Molecular cloning and expression of a novel Kazal-type serine proteinase inhibitor gene from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri, and the inhibitory activity of its recombinant domain

Serine proteinase inhibitors (SPIs) play important roles in host physiological and immunological processes in all multicellular organisms. A novel Kazal-type SPI gene was cloned from the Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri (designated as CfKZSPI) by expressed sequence tag (EST) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) approaches. The full-length cDNA of CfKZSPI was of 1788 nucleotides with a canonical polyadenylation signal sequence AATAAA and a polyA tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polypeptide of 509 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 22 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of CfKZSPI contained 12 tandem Kazal domains with high similarity to other Kazal-type SPIs. The temporal expression of CfKZSPI in hemocytes after Vibrio anguillarum challenge was recorded by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. The relative mRNA expression level of CfKZSPI was up-regulated and reached 43.6-fold at 3h post-challenge. After a decrease at 6h, the expression level increased again and reached 207.8-fold at 12h post-challenge. The 12th Kazal domain of CfKZSPI was recombined into pET-32a(+) and expressed in Escherichia coli Rosetta-gami (DE3) to investigate its inhibitory activity. The purified recombinant protein (rCfKZSPI-12) showed significant inhibitory activity against trypsin but no activity against thrombin. When the molar ratio of inhibitor to trypsin reached 1:1, almost 90% of the enzyme activity could be inhibited, which suggested that one molecule of rCfKZSPI-12 was able to inhibit one molecule of trypsin. Kinetics analysis with Dixon plot showed that the inhibition constant (Ki) of rCfKZSPI-12 to trypsin was 173 nmol L(-1). These results indicated that CfKZSPI was a novel Kazal-type SPI with significant inhibitory activity against trypsin, and was suspected to be involved in scallop immune response.     

Mutagenesis of the cysteine-rich clip domain in the Drosophila patterning protease, Snake

A common motif found in invertebrate serine proteases involved in immunity and development is the clip domain, proposed to regulate catalytic activity or protein-protein interactions within proteolytic cascades. Snake functions in a cascade that patterns the Drosophila embryo, and provides an accessible model for exploring the structural requirements for clip domain function. We tested Snake zymogens bearing charged-to-alanine mutations in the clip domain for their ability to rescue embryos lacking endogenous Snake and for their interactions by S2 cell co-transfection with upstream Gastrulation Defective and downstream Easter in the protease cascade. Of 13 single and multiple substitutions, one double mutant in a predicted protruding region exhibited a severe defect in embryonic rescue but showed only minimal defects in the co-transfection assay. We discuss implications of these and other results for potential biological roles of the Snake clip domain and for use of the in vitro assay in predicting protease behavior.     

Preliminary study on a potential antibacterial peptide derived from histone H2A in hemocytes of scallop Chlamys farreri

Histone H2A is reported to participate in host defense response through producing novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from its N-terminus in vertebrates and invertebrates, while the AMPs derived from H2A have not to our knowledge been reported in mollusca. In the present study, gene cloning, mRNA expression of H2A from scallop Chlamys farreri, and the recombinant expression of its N-terminus were conducted to investigate whether a similar mechanism exists in mollusca. The full-length DNA of H2A was identified by the techniques of homology cloning and genomic DNA walking. The full-length DNA of the scallop H2A was 696bp long, including a 5'-terminal untranslated region (UTR) of 90bp, a 3'-terminal UTR of 228bp with a stem-loop structure and a canonical polyadenylation signal sequence AATAAA, and an open reading frame of 375bp encoding a polypeptide of 125 amino acids. The mRNA expression of H2A in the hemocytes of scallop challenged by microbe was measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The expression of H2A was not upregulated after stimulation, suggesting that H2A did not participate in immunity response directly. The DNA fragment of 117bp encoding 39 amino acids corresponding to the N-terminus of scallop H2A, which was homologous to buforin I in vertebrates, was cloned into Pichia pastoris GS115. The transformants (His(+) Mut(+)) containing multi-copy gene insertion were selected with increasing concentration of antibiotic G418. The peptide of 39 amino acids was expressed by induction of 0.5% methanol. The recombinant product exerted antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (G(+)) and Gram-negative (G(-)) bacteria. The antibacterial activity toward G(+) bacteria was 2.5 times more than that against G(-) bacteria. The results elucidated that N-terminus of H2A was a potential AMP and provided a promising candidate for a new antibiotic screening. However, whether H2A is really involved in scallop immune response mechanisms needs to be further investigated.     

