Molecular cloning and transcript mapping of the dihydroorotate dehydrogenase dhod locus of Drosophila melanogaster

The dhod locus encodes dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, the fourth enzymatic step of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. This locus was cloned previously by a chromosome walk in cytogenetic region 85A. The location of dhod within 85A DNA has been determined by mapping two rearrangement mutations to a small DNA region. A nearly full-length cDNA clone of the dhod transcript was isolated and partially sequenced, to confirm its identity. The cDNA clone was also used to map the transcribed DNA. A 1.5 kb dhod RNA is described which is most abundant in embryos and displays minor length heterogeneity in pupae and adults. The developmental expression of this transcript is discussed relative to the expression of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase activity and other genes of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway.