Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021051 (immunodeficiency)
 71,517 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Flap endonuclease-1 (FEN1) is a structure specific endonuclease. The natural substrates of FEN1 are 5'-flap structures formed by three DNA chains one of them has unannealed flapped 5'-end (flap). Flap structures are the intermediates of different processes of DNA metabolism, such as DNA recombination, Okazaki fragment maturation during replication of lagging strand, as well as strand displacement DNA synthesis in base excision repair. FEN1 also possesses 5'-exonuclease activity and newly discovered gap endonuclease activity. FEN1 is known to interact physically and functionally with a number of DNA replication and repair proteins such as the proliferating cell nuclear antigen, helicase/nuclease Dna2, WRN and BLM proteins, replication protein A, apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1, DNA polymerase beta, poly(ADP-riboso) polymerase 1, high mobility group protein 1, integrase of human immunodeficiency virus, transcription coactivator p300, chromatin proteins, cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk1, Cdk2, Cyclin A). FEN1 activity is significant for maintaining the integrity of repeat sequences in genome. Recent data suppose the correlation between the abnormality of hFEN1 activity and arising/progression of neurodegenerative and cancer diseases. FEN1 has the dramatic effect on cell growth and development thereby attracting the interest to this enzyme.
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PMID:[Flap endonuclease-1 and its role in the processes of DNA metabolism in eucaryotic cells]. 1870 99

In recent years, many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have shifted their drug development for infectious diseases from antibacterial to antiviral discovery. This trend reflects the large population involved in viral diseases, the need for chronic or long-term treatment, and significant unmet needs. In particular, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis B virus have been the focus of drug development, representing important areas of future growth. This report provides an overview of the most recent patents relating to HCV molecules as targets for therapeutic intervention, outlining the key drug targets and steps where pharmacological intervention can have a favorable therapeutic benefit. Historically, HCV drug development has been hampered by the lack of reliable cell culture systems and animal infection models. However, early research studies have identified new models of HCV infection, and the better acknowledgment of the viral lifecycle have allowed the identification of several highly promising targets, including protease, helicase, polymerase or inhibitors of virus attachment, which are considered drug candidates that can potentially change the treatment of HCV.
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PMID:Recent patents relating to HCV molecules like putative targets for therapeutic intervention. 1907 32

The RecQ family helicase BLM is critically involved in the maintenance of genomic stability, and BLM mutation causes the heritable disorder Bloom's syndrome. Affected individuals suffer from a predisposition to a multitude of cancer types and an ill-defined immunodeficiency involving low serum Ab titers. To investigate its role in B cell biology, we inactivated murine Blm specifically in B lymphocytes in vivo. Numbers of developing B lymphoid cells in the bone marrow and mature B cells in the periphery were drastically reduced upon Blm inactivation. Of the major peripheral B cell subsets, B1a cells were most prominently affected. In the sera of Blm-deficient naive mice, concentrations of all Ig isotypes were low, particularly IgG3. Specific IgG Ab responses upon immunization were poor and mutant B cells exhibited a generally reduced Ab class switch capacity in vitro. We did not find evidence for a crucial role of Blm in the mechanism of class switch recombination. However, a modest shift toward microhomology-mediated switch junction formation was observed in Blm-deficient B cells. Finally, a cohort of p53-deficient, conditional Blm knockout mice revealed an increased propensity for B cell lymphoma development. Impaired cell cycle progression and survival as well as high rates of chromosomal structural abnormalities in mutant B cell blasts were identified as the basis for the observed effects. Collectively, our data highlight the importance of BLM-dependent genome surveillance for B cell immunity by ensuring proper development and function of the various B cell subsets while counteracting lymphomagenesis.
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PMID:Genomic instability resulting from Blm deficiency compromises development, maintenance, and function of the B cell lineage. 1910 66

The double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase R (PKR) is a key regulator of the innate immune response. Activation of PKR during viral infection culminates in phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2alpha) to inhibit protein translation. A broad range of regulatory functions has also been attributed to PKR. However, as few additional PKR substrates have been identified, the mechanisms remain unclear. Here, PKR is shown to interact with an essential RNA helicase, RHA. Moreover, RHA is identified as a substrate for PKR, with phosphorylation perturbing the association of the helicase with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Through this mechanism, PKR can modulate transcription, as revealed by its ability to prevent the capacity of RHA to catalyze transactivating response (TAR)-mediated type 1 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) gene regulation. Consequently, HIV-1 virions packaged in cells also expressing the decoy RHA peptides subsequently had enhanced infectivity. The data demonstrate interplay between key components of dsRNA metabolism, both connecting RHA to an important component of innate immunity and delineating an unanticipated role for PKR in RNA metabolism.
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PMID:An antiviral response directed by PKR phosphorylation of the RNA helicase A. 1922 20

HIV-1 RT (human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase) is a multifunctional polymerase responsible for reverse transcription of the HIV genome, including DNA replication on both RNA and DNA templates. During reverse transcription in vivo, HIV-1 RT replicates through various secondary structures on RNA and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) templates without the need for a nucleic acid unwinding protein, such as a helicase. In order to understand the mechanism of polymerization through secondary structures, we investigated the DNA polymerization activity of HIV-1 RT on long ssDNA templates using a multiplexed single-molecule DNA flow-stretching assay. We observed that HIV-1 RT performs fast primer extension DNA synthesis on single-stranded regions of DNA (18.7 nt/s) and switches its activity to slow strand displacement synthesis at DNA hairpin locations (2.3 nt/s). Furthermore, we found that the rate of strand displacement synthesis is dependent on the GC content in hairpin stems and template stretching force. This indicates that the strand displacement synthesis occurs through a mechanism that is neither completely active nor passive: that is, the opening of the DNA hairpin is driven by a combination of free energy released during dNTP (deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate) hydrolysis and thermal fraying of base pairs. Our experimental observations provide new insight into the interchanging modes of DNA replication by HIV-1 RT on long ssDNA templates.
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PMID:Single-molecule study of DNA polymerization activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase on DNA templates. 1996 99

