1
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Hoyos-Gonzalez N, Ochoa-Leyva A, Benitez-Cardoza CG, Brieba LG, Lukaszewicz G, Trasviña-Arenas CH, Sotelo-Mundo RR. Identification of a cryptic functional apolipophorin-III domain within the Prominin-1 gene of Litopenaeus vannamei. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 270:110928. [PMID: 38043730 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2023.110928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
The Apolipophorin-III (apoLp-III) is reported as an essential protein element in lipids transport and incorporation in lepidopterans. Structurally, apoLp-III has an α-helix bundle structure composed of five α-helices. Interestingly, classic studies proposed a structural switch triggered by its interaction with lipids, where the α-helix bundle opens. Currently, the study of the apoLp-III has been limited to insects, with no homologs identified in other arthropods. By implementing a structure-based search with the Phyre2 algorithm surveying the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei's transcriptome, we identified a putative apoLp-III in this farmed penaeid (LvApoLp-III). Unlike canonical apoLp-III, the LvApoLp-III was identified as an internal domain within the transmembrane protein Prominin-1. Structural modeling using the template-based Phyre2 and template-free AlphaFold algorithms rendered two distinct structural topologies: the α-helix bundle and a coiled-coil structure. Notably, the secondary structure composition on both models was alike, with differences in the orientation and distribution of the α-helices and hydrophobic moieties. Both models provide insights into the classical structural switch induced by lipids in apoLp-III. To corroborate structure/function inferences, we cloned the synthetic LvApoLp-III domain, overexpressed, and purified the recombinant protein. Circular dichroism measurements with the recombinant LvApoLp-III agreed with the structural models. In vitro liposome interaction demonstrated that the apoLp-III domain within the PROM1 of L.vannamei associated similarly to exchangeable apolipoproteins. Altogether, this work reports the presence of an apolipophorin-III domain in crustaceans for the first time and opens questions regarding its function and importance in lipid metabolism or the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nallely Hoyos-Gonzalez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV), Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. https://twitter.com/uga_langebio
| | - Adrian Ochoa-Leyva
- Departamento de Microbiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología (IBT), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico. https://twitter.com/ibt_unam
| | - Claudia G Benitez-Cardoza
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biofísica Computacional, ENMH, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico. https://twitter.com/IPN_mx
| | - Luis G Brieba
- Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV), Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. https://twitter.com/uga_langebio
| | - German Lukaszewicz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, IIMyC, FCEyN, UNMdP, CONICET, Mar del Plata B7608FBY, Argentina. https://twitter.com/fceyn_unmdp
| | - Carlos H Trasviña-Arenas
- Centro de Investigación sobre Envejecimiento, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV) Unidad Sede Sur, Tlalpan, 14330 Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Rogerio R Sotelo-Mundo
- Laboratorio de Estructura Biomolecular, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C., Ejido La Victoria, Hermosillo, Sonora 83304, Mexico.
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2
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Arnoldi I, Mancini G, Fumagalli M, Gastaldi D, D'Andrea L, Bandi C, Di Venere M, Iadarola P, Forneris F, Gabrieli P. A salivary factor binds a cuticular protein and modulates biting by inducing morphological changes in the mosquito labrum. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3493-3504.e11. [PMID: 35835123 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The mosquito proboscis is an efficient microelectromechanical system, which allows the insect to feed on vertebrate blood quickly and painlessly. Its efficiency is further enhanced by the insect saliva, although through unclear mechanisms. Here, we describe the initial trigger of an unprecedented feedback signaling pathway in Aedes mosquitoes affecting feeding behavior. We identified LIPS proteins in the saliva of Aedes mosquitoes that promote feeding in the vertebrate skin. LIPS show a new all-helical protein fold constituted by two domains. The N-terminal domain interacts with a cuticular protein (Cp19) located at the tip of the mosquito labrum. Upon interaction, the morphology of the labral cuticle changes, and this modification is most likely sensed by proprioceptive neurons. Our study identifies an additional role of mosquito saliva and underlines that the external cuticle is a possible site of key molecular interactions affecting the insect biology and its vector competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Arnoldi
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy; Entopar lab, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy; Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sulla Malaria/Italian Malaria Network, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Mancini
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Marco Fumagalli
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy; Biochemistry Unit, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 3, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Dario Gastaldi
- Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics (LaBS), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering Giulio Natta, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Luca D'Andrea
- Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics (LaBS), Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering Giulio Natta, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Claudio Bandi
- Entopar lab, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy; Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sulla Malaria/Italian Malaria Network, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Di Venere
- Biochemistry Unit, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 3, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Iadarola
- Biochemistry Unit, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 3, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Federico Forneris
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | - Paolo Gabrieli
- The Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Structural Biology, Department Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy; Entopar lab, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy; Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sulla Malaria/Italian Malaria Network, Milan, Italy.
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3
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Praça YR, Santiago PB, Charneau S, Mandacaru SC, Bastos IMD, Bentes KLDS, Silva SMM, da Silva WMC, da Silva IG, de Sousa MV, Soares CMDA, Ribeiro JMC, Santana JM, de Araújo CN. An Integrative Sialomic Analysis Reveals Molecules From Triatoma sordida (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:798924. [PMID: 35047420 PMCID: PMC8762107 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.798924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Triatomines have evolved salivary glands that produce versatile molecules with various biological functions, including those leading their interactions with vertebrate hosts’ hemostatic and immunological systems. Here, using high-throughput transcriptomics and proteomics, we report the first sialome study on the synanthropic triatomine Triatoma sordida. As a result, 57,645,372 reads were assembled into 26,670 coding sequences (CDS). From these, a total of 16,683 were successfully annotated. The sialotranscriptomic profile shows Lipocalin as the most abundant protein family within putative secreted transcripts. Trialysins and Kazal-type protease inhibitors have high transcript levels followed by ubiquitous protein families and enzyme classes. Interestingly, abundant trialysin and Kazal-type members are highlighted in this triatomine sialotranscriptome. Furthermore, we identified 132 proteins in T. sordida salivary gland soluble extract through LC-MS/MS spectrometry. Lipocalins, Hemiptera specific families, CRISP/Antigen-5 and Kazal-type protein inhibitors proteins were identified. Our study provides a comprehensive description of the transcript and protein compositions of the salivary glands of T. sordida. It significantly enhances the information in the Triatominae sialome databanks reported so far, improving the understanding of the vector’s biology, the hematophagous behaviour, and the Triatominae subfamily’s evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanna Reis Praça
- Pathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.,Programa Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Paula Beatriz Santiago
- Pathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Sébastien Charneau
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Samuel Coelho Mandacaru
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | - Kaio Luís da Silva Bentes
- Pathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.,Programa Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Marcelo Valle de Sousa
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | - José Marcos Chaves Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jaime Martins Santana
- Pathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.,Programa Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Carla Nunes de Araújo
- Pathogen-Host Interface Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.,Programa Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil.,Faculty of Ceilândia, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
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4
