A cDNA encoding a nuclear hormone receptor of the steroid/thyroid hormone-receptor superfamily from the human parasitic nematode Strongyloides stercoralis

Abstract

A cDNA encoding a nuclear hormone receptor of the steroid/thyroid receptor superfamily was obtained from third-stage larvae(L₃) of the parasitic roundworm Strongyloides stercoralis. A recombinant clone was isolated via screening of an S. stercoralis cDNA library with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-generated probe. The insert of 2583 bp contained the complete coding sequence of the receptor homologue. The conceptually translated amino acid sequence of this open reading frame encodes a 753-amino-acid-residue protein with an apparent molecular weight of 83.6 kDa and a predicted isoelectric point (pI) of 8.52. The coding sequence is 69% AT and the noncoding sequence is 72% AT, reflecting a characteristic A/T codon bias of S. stercoralis. In this report the amino acid sequence of the S. stercoralis nuclear hormone receptor of the steroid/thyroid receptor superfamily is compared with that of nuclear hormones of Caenorhabditis elegans, human orphan nuclear receptors, and insect ecdysone receptors. The potential role of steroids in the induction of hyperinfection syndrome is also discussed.