title: A vacuolar-type proton (H+) translocating ATPase alpha subunit encoded by the Hc-vha-6 gene of Haemonchus contortus.
abstract: In the present study, a full-length cDNA (designated Hc-vha-6) inferred to encode an alpha subunit of a vacuolar-type proton translocating adenosine triphosphatase (V-ATPase) was isolated from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus, and characterized. The transcript for Hc-vha-6 was detected in all developmental stages and both sexes of H. contortus. Elements, including two TATA box (TATAA), two inverted CAAT box (ATTGG), five E box (CANNTG) and six GATA as well as five inverse GATA (TTATC) transcription factor motifs, were identified in the non-coding region upstream of Hc-vha-6. The open reading frame (ORF) of 2601 nucleotides encoded a protein (Hc-VHA-6) of 866 amino acids and a molecular weight of approximately 98.7 kDa. Comparison with a published protein sequence for a homologue (VPH1P) from yeast showed that Hc-VHA-6 had nine transmembrane domains and the 14 essential amino acid residues associated with enzyme activity, assembly, intracellular and/or membrane targeting. Phylogenetic analyses of selected amino acid sequence data revealed Hc-VHA-6 to be most closely related to VHA-6 of Caenorhabditis elegans. A predictive network analysis inferred that vha-6 interacts with at least seven other genes encoding V-ATPase subunits and a small Rab GTPase. This study provides the first insight into a V-ATPase of parasitic nematodes and a sound basis for future functional genomic work.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria, Australia; School of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Bronwyn E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Sternberg
authors.forename: Robin B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Gasser
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D017238:Genes, Helminth / Q000235:genetics*; D006189:Haemonchus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D025262:Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D021122:Protein Subunits; D025262:Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases