Transaldolase genes from the cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: comparison with other eubacterial and eukaryotic homologues

We have sequenced and analysed the transaldolase (tal) genes from two cyanobacteria, Anabaena variabilis (ATCC 29413) and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, which are filamentous heterocyst-forming and unicellular organisms, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of the two cyanobacterial tal genes are 78% identical and are highly homologous to both eubacterial and eukaryotic transaldolases (Escherichia coli, two yeasts, and man) with values ranging from 54 to 60% amino acid identity. In contrast, the transaldolase homologous sequences from the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. ATCC 29133, from Mycobacterium leprae, and the partial sequence from the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana have a much lower degree of homology with each other and relative to the sequences mentioned above. These data indicate three different types of transaldolases.