Abstract |
In view of the possible involvement of N- nitroso compounds in the etiology of gastric carcinoma in man, we have examined the abilities of extracts of human gastric mucosa for the removal from DNA of O6-methylguanine, the primary precarcinogenic lesion induced in DNA by methylating carcinogenic N- nitroso compounds. We find that all 20 specimens examined (including 14 non-neoplastic and 6 neoplastic) possess significant activity, removing on average 0.73 +/- 0.06 (s.e.m.) pmol O6-methylguanine per mg protein in the extract. This activity, which has the characteristics of an O6-methylguanine-DNA-transmethylase, while exhibiting wide interindividual variations, shows no significant differences between the groups of normal and of neoplastic tissues or between the groups of non-neoplastic tissues obtained from individuals with benign or with malignant gastric disease. It is estimated that the average O6-methylguanine-removing capacity of the cells of normal gastric mucosa (calculated as 166 000 +/- 26 000 (s.e.m.) molecules per cell) greatly exceeds the extent of DNA damage likely to be caused by gastric-juice N- nitroso compounds.
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Authors | S A Kyrtopoulos, B Vrotsou, B Golematis, M Bonatsos, G Lakiotis |
Journal | Carcinogenesis
(Carcinogenesis)
Vol. 5
Issue 7
Pg. 943-7
(Jul 1984)
ISSN: 0143-3334 [Print] England |
PMID | 6733856
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Chemical References |
- Nitroso Compounds
- Guanine
- O-(6)-methylguanine
- Methyltransferases
- O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase
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Topics |
- Adult
- Aged
- DNA Repair
- Female
- Gastric Mucosa
(enzymology)
- Guanine
(analogs & derivatives, metabolism)
- Humans
- Male
- Methyltransferases
(analysis)
- Middle Aged
- Nitroso Compounds
(toxicity)
- O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase
- Stomach Neoplasms
(enzymology)
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