title: Site directed substitution of 5-hydroxymethyluracil for thymine in replicating phi X-174am3 DNA via synthesis of 5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine-5'-triphosphate.
abstract: 5-hydroxymethyluracil (HmUra) is formed in DNA as a product of oxidative attack on the methyl group of Thy. It is removed from DNA by HmUra-DNA glycosylase. To determine whether the replacement of Thy by HmUra is mutagenic, which might explain the repairability of HmUra, a HmUra residue was substituted for Thy in a target (amber) codon by in vitro extension of an oligonucleotide primer annealed to phi X-174am3 virion DNA. This was accomplished by synthesizing HmdUTP and using DNA polymerase to effect primer extension. E. coli spheroplasts were transfected with the HmUra-containing DNA and the yield of revertant phage determined following replication in the bacterial host. Since E. coli do not express HmUra-DNA glycosylase activity, mutagenesis could be assessed in the absence of repair. chi 2c analysis showed that replacing Thy with HmUra did not result in an increase in revertant phage. These data indicate that the oxidation of Thy to HmUra in cellular DNA probably does not result in substantial mutagenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Medical Center, NY 10016.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Teebor
mesh_terms: D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003062:Codon; D004261:DNA Replication; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D003856:Deoxyuracil Nucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010432:Pentoxyl / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D013104:Spheroplasts / Q000378:metabolism; D013941:Thymine / Q000737:chemistry*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D004279:DNA, Viral; D003856:Deoxyuracil Nucleotides; C025110:hydroxymethyldeoxyuridine triphosphate; C008055:5-hydroxymethyluracil; D010432:Pentoxyl; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D013941:Thymine