Cells employ a complex network of molecular pathways to cope with endogenous and exogenous genotoxic stress. This multilayered response ensures that genomic lesions are efficiently detected and faithfully repaired in order to safeguard genome integrity. The molecular choreography at sites of DNA damage relies heavily on post-translational modifications (PTMs). Protein modifications with ubiquit...

Antineoplastic drugs are hazardous chemical agents used mostly in the treatment of patients with cancer, however health professionals that handle and administer these drugs can become exposed and develop DNA damage. Comet assay is a standard method for assessing DNA damage in human biomonitoring and, combined with formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (FPG) enzyme, it specifically detects DNA oxi...

PURPOSE The effect of one pesticide spraying season on DNA damage was measured on B and T lymphocytes among open-field farmers and controls. METHODS At least two peripheral blood samples were collected from each individual: one in a period without any pesticide application, several weeks after the last use (January, at period P0), and another in the intensive pesticide spraying period (May or...

DNA lesions and the repair mechanisms that maintain the integrity of genomic DNA are important in preventing carcinogenesis and its progression. Notably, mutations in DNA repair mechanisms are associated with cancer predisposition syndromes. Additionally, these mechanisms maintain the genomic integrity of cancer cells. The majority of therapies established to treat cancer are genotoxic agents t...

Fluorescence microscopy is commonly used for imaging live mammalian cells. Here, we describe studies aimed at revealing the potential genotoxic effects of standard fluorescence microscopy. To assess DNA damage, a high throughput platform for single cell gel electrophoresis is used (e.g., the CometChip). Light emitted by three standard filters was studied: (a) violet light [340-380 nm], used to ...

In this study the effect of Centella asiatica L. extract was studied against genotoxic doses of ethinylestradiol on human lymphocytes culture. The different doses of C. asiatica L. extract i.e. 1.075x10-4, 2.125x10-4 and 3.15x10-4 g/ml were treated separately with 5 μM of ethinylestradiol. Similar treatments were given with 10 μM of ethinylestradiol. The treatments result in a significant dose ...

Sumoylation during genotoxic stress regulates the composition of DNA repair complexes. The yeast metalloprotease Wss1 clears chromatin-bound sumoylated proteins. Wss1 and its mammalian analog, DVC1/Spartan, belong to minigluzincins family of proteases. Wss1 proteolytic activity is regulated by a cysteine switch mechanism activated by chemical stress and/or DNA binding. Wss1 is required for cell...

In the present study the effect of Centella asiatica L. extract was studied against the genotoxic doses of ethinylestradiol on human lymphocytes culture. The different doses of C. asiatica L. extract i.e. 1.075×10 -4 , 2.125×10 -4 and 3.15×10 -4 g/ml were treated separately with 5 μM of ethinylestradiol. Similar treatments were given with 10 μM of ethinylestradiol. The treatments result in a si...

Environmental pollution is a complex issue because of the diversity of anthropogenic agents, both chemical and physical, that have been detected and catalogued. The consequences to biota from exposure to genotoxic agents present an additional problem because of the potential for these agents to produce adverse change at the cellular and organismal levels. Past studies in genetic toxicology at t...

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, histone H3 lysine 56 acetylation (H3K56Ac) is present in newly synthesized histones deposited throughout the genome during DNA replication. The sirtuins Hst3 and Hst4 deacetylate H3K56 after S phase, and virtually all histone H3 molecules are K56 acetylated throughout the cell cycle in hst3∆ hst4∆ mutants. Failure to deacetylate H3K56 causes thermosensitivity, spont...