Comparative Analysis of Three Trypanosomatid Catalases of Different Origin

Abstract

Most trypanosomatid flagellates do not have catalase. In the evolution of this group, the gene encoding catalase has been independently acquired at least three times from three different bacterial groups. Here, we demonstrate that the catalase of Vickermania was obtained by horizontal gene transfer from Gammaproteobacteria, extending the list of known bacterial sources of this gene. Comparative biochemical analyses revealed that the enzymes of V. ingenoplastis, Leptomonas pyrrhocoris, and Blastocrithidia sp., representing the three independent catalase-bearing trypanosomatid lineages, have similar properties, except for the unique cyanide resistance in the catalase of the latter species.

Discovering Diverse Roles of Peroxidases and Catalases in Photosynthetic and Non-Photosynthetic Eukaryotes

“…Chmelová et al [ 3 ] have demonstrated that genes for unique catalases from parasitic Trypanosomatidae have been transferred in their genomes by means of horizontal gene transfer from Proteobacteria. Among these genes, the authors discovered a gene coding for a unique cyanide-resistant heme catalase in the genus Blastocrithidia , caused by a single mutation in the main substrate channel.…”