Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) - Based cloning of enolase, ENO1, from Cryphonectria parasitica

On the foundation of a database of genome sequences and protein analyses, the ability to clone a gene based on a peptide analysis is becoming more feasible and effective for identifying a specific gene and its protein product of interest. As such, the current study conducted a protein analysis using 2-D PAGE followed by MALDI-TOF and ESI-MS to identify a highly expressed gene product of C. parasitica. A distinctive and highly expressed protein spot with a molecular size of 47.2 kDa was randomly selected and MALDI-TOF MS analysis was conducted. A homology search indicated that the protein appeared to be a fungal enolase (eno1). Meanwhile, multiple alignments of fungal enolases revealed a conserved amino acid sequence, from which degenerated primers were designed. A screening of the genomic λ library of C. parasitica, using the PCR amplicon as a probe, was conducted to obtain the full-length gene, while RT-PCR was performed for the cDNA. The E. coli-expressed eno1 exhibited enolase enzymatic activity, indicating that the cloned gene encoded the C. parasitica enolase. Moreover, ESI-MS of two of the separated peptides resolved from the protein spot on 2-D PAGE revealed sequences identical to the deduced sequences, suggesting that the cloned gene indeed encoded the resolved protein spot. Northern blot analysis indicated a consistent accumulation of an eno1 transcript during the cultivation.