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Effect of Alcohol Drinking on Gene Expression of Hepatic O 6 ‐Methylguanine DNA Methyltransferase in Chronic Liver Diseases
Author(s) -
Miyakawa Happei,
Liu Jian,
Noguchi Osamu,
Marumo Fumiaki,
Sato Chifumi
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1996.tb01796.x
Subject(s) - o 6 methylguanine dna methyltransferase , methyltransferase , carcinogenesis , gene expression , messenger rna , microbiology and biotechnology , dna methyltransferase , cirrhosis , dna , dna repair , chemistry , gene , biology , cancer research , medicine , biochemistry , methylation
O 6 ‐methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is a repair protein that transfers methyl groups from O 6 ‐methylguanine to a cysteine acceptor in its own molecule, and restores DNA to its undamaged state. If left unrepaired, O 6 ‐methylguanine can pair with either a thymine or a cytosine, causing a C‐G to T‐A transition, which is considered to be one of the molecular mechanisms of both mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. The expression of MGMT mRNA in liver tissue was quantitatively assessed by the competitive reverse transcrip‐tion‐polymerase chain reaction method in patients with chronic liver diseases with or without alcohol drinking. MGMT mRNA expression was 1.4 ± 0.9 pg/μg RNA in control livers. Its expression in chronic hepatitis was 3.8 ± 0.7 in alcoholics and 2.7 ± 0.8 in nonalcoholics, which were not statistically different. MGMT mRNA expression in liver cirrhosis was significantly low, compared with that in chronic hepatitis, and 0.8 ± 0.3 in alcoholics and 0.5 ± 0.1 in nonalcoholics, which also were not significantly different. The present study shows that MGMT mRNA was not decreased in patients with chronic liver diseases with alcohol drinking, compared with those without alcohol drinking.