RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Effects of mercury (II) compounds on the activity of dUTPases from various sources. JF Molecular Pharmacology JO Mol Pharmacol FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 288 OP 292 VO 29 IS 3 A1 M V Williams YR 1986 UL http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/29/3/288.abstract AB The deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolases (dUTPases, EC 3.6.1.23) from Escherichia coli K-12-,Acholeplasma laidlawii B-PG9-, human KB cell-, and the herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1- and 2-induced dUTPases were purified and used to determine the effect of various mercury (II) compounds on their activities. Mercuric acetate, 5-mercuri-dUTP (HgdUTP), and 5-mercuri-dCTP (HgdCTP) acted as irreversible active site-directed inhibitors of the dUTPases purified from eukaryotic organisms but not those from prokaryotic organisms. The inhibition constants (Ki) were estimated for the KB, HSV-1, and HSV-2 dUTPases to be 8 +/- 2, 12 +/- 3, and 9 +/- 2 microM for mercuric acetate, 204 +/- 25, 121 +/- 15, and 111 +/- 10 microM for HgdUTP, and 775 +/- 25 and 651 +/- 23 microM for HgdCTP, respectively. The conversion of HgdUTP to its mercurithio-derivative resulted in a decrease in the affinity of the derivative for the eukaryotic dUTPases. The 5-mercurithioethylene glycol derivative of dUTP did not act as a substrate for the KB dUTPase but it did act as a substrate for the HSV-1- and HSV-2-induced dUTPases with Ki values of 526 +/- 47 and 483 +/- 32 microM, respectively. These results demonstrate that the eukaryotic dUTPases can be distinguished based upon differences in their affinities for the mercurithio-derivatives of dUTP and suggest that there are differences in the steric binding properties of the nucleotide-binding site of these enzymes.