title: Comparative Analysis of Apicoplast-Targeted Protein Extension Lengths in Apicomplexan Parasites.
abstract: In general, the mechanism of protein translocation through the apicoplast membrane requires a specific extension of a functionally important region of the apicoplast-targeted proteins. The corresponding signal peptides were detected in many apicomplexans but not in the majority of apicoplast-targeted proteins in Toxoplasma gondii. In T. gondii signal peptides are either much diverged or their extension region is processed, which in either case makes the situation different from other studied apicomplexans. We propose a statistic method to compare extensions of the functionally important regions of apicoplast-targeted proteins. More specifically, we provide a comparison of extension lengths of orthologous apicoplast-targeted proteins in apicomplexan parasites. We focus on results obtained for the model species T. gondii, Neospora caninum, and Plasmodium falciparum. With our method, cross species comparisons demonstrate that, in average, apicoplast-targeted protein extensions in T. gondii are 1.5-fold longer than in N. caninum and 2-fold longer than in P. falciparum. Extensions in P. falciparum less than 87 residues in size are longer than the corresponding extensions in N. caninum and, reversely, are shorter if they exceed 88 residues.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kharkevich Institute), Bolshoy Karetny Pereulok 19, Moscow 127994, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexandr V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Seliverstov
authors.affiliation: Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kharkevich Institute), Bolshoy Karetny Pereulok 19, Moscow 127994, Russia.
authors.forename: Oleg A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Zverkov
authors.affiliation: Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kharkevich Institute), Bolshoy Karetny Pereulok 19, Moscow 127994, Russia.
authors.forename: Svetlana N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Istomina
authors.affiliation: Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kharkevich Institute), Bolshoy Karetny Pereulok 19, Moscow 127994, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergey A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Pirogov
authors.affiliation: Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kharkevich Institute), Bolshoy Karetny Pereulok 19, Moscow 127994, Russia.
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Kitsis
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D063546:Apicoplasts / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000469:parasitology; D018688:Neospora / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010271:Parasites / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011506:Proteins