Amino acid sequence homology between yeast hexokinases and rat hexokinase C

Automated Edman degradation of seven purified tryptic peptides from Novikoff hepatoma hexokinase C revealed amino acid sequences that could be easily aligned within the primary structure of yeast hexokinases. This high degree of structural homology suggests a common evolutionary origin for mammalian and yeast hexokinases. Some of the sequenced peptides overlapped with each other, as well as with regions of the sequence of yeast hexokinases, suggesting that during evolution the 100,000 molecular weight subunit mammalian hexokinases may have resulted from gene duplication followed by gene fusion from a pre-vertebrate 50,000 molecular weight hexokinase ancestor.