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Crystal structure of a clip-domain serine protease and functional roles of the clip domains.

ABSTRACT: Clip-domain serine proteases (SPs) are the essential components of extracellular signaling cascades in various biological processes, especially in embryonic development and the innate immune responses of invertebrates. They consist of a chymotrypsin-like SP domain and one or two clip domains at the N-terminus. Prophenoloxidase-activating factor (PPAF)-II, which belongs to the noncatalytic clip-domain SP family, is indispensable for the generation of the active phenoloxidase leading to melanization, a major defense mechanism of insects. Here, the crystal structure of PPAF-II reveals that the clip domain adopts a novel fold containing a central cleft, which is distinct from the structures of defensins with a similar arrangement of cysteine residues. Ensuing studies demonstrated that PPAF-II forms a homo-oligomer upon cleavage by the upstream protease and that the clip domain of PPAF-II functions as a module for binding phenoloxidase through the central cleft, while the clip domain of a catalytically active easter-type SP plays an essential role in the rapid activation of its protease domain.

SUBMITTER: Piao S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1356332 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Crystal structure of a clip-domain serine protease and functional roles of the clip domains.

Piao Shunfu S Song Young-Lan YL Kim Jung Hyun JH Park Sam Yong SY Park Ji Won JW Lee Bok Leul BL Oh Byung-Ha BH Ha Nam-Chul NC

The EMBO journal 20051215 24

Clip-domain serine proteases (SPs) are the essential components of extracellular signaling cascades in various biological processes, especially in embryonic development and the innate immune responses of invertebrates. They consist of a chymotrypsin-like SP domain and one or two clip domains at the N-terminus. Prophenoloxidase-activating factor (PPAF)-II, which belongs to the noncatalytic clip-domain SP family, is indispensable for the generation of the active phenoloxidase leading to melanizati ...[more]

PMID: 16362048

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Project description:BackgroundClip domain serine proteases (CLIPs), a very diverse group of proteolytic enzymes, play a crucial role in the innate immunity of insects. Innate immune responses are the first line of defense in mosquitoes against the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms. The Toll pathway, immunodeficiency (IMD) pathway and melanization are the main processes of innate immunity in Aedes aegypti. CLIPS are classified into five subfamilies-CLIPA, CLIPB, CLIPC, CLIPD, and CLIPE-based on their sequence specificity and phylogenetic relationships. We report the functional characterization of the genes that code for two CLIPs in Ae. aegypti (Ae): Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22.MethodsClustal Omega was used for multiple amino acid sequence alignment of Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 with different CLIP genes from other insect species. The spatiotemporal expression profiles of Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 were examined. We determined whether Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 respond to microbial challenge and tissue injury. RNA interference (RNAi) was used to explore the function of Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 in the defense of Ae. aegypti against bacterial and fungal infections. The expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) transcription factors REL1 and REL2 in the Toll pathway and IMD pathway after bacterial infection were investigated. Finally, the change in phenoloxidase (PO) activity in Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 knockdown adults was investigated.ResultsWe performed spatiotemporal gene expression profiling of Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 genes in Ae. aegypti using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. These genes were expressed in different stages and tissues. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels for both genes were also up-regulated by Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and fungal Beauveria bassiana infections, as well as in the tissue injury experiments. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Ae-CLIPB15 led to a significant decrease of PO activity in the hemolymph of Ae. aegypti, while other RNAi experiments revealed that both Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 were involved in immune defense against bacterial and fungal infections. The mRNA expression of NF-κB transcription factors REL1 and REL2 in the Toll pathway and IMD pathway differed between Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 knockdown mosquitoes infected with bacteria and wild type mosquitoes infected with bacteria.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that Ae-CLIPB15 and Ae-CLIPB22 play a critical role in mosquito innate immunity, and that they are involved in immune responses to injury and infection. Their regulation of transcription factors and PO activity indicates that they also play a specific role in the regulation of innate immunity.

Dataset Information

Crystal structure of a clip-domain serine protease and functional roles of the clip domains.

Publications

Crystal structure of a clip-domain serine protease and functional roles of the clip domains.

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