SDT1/SSM1, a multicopy suppressor of S-II null mutant, encodes a novel pyrimidine 5′-nucleotidase

SDT1 (suppressor of disruption of TFIIS 1, YGL224c, also known as SSM1, suppressor of S-II null mutant 1) is Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene identified as a multicopy suppressor of 6-azauracil sensitivity in a null mutant of the transcription elongation factor S-II. We found that overproduction of SDT1 caused hyposensitivity to not only 6-azauracil but also 5-fluorouracil and 5-fluorocytosine. This hyposensitivity was limited to pyrimidine derivatives, and no effect was observed for non-pyrimidine drugs including such clinically used anti-fungal drugs as amphotericin B and fluconazole. Purified recombinant SDT1 protein specifically dephosphorylated 5'-UMP and 5'-CMP. These results suggested that SDT1 conferred pyrimidine-specific hyposensitivity by dephosphorylating active metabolites of 6- or 5-modified pyrimidines, i.e. 6- or 5-modified UMP. This is the first description of a highly specific pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase in S. cerevisiae.