INCORPORATION OF C14 TOTALLY LABELED NUCLEOSIDES INTO NUCLEIC ACIDS

Ubiquitin and its role in proteolisis: the 2004 Nobel prize in chemistry

In the early 1980-s, Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko, and Irwin Rose discovered one of the most important cyclic cellular processes – a regulated ATP-dependent protein degradation, for which they were awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. These scientists proved the existence of a non-lysosomal proteolysis pathway and completely changed the perception of intracellular protein degradation mechanisms. They demonstrated pre-labelling of a doomed protein in a cell with a biochemical marker called ubiquitin. Polyubiquitylation of a protein as a signal for its proteolysis was a new mechanism discovered as a result of collaborative efforts of three scientists on isolation of enzymes involved in this sequential process, clarification of the biochemical stages, and substantiating the energy dependence mechanism. The article contains biographical data of the Nobel laureates, the methods applied, and the history of the research resulted in the discovery of the phenomenon of proteasomal degradation of ubiquitin-mediated proteins. Keywords: PROTAC, regulated protein degradation, ubiquitin, І. Rose, А. Ciechanover, А. Hershko

Human diploid fibroblasts with alterations in ribonucleotide reductase activity, deoxyribonucleotide pools and in vitro lifespan

Three drug resistant human diploid fibroblast clones were isolated which contained elevated levels of ribonucleotide reductase activity when compared to wild type fibroblasts. The drug resistant cells do not appear to possess an enzyme with altered affinity for hydroxyurea. The increase in enzyme activity can entirely account for cellular drug resistance. In keeping with the observed changes in reductase activity in drug resistant fibroblasts, deoxyribonucleotide pools were also found to be altered. Most significantly, there was a 1.8-fold expansion of the dCTP pool size, suggesting that elevation in intracellular dCTP concentrations plays an important role in cellular resistance. Furthermore, the drug resistant fibroblasts exhibited substantial reductions in their replicative abilities, suggesting that the regulation of ribonucleotide reductase and the accompanying deoxyribonucleotide pools in human diploid cells is involved in aspects of cellular senescence.

Alterations in the components of ribonucleotide reductase in hydroxyurea-resistant hamster cells

Two components of mammalian ribonucleotide reductase have been separated by blue dextran-Sepharose chromatography from a hydroxyurea-resistant cell line, NCR-30A2, and its parental wild type. Analysis of reductase activity in these cells and the enzyme components reveals that there are three alterations involving ribonucleotide reductase activity in NCR-30A2 cells. There is an elevation in the effector-binding (EB) component, an elevation in the non-heme-iron-containing (NHI) component, and an alteration in the NHI component that renders the enzyme less sensitive to inhibition by hydroxyurea. These findings easily account for the resistance of NCR-30A2 cells to the antitumor agent hydroxyurea, and to other drugs with a similar mode of action.

Biosynthesis of riboflavine in Corynebacterium species: the purine precursor

Corynebacterium species lacks the ability to convert either xanthine or guanine to adenine. This defect and the use of the purine nucleoside antibiotic decoyinine, which blocks the conversion of xanthosine monophosphate --> guanosine monophosphate, permit an experimental design in which the interconversion of purines is largely prevented. Cultures of this organism were grown in the presence of decoyinine and various purine supplements. Data obtained by comparing the radioactivity incorporated from guanine-2-(14)C or xanthine-2-(14)C into bacterial guanine, xanthine, and riboflavine indicate that guanine or a close derivative of guanine is the purine precursor of riboflavine.

BIOSYNTHESIS OF PLANT CONSTITUENTS: I. THE COMPLETE DEGRADATION OF 2-DEOXY-D-RIBOSE AND SOME 2-DEOXY-D-HEXOSES

A simple procedure is described whereby the complete stepwise degradation of 2-deoxy-D-ribose was achieved. Yields as high as 90% or better of the available carbon was obtained. The 2-deoxy pentose was reduced (KBH4) to the corresponding polyol and the latter oxidatively cleaved with periodate. Formic acid (C4) was converted to CO2quantitatively by oxidation with HgO. Formaldehyde and β-hydroxypropionaldehyde were oxidized with bromine. Formic acid (C5) thus formed was converted to CO2in quantitative yields and the hydroxy acid decarboxylated with permanganate; thusly C3was obtained. The acetic acid (from C1and C2) was extracted with ether and subsequently degraded by the Schmidt–Phares procedure. The procedure was further used to degrade some 2-deoxy hexoses.