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Peng Y, Kelle R, Little C, Michonova E, Kornev KG, Alexov E. pH-Dependent Interactions of Apolipophorin-III with a Lipid Disk. J Comput Biophys Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1142/s2737416520420041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Apolipophorin-III (ApoLp-III) is required for stabilization of molecular shuttles of lipid fuels in insects and is found to contribute to the insect immune reaction. Rearrangement of its five [Formula: see text]-helices enables ApoLp-III to reversibly associate with lipids. We investigate computationally the conformational changes of ApoLp-III and the pH-dependence of the binding free energy of ApoLp-III association with a lipid disk. A dominant binding mode along with several minor, low population, modes of the ApoLp-III binding to a lipid disk was identified. The pH-dependence of the binding energy for ApoLp-III with the lipid disk is predicted to be significant, with the pH-optimum at pH[Formula: see text]. The calculations suggest that there are no direct interactions between the lipid head groups and titratable residues of ApoLp-III. In the physiological pH range from 6.0 to 9.0, the binding free energy of ApoLp-III with the lipid disk decreases significantly with respect to its optimal value at pH 8.0 (at pH[Formula: see text], it is 1.02[Formula: see text]kcal/mol and at pH[Formula: see text] it is 0.23[Formula: see text]kcal/mol less favorable than at the optimal pH[Formula: see text]), indicating that the pH is an important regulator of ApoLp-III lipid disk association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhui Peng
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Rudolfs Kelle
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Erskine College, Due West, SC 29639, USA
| | - Chandler Little
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Erskine College, Due West, SC 29639, USA
| | | | - Kostantin G. Kornev
- Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Emil Alexov
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
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5
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Mans BJ. Chemical Equilibrium at the Tick-Host Feeding Interface:A Critical Examination of Biological Relevance in Hematophagous Behavior. Front Physiol 2019; 10:530. [PMID: 31118903 PMCID: PMC6504839 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks secrete hundreds to thousands of proteins into the feeding site, that presumably all play important functions in the modulation of host defense mechanisms. The current review considers the assumption that tick proteins have functional relevance during feeding. The feeding site may be described as a closed system and could be treated as an ideal equilibrium system, thereby allowing modeling of tick-host interactions in an equilibrium state. In this equilibrium state, the concentration of host and tick proteins and their affinities will determine functional relevance at the tick-host interface. Using this approach, many characterized tick proteins may have functional relevant concentrations and affinities at the feeding site. Conversely, the feeding site is not an ideal closed system, but is dynamic and changing, leading to possible overestimation of tick protein concentration at the feeding site and consequently an overestimation of functional relevance. Ticks have evolved different possible strategies to deal with this dynamic environment and overcome the barrier that equilibrium kinetics poses to tick feeding. Even so, cognisance of the limitations that equilibrium binding place on deductions of functional relevance should serve as an important incentive to determine both the concentration and affinity of tick proteins proposed to be functional at the feeding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J. Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
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6
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca L. Ware
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicester LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Martin R. Luck
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicester LE12 5RD, UK
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7
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Tsuchida K, Sakudoh T. Recent progress in molecular genetic studies on the carotenoid transport system using cocoon-color mutants of the silkworm. Arch Biochem Biophys 2015; 572:151-7. [PMID: 25579881 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2014.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 12/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The existence of tissue-specific delivery for certain carotenoids is supported by genetic evidence from the silkworm Bombyx mori and the identification of cocoon color mutant genes, such as Yellow blood (Y), Yellow cocoon (C), and Flesh cocoon (F). Mutants with white cocoons are defective in one of the steps involved in transporting carotenoids from the midgut lumen to the middle silk gland via the hemolymph lipoprotein, lipophorin, and the different colored cocoons are caused by the accumulation of specific carotenoids into the middle silk gland. The Y gene encodes carotenoid-binding protein (CBP), which is expected to function as the cytosolic transporter of carotenoids across the enterocyte and epithelium of the middle silk gland. The C and F genes encode the C locus-associated membrane protein, which is homologous to a mammalian high-density lipoprotein receptor-2 (Cameo2) and scavenger receptor class B member 15 (SCRB15), respectively; these membrane proteins are expected to function as non-internalizing lipophorin receptors in the middle silk gland. Cameo2 and SCRB15 belong to the cluster determinant 36 (CD36) family, with Cameo2 exhibiting specificity not only for lutein, but also for zeaxanthin and astaxanthin, while SCRB15 seems to have specificity toward carotene substrates such as α-carotene and β-carotene. These findings suggest that Cameo2 and SCRB15 can discriminate the chemical structure of lutein and β-carotene from circulating lipophorin during uptake. These data provide the first evidence that CD36 family proteins can discriminate individual carotenoid molecules in lipophorin.
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8
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Qiao Y, Pengsakul T. Cloning and expression of apyrase gene from Ancylostoma caninum in Escherechia coli. Acta Parasitol 2014. [PMID: 26204021 DOI: 10.1515/ap-2015-0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Apyrase encoding metal-ions activated plasma membrane protease is present in animal and plant tissues. This enzyme can hydrolyze ADP and ATP pyrophosphate bond, resulting in AMP and free phosphate groups, and plays an important role for insects and parasites to evade host immune system. However localization and function of apyrase in the canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, remains unknown. To analyze apyrase gene in A. caninum (a eukaryotic parasitic hookworm), a pair of primers was designed according to the previous EST data. The full-length cDNA of apyrase gene was amplified from A. caninum by RT-PCR. The partial cDNA of apyrase encodes 249 amino acid protein was expressed in Escherechia coli. The recombinant protein was induced to express under proper conditions and the molecular size was as expected. The recombinant protein was purified. The transcripts of apyrase in different stages of A. caninum were analyzed by the Real-time PCR assay, and Immuno-localization assays were used to research the protein expression in different stages of A. caninum.
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9
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Qian S, Fujii T, Ito K, Nakano R, Ishikawa Y. Cloning and functional characterization of a fatty acid transport protein (FATP) from the pheromone gland of a lichen moth, Eilema japonica, which secretes an alkenyl sex pheromone. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2011; 41:22-28. [PMID: 20875854 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2010.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2010] [Revised: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/17/2010] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Sex pheromones of moths are largely classified into two types based on the presence (Type I) or absence (Type II) of a terminal functional group. While Type-I sex pheromones are synthesized from common fatty acids in the pheromone gland (PG), Type-II sex pheromones are derived from hydrocarbons produced presumably in the oenocytes and transported to the PG via the hemolymph. Recently, a fatty acid transport protein (BmFATP) was identified from the PG of the silkworm Bombyx mori, which produces a Type-I sex pheromone (bombykol). BmFATP was shown to facilitate the uptake of extracellular fatty acids into PG cells for the synthesis of bombykol. To elucidate the presence and function of FATP in the PG of moths that produce Type-II sex pheromones, we explored fatp homologues expressed in the PG of a lichen moth, Eilema japonica, which secretes an alkenyl sex pheromone (Type II). A fatp homologue cloned from E. japonica (Ejfatp) was predominantly expressed in the PG, and its expression is upregulated shortly after eclosion. Functional expression of EjFATP in Escherichia coli enhanced the uptake of long chain fatty acids (C₁₈ and C₂₀), but not pheromone precursor hydrocarbons. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the cloning and functional characterization of a FATP in the PG of a moth producing a Type-II sex pheromone. Although EjFATP is not likely to be involved in the uptake of pheromone precursors in E. japonica, the expression pattern of Ejfatp suggests a role for EjFATP in the PG not directly linked to pheromone biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuguang Qian
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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10
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Tanaka-Azevedo AM, Morais-Zani K, Torquato RJ, Tanaka AS. Thrombin inhibitors from different animals. J Biomed Biotechnol 2010; 2010:641025. [PMID: 20976270 DOI: 10.1155/2010/641025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2010] [Revised: 06/16/2010] [Accepted: 08/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Venous and arterial thromboembolic diseases are still the most frequent causes of death and disability in high-income countries. Clinical anticoagulants are inhibitors of enzymes involved in the coagulation pathway, such as thrombin and factor X(a). Thrombin is a key enzyme of blood coagulation system, activating the platelets, converting the fibrinogen to the fibrin net, and amplifying its self-generation by the activation of factors V, VIII, and XI. Thrombin has long been a target for the development of oral anticoagulants. Furthermore, selective inhibitors of thrombin represent a new class of antithrombotic agents. For these reasons, a number of specific thrombin inhibitors are under evaluation for possible use as antithrombotic drugs. This paper summarizes old and new interests of specific thrombin inhibitors described in different animals.
