Cloning,expression and characterization of serine palmitoyltransferase(SPT)-like gene subunit(LCB2) from marine Emiliania huxleyi virus(Coccolithovirus)

摘要

The authors have isolated and characterized a novel serine palmitoyltransferase(SPT)-like gene in marine Emiliania huxleyi virus(EhV-99B1).The open-reading frame(ORF) of EhV99B1-SPT encoded a protein of 496 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 96 kDa and Ip 6.01.The results of sequence analysis showed that there was about 31%-45% identity in amino acid sequence with other organisms.The maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree suggested that the EhV99B1-SPT gene possibly horizontally transferred from the eukaryote.Hydrophobic profiles of deduced amino acid sequences suggested a hydrophobic,globular and membrane-associated protein with five transmembrane domains(TMDs) motifs.Several potential N-linked glycosylation sites were presented in SPT.These results suggested that EhV99B1-SPT was an integral endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein.Despite lower sequence identity,the secondary and three-dimensional structures predicted showed that the "pocket" structure element composed of 2α-helices and 4βsheets was the catalytic center of this enzyme,with a typical conserved "TFTKSFG" active site in the N-terminal region and was very close to those of prokaryotic organisms.However,the N-terminal domain of EhV99B1-SPT most closely resembled the LCB2 catalysis subunit and the C-terminal domain most closely resembled the LCB1 regulatory subunit of other organisms which together formed a spherical molecule.This "chimera" was highly similar to the prokaryotic homologous SPT.For a functional identification,the EhV99B1-LCB2 subunit gene was expressed in Escherichia coli,which resulted in significant accumulation of new sphingolipid in E.coli cells.