High impact information on r-l

• A new autosomal mutation, rudimental (ral), which causes rudimentary-shaped wings in Drosophila melanogaster, has been isolated following ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis [1].
• In fungi, DHO and OPRT cluster respectively with the corresponding proteobacterial counterparts [2].
• The phylogenetic analyses of DHOD and OMPDC also support the implications of the mosaic pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway in eukaryotes [2].
• The r-l structure includes two introns, one of which occurs within the DNA region that encodes the interdomain bridge sequence of the protein [3].
• The rudimentary-like locus encodes UMP synthase, a bienzyme protein containing the last two enzyme activities of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis: orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidylate decarboxylase [4].

Biological context of r-l

• It is concluded that the reciprocal and complementing enzymatic phenotypes of mutants in these two groups account for most instances of genetic trans complementation among r-l mutants [5].
• DNA encoding UMP synthase was identified using mixed oligonucleotides which were based on sequences derived from conserved peptide tracts of the protein in other species. cDNA clones of the embryonic UMP synthase mRNA have been isolated and used to define the extent of genomic DNA sequences which encode the transcript [4].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of r-l

• Transcriptional organization of r-l has been determined by sequence analysis of two cDNA clones and by primer extension analysis of embryonic RNA [3].
• Molecular cloning of the UMP synthase gene rudimentary-like from Drosophila melanogaster [4].

References