title: Evidence for a wide occurrence of proton-translocating pyrophosphatase genes in parasitic and free-living protozoa.
abstract: Proton-translocating inorganic pyrophosphatases (H(+)-PPase, EC 3.6.1.1) are integral membrane proteins that have been extensively studied in higher plants, the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum and, more recently, in some human pathogenic protozoa. By using a PCR-based approach, fragments of genes coding for H(+)-PPases in a number of protists, both free-living and parasites of animals and plants, that belong to diverse taxonomic groups (trypanosomatids, ciliates, apicomplexans, euglenoids, amoeboid mycetozoa, heterokonts) have been isolated. The experimental procedure involved the use of degenerate oligonucleotides designed from protein domains conserved in H(+)-PPases from plants and bacteria. The PCR-amplified DNA fragments exhibited the characteristic genomic structure and codon usage of the corresponding protozoan group. Paralogous genes were found in some species suggesting the occurrence of protein isoforms. These results indicate that H(+)-PPases are more widely distributed among protozoa than previously thought.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, Avda. Americo Vespucio s/n, Sevilla 41092, Spain.
authors.forename: José R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Pérez-Castiñeira
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alvar
authors.forename: Luis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Pérez
authors.forename: Aurelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serrano
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006801:Humans; D043564:Inorganic Pyrophosphatase; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010944:Plants / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011755:Pyrophosphatases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011755:Pyrophosphatases; D043564:Inorganic Pyrophosphatase