Complementation cloning and characterization of the pyrroline 5-carboxylate reductase gene from Drosophila melanogaster

The first insect cDNA and genomic sequences encoding pyrroline 5-carboxylate reductase (EC 1.5.1.2) have been isolated from Drosophila melanogaster. The cDNA sequence was identified by interspecies complementation of an E. coli proline auxotroph and encodes a protein 280 amino acids in length with 25-41% identity to pyrroline 5-carboxylate reductases isolated from other organisms. The corresponding gene is single copy and is located at cytological position 91E-F, and in one of the P1 clones in that region. With a single 61-bp intron, and an impressively small 135- to 200-bp region that presumably acts as a bidirectional promoter, the gene itself shows remarkable economy. The calculated molecular weight of 29,700 predicts that the native enzyme is likely an octomer. Sequencing of the promoter region and expression studies, as well as the known function of the enzyme in redox regulation and the high levels of free proline in insects, suggest that this housekeeping gene encodes an enzyme with a crucial role in intermediary metabolism.