The Key Involvement of Poly(ADP-Ribosylation) in Defense Against Toxic Agents: Molecular Biology Studies.

Abstract

The Air Force employs or generates a variety of materials, such as fuels, some of which may be potentially hazardous and could be released into the environment. Effective tools are required to predict and assess the fate of these agents in the environment. It is equally important, to understand the basic biological mechanisms, of these agents. We have thus begun to assess whether these fuels kill cells via scheduled cell death. During the past granting period we have developed a relatively simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-use diagnostic tool for detecting whether a cell's DNA has been damaged by fuels. We have also performed the initial basis for an understanding of a key enzyme (apopain) which is involved in the cleavage of poly(ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP) during apoptosis. We feel that both contributions have potential applications for the screening of the toxicity of newly developed fuels intended for U.S. military use.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA353688

Entities

People

  • Mark E. Smulson

Organizations

  • Georgetown University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Antisense Elements (Genetics)
  • Apoptosis
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Cells
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Detection
  • Microscopy
  • Molecular Biology
  • Programmed Cell Death
  • Proteins
  • Tissue Extracts
  • Tissues

Readers

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Systems Analysis and Design