A new member of YER057c family in Trypanosoma cruzi is adjacent to an ABC-transporter

Tcp17 is a Trypanosoma cruzi gene located contiguous to the ABC-transporter tcpgp2. The protein contains 160 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 16.5 kDa. Western blot analysis using a polyclonal antiserum against recombinant TCP17 revealed that the protein is only expressed in the epimastigote form of the parasite; we did not detect the protein either in the amastigote or trypomastigote forms. A sequence comparison of TCP17 showed a remarkable homology with a conserved family of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins called YER057c whose function has not yet been characterized. Here, we propose a new signature of this family considering the N-terminal: [IV]-X(4)-[AV]-[AP]-X-[AP]-X(3)-Y-X(9)-[LIVF]-X (2)-[SA]-G-[QS], and the C-terminal: [AT]-R-X(2)-[IVFY]-X-[VC]-X(2)-L-P-X(4)-[LIVM]-E-[IVM]-[DE] motifs. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy studies suggest that the protein has a wide distribution in the cell, with a higher concentration in the external side of the plasma membrane, on the Golgi complex and on cytoplasmic vacuoles. Although the physiological function of TCP17 is unknown, its conservation in evolution suggests biological relevance in the parasite. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.