title: Cloning and expression of human deoxyguanosine kinase cDNA.
abstract: A human cDNA sequence homologous to human deoxycytidine kinase (dCK; EC 2.7.1.74) was identified in the GenBank sequence data base. The longest open reading frame encoded a protein that was 48% identical to dCK at the amino acid level. The cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli and shown to encode a protein with the same substrate specificity as described for the mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase (dGK; EC 2.7.1.113). The N terminus of the deduced amino acid sequence had properties characteristic for a mitochondrial translocation signal, and cleavage at a putative mitochondrial peptidase cleavage site would give a mature protein size of 28 kDa. Northern blot analysis determined the length of dGK mRNA to 1.3 kbp with no cross-hybridization to the 2.8-kbp dCK mRNA. dGK mRNA was detected in all tissues investigated with the highest expression levels in muscle, brain, liver, and lymphoid tissues. Alignment of the dGK and herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase amino acid sequences showed that five regions, including the substrate-binding pocket and the ATP-binding glycine loop, were also conserved in dGK. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cloned mitochondrial nucleoside kinase and the first demonstration of a general sequence homology between two mammalian deoxyribonucleoside kinases. Our findings suggest that dCK and dGK are evolutionarily related, as well as related to the family of herpes virus thymidine kinases.
authors.affiliation: Medical Nobel Institute, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karlsson
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004926:Escherichia coli; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000201:enzymology; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); C019165:deoxyguanosine kinase; D013937:Thymidine Kinase