Molecular cloning of hydrogenosomal ferredoxin cDNA from the anaerobic amoeboflagellate Psalteriomonas lanterna.

Anaerobic parasitic and free living protozoa and anaerobic rumen fungi often contain a characteristic organelle, the hydrogenosome. Recently obtained molecular data show that hydrogenosomes in parasitic protozoa probably use a mitochondria-like protein targeting mechanism, whereas for hydrogenosomes in fungi a microbody-like mechanism is inferred. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first sequence data of a hydrogenosomal protein in a free-living anaerobic protozoan. It is shown that ferredoxin of the amoeboflagellate Psalteriomonas lanterna is similar to hydrogenosomal ferredoxin of the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. We suggest that the two ferredoxins use similar organelle targeting mechanisms.