Cloning of a potential cytochrome P450 from the Archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

Abstract A gene, CYP119 , for a potential cytochrome P450 has been isolated and sequenced from the extreme acidothermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus . The gene predicts a polypeptide of 368 amino acids containing the consensus hemebinding sequence Phe-Gly-Xaa-Gly-Xaa-His-Xaa-Cys-Xaa-Gly-Xaa 3 -Ala-Arg-Xaa-Glu. It most closely resembles the cytochrome P450s found in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis , with which it shares 129 identical amino acid residues (35%). This first sequence of a potential archaeal cytochrome P450 represents an important step in tracing the complex evolutionary history of this biologically important enzyme family.