoplastic agents. Treatment of DNA with ethidium bromide, Hoechst 33258, doxorubicin, Fe2+/bleomycin, and suramin resulted in a dose-dependent diminution of alkyltransferase activity (DE50 approximately 5 micrograms/ml, 15 micrograms/ml, 5 micrograms/ml, 5 micrograms/ml, 100 micrograms/ml, respectively). Apart from bleomycin, comparable results were obtained with DNase I. Thermal denaturation of the substrate DNA reduced both alkyltransferase and DNase I activity. No effect was seen with X-irradiation. Cisplatin decreased only DNase I activity. Some topoisomerase II and/or gyrase inhibitors remained without significant effects on the alkyltransferase reaction whereas DNA catabolism by DNase I was diminished in a dose-dependent manner (DE50 between 6.5 and 19 micrograms/ml).
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 1991
PMID:Inhibition of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase and DNase I activities in vitro by some alkylating substances and antineoplastic agents. 172 Jul 84

This chapter reviews the evidence that testicular germ cell atrophy could be the final common pathway for all of the established and postulated risk factors for induction of testis tumours. The evidence from age incidence studies shows that the tumour peak incidence follows the curve of sexual activity in the male, and this provides the starting point for the argument that this tumour is dependent on endocrine factors for its induction. The data from epidemiological studies confirming the high frequency of atrophogenic events and occurrence of low sperm counts in more than 75% of patients provide the principal evidence in support of this hypothesis. The need for more information on hormone sensitivity of this group of tumours and in particular the more differentiated variety, ie seminoma, is highlighted. Information on levels of DNA repair enzyme activity as an explanation of radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity of this group of tumours is also needed. The relationship of HLA linked immune response genes to susceptibility to testicular atrophogenic virus infection needs further investigation, particularly in view of the recent introduction of widespread prepubertal vaccination against mumps virus, one of the most clearly identified testicular atrophogenic viruses. The paper concludes with an examination of the influence of carcinogens and radiation and how they relate to modern ideas of clonal evolution of tumours. The conclusion from this review is that testicular germ cell tumours provide an excellent model of the recent postulate of Ames et al, (1990) that for some cancers mitogenesis might precede mutagenesis, in contrast to the classical view produced from animal models that mutagenic induction is followed by mitogenic promotion.
Cancer Surv 1990
PMID:Atrophy, hormones, genes and viruses in aetiology germ cell tumours. 196 23

Resistance to the nitrogen mustards in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) correlates with an enhanced removal of melphalan-induced DNA interstrand cross-links. This finding suggests that DNA repair enzymes may be involved in this process. The activity of 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase, which can release altered bases, including adducts at the N-7 position of guanine, was increased significantly in lymphocytes from patients with resistant CLL compared with those from untreated CLL patients. Since glycosylase activity varies with cell proliferation, the amount of [3H]thymidine incorporated into DNA was determined and found to be elevated almost threefold in lymphocytes from patients with resistant CLL. The ratio of glycosylase activity to level of thymidine incorporation did not differ between these two groups of patients. Northern blot analysis of ERCC1 gene (a putative DNA repair enzyme involved in nucleotide excision repair) expression in lymphocytes from patients with CLL revealed multiple gene transcripts (1.1, 3.4, and 3.8 kilobases). In addition, analysis of two samples revealed the presence of a 2.6-kilobase transcript. The 2.6-kilobase transcript was recognized by specific RNA probes that hybridize to antisense ERCC1 transcripts. Levels of expression of the 1.1-kilobase protein encoding transcript in lymphocytes from patients with resistant CLL were increased twofold to threefold above those of untreated patients with CLL. These results indicate that increased expression of ERCC1 and increased activity of 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase occur with the development of resistance to the nitrogen mustards in patients with CLL, suggesting a role for enhanced DNA repair in this process.
J Natl Cancer Inst 1991 Apr 17
PMID:Increased DNA synthesis and repair-enzyme expression in lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia resistant to nitrogen mustards. 200 41


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