title: Cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the small GTPase gene cdc-42 from Ancylostoma caninum.
abstract: CDC-42 is a member of the Rho GTPase subfamily that is involved in many signaling pathways, including mitosis, cell polarity, cell migration and cytoskeleton remodeling. Here, we present the first characterization of a full-length cDNA encoding the small GTPase cdc-42, designated as Accdc-42, isolated from the parasitic nematode Ancylostoma caninum. The encoded protein contains 191 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 21 kDa and displays a high level of identity with the Rho-family GTPase protein CDC-42. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Accdc-42 was most closely related to Caenorhabditis briggsae cdc-42. Comparison with selected sequences from the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Xenopus laevis, Danio rerio, Mus musculus and human genomes showed that Accdc-42 is highly conserved. AcCDC-42 demonstrates the highest identity to CDC-42 from C. briggsae (94.2%), and it also exhibits 91.6% identity to CDC-42 from C. elegans and 91.1% from Brugia malayi. Additionally, the transcript of Accdc-42 was analyzed during the different developmental stages of the worm. Accdc-42 was expressed in the L1/L2 larvae, L3 larvae and female and male adults of A. caninum.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, People's Republic of China. yryang@xmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Yurong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jiaxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000722:Ancylostoma / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000737:chemistry; D004285:Dogs; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D018510:RNA, Helminth; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein