J03536; g204149, g204150 MEDLINE; 88115275. Adapted from Koshizaka, Nishikimi, Ozawa, and Yagi, J. Biol. Chem.
263: 1619 (1988) and from Nishikimi and Yagi,
Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 54: 1203S (1991).
SWISS-PROT, P10867, GGLO_RAT.
Gulonolactone oxidase performs the 4th and last step in the
glucose pathway to ascorbic acid, the centerpiece of antioxidant, antiradical defense of essentially all air-exposed vertebrate
life on Earth, and most of the flora too. These steps are performed by, in order of action--
UDP-glucose dehydrogenase
Glucuronate reductase
Aldonolactonase
Gulonolactone oxidase
which, in order, convert uridyl diphosphate-glucose to glucuronic acid as glucuronate, that to gulonic acid as gulonate, that to
gulonolactone, and that to ascorbic acid. The uridyl diphosphate
glucose is itself made by glucose kinase's attachment of UDP
to glucose--the starting point of the entire citric acid cycle, of which the glucose pathway to ascorbic acid is a branch, That branch picks off for itself, in mammals, some 60 mg-kg/day. Mammals who do have GLO can easily live 6 to 10 times their age at maturity--those who don't, essentially only the primates, have a hard time living 3 maturities, and rarely see 4. This suggests that reinstallation of this gene would extend our span to some 225 years, with "aging" slowed down in proportion. Thus, instead of being long dead at 160, one would still be healthy and robust. It doesn't do much good to eat and drink lots of vitamin C, because we are very poor absorbers of it, and cannot per os get our body levels past 20--30 mg/kg. Were we GLO+, the typical
production of 60 mg-kg/day combined with the observed halflife of the acid would raise our typical level to ca. 2000--2500 mg/kg--roughly 100 times higher. That would get rid of the free radicals.
One-letter amino acid code
MVHGY.KGVQF.QNWAK.TYGCS.PEVYY.QPTSV. 30
EEVRE.VLALA.REQKK.KVKVV.GGGHS.PSDIA. 60
CTDGF.MIHMG.KMNRV.LQVDK.EKKQI.TVEAG. 90
ILLAD.LHPQL.DEHGL.AMSNL.GAVSD.VTVAG. 120
VIGSG.THNTG.IKHGI.LATQV.VALTL.MTADG. 150
EVLEC.SESRN.ADVFQ.AARVH.LGCLG.IILTV. 180
TLQCV.PQFHL.QETSF.PSTLK.EVLDN.LDSHL. 210
KRSEY.FRFLW.FPHTE.NVSII.YQDHT.NKAPS. 240
SASNW.FWDYA.IGFYL.LEFLL.WTSTY.LPCLV. 270
GWINR.FFFWM.LFNCK.KESSN.LSHKI.FTYEC. 300
RFKQH.VQDWA.IPREK.TKEAL.LELKA.MLEAH. 330
PKVVA.HYPVE.VRFTR.GDDIL.LSPCF.QRDSC. 360
YMNII.MYRPY.GKDVP.RLDYW.LAYET.IMKKF. 390
GGRPH.WAKAH.NCTQK.DFEEM.YPTFH.KFCDI. 420
REKLD.PTGMF.LNSYL.EKVFY. 440
GATCCTCCTGATCACTGGAATC* (5'NTR)
Transcription and translation always start at the ATG,
coding for methionine, 22 +/- 1 bp downstream from the
promoter, the consensus sequence of which is TATAAATA.
