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A male-specific (cysteine-rich) protein of Oesophagostomum dentatum (Strongylida) with structural characteristics of a serine protease inhibitor containing two trypsin inhibitor-like domains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2003

P. R. BOAG
Affiliation:
Victorian Institute of Animal Science, Attwood, Victoria 3049, Australia Department of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia Present address: Center for Blood Research and Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
S. RANGANATHAN
Affiliation:
Bioinformatics Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore
S. E. NEWTON
Affiliation:
Victorian Institute of Animal Science, Attwood, Victoria 3049, Australia
R. B. GASSER
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia

Abstract

A cDNA was isolated from an adult male Oesophagostomum dentatum gene library by screening with a male-specific, partial expressed sequence tag (EST) probe identified previously using a differential display technique. The full-length cDNA of 642 bp included 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions of 44 and 121 nucleotides, respectively, and encoded a predicted protein with a putative 18 amino acid signal sequence and a mature polypeptide of 14.7 kDa comprising ∼15% cysteine residues. The amino acid sequence showed similarity with a number of proteins from Caenorhabditis elegans, parasitic nematodes, insects and amphibia, all of which contain a trypsin inhibitor-like cysteine-rich domain. A 3-dimensional structure model constructed for the O. dentatum protein (designated OdmCRP) inferred that it is composed of 2 domains, each with 5 disulfide bonds, which are indicative of the Ascaris family of serine protease inhibitors. These findings indicate that OdmCRP, with 2 structural domains relating to functionally active sites, is a new member of this inhibitor family.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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