Biomaterial Database

Engagement of DNA polymerases during apoptosis. 1997

S Miscia, and A Di Baldassarre, and R Alba Rana, and R Di Pietro, and A Cataldi

Istituto di Morfologia Umana Normale, Università G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy. s.miscia@morpho.unich.it

DNA replicative and repair machinery was investigated by means of different techniques, including in vitro nuclear enzymatic assays, immunoelectron microscopy and confocal microscopy, in apoptotic cell lines such as HL-60 treated with methotrexate, P815 and K562 exposed to low temperatures and Friend cells exposed to ionizing radiation. The results showed a shift of DNA polymerase alpha and beta activities. DNA polymerase alpha, which in controls was found to be the principal replicative enzyme driving DNA synthesis, underwent, upon apoptosis, a large decrease of its activity being replaced by DNA polymerase beta which is believed to be associated with DNA repair. Such a modulation was concomitant with a topographical redistribution of both DNA polymerase alpha and the incorporation of BrdUrd throughout the nucleus. Taken together, these results indicate the occurrence of a dramatic response of the DNA machinery, through a possible common or at least similar behaviour when different cell lines are triggered to apoptosis. Although this possibility requires further investigation, these findings suggest an extreme attempt of the cell undergoing apoptosis to preserve its nuclear environment by switching on a repair/defence mechanism during fragmentation and chromatin margination.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007035	Hypothermia	Lower than normal body temperature, especially in warm-blooded animals.	Hypothermia, Accidental,Accidental Hypothermia,Accidental Hypothermias,Hypothermias,Hypothermias, Accidental
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
D004256	DNA Polymerase I	A DNA-dependent DNA polymerase characterized in prokaryotes and may be present in higher organisms. It has both 3'-5' and 5'-3' exonuclease activity, but cannot use native double-stranded DNA as template-primer. It is not inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents and is active in both DNA synthesis and repair.	DNA Polymerase alpha,DNA-Dependent DNA Polymerase I,Klenow Fragment,DNA Pol I,DNA Dependent DNA Polymerase I,Polymerase alpha, DNA
D004259	DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase	DNA-dependent DNA polymerases found in bacteria, animal and plant cells. During the replication process, these enzymes catalyze the addition of deoxyribonucleotide residues to the end of a DNA strand in the presence of DNA as template-primer. They also possess exonuclease activity and therefore function in DNA repair.	DNA Polymerase,DNA Polymerases,DNA-Dependent DNA Polymerases,DNA Polymerase N3,DNA Dependent DNA Polymerases,DNA Directed DNA Polymerase,DNA Polymerase, DNA-Directed,DNA Polymerases, DNA-Dependent,Polymerase N3, DNA,Polymerase, DNA,Polymerase, DNA-Directed DNA,Polymerases, DNA,Polymerases, DNA-Dependent DNA
D004915	Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute	A myeloproliferative disorder characterized by neoplastic proliferation of erythroblastic and myeloblastic elements with atypical erythroblasts and myeloblasts in the peripheral blood.	Di Guglielmo's Disease,Erythremic Myelosis,Erythroblastic Leukemia, Acute,Erythroleukemia,Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute, M6,Myeloid Leukemia, Acute, M6,Di Guglielmo Disease,Acute Erythroblastic Leukemia,Acute Erythroblastic Leukemias,Di Guglielmos Disease,Disease, Di Guglielmo,Disease, Di Guglielmo's,Erythremic Myeloses,Erythroblastic Leukemias, Acute,Erythroleukemias,Leukemia, Acute Erythroblastic,Leukemias, Acute Erythroblastic,Myeloses, Erythremic,Myelosis, Erythremic
D005622	Friend murine leukemia virus	A strain of Murine leukemia virus (LEUKEMIA VIRUS, MURINE) producing leukemia of the reticulum-cell type with massive infiltration of liver, spleen, and bone marrow. It infects DBA/2 and Swiss mice.	Friend Virus,Rowson-Parr Virus,Rowson Parr Virus,Virus, Friend,Virus, Rowson-Parr
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
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
D012515	Mast-Cell Sarcoma	A unifocal malignant tumor that consists of atypical pathological MAST CELLS without systemic involvement. It causes local destructive growth in organs other than in skin or bone marrow.	Mastocytoma, Malignant,Sarcoma, Mast-Cell,Malignant Mastocytoma,Malignant Mastocytomas,Mast Cell Sarcoma,Mast-Cell Sarcomas,Mastocytomas, Malignant,Sarcoma, Mast Cell,Sarcomas, Mast-Cell
D014407	Tumor Cells, Cultured	Cells grown in vitro from neoplastic tissue. If they can be established as a TUMOR CELL LINE, they can be propagated in cell culture indefinitely.	Cultured Tumor Cells,Neoplastic Cells, Cultured,Cultured Neoplastic Cells,Cell, Cultured Neoplastic,Cell, Cultured Tumor,Cells, Cultured Neoplastic,Cells, Cultured Tumor,Cultured Neoplastic Cell,Cultured Tumor Cell,Neoplastic Cell, Cultured,Tumor Cell, Cultured