Transcription elongation past O6-methylguanine by human RNA polymerase II and bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase.

ABSTRACT: O(6)-Methylguanine (O(6)-meG) is a major mutagenic, carcinogenic and cytotoxic DNA adduct produced by various endogenous and exogenous methylating agents. We report the results of transcription past a site-specifically modified O(6)-meG DNA template by bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase and human RNA polymerase II. These data show that O(6)-meG partially blocks T7 RNA polymerase and human RNA polymerase II elongation. In both cases, the sequences of the truncated transcripts indicate that both polymerases stop precisely at the damaged site without nucleotide incorporation opposite the lesion, while extensive misincorporation of uracil is observed in the full-length RNA. For both polymerases, computer models suggest that bypass occurs only when O(6)-meG adopts an anti conformation around its g

SUBMITTER: Dimitri A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2582612 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature