Biomedical subjects

Paul Modrich

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Modrich.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Mechanism of 5'-directed excision in human mismatch repair.

We have developed a purified system that supports mismatch-dependent 5'-->3' excision. In the presence of RPA, ATP, and a mismatch, MutSalpha activates 5'-->3' excision by EXOI, and excision terminates after removal of the mispair. MutSalpha confers high processivity on EXOI, and termination is due to RPA-dependent displacement of this processive complex from the helix and a weak ability of EXOI to reload at the RPA-bound gap in the product, as well as MutSalpha- and MutLalpha-dependent suppression of EXOI activity in the absence of a mismatch cofactor. As observed in the purified system, excision directed by a 5' strand break in HeLa nuclear extract can proceed in the absence of MutLalpha or PCNA, although 3' excision in the extract system requires both proteins.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2002

Human exonuclease I is required for 5' and 3' mismatch repair.

We have partially purified a human activity that restores mismatch-dependent, bi-directional excision to a human nuclear extract fraction depleted for one or more mismatch repair excision activities. Human EXOI co-purifies with the excision activity, and the purified activity can be replaced by near homogeneous recombinant hEXOI. Despite the reported 5' to 3' hydrolytic polarity of this activity, hEXOI participates in mismatch-provoked excision directed by a strand break located either 5' or 3' to the mispair. When the strand break that directs repair is located 3' to the mispair, hEXOI- and mismatch-dependent gap formation in excision-depleted extracts requires both hMutSalpha and hMutLalpha. However, excision directed by a 5' strand break requires hMutSalpha but can occur in absence of hMutLalpha. In systems comprised of pure components, the 5' to 3' hydrolytic activity of hEXOI is activated by hMutSalpha in a mismatch-dependent manner. These observations indicate a hydrolytic function for hEXOI in 5'-heteroduplex correction. The involvement of hEXOI in 3'-heteroduplex repair suggests that it has a regulatory/structural role in assembly of the 3'-excision complex or that the protein possesses a cryptic 3' to 5' hydrolytic activity.

Base Pair Mismatch↗

PubMed2002

Mechanisms of resistance to 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea in human medulloblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.

Medulloblastoma (D-341 MED) and rhabdomyosarcoma (TE-671) cell lines, which are resistant to either 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) or the combination of BCNU and O6-benzylguanine (O6-BG), were generated by serial escalation of BCNU. The activities of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and total glutathione (GSH) of the parental, BCNU-resistant (BR), and BCNU + O6-BG-resistant (OBR) cells were measured. No significant differences in GST activity or total GSH were seen between the parental, BR, and OBR cells of both TE-671 and D-341 MED. The AGT activities of D-341 MED (BR) and TE-671 (BR) were twice those of D-341 MED and TE-671, respectively, confirming the importance of this enzyme for BCNU resistance. The D-341 MED (OBR) cells did not exhibit any AGT activity, suggesting that another mechanism must play a role in the drug resistance. Fewer DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs) were observed in D-341 MED (OBR) than in D-341 MED after 8 h BCNU (100-400 microM) treatment. However, the amounts of DNA ICLs observed in D-341 MED and D-341 MED (OBR) were stable after 24 h. Microarray analysis showed the increased expressions of several metallothionein genes and down-regulation of several proapoptotic genes. The AGT activity of TE-671 (OBR) was 223 fmol/mg when the cells were grown in 10 microM O6-BG and decreased to about half this value when the O6-BG concentration was increased 60 microM. The AGT cDNA of TE-671 (OBR) cells was cloned and found to contain a G-to-T transversion at codon 156, resulting in conversion of glycine to cysteine (G156C). In vitro mutagenesis has shown that the G156C AGT mutant is resistant to inactivation by O6-BG. Thus, the selection of a mutant AGT with decreased sensitivity to O6-BG is a significant contributing factor to BCNU + O6-BG resistance.

Amino Acid Sequence↗