title: Molecular basis of the alcohol dehydrogenase-negative deer mouse. Evidence for deletion of the gene for class I enzyme and identification of a possible new enzyme class.
abstract: The molecular basis of the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-negative deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) has been investigated. Several classes of mammalian ADHs have been recognized based upon biochemical and structural properties. ADH cDNA clones identified by hybridization to a mouse class I ADH cDNA clone were obtained from a deer mouse ADH-positive liver cDNA library. This cDNA has been identified as being a class I sequence and represents the deer mouse Adh-1 gene. An additional cDNA sequence identified in both the ADH-positive and -negative deer mouse cDNA libraries was identified by weak cross-hybridization to the mouse cDNA. This cDNA encodes an amino acid sequence representing a new class of mammalian ADH, and the deer mouse gene for this ADH is named Adh-2. ADH-negative deer mice do not produce mRNA, that is detected by the Adh-1 cDNA probe. However, both stocks of deer mice produce high levels of Adh-2 mRNA in liver. Southern analysis using an essentially full-length Adh-1 cDNA probe has shown that the Adh-1 gene is deleted in the ADH-negative mice. Biochemical analysis of enzyme activity suggests at least three ADH polypeptides are expressed in different tissues and have somewhat different substrate specificities, as in the mouse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208.
authors.forename: Y W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bey
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Felder
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D017353:Gene Deletion; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010542:Peromyscus / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase