ISOLATION AND SEQUENCE-ANALYSIS OF A CDNA-ENCODING AN ADENINE-NUCLEOTIDE TRANSLOCATOR FROM PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM

A cDNA clone encoding the polypeptide for Plasmodium falciparum adenin e nucleotide translocator (ANT) was isolated by screening a cDNA libra ry with a 150 base pair fragment of genomic DNA which had been enzymat ically amplified using two oligonucleotide primers designed from conse rved regions of ANT's from other sources. The deduced amino acid seque nce of the P. falciparum cloned insert was highly homologous to ANT of other organisms. Features of the sequence are discussed with referenc e to the targeting and membrane insertion of ANT. The protein has a mo lecular mass of 35 kDa as predicted from the 303 amino acids encoded i n the open reading frame.