Biomaterial Database

Reaction of nitrosoguanidine (N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine) with tobacco mosaic virus and its RNA. 1968

B Singer, and H Fraenkel-Conrat, and J Greenberg, and A M Michelson

"Nitrosoguanidine" (N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine) acts on polynucleotides in neutral aqueous solution, methylating guanine in the 7-position, and, to a much lesser extent, adenine. In 67 percent dimethylformamide the effect on the purines decreased, and what seems to be 3-methyl-cytosine appeared. In formamide solution no base changes were detected. Nitrosoguanidine had little mutagenic effect on tobacco mosaic virus RNA in water; it had greater effect in dimethylformamide, and even greater in formamide; it was a strong mutagen only when it acted on intact tobacco mosaic virus particles. Thus, neither the methylation of guanine nor the cytosine modification represents the main mutagenic event.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008745	Methylation	Addition of methyl groups. In histo-chemistry methylation is used to esterify carboxyl groups and remove sulfate groups by treating tissue sections with hot methanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Methylations
D009153	Mutagens	Chemical agents that increase the rate of genetic mutation by interfering with the function of nucleic acids. A clastogen is a specific mutagen that causes breaks in chromosomes.	Clastogen,Clastogens,Genotoxin,Genotoxins,Mutagen
D009603	Nitroso Compounds	Organic compounds containing the nitroso (-N	Compounds, Nitroso
D010759	Phosphorus Isotopes	Stable phosphorus atoms that have the same atomic number as the element phosphorus, but differ in atomic weight. P-31 is a stable phosphorus isotope.	Isotopes, Phosphorus
D011687	Purines	A series of heterocyclic compounds that are variously substituted in nature and are known also as purine bases. They include ADENINE and GUANINE, constituents of nucleic acids, as well as many alkaloids such as CAFFEINE and THEOPHYLLINE. Uric acid is the metabolic end product of purine metabolism.
D011743	Pyrimidines	A family of 6-membered heterocyclic compounds occurring in nature in a wide variety of forms. They include several nucleic acid constituents (CYTOSINE; THYMINE; and URACIL) and form the basic structure of the barbiturates.
D002247	Carbon Isotopes	Stable carbon atoms that have the same atomic number as the element carbon but differ in atomic weight. C-13 is a stable carbon isotope.	Carbon Isotope,Isotope, Carbon,Isotopes, Carbon
D002621	Chemistry	A basic science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter; and the reactions that occur between substances and the associated energy exchange.
D003596	Cytosine	A pyrimidine base that is a fundamental unit of nucleic acids.
D006146	Guanidines	A family of iminourea derivatives. The parent compound has been isolated from mushrooms, corn germ, rice hulls, mussels, earthworms, and turnip juice. Derivatives may have antiviral and antifungal properties.