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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology
Differential use of protease families for invasion by schistosome cercariae
Biochimie, Volume 90, No. 2, Year 2008
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Description
Schistosomes are parasitic platyhelminths (flatworms) of birds and mammals. As a parasitic disease of humans, schistosomiasis ranks second only to malaria in global importance. Schistosome larvae (cercariae) must invade and penetrate skin as an initial step to successful infection of the vertebrate host. Proteolytic enzymes secreted from the acetabular glands of cercariae contribute significantly to the invasion process. In this comparative study, we analyzed protease activities secreted by cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosomatium douthitti. Using protease-family specific, irreversible active-site probes, fluorogenic peptidyl substrates, immuno-histochemistry and high-resolution mass spectrometry, considerable species differences were noted in the quantity and character of proteases. Serine proteases, the most abundant enzymes secreted by S. mansoni cercariae, were not identified in S. japonicum. In contrast, the acetabular gland contents of S. japonicum cercariae had a 40-fold greater cathepsin B-like activity than those of S. mansoni. Based on the present data and previous reports, we propose that cysteine proteases represent an archetypal tool for tissue invasion among primitive metazoa and the use of serine proteases arose later in schistosome evolution. Computational analysis of serine protease phylogeny revealed an extraordinarily distant relationship between S. mansoni serine proteases and other members of the Clan PA family S1 proteases. © 2007.
Authors & Co-Authors
Dvořák, Jan
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Mashiyama, Susan T.
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Braschi, Simon
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Sajid, Mohammed
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Knudsen, Giselle M.
United States, West Lafayette
Purdue University
Hansell, Elizabeth
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Lim, Kee Chong
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Hsieh, Ivy
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Bahgat, Mahmoud Mohamed
Egypt, Giza
National Research Centre
Mackenzie, Bryony
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Medzihradszky, Katalin F.
United States, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
Babbitt, Patricia Clement
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Caffrey, Conor Robert
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
McKerrow, James Hobson
United States, Berkeley
California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences
Statistics
Citations: 103
Authors: 14
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.biochi.2007.08.013
ISSN:
03009084
e-ISSN:
61831638
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases