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Possible Relevance of O–6 Alkylation of Deoxyguanosine to the Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity of Nitrosamines and Nitrosamides

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Abstract

BIOLOGICAL alkylating agents—“mustards”, ethylenimines, epoxides and alkyl alkanesulphonates—have been believed to induce mutations by causing atypical base pairing during DNA replication at sites bearing a guanine residue which has suffered alkylation at the 7(N) position1,2. The most abundant reaction product found in acid hydrolysates of treated DNA is 7-alkyl guanine3,4, although alkylated adenines and cytosine, notably 3-alkyl adenine, are recovered as minor products. Furthermore, genetic studies of alkylation mutants in bacteria and bacteriophages have shown that many point mutational events involve guanine to adenine transitions5,6.

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  1. Chester Beatty Research Institute, Institute of Cancer Research: Royal Cancer Hospital, London, SW3

    A. LOVELESS

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LOVELESS, A. Possible Relevance of O–6 Alkylation of Deoxyguanosine to the Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity of Nitrosamines and Nitrosamides. Nature 223, 206–207 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/223206a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/223206a0

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