CDNA CLONING OF A SEC61 HOMOLOG FROM THE CRYPTOMONAD ALGA PYRENOMONAS-SALINA

Sec61 is an endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane protein involved in th e process of translocation of proteins across this membrane. To-date, the only cloned genes for Sec61 are derived from mammals and yeast. In this paper, we present the first full-length cDNA from a sec61 gene o f a plant cell. Comparison of the predicted protein sequence with all known Sec61 proteins, as well as with the bacterial/plastome-encoded h omologue SecY, demonstrates a high degree of similarity among the SecY /Sec61 family.