ATG.GTC.CAT.GGG.TAC.AAA.GGG.GTC.CAG.TTC.CAA.AAT.TGG.GCA.AAG. 15
ACC.TAT.GGT.TGC.AGT.CCA.GAG.GTG.TAC.TAC.CAG.CCC.ACC.TCC.GTG. 30
GAG.GAG.GTC.AGA.GAG.GTG.CTG.GCC.CTG.GCC.CGG.GAG.CAG.AAG.AAG. 45
AAA.GTG.AAG.GTG.GTG.GGT.GGT.GGC.CAC.TCG.CCT.TCA.GAC.ATT.GCC. 60
TGC.ACT.GAC.GGT.TTC.ATG.ATC.CAC.ATG.GGC.AAG.ATG.AAC.CGG.GTT. 75
CTC.CAG.GTG.GAC.AAG.GAG.AAG.AAG.CAG.ATA.ACA.GTG.GAA.GCC.GGT. 90
ATC.CTC.CTG.GCT.GAC.CTG.CAC.CCA.CAG.CTG.GAT.GAG.CAT.GGC.CTG. 105
GCC.ATG.TCC.AAT.CTG.GGA.GCA.GTG.TCT.GAT.GTG.ACA.GTT.GCT.GGT. 120
GTC.ATT.GGA.TCC.GGA.ACA.CAT.AAC.ACA.GGG.ATC.AAG.CAC.GGC.ATC. 135
CTG.GCC.ACT.CAG.GTG.GTG.GCC.CTG.ACC.CTG.ATG.ACA.GCT.GAT.GGA. 150
GAA.GTT.CTG.GAA.TGT.TCT.GAG.TCA.AGA.AAT.GCA.GAT.GTG.TTC.CAG. 165
GCT.GCA.CGG.GTG.CAC.CTG.GGT.TGC.CTG.GGC.ATC.ATC.CTC.ACC.GTC. 180
ACC.CTG.CAG.TGT.GTG.CCT.CAG.TTT.CAC.CTT.CAG.GAG.ACA.TCC.TTC. 195
CCT.TCG.ACC.CTC.AAA.GAG.GTC.CTT.GAC.AAC.CTA.GAC.AGC.CAC.CTG. 210
AAG.AGG.TCT.GAG.TAC.TTC.CGC.TTC.CTC.TGG.TTT.CCT.CAC.ACT.GAG. 225
AAC.GTC.AGC.ATC.ATC.TAC.CAA.GAC.CAC.ACC.AAC.AAG.GCC.CCC.TCC. 240
TCT.GCA.TCT.AAC.TGG.TTT.TGG.GAC.TAT.GCC.ATC.GGG.TTC.TAC.CTA. 255
CTG.GAG.TTC.TTG.CTC.TGG.ACC.AGC.ACC.TAC.CTG.CCA.TGC.CTC.GTG. 270
GGC.TGG.ATC.AAC.CGC.TTC.TTC.TTC.TGG.ATG.CTG.TTC.AAC.TGC.AAG. 285
AAG.GAG.AGC.AGC.AAC.CTC.AGT.CAC.AAG.ATC.TTC.ACC.TAC.GAG.TGT. 300
CGC.TTC.AAG.CAG.CAT.GTA.CAA.GAC.TGG.GCC.ATC.CCT.AGG.GAG.AAG. 315
ACC.AAG.GAG.GCC.CTA.CTG.GAG.CTA.AAG.GCC.ATG.CTG.GAG.GCC.CAC. 330
CCC.AAA.GTG.GTA.GCC.CAC.TAC.CCC.GTA.GAG.GTG.CGC.TTC.ACC.CGA. 345
GGC.GAT.GAC.ATT.CTG.CTG.AGC.CCC.TGC.TTC.CAG.AGG.GAC.AGC.TGC. 360
TAC.ATG.AAC.ATC.ATT.ATG.TAC.AGG.CCC.TAT.GGA.AAG.GAC.GTG.CCT. 375
CGG.CTA.GAC.TAC.TGG.CTG.GCC.TAT.GAG.ACC.ATC.ATG.AAG.AAG.TTT. 390
GGA.GGA.AGA.CCC.CAC.TGG.GCA.AAG.GCC.CAC.AAT.TGC.ACC.CAG.AAG. 405
GAC.TTT.GAG.GAA.ATG.TAC.CCC.ACC.TTT.CAC.AAG.TTC.TGT.GAC.ATC. 420
CGT.GAG.AAG.CTG.GAC.CCC.ACT.GGA.ATG.TTC.TTG.AAT.TCG.TAC.CTG. 435
GAG.AAA.GTC.TTC.TAC.**TAA. 440
(TAA is a terminator)
AGCAGGAGTGGAAACAAACCACCCTGACCCCTCACACTTCTGCTGCCCCCGGGGGTCTGG
GGAGCAGAGAAGTGCCTCACAAGCACAATGGGAACTGACCTCTCCTCCTGACCACAAAGA
AAGGCTGGGCTCTGGGCCGGGTCCTCTCTGCCTTCGGCATCATTTCCCTTACATCCAGGC
GAAGAAGTGGCCTCTCACTCAAATTCCTGTTAGCATTTCCATGGGTCACACATAAACTGC
AATCCTCTCAGGAGAAGGGGGATCCCTGATACATCATATCTATCCAGACTAAGGATGTGG
TTCTTCCTAGATTCTATGGCTCCACCAGGTATAGAGAGATTCCTGGGGCCTGCAGTTCTC
CATCCCTCTTCAGAAGGGAGGGATCCCTTGGCGAGAGTTTGGCTCAGAGGTGGCATGAAG
CATGCTCTGCTCTCTCTTACCCTTGAAGGTCCTTCGGATGCCCAGAGATGTCTGCTGGTC
CTGGGCAAGCCATCATTCAAACGGGTCCAACCTGGCCTTCTGTCTGCCATGGCCTGACCC
TCGCAGTGTCTCTTCCAGAGGTGTTTAGAGTGGAACTCGCTTCAACCTCTTAACCAGTTG
CTGATCCCTGTGTTTCTCTCCCTTCTCCTTGGAGACTACTCTTGGAGGGGGATCCCACCA
TGTCCTTGGCTTTCCCTGGGTATTGTTCTCCTCTTCCTCTTCAC***AAATAT (polyadenylation signal at end of trimmed 3'NTR)
