Search PubMedSearch

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Point Mutation”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Evaluation of the mutagenicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics in Salmonella typhimurium and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The mutagenicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics (KM, AKM, DKB, RSM, AMK, GM, TOB) has been studied in cells of the bacteria Salmonella typhimurium and in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The bacterial strains (Ames') monitor reverse mutation (point mutation) and the yeast strain D5 monitors mitotic crossing-over, mitotic gene conversion and point mutation. None of these antibiotics demonstrated any mutagenic activities in either the bacteria or the yeast.

Aminoglycosides

Introduction: utilization of higher plant systems as monitors of environmental mutagens.

Research over the past 10 years has clearly demonstrated the presence of mutagens among the numerous man-made and naturally occurring chemicals in our environment. These mutagens occur in all classes of chemicals, including foods, drugs, cosmetics, pesticides, household and industrial chemicals as well as in pollutants of both air and water. More recently, a high correlation has been found between carcinogenic and mutagenic activity; at least 90-95% of chemical carcinogens are mutagens. There is a widespread expectation that the discovery of mutagenic activity in chemical screening programs may alert us not only to mutagenic potential in man, but carcinogenic potential as well. The types of genetic damage which can be produced are numerous and the specificity of chemical mutagens makes it possible for one type of effect to be produced predominantly or exclusively. Thus, any screening program must consist of a battery of tests capable of detecting nondisjunction, chromosome aberrations, gene mutations (point mutations as well as interstitial deletion), in addition to more subtle effects of DNA repair. In addition, since innocuous chemicals can be converted by mammalian metabolism to potent mutagens and carcinogens, these metabolites must be evaluated as well as the parent compounds. Chemicals such as air pollutants present particular problems for mutagenicity testing using conventional microbial assays. Some of these problems can be overcome by using various higher plant systems. The general utility of these systems needs to be evaluated in terms of the types of genetic damage which can be detected, relative sensitivity, and general utility for use in mutagen screening and monitoring.

Biological Assay

Fine-structure mapping and complementation analysis of the Escherichia coli cysB gene.

Sixty-two point mutations were isolated in Escherichia coli by means of transduction with mutagenized phage P1. Twenty-two deletions extending into cysB but able to recombine with at least some of the point mutations were isolated on a transmissible E. coli plasmid. Mapping of the point mutations against the deletions divided the former into 16 deletion groups. Nine merodiploids were constructed in which the chromosome carried one of the three point mutations most distal to the trp operon and in which a plasmid carried one of the three point mutations most proximal to the trp operon. All of these showed a Cys-phenotype. It follows that mutations at the two extreme ends of the region belong to the same complementation group.

Chromosome Mapping

Characterization of an amber suppressor in Pneumococcus.

Partial revertant has been isolated, with resistance to aminopterin intermediate between wild type and mutant. This phenotype is the result of a mutation at a gene unlinked to the amiA locus. This suppressor mutation (su+) has no phenotypic characteristics by itself except a slow growth. 9 amiA mutants (belonging to 6 sites) are affected by su+ out of the 30 investigated mutants (i.e. 22 sites). The efficiency of suppression is site dependent. Two sites out of 14 mutants belonging to the thymidylate synthetase gene are suppressible. Thymidylate synthetase activity is partially restored by su+. Optochin mutants can also be suppressed. Thus su+ is not gene specific but site specific. Moreover when the str-41 allele conferring resistance to streptomycin is introduced by transformation, the suppression effect is restricted. All these properties are characteristic of an informational suppressor. The t-RNA extracted from the suppressor strain su+ but not the wild type restored the synthesis of coat protein coded by RNA from an amber mutant of bacteriophage f2. Attempts to detect ochre suppression activity gave negative results. It is suggested that the su+ gene is amber specific. Thus su+ can provide insight into the nature of suppressible mutations which should be point mutations. Both low efficiency and high efficiency mutants are affected by su+; this is additional evidence that both categories contain point mutations.

Alleles

Quinoxaline-based anti-schistosomal compounds have potent anti-plasmodial activity.

