1
|
Timmons L, Shearn A. prune/Killer of prune: a conditional dominant lethal interaction in Drosophila. ADVANCES IN GENETICS 1997; 35:207-52. [PMID: 9348649 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2660(08)60451-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- L Timmons
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kim N, Kim J, Park D, Rosen C, Dorsett D, Yim J. Structure and expression of wild-type and suppressible alleles of the Drosophila purple gene. Genetics 1996; 142:1157-68. [PMID: 8846895 PMCID: PMC1207115 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/142.4.1157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Viable mutant alleles of purple (pr), such as prbw, exhibit mutant eye colors. This reflects low 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin (PTP) synthase activity required for pigment synthesis. PTP synthase is also required for synthesis of the enzyme cofactor biopterin; presumably this is why some pr alleles are lethal. The prbw eye color phenotype is suppressed by suppressor of sable [su(s)] mutations. The pr gene was cloned to explore the mechanism of this suppression. pr produces two PTP synthase mRNAs: one constitutively from a distal promoter and one in late pupae and young adult heads from a proximal promoter. The latter presumably supports eye pigment synthesis. The prbw allele has a 412 retrotransposon in an intron spliced from both mRNAs. However, the head-specific mRNA is reduced > 10-fold in prbw and is restored by a su(s) mutation, while the constitutive transcript is barely affected. The Su(s) protein probably alters processing of RNA containing 412. Because the intron containing 412 is the first in the head-specific mRNA and the second in the constitutive mRNA, binding of splicing machinery to nascent transcripts before the 412 insertion is transcribed may preclude the effects of Su(s) protein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Kim
- Department of Microbiology, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Primus JP, Brown GM. Sepiapterin reductase and the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin in Drosophila melanogaster. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1994; 24:907-18. [PMID: 7951268 DOI: 10.1016/0965-1748(94)90019-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Ammonium sulfate fractionation and standard column chromatography techniques have been used to purify the enzyme sepiapterin reductase to electrophoretic homogeneity from pupae of Drosophila melanogaster. This purification constitutes a 1000-fold increase in the specific activity of the enzyme. The native molecular weight of the enzyme was determined to be ca 67,000 Da, while the subunit molecular weight is estimated to be 36,000-39,000 Da. The apparent Km for 6-lactoyltetrahydropterin (lactoyl-H4pterin) is 50 microns. The Drosophila enzyme is sensitive to inhibition by the biogenic amine, N-acetyl serotonin, and (to a lesser extent) melatonin, but its activity is not affected by serotonin, epinephrine or norepinephrine. The enzyme was shown to be an integral component of the Drosophila enzyme system which functions in catalyzing the conversion of dihydroneopterin triphosphate (H2NTP) to (6R)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (H4biopterin). It appears that although purified Drosophila sepiapterin reductase can catalyze low levels of conversion of 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin (pyruvoyl-H4pterin) to H4 biopterin in the presence of NADPH, the efficient conversion of pyruvoyl-H4pterin to H4biopterin requires the presence of both sepiapterin reductase and pyruvoyl-H4pterin reductase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J P Primus
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Sheehy MR, Roberts BE. An alternative explanation for anomalies in "soluble lipofuscin" fluorescence data from insects, crustaceans, and other aquatic species. Exp Gerontol 1991; 26:495-509. [PMID: 1756781 DOI: 10.1016/0531-5565(91)90038-n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Published attempts to extract lipofuscin from crustaceans and fish to assess age for fisheries research purposes have used essentially the same extraction methodology applied to insects, but have neither shown a conclusive age-dependence of spectrally similar fluorescence nor proved its association with lipofuscin. The reported lipofuscin solvent extraction method for fleshflies, Sarcophaga bullata, was manipulated by varying wash volume. This revealed that almost all age-dependent blue fluorescent material persisting in lipid fractions was actually pteridine-like. This finding was consistent with some previous independent results for Musca domestica. Examination of reported lipofuscin extraction protocols for other insects suggested that this problem was probably widespread. The pteridines are known to occur in unusually high amounts in insects, accumulating with age specifically in some members of this group by storage excretion, probably as a terrestrial water conservation strategy. In addition, there is growing evidence in the gerontological literature for other groups that solvent extracted blue fluorescence is not a true measure of lipofuscin content in tissues. These findings provide considerable insight into anomalies in putative lipofuscin fluorescence data between the insects and various aquatic species and suggest that there may be little basis for expectations of age-dependent fluorescence from aquatic species when the same gross extraction and crude purification methods are used.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M R Sheehy