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11
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Chagas AC, Medeiros JF, Astolfi-Filho S, Py-Daniel V. Anticoagulant activity in salivary gland homogenates of Thyrsopelma guianense (Diptera: Simuliidae), the primary vector of onchocerciasis in the Brazilian Amazon. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2010; 105:174-8. [DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762010000200011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2009] [Accepted: 11/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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12
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Bianchetti CM, Blouin GC, Bitto E, Olson JS, Phillips GN. The structure and NO binding properties of the nitrophorin-like heme-binding protein from Arabidopsis thaliana gene locus At1g79260.1. Proteins 2010; 78:917-31. [PMID: 19938152 PMCID: PMC2811769 DOI: 10.1002/prot.22617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The protein from Arabidopsis thaliana gene locus At1g79260.1 is comprised of 166-residues and is of previously unknown function. Initial structural studies by the Center for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics (CESG) suggested that this protein might bind heme, and consequently, the crystal structures of apo and heme-bound forms were solved to near atomic resolution of 1.32 A and 1.36 A, respectively. The rate of hemin loss from the protein was measured to be 3.6 x 10(-5) s(-1), demonstrating that it binds heme specifically and with high affinity. The protein forms a compact 10-stranded beta-barrel that is structurally similar to the lipocalins and fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs). One group of lipocalins, the nitrophorins (NP), are heme proteins involved in nitric oxide (NO) transport and show both sequence and structural similarity to the protein from At1g79260.1 and two human homologues, all of which contain a proximal histidine capable of coordinating a heme iron. Rapid-mixing and laser photolysis techniques were used to determine the rate constants for carbon monoxide (CO) binding to the ferrous form of the protein (k'(CO) = 0.23 microM(-1) s(-1), k(CO) = 0.050 s(-1)) and NO binding to the ferric form (k'(NO) = 1.2 microM(-1) s(-1), k(NO) = 73 s(-1)). Based on both structural and functional similarity to the nitrophorins, we have named the protein nitrobindin and hypothesized that it plays a role in NO transport. However, one of the two human homologs of nitrobindin contains a THAP domain, implying a possible role in apoptosis. Proteins 2010. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M. Bianchetti
- Departments of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA,Centers for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - George C. Blouin
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and the W. M. Keck Center for Computational Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005
| | - Eduard Bitto
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgian Court University, Lakewood NJ 08701
| | - John S. Olson
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and the W. M. Keck Center for Computational Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005
| | - George N. Phillips
- Departments of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA,Centers for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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13
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Prevot PP, Beschin A, Lins L, Beaufays J, Grosjean A, Bruys L, Adam B, Brossard M, Brasseur R, Zouaoui Boudjeltia K, Vanhamme L, Godfroid E. Exosites mediate the anti-inflammatory effects of a multifunctional serpin from the saliva of the tick Ixodes ricinus. FEBS J 2009; 276:3235-46. [PMID: 19438720 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2009.07038.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Serine protease inhibitors (serpins) are a structurally related but functionally diverse family of ubiquitous proteins. We previously described Ixodes ricinus immunosuppressor (Iris) as a serpin from the saliva of the tick I. ricinus displaying high affinity for human leukocyte elastase. Iris also displays pleotropic effects because it interferes with both the immune response and hemostasis of the host. It thus inhibits lymphocyte proliferation and the secretion of interferon-gamma or tumor necrosis factor-alpha by peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and also platelet adhesion, coagulation and fibrinolysis. Its ability to interfere with coagulation and fibrinolysis, but not platelet adhesion, depends on the integrity of its antiproteolytic reactive center loop domain. Here, we dissect the mechanisms underlying the interaction of recombinant Iris with peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We show that Iris binds to monocytes/macrophages and inhibits their ability to secrete tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Recombinant Iris also has a protective role in endotoxemic shock. The anti-inflammatory ability of Iris does not depend on its antiprotease activity. Moreover, we pinpoint the exosites involved in this activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Paul Prevot
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire des Ectoparasites, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
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14
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Donohue KV, Khalil SMS, Sonenshine DE, Roe RM. Heme-binding storage proteins in the Chelicerata. J Insect Physiol 2009; 55:287-296. [PMID: 19183556 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2009.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2008] [Revised: 01/02/2009] [Accepted: 01/05/2009] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Lipoglycoproteins in the Chelicerata that bind and store heme appear to represent a unique evolutionary strategy to both mitigate the toxicity of heme and utilize the molecule as a prosthetic group. Knowledge of heme-binding storage proteins in these organisms is in its infancy and much of what is known is from studies with vitellogenins (Vg) and more recently the main hemolymph storage protein in ixodid ticks characterized as a hemelipoglyco-carrier protein (CP). Data have also been reported from another arachnid, the black widow spider, Latrodectus mirabilis, and seem to suggest that the heme-binding capability of these large multimeric proteins is not a phenomenon found only in the Acari. CP appears to be most closely related to Vg in ticks in terms of primary structure but post-translational processing is different. Tick CP and L. mirabilis high-density lipoprotein 1 (HDL1) are similar in that they consist of two subunits of approximate molecular masses of 90 and 100 kDa, are found in the hemolymph as the dominant protein, and bind lipids, carbohydrates and cholesterol. CP binds heme which may also be the case for HDL1 since the protein was found to contain a brown pigment when analyzed by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Vgs in ticks are composed of multiple subunits and are the precursor of the yolk protein, vitellin. The phylogeny of these proteins, regulation of gene expression and putative functions of binding and storing heme throughout reproduction, blood-feeding and development are discussed. Comparisons with non-chelicerate arthropods are made in order to highlight the mechanisms and putative functions of heme-binding storage proteins and their possible critical function in the evolution of hematophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin V Donohue
- Department of Entomology, Campus Box 7647, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7647, USA
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15
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Decrem Y, Beaufays J, Blasioli V, Lahaye K, Brossard M, Vanhamme L, Godfroid E. A family of putative metalloproteases in the salivary glands of the tick Ixodes ricinus. FEBS J 2008; 275:1485-1499. [PMID: 18279375 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2008.06308.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Ticks are obligate blood-feeding arachnids. During their long-lasting blood meal, they have to counteract the protective barriers and defense mechanisms of their host. These include tissue integrity, pain, hemostasis, and the inflammatory and immune reactions. Here, we describe a multigene family coding for five putative salivary metalloproteases induced during the blood meal of Ixodes ricinus. The evolutionary divergence inside the family was driven by positive Darwinian selection. This came together with individual variation of expression, functional heterogeneity, and antigenic diversification. Inhibition of the expression of some of these genes by RNA interference prevented completion of the tick blood meal and affected the ability of the tick saliva to interfere with host fibrinolysis. This family of proteins could therefore participate in the inhibition of wound healing after the tick bite, thereby facilitating the completion of the blood meal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Decrem
- IBMM (Institut de Biologie et Médecine Moléculaires), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Jérôme Beaufays
- IBMM (Institut de Biologie et Médecine Moléculaires), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Virginie Blasioli
- IBMM (Institut de Biologie et Médecine Moléculaires), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Kathia Lahaye
- IBMM (Institut de Biologie et Médecine Moléculaires), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
| | | | - Luc Vanhamme
- IBMM (Institut de Biologie et Médecine Moléculaires), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Edmond Godfroid
- IBMM (Institut de Biologie et Médecine Moléculaires), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies, Belgium
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16
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Isawa H, Orito Y, Jingushi N, Iwanaga S, Morita A, Chinzei Y, Yuda M. Identification and characterization of plasma kallikrein-kinin system inhibitors from salivary glands of the blood-sucking insectTriatoma infestans. FEBS J 2007; 274:4271-86. [PMID: 17645545 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2007.05958.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Two plasma kallikrein-kinin system inhibitors in the salivary glands of the kissing bug Triatoma infestans, designated triafestin-1 and triafestin-2, have been identified and characterized. Reconstitution experiments showed that triafestin-1 and triafestin-2 inhibit the activation of the kallikrein-kinin system by inhibiting the reciprocal activation of factor XII and prekallikrein, and subsequent release of bradykinin. Binding analyses showed that triafestin-1 and triafestin-2 specifically interact with factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen in a Zn2+-dependent manner, suggesting that they specifically recognize Zn2+-induced conformational changes in factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen. Triafestin-1 and triafestin-2 also inhibit factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen binding to negatively charged surfaces. Furthermore, they interact with both the N-terminus of factor XII and domain D5 of high molecular weight kininogen, which are the binding domains for biological activating surfaces. These results suggest that triafestin-1 and triafestin-2 inhibit activation of the kallikrein-kinin system by interfering with the association of factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen with biological activating surfaces, resulting in the inhibition of bradykinin release in an animal host during insect blood-feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruhiko Isawa
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
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17
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Silva JR, Mury FB, Oliveira MF, Oliveira PL, Silva CP, Dansa-Petretski M. Perimicrovillar membranes promote hemozoin formation into Rhodnius prolixus midgut. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2007; 37:523-31. [PMID: 17517329 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2007.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2006] [Revised: 01/09/2007] [Accepted: 01/12/2007] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Rhodnius prolixus is a hematophagous insect that ingests large quantities of blood in each blood-feeding session. This ingested blood provides important nutrients to sustain the insect's oogenesis and metabolic pathways. During the digestive process, however, huge amounts of heme are generated as a consequence of the hemoglobin breakdown. Heme is an extremely dangerous molecule, since it can generate reactive oxygen species in the presence of oxygen that impair the normal metabolism of the insect. Part of the hemoglobin-derived heme can associate with the perimicrovillar membranes (PMM) in the gut lumen of R. prolixus; in this study we demonstrate the participation of the PMM in a heme detoxification process. These membranes were able to successfully induce heme aggregation into hemozoin (Hz). Heme aggregation was not dependent on the erythrocyte membranes, since the contribution of these membranes to the process was negligible, demonstrating that the ability to induce heme aggregation is a feature of the PMM, possibly representing a pre-adaptation of the hemipterans to feeding on blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- José R Silva
