Comparative genomic analysis of equilibrative nucleoside transporters suggests conserved protein structure despite limited sequence identity.

ABSTRACT: Equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) are a recently characterized and poorly understood group of membrane proteins that are important in the uptake of endogenous nucleosides required for nucleic acid and nucleoside triphosphate synthesis. Despite their central importance in cellular metabolism and nucleoside analog chemotherapy, no human ENT gene has been described and nothing is known about gene structure and function. To gain insight into the ENT gene family, we used experimental and in silico comparative genomic approaches to identify ENT genes in three evolutionarily diverse organisms with completely (or almost completely) sequenced genomes, Homo sapiens, Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. We describe the chromosomal location, the predicted ENT gene structure a

SUBMITTER: Sankar N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC137128 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature