Cloning and partial characterization of a Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) glutathione S-transferase

A cDNA of glutathione S-transferase (GST) was isolated from a cDNA library of salivary glands of Boophilus microplus. The recombinant protein was purified by glutathione affinity chromatography and assayed upon the chromogenic substrate CDNB. The 864 bp cloned fragment was sequenced and showed an open reading frame coding for a protein of 220 amino acids. Expression of the GST gene was tested by RT-PCR in tick tissues and larvae mRNA. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with GSTs from other species revealed that the enzyme is closely related to the mammalian class mu GSTs.     

Plasmodium vivax: molecular cloning, expression and characterization of glutathione S-transferase

Malaria parasite glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are postulated to be essential for parasite survival by protecting the parasite against oxidative stress and buffering the detoxification of heme-binding compounds; therefore, GSTs are considered potential targets for drug development. In this study, we identified a Plasmodium vivax gene encoding GST (PvGST) and characterized the biochemical properties of the recombinant enzyme. The PvGST contained 618 bp that encoded 205 amino acids and shared a significant degree of sequence identity with GSTs from other Plasmodium species. The recombinant homodimeric enzyme had an approximate molecular mass of 50kDa and exhibited GSH-conjugating and GSH-peroxidase activities towards various model substrates. The optimal pH for recombinant PvGST (rPvGST) activity was pH 8.0, and the enzyme was moderately unstable at 37 degrees C. The K(m) values of rPvGST with respect to GSH and CDNB were 0.17+/-0.09 and 2.1+/-0.4mM, respectively. The significant sequence homology and similar biochemical properties of PvGST and Plasmodium falciparum GST (PfGST) indicate that they may have similar molecular structures. This information may be useful for the design of specific inhibitors for plasmodial GSTs as potential antimalarial drugs.     

Nucleotide sequence of the yeast glutathione S-transferase cDNA

The nucleotide sequence (658 bp) of the cDNA coding for glutathione S-transferase Y-2 of yeast Issatchenkia orientalis was obtained. The cDNA clone contains an open reading frame of 570 nucleotides encoding a polypeptide comprising 190 amino acids with a molecular weight of 21,520. The primary amino acid sequence of the enzyme exhibits only 25.0% and 21.1% identity with 177 and 151 amino acid residues of maize glutathione S-transferase I and rat glutathione S-transferase Yb2, respectively.     

Cloning, sequencing and expression of cDNA encoding growth hormone from Indian catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis)

A tissue-specific cDNA library was constructed using polyA⁺ RNA from pituitary glands of the Indian catfishHeteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) and a cDNA clone encoding growth hormone (GH) was isolated. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers representing the conserved regions of fish GH sequences the 3′ region of catfish GH cDNA (540 bp) was cloned by random amplification of cDNA ends and the clone was used as a probe to isolate recombinant phages carrying the full-length cDNA sequence. The full-length cDNA clone is 1132 bp in length, coding for an open reading frame (ORF) of 603 bp; the reading frame encodes a putative polypeptide of 200 amino acids including the signal sequence of 22 amino acids. The 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions of the cDNA are 58 bp and 456 bp long, respectively. The predicted amino acid sequence ofH. fossils GH shared 98% homology with other catfishes. Mature GH protein was efficiently expressed in bacterial and zebrafish systems using appropriate expression vectors. The successful expression of the cloned GH cDNA of catfish confirms the functional viability of the clone.     

Characterization and molecular cloning of a glutathione S-transferase gene from the tick, Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae).

A glutathione S-transferase (GST) was purified from the larval cattle tick, Boophilus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae), by glutathione-affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme appeared as a single band on SDS-PAGE and has a molecular mass of 25.8 kDa determined by mass spectrometry. The N-terminus of the purified enzyme was sequenced. The full-length cDNA of the enzyme was isolated by RT-PCR using degenerate oligonucleotides derived from the N-terminal amino acid sequence. The cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding a 223-amino-acid protein with the N-terminus identical to the purified GST. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with GSTs from other species revealed that the enzyme is closely related to the mammalian mu class GST.     

Nucleotide sequence of a class mu glutathione S-transferase from chicken liver

A clone coding for glutathione S-transferase (GST) CL2 was isolated from a chicken liver cDNA library. This clone (819 bp) encodes a polypeptide comprising 219 amino acids with a molecular weight of 25,717, excluding the initiator methionine. The primary amino acid sequence of the enzyme has 47% identical sequence with other class mu GSTs.     

