• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.133-141
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• 2001

A cDNA of 1.1 kb comprising the gene encoding the peroxiredoxin of Toxo-plasma gondii(TgPrx) has been cloned. The open reading frame of 591 Up was translated into a protein of 196 amino acids with a molecular mass of 25 kDa. Conserved 2 cysteine domains of Phe-Val-Cys-Pro and Glu-Val-Cys-Pro indicated TgPrx belonged to 2-Cys Prx families. TgPrx showed the highest homology with that of Arabidopsis thaliana by 53.9% followed by Entamoeba histolytica with 39.5% by the amino acid sequence alignment. Polyclonal antibody against recombinant TgPrx detected 25 kDa band in T. gondii without binding to host cell proteins TgPrx was located in the cytoplasm of T. gondii extracellularly or intracellularly by immunofluorescence assay. The expression of TgPrx was increased as early as 30 min after the treatment with artemisinin in the intracellular stage, while no changes in those of host Prx I and TgSOD. This result implies that TgPrx may function as an antioxidant protecting the cell from the attack of reactive oxygen intermediates. It is also suggested that TgPrx is a possible target of chemotherapy.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2007

The lysozyme II gene of cabbage butterfly Artogeia rapae was cloned from fat body of the larvae injected with E. coli and its nucleotide sequence was determined by the RACE-PCR. It has an open reading frame of 414 bp nucleotides corresponding to 138 amino acids including a signal sequence of 18 amino acids. The estimated molecular weight and the isoelectric point of the lysozyme II without the signal peptide were 13,649.38 Da and 9.11, respectively. The A. rapae lysozyme II (ARL II) showed the highest identity (81%) in the amino acid sequence to Manduca sexta lysozyme among other lepidopteran species. The two catalytic residues ($Glu^{32}$ and $Asp^{50}$) and the eight Cys residue motifs, which are highly conserved among other c-type lysozymes in invertebrates and vertebrates, are also completely conserved. A phylogenetic analysis based on amino acid sequences indicated that the ARL II was more closely related to M. sexta, Hyphantria cunea, Heliothis virescens, and Trichoplusia ni lysozymes. The ARL II gene was expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda 21 insect cells and the recombinant ARL II (rARL II) was purified from cell-conditioned media by cation exchange column chromatography and reverse phase FPLC. The purified rARL II was able to form a clear zone in lysoplate assay against Micrococcus luteus. The lytic activity was estimated to be 511.41 U/mg, 1.53 times higher than that of the chicken lysozyme. The optimum temperature for the lytic activity of the rARL II was $50^{\circ}C$, the temperature dependency of the absolute lytic activity of rARL II was higher than that of the chicken lysozyme at low temperatures under $65^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.407-414
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• 2009

A cDNA clone encoding phytocystatin was isolated from Brassica rapa seedlings, through rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). This gene (name as Brcpi1; GenBank accession no.: EF079953) had a total length of 881 bp with an open reading frame of 609 bp, and encoded predicted polypeptide of 203 amino acid (aa) residues including a putative N-terminal signal peptide. Other relevant regions found its sequence included the G and PW conserved aa motifs, and the consensus LARFAV sequence for phytocystatins and the reactive site QVVAG. The BrCPI1 protein shared 95, 94, 81, 80 and 78% identity with other CPI proterins isolated from Brassica oleracea (BoCPI-1), Arabidopsis thaliana (AtCY SB), Glycine max (GmCPI), Oryza sativa (OsCYS-2) and Zea may (ZmCPI) at amino acid level, respectively. Southern blot analysis showed that Brcpi1 was a low copy gene. Expression pattern analysis revealed that Brcpi1 was a tissue-specific expressing gene during reproductive growth and strongly expressed at mature seedling stages. Furthermore, overexpression of Brcpi1 in transgenic Arabidopsis was enhanced tolerance to salt and cold stresses. Meanwhile the juvenile seedling of Brcpi1 transgenic plants was not affected by various concentrations ABA in MS medium. Taken together, the results showed that Brcpi1 functioned as a cysteine protease inhibitor and it exhibited a protective agent against diverse types of abiotic stress, which induced this gene in a tissue- and stress-specific manner.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1380-1389
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• 2015

Prx1, an AhpF-dependent 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (Prx), was previously identified in Vibrio vulnificus, a facultative aerobic pathogen. In the present study, transcription of the V. vulnificus prx1ahpF genes, which are adjacently located on the chromosome, was evaluated by analyzing the promoter and intergenic region of the two genes. Northern blot analyses revealed that transcription of prx1ahpF results in two transcripts, the prx1 and prx1ahpF transcripts. Primer extension analysis and a point mutational analysis of the promoter region showed that the two transcripts are generated from a single promoter. In addition, the 3' end of the prx1 transcript at the prx1ahpF intergenic region was determined by a 3'RACE assay. These results suggested that the prx1ahpF genes are transcribed as an operon, and the prx1 transcript was produced by transcriptional termination in the intergenic region. RNA secondary structure prediction of the prx1ahpF intergenic region singled out a stem-loop structure without poly(U) tract, and a deletion analysis of the intergenic region showed that the atypical stem-loop structure acts as the transcriptional attenuator to result in the prx1 and prx1ahpF transcripts. The combined results demonstrate that the differential expression of prx1 and ahpF is accomplished by the cis-acting transcriptional attenuator located between the two genes and thereby leads to the production of a high level of Prx1 and a low level of AhpF.