cDNA cloning and mRNA expression of heat shock protein 90 gene in the haemocytes of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a highly conserved molecular chaperone contributing to the folding, maintenance of structural integrity and proper regulation of a subset of cytosolic proteins. The full-length cDNA of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri HSP90 (designated CfHSP90) was cloned by EST and rapid RACE techniques. It was of 2710 bp, including an open reading frame (ORF) of 2181 bp encoding a polypeptide of 726 amino acids with all the five HSP90 family signatures. BLAST analysis revealed that the CfHSP90 gene shared high similarity with other known HSP90 genes. Fluorescent real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine the expression pattern of CfHSP90 mRNA in haemocytes of scallops exposed to Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ for 10 and 20 days, respectively. All the three heavy metals could induce CfHSP90 expression. There was a clear dose-dependent expression pattern of CfHSP90 after heavy metals exposure for 10 days or 20 days. Different concentrations of the same metal resulted in different effects on CfHSP90 expression. The results indicated that CfHSP90 responded to various heavy metal stresses with a dose-dependent expression pattern as well as exposure time effect, and could be used as a molecular biomarker in a heavy metal polluted environment.     

FISH Mapping and Identification of Zhikong Scallop (Chlamys farreri) Chromosomes

Chromosome identification is the first step in genomic research of a species, but it remains a challenge in scallops. In the present study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping of 19 fosmid clones was attempted and used for chromosome identification in Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri Jones et Preston, 1904). Data showed that 10 clones were successfully mapped, including 7 without and 3 with C ₀ t-1 DNA. Among them, 2 represented multiple signals and made no contribution to chromosome identification. Karyotypic analysis and cohybridization indicated that the remaining 8 clones realized the identification of 8 chromosomes. All 10 clones were sequenced at both ends, which could be developed as sequence-tagged sites and used for the unification of the cytological and genetic linkage maps. This study shows that fosmid clones can benefit chromosome identification and will undoubtedly be useful for cytogenetic research in Zhikong scallop.     

Phenoloxidase in the scallop Chlamys farreri: purification and antibacterial activity of its reaction products generated in vitro

Phenoloxidase (PO) was purified from hemocytes of the scallop Chlamys farreri using native-PAGE and gel permeation column chromatography, and then substrate specificity and antibacterial activity generated from reaction products of purified PO were analyzed. The results showed purified PO had a molecular mass of 576 kDa in native-PAGE and 53 kDa in denatured PAGE, and could catalyze the substrates L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), dopamine, catechol and hydroquinone suggesting it is a type of p-diphenoloxidase. Using dopamine as a substrate, PO reaction products significantly inhibited the growth of Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Aeromonas salmonicida. No significant inhibition was found in Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus iniae, Micrococcus lysodeikticus and Edwardsiella tarda. When L-DOPA was used as a substrate, significant inhibition occurred in A. salmonicida only.     

Intracellular serine protease-4, a new intracellular serine protease activity from Bacillus subtilis

A previously undiscovered intracellular serine protease activity, which we have called intracellular serine protease-4, was identified in extracts of stationary Bacillus subtilis cells, purified 260 fold from the cytoplasmic fraction, and characterized. The new protease was stable and active in the absence of Ca²⁺ ions and hydrolyzed azocasein and the chromogenic substrate carbobenzoxy-carbonyl-alanyl-alanyl-leucyl-p-nitroanilide, but not azocollagen or a variety of other chromogenic substrates. The protease was strongly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, chymostatin and antipain, but not by chelators, sulfhydryl-reactive agents or trypsin inhibitors. Its activity was stimulated by Ca²⁺ ions and gramicidin S; its pH and temperature optima were 9.0 and 37°C, respectively. Although intracellular serine protease-4 was immunochemically distinct from intracellular serine protease-1, it was absent from a mutant in which the gene encoding the latter was disrupted.     

Different evolutionary histories of kringle and protease domains in serine proteases: A typical example of domain evolution

With the aim of elucidating the evolutionary processes of the kringle and protease domains in serine proteases which are involved with the system of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, we constructed phylogenetic trees for the kringle and protease domains, separately, by use of amino acid sequence data. The phylogenetic trees constructed clearly showed that the topologies were different between the kringle and protease domains. Because both domains are coded by single peptides of serine proteases, this strongly suggests that the kringle and protease domains must have undergone different evolutionary processes. Thus, these observations imply that serine proteases evolve in a way such that each domain is a unit of evolution, exemplifying a typical mode of domain evolution. A possible relationship between the domain evolution and the exon shuffling theory is also discussed from the viewpoint of gene evolution.     

