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Yang N, Matthew MA, Yao C. Roles of Cysteine Proteases in Biology and Pathogenesis of Parasites. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1397. [PMID: 37374899 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cysteine proteases, also known as thiol proteases, are a class of nucleophilic proteolytic enzymes containing cysteine residues in the enzymatic domain. These proteases generally play a pivotal role in many biological reactions, such as catabolic functions and protein processing, in all living organisms. They specifically take part in many important biological processes, especially in the absorption of nutrients, invasion, virulence, and immune evasion of parasitic organisms from unicellular protozoa to multicellular helminths. They can also be used as parasite diagnostic antigens and targets for gene modification and chemotherapy, as well as vaccine candidates, due to their species and even life-cycle stage specificity. This article highlights current knowledge on parasitic cysteine protease types, biological functions, and their applications in immunodiagnosis and chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawu Yang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre P.O. Box 334, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Maurice A Matthew
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre P.O. Box 334, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Chaoqun Yao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre P.O. Box 334, Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Insights on the Proteases Involved in Barley and Wheat Grain Germination. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20092087. [PMID: 31035313 PMCID: PMC6539298 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Seed storage proteins must be hydrolyzed by proteases to deliver the amino acids essential for embryo growth and development. Several groups of proteases involved in this process have been identified in both the monocot and the dicot species. This review focuses on the implication of proteases during germination in two cereal species, barley and wheat, where proteolytic control during the germination process has considerable economic importance. Formerly, the participation of proteases during grain germination was inferred from reports of proteolytic activities, the expression of individual genes, or the presence of individual proteins and showed a prominent role for papain-like and legumain-like cysteine proteases and for serine carboxypeptidases. Nowadays, the development of new technologies and the release of the genomic sequences of wheat and barley have permitted the application of genome-scale approaches, such as those used in functional genomics and proteomics. Using these approaches, the repertoire of proteases known to be involved in germination has increased and includes members of distinct protease families. The development of novel techniques based on shotgun proteomics, activity-based protein profiling, and comparative and structural genomics will help to achieve a general view of the proteolytic process during germination.
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Martinez M, Gómez-Cabellos S, Giménez MJ, Barro F, Diaz I, Diaz-Mendoza M. Plant Proteases: From Key Enzymes in Germination to Allies for Fighting Human Gluten-Related Disorders. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:721. [PMID: 31191594 PMCID: PMC6548828 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Plant proteases play a crucial role in many different biological processes along the plant life cycle. One of the most determinant stages in which proteases are key protagonists is the plant germination through the hydrolysis and mobilization of other proteins accumulated in seeds and cereal grains. The most represented proteases in charge of this are the cysteine proteases group, including the C1A family known as papain-like and the C13 family also called legumains. In cereal species such as wheat, oat or rye, gluten is a very complex mixture of grain storage proteins, which may affect the health of sensitive consumers like celiac patients. Since gluten proteins are suitable targets for plant proteases, the knowledge of the proteases involved in storage protein mobilization could be employed to manipulate the amount of gluten in the grain. Some proteases have been previously found to exhibit promising properties for their application in the degradation of known toxic peptides from gluten. To explore the variability in gluten-degrading capacities, we have now analyzed the degradation of gluten from different wheat cultivars using several cysteine proteases from barley. The wide variability showed highlights the possibility to select the protease with the highest potential to alter grain composition reducing the gluten content. Consequently, new avenues could be explored combining genetic manipulation of proteolytic processes with silencing techniques to be used as biotechnological tools against gluten-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Martinez
- Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Campus Montegancedo UPM, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biotecnologia-Biologia Vegetal, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria Agronomica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Gómez-Cabellos
- Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Campus Montegancedo UPM, Madrid, Spain
| | - María José Giménez
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Vegetal, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS-CSIC), Córdoba, Spain
| | - Francisco Barro
- Departamento de Mejora Genética Vegetal, Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible (IAS-CSIC), Córdoba, Spain
| | - Isabel Diaz
- Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Campus Montegancedo UPM, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biotecnologia-Biologia Vegetal, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieria Agronomica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mercedes Diaz-Mendoza
- Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas, Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Campus Montegancedo UPM, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Mercedes Diaz-Mendoza,
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Fitness Loss under Amino Acid Starvation in Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Isolates from Cambodia. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12622. [PMID: 30135481 PMCID: PMC6105667 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30593-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Artemisinin is the most rapidly effective drug for Plasmodium falciparum malaria treatment currently in clinical use. Emerging artemisinin-resistant parasites pose a great global health risk. At present, the level of artemisinin resistance is still relatively low with evidence pointing towards a trade-off between artemisinin resistance and fitness loss. Here we show that artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum isolates from Cambodia manifested fitness loss, showing fewer progenies during the intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle. The loss in fitness was exacerbated under the condition of low exogenous amino acid supply. The resistant parasites failed to undergo maturation, whereas their drug-sensitive counterparts were able to complete the erythrocytic cycle under conditions of amino acid deprivation. The artemisinin-resistant phenotype was not stable, and loss of the phenotype was associated with changes in the expression of a putative target, Exp1, a membrane glutathione transferase. Analysis of SNPs in haemoglobin processing genes revealed associations with parasite clearance times, suggesting changes in haemoglobin catabolism may contribute to artemisinin resistance. These findings on fitness and protein homeostasis could provide clues on how to contain emerging artemisinin-resistant parasites.
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Ma H, Xiang G, Li Z, Wang Y, Dou M, Su L, Yin X, Liu R, Wang Y, Xu Y. Grapevine VpPR10.1 functions in resistance to Plasmopara viticola through triggering a cell death-like defence response by interacting with VpVDAC3. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2018; 16:1488-1501. [PMID: 29377445 PMCID: PMC6041444 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
As one of the most serious diseases in grape, downy mildew caused by Plasmopara viticola is a worldwide grape disease. Much effort has been focused on improving susceptible grapevine resistance, and wild resistant grapevine species are important for germplasm improvement of commercial cultivars. Using yeast two-hybrid screen followed by a series of immunoprecipitation experiments, we identified voltage-dependent anion channel 3 (VDAC3) protein from Vitis piasezkii 'Liuba-8' as an interacting partner of VpPR10.1 cloned from Vitis pseudoreticulata 'Baihe-35-1', which is an important germplasm for its resistance to a range of pathogens. Co-expression of VpPR10.1/VpVDAC3 induced cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana, which accompanied by ROS accumulation. VpPR10.1 transgenic grapevine line showed resistance to P. viticola. We conclude that the VpPR10.1/VpVDAC3 complex is responsible for cell death-mediated defence response to P. viticola in grapevine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Gaoqing Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Zhiqian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Yuting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Mengru Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Li Su
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Xiao Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Ruiqi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Yuejin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Yan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid AreasCollege of HorticultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest ChinaMinistry of AgricultureNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
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Sárvári KP, Sóki J, Iván M, Miszti C, Latkóczy K, Melegh SZ, Urbán E. Detection of enterotoxin and protease genes among Hungarian clinical Bacteroides fragilis isolates. Anaerobe 2017; 48:98-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Szewińska J, Simińska J, Bielawski W. The roles of cysteine proteases and phytocystatins in development and germination of cereal seeds. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 207:10-21. [PMID: 27771502 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2016.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Proteolysis is an important process for development and germination of cereal seeds. Among the many types of proteases identified in plants are the cysteine proteases (CPs) of the papain and legumain families, which play a crucial role in hydrolysing storage proteins during seed germination as well as in processing the precursors of these proteins and the inactive forms of other proteases. Moreover, all of the tissues of cereal seeds undergo progressive degradation via programed cell death, which is integral to their growth. In view of the important roles played by proteases, their uncontrolled activity could be harmful to the development of seeds and young seedlings. Thus, the activities of these enzymes are regulated by intracellular inhibitors called phytocystatins (PhyCys). The phytocystatins inhibit the activity of proteases of the papain family, and the presence of an additional motif in their C-termini allows them to also regulate the activity of members of the legumain family. A balance between the levels of cysteine proteases and phytocystatins is necessary for proper cereal seed development, and this is maintained through the antagonistic activities of gibberellins (GAs) and abscisic acid (ABA), which regulate the expression of the corresponding genes. Transcriptional regulation of cysteine proteases and phytocystatins is determined by cis-acting elements located in the promoters of these genes and by the expression of their corresponding transcription factors (TFs) and the interactions between different TFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Szewińska
- Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Nowoursynowska 159 street, Warsaw 02-776, Poland.
