Gynecologic malignancies annually account for over 91,000 new cancer cases and approximately 28,000 deaths in the United States. Although there have been advancements in cytotoxic chemotherapies, there has not been significant improvement in overall survival in these patients. While targeted therapies have shown some benefit in many solid tumors, further development of these agents is needed fo...

BACKGROUND Mutations in the DNA damage response (DDR) factors, breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and BRCA2, sensitize tumor cells to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. The ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase is a key DDR protein whose heterozygous germline mutation is a moderate-risk factor for developing breast cancer. In this study, we examined whether ATM inactivation in breast canc...

Cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) by caspases is a prominent characteristic of apoptosis or programmed cell death shown to be induced by topoisomerase (Topo) inhibitors. Because Topo I inhibitors have been shown to be effective in the treatment of some patients with colon cancer, we considered the possibility of using PARP cleavage as an early predictor of responsiveness to this cl...

Poly(ADP-ribosylation) is a post-translational covalent modification of proteins catalyzed by a family of enzymes termed poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs). In the human genome, 17 different genes have been identified that encode members of the PARP superfamily. Poly (ADP-ribose) metabolism plays a role in a wide range of biological processes. In Trypanosoma cruzi, PARP enzyme appears to play...

The nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) has been implicated in ischemia-reperfusion injury in many tissues under normothermic conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PARP contributes to mechanisms of the hypothermic ischemia-reperfusion injury that occurs when kidneys are cold stored for transplantation. Cortical tissue slice PARP enzyme activity rose signif...

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a nuclear enzyme that signals the presence of DNA damage by catalyzing the addition of ADP-ribose units to DNA, histones, and various DNA repair enzymes and by facilitating DNA repair. PARP has been gaining increasing interest as a therapeutic target for many diseases and especially for cancer. Inhibition of PARP potentiates the activity of DNA-damaging age...

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) transfers ADP ribose groups from NAD(+) to nuclear proteins after activation by DNA strand breaks. PARP overactivation by massive DNA damage causes cell death via NAD(+) and ATP depletion. Heretofore, PARP has been thought to be inactive under basal physiologic conditions. We now report high basal levels of PARP activity and DNA strand breaks in discrete neuro...

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP-1), ATM and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) are all involved in responding to DNA damage to activate pathways responsible for cellular survival. Here, we demonstrate that PARP-1-/- cells are sensitive to the ATM inhibitor KU55933 and conversely that AT cells are sensitive to the PARP inhibitor 4-amino-1,8-napthalamide. In addition, PARP-1-/- cells are sh...