Enzymes generally make good drug targets because a specific reaction of interest can be targeted with a high degree of selectivity
Consider the following three drugs and explain why, although reaction-specific, the first two produce side effects, while the third does not.
A. Statins inhibit HMG CoA reductase to block intracellular cholesterol synthesis.
B. Methotrexate inhibits dihydrofolate reductase, which subsequently leads to blocked DNA replication.
C. Gleevec® inhibits BCR, a kinase that is only produced in certain types of leukemia cells.
The first two inhibitors (statins and methotrexate) are blocking reactions that are very important to all cells, not just the cells affected by the illness in question. Thus, drug side effects can be hard to predict, and may be very specific to the patient being treated. In the case of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the mutant enzyme is specific to the leukemia cells, and no other cells in the body are affected by this drug. This also means that the usefulness of this drug is limited to those CML patients that have this specific mutation.
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Which of the following is most likely the cause
of the current extinction crisis? a. asteroid impact b. human activity c. adaptive radiation d. tectonic activity e. climate change
If adenine makes up 20% of the bases in a DNA double helix, what percent of the bases is guanine?
A) 60% B) 40% C) 20% D) 30%
HIV may be transmitted from one individual to another by holding hands
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
Which of the following statements about an organ is false?
A) An organ represents a higher level of structure than the tissues composing it. B) An organ consists of several tissues. C) An organ can only carry out the functions of its component tissues. D) An organ consists of many cells.