- Laboratório de Química e Função de Proteínas e Peptídeos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Av Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil
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18
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Takác P, Nunn MA, Mészáros J, Pechánová O, Vrbjar N, Vlasáková P, Kozánek M, Kazimírová M, Hart G, Nuttall PA, Labuda M. Vasotab, a vasoactive peptide from horse fly Hybomitra bimaculata (Diptera, Tabanidae) salivary glands. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 209:343-52. [PMID: 16391356 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Horse flies feed from superficial haematomas and probably rely heavily on the pharmacological properties of their saliva to find blood. Here we describe the first evidence of vasodilators in horse fly Hybomitra bimaculata (Diptera, Tabanidae) salivary gland extract and clone and express one of the active peptides (termed vasotab). Physiological tests using crude salivary gland extracts and reverse-phase HPLC fractions demonstrated positive inotropism in isolated rat hearts, vasodilatation of coronary and peripheral vessels, and Na, K-ATPase inhibition. One of the vasoactive fractions was analysed by N-terminal Edman degradation and a 47-amino-acid sequence obtained. A full-length cDNA encoding the peptide was cloned from a phage library using degenerate primer PCR and the peptide expressed in insect cells. A 20-amino-acid signal sequence precedes the mature 56-amino-acid vasotab peptide, which is a member of the Kazal-type protease inhibitor family. The peptide has a unique 7-amino-acid insertion between the third and fourth cysteine residues. The recombinant peptide prolonged the action potential and caused positive inotropism of isolated rat heart myocytes, and may be an ion channel modulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Takác
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 06 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
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19
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Nazareth RA, Tomaz LS, Ortiz-Costa S, Atella GC, Ribeiro JMC, Francischetti IMB, Monteiro RQ. Antithrombotic properties of Ixolaris, a potent inhibitor of the extrinsic pathway of the coagulation cascade. Thromb Haemost 2006; 96:7-13. [PMID: 16807644 PMCID: PMC2900789 DOI: 10.1160/th06-02-0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Ixolaris is a two-Kunitz tick salivary gland protein identified in Ixodes scapularis that presents extensive sequence homology to TFPI. It binds to FXa or FX as scaffolds and inhibits tissue factor/FVIIa complex (extrinsic Xnase). Differently from TFPI, ixolaris does not bind to the active site cleft of FXa. Instead, complex formation is mediated by the FXa heparin-binding exosite, which may also results in decreased FXa activity into the prothrombinase complex. In this report, we show that recombinant (125)I-ixolaris interacts with rat and human FX in plasma and prolongs the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) in vitro. We have also investigated the effects of ixolaris in vivo, using a venous thrombosis model. Subcutaneous (s.c.) or intravenous (i.v.) administration of ixolaris in rats caused a dose-dependent reduction in thrombus formation, with complete inhibition attained at 20 microg/kg and 10 microg/kg, respectively. Antithrombotic effects were observed 3 h after s.c. administration of ixolaris and lasted for 24 h thereafter. Ex vivo experiments showed that ixolaris (up to 100 microg/kg) did not affect the aPTT, while the PT was increased by approximately 0.4-fold at the highest ixolaris concentration. Remarkably, effective antithrombotic doses of ixolaris (20 microg/kg) was not associated with bleeding which was significant only at higher doses of the anticoagulant (40 microg/kg). Our experiments demonstrate that ixolaris is an effective and possibly safe antithrombotic agent in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rômulo A Nazareth
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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20
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Pereira MH, Gontijo NF, Guarneri AA, Sant'Anna MR, Diotaiuti L. Competitive displacement in Triatominae: the Triatoma infestans success. Trends Parasitol 2006; 22:516-20. [PMID: 16971183 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2006.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2006] [Revised: 08/09/2006] [Accepted: 08/30/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Brazil has just been certificated by Pan American Health Organization as 'free of Chagas disease transmission due to Triatoma infestans'. During the early 1980s, this species of blood-sucking bug alone was considered responsible for approximately 80% of Chagas disease transmission. But it was not always so. The species originally abundant in houses of central and eastern Brazil was Panstrongylus megistus, which seems to have been progressively displaced from houses by T. infestans during the past century. Indeed, T. infestans seems able to displace other Triatominae in artificial environments. Recent studies suggest that it might simply be because T. infestans feeds more efficiently than its Triatominae competitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos H Pereira
- Departamento de Parasitologia do Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Caixa Postal 486, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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21
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Abstract
Apyrase activity is present in the saliva of haematophagous arthropods. It is related to blood-feeding because of the apyrase ability to hydrolyse ADP, a key component of platelet aggregation. Five apyrases with apparent molecular masses of 88, 82, 79, 68 and 67 kDa were identified in the saliva of the vector of Chagas disease, Triatoma infestans. The large size observed during purification of these enzymes suggested oligomerization. In the present study, we confirmed, using gel-filtration and analytical ultracentrifugation, the presence of apyrase oligomers with molecular masses of 200 kDa in the saliva. Electrophoretic analyses showed that disulphide bonds were involved in homo-oligomerization. In addition, heterogeneity in disulphide bonds and in pI was detected, with the pI ranging from 4.9 to 5.4. The present study gives the first insights into the quaternary structure of soluble apyrases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Faudry
- *Chagas Disease Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brazil 70.910-900
- †Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Macromolécules, Institut de Biologie Structurale J.P. Ebel UMR5075 CEA/CNRS/UJF, 38027 Grenoble cedex 1, France
| | - Jaime M. Santana
- *Chagas Disease Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brazil 70.910-900
| | - Christine Ebel
- ‡Laboratoire de Biophysique Moléculaire, Institut de Biologie Structurale J.P. Ebel UMR5075 CEA/CNRS/UJF, 38027 Grenoble cedex 1, France
| | - Thierry Vernet
- †Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Macromolécules, Institut de Biologie Structurale J.P. Ebel UMR5075 CEA/CNRS/UJF, 38027 Grenoble cedex 1, France
| | - Antonio R. L. Teixeira
- *Chagas Disease Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brazil 70.910-900
- To whom correspondence should be addressed (email )
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22
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Prevot PP, Adam B, Boudjeltia KZ, Brossard M, Lins L, Cauchie P, Brasseur R, Vanhaeverbeek M, Vanhamme L, Godfroid E. Anti-hemostatic effects of a serpin from the saliva of the tick Ixodes ricinus. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:26361-9. [PMID: 16672226 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m604197200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Serpins (serine protease inhibitors) are a large family of structurally related proteins found in a wide variety of organisms, including hematophagous arthropods. Protein analyses revealed that Iris, previously described as an immunomodulator secreted in the tick saliva, is related to the leukocyte elastase inhibitor and possesses serpin motifs, including the reactive center loop (RCL), which is involved in the interaction between serpins and serine proteases. Only serine proteases were inhibited by purified recombinant Iris (rIris), whereas mutants L339A and A332P were found devoid of any protease inhibitory activity. The highest Ka was observed with human leukocyte-elastase, suggesting that elastase-like proteases are the natural targets of Iris. In addition, mutation M340R completely changed both Iris substrate specificity and affinity. This likely identified Met-340 as amino acid P1 in the RCL. The effects of rIris and its mutants were also tested on primary hemostasis, blood clotting, and fibrinolysis. rIris increased platelet adhesion, the contact phase-activated pathway of coagulation, and fibrinolysis times in a dose-dependent manner, whereas rIris mutant L339A affected only platelet adhesion. Taken together, these results indicate that Iris disrupts coagulation and fibrinolysis via the anti-proteolytic RCL domain. One or more other domains could be responsible for primary hemostasis inhibition. To our knowledge, this is the first ectoparasite serpin that interferes with both hemostasis and the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Paul Prevot
- Department of Génétique Appliquée, Institut de Biologie et de Médecine Moléculaires, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue des Professeurs Jeener et Brachet, 12, B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium
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23
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Abstract
The phloem is a well-known target of sucking and piercing insects that utilize the transported fluid as their major nutrient source. In addition to small molecules like sugars and amino acids, phloem sap of higher land plants contains proteins that can accumulate up to high concentrations. Although the knowledge about the identities of these phloem sap proteins is increasing, the functions of most of them are still poorly understood. Since many phloem sap proteins have predicted roles in wound and defence responses, they constitute a class of compounds that can potentially influence plant-insect interactions. However, there are as yet no studies published that have examined direct effects of phloem sap proteins on insect feeding or vice versa. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the identities of phloem sap proteins, focused on polypeptides with probable functions in wound and defence reactions, and their potential impact on plant-insect interactions is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Kehr
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Department Willmitzer, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14424 Potsdam, Germany.
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24
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Márquez-Jiménez FJ, Hidalgo-Pontiveros A, Contreras-Chova F, Rodríguez-Liébana JJ, Muniain-Ezcurra MA. [Ticks (Acarina: Ixodidae) as vectors and reservoirs of pathogen microorganisms in Spain]. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin 2005; 23:94-102. [PMID: 15743581 DOI: 10.1157/13071613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Hard and soft-ticks are obligate haematophagous arachnids of medical and veterinary significance mainly because of the animal disease agents transmitted by them, which include an array of different pathogens (virus, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes). Ticks transmit microbes by several routes including salivary secretions, coxal fluids, regurgitation and faeces. Among the biological factors that contribute to the high vector potential of ticks are their living habits and characteristic properties of their saliva secretions and blood digestion. In the Iberian Peninsula, the prostriata tick Ixodes ricinus, and the metastriata Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Hyalomma marginatum are the main species that could bite man, and are involved in the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, several genoespecies of Rickettsia (R. conorii, R. slovaca, R. aeschlimannii) and Anaplasma phagocytophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco José Márquez-Jiménez
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain.
