A DNA polymerase beta mutant from colon cancer cells induces mutations.

ABSTRACT: Previous investigations have shown that approximately 35% of the 90 tumors analyzed to date contain mutations within the DNA polymerasebeta (pol beta) gene. The existence of pol beta mutations in a substantial fraction of human tumors studied suggests a link between DNA pol beta and cancer. A DNA pol beta variant, in which Lys-289 has been altered to Met, was identified previously in a colorectal carcinoma. The K289M protein was expressed in mouse L cells containing the lambda cII mutational target. The lambda DNA was packaged and used to infect bacterial cells to obtain the spontaneous mutation frequency. We found that expression of K289M in the mouse cells resulted in a 2.5-fold increase in the mutation frequency. What was most interesting was that expression of K289M in these cells resu

SUBMITTER: Lang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC395925 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature