Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 1989 · 124 citations · 21 references
Life SciencesGeneticsMicrobiologyDna RepairEnzymologyMicrobial GeneticsDna MethylationDna Repair DefectsGene CloningMolecular CloningRepair Of Alkylation DamageYeast GeneticsDna Alkylation Damage RepairDna Glycosylases In Alkylation RepairDna Methylation ProtectionDna Methyltransferase RepairDna Repair PathwaysRepair Of Methylated Dna BasesYeast Dna Repair
If eukaryotic genes could protect bacteria with defects in DNA repair, this effect could be exploited for the isolation of eukaryotic DNA repair genes. We have thus cloned a DNA repair gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae that directs the synthesis of a DNA glycosylase that specifically releases 3-methyladenine from alkylated DNA and in so doing protects alkylation-sensitive Escherichia coli from killing by methylating agents. The cloned yeast gene was then used to generate a mutant strain of S. cerevisiae that carries a defect in the glycosylase gene and is extremely sensitive to DNA methylation. This approach may allow the isolation of a large number of eukaryotic DNA repair genes.
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