| | - Joanna Simińska
- Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Nowoursynowska 159 street, Warsaw 02-776, Poland
| | - Wiesław Bielawski
- Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Nowoursynowska 159 street, Warsaw 02-776, Poland
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Fagundes D, Bohn B, Cabreira C, Leipelt F, Dias N, Bodanese-Zanettini MH, Cagliari A. Caspases in plants: metacaspase gene family in plant stress responses. Funct Integr Genomics 2015; 15:639-49. [PMID: 26277721 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-015-0459-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Programmed cell death (PCD) is an ordered cell suicide that removes unwanted or damaged cells, playing a role in defense to environmental stresses and pathogen invasion. PCD is component of the life cycle of plants, occurring throughout development from embryogenesis to the death. Metacaspases are cysteine proteases present in plants, fungi, and protists. In certain plant-pathogen interactions, the PCD seems to be mediated by metacaspases. We adopted a comparative genomic approach to identify genes coding for the metacaspases in Viridiplantae. We observed that the metacaspase was divided into types I and II, based on their protein structure. The type I has a metacaspase domain at the C-terminus region, presenting or not a zinc finger motif in the N-terminus region and a prodomain rich in proline. Metacaspase type II does not feature the prodomain and the zinc finger, but has a linker between caspase-like catalytic domains of 20 kDa (p20) and 10 kDa (p10). A high conservation was observed in the zinc finger domain (type I proteins) and in p20 and p10 subunits (types I and II proteins). The phylogeny showed that the metacaspases are divided into three principal groups: type I with and without zinc finger domain and type II metacaspases. The algae and moss are presented as outgroup, suggesting that these three classes of metacaspases originated in the early stages of Viridiplantae, being the absence of the zinc finger domain the ancient condition. The study of metacaspase can clarify their assignment and involvement in plant PCD mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Fagundes
- Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS), CEP 96816-50, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil.
| | - Bianca Bohn
- Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS), CEP 96816-50, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil.
| | - Caroline Cabreira
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Fábio Leipelt
- Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS), CEP 96816-50, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil.
| | - Nathalia Dias
- Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS), CEP 96816-50, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil.
| | | | - Alexandro Cagliari
- Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS), CEP 96816-50, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil.
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Acosta-Maspons A, Sepúlveda-García E, Sánchez-Baldoquín L, Marrero-Gutiérrez J, Pons T, Rocha-Sosa M, González L. Two aspartate residues at the putative p10 subunit of a type II metacaspase from Nicotiana tabacum L. may contribute to the substrate-binding pocket. PLANTA 2014; 239:147-60. [PMID: 24121807 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-013-1975-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Metacaspases are cysteine proteases present in plants, fungi, prokaryotes, and early branching eukaryotes, although a detailed description of their cellular function remains unclear. Currently, three-dimensional (3D) structures are only available for two metacaspases: Trypanosoma brucei (MCA2) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Yca1). Furthermore, metacaspases diverged from animal caspases of known structure, which limits straightforward homology-based interpretation of functional data. We report for the first time the identification and initial characterization of a metacaspase of Nicotiana tabacum L., NtMC1. By combining domain search, multiple sequence alignment (MSA), and protein fold-recognition studies, we provide compelling evidences that NtMC1 is a plant metacaspase type II, and predict its 3D structure using the crystal structure of two type I metacaspases (MCA2 and Yca1) and Gsu0716 protein from Geobacter sulfurreducens as template. Analysis of the predicted 3D structure allows us to propose Asp353, at the putative p10 subunit, as a new member of the aspartic acid triad that coordinates the P1 arginine/lysine residue of the substrate. Nevertheless, site-directed mutagenesis and expression analysis in bacteria and Nicotiana benthamiana indicate the functionality of both Asp348 and Asp353. Through the co-expression of mutant and wild-type proteins by transient expression in N. benthamiana leaves we found that polypeptide processing seems to be intramolecular. Our results provide the first evidence in plant metacaspases concerning the functionality of the putative p10 subunit.
