Methyl methanesulfonate
Encyclopedia
Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) is an alkylating agent and a carcinogen
. It is also a suspected reproductive toxicant, and may also be a skin/sense organ toxicant. It is used in cancer treatment.
DNA on N7-deoxyguanine and N3-deoxyadenine. Originally, this action was believed to directly cause double-stranded DNA breaks, because homologous recombination
-deficient cells are particularly vulnerable to the effects of MMS. However, it is now believed that MMS stalls replication fork
s, and cells that are homologous recombination-deficient have difficulty repairing the damaged replication forks.
, a chemical with the same molecular formula but different arrangement
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
. It is also a suspected reproductive toxicant, and may also be a skin/sense organ toxicant. It is used in cancer treatment.
Chemical reactions with DNA
MMS methylatesMethylation
In the chemical sciences, methylation denotes the addition of a methyl group to a substrate or the substitution of an atom or group by a methyl group. Methylation is a form of alkylation with, to be specific, a methyl group, rather than a larger carbon chain, replacing a hydrogen atom...
DNA on N7-deoxyguanine and N3-deoxyadenine. Originally, this action was believed to directly cause double-stranded DNA breaks, because homologous recombination
Homologous recombination
Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination in which nucleotide sequences are exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of DNA. It is most widely used by cells to accurately repair harmful breaks that occur on both strands of DNA, known as double-strand breaks...
-deficient cells are particularly vulnerable to the effects of MMS. However, it is now believed that MMS stalls replication fork
Replication fork
The replication fork is a structure that forms within the nucleus during DNA replication. It is created by helicases, which break the hydrogen bonds holding the two DNA strands together. The resulting structure has two branching "prongs", each one made up of a single strand of DNA...
s, and cells that are homologous recombination-deficient have difficulty repairing the damaged replication forks.
See also
Dimethyl sulfiteDimethyl sulfite
Dimethyl sulfite is a sulfite ester with the chemical formula 2SO.Dimethyl sulfite is used as an additive in some polymers to prevent oxidation. It is also a potentially useful high energy battery electrolyte solvent.-Structure and conformation:...
, a chemical with the same molecular formula but different arrangement