title: Molecular characterization of the glutathione peroxidase gene of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: In this paper we report the isolation and the characterization of a gene encoding the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. This gene contains two introns of 208 and 168 bp and is present in a single copy on chromosome 13. The open reading frame encodes a protein with a predicted length of 205 amino acids, which possesses a potential cleavage site between residues 21 and 22 after a hydrophobic region with the characteristics of a signal sequence. Therefore, the mature protein is predicted to be 184 residues long with a molecular mass of 21404 Da. In comparison with other known glutathione peroxidases many amino acid residues implicated in catalysis are conserved in the malarial enzyme. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the deduced protein sequence is more closely related to plant glutathione peroxidase and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase. A 1.5-kb transcript was identified in asynchronous erythrocytic stages.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 42, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gamain
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Langsley
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Fourmaux
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Touzel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Camus
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dive
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Slomianny
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010802:Phylogeny; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase