Numerous proteins, many essential for the DNA replication machinery, interact with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) through the PCNA-interacting peptide (PIP) sequence called the PIP box. We have previously shown that the oxidative demethylase human AlkB homologue 2 (hABH2) colocalizes with PCNA in replication foci. In this study, we show that hABH2 interacts with a posttranslationally...

N(1)-methyladenine (m(1)A) and N(3)-methylcytosine (m(3)C) are major toxic and mutagenic lesions induced by alkylation in single-stranded DNA. In bacteria and mammals, m(1)A and m(3)C were recently shown to be repaired by AlkB-mediated oxidative demethylation, a direct DNA damage reversal mechanism. No AlkB gene homologues have been identified in Archaea. We report that m(1)A and m(3)C are repa...

Human AlkB homolog 3 (ALKBH3), a homolog of the Escherichia coli protein AlkB, demethylates 1-methyladenine and 3-methylcytosine (3-meC) in single-stranded DNA and RNA by oxidative demethylation. Immunohistochemical analyses on clinical cancer specimens and knockdown experiments using RNA interference in vitro and in vivo indicate that ALKBH3 is a promising molecular target for the treatment of...

Escherichia coli AlkB is a DNA/RNA repair enzyme containing a mononuclear Fe(II) site that couples the oxidative decomposition of alpha-ketoglutarate (alphaKG) to the hydroxylation of 1-methyladenine or 3-methylcytosine lesions in DNA or RNA, resulting in release of formaldehyde and restoration of the normal bases. In the presence of Fe(II), alphaKG, and oxygen, but the absence of methylated DN...

tRNA nucleosides are extensively modified to ensure their proper function in translation. However, many of the enzymes responsible for tRNA modifications in mammals await identification. Here, we show that human AlkB homolog 8 (ABH8) catalyzes tRNA methylation to generate 5-methylcarboxymethyl uridine (mcm(5)U) at the wobble position of certain tRNAs, a critical anticodon loop modification link...

Genes that encode for enzymes that can degrade petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) are critical for the ability of microorganisms to bioremediate soils contaminated with PHs. Distributions of two petroleum-degrading genes AlkB and Nah in soils collected from three zones of the Dagang Oilfield, Tianjin, China were investigated. Numbers of copies of AlkB ranged between 9.1 × 10(5) and 1.9 × 10(7) copies...

AlkB homolog 1 (ALKBH1) is one of nine members of the family of mammalian AlkB homologs. Most Alkbh1(-/-) mice die during embryonic development, and survivors are characterized by defects in tissues originating from the ectodermal lineage. In this study, we show that deletion of Alkbh1 prolonged the expression of pluripotency markers in embryonic stem cells and delayed the induction of genes in...

DinB, the E. coli translesion synthesis polymerase, has been shown to bypass several N-alkylguanine adducts in vitro, including N-furfurylguanine, the structural analog of the DNA adduct formed by the antibacterial agent nitrofurazone. Recently, it was demonstrated that the Fe(II)and a-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase AlkB, a DNA repair enzyme, can dealkylate in vitro a series of N-alkyguani...

The Fto gene was first cloned after identification of a Fused toe (Ft) mutant mouse, whose phenotype arised from a 1.6mb deletion of six genes, including Fto [1, 2]. FTO is a very large gene, also known as fat mass and obesity associated gene. In human, it is located on chromosome 16, consisting of 9 exons and spanning more than 400kb [3]. FTO mRNA is widely expressed in different tissues, espe...

The goal of this work was to study the overall genomic diversity of microorganisms of the Dagang high-temperature oilfield (PRC) and to characterize the metabolically active fraction of these populations. At this water-flooded oilfield, the microbial community of formation water from the near-bottom zone of an injection well where the most active microbial processes of oil degradation occur was...