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)