title: The gene encoding topoisomerase II from Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: The gene for topoisomerase II has been isolated from genomic libraries of strain K1 of the human malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The sequence reveals an open reading frame of 4194 nucleotides which predicts a polypeptide of 1398 amino acids. There are apparently no introns. The sequence is present as a single copy which has an identity of 47.4% and a similarity of 65.4% with its human homologue. Sequences conserved in topoisomerase II from other species are present in Pftopoisomerase II but in addition it has two adjacent asparagine-rich insertions which are unique to it. We have also detected asparagine-rich regions in the gene for PfDNA polymerase alpha. The gene for Pftopoisomerase II has been localised to chromosome 14 and northern analysis reveals a transcript of 5.8 kb. Two independent antisera raised in mice against glutathione-S-transferase fusion proteins containing the amino terminal portion of the malarial protein detect a weak band on western blots at about 160kDa, the expected size of the protein. Use of the same antisera for immunofluorescence analysis suggests that the protein is present at all stages of intraerythrocytic growth of the parasite.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheesman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McAleese
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Horrocks
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ridley
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kilbey
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004261:DNA Replication; D004250:DNA Topoisomerases, Type II / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004250:DNA Topoisomerases, Type II