Molecular cloning and thermal stress-induced expression of a pi-class glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the Antarctic bivalve Laternula elliptica

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are multifunctional phase II detoxification enzymes that catalyze the attachment of electrophilic substrates to glutathione. The pi-class GST cDNA (leGSTp) was cloned from the cold-adapted Antarctic bivalve Laternula elliptica. We used degenerated primers designed based on highly conserved regions of known mollusk GSTs to amplify the corresponding L. elliptica mRNA. Full-length cDNA was obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full sequence of the GST cDNA was 1189 bp in length, with a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 74 bp, a 3' UTR of 485 bp, and an open reading frame of 630 bp encoding 209 amino acid residues with an estimated molecular mass of 23.9 kDa and an estimated isoelectric point of 8.3. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed basal expression of leGSTp, which was up-regulated upon heat treatment (10 degrees C for different time periods) by a factor of 2.3 (at 24 h) and 2.7 (at 48 h) in the digestive gland and gill tissues, respectively. The recombinant leGSTp expressed in Escherichia coli was purified by affinity chromatography and characterized. The purified leGSTp exhibited high activity towards the substrates ethacrynic acid (ECA) and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB). The recombinant leGSTp had a maximum activity at approximately pH 8.0, and its optimum temperature was 35 degrees C.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a glutathione S-transferase gene from Ginkgo biloba.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in the response of plants to changing environmental conditions. Here, we report the cloning of the GST gene for GST from Ginkgo biloba, a native medicinal plant species in China, by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA (designated as GbGST) was 1008 bp and contained a 684 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 228 amino acids. The genomic sequence of GbGST was also obtained. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that GbGST expressed in all tested tissues of G. biloba, including leaf, root and stem and the expression of GbGST could be induced by UV, MJ and drought treatments, suggesting that GbGST was potentially involved in plant's stress tolerance. To our knowledge, this is the first GST cDNA cloned from Ginkgoaceae. Based on comparative analyses of amino acid sequence, phylogeny, predicted three-dimensional structure together with the gene structure, the GbGST should be classified into the tau class.     

Bovine hexokinase type I: Full-length cDNA sequence and characterisation of the recombinant enzyme

This study reports the revised and full-length cDNA sequence of bovine hexokinase type I obtained from bovine brain. Since dissimilarities have been observed between the published bovine hexokinase type I coding sequence (GenBank accession no. M65140) (Genomics 11: 1014-1024, 1991) and an analysed portion of bovine hexokinase type I gene, the entire open reading frame was re-sequenced and the ends of cDNA isolated by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The coding sequences, when compared with the published bovine hexokinase type I, contained a large number of mismatches that lead to changes in the resulting amino acid sequence. The revisions result in a hexokinase type I cDNA of 3619 bp that encodes a protein of 917 amino acids highly homologous to human hexokinase type I. The expression of the recombinant full-length enzyme demonstrated that it was a catalytically active hexokinase. When characterised for its kinetic and regulatory properties, it displayed the same affinity for glucose and MgATP as the human hexokinase type I and was inhibited by glucose 6-phosphate competitively versus MgATP. The production of the N- and C-terminal recombinant halves of the enzyme followed by comparison with the full-length hexokinase indicated that the catalytic activity is located in the C-terminal domain. (Mol Cell Biochem 268: 9–18, 2005)     

Characterization and molecular cloning of a glutathione S-transferase from the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Glutathione S-transferases (GST) catalyzing the conjugation of reduced glutathione to a vast range of xenobiotics including insecticides were characterized in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. GST activities were determined in susceptible and resistant strains of B. tabaci towards artificial substrates, i.e. 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) in a photometric microplate assay and monochlorobimane (MCB) in a fluoroemtric microplate assay and characterized by their Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The inhibitory potential of ethacrynic acid was very effective with IC50-values between 0.9 and 5.8 microM depending on substrate and strain. The inhibitory effect of dicumarol was 10 times lower. Glutathione-affinity chromatography purified GST enzymes of two different B. tabaci strains appeared as a single band on SDS-PAGE and had a molecular mass of 23.5 kDa determined by MALDI mass spectrometry. The N-terminus of the purified enzyme was sequenced by Edman degradation. The nearly full-length cDNA of the enzyme was isolated by RT-PCR using a degenerate primer derived from the N-terminal amino acid sequence and contained an open reading frame encoding a 194-amino-acid protein. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with GSTs from other species revealed that the enzyme is closely related to insect class sigma GSTs.     