The human pathogens Plasmodium and Schistosoma are each responsible for over 200 million infections annually, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There is a pressing need for new drug targets for these diseases, driven by emergence of drug-resistance in Plasmodium and an overall dearth of drug targets against Schistosoma. Here, we explored the opportunity for pathogen-hopping by evaluating a series of quinoxaline-based anti-schistosomal compounds for their activity against P. falciparum. We identified compounds with low nanomolar potency against 3D7 and multidrug-resistant strains. In vitro resistance selections using wildtype and mutator P. falciparum lines revealed a low propensity for resistance. Only one of the series, compound 22, yielded resistance mutations, including point mutations in a non-essential putative hydrolase pfqrp1, as well as copy number amplification of a phospholipid-translocating ATPase, pfatp2, a potential target. Notably, independently generated CRISPR-edited mutants in pfqrp1 also showed resistance to compound 22 and a related analogue. Moreover, previous lines with pfatp2 copy number variations were similarly less susceptible to challenge with the new compounds. Finally, we examined whether the predicted hydrolase activity of PfQRP1 underlies its mechanism of resistance, showing that both mutation of the putative catalytic triad and a more severe loss of function mutation elicited resistance. Collectively, we describe a compound series with potent activity against two important pathogens and their potential target in P. falciparum.

Quinoxalines

Structure of human hemoglobin messenger RNA and its relation to hemoglobinopathies.

1. One-fifth to 1/4 of globin mRNA is untranslated sequence other than polyadenylic acid. 2. The untranslated sequences of mRNA vary markedly in their sequence and in their length. 3. Globin mRNAs demonstrate a marked bias in codon selection. 4. Viral mRNA shows a quite different pattern of codon selection; therefore, the selection of codons is not uniform for all mRNAs functioning in animal cells. 5. Elongated hemoglobin chains can be accounted for by frame-shift mutations, or point mutations within the normal termination codon. The additional amino acids are then coded for by sequences that are normally untranslated. 6. Certain hemoglobin deletion mutants occur at sites where there are partially reiterated sequences within the heomoglobin messenger RNA.

Base Sequence

Primer design for the voltage-gated sodium channel, the pyrethroids' target site, in the triatomine vector Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae).

Resistance to pyrethroid insecticides has become more frequent in triatomines, associated with point mutations in their target site, the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC). These mutations have been reported in Argentina, Bolivia and Mexico, by means of nested PCR. In Chile, the repeated intradomiciliary presence of the vector Triatoma infestans after spraying may be related to resistance; however, target-site mutations have yet to be evaluated. Using a partial sequence of the VGSC as a search query for the T. infestans genome, the complete VGSC gene sequence was obtained. Ten primer pairs were generated with Primer-BLAST and tested in silico by BLAST against the T. infestans genome and against the NCBI nucleotide database (nr) to discard those with low specificity. Conventional PCRs were performed with T. infestans' DNA and the remaining primers, selecting one pair based on sensitivity and the absence of nonspecific bands. The 993 bp sequenced product allows for the evaluation of the three point mutations reported in the VGSC of triatomines. Primer validation was performed with L925I mutation-positive samples from Argentina. Chilean samples from five localities were also amplified and Sanger sequenced in search of mutations. The L925I mutation was detected only in the Argentinean controls. None of the variants evaluated were found in the Chilean samples. These primers will allow rapid evaluation of point mutations in the VGSC, which may be associated with reduced affinity of pyrethroids for their target site; thereby facilitating insecticide resistance surveillance.

Animals

In vivo somatic mutation systems in the mouse.

In an effort to meet the need for a fast and cheap in vivo prescreen for inherited mammalian point mutations, a somatic forward-mutation method, originally developed in an X-ray experiment, has more recently been tested in work with chemical mutagens. The method makes use of coat-color mutations because (a) the gene product is usually locally expressed, (b) mosaics can be detected with minimal effort, and (c) opportunities for making comparison with induction of germinal point mutations are greatest.--Following treatment of embryos that are heterozygous at specific coat-color loci, various induced genetic changes can result in expression of the recessive (RS) in clones derived from "mutant" melanocyte precursor cells. However, other events, such as decrease in the number of precursor cells, or disturbed differentiation, can also result in spots, which with careful classification can usually be distinguished from RS's on the basis of their location and color. When this is done, the relative RS frequencies for a series of compounds at least roughly parallel the relative spermatogonial mutation rates. The fact that easily measurable (though low) RS rates are obtained with compounds that have yielded negative results in spermatogonial tests is not surprising in view of the fact that RS's can be caused by several mechanisms besides point mutation.--In spite of the parallelism observed in one laboratory, the usefulness of the in vivo somatic mutation method as a prescreen could come to be doubted because of major discrepancies between results of similar experiments at different laboratories. However, it appears probable that at least some of these discrepancies are due to failure to discriminate between spots that probably resulted from melanocyte insufficiency and spots that resulted from expression of the recessive.--Reverse somatic mutation systems can potentially avoid some of the pitfalls of forward mutation systems. Such system are still in developmental stages.

Animals

Genetic activity of trichloroethylene in yeast.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) was tested for its ability to induce both point mutation and mitotic gene conversion in diploid strain of yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain D7) was tested for both activities in culture with and without a mammalian microsomal activation system and in the intrasanguineous host-mediated assay in mice. Strain D4 (gene conversion) was tested only in the host-mediated assay. In suspension tests with D7, TCE was toxic but not genetically active without microsomal activation. When a mouse liver 10,000 xg supernatant was included in the suspension tests, dose related increases in both mutation and gene conversion were seen at survival levels of greater than 50 percent. In the host-mediated assay, TCE induced both point mutation and gene conversion in D7 and gene conversion in D4 when recovered from the liver and kidneys after both acute and subacute dosing. Yeasts recovered from the lungs showed little, if any, increase in either point mutation or gene conversion.

Mutagens

Determination of the execution points of mutations in the nuclear replication cycle of Aspergillus nidulans.

Cultures of nuclear replication cycle mutants of Aspergillus nidulans were transferred to the nonpermissive temperature, and the fraction of nuclei still able to reach mitosis was determined. For the determinations, benomyl [methyl-1(butylcarbomoyl)benzimidazolecarbamate] was added to trap nuclei in mitosis, and these were detected by staining with aceto-orcein. The assumptions and controls required to relate the experimentally determined fractions to the points where a mutation blocks the nuclear cycle are discussed. Nine genetically distinct mutants were tested. Two of these were blocked early in the cycle, two in the middle, and five close to, or during, mitosis.

Aspergillus nidulans

A transient mutational burst occurs during yeast colony development.

Characterizing the contribution of mutators to mutation accumulation is essential for understanding cellular adaptation and diseases like cancer. By measuring single and double mutation rates, including point mutations, segmental duplications, and reciprocal translocations, we found that wild-type yeast colonies exhibit double mutation rates up to 17 times higher than expected from experimentally determined single mutation rates. These double mutants retained wild-type mutation rates, indicating they originated from genetically normal cells that transiently expressed a mutator phenotype. Numerical simulations suggest that transient mutator subpopulations likely consist of less than a few thousand cells, and experience high-intensity mutational bursts for less than five generations. Most double mutations accumulated sequentially across cell cycles, with simultaneous acquisition being rare and likely linked to systemic genomic instability. Additionally, we explored the genetic control of transient hypermutation and found that the excess of double mutants can be modulated by replication stress and the DNA damage tolerance pathway. Our findings suggest that transient mutators play a significant role in genomic instability and contribute to the mutational load accumulating in growing isogenic populations.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Proline transport carrier-defective mutants of Escherichia coli K-12: properties and mapping.

A series of mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 requiring a high concentration of L-proline for growth were isolated from a proline auxotroph strain, JE2133. Genetic studies of the mutants, PT19, PT21, and PT22, showed that all the mutations (proT) were point mutations, and these were mapped at 82 min on the E. coli genetic map. Intact cells and cytoplasmic membrane vesicles of these mutants were specifically defective in L-proline transport activity. Strain PT21 had no detectable activity of the L-proline transport carrier at all, and strains PT19 and PT22 had only 1/35 and 1/70, respectively, of the transport activity of the parental strain. The mutants were also shown to have a defect in proline-binding function of the carrier by measuring specific binding of proline to sonically disrupted membranes. These results indicate that the gene proT determines the function of proline carrier in the cytoplasmic membrane.

