Glycine-N-acyltransferase (GLYAT, EC 2.3.1.13) has been characterised in a number of species including: humans, chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys and bovines. The characterisation of GLYAT from various species contributes to a better understanding of the diversity of the enzyme which in turn might help improve the current understanding of detoxification in mammals. The GLYAT enzyme of both the chacma baboon and vervet monkey has not been characterised. In this project, tissue samples were obtained from a chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) and a vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) to determine the nucleic acid sequence that encodes GLYAT in these two species to broaden our current understanding on the diversity of GLYAT in primates. A liver of a chacma baboon was used to extract total RNA. Complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesised using an oligo (dT) primer. An open reading frame (ORF) encoding GLYAT of the chacma baboon was amplified with a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) using primers designed from a human GLYAT transcript. The PCR product containing an ORF encoding GLYAT of the chacma baboon was cloned, sequenced and expressed. The recombinant GLYAT of the chacma baboon expressed well in bacteria, but was insoluble and did not have enzyme activity. A crude cytoplasmic extract was prepared from the liver of a chacma baboon. The objective was to compare enzyme activity between the native and recombinant GLYAT. The prepared liver extract from the chacma baboon was assayed for enzyme activity and compared to the activity in a liver extract from bovine, previously prepared by Ms M Snyders. Both the chacma baboon and bovine liver extracts had GLYAT enzyme activity. To obtain sequence information on vervet monkey GLYAT, leukocytes were isolated from blood obtained from a living vervet monkey. A human GLYAT gene sequence was used as a reference DNA sequence in the design of PCR primers that were used to amplify the exons of GLYAT of the vervet monkey. All six GLYAT exons were individually amplified and PCR products were sequenced. The sequences were combined to reconstruct an ORF encoding GLYAT of the vervet monkey. The ORFs coding the GLYAT of both chacma baboon and vervet monkey were found to be 888 bp long (excluding stop codon) and encoded a protein of 296 amino acids. A fragment of 1256 bp of the chacma baboon GLYAT transcript was sequenced. The two GLYAT ORF sequences were translated to amino acid sequences and aligned to that of GLYAT of primates obtained from the Ensembl sequence database. The GLYAT amino acid sequences of the chacma baboon, vervet monkey and rhesus monkey formed a related group, distinct from other primates. The chacma baboon and vervet monkey sequences were 99 % identical to the rhesus monkey sequence and 92.6 % identical to the human sequence. There were 4 new variations introduced by GLYAT amino acid sequences from the chacma baboon and the vervet monkey. The vervet monkey introduced an isoleucine in place of a valine at position 32 and an arginine in place of a histidine or glutamine at position 224. The chacma baboon introduced a tyrosine in place of isoleucine at position 201 and an arginine in place of histidine or glutamine at position 240. The knowledge generated in this project will broaden the understanding of GLYAT diversity relating to GLYAT in primates. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

Glycine-N-acyltransferase (GLYAT, EC 2.3.1.13) has been characterised in a number of species including: humans, chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys and bovines. The characterisation of GLYAT from various species contributes to a better understanding of the diversity of the enzyme which in turn might help improve the current understanding of detoxification in mammals. The GLYAT enzyme of both the chacma baboon and vervet monkey has not been characterised. In this project, tissue samples were obtained from a chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) and a vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) to determine the nucleic acid sequence that encodes GLYAT in these two species to broaden our current understanding on the diversity of GLYAT in primates. A liver of a chacma baboon was used to extract total RNA. Complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesised using an oligo (dT) primer. An open reading frame (ORF) encoding GLYAT of the chacma baboon was amplified with a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) using primers designed from a human GLYAT transcript. The PCR product containing an ORF encoding GLYAT of the chacma baboon was cloned, sequenced and expressed. The recombinant GLYAT of the chacma baboon expressed well in bacteria, but was insoluble and did not have enzyme activity. A crude cytoplasmic extract was prepared from the liver of a chacma baboon. The objective was to compare enzyme activity between the native and recombinant GLYAT. The prepared liver extract from the chacma baboon was assayed for enzyme activity and compared to the activity in a liver extract from bovine, previously prepared by Ms M Snyders. Both the chacma baboon and bovine liver extracts had GLYAT enzyme activity. To obtain sequence information on vervet monkey GLYAT, leukocytes were isolated from blood obtained from a living vervet monkey. A human GLYAT gene sequence was used as a reference DNA sequence in the design of PCR primers that were used to amplify the exons of GLYAT of the vervet monkey. All six GLYAT exons were individually amplified and PCR products were sequenced. The sequences were combined to reconstruct an ORF encoding GLYAT of the vervet monkey. The ORFs coding the GLYAT of both chacma baboon and vervet monkey were found to be 888 bp long (excluding stop codon) and encoded a protein of 296 amino acids. A fragment of 1256 bp of the chacma baboon GLYAT transcript was sequenced. The two GLYAT ORF sequences were translated to amino acid sequences and aligned to that of GLYAT of primates obtained from the Ensembl sequence database. The GLYAT amino acid sequences of the chacma baboon, vervet monkey and rhesus monkey formed a related group, distinct from other primates. The chacma baboon and vervet monkey sequences were 99 % identical to the rhesus monkey sequence and 92.6 % identical to the human sequence. There were 4 new variations introduced by GLYAT amino acid sequences from the chacma baboon and the vervet monkey. The vervet monkey introduced an isoleucine in place of a valine at position 32 and an arginine in place of a histidine or glutamine at position 224. The chacma baboon introduced a tyrosine in place of isoleucine at position 201 and an arginine in place of histidine or glutamine at position 240. The knowledge generated in this project will broaden the understanding of GLYAT diversity relating to GLYAT in primates. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011