The proposed studies will concentrate on understanding the biochemistry of both normal and mutant human fructose diphosphate aldolase isozymes. These enzymes function in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. The studies proposed will lead to a greater understanding of metabolism and hereditary human disease. The human disease, hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), is a digestive disorder involving carbohydrate metabolism in the liver. Studies on the genes for these isozymes will eventually lead to a better understanding of enzyme mechanism, protein structure, protein folding, evolution, and the control of gene expression during tissue specific development. The scope of the initial proposal takes advantages of a set of human mutations which lead to the aforementioned digestive disease (HFI). Recombinant DNA technology will be employed for investigation of the precise nature of the mutations which manifest themselves in this disease. The mutations which lead to this disease will be identified and characterized. These studies will lead to methods of carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis in families with a history of the disease. The experimental approach will study the genetics of the disease in a classical sense as well as use the more modern approach of reverse genetics.
The specific aims i nvolve the isolation and characterization of the complete set of human genes encoding the aldolases. Then the mutant genes from patients with the HFI disease will be isolated and characterized. Genomic libraries will be constructed and screened for clones harboring these genes. The DNA sequence of the genes will be determined. In vitro transcription experiments will determine the flanking regions necessary for the promoter activities. The genes from HFI patients will be compared to the normal genes. The DNA will be from patients confirmed for the disease by biopsy and/or family analysis. They will be asked to participate by informed consent to provide blood samples. The mutations found will be analyzed be reverse genetics for their effect on the gene expression or enzyme activity. The normal gene will be changed to mimic the HFI mutant gene by in vitro mutagenesis. Finally, competition experiments performed in vivo will investigate the elements and modes of trans-regulatory control involved in this family of genes.

Project Start
1987-05-01
Project End
1992-04-30
Budget Start
1990-05-01
Budget End
1991-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1990
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Boston University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
604483045
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02118
Tolan, D R (1995) Molecular basis of hereditary fructose intolerance: mutations and polymorphisms in the human aldolase B gene. Hum Mutat 6:210-8
Meighan-Mantha, R L; Tolan, D R (1995) Noncoordinate changes in the steady-state mRNA expressed from aldolase A and aldolase C genes during differentiation of chicken myoblasts. J Cell Biochem 57:423-31
Brooks, C C; Tolan, D R (1994) A partially active mutant aldolase B from a patient with hereditary fructose intolerance. FASEB J 8:107-13
Berthiaume, L; Tolan, D R; Sygusch, J (1993) Differential usage of the carboxyl-terminal region among aldolase isozymes. J Biol Chem 268:10826-35
Morris, A J; Tolan, D R (1993) Site-directed mutagenesis identifies aspartate 33 as a previously unidentified critical residue in the catalytic mechanism of rabbit aldolase A. J Biol Chem 268:1095-100
Brooks, C C; Tolan, D R (1993) Association of the widespread A149P hereditary fructose intolerance mutation with newly identified sequence polymorphisms in the aldolase B gene. Am J Hum Genet 52:835-40
Amsden, A B; Penhoet, E E; Tolan, D R (1992) A rabbit AldA pseudogene derived from a partially spliced primary aldolase A transcript. Gene 120:323-4
Shaw-Lee, R; Lissemore, J L; Sullivan, D T et al. (1992) Alternative splicing of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase transcripts in Drosophila melanogaster predicts three isozymes. J Biol Chem 267:3959-67
Tolan, D R; Brooks, C C (1992) Molecular analysis of common aldolase B alleles for hereditary fructose intolerance in North Americans. Biochem Med Metab Biol 48:19-25
Brooks, C C; Buist, N; Tuerck, J et al. (1991) Identification of a splice-site mutation in the aldolase B gene from an individual with hereditary fructose intolerance. Am J Hum Genet 49:1075-81

Showing the most recent 10 out of 13 publications