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Ma L, Dong W, Lai E, Wang J. Silk fibroin-based scaffolds for tissue engineering. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1381838. [PMID: 38737541 PMCID: PMC11084674 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1381838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Silk fibroin is an important natural fibrous protein with excellent prospects for tissue engineering applications. With profound studies in recent years, its potential in tissue repair has been developed. A growing body of literature has investigated various fabricating methods of silk fibroin and their application in tissue repair. The purpose of this paper is to trace the latest developments of SF-based scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this review, we first presented the primary and secondary structures of silk fibroin. The processing methods of SF scaffolds were then summarized. Lastly, we examined the contribution of new studies applying SF as scaffolds in tissue regeneration applications. Overall, this review showed the latest progress in the fabrication and utilization of silk fibroin-based scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Ma
- National Innovation Center for Advanced Medical Devices, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wenyuan Dong
- National Innovation Center for Advanced Medical Devices, Shenzhen, China
| | - Enping Lai
- College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou, China
| | - Jiamian Wang
- National Innovation Center for Advanced Medical Devices, Shenzhen, China
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2
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Rani A, Pandey DM, Pandey JP. Biomolecular characterization of Antheraea mylitta cocoonase: A secreted protease. Anal Biochem 2024; 686:115408. [PMID: 38008303 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2023.115408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Cocoonase is a protease secreted during the emergence of silk moths. In the present study cocoonase of Antheraea mylitta was collected, purified and secondary structure was determined using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy which revealed the presence of α-helix 4.3%, β-sheet 55%, turn 8% and random coil 32.7%. The thermal stability of cocoonase was studied using CD spectroscopy while the thermal property was observed using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, MALDI-TOF peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) was performed for similar protein identification using the MASCOT server. Using casein as the substrate, the kinetic constants Km and Vmax were 13 × 103 mg/ml and 15.09 × 10-2 μg/mg.s1 respectively. The specific activity of cocoonase was observed to be maximum at temperature 40 °C, pH-8.0. The effect of heavy metals Hg2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Pb2+ showed inhibitory activity at higher concentrations, while few metals like Mn2+, Fe3+ enhanced the activity while the effect of Ca2+ was not much on the activity. Soybean trypsin inhibitor and PMSF showed an inhibitory effect on the activity of cocoonase. Additionally, antioxidant scavenging and fibrinolytic properties were also observed. Furthermore, the imperative information generated through the present study will serve to explore cocoonase for its prospective pharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aruna Rani
- Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, Jharkhand, India; Central Tasar Research and Training Institute (Central Silk Board, MOT Govt. of India), Piska Nagri, Ranchi, 835303, Jharkhand, India
| | - Dev Mani Pandey
- Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, Jharkhand, India
| | - Jay Prakash Pandey
- Central Tasar Research and Training Institute (Central Silk Board, MOT Govt. of India), Piska Nagri, Ranchi, 835303, Jharkhand, India.
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Rani A, Pandey DM, Pandey JP. Identification of cocoonase and cocoonase like protein using polyclonal antibody of Antheraea mylitta cocoonase. Biotechnol Lett 2024; 46:47-54. [PMID: 38109018 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-023-03447-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocoonase is a proteolytic enzyme released by silk moths during pupal adult emergence. Without damaging the silk fibroin, this enzyme dissolves the shell of the tasar cocoon by exclusively targeting the protein sericin. Prior to this study, there was no available antibody against Antheraea mylitta cocoonase to identify or screen out similar variants or cocoonase like protein. RESULTS In the present study, naturally secreted A. mylitta cocoonase was purified and used to immunize New Zealand white rabbits. The developed polyclonal antibody of cocoonase was purified and its specific interaction with cocoonase was determined using Indirect ELISA. The confirmation of its specificity and immuno-reactivity was evaluated by western blot using native cocoonase of tasar silkworm A. mylitta. The efficacy and specificity of the polyclonal antibody were further verified and confirmed by western blot which was performed to detect ten different ecotypes of A. mylitta cocoonase. CONCLUSION The developed antibody successfully detected the cocoonase of different ecotypes. Thus, in future this antibody can serve as one of the molecular detection method for cocoonase and cocoonase-like proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aruna Rani
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, 835215, India
- Biotechnology Division, Central Tasar Research and Training Institute (Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles), Piska Nagri, Ranchi, Jharkhand, 835303, India
| | - Dev Mani Pandey
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, 835215, India.
| | - Jay Prakash Pandey
- Biotechnology Division, Central Tasar Research and Training Institute (Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles), Piska Nagri, Ranchi, Jharkhand, 835303, India.
