A carboxylesterase from the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum homologous to the intestinal-specific ges-1 esterase of Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

We have identüified a carboxylesterase in A. suum that appears to be the homolog of the gut-specific C. elegansges-I menzyme. The A. suum esterase was purified and its N-terminal sequence found to be 50% identical to the C. elegansges-1 protein. We have used isoelectric focasing analysis to demonstrate that, unlike the C. elegansges-I esterase, the A. suum enzyme is not restricted to the gut but is expressed in a wide range of tissues.