title: Heterologous expression of active thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase from Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: The coding sequence of the bifunctional thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase (TS-DHFR) from a moderately pyrimethamine-resistant strain (HB3) of Plasmodium falciparum was assembled in a pUC expression vector. The coding sequence possesses unique Nco1 and Xba1 sites which flank 243 bp of the DHFR gene that include all point mutations thus far linked to pyrimethamine resistance. Wild-type (3D7) and highly pyrimethamine-resistant (7G8) TS-DHFRs were made from this vector by cassette mutagenesis using Nco1-Xba1 fragments from the corresponding cloned TS-DHFR genes. Catalytically active recombinant TS-DHFRs were expressed in Escherichia coli, albeit at low levels. Both TS and DHFR coeluted upon gel filtration and copurified upon affinity and anion exchange chromatography. Gel filtration and SDS-PAGE indicated that the enzyme was a dimer with identical 67-kDa subunits, characteristic of protozoan TS-DHFRs. Amino-terminal sequencing gave 10 amino acids which perfectly matched the sequence predicted from the nucleotide sequence. The recombinant TS-DHFR was purified to homogeneity by 10-formylfolate affinity chromatography followed by Mono Q FPLC. The inhibition properties of pyrimethamine toward the purified recombinant enzymes show that the point mutations are the molecular basis of pyrimethamine resistance in P. falciparum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sirawaraporn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sirawaraporn
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Cowman
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuthavong
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Santi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002845:Chromatography; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D010957:Plasmids; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D011739:Pyrimethamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C056930:thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D011739:Pyrimethamine