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Sakata N, Murakami Y, Miyazawa M, Shimamoto S, Hidaka Y. A Novel Peptide Reagent for Investigating Disulfide-Coupled Folding Intermediates of Mid-Size Proteins. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28083494. [PMID: 37110728 PMCID: PMC10142513 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigations of protein folding have largely involved the use of disulfide-containing proteins, since the disulfide-coupled folding of proteins allows folding intermediates to be trapped and their conformations determined. However, studies of the folding mechanisms of mid-size proteins face several problems, one of which is that detecting folding intermediates is difficult. Therefore, to solve this issue, a novel peptide reagent, maleimidohexanoyl-Arg5-Tyr-NH2, was designed and applied to the detection of folding intermediates of model proteins. BPTI was chosen as a model small protein to estimate the ability of the novel reagent to detect folding intermediates. In addition, a precursor protein (prococoonase) of Bombyx mori cocoonase was used as a model mid-size protein. Cocoonase is classified as a serine protease and has a high homology with trypsin. We recently found that the propeptide sequence of prococoonase (proCCN) is important for the folding of cocoonase. However, it was difficult to study the folding pathway of proCCN since the folding intermediates could not be separated on a reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC). Therefore, to separate the folding intermediates by RP-HPLC, the novel labeling reagent was used to accomplish this for proCCN. The results indicated that the peptide reagent allowed the intermediates to be captured, separated on SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by RP-HPLC without the occurrence of undesirable disulfide-exchange reactions during the labeling reactions. The peptide reagent reported herein is a practical tool for investigating the mechanisms of disulfide-coupled folding of mid-size proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Sakata
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka 577-8502, Japan
| | - Yuri Murakami
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka 577-8502, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Miyazawa
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Shigeru Shimamoto
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka 577-8502, Japan
| | - Yuji Hidaka
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka 577-8502, Japan
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Tiwari NP, Pandey JP, Pandey DM. Protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics studies of sericin and cocoonase of silkworm: an insight for cocoon softening. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:1193-1205. [PMID: 34939532 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2017352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Cocoonase is known to digest the sericin protein that encapsulates the silkworm cocoon's fibroin protein. Silk fibroin and sericin are two types of proteins that make up silk, and accounts for around 20-30% of the overall cocoon weight. The aim of the study was to see the protein-protein interaction (PPI) and molecular dynamic study of sericin, cocoonase and protein-protein docked complex of silkworm by computational approaches. Here motif analysis, phylogenetic analysis, principal component analysis, root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation, radius of gyration, structural and functional study of cocoonase and sericin as well as molecular docking study were carried out. The 33 amino acid residues of cocoonase shows interaction with 38 aa residues of sericin involving 4 disulphide bonds, 22 hydrogen bonds and 319 non-bonded contacts. The confirmational stability and flexibility of both the proteins as well as protein-protein complex were achieved at 70 ns of MD simulation study. RMSD-based data indicated that cocoonase is more stable than sericin and complex, and complex has a greater fluctuation with more compact (higher Rg) value than cocoonase and sericin, inferring higher conformational stability and flexibility of protein-protein complex than cocoonase and sericin. This study provides a new dimension for PPI study by computational approaches.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dev Mani Pandey
- Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
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Degradation-Suppressed Cocoonase for Investigating the Propeptide-Mediated Activation Mechanism. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27228063. [PMID: 36432163 PMCID: PMC9693254 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27228063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Cocoonase is folded in the form of a zymogen precursor protein (prococoonase) with the assistance of the propeptide region. To investigate the role of the propeptide sequence on the disulfide-coupled folding of cocoonase and prococoonase, the amino acid residues at the degradation sites during the refolding and auto-processing reactions were determined by mass spectrometric analyses and were mutated to suppress the numerous degradation reactions that occur during the reactions. In addition, the Lys8 residue at the propeptide region was also mutated to estimate whether the entire sequence is absolutely required for the activation of cocoonase. Finally, a degradation-suppressed [K8D,K63G,K131G,K133A]-proCCN protein was prepared and was found to refold readily without significant degradation. The results of an enzyme assay using casein or Bz-Arg-OEt suggested that the mutations had no significant effect on either the enzyme activity or the protein conformation. Thus, we, herein, provide the non-degradative cocoonase protein to investigate the propeptide-mediated protein folding of the molecule. We also examined the catalytic residues using the degradation-suppressed cocoonase. The point mutations at the putative catalytic residues in cocoonase resulted in the loss of catalytic activity without any secondary structural changes, indicating that the mutated residues play a role in the catalytic activity of this enzyme.