Reproductive function of Selenoprotein M in Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinesis)

Selenoproteins are present in all major forms of life, including eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea. In eukaryotic animals, selenoproteins often function as antioxidants, but rare or absent in other phyla, such as plants and fungi (except for the green alga Chlamydomonas). Selenoprotein M (SelM) is a selenocysteine containing protein with redox activity, which is involved in the antioxidant response. However, information remains limited about SelM physiology and function in marine invertebrates, particularly in crustaceans. Hence, we investigated the reproductive functionality of SelM in the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), which is a commercially important yet disease vulnerable aquaculture species. The full-length SelM cDNA (928bp) strand was cloned by using PCR, based on an initial expressed sequence tag (EST) that was isolated from a hepatopancreatic cDNA library. The SelM cDNA contained a 390bp open reading frame (ORF) that encoded a putative 129 amino acid (aa) protein. SelM mRNA expression in E. sinensis was (a) tissue-specific, with the highest expression observed in the hepatopancreas, testis, ovaries and intestines. Based on this information, we then detected the different stages of tissue expression for SelM in the testis, ovary, and male crab hepatopancreas and hemolymph, and the enzyme activity of SelM in the testis. Overall, SelM was isolated successfully from the Chinese mitten crab, and its involvement in the regulation of reproduction during the period of rapid development in E. sinensis was confirmed.     

Expression of catalase and glutathione S-transferase genes in Chironomus riparius on exposure to cadmium and nonylphenol

Antioxidant enzymes play important roles in the protection against oxidative damage caused by environmental pollutants by scavenging high levels of reactive oxygen species and have been quantified as oxidative stress markers. However, combining mRNA expressions of genes coding for detoxification enzymes along with enzyme activities will be more useful biomarkers of stress. Therefore, in this study the cDNA of the catalase gene from the aquatic midge, Chironomus riparius (CrCAT) was sequenced using 454 pyrosequencing. The 2139 bp CrCAT cDNA included an open reading frame of 1503 bp encoding a putative protein of 500 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 56.72 kDa. There was an 18 bp 5’ and a long 618 bp 3' untranslated region with a polyadenylation signal site (AATAAA). The deduced amino acid sequence of CrCAT contained several highly conserved motifs including the proximal heme–ligand signature sequence RLFSYNDTX and the proximal active site signature FXRERIPERVVHAKGXGA. A comparative analysis showed the presence of conserved amino acid residues and all of the catalytic amino acids (His⁷⁰, Asn¹⁴³, and Tyr³⁵³) were conserved in all species. The CrCAT contained three potential glycosylation sites and a peroxisome targeting signal of ‘AKM’. The mRNA was detected using RT-PCR at all developmental stages. The time-course expression of CrCAT was measured using quantitative real-time PCR after exposure to different concentration and durations of Paraquat (PQ), cadmium chloride (Cd) and nonylphenol (NP). The expression of CrCAT was significantly up regulated on exposure to 50 and 100 mg/L PQ for 12 and 24 h. Among the different concentrations and durations of Cd tested, significantly highest level of expression for CrCAT mRNA and catalase enzyme activity was observed on exposure to 10 mg/L for 24 h. In the case of NP, the highest level of CrCAT expression was observed after exposure to 100 μg/L for 24 h. The expression profiles of three selected C. riparius glutathione S-transferase genes (CrGSTs) viz. CrGSTdelta3, CrGSTsigma4 and CrGSTepsilon1 was also studied on exposure to NP and were up or down regulated at different time points and concentrations. Significantly highest level of expression for CrGSTdelta3 was observed after 48 h and for CrGSTsigma4 and CrGSTepsilon1 after 24 h exposure to 100 μg/L of NP. The results show that CrGSTs and CrCAT could be used as potential biomarkers in C. riparius for aquatic ecotoxicological studies.     

黄粉虫胰蛋白酶样酶基因TMTLSP全长cDNA的克隆和序列分析

以黄粉虫(Tenebrio molitor)幼虫全RNA逆转录得到的cDNA为模板,参照地鳖（Eupolyphaga sinensis）纤溶酶（fibrinolytic enzyme）简并引物,进行温度梯度PCR．以得到的扩增产物为基础,采用RACE得到基因全长cDNA,命名为黄粉虫胰蛋白酶样丝氨酸蛋白酶(Tenebrio molitor trypsin-like serine protease,TMTLSP)．TMTLSP全长869 bp(GenBank No. JN662461),开放阅读框为777 bp,编码258个氨基酸,并具有蛋白酶样特有的起始位点、活性中心预计底物结合位点．经过比对分析,该基因编码的氨基酸序列与赤拟谷盗、谷蠹、光亮扁角水虻、美洲大蠊等多种昆虫的胰蛋白酶或丝氨酸蛋白酶有较高的相似性．本研究将为胰蛋白酶样丝氨酸蛋白酶的提取及研究提供更为广泛的材料及研究依据．