- Department of Zoology, University of Queensland, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ferré J, Silva FJ, Real MD, Ménsua JL. Pigment patterns in mutants affecting the biosynthesis of pteridines and xanthommatin in Drosophila melanogaster. Biochem Genet 1986; 24:545-69. [PMID: 3092804 DOI: 10.1007/bf00504334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Eye-color mutants of Drosophila melanogaster have been analyzed for their pigment content and related metabolites. Xanthommatin and dihydroxanthommatin (pigments causing brown eye color) were measured after selective extraction in acidified butanol. Pteridines (pigments causing red eye color) were quantitated after separation of 28 spots by thin-layer chromatography, most of which are pteridines and a few of which are fluorescent metabolites from the xanthommatin pathway. Pigment patterns have been studied in 45 loci. The pteridine pathway ramifies into two double branches giving rise to isoxanthopterin, "drosopterins," and biopterin as final products. The regulatory relationship among the branches and the metabolic blockage of the mutants are discussed. The Hn locus is proposed to regulate pteridine synthesis in a step between pyruvoyltetrahydropterin and dihydropterin. The results also indicate that the synthesis and accumulation of xanthommatin in the eyes might be related to the synthesis of pteridines.
Collapse
|
6
|
Switchenko AC, Brown GM. The enzymatic conversion of dihydroneopterin triphosphate to tripolyphosphate and 6-pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin, an intermediate in the biosynthesis of other pterins in Drosophila melanogaster. J Biol Chem 1985. [DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9258(18)89458-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
|
7
|
Wiederrecht GJ, Paton DR, Brown GM. Enzymatic conversion of dihydroneopterin triphosphate to the pyrimidodiazepine intermediate involved in the biosynthesis of the drosopterins in Drosophila melanogaster. J Biol Chem 1984. [DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9258(17)43337-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
|
8
|
|
9
|
Ferré J. Accumulation of kynurenic acid in the “cinnabar” mutant of Drosophila melanogaster as revealed by thin-layer chromatography. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1983. [DOI: 10.1016/0020-1790(83)90051-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
10
|
|
11
|
Reinert KE, Geller D, Stutter E. Temperature mediated variation of DNA secondary structure in (A.T) clusters; evidence by use of the oligopeptide netropsin as a structural probe. Nucleic Acids Res 1981; 9:2335-49. [PMID: 6265870 PMCID: PMC326849 DOI: 10.1093/nar/9.10.2335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The titration viscometric investigation of the multi-mode interaction of netropsin (Nt) with (A.T) clusters of NaDNA12 and NH4DNA10 has been extended to different temperatures. The position of two boundaries on the r-scale (r= [Nt]bound/[DNA-P]) with increasing temperature steadily (rI/II) or more abruptly (rO/I) shifts to lower values. For the most (A.T) rich Nt-binding sites of modes (O), (I) and (II) this observation suggests the existence of an equilibrium between different DNA secondary structures with a different translation per base pair. The mode specific changes delta L1Nt of DNA contour length as induced by one Nt molecule proved to be almost independent of temperature. Concomitant stiffening effects increase with decreasing temperature, contrary to initial expectation. Conformational variability of (A.T) clusters may represent an essential feature in specific or selective DNA-protein interaction.
Collapse
|
12
|
Jacobson KB, Farkas WR, Katze JR. Presence of queuine in Drosophila melanogaster: correlation of free pool with queuosine content of tRNA and effect of mutations in pteridine metabolism. Nucleic Acids Res 1981; 9:2351-66. [PMID: 6789305 PMCID: PMC326850 DOI: 10.1093/nar/9.10.2351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Queuine, a modified form of 7-deazaguanine present in certain transfer RNAs, is shown to occur in Drosophila melanogaster adults in a free form and its concentration varies as a function of age, nutrition and genotype. In several, but not all mutant strains, the concentrations of queuine and the Q(+) (queuine-containing) form of tRNATyr are correlated. The bioassay employs L-M cells which respond to the presence of queuine by an increase in their Q(+)tRNAAsp that is accompanied by a decrease in the Q(-)tRNAAsp isoacceptors. The increase in Q(+)tRNATyr in Drosophila that occurs on a yeast diet is accompanied by an increase in queuine. Similarly the increase of Q(+)tRNAs with age also is accompanied by an increase in free queuine. In two mutants, brown and sepia, these correlations were either diminished or failed to occur. Indeed, the extract of both mutants inhibited the response of the L-M cells to authentic queuine. When the pteridines that occur at abnormally high levels in sepia were used at 1 x 10(-6)M, the inhibition of the L-M cell assay occurred in the order biopterin greater than pterin greater than sepiapterin. These pteridines were also inhibitory for the purified guanine:tRNA transglycosylase from rabbit but the relative effectiveness then was pterin greater than biopterin greater than sepiapterin. Pterin was competitive with guanine in the enzyme reaction with Ki = 0.9 x 10(-7)M. Also when an extract of sepia was chromatographed on Sephadex G-50, the pteridine-containing fractions only were inhibitory toward the L-M cell assay or the enzyme assay. These results indicate that free queuine occurs in Drosophila but also that certain pteridines may interfere with the incorporation of queuine into RNA.
