Summary
Mutations at the Dhod locus have been isolated following ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis. These mutants express those phenotypes common to other mutations of the de novo pyrimidine pathway: specific wing and leg defects and female sterility. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase activity is severely reduced in all Dhod mutants, whereas levels of the other pathway enzymes are largely unaffected. The twelve Dhod mutations described here comprise a single complementation group. All of these mutations are nonlethal and the collection includes apparent amorphic as well as hypomorphic alleles. These results are discussed relative to the properties of the complex loci that encode the other steps of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- DHOase:
-
dihydroorotase (EC 3.5.2.3.)
- DHOdehase:
-
dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.3.1.)
- EMS:
-
ethylmethanesulfonate
- ODCase:
-
orotidylate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.23)
- OPRTase:
-
orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10)
- UMP:
-
uridine 5′-monophosphate
References
Chen J, Jones M (1976) The cellular location of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase: relationships to de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidines. Arch Biochem Biophys 176:82–90
Conner T, Rawls J (1982) Analysis of the phenotypes exhibited by rudimentary-like mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. Biochem Genet 20:607–619
Forman H, Kennedy J (1975) Superoxide production and electron transport in mitochondrial oxidation of dihydroorotic acid. J Biol Chem 250:4322–4326
Forman H, Kennedy J (1976) Dihydroorotate-dependent superoxide production in rat brain and liver. A function of the primary dehydrogenase. Arch Biochem Biophys 173:219–224
Forman H, Kennedy J (1977) Purification of the primary dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (oxidase) from rat liver mitochondria. Prep Biochem 7:345–355
Jarry B, Falk D (1974) Functional diversity within the rudimentary locus of Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet 135:113–122
Kemphues K, Raff E, Kaufman T (1980) Mutation in a testis-specific β-tubulin in Drosophila: analysis of its effects on meiosis and map location of the gene. Cell 21:445–451
Kusano R, Kato M, Yamane I (1976) Isolation of uridine requiring variants in chinese hamster cells. Cell Struct Funct 1:393–396
Lewis E, Bacher F (1968) Method of feeding ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) to Drosophila males. Drosophila Information Service 43:193
Lindsley D, Grell E (1968) Genetic variations of Drosophila melanogaster. Carnegie Inst Wash Publ No 627
Loison G, Jund R, Nguyen-Juilleret M, Lacroute F (1981) Evidence for transcriptional regulation of dihydroorotic acid dehydrogenase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Curr Genet 3:119–123
Lowry O, Rosebrough N, Farr A, Randall R (1953) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
Norby S (1973) The biochemical genetics of rudimentary mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. I. Aspartate transcarbamoylase levels in complementing and noncomplementing strains. Hereditas 73:11–16
O'Brien S, McIntyre R (1978) Genetics and biochemistry of enzymes and specific proteins of Drosophila. In: Ashburner M, Wright T (eds) The Genetics and Biology of Drosophila, Vol 2a. Academic Press, New York, p 396–551
Rawls J (1979) The enzymes for de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in Drosophila melanogaster: their localization, properties and expression during development. Comp Biochem Physiol 62B:207–217
Rawls J (1980) A small genetic region that controls orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidylate decarboxylase in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet 178:43–49
Rawls J (1981) Genetic complementation and enzyme correlates at the locus encoding the last two steps of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Gen Genet 184:174–179
Rawls J, Chambers C, Cohen W (1981) A small genetic region that controls dihydroorotate dehydrogenase in Drosophila melanogaster. Biochem Genet 19:115–127
Rawls J, Fristrom J (1975) A complex genetic locus that controls the first three steps of pyrimidine biosynthesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Nature 255:738–739
Rawls J, Porter L (1979) Organization of the rudimentary wing locus in Drosophila melanogaster. I. The isolation and partial characterization of mutants induced with ethylmethanesulfonate, ICR-170 and x-rays. Genetics 93:143–161
Stamato T, Patterson D (1979) Biochemical genetic analysis of pyrimidine biosynthesis in mammalian cells II. Isolation and characterization of a mutant of chinese hamster ovary cells with defective dihydroorotate dehydrogenase activity. J Cell Physiol 98:459–468
Stroman P, Bahn E, Norby S, Sick K (1973) 6-Azauracil induced phenocopies of rudimentary wing mutants and their suppression by a suppressor mutant of rudimentary in Drosophila melanogaster. Hereditas 73:239–246
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by M.M. Green
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Porter, L.A., Rawls, J.M. The Dhod locus of Drosophila: Mutations and interrelationships with other loci controlling de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. Molec. Gen. Genet. 193, 27–32 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00327409
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00327409