Program in Genetics, University of New Hampshire, Durham 03824, USA.
We have characterized two cDNA clones from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that display similarity to the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene family. The nucleotide sequences of these cDNAs predict that they encode Zn-containing long-chain ADH enzymes. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that one is most similar to dimeric class III ADHs found in diverse taxa; the other is most similar to the tetrameric forms of ADH previously described only in fungi.