Human Complex II (Succinate-Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase): cDNA Cloning of the Flavoprotein (Fp) Subunit of Liver Mitochondria

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Complex II (succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is an important enzyme complex in both the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the aerobic respiratory chains of mitochondria in eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic organisms. In this study, homology probing with mixed primers for the polymerase chain reaction and subsequent sequence analysis were successfully applied to clone cDNA for the flavoprotein (Fp) subunit of human liver complex II. The isolated clone contains an open reading frame of 1, 992 nucleotides and encodes a mature protein of 621 amino acids with a molecular weight of 68, 011. The amino acid sequence was highly homologous with that of bovine heart Fp (93.2%) and was quite different from the partial sequence of human placental Fp reported previously [Malcovati et al. (1991) in Flavins and Flavoproteins 1990, pp. 727-730], which showed striking homology to that of Bacillus subtilis. To solve this discrepancy, the partial cDNA sequences of the stomach and placental Fp subunits of human complex II were determined in addition to the full length cDNA of liver. The sequence data, sensitivity to thiol reagents and antigenic properties indicated that the major form of Fp subunit in human complex II is unique at least among the three tissues analyzed, and is more similar to the Fp subunit of bovine heart than to that of B. subtilis.