Publications

• Demethylation of O6-methylguanine in a synthetic DNA polymer by an inducible activity in Escherichia coli.

  Foote R.S., Mitra S., Pal B.C.

  Biochem Biophys Res Commun 97:654-659(1980) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Characterization of the major DNA repair methyltransferase activity in unadapted Escherichia coli and identification of a similar activity in Salmonella typhimurium.

  Rebeck G.W., Smith C.M., Goad D.L., Samson L.

  Escherichia coli has two DNA repair methyltransferases (MTases): the 39-kilodalton (kDa) Ada protein, which can undergo proteolysis to an active 19-kDa fragment, and the 19-kDa DNA MTase II. We characterized DNA MTase II in cell extracts of an ada deletion mutant and compared it with the purified ... >> More

  Escherichia coli has two DNA repair methyltransferases (MTases): the 39-kilodalton (kDa) Ada protein, which can undergo proteolysis to an active 19-kDa fragment, and the 19-kDa DNA MTase II. We characterized DNA MTase II in cell extracts of an ada deletion mutant and compared it with the purified 19-kDa Ada fragment. Like Ada, DNA MTase II repaired O6-methylguanine (O6MeG) lesions via transfer of the methyl group from DNA to a cysteine residue in the MTase. Substrate competition experiments indicated that DNA MTase II repaired O4-methylthymine lesions by transfer of the methyl group to the same active site within the DNA MTase II molecule. The repair kinetics of DNA MTase II were similar to those of Ada; both repaired O6MeG in double-stranded DNA much more efficiently than O6MeG in single-stranded DNA. Chronic pretreatment of ada deletion mutants with sublethal (adapting) levels of two alkylating agents resulted in the depletion of DNA MTase II. Thus, unlike Ada, DNA MTase II did not appear to be induced in response to chronic DNA alkylation at least in this ada deletion strain. DNA MTase II was much more heat labile than Ada. Heat lability studies indicated that more than 95% of the MTase in unadapted E. coli was DNA MTase II. We discuss the possible implications of these results for the mechanism of induction of the adaptive response. A similarly active 19-kDa O6MeG-O4-methylthymine DNA MTase was identified in Salmonella typhimurium. << Less

  J Bacteriol 171:4563-4568(1989) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Relative efficiencies of the bacterial, yeast, and human DNA methyltransferases for the repair of O6-methylguanine and O4-methylthymine.

  Sassanfar M., Dosanjh M.K., Essigmann J.M., Samson L.

  The suicidal inactivation mechanism of DNA repair methyltransferases (MTases) was exploited to measure the relative efficiencies with which the Escherichia coli, human, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA MTases repair O6-methylguanine (O6MeG) and O4-methylthymine (O4MeT), two of the DNA lesions prod ... >> More

  The suicidal inactivation mechanism of DNA repair methyltransferases (MTases) was exploited to measure the relative efficiencies with which the Escherichia coli, human, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA MTases repair O6-methylguanine (O6MeG) and O4-methylthymine (O4MeT), two of the DNA lesions produced by mutagenic and carcinogenic alkylating agents. Using chemically synthesized double-stranded 25-base pair oligodeoxynucleotides containing a single O6MeG or a single O4MeT, the concentration of O6MeG or O4MeT substrate that produced 50% inactivation (IC50) was determined for each of four MTases. The E. coli ogt gene product had a relatively high affinity for the O6MeG substrate (IC50 8.1 nM) but had an even higher affinity for the O4MeT substrate (IC50 3 nM). By contrast, the E. coli Ada MTase displayed a striking preference for O6MeG (IC50 1.25 nM) as compared to O4MeT (IC50 27.5 nM). Both the human and the yeast DNA MTases were efficiently inactivated upon incubation with the O6MeG-containing oligomer (IC50 values of 1.5 and 1.3 nM, respectively). Surprisingly, the human and yeast MTases were also inactivated by the O4MeT-containing oligomer albeit at IC50 values of 29.5 and 44 nM, respectively. This result suggests that O4MeT lesions can be recognized in this substrate by eukaryotic DNA MTases but the exact biochemical mechanism of methyltransferase inactivation remains to be determined. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 266:2767-2771(1991) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Methyl phosphotriesters in alkylated DNA are repaired by the Ada regulatory protein of E. coli.

  McCarthy T.V., Lindahl T.

  The E. coli ada+ gene product that controls the adaptive response to alkylating agents has been purified to apparent homogeneity using an overproducing expression vector system. This 39 kDa protein repairs 0(6)-methylguanine and 0(4)-methylthymine residues in alkylated DNA by transfer of the methy ... >> More

  The E. coli ada+ gene product that controls the adaptive response to alkylating agents has been purified to apparent homogeneity using an overproducing expression vector system. This 39 kDa protein repairs 0(6)-methylguanine and 0(4)-methylthymine residues in alkylated DNA by transfer of the methyl group from the base to a cysteine residue in the protein itself. The Ada protein also corrects one of the stereoisomers of methyl phosphotriesters in DNA by the same mechanism, while the other isomer is left unrepaired. Different cysteine residues in the Ada protein are used as acceptors in the repair of methyl groups derived from phosphotriesters and base residues. << Less

  Nucleic Acids Res. 13:2683-2698(1985) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 2 other entries.

• Characterisation and nucleotide sequence of ogt, the O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase gene of E. coli.

  Potter P.M., Wilkinson M.C., Fitton J., Carr F.J., Brennand J., Cooper D.P., Margison G.P.

  The plasmid pO61 that was isolated from an E. coli genomic DNA library and codes for O6-alkylguanine (O6AG) DNA alkyltransferase (ATase) activity (1) has been further characterised. Subclones of the 9 Kb insert of pO61 showed that the ATase activity was encoded in a 2Kb Pst1 fragment but a partial ... >> More

  The plasmid pO61 that was isolated from an E. coli genomic DNA library and codes for O6-alkylguanine (O6AG) DNA alkyltransferase (ATase) activity (1) has been further characterised. Subclones of the 9 Kb insert of pO61 showed that the ATase activity was encoded in a 2Kb Pst1 fragment but a partial restriction endonuclease map of this was different to that of the E. coli ada gene that codes for O6-AG and alkylphosphotriester dual ATase protein. Fluorographic analyses confirmed that the molecular weight of the pO61-encoded ATase was 19KDa i.e. similar to that of the O6AG ATase function that is cleaved from the 39KDa ada protein but rabbit polyclonal antibodies to the latter reacted only very weakly with the pO61-encoded protein. A different set of hybridisation signals was produced when E. coli DNA, which had been digested with a variety of restriction endonucleases was probed with 2Kb Pst 1 fragment or the ada gene. These results provided evidence for the existence of a second ATase gene in E. coli. The 2Kb Pst-1 fragment of pO61 was therefore sequenced and an open reading frame (ORF) that would give rise to a 19KDa protein was identified. The derived amino acid sequence of this showed a 93 residue region with 49% homology with the O6AG ATase region of the ada protein and had a pentamer and a heptamer of identical sequence separated by 34 amino acids in both proteins. The pentamer included the alkyl accepting cysteine residue of the ada O6AG ATase. The hydrophobic domains were similarly distributed in both proteins. Shine-Dalgarno, -10 and -35 sequences were identified and the origin of transcription was located by primer extension and S1 nuclease mapping. The amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein was as predicted from the ORF. << Less

  Nucleic Acids Res. 15:9177-9193(1987) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Repair of DNA containing O6-alkylguanine.

  Pegg A.E., Byers T.L.

  O6-Alkylguanines, important DNA adducts formed by alkylating agents, can lead to mutations and to cell death unless repaired. The major pathway of repair involves the transfer of the alkyl group from the DNA to a cysteine acceptor site in the protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase. The alkyl ... >> More

  O6-Alkylguanines, important DNA adducts formed by alkylating agents, can lead to mutations and to cell death unless repaired. The major pathway of repair involves the transfer of the alkyl group from the DNA to a cysteine acceptor site in the protein O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase. The alkyltransferase brings about this transfer without need for cofactors and the DNA is restored completely by the action of a single protein, but the cysteine acceptor site is not regenerated and the number of O6-alkylguanines that can be repaired is equal to the number of active alkyltransferase molecules. The alkylated form of the protein is unstable in mammalian cells and is degraded rapidly. Cloning of the cDNAs for the alkyltransferase proteins from bacteria, yeast, and mammals indicates a significant similarity, particularly in the region surrounding the cysteine acceptor site. There is a major difference in the regulation of the alkyltransferase between mammalian cells and certain bacteria, where it is induced as part of the adaptive response to alkylating agents. Regulation of the content of alkyltransferase in mammalian cells differs with species and cell type and, in some cases, the level of the protein is increased by exposure to alkylating agents or X rays. A significant fraction of human tumor cell lines do not express the alkyltransferase gene and, thus, are much more sensitive to mutagenesis and killing by alkylating agents. The frequency of primary tumor cells that lack alkyltransferase protein is not yet clear. However, it is known that the level of alkyltransferase in tumors is a significant factor in resistance to both methylating agents and bifunctional chloroethylating agents. Inactivation of the alkyltransferase, which can be brought about by pretreatment with an alkylating agent or by exposure to O6-benzylguanine (a powerful nontoxic inhibitor), sensitizes tumor cells to these chemotherapeutic alkylating agents and may prove a useful therapeutic strategy. << Less

  FASEB J 6:2302-2310(1992) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Repair of alkylated DNA in Escherichia coli. Methyl group transfer from O6-methylguanine to a protein cysteine residue.