A novel serine protease with human fibrino(geno)lytic activities from Artocarpus heterophyllus latex

A protease was isolated and purified from Artocarpus heterophyllus (jackfruit) latex and designated as a 48-kDa antimicrobial protease (AMP48) in a previous publication. In this work, the enzyme was characterized for more biochemical and medicinal properties. Enzyme activity of AMP48 was strongly inhibited by phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride and soybean trypsin inhibitor, indicating that the enzyme was a plant serine protease. The N-terminal amino acid sequences (A-Q-E-G-G-K-D-D-D-G-G) of AMP48 had no sequence similarity matches with any sequence databases of BLAST search and other plant serine protease. The secondary structure of this enzyme was composed of high α-helix (51%) and low β-sheet (9%). AMP48 had fibrinogenolytic activity with maximal activity between 55 and 60 °C at pH 8. The enzyme efficiently hydrolyzed α followed by partially hydrolyzed β and γ subunits of human fibrinogen. In addition, the fibrinolytic activity was observed through the degradation products by SDS-PAGE and emphasized its activity by monitoring the alteration of secondary structure of fibrin clot after enzyme digestion using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. This study presented the potential role to use AMP48 as antithrombotic for treatment thromboembolic disorders such as strokes, pulmonary emboli and deep vein thrombosis.     

A serine alkaline protease from the fungusConidiobolus coronatus with a distinctly different structure than the serine protease subtilisin Carlsberg

In view of the functional similarities between subtilisin Carlsberg and the alkaline protease fromConidiobolus coronatus, the biochemical and structural properties of the two enzymes were compared. In spite of their similar biochemical properties, e.g., pH optima, heat stability, molecular mass, pI, esterase activity, and inhibition by diisopropyl fluorophosphate and phenylmethlysulfonylfluoride, the proteases were structurally dissimilar as revealed by (1) their amino acid compositions, (2) their inhibition by subtilisin inhibitor, (3) their immunological response to specific anti-Conidiobolus protease antibody, and (4) their tryptic peptide maps. Our results demonstrate that although they are functionally analogous, theConidiobolus protease is structurally distinct from subtilisin Carlsberg. TheConidiobolus protease was also different from other bacterial and animal proteases (e.g. pronase, protease K, trypsin, and chymotrypsin) as evidenced by their lack of response to anti-Conidiobolus protease antibody in double diffusion and in neutralization assays. TheConidiobolus serine protease fails to obey the general rule that proteins with similar functions have similar primary sequences and, thus, are evolutionarily related. Our results strengthen the concept of convergent evolution for serine proteases and provide basis for research in evolutionary relationships among fungal, bacterial, and animal proteases.     

Purification and characterization of a thermodynamic stable serine protease from Aspergillus fumigatus

A thermostable extracellular serine protease from Aspergillus fumigatus was purified 8.8-fold using a 4-step protocol. The enzyme was produced using a 36 h solid-state culture, had a molecular weight of 88 kDa and exhibited maximal enzyme activity at pH 7 and 60 °C. Structural analysis revealed that the protease is monomeric and non-glycosylated. Thermal inactivation of the pure enzyme followed first-order kinetics. The half-life (t_1/2) of the pure enzyme at 50, 60 and 70 °C was 65, 34 and 14 min, respectively. The denaturation and activation energies were 69 and 62 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters (entropy and enthalpy) suggested that the protease was highly thermostable. This is the first report on the thermodynamic parameters of proteases produced by A. fumigatus.     

Two serine protease inhibitors from the skin secretions of the toad, Bombina microdeladigitora

Two serine protease inhibitors (named BMSI 1 and BMSI 2, respectively) were identified from the skin secretions of the toad, Bombina microdeladigitora. The cDNAs encoding BMSIs were cloned from a cDNA library prepared from the toad skin. The deduced complete amino acid sequences of BMSIs indicate that mature BMSI 1 and BMSI 2 are composed of 60 amino acids including 10 half-cystines to form 5 disulfide bridges. A FASTA search in the databanks revealed that BMSIs exhibit sequence similarity with other serine protease inhibitors from amphibians of the genus Bombina. BMSI 1 potently inhibited trypsin and thrombin with a K(i) value of 0.02 μM and 0.15 μM, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed that all serine protease inhibitors from five amphibians of the genus Bombina share highly conserved primary structures.