title: Cellular UDP-glucose deficiency caused by a single point mutation in the UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase gene.
abstract: We previously isolated a mutant cell that is the only mammalian cell reported to have a persistently low level of UDP-glucose. In this work we obtained a spontaneous revertant whose UDP-glucose level lies between those found in the wild type and the mutant cell. The activity of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UDPG:PP), the enzyme that catalyzes the formation of UDP-glucose, was in the mutant 4% and in the revertant 56% of the activity found in the wild type cell. Sequence analysis of UDPG: PP cDNAs from the mutant cell showed one missense mutation, which changes amino acid residue 115 from glycine to aspartic acid. The substituted glycine is located within the largest stretch of strictly conserved residues among eukaryotic UDPG:PPs. The analysis of the cDNAs from the revertant cell indicated the presence of an equimolar mixture of the wild type and the mutated mRNAs, suggesting that the mutation has reverted in only one of the alleles. In summary, we demonstrate that the G115D substitution in the Chinese hamster UDPG:PP dramatically impairs its enzymatic activity, thereby causing cellular UDP-glucose deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flores-Díaz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alape-Girón
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pollesello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Eichel-Streiber
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thelestam
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Florin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017354:Point Mutation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D005957:UTP-Glucose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D014532:Uridine Diphosphate Glucose / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D005957:UTP-Glucose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase; D014532:Uridine Diphosphate Glucose