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25
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Lai R, Takeuchi H, Jonczy J, Rees HH, Turner PC. A thrombin inhibitor from the ixodid tick, Amblyomma hebraeum. Gene 2004; 342:243-9. [PMID: 15527983 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2004.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2004] [Revised: 06/23/2004] [Accepted: 07/19/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A novel thrombin inhibitor named Amblin was identified from the haemolymph of the ixodid (hard) tick, Amblyomma hebraeum, and the coding cDNA was isolated from a tick cDNA library. This cDNA codes for a preprotein of 166 amino acids, including a predicted signal peptide composed of 15 amino acids N-terminal to the mature Amblin. The 151-amino-acid mature Amblin contains 14 cysteines and two Kunitz-like domains. It displays high sequence similarity with a tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), Ixolaris, from the ixodid tick, Ixodes scapularis, which has 10 cysteines, and a thrombin inhibitor, Boophilin, from the ixodid tick, Boophilus microplus, which has 12 cysteines. Recombinant Amblin specifically inhibited thrombin as efficiently as native Amblin did. This is the first report of a thrombin inhibitor from tick haemolymph.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ren Lai
- Cell Regulation and Signalling Division, School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
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26
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Mans BJ, Neitz AW. The mechanism of alphaIIbbeta3 antagonism by savignygrin and its implications for the evolution of anti-hemostatic strategies in soft ticks. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2004; 34:573-584. [PMID: 15147758 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2004.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2004] [Revised: 03/19/2004] [Accepted: 03/26/2004] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Savignygrin, a alphaIIbbeta3 antagonist presents the RGD sequence on the substrate-binding loop of the (BPTI-fold). This study investigated whether this is the only integrin-targeting motif associated with its mechanism. It forms a tight-binding complex with alphaIIbbeta3 that is resistant to SDS dissociation under reducing and non-reducing conditions, but not to temperature or EDTA. The same complex is formed on resting and activated platelets, as well as aggregated platelets that have been disaggregated with savignygrin. Binding of FITC labeled savignygrin to platelets show that the binding kinetics and affinity of savignygrin is similar for resting and activated platelets (Kd approximately 50-70 nM). Binding to resting or activated platelets was significantly inhibited by two savignygrin peptide fragments, S2 (GSRGDEDATFG) and S3 (FDREDGGSRQG) that correspond with two specific loop-like areas in the structure of savignygrin that together form a continuous binding interface. The inability of S3 to inhibit platelet aggregation indicates that it targets a novel ligand-binding site. A model of alphaIIbbeta3 based on the recent crystal structure of alphavbeta3 into which the RGD sequence of savignygrin was docked shows that savignygrin lies along the interface formed by the two subunits. A novel mode of integrin antagonism is indicated that includes the targeting of distinct sites on the alphaIIbbeta3 subunits. The S2 and S3 loops are not involved in the mechanisms of the related soft tick blood coagulation inhibitors and suggest that this allowed their evolution as integrin targeting motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
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27
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Faudry E, Lozzi SP, Santana JM, D'Souza-Ault M, Kieffer S, Felix CR, Ricart CAO, Sousa MV, Vernet T, Teixeira ARL. Triatoma infestans apyrases belong to the 5'-nucleotidase family. J Biol Chem 2004; 279:19607-13. [PMID: 14985353 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m401681200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Apyrases are nucleoside triphosphate-diphosphohydrolases (EC 3.6.1.5) present in a variety of organisms. The apyrase activity found in the saliva of hematophagous insects is correlated with the prevention of ADP-induced platelet aggregation of the host during blood sucking. Purification of apyrase activity from the saliva of the triatomine bug Triatoma infestans was achieved by affinity chromatography on oligo(dT)-cellulose and gel filtration chromatography. The isolated fraction includes five N-glycosylated polypeptides of 88, 82, 79, 68 and 67 kDa apparent molecular masses. The isolated apyrase mixture completely inhibited aggregation of human blood platelets. Labeling with the ATP substrate analogue 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine showed that the five species have ATP-binding characteristic of functional apyrases. Furthermore, tandem mass spectroscopy peptide sequencing showed that the five species share sequence similarities with the apyrase from Aedes aegypti and with 5'-nucleotidases from other species. The complete cDNA of the 79-kDa enzyme was cloned, and its sequence confirmed that it encodes for an apyrase belonging to the 5'-nucleotidase family. The gene multiplication leading to the unusual salivary apyrase diversity in T. infestans could represent an important mechanism amplifying the enzyme expression during the insect evolution to hematophagy, in addition to an escape from the host immune response, thus enhancing acquisition of a meal by this triatomine vector of Chagas' disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Faudry
- Chagas' Disease Multidisciplinary Research Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Brazil 70.910-900
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28
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Abstract
Ticks had to adapt to an existing and complex vertebrate hemostatic system from being free-living scavengers. A large array of anti-hemostatic mechanisms evolved during this process and includes blood coagulation as well as platelet aggregation inhibitors. Several questions regarding tick evolution exist. What was the nature of the ancestral tick? When did ticks evolve blood-feeding capabilities? How did these capabilities evolve? Did host specificity influence the adaptation of ticks to a blood-feeding environment? What are the implications of tick evolution for future research into tick biology and vaccine development? We investigate these questions in the light of recent research into protein superfamilies from tick saliva. Our conclusions are that the main tick families adapted independently to a blood-feeding environment. This is supported by major differences observed in all processes involved with blood-feeding for hard and soft ticks. Gene duplication events played a major role in the evolution of novel protein functions involved in tick-host interactions. This occurred during the late Cretaceous and was stimulated by the radiation of birds and placental mammals, which provided numerous new niches for ticks to adapt to a new lifestyle. Independent adaptation of the main tick families to a blood-feeding environment has several implications for future tick research in terms of tick genome projects and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
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Golodne DM, Monteiro RQ, Graca-Souza AV, Silva-Neto MAC, Atella GC. Lysophosphatidylcholine acts as an anti-hemostatic molecule in the saliva of the blood-sucking bug Rhodnius prolixus. J Biol Chem 2003; 278:27766-71. [PMID: 12740385 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m212421200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Blood-sucking arthropods possess a variety of anti-hemostatic factors in their salivary glands to maintain blood fluidity during feeding. In this work we demonstrate the anti-hemostatic properties of lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) isolated from the salivary glands of Rhodnius prolixus. First, we examined salivary glands of fourth and fifth instar nymphs for their phospholipid composition. The lumen displayed an accumulation of its phospholipid content, mainly phosphatidylcholine and lysoPC, with a 6-fold increase for the latter. To determine the presence of phospholipids in the saliva, fourth instar nymphs were fed with a32P-enriched blood meal. After 28 days their saliva was collected and subjected to lipid extraction, thin-layer chromatography, and autoradiography. The results showed the presence in the saliva of the same phospholipids present in the lumen. We then examined possible biological roles of these phospholipids when compared with other known effects of lysoPC. The luminal lipid extract and purified lysoPC from the lumen and saliva were tested for inhibition of washed rabbit platelets' aggregation induced by alpha-thrombin and platelet-activating factor. Both the luminal lipid extract and salivary lysoPC showed an increasing inhibition of aggregation, which correlated with the response of the platelets to standard lysoPC (up to 13 microg/ml). Next, salivary lysoPC was incubated with porcine arterial endothelial cells for 24 h. After incubation, culture medium was assayed for nitric oxide and showed increased nitric oxide production, similar to control cells exposed to standard lysoPC (up to 20 microg/ml). Together these data demonstrate the presence of lysoPC in the saliva of Rhodnius prolixus and its potential anti-hemostatic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Golodne
- Departamento de Bioquímica Médica, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Urata J, Shojo H, Kaneko Y. Inhibition mechanisms of hematophagous invertebrate compounds acting on the host blood coagulation and platelet aggregation pathways. Biochimie 2003; 85:493-500. [PMID: 12763308 DOI: 10.1016/s0300-9084(03)00071-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
To facilitate blood feeding, hematophagous invertebrates have evolved a sophisticated array of physiological compounds that counteract homeostatic systems and inflammatory reactions of the vertebrate host. For this reason, hematophagous invertebrates possess a variety of anticoagulation components that are inhibitors of coagulant factors or antagonists of the platelet receptor. The examination of kinetic data and the crystal structure analysis have exposed the inhibition mechanisms for many of these anticoagulant reagents. Here, we attempt to classify the antihemostatic molecules and to focus on the kinetic approaches that have been instrumental in defining these mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junko Urata
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatics, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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31
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Abstract
A cDNA clone originating from adult female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes was found with substantial similarity to nucleosidases of the EC 3.2.2.1 enzyme class. Although this type of enzyme is unusual in animals, abundant enzyme activity was found in salivary homogenates of this mosquito, but not in salivary homogenates of the mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus, or the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis. Aedes salivary homogenate hydrolyses inosine and guanosine to hypoxanthine and xanthine plus the ribose moiety, but does not hydrolyse the pyrimidines uridine and cytidine, thus characterizing the presence of a purine nucleosidase activity. The enzyme is present in oil-induced saliva, indicating that it is secreted. Male Ae. aegypti salivary gland homogenates (SGH) have very low purine nucleosidase activity, suggesting that the enzyme plays a role in mosquito blood feeding. A novel isocratic HPLC method to separate nucleosides and their bases is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M C Ribeiro
- Section of Medical Entomology, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, Building 4, Room 126, 4 Center Drive, MSC 0425, NIH, MD 20892-0425, Bethesda, USA.
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Flores-Herrera O, Uribe A, García-Pérez C, Milán R, Martínez F. 5'-p-Fluorosulfonylbenzoyl adenosine inhibits progesterone synthesis in human placental mitochondria. Biochim Biophys Acta 2002; 1585:11-8. [PMID: 12457710 DOI: 10.1016/s1388-1981(02)00302-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The human placental mitochondria have an ATP-diphosphohydrolase (apyrase) activity. In this paper we characterized the effect of 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl adenosine (FSBA) on placental apyrase, and its repercussion on progesterone synthesis and oxygen consumption. Apyrase activity was inhibited by FSBA. Nucleosides tri- and diphosphates protected against FSBA inactivation, but divalent cations did not, indicating that FSBA attaches itself to an ATP-binding site of apyrase. In mitochondria, the inactivation of apyrase by FSBA was associated with inhibition of progesterone synthesis. Also, the oxygen consumption induced by ATP but not by ADP, was inhibited, clearly showing that FSBA exclusively inactivated the apyrase in human placental mitochondria. It is concluded that the apyrase activity is closely related to progesterone synthesis, probably associated with the cholesterol transport between mitochondrial membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Flores-Herrera
- Departamento de Bioqui;mica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Apartado Postal 70-159, 04510, D.F., Mexico, Mexico
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Mans BJ, Louw AI, Neitz AWH. Evolution of Hematophagy in Ticks: Common Origins for Blood Coagulation and Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors from Soft Ticks of the Genus Ornithodoros. Mol Biol Evol 2002; 19:1695-705. [PMID: 12270896 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a003992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification and characterization of antihemostatic components from hematophagous organisms are useful for the elucidation of the evolutionary mechanisms involved in adaptation to a highly complex host hemostatic system. Although many bioactive components involved in the regulation of the host's hemostatic system have been described, the evolutionary mechanisms of how arthropods adapted to a blood-feeding environment have not been elucidated. This study describes common origins of both blood coagulation inhibitors and platelet aggregation inhibitors (PAIs) from soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros. Neighbor-joining analysis indicates that fXa, thrombin, and PAIs share a common ancestor. Maximum parsimony analysis and a phylogeny based on root mean square deviation values of alpha-carbon backbone structures suggest a novel evolutionary pathway by which different antihemostatic functions have evolved through a series of paralogous gene duplication events. In this scenario, the thrombin inhibitors preceded the fXa and PAIs. This evolutionary model explains why the tick serine protease inhibitors have inhibition mechanisms that differ from that of the canonical bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI)-like inhibitors. Higher nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitution rates indicate positive Darwinian selection for the fXa and PAIs. Comparison with hemostatic inhibitors of hard ticks suggests that the two main tick families have independently evolved novel antihemostatic mechanisms. Independent evolution of these mechanisms in ticks points to a rapid divergence between tick families that could be dated between 120 and 92 MYA. This coincides with current molecular phylogeny views on the early divergence of modern birds and placental mammals in the Late Cretaceous, which suggests that this event might have been a driving force in the evolution of hematophagy in ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, South Africa
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Abstract
Apolipophorin III (ApoLp-III) from the Sphinx moth, Manduca sexta, is an 18kDa protein that binds reversibly to hydrophobic surfaces generated on metabolizing lipoprotein particles. It is comprised of amphipathic alpha-helices (H1-H5) organized in an up-and-down topology forming a helix bundle in the lipid-free state. Upon interaction with lipids, apoLp-III has been proposed to undergo a dramatic conformational change, involving helix bundle opening about putative hinge loops such that H1, H2 and H5 move away from H3 and H4. In the present study, we examine the relative spatial disposition of H1 and H5 on discoidal phospholipid complexes and spherical lipoproteins. Cysteine residues were engineered at position 8 in H1 and/or at position 138 in H5 in apoLp-III (which otherwise lacks Cys) yielding A8C-, A138C- and A8C/A138C-apoLp-III. Tethering of H1 and H5 by a disulfide bond between A8C and A138C abolished the ability of apoLp-III to transform phospholipid vesicles to discoidal particles, or to interact with lipoproteins, demonstrating that these helices are required to reposition during lipid interaction. Site-specific labeling of A8C/A138C-apoLp-III with N-(1-pyrene)maleimide in the lipid-free state resulted in intramolecular pyrene "excimer" fluorescence emission indicative of spatial proximity between these sites. Upon association with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) discoidal complexes, the intramolecular excimer was replaced by intermolecular excimer fluorescence due to proximity between pyrene moieties on A8C and A138C in neighboring apoLp-III molecules on the discoidal particle. No excimer emission was observed in the case of pyrene-A8C-apoLp-III/DMPC or pyrene-A138C-apoLp-III/DMPC complexes. However, equimolar mixing of the two labeled single-cysteine mutants prior to disc formation resulted in excimer emission. In addition, intramolecular pyrene excimer formation was diminished upon binding of pyrene-A8C/A138C-apoLp-III to spherical lipoproteins. The data are consistent with repositioning of H1 away from H5 upon encountering a lipid surface, resulting in an extended conformation of apoLp-III that circumscribes the discoidal bilayer particle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy Sahoo
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta, Canada
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Isawa H, Yuda M, Orito Y, Chinzei Y. A mosquito salivary protein inhibits activation of the plasma contact system by binding to factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:27651-8. [PMID: 12011093 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m203505200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The salivary glands of female mosquitoes contain a variety of bioactive substances that assist their blood-feeding behavior. Here, we report a salivary protein of the malarial vector mosquito, Anopheles stephensi, that inhibits activation of the plasma contact system. This factor, named hamadarin, is a 16-kDa protein and a major component of the saliva of this mosquito. Assays using human plasma showed that hamadarin dose-dependently inhibits activation of the plasma contact system and subsequent release of bradykinin, a primary mediator of inflammatory reactions. Reconstitution experiments showed that hamadarin inhibits activation of the plasma contact system by inhibition of the reciprocal activation of factor XII and kallikrein. Direct binding assays demonstrated that this inhibitory effect is due to hamadarin binding to both factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen and interference in their association with the activating surface. The assays also showed that hamadarin binding to these proteins depends on Zn(2+) ions, suggesting that hamadarin binds to these contact factors by recognizing their conformational change induced by Zn(2+) binding. We propose that hamadarin may attenuate the host's acute inflammatory responses to the mosquito's bites by inhibition of bradykinin release and thus enable mosquitoes to take a blood meal efficiently and safely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruhiko Isawa
- Department of Medical Zoology, School of Medicine, Mie University, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
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Mans BJ, Louw AI, Neitz AWH. Amino acid sequence and structure modeling of savignin, a thrombin inhibitor from the tick, Ornithodoros savignyi. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2002; 32:821-828. [PMID: 12044499 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(01)00169-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The full-length gene of savignin, a potent thrombin (E.C. 3.4.21.5) inhibitor from the tick Ornithodoros savignyi has been cloned and sequenced. Both 5' and 3' UTR's, a signal peptide from the translated amino acid sequence and an unusual poly-adenylation signal (AATACA) has been identified. The translated protein sequence shows high identity (63%) with ornithodorin, the thrombin inhibitor from the tick, Ornithodoros moubata. Molecular modeling using the structure of ornithodorin as reference gave a structure with an RMSD of 0.25 A for the full-length protein, 0.11 A for the N-terminal BPTI-like domain and 0.11 A for the C-terminal BPTI-like domain, indicating that maximum deviation occurs in the mobile bridge (0.18 A) between the two domains. Docking of savignin to thrombin shows that the interaction is similar to the ornithodorin-thrombin complex. The N-terminal amino acid residues of savignin bind inside the active site cleft, while the C-terminal domain of savignin has a net negative electrostatic potential and interacts with the basic fibrinogen recognition exosite of thrombin through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. These results correlate with kinetic data obtained, which showed that savignin is a competitive, slow, tight-binding inhibitor that requires thrombin's fibrinogen-binding exo-site for optimal inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- B J Mans
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
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Mans BJ, Louw AI, Neitz AWH. Savignygrin, a platelet aggregation inhibitor from the soft tick Ornithodoros savignyi, presents the RGD integrin recognition motif on the Kunitz-BPTI fold. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:21371-8. [PMID: 11932256 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112060200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Savignygrin, a platelet aggregation inhibitor that possesses the RGD integrin recognition motif, has been purified from the soft tick Ornithodoros savignyi. Two isoforms with similar biological activities differ because of R52G and N60G in their amino acid sequences, indicating a recent gene duplication event. Platelet aggregation induced by ADP (IC50, 130 nm), collagen, the thrombin receptor-activating peptide, and epinephrine was inhibited, although platelets were activated and underwent a shape change. The binding of alpha-CD41 (P2) to platelets, the binding of purified alpha(IIb)beta3 to fibrinogen, and the adhesion of platelets to fibrinogen was inhibited, indicating a targeting of the fibrinogen receptor. In contrast, the adhesion of osteosarcoma cells that express the integrin alpha(v)beta3 to vitronectin or fibrinogen was not inhibited, indicating the specificity of savignygrin toward alpha(IIb)beta3. Savignygrin shows sequence identity to disagregin, a platelet aggregation inhibitor from the tick Ornithodoros moubata that lacks an RGD motif. The cysteine arrangement of savignygrin is similar to that of the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor family of serine protease inhibitors. A homology model based on the structure of the tick anticoagulant peptide indicates that the RGD motif is presented on the substrate-binding loop of the canonical BPTI inhibitors. However, savignygrin did not inhibit the serine proteases fXa, plasmin, thrombin, or trypsin. This is the first report of a platelet aggregation inhibitor that presents the RGD motif using the Kunitz-BPTI protein fold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Mans
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
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Abstract
Many of the most harmful parasitic diseases are transmitted by blood-feeding insect vectors. During this stage of their life cycles, selection pressures favor parasites that can manipulate their vectors to enhance transmission. Strategies may include increasing the amount of contact between vector and host, reducing vector reproductive output and consequently altering vector resource management to increase available nutrient reserves, and increasing vector longevity. Manipulation of these life-history traits may be more beneficial at some phase of the parasite's developmental process than at others. This review examines empirical, experimental, and field-based evidence to evaluate examples of changes in vector behavior and physiology that might be construed to be manipulative. Examples are mainly drawn from malaria-infected mosquitoes, Leishmania-infected sandflies, and Trypanosoma-infected tsetse flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary Hurd
- Centre for Applied Entomology and Parasitology, School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom.
