DNA metabolism and repair is vital for the maintenance of genome integrity. Specific proteinaceous inhibitors of key factors in this process have high potential for deciphering pathways of DNA metabolism and repair. The dUTPase enzyme family is responsible for guarding against erroneous uracil incorporation into DNA. Here, we investigate whether the staphylococcal Stl repressor may interact wit...

DNA sequencing by synthesis on a solid surface offers new paradigms to overcome limitations of electrophoresis-based sequencing methods. Here we report DNA sequencing by synthesis using photocleavable (PC) fluorescent nucleotides [dUTP-PC-4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3 alpha,4 alpha-diaza-s-indacene (Bodipy)-FL-510, dCTP-PC-Bodipy-650, and dUTP-PC-6-carboxy-X-rhodamine (ROX)] on a glass chip constructed...

Uracil misincorporation into DNA and its associated misrepair have been implicated as contributing components of cytotoxicity resulting from treatment with thymidylate synthase inhibitors. dUTPase, which eliminates dUTP from the DNA biosynthetic pathway, opposes uracil misincorporation; therefore, elevation of this enzyme in cancer cells may contribute to drug resistance. To validate the potent...

To explore the effect of monosialotetrahexosylganglioside sodium on cortical neurogenesis in traumatic brain injury rats. Thirty Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, saline group and group. The model was prepared with hydraulic controllable device received sham operation. levels oxidative stress, nerve damage, new born neurons, learning memory capabilities assessed seru...

Ten tetranucleotide microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from Indiana (USA) populations of the smallmouth salamander, Ambystoma texanum . As opposed to individually labelling primers that were not yet known to be polymorphic, we used fluorescent dUTP to assess genetic variability and found it to be very effective. Allelic diversity ranged from two to 18 alleles per locus and obse...

We have recently proposed that the trimeric staphylococcal phage encoded dUTPases (Duts) are signaling molecules that act analogously to eukaryotic G-proteins, using dUTP as a second messenger. To perform this regulatory role, the Duts require their characteristic extra motif VI, present in all the staphylococcal phage coded trimeric Duts, as well as the strongly conserved Dut motif V. Recently...

A system of photoaffinity reagents for selective labeling of DNA polymerases in extracts has been examined. To create the photoreactive DNA probe in situ, DNA substrates containing a synthetic abasic site are incubated in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cellular extract in the presence of base-substituted arylazido derivatives of dNTPs. This results in synthesis of a photoreactive long patch b...

Mutations in mitochondrial DNA is an outcome of errors produced by DNA polymerase γ during replication and failure of the repair mechanism. Misincorporation of non-canonical dUTP leads to mutagenesis or apoptosis, and may contribute to the cytotoxic effects of 5'-fluorouracil chemotherapy. Tumor suppressor p53 protein in the mitochondria displays physical and functional interactions with mitoch...

Mutants of bacteriophage phie inducing only 1 to 5% of wild-type levels of dTTP-dUTP nucleotidohydrolase give normal bursts of viable progeny phage whose DNA contains 5 to 10% thymine (but no uracil) in place of 5-hydroxymethyluracil. The relative heat lability of one phage mutant enzyme solubilized from the membrane fraction of infected cells suggests that a phie gene codes for the induced dTT...

A novel electrochemical biosensor was developed for activity assay of DNA methyltransferase and its inhibitor based on methylation-sensitive cleavage, which activated a primer for terminal transferase-mediated extension of biotinylated dUTP followed by sensitive detection via enzymatic amplification.