Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a cDNA Encoding Sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase from Mulberry (Morus alba var. multicaulis)

A full-length cDNA encoding sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase; EC 3.1.3.37) was cloned from mulberry (Morus alba var. multicaulis) by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The cDNA consisted of 1,527 nucleotides with an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,179 nucleotides encoding a 393 amino acid protein of approximately 42.6 kDa. Sequence comparison analysis showed that mulberry SBPase (MSBPase) had high homology to other plant counterparts. Phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analysis revealed that MSBPase fell into plant SBPase group. Moreover, SBPase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase; EC 3.1.3.11) shared 28-32% identical residues, suggesting that the two enzymes originated from the same evolution branch. Molecular modeling indicated that each subunit of MSBPase was composed of α-helices and β-sheets joined by turns and loops, and folded into a structure of hexahedron shape which was very similar to FBPase.