Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) play a central role in the regulation of the eukaryotic cell cycle. A novel gene encoding a Cdk-like protein, Pfmrk, has been isolated from the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The gene has no introns and comprises an open reading frame encoding a protein of 324 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 38 kDa. Database searches revealed a striking similarity to the Cdk subfamily with the highest similarity to human MO15 (Cdk7). The overall sequence of Pfmrk shares 62% similarity and 46% identity with human MO15, in comparison to the 49–58% similarity and 34–43% identity with other human Cdks. Pfmrk contains two unique inserts: one consisting of 5 amino acids just before the cyclin-binding motif and the other composed of 13 amino acids within the T-loop equivalent region. Southern blots of genomic DNA digests and chromosomal separations showed that Pfmrk is a single-copy gene conserved between several parasite strains and is located on chromosome 10. A 2500-nucleotide transcript of this gene is expressed predominantly in the sexual blood stages (gametocytes), suggesting that Pfmrk may be involved in sexual stage development.
DOI
10.1111/j.1432-1033.1996.00805.x
Publication Date
1996-11-01
Publication Title
European Journal of Biochemistry
Volume
241
Issue
3
Publisher
Wiley
ISSN
1432-1033
Embargo Period
2024-11-19
First Page
805
Last Page
813
Recommended Citation
Li, J., Robson, K., Chen, J., Targett, G., & Baker, D. (1996) 'Pfmrk, A MO15‐Related Protein Kinase from Plasmodium falciparum', European Journal of Biochemistry, 241(3), pp. 805-813. Wiley: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1432-1033.1996.00805.x
