Methyl methanesulfonate

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Methyl methanesulfonate
Methyl methanesulfonate

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.[1] It is used in cancer treatment.[2]

[edit] Chemical Reactions with DNA

MMS methylates 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.[3] However, it is now believed that MMS stalls replication forks, and cells that are homologous recombination-deficient have difficulty repairing the damaged replication forks.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Scorecard Pollution Information Site: Methyl Methanesulfonate Scorecard.org Accessed 14 Feb 08
  2. ^ Medical.Webends.com: Methyl Methanesulfonate Medical.webends.com Accessed 14 Feb 08
  3. ^ a b Lundin C, North M, Erixon K, Walters K, Jenssen D, Goldman ASH and Helleday T (2005). "Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) produces heat-labile DNA damage but no detectable in vivo DNA double-strand breaks". Nucleic Acids Research 33 (12): 3799–3811. PMID 16009812. 
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