The putative acetyl-CoA synthetase gene of Cryptosporidium parvum and a new conserved protein motif in acetyl-CoA synthetases

We determined the nucleotide (nt) sequence of the putative gene encoding acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase (ACS) from the parasitic protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum. The gene is single copy, located on a chromosome of approximately 1.08 mb, and has no introns. The gene is characterized by low codon usage bias and encodes a 694-amino acid (aa) protein with a predicted molecular size of 78 kDa, similar to other ACSs from different prokaryotic and eukaryotic species. Comparison of multiple protein alignments of ACSs revealed a new conserved sequence motif PKT(R/V/L)SGK(I/V/T)(T/M/V/K)R(R/N) near the C-terminus, which may be a signature for ACSs. This motif shares significant homology with sequences from other members of the AMP-binding family, has secondary structure similar to the purine-bindmg motif of ATP- and GTP-ases, and may play a role in the enzymatic activity of proteins from the AMP-binding family.