Cloning and sequence analysis of the cDNA encoding the elongation factor-1β of Dictyostelium discoideum

A cDNA encoding elongation factor-1 beta (DdEF-1 beta) for protein synthesis was isolated from Dictyostlium discoideum cells by the differential display (DD) method. The DdEF-1 beta cDNA sequence with a length of 733 bp encodes a protein (M-r 24.1 kDa) consisting of 214 amino acids. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence revealed relatively high homology to that of DdEF-1 alpha from silkworm (59%), human (57%) and Xenopus (55%). Northern analysis showed that the DdEF-1 beta mRNA is maximally expressed during the vegetative growth phase, followed by marked decrease in response to cell differentiation induced by starvation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.