Yang Y, Zheng J, Chen J. Cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the small GTPase gene cdc-42 from Ancylostoma caninum.
Exp Parasitol 2012;
132:550-5. [PMID:
23000556 DOI:
10.1016/j.exppara.2012.09.005]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2012] [Revised: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 09/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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.
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