Cloning, sequencing, and expression of a cDNA encoding rat liver mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase II

We report the isolation and characterization of a full-length cDNA encoding rat liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II). Beginning with the purified protein CNBr fragments were generated and sequenced. Corresponding oligonucleotides were used to screen a rat liver cDNA library constructed in the plasmid cloning vector, pcDV. The clone ultimately obtained consisted of a 62 nucleotide 5′-untranslated region, a single open reading frame of 1,974 bases predicting a protein of 658 amino acids (M_r = 74,119), and a 3′-untranslated segment of 260 nucleotides followed by the poly (A) tail. The identity of the cDNA was confirmed by the findings that (a) the open reading frame encoded all three peptides found in the original protein; (b) a fourth peptide synthesized from a portion of the deduced amino acid sequence and used to immunize a rabbit resulted in the generation of an antibody that recognized pure CPT II on a Western blot; (c) in vitro transcription and translation of the cDNA (ligated into pBlue-script KS (+)) generated a protein that was specifically immunoprecipitated by anti-CPT II antibody and having a M_r slightly greater than that of mature CPT II; (d) transfection of COS cells with the cDNA subcloned into the expression vector, pCMV4, resulted in a 6-fold induction of mitochondrial CPT II catalytic activity. It seems likely that the de novo synthesized enzyme gains entry into the mitochondrion via a targeting peptide that is subsequently cleaved. The mature protein probably associates (relatively loosely) with the inner membrane through a limited number of membrane spanning domains. The predicted amino acid sequence of CPT II shows strong identity with those of two other acyltransferases, namely, rat liver peroxisomal carnitine octanoyltransferase and porcine choline acetyltransferase.