title: Evolutionary analysis of aspartate aminotransferases.
abstract: Aspartate aminotransferase isoenzymes are located in both the cytosol and organelles of eukaryotes, but all are encoded in the nuclear genome. In the work described here, a phylogenetic analysis was made of aspartate aminotransferases from plants, animals, yeast, and a number of bacteria. This analysis suggested that five distinct branches are present in the aspartate aminotransferase tree. Mitochondrial forms of the enzyme form one distinct group, bacterial aspartate aminotransferase formed another, and the plant and vertebrate cytosolic isoenzymes each formed a distinct group. Plant cytosolic isozymes formed a further group of which the plastid sequences were a member. The yeast mitochondrial and cytosolic aspartate aminotransferases formed groups separate from other members of the family.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Winefield
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Farnden
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D003600:Cytosol / Q000201:enzymology; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005796:Genes; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D011387:Prokaryotic Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D010940:Plant Proteins; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases