Strain-specific difference in amino acid sequences of trypanosome alternative oxidase.

Cyanide-insensitive trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) is the terminal oxidase of the respiratory chain of long slender bloodstream forms of the African trypanosome, which causes sleeping sickness in human and nagana in cattle. TAO has been targeted for the development of anti-trypanosomal drugs because it does not exist in the host. The cDNA for TAO has been cloned from Trypanosoma brucei brucei EATRO110 strain and has been used for further characterization. In this study, we found amino acid sequence of the C-terminal part of TAO from the strain that we are using, T. b. brucei TC221, is considerably different from that of the EATRO110 strain.