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Isolation of α‐tubulin genes from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum : sequence analysis of α‐tubulin
Author(s) -
Holloway S. P.,
Sims P. F. G.,
Delves C. J.,
Scaife J. G.,
Hyde J. E.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1989.tb00136.x
Subject(s) - biology , gene , plasmodium falciparum , genetics , parasite hosting , homology (biology) , intron , nucleic acid sequence , apicomplexa , sequence analysis , peptide sequence , tubulin , malaria , microtubule , world wide web , computer science , immunology
Summary As a step towards indentifying exploitable differences between host and parasite at the molecular level, we have isolated and sequenced genomic clones encompassing an entire α‐tubulin gene (designated α‐tubulin I) from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The gene, which contains two introns, encodes a product with a predicted length of 453 amino acid residues (50.3 kD). The protein sequence shows a high degree of homology to other α‐tubulins, particularly that of the coccidian parasite, Toxoplasma gondii (94%), whose gene carries introns in identical positions. Only one copy of the α‐tubulin I gene itself was found, although a second gene designated α‐II was also identified which is closely related but which differs at both the nucleotide and amino acid sequence levels. The α‐I and β‐tubulin genes were found to reside on different chromosomes.