Search results for "ACTIVATION"
showing 10 items of 2079 documents
Excision of Uracil from Transcribed DNA Negatively Affects Gene Expression
2014
Uracil is an unavoidable aberrant base in DNA, the repair of which takes place by a highly efficient base excision repair mechanism. The removal of uracil from the genome requires a succession of intermediate products, including an abasic site and a single strand break, before the original DNA structure can be reconstituted. These repair intermediates are harmful for DNA replication and also interfere with transcription under cell-free conditions. However, their relevance for cellular transcription has not been proved. Here we investigated the influence of uracil incorporated into a reporter vector on gene expression in human cells. The expression constructs contained a single uracil opposi…
Alterations of DNA Repair in Melanoma Cell Lines Resistant to Cisplatin, Fotemustine, or Etoposide
2000
Resistance to chemotherapy is a common phenomenon in malignant melanoma. In order to assess the role of altered DNA repair in chemoresistant melanoma, we investigated different DNA repair pathways in one parental human melanoma line (MeWo) and in sublines of MeWo selected in vitro for drug resistance against four commonly used drugs (cisplatin, fotemustine, etoposide, and vindesine). Host cell reactivation assays with the plasmid pRSVcat were used to assess processing of different DNA lesions. With ultraviolet-irradiated plasmids, no significant differences were found, indicating a normal (nucleotide excision) repair of DNA photoproducts. With singlet oxygen-treated plasmid, the fotemustine…
Late activation of stress kinases (SAPK/JNK) by genotoxins requires the DNA repair proteins DNA-PKcs and CSB.
2005
Although genotoxic agents are powerful inducers of stress kinases (SAPK/JNK), the contribution of DNA damage itself to this response is unknown. Therefore, SAPK/JNK activation of cells harboring specific defects in DNA damage-recognition mechanisms was studied. Dual phosphorylation of SAPK/JNK by the genotoxin methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) occurred in two waves. The early response (≤2 h after exposure) was similar in cells knockout for ATM, PARP, p53, and CSB or defective in DNA-PKcscompared with wild-type cells. The late response however (≥4 h), was drastically reduced in DNA-PKcsand Cockayne's syndrome B (CSB)-deficient cells. Similar results were obtained with human cells lacking DNA-PKc…
Measurement of Lymphocyte Proliferation: Critical Analysis of Radioactive and Photometric Methods
1992
Different methods of lymphocyte proliferation are compared to identify a non-radioactive alternative to 3H-thymidine-test. The enzymatic assays evaluating the turnover of mitochondrial dehydrogenases (MTT-test) and lysosomal hexosaminidase (NAG-test) proved not sensitive enough to substitute for 3H-thymidine incorporation. The incorporation of the nucleotide analog 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) can be exploited using an ELISA-system (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) employing a monoclonal anti-BrdU antibody to measure cell proliferation. An optimized test protocol of the BrdU-ELISA which fulfills the requirements for a sensitive and practicable non-radioactive alternative to 3H-thymidine-tes…
Asynchronous replication dynamics of imprinted and non-imprinted chromosome regions in early mouse embryos.
2008
We have used interphase FISH to analyze the replication behavior of four imprinted chromosome regions (Snrpn, Zim1-Peg3, Dlk1-Gtl2, and Igf2r) and five non-imprinted regions in mouse one-cell to morula-stage embryos and embryonic fibroblasts. In general, imprinted chromosome regions showed the expected asynchronous pattern of replication throughout all analyzed stages of preimplantation development and in differentiated cells. The Dlk1-Gtl2 locus which is not expressed and Igf2r which is biallelically expressed in early embryos showed a relaxation of replication asynchrony at the morula stage. Asynchronous replication in zygotes and two-cell embryos was not specific to imprinted regions. Th…
Multiple roles for ISWI in transcription, chromosome organization and DNA replication.
2003
ISWI functions as the ATPase subunit of multiple chromatin-remodeling complexes. These complexes use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to slide nucleosomes and increase chromatin fluidity, thereby modulating the access of transcription factors and other regulatory proteins to DNA. Here we discuss recent progress toward understanding the biological functions of ISWI, with an emphasis on its roles in transcription, chromosome organization and DNA replication.
Ultraviolet light-induced apoptotic death is impaired by the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin.
2003
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (i.e., statins) attenuate C-terminal isoprenylation of Rho GTPases, thereby inhibiting UV-C-induced activation of c-Jun-N-terminal kinases/stress-activated protein kinases (JNKs/SAPKs). Inhibition of UV-C-triggered JNK/SAPK activation by lovastatin is due to inhibition of Rac-SEK1/MKK4-mediated phosphorylation of JNKs/SAPKs at Thr183/Tyr185. UV-C-stimulated phosphorylation of p38 kinase (Thr180/Tyr182) is also impaired by lovastatin. Cell killing provoked by UV-C irradiation was significantly inhibited by lovastatin. This was paralleled by a reduced frequency of chromosomal aberrations, accelerated recovery from UV-C-induced transient replication blockage, inhib…
Detection of DNA damage in stimulated human lymphocytes after enflurane exposure in vitro
1992
DNA damage was detected by nucleoid sedimentation in human lymphocytes stimulated with pokeweed mitogen after exposure to enflurane. Enflurane induces DNA damage at an exposure concentration of 0.2 vol%. Higher enflurane concentrations increase the rate of DNA damage. The DNA damage seen after exposure to enflurane concentrations of 0.2 and 3.0% vol is comparable to damage after X-radiation of 0.1 and 0.7 Gy. DNA single-strand breaks can be demonstrated by nucleoid sedimentation and can indicate damage before DNA repair begins. Therefore, detected DNA single-strand breaks may be reversible. However, DNA repair is not always successful and an increased number of DNA single-strand breaks coul…
Comparison of DNase, DNA-polymerase and RNA-polymerase activities present in the DNA-bindung proteins of normal human dermis, epidermis, horny layer …
1978
DNA-binding proteins (DBP) of normal human dermis, epidermis, horny layer and psoriatic scales represent a tissue-specific group of mostly nuclear nonhistone proteins. To analyse their function, the different DBP fractions were examined concerning the presence of DNase, DNA-polymerase and RNA-polymerase activities. DBP of normal epidermis and horny layer contain four different DNases. One DNase of both DBP fractions is active only at pH 5.0. Three DNases of epidermal DBP are active at a pH-range from 5.0--8.5, while the corresponding DNases of horny layer-DBP are most active at pH 7.4. Probably these DNases have changed their pH-optimum during keratinisation. DBP of psoriatic scales include…
The 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase in the lowest metazoa: isolation, cloning, expression and functional activity in the sponge Lubomirskia baicalens…
2007
Aquatic animals, especially filter feeders such as sponges [phylum Porifera], are exposed to a higher viral load than terrestrial species. Until now, the antiviral defense system in the evolutionary oldest multicellular organisms, sponges, is not understood. One powerful protection of vertebrates against virus infection is mediated by the interferon (IFN)-inducible 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase [(2-5)A synthetase] system. In the present study we cloned from the freshwater sponge Lubomirskia baicalensis a cDNA encoding a 314 aa long ORF with a calculated size of 35748Da, a putative (2-5)A synthetase, and raised antibodies against the recombinant protein. The native enzyme was identified in…