Primary structure of the gene encoding the bifunctional dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase of Leishmania major.
نویسندگان
چکیده
We have determined the nucleotide sequence of the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthetase (DHFR-TS) gene of the protozoan parasite Leishmania major (dihydrofolate reductase, EC 1.5.1.3 and thymidylate synthase, EC 2.1.1.45). The DHFR-TS protein is encoded by a single 1560-base-pair open reading frame within genomic DNA, in contrast to vertebrate DHFRs or mouse and phage T4 TSs, which contain intervening sequences. Comparisons of the DHFR-TS sequence with DHFR and TS sequences of other organisms indicate that the order of enzymatic activities within the bifunctional polypeptide chain is DHFR followed by TS, the Leishmania bifunctional DHFR-TS evolved independently and not through a phage T4-related intermediate, and the rate of evolution of both the DHFR and TS domains has not detectably changed despite the acquisition of new functional properties by the bifunctional enzyme. The Leishmania gene is 86% G+C in the third codon position, in contrast to genes of the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which exhibit an opposite bias toward A+T. The DHFR-TS locus is encoded within a region of DNA amplified in methotrexate-resistant lines, as previously proposed.
منابع مشابه
Structure, genomic organization and transcription of the bifunctional dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase gene from Crithidia fasciculata.
The bifunctional dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) gene from the monogenetic kinetoplastid protozoan, Crithidia fasciculata, was isolated and characterized. The gene is located on a single chromosome of approximately one megabase, and shows significant sequence similarity to other eukaryotic and prokaryotic DHFR and TS genes. There is a single low-abundance polyadenylated D...
متن کاملBiochemical characterization of the bifunctional enzyme dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase from Leishmania (Viannia) and its evaluation as a drug target.
INTRODUCTION Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) has been used successfully as a drug target in the area of anti-bacterial, anti-cancer and anti-malarial therapy. Although this bifunctional enzyme is also a potential drug target for treatment of leishmaniasis, there have been no reports on its efficacy against Leishmania (Viannia) species. MATERIALS AND METHODS The gene encoding the bifunctional D...
متن کاملPhylogenetic classification of protozoa based on the structure of the linker domain in the bifunctional enzyme, dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase.
We have determined the crystal structure of dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) from Cryptosporidium hominis, revealing a unique linker domain containing an 11-residue alpha-helix that has extensive interactions with the opposite DHFR-TS monomer of the homodimeric enzyme. Analysis of the structure of DHFR-TS from C. hominis and of previously solved structures of DHFR-TS from ...
متن کاملUnstable DNA amplifications in methotrexate-resistant Leishmania consist of extrachromosomal circles which relocalize during stabilization.
Methotrexate-resistant Leishmania tropica contain two separate regions of DNA amplification, one encoding the bifunctional thymidylate synthetase-dihydrofolate reductase (TS-DHFR) characteristic of protozoans and the other of yet unknown function. The amplified DNAs are initially found as extrachromosomal closed circular forms, which are unstable in the absence of selection. After prolonged cul...
متن کاملOverproduction of a bifunctional thymidylate synthetase-dihydrofolate reductase and DNA amplification in methotrexate-resistant Leishmania tropica.
Leishmania tropica promastigotes that are highly resistant to methotrexate, a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor, have been developed. Organisms resistant to 1 mM methotrexate have a 40-fold increase in dihydrofolate reductase which is associated with thymidylate synthetase, and they contain amplified regions of DNA that may be directly visualized on stained gels of restriction digests. The ampl...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
دوره 83 8 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 1986