Isolation and characterization of a cDNA that encodes maize glutamate dehydrogenase

A full-length cDNA clone, pMGDH1, encoding maize NADH-glutamate dehydrogenase (NADH-GDH) was isolated from a maize root cDNA library. The identity of the cDNA was established by the coincidence of the structure of the purified protein with that inferred from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA. pMGDH1 had a cDNA insert of 1,638 bp and the open reading frame encoded 411 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence was similar to putative partial sequences of GDHs from higher plants and to the sequences of GDHs from organisms as diverse as mammals and bacteria. The NH2-terminal sequence deduced from the open reading frame had a typical structure that is associated with the import of proteins into the mitochondrial matrix. The cDNA hybridized to an RNA of about 1.6 kb. This transcript was more abundant in roots than in leaves and was localized in the bundle sheath cells in leaf tissues. Analysis of genomic DNA by Southern hybridization suggested the existence of gene(s) for another NADH-GDH subunit(s).