Identification and characterization of cDNA encoding the enolase gene from coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) endosperm

The gene inserted in one of the clones of a partial cDNA library from the endosperm of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) was characterized and identified as the gene encoding enolase. The 652 bp 5' and 639 bp 3' ends of a <2kb insert were sequenced. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of the 5' and 3' untranslated regions, a 17-bp long polyA tail, the position of the initiation and termination codons and open reading frames. BLAST searches of both the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the two ends indicated a high degree of homology to enolases isolated from various organisms. Several conserved sites were identified: four for protein kinase C phosphorylation, two for casein kinase II phosphorylation, two for tyrosine kinase phosphorylation, ten for N-myristoylation and one for N-glycosylation. Furthermore, a 14 amino acid residue at the C terminal was identified as the signature sequence for enolase. Pairwise alignments of the deduced amino acid sequence of the clone with enolase sequences obtained from five plant species showed an average similarity value of 74.9% and an average identity value of 65.5%.