It is rare that coloboma, heart anomalies, choanal atresia, retarded growth and development, and genital and ear anomalies (CHARGE) syndrome patients have DiGeorge sequence showing severe immunodeficiency due to the defect of the thymus. Although the only treatment to achieve immunological recovery for these patients in countries where thymic transplantation is not ethically approved would be hematopoietic cell transplantation, long-term survival has not been obtained in most patients. On the other hand, it is still not clarified whether hypoparathyroidism is one of the manifestations of CHARGE syndrome. We observed a CHARGE syndrome patient with chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 7 mutation showing DiGeorge sequence including the defect of T cells accompanied with the aplasia of the thymus, severe hypoparathyroidism, and conotruncal cardiac anomaly. He received unrelated cord blood transplantation without conditioning at 4 months of age. Recovery of T cell number and of proliferative response against mitogens was achieved by peripheral expansion of mature T cells in cord blood without thymic output. Although he is still suffering from severe hypoparathyroidism, he is alive without serious infections for 10 months.
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PMID:Successful cord blood transplantation for a CHARGE syndrome with CHD7 mutation showing DiGeorge sequence including hypoparathyroidism. 2005 90

Viral replication requires the use of host cell proteins and enzymes. Many viruses utilize viral helicases at various stages of their life cycle; these viruses have evolved to encode directly helicase or helicase-like proteins. In contrast, the genomes of retroviruses are devoid of viral helicases. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) has adopted the ability to use one or more cellular RNA helicases for its replicative life cycle. In this chapter, we briefly summarize the approach for assaying the RNA unwinding activity of RNA helicases measuring the effect of helicase inhibitors on HIV-1 replication.
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PMID:A method to study the role of DDX3 RNA helicase in HIV-1. 2022 57

There is a clear need for an instrument-free molecular diagnostic system for detecting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNA or DNA that can be used in developing countries. Such a test could be used for early diagnosis of HIV-1 infection during infancy and could serve as a surrogate end point for vaccine trials. We developed the IsoAmp HIV-1 assay (BioHelix Corporation), which targets the HIV-1 gag gene with use of isothermal reverse-transcription helicase-dependent amplification chemistry. The IsoAmp HIV assay uses a disposable amplicon containment device with an embedded vertical-flow DNA detection strip to detect the presence of HIV-1 amplicons. The vertical-flow DNA detection strip has a control line to validate the performance of the device and a test line to detect the analyte. The analyte is detected by a sandwich immunoassay for reporter moieties on a capture probe and a detection probe. The control line consists of the detection probe reporter moiety conjugated to the vertical-flow DNA detection strip. The preliminary limit of detection of the IsoAmp HIV assay was evaluated by testing serial dilutions of HIV-1 armored RNA (Assuragen). We found that 21 (75%) of 28 assays yielded positive results when 50 copies of HIV-1 armored RNA were input into the IsoAmp HIV reaction.
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PMID:Nucleic acid assay system for tier II laboratories and moderately complex clinics to detect HIV in low-resource settings. 2022 46

Phenotypic variation in CHARGE syndrome remains unexplained. A subcategory of CHARGE patients show overlapping phenotypic characteristics with DiGeorge syndrome (thymic hypo/aplasia, hypocalcemia, T-cell immunodeficiency). Very few have been tested or reported to carry a mutation of the CHD7 (chromodomain helicase DNA-binding domain) gene detected in two-thirds of CHARGE patients. In an attempt to explore the genetic background of a severe CHARGE/DiGeorge phenotype, we performed comparative genomic array hybridization in an infant carrier of a CHD7 mutation. The high-resolution comparative genomic array hybridization revealed interesting findings, including a deletion distal to the DiGeorge region and disruptions in other chromosomal regions of genes implicated in immunological and other functions possibly contributing to the patient's severe phenotype and early death.
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PMID:Combined microdeletions and CHD7 mutation causing severe CHARGE/DiGeorge syndrome: clinical presentation and molecular investigation by array-CGH. 2068 92

Selective immunoglobulin A deficiency (IgAD) is the most common primary immunodeficiency in Caucasians. It has previously been suggested to be associated with a variety of concomitant autoimmune diseases. In this review, we present data on the prevalence of IgAD in patients with Graves disease (GD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), type 1 diabetes (T1D), celiac disease (CD), myasthenia gravis (MG) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the basis of both our own recent large-scale screening results and literature data. Genetic factors are important for the development of both IgAD and various autoimmune disorders, including GD, SLE, T1D, CD, MG and RA, and a strong association with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region has been reported. In addition, non-MHC genes, such as interferon-induced helicase 1 (IFIH1) and c-type lectin domain family 16, member A (CLEC16A), are also associated with the development of IgAD and some of the above diseases. This indicates a possible common genetic background. In this review, we present suggestive evidence for a shared genetic predisposition between these disorders.
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PMID:Selective IgA deficiency in autoimmune diseases. 2182 74


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