cDNA cloning of a Sec61 homologue from the cryptomonad alga Pyrenomonas salina

Sec61 is an endoplasmic reticulum transmembrane protein involved in the process of translocation of proteins across this membrane. To-date, the only cloned genes for Sec61 are derived from mammals and yeast. In this paper, we present the first full-length cDNA from a sec61 gene of a plant cell. Comparison of the predicted protein sequence with all known Sec61 proteins, as well as with the bacterial/plastome-encoded homologue SecY, demonstrates a high degree of similarity among the SecY/Sec61 family.