title: Genomic organisation and transcription characterisation of the gene encoding Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis arginase and its protein structure prediction.
abstract: The genomic organisation of the gene encoding Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis arginase as well as its flanking regions were characterised. The size of the transcribed RNA was determined, allowing us to map the genomic sites signalling for RNA trans-splicing and putative polyadenylation regions. The general organisation was compared with genes encoding other proteins already described in organisms of the Trypanosomatid family. The complete nucleotide sequence of the arginase open reading frame was obtained and the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme was inferred by a computational analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence, based on the established crystal structure described for Rattus norvergicus arginase. The human liver arginase sequence was analysed in the same way and the comparison of the presumed structure of both the Leishmania and human enzymes identified some differences that may be exploited in chemotherapeutic studies.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374 São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Edson R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Tiago M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Castilho
authors.forename: Fabiana C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Pioker
authors.forename: Carlos H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tomich de Paula Silva
authors.forename: Lucile M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Floeter-Winter
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001119:Arginase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011487:Protein Conformation; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D001119:Arginase