Base excision repair apurinic/apyrimidinic endonucleases in apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

ABSTRACT: DNA repair is essential for cell viability and proliferation. In addition to reactive oxygen produced as a byproduct of their own metabolism, intracellular parasites also have to manage oxidative stress generated as a defense mechanism by the host. The spontaneous loss of DNA bases due to hydrolysis and oxidative DNA damage in intracellular parasites is great, but little is known about the type of DNA repair machineries that exist in these early-branching eukaryotes. However, it is clear, processes similar to DNA base excision repair (BER) must exist to rectify spontaneous and host-mediated damage in Toxoplasma gondii. Here we report that T. gondii, an opportunistic protozoan pathogen, possesses two apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonucleases that function in DNA BER. We characterize the enzy

SUBMITTER: Onyango DO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3084321 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature