Acquiring and Sequence Analysis of the Lactate Dehydrogenase Gene of Schistosoma Japonicum

Objective To acquire a new gene from an cDNA library of adult Schistosoma japonicum(Sj) and to search new target antigens for diagnosing and preventing and treating schistosomiasis. Methods A cDNA clone was isolated randomly from the cDNA library of adult Sj (Chinese strain) by expression sequence taqs(ESTs) stratagem, and then it was sequenced by primer-walking sequencing. A novel gene was acquired after analysis by BLAST programs and other programs in GeneBank databases. Results The gene(AY225190) code for lactate dehydrogenase of Schistosoma japonicum (SjLDH)was acquired, which had 1 251 bp and encoded 331 amino acids. The deduced protein sequence was highly homologous with LDH sequence of human, ambystoma, xenopus, chicken, rattus and pigeon. Conclusion The gene of SjLDH was successfully acquired by ESTs stratagem and primer-walking sequncing and bioinformatics technique.