THE REACTIONS OF THE MUTAGENIC 



ALKYLATING AGENTS WITH PROTEINS 



AND NUCLEIC ACIDS 



P. Alexander, Sheila F. Cousens and K. A. Stagey 



The Chester Beatty Research Institute, Institute of Cancer Research: 

 Royal Cancer Hospital, London 



A WIDE variety of different substances are now known to be 

 mutagenic but the most active are the nucleophihc alkylating 

 agents of which mustard gas — the first substance to be 

 recognized as mutagenic (Auerbach and Robson, 1944) — is 

 a typical representative. Alkylating groups which confer 

 biological activity are (cf. Fahmy and Fahmy, 1956): 



They are often referred to as radiomimetic alkylating agents 

 (Dustin, 1947) since the biological effects they produce at the 

 cellular level simulate closely those which follow exposure to 

 ionizing radiations. 



Sir Rudolph Peters (1947) first suggested that the ability 

 to esterify acid groups in vivo might be responsible for the 

 biological activity of mustard gas. In the subsequent ten 

 years this suggestion has received a large measure of support. 



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