Primary structure of the S. cerevisiae gene encoding uridine monophosphokinase

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the biosynthesis of both pyrimidine nucleoside triphosphates UTP and CTP is dependent on the activity of the uridine monophosphokinase step. We have determined the sequence of the uridine monophosphokinase gene. The coding region is 615 base pairs long and encodes 205 amino acids (22,500 daltons). The 5' terminus is comprised of a 17 amino acid-long hydrophobic leader sequence which is not present in genes encoding adenylate kinases. The coding region shows a strong degree of homology with the cytosolic adenylate kinases of vertebrates, and a lesser degree of homology with yeast and E. coli adenylate kinases.