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Were class C iron-containing superoxide dismutases of trypanosomatid parasites initially imported into a complex plastid? A hypothesis based on analyses of their N-terminal targeting signals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2008

A. BODYŁ  and
P. MACKIEWICZ
A. BODYŁ*
Affiliation:
Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, Zoological Institute, University of Wrocław, ul. Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland
P. MACKIEWICZ
Affiliation:
Department of Genomics, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wrocław, ul. Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland
*
*Corresponding author: Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, Zoological Institute, University of Wrocław, ul. Przybyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland. Fax: +48 71 322 28 17. E-mail: bodyl@biol.uni.wroc.pl
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Summary

Trypanosomatid parasites possess 2 distinct iron-containing superoxide dismutases (Fe-SODs) designated SODA and SODC, both of which are targeted to their mitochondria. In contrast to SODAs that carry typical mitochondrial transit peptides, SODCs have highly unusual mitochondrial targeting signals. Our analyses clearly show that these pre-sequences are bipartite possessing a signal peptide-like domain followed by a transit peptide-like domain. Consequently, they resemble N-terminal extensions of proteins targeted to multi-membrane plastids, suggesting that trypanosomatids once contained a eukaryotic alga-derived plastid. Further support for this hypothesis comes from striking similarities in length, hydropathy profile, and amino acid composition of SODC pre-sequences to those of Euglena and dinoflagellate plastid proteins. To account for these data, we propose that the Trypanosomatidae initially possessed a gene encoding a mitochondrial Fe-SOD with a classical mitochondrial transit peptide. Before or after plastid acquisition, a gene duplication event gave rise to SODA and SODC. In a subsequent evolutionary step a signal peptide was linked to SODC, enabling its import into the plastid. When the trypanosomatid plastid subsequently was lost, natural selection favoured adaptation of the SODC N-terminal signal as a mitochondrial transit peptide and re-targeting to the mitochondrion.

Keywords

dinoflagellatesendosymbiosisEuglenaLeishmaniaplastidprotein targetingreactive oxygen speciessuperoxide dismutaseTrypanosoma
Type
Original Articles
Information
Parasitology , Volume 135 , Issue 9 , August 2008 , pp. 1101 - 1110
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press

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