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Francischetti IMB, Valenzuela JG, Andersen JF, Mather TN, Ribeiro JMC. Ixolaris, a novel recombinant tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) from the salivary gland of the tick, Ixodes scapularis: identification of factor X and factor Xa as scaffolds for the inhibition of factor VIIa/tissue factor complex. Blood 2002; 99:3602-12. [PMID: 11986214 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2001-12-0237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Saliva of the hard tick and Lyme disease vector, Ixodes scapularis, has a repertoire of compounds that counteract host defenses. Following sequencing of an I scapularis salivary gland complementary DNA (cDNA) library, a clone with sequence homology to tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) was identified. This cDNA codes for a mature protein, herein called Ixolaris, with 140 amino acids containing 10 cysteines and 2 Kunitz-like domains. Recombinant Ixolaris was expressed in insect cells and shown to inhibit factor VIIa (FVIIa)/tissue factor (TF)-induced factor X (FX) activation with an inhibitory concentration of 50% (IC(50)) in the picomolar range. In nondenaturing gel, Ixolaris interacted stoichiometrically with FX and FXa but not FVIIa. Ixolaris behaves as a fast-and-tight ligand of the exosites of FXa and gamma-carboxyglutamic acid domainless FXa (des-Gla-FXa), increasing its amidolytic activity. At high concentration, Ixolaris attenuates the amidolytic activity of FVIIa/TF; however, in the presence of DEGR-FX or DEGR-FXa (but not des-Gla-DEGR-FXa), Ixolaris becomes a tight inhibitor of FVIIa/TF as assessed by recombinant factor IX (BeneFIX) activation assays. This indicates that FX and FXa are scaffolds for Ixolaris in the inhibition of FVIIa/TF and implies that the Gla domain is necessary for FVIIa/TF/Ixolaris/FX(a) complex formation. Additionally, we show that Ixolaris blocks FXa generation by endothelial cells expressing TF. Ixolaris may be a useful tool to study the structural features of FVIIa, FX, and FXa, and an alternative anticoagulant in cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo M B Francischetti
- Section of Medical Entomology, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-0425, USA
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Abstract
Flight activity of insects provides an attractive yet relatively simple model system for regulation of processes involved in energy metabolism. This is particularly highlighted during long-distance flight, for which the locust constitutes a well-accepted model insect. Peptide adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) are synthesized and stored by neurosecretory cells of the corpus cardiacum, a neuroendocrine gland connected with the insect brain. The actions of these hormones on their fat body target cells trigger a number of coordinated signal transduction processes which culminate in the mobilization of both carbohydrate (trehalose) and lipid (diacylglycerol). These substrates fulfill differential roles in energy metabolism of the contracting flight muscles. The molecular mechanism of diacylglycerol transport in insect blood involving a reversible conversion of lipoproteins (lipophorins) has revealed a novel concept for lipid transport in the circulatory system. In an integrative approach, recent advances are reviewed on the consecutive topics of biosynthesis, storage, and release of insect AKHs, AKH signal transduction mechanisms and metabolic responses in fat body cells, and the dynamics of reversible lipophorin conversions in the insect blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Van der Horst
- Department of Biochemical Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Institute of Biomembranes, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
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Abstract
SUMMARYLarge amounts of hydrocarbons accumulate during vitellogenesis in the developing basal oocytes of the German cockroach Blattella germanica (L.), and all ovarian hydrocarbons are deposited into an egg case (ootheca) during oviposition. Hydrocarbons are not synthesized by the ovaries, but are delivered by hemolymph lipoproteins and accumulate within the basal oocytes. A native B. germanica hydrocarbon, [3H]3,11-dimethylnonacosane, injected into adult females of various ages, was taken up by the ovaries in relation to oocyte growth. Ovarian uptake of the hydrocarbon was low in day 0–1 females, increased dramatically between days 3 and 6 and declined sharply through oviposition on day 8–9; ovarian uptake of the hydrocarbon was low during a 21-day pregnancy that followed. [1-14C]Propionate, which becomes incorporated into methyl-branched hydrocarbons, was injected into 5-day-old vitellogenic females to monitor the de novo biosynthesis of hydrocarbons and the time course of hydrocarbon deposition in the ovary. Propionate was rapidly incorporated into hydrocarbons within 4 h. Hydrocarbon uptake by the ovaries, however, was three times higher 24 h after injection than 4 h after injection, showing that hydrocarbons are slowly and continuously deposited in oocytes. This result was confirmed with topical application of [3H]3,11-dimethylnonacosane: ovarian uptake was three times higher after 24 h than after 4 h. In vitro incubations of sternites, which synthesize hydrocarbons, with [14C]propionate and ovaries, showed that both hemolymph and purified high-density lipophorin facilitated ovarian uptake of newly synthesized hydrocarbons; maximum uptake occurred with 10 % hemolymph or 1 mg ml–1 high-density lipophorin. These results were confirmed with sternites treated with [3H]3,11-dimethylnonacosane and co-incubated with ovaries. This is the first report to show that copious amounts of maternal hydrocarbons are provisioned in oocytes and to demonstrate the existence of a hydrocarbon transport pathway involving hemolymph high-density lipophorin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongliang Fan
- Department of Entomology, Box 7613, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7613, USA
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Arcà B, Lombardo F, Lanfrancotti A, Spanos L, Veneri M, Louis C, Coluzzi M. A cluster of four D7-related genes is expressed in the salivary glands of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Insect Mol Biol 2002; 11:47-55. [PMID: 11841502 DOI: 10.1046/j.0962-1075.2001.00309.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Four genes expressed in the Anopheles gambiae adult female salivary glands and similar in sequence to the Aedes aegypti D7 gene were identified. The genes, called D7-related (D7r), are included in a single cluster encompassing approximately six kilobases on chromosome arm 3R. The deduced proteins contain secretory signals and they are probably injected by the mosquito into the host with the saliva during blood feeding. The region of similarity to D7 encompasses the carboxy-terminal part of the Ae. aegypti protein and the different An. gambiae D7r show a degree of similarity to each other, varying from 53% to 73%. The weak but significant similarity to members of a wide family of insect proteins, including odourant- and pheromone-binding proteins, raises the possibility that the D7r-encoded proteins may bind and/or carry small hydrophobic ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Arcà
- Dipartimento di Scienze di Sanità Pubblica, Università di Roma 'La Sapienza' P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
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Sant'Anna MRV, Diotaiuti L, de Figueiredo Gontijo A, de Figueiredo Gontijo N, Pereira MH. Feeding behaviour of morphologically similar Rhodnius species: influence of mechanical characteristics and salivary function. J Insect Physiol 2001; 47:1459-1465. [PMID: 12770152 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-1910(01)00136-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite their morphological similarities, very similar Rhodnius species (R. prolixus, R. robustus, R. nasutus and R. neglectus) displayed a distinct feeding behaviour when fed on artificial feeder, pigeon or mouse. On pigeon hosts, these species showed distinct groups in terms of cumulative probing time - quicker species (R. prolixus and R. neglectus) followed by R. nasutus and finally a much slower species (R. robustus). On mouse hosts, R. nasutus showed quicker probing time compared to the other three species. Moreover, R. prolixus displayed quicker probing time compared to R. robustus and R. neglectus. Except for R. nasutus, the mean total ingestion rate tended to have different values between feeding sources (artificial feeder>pigeon>mouse). The volume ingested by each cibarial pump contraction and maximum frequency obtained using the artificial feeder are expected to be related to intrinsic mechanical characteristics of the insect feeding apparatus. However, probing time and the modulation of cibarial pump frequency on live hosts may be related to salivary function. R. prolixus showed high mechanical and salivary efficiency, achieving high values of total ingestion rate when fed on artificial feeder or either of the hosts. Comparative analysis suggests that species which possess higher total ingestion rates tend to achieve higher nutritional status, allowing them to reach higher densities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauri;cio Roberto Viana Sant'Anna
- Departamento de Parasitologia do Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Caixa Postal 486, 31270-901, MG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Canavoso LE, Wells MA. Role of lipid transfer particle in delivery of diacylglycerol from midgut to lipophorin in larval Manduca sexta. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2001; 31:783-790. [PMID: 11378413 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(00)00183-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The present work analyzed the function of lipid transfer particle (LTP) in the process of exporting diacylglycerol from larval Manduca sexta midgut cells to lipophorin. When midgut sacs, which had been prelabeled in vivo with [(3)H]oleic acid, were incubated in vitro with a lipophorin-containing medium, a significant amount of radiolabeled diacylglycerol was transferred to lipophorin. Negligible amounts of diacylglycerol were released into lipophorin-free medium. In contrast, lipid-labeled lipophorin did not transfer diacylglycerol to the midgut sacs. The transfer of diacylglycerol from the midgut sac to lipophorin was blocked by preincubation of midgut sacs with antibody against LTP. Diacylglycerol transfer was restored to control values by the addition of purified LTP to midgut sacs that had been treated with antibody against LTP. Under these conditions the amount of diacylglycerol transferred was a function of the LTP concentration. These are the first results showing that LTP is required to export diacylglycerol from the midgut to lipophorin.