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Julián I, Gandullo J, Santos-Silva LK, Diaz I, Martinez M. Phylogenetically distant barley legumains have a role in both seed and vegetative tissues. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2013; 64:2929-41. [PMID: 23669572 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Legumains or vacuolar processing enzymes are cysteine peptidases (C13 family, clan CD) with increasingly recognized physiological significance in plants. They have previously been classified as seed and vegetative legumains. In this work, the entire barley legumain family is described. The eight members of this family belong to the two phylogenetic clades in which the angiosperm legumains are distributed. An in-depth molecular and functional characterization of a barley legumain from each group, HvLeg-2 and HvLeg-4, was performed. Both legumains contained a signal peptide and were located in the endoplasmic reticulum, were expressed in seeds and vegetative tissues, and when expressed as recombinant proteins showed legumain and caspase proteolytic activities. However, the role of each protein seemed to be different in their target tissues. HvLeg-2 responded in leaves to biotic and abiotic stimuli, such as salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, nitric oxide, abscisic acid, and aphid infestation, and was induced by gibberellic acid in seeds, where the protein is able to degrade storage globulins. HvLeg-4 responded in leaves to wounding, nitric oxide, and abscisic acid treatments, and had an unknown role in the germinating seed. From these results, a multifunctional role was assumed for these two phylogenetically distant legumains, achieving different physiological functions in both seed and vegetative tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Israel Julián
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (UPM-INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Autovía M40 (Km 38), 28223-Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
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Carrillo L, Herrero I, Cambra I, Sánchez-Monge R, Diaz I, Martinez M. Differential in vitro and in vivo effect of barley cysteine and serine protease inhibitors on phytopathogenic microorganisms. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2011; 49:1191-200. [PMID: 21482127 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2011.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2011] [Accepted: 03/16/2011] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Protease inhibitors from plants have been involved in defence mechanisms against pests and pathogens. Phytocystatins and trypsin/α-amylase inhibitors are two of the best characterized protease inhibitor families in plants. In barley, thirteen cystatins (HvCPI-1 to 13) and the BTI-CMe trypsin inhibitor have been previously studied. Their capacity to inhibit pest digestive proteases, and the negative in vivo effect caused by plants expressing these inhibitors on pests support the defence function of these proteins. Barley cystatins are also able to inhibit in vitro fungal growth. However, the antifungal effect of these inhibitors in vivo had not been previously tested. Moreover, their in vitro and in vivo effect on plant pathogenous bacteria is still unknown. In order to obtain new insights on this feature, in vitro assays were made against different bacterial and fungal pathogens of plants using the trypsin inhibitor BTI-CMe and the thirteen barley cystatins. Most barley cystatins and the BTI-CMe inhibitor were able to inhibit mycelial growth but no bacterial growth. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants independently expressing the BTI-CMe inhibitor and the cystatin HvCPI-6 were tested against the same bacterial and fungal pathogens. Neither the HvCPI-6 expressing transgenic plants nor the BTI-CMe ones were more resistant to plant pathogen fungi and bacteria than control Arabidopsis plants. The differences observed between the in vitro and in planta assays against phytopathogenic fungi are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Carrillo
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Campus Montegancedo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Autovía M40 (Km 38), 28223-Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
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Martinez M. Plant protein-coding gene families: emerging bioinformatics approaches. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2011; 16:558-567. [PMID: 21757395 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2011.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Revised: 06/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/10/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Protein-coding gene families are sets of similar genes with a shared evolutionary origin and, generally, with similar biological functions. In plants, the size and role of gene families has been only partially addressed. However, suitable bioinformatics tools are being developed to cluster the enormous number of sequences currently available in databases. Specifically, comparative genomic databases promise to become powerful tools for gene family annotation in plant clades. In this review, I evaluate the data retrieved from various gene family databases, the ease with which they can be extracted and how useful the extracted information is.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Martinez
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (UPM-INIA), Campus Montegancedo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Autovía M40 (Km 38), 28223-Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain.
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Tanaka H, Nariya H, Suzuki M, Houchi H, Tamai E, Miyata S, Okabe A. High-level production and purification of clostripain expressed in a virulence-attenuated strain of Clostridium perfringens. Protein Expr Purif 2010; 76:83-9. [PMID: 20940055 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2010.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2010] [Revised: 10/06/2010] [Accepted: 10/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Clostripain (CLO) produced by Clostridium histolyticum is an arginine-specific endopeptidase with the potential for applicability to diverse medical and industrial uses. In this study, we developed an expression system allowing high-level production and efficient purification of recombinant CLO (rCLO). Our expression system comprises pCLO, an rCLO expressing vector, and Clostridium perfringens 13Δ6, an in-frame deletion strain as to six genes encoding major virulence factors and secretory proteins. rCLO was purified from the culture supernatant of C. perfringens 13Δ6/pCLO by ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydroxyapatite chromatography, and affinity chromatography on benzamidine-Sepharose. From 200 ml of culture supernatant 4.5 mg of purified rCLO was obtained. N-Terminal amino acid sequencing and molecular mass determination of the purified rCLO and commercially available CLO revealed that the two enzymes have identical subunits, a 38.1-kDa heavy chain and a 15.0-kDa light chain, indicating that rCLO is processed in the same manner as CLO. Analysis of the enzymatic activities toward N-benzoyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide and acyl-L-lysine p-nitroanilide showed that rCLO and CLO exhibit strict specificity for arginine at the P1 position, and that the specific activity of the former is approximately 2-fold higher than that of the latter. These results indicate that the new method involving a virulence-attenuated C. perfringens strain is useful for preparing large amounts of high-grade rCLO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Tanaka
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
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