Acquiring and Sequence Analysis of the Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase Gene of Schistosoma Japonicum

Objective To acquire a new gene from an cDNA library of adult Schistosoma japonicum(Sj) and to search new drug targets or vaccine candidates for preventing and treating schistosomasis. Methods A cDNA clone was isolated randomly from the cDNA library of adult Sj (Chinese strain) by expression sequence taqs(ESTs) stratagem, and then was sequenced by primer-walking sequencing. A novel gene was acquired after analysis by BLAST programs and other programs in GenBank databases. Results The gene(AY226980) code for nucleoside diphosphate kinase of Schistosoma japonicum (SjNDPK)was acquired, which had 594 bp and encoded 157 amino acids. The deduced protein sequence was highly homologous with NDPK sequence of human and domestic pigeon and chicken and mouse. Conclusion The gene of SjNDPK was successfully acquired by ESTs stratagem and primer-walking sequencing and bioinformatics technique.