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Affiliation(s)
- L E Canavoso
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Center for Insect Science, Biological Sciences West, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA
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45
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Arrese EL, Canavoso LE, Jouni ZE, Pennington JE, Tsuchida K, Wells MA. Lipid storage and mobilization in insects: current status and future directions. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2001; 31:7-17. [PMID: 11102830 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(00)00102-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
In this paper we review the current status of research on fatty acid absorption and conversion to diacylglycerol in the midgut. We further discuss how diacylglycerol may leave the midgut and associate with lipophorin in hemolymph. We review the present understanding of the role of the lipid transfer particle and lipophorin receptors in lipid delivery between lipophorin and tissues. Finally, we discuss recent studies on the mobilization of diacylglycerol from the fat body in response to adipokinetic hormone. Several suggestions for exciting areas of future research are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- E L Arrese
- Department of Biochemistry and Center for Insect Science, Biological Sciences West, The University of Arizona, Tucson 85721-0088, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- S Davies
- Division of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, G11 6NU, Glasgow, UK.
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Abstract
The pathway for the synthesis of diacylglycerol in larval Manduca sexta midgut was studied. Fifth instar larvae were fed with [9, 10-(3)H]-oleic acid-labeled triolein and the incorporation of the label into lipid intermediates was analyzed as a function of time. The results showed that the triacylglycerol was hydrolyzed to fatty acids and glycerol in the midgut lumen. In midgut tissue, the labeled fatty acids were rapidly incorporated into phosphatidic acid, diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol, but no significant labeling of monoacylglycerol was observed. Dual-labeling experiments were performed in order to characterize the kinetics of diacylglycerol biosynthesis in the midgut, its incorporation into hemolymph lipophorin and its clearance from hemolymph. The results were best described by a model in which the rate-limiting step in diacylglycerol biosynthesis was the uptake of fatty acid from the lumen of the midgut. Once in the cell the fatty acid was rapidly incorporated in phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol. Diacylglycerol was converted to triacylglycerol or exported into hemolymph. The interconversion of diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol was fairly rapid, suggesting that triacylglycerol serves as a reservoir from which diacylglycerol can be produced. This mechanism permits the cell to maintain a low steady-state concentration of diacylglycerol and yet efficiently absorb fatty acids from the lumen of the midgut.
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Affiliation(s)
- L E Canavoso
- Department of Biochemistry and Center for Insect Science, Biological Sciences West, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA
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Bogerd J, Babin PJ, Kooiman FP, André M, Ballagny C, van Marrewijk WJ, van der Horst DJ. Molecular characterization and gene expression in the eye of the apolipophorin II/I precursor from Locusta migratoria. J Comp Neurol 2000; 427:546-58. [PMID: 11056463 DOI: 10.1002/1096-9861(20001127)427:4<546::aid-cne4>3.0.co;2-h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The transport of lipids via the circulatory system of animals constitutes a vital function that uses highly specialized lipoprotein complexes. In insects, a single lipoprotein, lipophorin, serves as a reusable shuttle for the transport of lipids between tissues. We have found that the two nonexchangeable apolipoproteins of lipophorin arise from a common precursor protein, apolipophorin II/I (apoLp-II/I). To examine the mechanisms of transport of lipids and liposoluble substances inside the central nervous system, this report provides the molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding the locust apoLp-II/I. We have recently shown that this precursor protein belongs to a superfamily of large lipid transfer proteins (Babin et al. [1999] J. Mol. Evol. 49:150-160). We determined that, in addition to its expression in the fat body, the locust apoLp-II/I is also expressed in the brain. Part of the signal resulted from fat body tissue associated with the brain; however, apoLp-II/I was strongly expressed and the corresponding protein detected, in pigmented glial cells of the lamina underlying the locust retina and in cells or cellular processes interspersed in the basement membrane. The latter finding strongly suggests an implication of apolipophorins in the transport of retinoids and/or fatty acids to the insect retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Bogerd
- Biochemical Physiology Research Group, Faculty of Biology and Institute of Biomembranes, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Montfort WR, Weichsel A, Andersen JF. Nitrophorins and related antihemostatic lipocalins from Rhodnius prolixus and other blood-sucking arthropods. Biochim Biophys Acta 2000; 1482:110-8. [PMID: 11058753 DOI: 10.1016/s0167-4838(00)00165-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent gene sequence and crystal structure determinations of salivary proteins from several blood-sucking arthropods have revealed an unusual evolutionary relationship: many such proteins derive their functions from lipocalin protein folds. Many blood-sucking arthropods have independently evolved the ability to overcome a host organism's means of preventing blood loss (called hemostasis). Most blood feeders have proteins that induce vasodilation, inhibit blood coagulation, and reduce inflammation, but do so by distinctly different mechanisms. Despite this diversity, in many cases the antihemostatic activities in such organisms reside in proteins with lipocalin folds. Thirteen such lipocalins are described in this review, with a particular focus on the heme-containing nitrophorins from Rhodnius prolixus, which transport nitric oxide, sequester histamine, and disrupt blood coagulation. Also described are the antiplatelet compounds RPAI, moubatin, and pallidipin from R. prolixus, Ornithodoros moubata, and Triatoma pallidipennis; the antithrombin protein triabin from T. pallidipennis; and the tick histamine binding proteins from Rhipicephalus appendiculatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- W R Montfort
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Andersen JF, Montfort WR. The crystal structure of nitrophorin 2. A trifunctional antihemostatic protein from the saliva of Rhodnius prolixus. J Biol Chem 2000; 275:30496-503. [PMID: 10884386 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m002857200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrophorin 2 (NP2) (also known as prolixin-S) is a salivary protein that transports nitric oxide, binds histamine, and acts as an anticoagulant during blood feeding by the insect Rhodnius prolixus. The 2.0-A crystal structure of NP2 reveals an eight-stranded antiparallel beta-barrel containing a ferric heme coordinated through His(57), similar to the structures of NP1 and NP4. All four Rhodnius nitrophorins transport NO and sequester histamine through heme binding, but only NP2 acts as an anticoagulant. Here, we demonstrate that recombinant NP2, but not recombinant NP1 or NP4, is a potent anticoagulant; recombinant NP3 also displays minor activity. Comparison of the nitrophorin structures suggests that a surface region near the C terminus and the loops between beta strands B-C and E-F is responsible for the anticoagulant activity. NP2 also displays larger NO association rates and smaller dissociation rates than NP1 and NP4, which may result from a more open and more hydrophobic distal pocket, allowing more rapid solvent reorganization on ligand binding. The NP2 protein core differs from NP1 and NP4 in that buried Glu(53), which allows for larger NO release rates when deprotonated, hydrogen bonds to invariant Tyr(81). Surprisingly, this tyrosine lies on the protein surface in NP1 and NP4.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Andersen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
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