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. 2002 Jul 1;365(Pt 1):99–107. doi: 10.1042/BJ20011814

Biochemical and molecular characterization of two cytidine deaminases in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Fiona J Thompson 1, Collette Britton 1, Isla Wheatley 1, Kirsty Maitland 1, Glenda Walker 1, Shrikant Anant 1, Nicholas O Davidson 1, Eileen Devaney 1
PMCID: PMC1222660  PMID: 12071843

Abstract

Two cytidine deaminases (CDDs) from the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have been cloned and characterized. Both Ce-CDD-1 and Ce-CDD-2 are authentic deaminases and both exhibit RNA-binding activity towards AU-rich templates. In order to study their temporal and spatial expression patterns in the worm, reporter gene constructs were made using approx. 2 kb of upstream sequence. Transfection of C. elegans revealed that both genes localized to the cells of the intestine, although their temporal expression patterns were different. Expression of Ce-cdd-1 peaked in the early larval stages, whereas Ce-cdd-2 was expressed in all life cycle stages examined. RNA-interference (RNAi) assays were performed for both genes, either alone or in combination, but only cdd-2 RNAi produced a consistent visible phenotype. A proportion of eggs laid from these worms were swollen and distorted in shape.

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Selected References

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