Molecular cloning, sequencing, and expression of human myocardial fatty acid ethyl ester synthase-III cDNA.

Fatty acid ethyl ester synthase-III (FAEES-III), previously purified to homogeneity from human heart, metabolizes ethanol nonoxidatively. Using a derived partial amino acid sequence and corresponding oligonucleotide probes, the cDNA for this enzyme has been cloned from a human heart lambda gtll library. Of the five positive clones obtained, one contained a complete coding region (630 base pairs) and the entire 3'-noncoding region (41 base pairs). From this nucleotide sequence the complete 210 amino acid sequence of FAEES-III (Mr 23,307) is reported. Comparison of its amino acid sequence with that of glutathione S-transferase pi-1 suggests that they belong to the same gene family since they differ in only six nucleotides and four amino acids. The sequence of FAEES-III was also compared with those of placental glutathione S-transferase and the basic glutathione S-transferase. FAEES-III was 84% homologous with placental glutathione S-transferase but only less than 10% homologous with the basic glutathione S-transferase. Northern blots demonstrate expression of FAEES-III mRNA in normal human liver, placenta, and heart. In all cases, the mRNA for the enzyme is 0.7 kilobase in size. MCF-7 cells transfected with FAEES-III cDNA have a 14-fold increase in synthase activity and a 12-fold increase in glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity compared with control cells. MCF-7 cells transfected with GST pi-1 cDNA have a 13-fold increase in GST activity compared with control cells but no increase in synthase activity. When the supernatant of COS-7 cells transfected with FAEES-III cDNA were immunoblotted with rabbit FAEES-III antibody, a band at 24 kilodaltons was demonstrated. Thus, we have obtained the first cDNA and amino acid sequence for a human FAEES-III which also has significant GST activity, and we have identified 4 residues potentially responsible for conferring ethanol recognition to GSTs.