title: Characterisation of a human serine hydroxymethyltransferase pseudogene and its localisation to 1p32.3-33.
abstract: The conversion of serine and tetrahydrofolate to glycine and 5,10 methylene tetrahydrofolate by serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT, EC 2.1.2.1) is the major route for the provision of one-carbon units for biosynthetic reactions. SHMT cDNAs have been cloned from both rabbit and man, and a human mitochondrial SHMT gene sequence has recently been reported. We have isolated phage clones containing human genomic sequences homologous to cytosolic SHMT and have found these to contain a processed pseudogene (SHMT-ps1) with a 90% identity to cloned SHMT cDNAs. SHMT-ps1 contains 2335 nt that are homologous to SHMT but it has an additional leader sequence of 203 nt of unknown origin. The complete SHMT-ps1 sequence of 2538 nt is bounded by two 16 nt direct repeats that are characteristic of retroelement insertion sites. Two phage clones containing SHMT-ps1 have been mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridisation to 1p32.3-33. In addition, an SHMT CDNA clone hybridized to the same region and to 17p11.2-12. The latter is consistent with a previous localisation of the gene for cytosolic SHMT.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology Group, School of Biological Sciences, Universityof Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Shipley
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Chave
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Snell
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D012696:Glycine Hydroxymethyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D012696:Glycine Hydroxymethyltransferase