  Olsson M., Lindahl T.

  O6-Methylguanine residues disappear from alkylated DNA by an inducible repair process in Escherichia coli. The reaction can be studied in a cell-free system, using DNA treated with a radioactive methylating agent as substrate. The disappearance of labeled O6-methylguanine from DNA is not accompani ... >> More

  O6-Methylguanine residues disappear from alkylated DNA by an inducible repair process in Escherichia coli. The reaction can be studied in a cell-free system, using DNA treated with a radioactive methylating agent as substrate. The disappearance of labeled O6-methylguanine from DNA is not accompanied by release of radioactive material in an acid-soluble form. Instead, the methyl group of O6-methylguanine appears to be transferred enzymatically to a protein cysteine residue. Radioactively labeled S-methylcysteine has been identified in protein hydrolysates after incubation of the alkylated DNA with a partly purified E. coli methyltransferase activity. The radioactive amino acid residue shows properties identical with those of S-methylcysteine by automatic amino acid analysis and paper chromatography in several solvent systems. Moreover, oxidation of the compound with hydrogen peroxide yields a product which co-chromatographs with S-methylcysteine sulfone. << Less

  J Biol Chem 255:10569-10571(1980) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Primary sequence and biological functions of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae O6-methylguanine/O4-methylthymine DNA repair methyltransferase gene.

  Xiao W., Derfler B., Chen J., Samson L.

  We previously identified and characterized biochemically an O6-methylguanine (O6MeG) DNA repair methyltransferase (MTase) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and showed that it recognizes both O6MeG and O4-methylthymine (O4MeT) in vitro. Here we characterize the cloned S. cerevisiae O6MeG DNA MT ... >> More

  We previously identified and characterized biochemically an O6-methylguanine (O6MeG) DNA repair methyltransferase (MTase) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and showed that it recognizes both O6MeG and O4-methylthymine (O4MeT) in vitro. Here we characterize the cloned S. cerevisiae O6MeG DNA MTase gene (MGT1) and determine its in vivo role in protecting yeast from DNA alkylation damage. We isolated a yeast DNA fragment that suppressed alkylation-induced killing and mutation in Escherichia coli ada ogt MTase deficient mutants and produced in these cells a protein similar to the yeast MTase. The cloned yeast fragment was mapped to chromosome IV and DNA sequencing identified an open reading frame, designated MGT1, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein with a molecular weight of 21,500 daltons. An 88 amino acid stretch of the MGT1 protein displays remarkable homology with four bacterial MTases and the human DNA MTase. S.cerevisiae mutants bearing an insertion in the MGT1 gene lacked DNA MTase activity and were very sensitive to alkylation induced killing and mutation. MGT1 transcript levels are not increased in response to DNA alkylation damage, nor is the MGT1 MTase involved in the regulation of the yeast 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase gene (MAG). Expression of the MGT1 gene in E.coli prevented the induction by alkylating agents of both G:C to A:T and A:T to G:C transition mutations indicating that this eukaryotic MTase repairs both O6MeG and O4MeT in vivo. << Less

  EMBO J. 10:2179-2186(1991) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.

• Purification, structure, and biochemical properties of human O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase.

  Koike G., Maki H., Takeya H., Hayakawa H., Sekiguchi M.

  The level of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity in a human cell line carrying a 1.1-kilobase cDNA fragment was about 50 times higher than that found in ordinary methyltransferase-proficient (Mer+) cell lines (Hayakawa, H., Koike, G., and Sekiguchi, M. (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 213, 739-747 ... >> More

  The level of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity in a human cell line carrying a 1.1-kilobase cDNA fragment was about 50 times higher than that found in ordinary methyltransferase-proficient (Mer+) cell lines (Hayakawa, H., Koike, G., and Sekiguchi, M. (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 213, 739-747). Taking advantage of this overproduction, the enzyme was purified to apparent physical homogeneity and the physical and biochemical properties investigated. A single polypeptide with a molecular weight of approximately 25,000 was detected on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the most highly purified preparation. The Stokes radius of 22.5 A and the sedimentation coefficient of 2.0 S were obtained, from which the molecular weight of the native form of the enzyme was calculated to be 19,000. After digestion with lysyl endopeptidase, peptide fragments of the protein were isolated and sequenced. The amino acid sequences of these peptides and the amino acid composition of the protein were in good agreement with those deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cloned cDNA. The purified enzyme catalyzed transfer of methyl groups from O6-methylguanine and O4-methylthymine, but not from methylphosphotriesters, of methylated DNA to the enzyme molecule. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 265:14754-14762(1990) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 1 other entry.