title: Involvement of amino acids 361 to 364 of human topoisomerase I in camptothecin resistance and enzyme catalysis.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854, U.S.A.
authors.forename: X G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Haluska
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hsiang
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Bharti
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kufe
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Rubin
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002384:Catalysis; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004247:DNA; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I; D002166:Camptothecin