PEST sequences in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum: a genomic study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Inhibitors of the protease calpain are known to have selectively toxic effects on Plasmodium falciparum. The enzyme has a natural inhibitor calpastatin and in eukaryotes is responsible for turnover of proteins containing short sequences enriched in certain amino acids (PEST sequences). The genome of P. falciparum was searched for this protease, its natural inhibitor and putative substrates.

Methods

The publicly available P. falciparum genome was found to have too many errors to permit reliable analysis. An earlier annotation of chromosome 2 was instead examined. PEST scores were determined for all annotated proteins. The published genome was searched for calpain and calpastatin homologs.

Results

Typical PEST sequences were found in 13% of the proteins on ch

SUBMITTER: Mitchell D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC198282 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature