Thiones

Here we have used an intrachromosomal substrate to monitor the end joining of distant ends, which leads to DNA rearrangements in mammalian cells. We show that silencing Mre11 reduces the efficiency of nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), affecting both the canonical and alternative pathways, partly in a manner that is independent of the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase (ATM). Silencing of Rad50 or CtIP decreases end-joining efficiency in the same pathway as Mre11. In cells defective for Xrcc4, the MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex inhibitor MIRIN decreases end-joining frequencies, demonstrating a role for MRN in alternative NHEJ. Consistently, MIRIN sensitizes both complemented and NHEJ-defective cells to ionizing radiation. Conversely, overexpression of Mre11 stimulates the resection of single-stranded DNA and increases alternative end joining, through a mechanism that requires Mre11's nuclease activity, but in an ATM-independent manner. These data demonstrate that, in addition to its role in ATM activation, Mre11 can favor alternative NHEJ through its nuclease activity.

Several substituted benzenesulfonamides were synthesized by various pathways starting from sulfanilamide. The sulfanilamide diazonium salt was reacted with copper (I) halides, potassium iodide and/or aromatic derivatives, leading to 4-halogeno-, and 4-hydroxy-benzenesulfonamides as well as diazo dyes incorporating sulfamoyl moieties. These sulfonamides were assayed as inhibitors of two physiologically relevant isoforms of the zinc enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1), i.e., the cytosolic CA II (ubiquitous), and CA VII (brain-specific enzyme). Good CA inhibitory activity was detected for some of these derivatives, with inhibition constants (Ki) in the range of 17.5-863 nm against CA II; and 30-4200 nm against CA VII.