Mutations in the Chinese hamster ovary cell GART gene of de novo purine synthesis.

Abstract

Mutations in several steps of de novo purine synthesis lead to human inborn errors of metabolism often characterized by mental retardation, hypotonia, sensorineural hearing loss, optic atrophy, and other features. In animals, the phosphoribosylglycinamide transformylase (GART) gene encodes a trifunctional protein carrying out 3 steps of de novo purine synthesis, phosphoribosylglycinamide synthase (GARS), phosphoribosylglycinamide transformylase (also abbreviated as GART), and phosphoribosylaminoimidazole synthetase (AIRS) and a smaller protein that contains only the GARS domain of GART as a functional protein. The GART gene is located on human chromosome 21 and is aberrantly regulated and overexpressed in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), and may be involved in the phenotype of DS. The GART activity of GART requires 10-formyltetrahydrofolate and has been a target for anti-cancer drugs. Thus, a considerable amount of information is available about GART, while less is known about the GARS and AIRS domains. Here we demonstrate that the amino acid residue glu75 is essential for the activity of the GARS enzyme and that the gly684 residue is essential for the activity of the AIRS enzyme by analysis of mutations in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cell that require purines for growth. We report the effects of these mutations on mRNA and protein content for GART and GARS. Further, we discuss the likely mechanisms by which mutations inactivating the GART protein might arise in CHO-K1 cells.

• Authors: Aaron J Knox, Christine Graham, John Bleskan, Gary Brodsky, David Patterson
• Journal: Gene (Gene) Vol. 429 Issue 1-2 Pg. 23-30 (Jan 15 2009) ISSN: 1879-0038 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 19007868 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• DNA, Complementary
• Purines
• RNA, Messenger
• Phosphoribosylglycinamide Formyltransferase
• purine

Topics

• Animals
• Biocatalysis
• Blotting, Northern
• Blotting, Western
• CHO Cells
• Cloning, Molecular
• Cricetinae
• Cricetulus
• DNA, Complementary (genetics)
• Gene Dosage
• Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
• Genome (genetics)
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Mutation (genetics)
• Phosphoribosylglycinamide Formyltransferase (genetics)
• Purines (biosynthesis)
• RNA, Messenger (genetics, metabolism)
• Sequence Analysis, DNA
• Transfection