The point mutation of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRTEdinburgh) and detection by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction

Gene amplification and dual point mutations of mouse IMP dehydrogenase associated with cellular resistance to mycophenolic acid

Mouse neuroblastoma cells (NB) selected for 10,000-fold increased resistance to mycophenolic acid (NB-Myco) showed a 200-500-fold increase in IMP dehydrogenase protein, and the enzyme (IMP: NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.205) also exhibited a 2400-fold increased ki for mycophenolic acid and reduced catalytic efficiency (Hodges, S.D., Fung, E., McKay, D.J., Renaux, B.S., and Snyder, F.F. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 18137-18141). The molecular basis of these changes is the subject of the present study. The nucleotide sequence of IMP dehydrogenase cDNA from NB-Myco cells revealed four nucleotide changes. One of these changes did not result in a codon change, and a second one corresponding to methionine-483 was present in the parental NB mouse line. The remaining two nucleotide substitutions and deduced residue changes are: the C to T transition at base 998 relative to initiation of translation, altering threonine-333 to isoleucine; and the C to A transversion at base 1052, altering serine-351 to tyrosine. Evidence was also obtained for IMP dehydrogenase having undergone gene amplification. IMP dehydrogenase mRNA levels were 500-fold increased in NB-Myco cells as compared to parental NB cells. DNA dot blot analysis showed a 25-fold increase in IMP dehydrogenase gene copy number and restriction enzyme analysis revealed similar gene structure for NB and NB-myco cells.

Molecular genetic study of a Japanese family with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome: a point mutation at the consensus region of RNA splicing (HPRTKeio)

Complete deficiency of hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) causes Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. A single nucleotide substitution of G to T at the 3'-end of intron 3 in the splicing consensus region has been identified in one allele of the HPRT gene from a mother predicted to be a heterozygous Lesch-Nyhan carrier. Utilizing a BfaI restriction site which was lost in the mutation as an indicator, family study showed that the mother and her only daughter were heterozygotes but the mother's sister did not have the mutant allele. The mutation generated splicing error and resulted in two types of abnormal mRNA. The major altered mRNA, named Type I, skipped the exon 4 and is predicted to produce a protein deleted of 22 amino acid residues. The other, Type II, having a 9-bp deletion at the 5'-end of exon 4, can result in a protein lacking 3 amino acids, from codon 107 to 109.