본 연구는 DNA상해유도기작을 규명하기 위하여 하등 진핵생물인 분열형 효모 Schizosaccharomyces pombe로부터 subtraction hybridization방법을 이용하여 자외선 유도 유전자인 UVI-155을 분리하고 그 유전자 구조와 발현양상을 조사하였다. UVI-155 유전자의 발현양상을 Northern hybridization 방법으로 살펴본 결과 자외선(ultraviolet-light) 조사 1시간 후에 최대의 발현 증가를 나타내었다. 반면 알킬화제 인 MMS (methyl methanesulfonate) 처리에 의해서도 발현이 증가되었다. 이 결과 다른 UV-inducible 유전자와는 다르게 UVI-l55 유전자는 UV와 MMS 등의 DNA 상해에 모두 발현이 증가됨을 알 수 있었다. 또 한 유전자의 기능을 알기 위하여 null-mutant세포 주를 제조하여 그 특성을 살펴본 결과 이 유전자는 세포의 성장에 필수적인 유전자임을 알 수 있었다.
The present study intends to characterize the DNA damage-inducible responses in yeast. The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe was used in this study as a model system for higher eukaryotes. To study UV-inducible responses in S. pombe, five UV-inducible cDNA clones were isolated from S. pombe by using subtration hybridization method. To investigate the expression of isolated genes, UVI-155, the cellular levels of the transcripts were determined by Northern blot analysis after UV-irradiation. The transcripts of isolated gene (UVI-155) increased rapidly and reached maximum accumulation after UV-irradiation. Compared to the message levels of control, the levels of maximal increase were approximately 5 fold to UV-irradiation. In order to investigation whether the increase of UVI-l55 trascripts was a specific results of UV-irradiation, UVI-155 transcript levels were examined after treating the cells to mthylmethane sulfonate (MMS). The transcripts of UVI-155 were not induced by treatment of $0.25\%$ MMS. These results implied that the effects of damaging agents are complex and different regulatory pathways exist for the induction of these genes. To characterize the UVI-155 gene, gene deletion experiments were analyzed. The deleted strain was not well grown. This result indicated that the UVI-155 gene is essential for cell viability.
