DNA sequences encoding enolase are remarkably conserved from yeast to mammals.

Enolase (2-phospho-D-glycerate hydrolase, EC 4.2.1.11), particularly isoform neuron-specific enolase (NSE), is primarily localized in neurons and neuroendocrine cells and is a cancer diagnostic marker for brain tumors. Homology of enolase-coding DNA sequences from human, dog, cow, rat, mouse, rabbit, chicken, and yeast cells was investigated using hybridization techniques, percent sequence divergence, and amino acid analysis. Because enolase is a significant enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, enolase-coding DNA sequences have been found in all organisms tested so far. The human enzyme was found to be more like those of monkey and dog in structure than to those of chicken and yeast. The implications of the existence of the genetic conservation of enolase-coding DNA sequences in understanding concerted evolution as well as post-transcriptional regulation during differentiation are discussed. This is the first report is which sequence divergence in the coding region for enolase has been determined in a variety of organisms.