Biomaterial Database

Overproduction of a bifunctional thymidylate synthetase-dihydrofolate reductase and DNA amplification in methotrexate-resistant Leishmania tropica. 1983

J A Coderre, and S M Beverley, and R T Schimke, and D V Santi

Leishmania tropica promastigotes that are highly resistant to methotrexate, a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor, have been developed. Organisms resistant to 1 mM methotrexate have a 40-fold increase in dihydrofolate reductase which is associated with thymidylate synthetase, and they contain amplified regions of DNA that may be directly visualized on stained gels of restriction digests. The amplified DNA in these organisms is about 56 kilobases in length, has a copy number about 80-fold higher than that of wild-type organisms, and constitutes about 10% of the nuclear DNA. When the methotrexate-resistant L. tropica are propagated in drug-free medium, the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthetase protein and the amplified DNA decrease in a parallel fashion until they are indistinguishable from the levels in wild-type organisms. However, when these apparent revertants are again challenged with 1 mM methotrexate, enzyme overproduction and DNA amplification occur rapidly. As in mammalian cells, it appears that drug resistance in parasitic protozoa may be mediated by gene amplification.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007891	Leishmania	A genus of flagellate protozoa comprising several species that are pathogenic for humans. Organisms of this genus have an amastigote and a promastigote stage in their life cycles. As a result of enzymatic studies this single genus has been divided into two subgenera: Leishmania leishmania and Leishmania viannia. Species within the Leishmania leishmania subgenus include: L. aethiopica, L. arabica, L. donovani, L. enrietti, L. gerbilli, L. hertigi, L. infantum, L. major, L. mexicana, and L. tropica. The following species are those that compose the Leishmania viannia subgenus: L. braziliensis, L. guyanensis, L. lainsoni, L. naiffi, and L. shawi.	Leishmania (Leishmania),Leishmania (Viannia),Leishmania leishmania,Leishmania viannia,Leishmania leishmanias,Leishmania viannias,Leishmanias,Leishmanias (Leishmania),Leishmanias (Viannia),leishmanias, Leishmania,viannias, Leishmania
D008727	Methotrexate	An antineoplastic antimetabolite with immunosuppressant properties. It is an inhibitor of TETRAHYDROFOLATE DEHYDROGENASE and prevents the formation of tetrahydrofolate, necessary for synthesis of thymidylate, an essential component of DNA.	Amethopterin,Methotrexate Hydrate,Methotrexate Sodium,Methotrexate, (D)-Isomer,Methotrexate, (DL)-Isomer,Methotrexate, Dicesium Salt,Methotrexate, Disodium Salt,Methotrexate, Sodium Salt,Mexate,Dicesium Salt Methotrexate,Hydrate, Methotrexate,Sodium, Methotrexate
D008780	Methyltransferases	A subclass of enzymes of the transferase class that catalyze the transfer of a methyl group from one compound to another. (Dorland, 28th ed) EC 2.1.1.	Methyltransferase
D004351	Drug Resistance	Diminished or failed response of an organism, disease or tissue to the intended effectiveness of a chemical or drug. It should be differentiated from DRUG TOLERANCE which is the progressive diminution of the susceptibility of a human or animal to the effects of a drug, as a result of continued administration.	Resistance, Drug
D005784	Gene Amplification	A selective increase in the number of copies of a gene coding for a specific protein without a proportional increase in other genes. It occurs naturally via the excision of a copy of the repeating sequence from the chromosome and its extrachromosomal replication in a plasmid, or via the production of an RNA transcript of the entire repeating sequence of ribosomal RNA followed by the reverse transcription of the molecule to produce an additional copy of the original DNA sequence. Laboratory techniques have been introduced for inducing disproportional replication by unequal crossing over, uptake of DNA from lysed cells, or generation of extrachromosomal sequences from rolling circle replication.	Amplification, Gene
D005786	Gene Expression Regulation	Any of the processes by which nuclear, cytoplasmic, or intercellular factors influence the differential control (induction or repression) of gene action at the level of transcription or translation.	Gene Action Regulation,Regulation of Gene Expression,Expression Regulation, Gene,Regulation, Gene Action,Regulation, Gene Expression
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013762	Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase	An enzyme of the oxidoreductase class that catalyzes the reaction 7,8-dihyrofolate and NADPH to yield 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate and NADPH+, producing reduced folate for amino acid metabolism, purine ring synthesis, and the formation of deoxythymidine monophosphate. Methotrexate and other folic acid antagonists used as chemotherapeutic drugs act by inhibiting this enzyme. (Dorland, 27th ed) EC 1.5.1.3.	Dihydrofolate Dehydrogenase,Dihydrofolate Reductase,Folic Acid Reductase,Acid Reductase, Folic,Dehydrogenase, Dihydrofolate,Dehydrogenase, Tetrahydrofolate,Reductase, Dihydrofolate,Reductase, Folic Acid
D013940	Thymidylate Synthase	An enzyme of the transferase class that catalyzes the reaction 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate and dUMP to dihydrofolate and dTMP in the synthesis of thymidine triphosphate. (From Dorland, 27th ed) EC 2.1.1.45.	Thymidylate Synthetase,Synthase, Thymidylate,Synthetase, Thymidylate
D046911	Macromolecular Substances	Compounds and molecular complexes that consist of very large numbers of atoms and are generally over 500 kDa in size. In biological systems macromolecular substances usually can be visualized using ELECTRON MICROSCOPY and are distinguished from ORGANELLES by the lack of a membrane structure.	Macromolecular Complexes,Macromolecular Compounds,Macromolecular Compounds and Complexes,Complexes, Macromolecular,Compounds, Macromolecular,Substances, Macromolecular