This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Aldritt, S M Articles by Wirth, D F Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Aldritt, S M Articles by Wirth, D F

Sequence identification of cytochrome b in Plasmodium gallinaceum.

Department of Tropical Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.

ABSTRACT

We have identified a gene that encodes the polypeptide cytochrome b in the avian malarial parasite Plasmodium gallinaceum. The gene containing the open reading frame was found to be located on a 6.2-kilobase multimeric extrachromosomal element. The amino acid translation from this gene demonstrated significant similarities to cytochrome b sequences from yeast, mammal, and fungus genomes. We present evidence that the P. gallinaceum cytochrome b transcript is part of a larger primary transcript from the element that is subsequently processed. The message for P. gallinaceum cytochrome b was found to be 1.2 kilobases in size. This is the first report identifying a mitochondrial nucleic acid sequence in malaria-causing organisms and suggests that a functional cytochrome system may exist in these parasites.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Escalante, A. A., Freeland, D. E., Collins, W. E., Lal, A. A. (1998). The evolution of primate malaria parasites based on the gene encoding cytochrome b from the linear mitochondrial genome. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95: 8124-8129 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Srivastava, I. K., Rottenberg, H., Vaidya, A. B. (1997). Atovaquone, a Broad Spectrum Antiparasitic Drug, Collapses Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in a Malarial Parasite. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 3961-3966 [Abstract] [Full Text]