Bacterial Proteins

Mutation and disease in man.

Efforts to evaluate the burden of genetic disease maintained by mutation pressure are reviewed. Various individuals and committees have suggested that approximately 1800 per 100,000 liveborn infants will ultimately exhibit clearly defined disease due to chromosomal or point mutation. Direct estimates of human chromosomal and point mutation now permit the identification of about 370 per 100,000 liveborn infants with defect due to mutation in the preceding generation. Recent technical advances permit the study of mutation to shift to the protein level. In Amerindians, mutations resulting in electrophoretic variants of a series of proteins of the blood serum and erythrocyte occur at at rate of 1.6 x 10(-5)/locus/generation. While it is debatable what proportion of electrophoretic variants result in impaired health as heterozgotes or homozgotes in man, we are increasingly aware of disease due to an absence of enzyme or receptor protein due to homozygosity for "null" alleles. A conservative calculation of the possible impact of these "null" mutations on health proceeds as follows: if the rate of mutation to electrophoretic variants in man is only 1.0 x 10(-5)/locus/generation, and if in man the ratio of nulls to electrophoretic variants is only 2:1 rather than 5:1 of Drosophila, then null mutants with respect to protein should be 2.0 x 10(-5)/locus/generation. There are perhaps 5,000 proteins in man whose absence can lead to disease. It is clear we are just beginning to recognize a class of mutations whose impact on health in toto may exceed the commonly visualized gross phenotypic abnormalities. However, many of the conceptuses homozygous for these null mutations may be eliminated in utero and not come to clinical attention.

Animals

[Mutagenicity of the metabolites of the epoxide-diol pathway of safrole and its analogs. Study on Salmonella typhimurium].

Mutagenicity of the metabolites of the expoxide-diol pathway of safrole and analogues was studied on Ames' strains with Ames' method. Safrole, eugenol, eugenolmethylether, estragol, allylbenzene and 1'-hydroxysafrole, are not mutagen on TA 1535, TA 100 (point mutation) and TA 1537, TA 1538, TA 98 (frameshift mutations) without activation system. The corresponding epoxides that we have synthetized, are mutagens and inducers of point mutation in TA 1535 and TA 100. Dose-effect curves show differences between the mutagen efficiencies of these epoxides probably in relation with their electrophilic properties. On the other hand the 2', 3'-dihydro-2',3'-dihydroxisafrole was not mutagen in Ames' test. These results confirm the promutagen character of safrole and analogues and the role of the epoxides as proximate carcinogens.

Carcinogens

Editing Approaches to Treat Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.

TOPIC IMPORTANCE: Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a genetic disorder most commonly due to a single G to A point mutation (E342K), leading to debilitating lung and/or liver disorders and is associated with increased mortality. The E342K point mutation causes a conformational change of the AAT protein resulting in its retention in liver hepatocytes. This reduces AAT secretion into the serum resulting in higher protease activities due to the lack of inhibition from AAT, causing damage to healthy lung tissue. The current standard of care for lung manifestations involves weekly IV augmentation therapy and is considered suboptimal for these patients. Furthermore, there is currently no approved treatment for liver manifestations. The unmet medical need for patients with AAT deficiency remains high, and new treatment options are needed to treat the underlying disease etiology. REVIEW FINDINGS: Advances in genomic medicines may enable treatment by editing the DNA or RNA sequence to produce wild-type AAT instead of the mutated AAT caused by the E342K mutation. One approach can be achieved by directing endogenous adenosine deaminases that act on RNA to the E342K RNA site, where they catalyze adenosine to inosine conversion through a process known as RNA editing. The A-I RNA change will be read as a G during protein translation, resulting in an altered amino acid and restoration of wild-type AAT secretion and function. SUMMARY: In this review, we will discuss the pathophysiology of AAT deficiency and emerging treatment options with particular focus on RNA editing as a disease-modifying treatment for both liver and lung disease.

alpha 1-Antitrypsin Deficiency