Collapse
|
13
|
Yim JJ, Jacobson K, Crummett DC. Detection and some properties of an enzyme from Drosophila melanogaster that releases the side chain from dihydroneopterin triphosphate. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1981. [DOI: 10.1016/0020-1790(81)90069-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
14
|
Katoh S, Sueoka T, Yamada S. Neopterin in the sepia mutant of adult Drosophila melanogaster. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1980. [DOI: 10.1016/0020-1790(80)90061-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
15
|
Tobler JE, Yim JJ, Grell EH, Jacobson KB. Developmental changes of sepiapterin synthase activity associated with a variegated purple gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Biochem Genet 1979; 17:197-206. [PMID: 110316 DOI: 10.1007/bf00484485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A variegated position effect on the autonomous gene, purple, has been studid enzymologically in Drosophila melanogaster. Sepiapterin synthase, the enzyme system associated with pr+, was examined for activity in different developmental stages of the fly. The results indicate that T(y:22)prc5, cn/prc4 cn flies (flies in which pr+ has been translocated and which exhibit variegation) have a reduced amount of enzyme activity as compared with both Oregon-R and pr1 flies. This reduction in activity was not found in larval stages, which suggests that the inactivation process probably occurs in late larval or early pupal stages. The phenotype of the variegated adult has white eyes with red-colored spots and patches where drosopterins occur. The phenotype of the fly carrying the translocation is modified by the presence of additional Y chromosomes. This extends the observation from other systems that extra heterochromatin acts to suppress the variegated position effect. The advantages of studying the variegation by measuring enzyme activity, as well as the phenotypic expression, are several; for example, the developmental time at which variegation occurs may be estimated even though drosopterin synthesis is not occurring.
Collapse
|
16
|
Yim JJ, Grell EH, Jacobson KB. Mechanism of suppression in Drosophila: control of sepiapterin synthase at the purple locus. Science 1977; 198:1168-70. [PMID: 412253 DOI: 10.1126/science.412253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The amounts of sepiapterin and red pteridine eye pigments (drosopterins) in Drosophila melanogaster are known to be reduced in the purple mutant and restored to normal by a suppressor mutation. We show here that sepiapterin synthase activity is 30 percent of normal in pr and prbw, two naturally occurring alleles of purple, and is restored to nearly normal levels by the suppressor su(s)2. A heterozygote of two newly induced alleles of pr has even lower enzyme activity (less than 10 percent). The sepiapterin synthase activity is proportional to the number of wild-type pr alleles in flies when one and two copies of the allele are present and is higher in three-than in two-dose flies. We hypothesize that the purple locus may be a structural gene for sepiapterin synthase in Drosophila.
Collapse
|
17
|
Wilson TG, Jacobson KB. Isolation and characterization of pteridines from heads of Drosophila melanogaster by a modified thin-layer chromatography procedure. Biochem Genet 1977; 15:307-19. [PMID: 405968 DOI: 10.1007/bf00484462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
An improved thin-layer chromatography technique is described for the separation of fluorescent compounds found in extracts of heads of Drosophila melanogaster. Eighteen to twenty fluorescent spots are resolved, two of which are xanthurenic acid and 3-hydroxykynurenine, and the remaining spots are presumably pteridines. Of these, nine have been identified and quantitated directly on the chromatograms with a fluorometer. One of the spots present on the chromatogram apparently has not been described previous to this work. Characteristics of this substance, termed "quench spot," are presented, several of which indicate that it may be a pteridine or pteridine derivative.
Collapse
|