title: Similarities between alanine dehydrogenase and the N-terminal part of pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase and their possible implication in the virulence mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: Recent developments in simultaneous multiple alignment methods of protein sequences allow prediction of structural similarity in related proteins. Alanine dehydrogenase and the N-terminal sequence of pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase were compared for their sequences. High similarities of sequences were observed especially in their NAD(H)-binding sites. These similarities suggest that antibodies which recognized the alanine dehydrogenase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis can also be directed against the membrane bound pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase. If this is the case, the virulent property of this pathogen could be linked to its higher synthesis of NADPH necessary for its anabolism.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Biology, Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Delforge
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Depiereux
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: De Bolle
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Feytmans
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Remacle
mesh_terms: D050788:Alanine Dehydrogenase; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology; D001411:Geobacillus stearothermophilus / Q000201:enzymology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D009250:NADP Transhydrogenases / Q000737:chemistry*; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases; D050788:Alanine Dehydrogenase; D009250:NADP Transhydrogenases