We have purified Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV1) uracil-DNA glycosylase from the nuclei of HSV1-infected HeLa cells harvested 8 h post-infection, at which time the induction of the enzyme is a maximum. The enzyme has been shown to be distinct from the host enzyme, isolated from HeLa cells, by its lack of sensitivity to a monoclonal antibody to human uracil-DNA glycosylase. Furthermore, several ura...

The uracil auxotrophic monokaryotic strain 423-9 of Lentinula edodes was crossed with nine monokaryons (cro2-2-9, W66-1, xd2-3-2, QingKe 20A, 241-1-1, 9015-1, L66-2, 241-1-2, and Qing 23A) derived from wild type strains of L. edodes. Nine dikaryotic hybrids were established from these crosses. These hybrids were fruited and 496 single spore isolates were obtained. Among these single spore isola...

Genomic uracil is a DNA lesion but also an essential key intermediate in adaptive immunity. In B cells, activation-induced cytidine deaminase deaminates cytosine to uracil (U:G mispairs) in Ig genes to initiate antibody maturation. Uracil-DNA glycosylases (UDGs) such as uracil N-glycosylase (UNG), single strand-selective monofunctional uracil-DNA glycosylase 1 (SMUG1), and thymine-DNA glycosyla...

Poxvirus uracil DNA glycosylases are the most diverse members of the family I uracil DNA glycosylases (UNGs). The crystal structure of the uracil complex of Vaccinia virus uracil DNA glycosylase (D4) was determined at 2.03 Å resolution. One uracil molecule was located in the active-site pocket in each of the 12 noncrystallographic symmetry-related D4 subunits. Although the UNGs of the poxviruse...

Information about the molecular biology of the uracil carrier of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is now available but its properties as a symport are unexplored. We have now studied its proton stoichiometry at pH 6.5, 4.8 and 4.2, in a yeast strain overexpressing the symport and unable to metabolize uracil. After the depletion of cellular ATP, uracil uptake followed an approximately exponential time c...

The steady-state levels of uracil residues in DNA extracted from strains of Escherichia coli were measured and the influence of defects in the genes for uracil-DNA glycosylase (ung), double-strand uracil-DNA glycosylase (dug), and dUTP pyrophosphatase (dut) on uracil accumulation was determined. A sensitive method, called the Ung-ARP assay, was developed that utilized E. coli Ung, T4pdg, and th...

Syntheses of cytosine, uracil, and thymine starting from interstellar molecules were examined theoretically. Potential energy surfaces for the formation protonated cytosine (CyH+), uracil (UrH+), (ThH+) cyanoacetylene (HC3N), isocyanic acid (H2NCO+), one NH3, H2O, CH3OH, respectively, determined by quantum chemical calculation using CBS-QB3 method. Barrierless pathways found all three reactions...

Escherichia coli nucleoside diphosphate kinase (Ndk) catalyzes ATP-dependent synthesis of ribo- and deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates from the cognate diphosphate precursor. Recently, the Ndk polypeptide was reported to be a multifunctional base excision repair nuclease that processed uracil residues in DNA by acting sequentially as a uracil-DNA glycosylase inhibitor protein (Ugi)-sensitive ura...

Uracil may arise in DNA as a result of deamination of cytosine or through incorporation of dUMP instead of dTMP during replication. We have studied the steady-state levels of uracil in the DNA of primary cells and mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cell lines from mice deficient in the Ung uracil-DNA glycosylase. The results show that the levels of uracil in the DNA of Ung(-/-) cells strongly dep...