title: Expanding the DNA alphabet in the fruit fly: uracil enrichment in genomic DNA.
abstract: DNA integrity is under the control of multiple pathways of nucleotide metabolism and DNA damage recognition and repair. Unusual sets of protein factors involved in these control mechanisms may result in tolerance and accumulation of non-canonical bases within the DNA. We investigate the presence of uracil in genomic DNA of Drosophila melanogaster. Results indicate a developmental pattern and strong correlations between uracil-DNA levels, dUTPase expression and developmental fate of different tissues. The intriguing lack of the catalytically most efficient uracil-DNA glycosylase in Drosophila melanogaster may be a general attribute of Holometabola and is suggested to be involved in the specific characteristics of uracil-DNA metabolism in these insects.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Enzymology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: András
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horváth
authors.forename: Angéla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Békési
authors.forename: Villo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Muha
authors.forename: Miklós
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erdélyi
authors.forename: Beáta G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Vértessy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D020868:Gene Silencing; D016678:Genome; D011755:Pyrophosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014498:Uracil / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051981:Uracil-DNA Glycosidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014498:Uracil; D004247:DNA; D051981:Uracil-DNA Glycosidase; D011755:Pyrophosphatases; C020020:dUTP pyrophosphatase