Once Overlooked, Now Made Visible: ATL Proteins and DNA Repair
08-Sep-2009
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2009, 48, 2–5, DOI:10.1002/anie.200904042 published on 08.09.2009
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., online article
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., online article
The DNA of a cell is continuously exposed to numerous endogenous and exogenous factors. The resulting DNA damage can lead to mutations or cell death. Some of the major DNA lesions are generated by the reaction of alkylating reagents with DNAbases. The alkylated reaction products can arise endogenously from cellular alkylating reagents as Sadenosylmethionine or from the influence of exogenous factors (e.g. environmental stress). In cancer therapy, alkylating agents are also used to damage the DNA of tumor cells, resulting in various alkylated bases. In addition to the N7 position of guanine and adenine, the O6 position of guanine and the O4 position of thymine are susceptible to alkylation. It is known that O6-methylguanine pairs with thymine during replication, resulting in a G·C to A·T transition mutation.