Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0043346 (xeroderma pigmentosum)
 2,924 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The tumor suppressor protein p53 serves as a critical regulator of a G1 cell cycle checkpoint and of apoptosis following exposure of cells to DNA-damaging agents. The mechanism by which DNA-damaging agents elevate p53 protein levels to trigger G1/S arrest or cell death remains to be elucidated. In fact, whether damage to the DNA template itself participates in transducing the signal leading to p53 induction has not yet been demonstrated. We exposed human cell lines containing wild-type p53 alleles to several different DNA-damaging agents and found that agents which rapidly induce DNA strand breaks, such as ionizing radiation, bleomycin, and DNA topoisomerase-targeted drugs, rapidly triggered p53 protein elevations. In addition, we determined that camptothecin-stimulated trapping of topoisomerase I-DNA complexes was not sufficient to elevate p53 protein levels; rather, replication-associated DNA strand breaks were required. Furthermore, treatment of cells with the antimetabolite N(phosphonoacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA) did not cause rapid p53 protein increases but resulted in delayed increases in p53 protein levels temporally correlated with the appearance of DNA strand breaks. Finally, we concluded that DNA strand breaks were sufficient for initiating p53-dependent signal transduction after finding that introduction of nucleases into cells by electroporation stimulated rapid p53 protein elevations. While DNA strand breaks appeared to be capable of triggering p53 induction, DNA lesions other than strand breaks did not. Exposure of normal cells and excision repair-deficient xeroderma pigmentosum cells to low doses of UV light, under conditions in which thymine dimers appear but DNA replication-associated strand breaks were prevented, resulted in p53 induction attributable to DNA strand breaks associated with excision repair. Our data indicate that DNA strand breaks are sufficient and probably necessary for p53 induction in cells with wild-type p53 alleles exposed to DNA-damaging agents.
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PMID:DNA strand breaks: the DNA template alterations that trigger p53-dependent DNA damage response pathways. 811 14

DNA topoisomerase IIalpha was monitored with the monoclonal antibody Ki-S1 in human fibroblasts after irradiation of cells with gamma rays from a 137Cs source or treatment with the DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor doxorubicin. DNA topoisomerase IIalpha was localized immunohistochemically as bright fluorescent dots in the karyoplasm. The fibroblasts investigated originated from normal human donors and a xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patient (XP12BE). All cell lines examined showed a time- and dose-dependent increase in DNA topoisomerase IIalpha abundance after irradiation or treatment with doxorubicin. No principal difference in response was seen between normal and XP fibroblasts towards either treatment alone. After irradiation with 9 Gy, the effect was detectable after as little as 30 min and lasted for at least 6 h. After doxorubicin treatment, topoisomerase II overexpression occurred within less than 2 h. It passed through a maximum and began to decrease after approximately 6 h. In principle, the increase in DNA topoisomerase IIalpha may result from (i) architectural changes of interphase chromatin leading to enhanced accessibility of preformed enzyme to the antibody, (ii) enhanced gene expression, or (iii) enhanced stabilization of mRNA or protein molecules. The increase in enzyme levels may be part of the well-known DNA damage responses that operate in cell-protective or DNA-reparative pathways. Thus, the action of DNA topoisomerase II would serve to catalyze preparatory steps in DNA repair. We also found overexpression of the Bax protein and p16 predominantly in treated XP cells, suggesting that the DNA-damaging protocols elicited signals for apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest. From the simultaneous increase in DNA topoisomerase IIalpha and Bax, one may conclude that DNA topoisomerase IIalpha also plays role in apoptosis.
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PMID:Doxorubicin and gamma rays increase the level of DNA topoisomerase IIalpha in nuclei of normal and xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts. 971 98