title: A novel phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C of Trypanosoma cruzi that is lipid modified and activated during trypomastigote to amastigote differentiation.
abstract: The phosphoinositide (PI)-specific phospholipase C gene (TcPI-PLC) of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi was cloned, sequenced, expressed in Escherichia coli, and the protein product (TcPI-PLC) was shown to have enzymatic characteristics similar to those of mammalian delta-type PI-PLCs. The TcPI-PLC gene is expressed at high levels in the epimastigote and amastigote stages of the parasite, and its expression is induced during the differentiation of trypomastigotes into amastigotes, where TcPI-PLC associates with the plasma membrane and increases its catalytic activity. In contrast to other PI-PLCs described so far, the deduced amino acid sequence of TcPI-PLC revealed some unique features such as an N-myristoylation consensus sequence at its amino-terminal end, lack of an apparent pleckstrin homology domain and a highly charged linker region between the catalytic X and Y domains. TcPI-PLC is lipid modified in vivo, as demonstrated by metabolic labeling with [(3)H]myristate and [(3)H]palmitate and fatty acid analysis of the immunoprecipitated protein, and may constitute the first example of a new group of PI-PLCs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kashuba
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Docampo
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019814:Myristic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D019269:Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D043265:Phosphatidylinositol Diacylglycerol-Lyase; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D019269:Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Diphosphate; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019814:Myristic Acid; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; D043265:Phosphatidylinositol Diacylglycerol-Lyase; D002118:Calcium