Identification and isolation of the gene encoding the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: DNA damage-inducible gene required for mitotic viability.

Ribonucleotide reductase catalyzes the first step in the pathway for the production of deoxyribonucleotides needed for DNA synthesis. The gene encoding the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase was isolated from a Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic DNA expression library in lambda gt11 by a fortuitous cross-reaction with anti-RecA antibodies. The cross-reaction was due to an identity between the last four amino acids of each protein. The gene has been named RNR2 and is centromere linked on chromosome X. The nucleotide sequence was determined, and the deduced amino acid sequence, 399 amino acids, shows extensive homology with other eucaryotic ribonucleotide reductases. Transplason mutagenesis was used to disrupt the RNR2 gene. A novel assay using colony color sectoring was developed to demonstrate visually that RNR2 is essential for mitotic viability. RNR2 encodes a 1.5-kilobase mRNA whose levels increase 18-fold after treatment with the DNA-damaging agent 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. CDC8 was also found to be inducible by DNA damage, but POL1 and URA3 were not inducible by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. The expression of these genes defines a new mode of regulation for enzymes involved in DNA biosynthesis and sharpens our picture of the events leading to DNA repair in eucaryotic cells.