Abstract
Camptothecins are antineoplastic drugs that specifically target the enzyme DNA topoisomerase I. Prior work has identified a human topoisomerase I mutation, F361S, that confers resistance to camptothecin. We now demonstrate that substitutions in the 361-364 region can alter DNA cleavage/ligation by the enzyme. The defective catalysis exhibited by certain mutants likely relates to an impaired interaction with DNA, since these enzymes are more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of DNA binding ligands. Moreover, studies with peptides and fusion proteins suggest that the 361-364 region may bind DNA directly. The finding that the 361-364 region is involved in both enzyme catalysis and camptothecin resistance suggests that this region is part of the active site of human topoisomerase I and that camptothecin may interact with the enzyme at this site.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1019-1027 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Biochemical Pharmacology |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 4 1997 |
Keywords
- DNA binding
- DNA cleavage
- camptothecin
- drug resistance
- enzyme mutations
- topoisomerase
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Pharmacology