1. Pf-ALMP, a novel astacin-like metalloproteinase with cysteine arrays, is abundant in hemocytes of pearl oyster Pinctada fucata.
- Author
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Xiong X, Chen L, Li Y, Xie L, and Zhang R
- Subjects
- Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Base Sequence, Blotting, Western, Catalytic Domain, Cell Proliferation, Cysteine genetics, Cysteine metabolism, DNA, Complementary chemistry, DNA, Complementary genetics, DNA, Complementary isolation & purification, Gene Expression Profiling, In Situ Hybridization, Metalloendopeptidases genetics, Metalloproteases metabolism, Mice, Molecular Sequence Data, NIH 3T3 Cells, Pinctada enzymology, RNA, Messenger genetics, RNA, Messenger metabolism, Recombinant Proteins metabolism, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Transfection, Hemocytes enzymology, Metalloproteases genetics, Pinctada genetics
- Abstract
The astacin family metalloproteinase is a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases which play crucial roles in embryonic development, bone growth and morphogenesis. A cDNA clone encoding a putative astacin-like metalloproteinase (pf-ALMP) was isolated from hemocytes of pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata. The novel metalloproteinase presents a molecular organization close to the astacins, but has a novel C-terminal domain with cysteine arrays. RT-PCR analysis revealed that pf-ALMP was expressed dramatically high in hemocytes, which was affected by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) challenge. High expression of pf-ALMP was also found in gill, gonad and digestion gland, and in situ hybridization demonstrated that pf-ALMP was expressed in the epithelia cells of these tissues. Substrate analysis studies indicated that the recombinant pf-ALMP catalytic domain could digest gelatin. Interestingly, the pf-ALMP also could be involved in cell proliferation processes and the cysteine arrays were necessary for the proliferative activity. Taken together, these studies also help to further understand the functions of astacins which may be related to the processes of molluscan inflammatory response, embryo development, proliferation and shell formation.
- Published
- 2006
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