title: Primary structures of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase genes of Entamoeba histolytica.
abstract: Ethanol is the major metabolic product of glucose fermentation by the protozoan parasite E. histolytica under the anaerobic conditions found in the lumen of the colon. With the goal of finding new targets for anti-amebic drugs, the E. histolytica NADP(+)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase gene (EhADH1; EC 1.1.1.2) and an aldehyde dehydrogenase gene (EhALDH1; EC 1.3.2) were cloned. The EhADH1 alcohol dehydrogenase gene encoded -39 kDa protein with 62 and 60% amino acid identities, respectively, with NADP(+)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases of anaerobic bacteria Thermoanaerobium brockii and Clostridia beijerinckii. In contrast, EhADH1 showed a 15% amino acid identity with the closest human alcohol dehydrogenase. An EhADH1-glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein showed the expected NADP(+)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase and NADPH-dependent acetaldehyde reductase activities. The enzymatic activities of the EhADH1 fusion protein were inhibited by pyrazole and 4-methyl pyrazole. The E. histolytica aldehyde dehydrogenase EhALDH1 gene encoded a 60 kDa protein, which showed a 36% amino acid identity over a 451 amino acid overlap with the human stomach aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH3).
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Samuelson
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Descoteaux
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006736:Horses / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D009249:NADP; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; C019642:alcohol dehydrogenase (NADP+); D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase