%0 Comparative Study
%T Comparison of repair of methylated pyrimidines in poly(dT) by extracts from rat liver and Escherichia coli.
%A Dolan ME
%A Scicchitano D
%A Singer B
%A Pegg AE
%J Biochem Biophys Res Commun
%V 123
%N 1
%D Aug 1984 30
%M 6383380
%F 3.322
%R 10.1016/0006-291x(84)90416-9
%X Partially purified preparations of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase from rat liver and E. coli were tested for their ability to repair O4-methylthymine in a methylated poly(dT) X poly(dA) substrate. The bacterial preparation readily carried out this reaction, but no loss of O4-methylthymine was obtained with the rat liver protein. These results indicate a significant difference in specificity between the mammalian and bacterial proteins which could have important consequences for carcinogenesis and mutagenesis by alkylating agents in mammalian cells.