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Sneha, Pandey JP, Pandey DM. Evaluating the role of trypsin in silk degumming: An in silico approach. J Biotechnol 2022; 359:35-47. [PMID: 36126805 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2022.09.007] [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: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The trypsin being universal enzyme forming family of proteases catalyzes the hydrolysis of proteins into amino acids and regenerates the serine hydroxyl an active site. The trypsin enzyme from D. saccharalis, uses sericin as its preferred substrate. Presence of catalytic triad (serine, aspartic acid and histidine) at the substrate binding site of this enzyme is very important for the catalytic activity. In the current study, the interacting mechanism between the substrate sericin protein and enzyme trypsin protein were explored by integrating various computational approaches including physico-chemical properties, biophysical properties, dynamics, gene ontology, molecular docking, protein - protein interactions, binding free energy calculation and structural motifs were studied. The evolutionary study performed by MEGA X showed that trypsin protein sequence (ALE15212.1) is closely related to cocoonase protein sequence (ADG26770.1) from Antheraea pernyi. 3-D models of trypsin and sericin proteins were predicted using I-TASSER and further validated by PROCHECK, and ProSAweb softwares. The predicted trypsin structure model was assigned E.C. no. 3.4.21.4 which refers hydrolytic mechanism. Gene Ontology predicted by QuickGO showed that trypsin has serine hydrolase activity (GO: 00017171), and part of proteolysis (GO: 0006508) as well as protein metabolic process (GO:0019538) actvity. Molecular docking studies between trypsin and sericin proteins were conducted by the HADDOCK 2.4 having best docked protein complex with Z-score - 1.9. 2D and 3D protein-protein interaction was performed with LIGPLOT+ and HAWKDOCK, PDBsum, respectively. The amino acid residues interacting across proteins interface are sericin_chain A representing "Ser133, Tyr214, Thr188, Thr243, Ser225, Ser151, Ser156, His294, Arg293, Gly296″ and trypsin_chain B "Lys120, Tyr246, Asn119, Glu239, Ser62, Tyr194, Ile197, Ser171, Tyr169, Gly170″. Based on our results trypsin shows similarity with cocoonase and presumably trypsin can be used as an alternative source in cocoon degumming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835215, India.
| | - Jay Prakash Pandey
- Central Tasar Research and Training Institute, Piska-Nagri, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835303, India.
| | - Dev Mani Pandey
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835215, India.
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Sneha S, Pandey DM. In silico structural and functional characterization of Antheraea mylitta cocoonase. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2022; 20:102. [PMID: 35816268 PMCID: PMC9273796 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-022-00367-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocoonase is a serine protease present in sericigenous insects and majorly involved in dissolving of sericin protein allowing moth to escape. Cocoon structure is made up of sericin protein which holds fibroin filaments together. Cocoonase enzyme hydrolyzes sericin protein without harming the fibroin. However, until date, no detailed characterization of cocoonase enzyme and its presence in wild silk moth Antheraea mylitta has been carried out. Therefore, current study aimed for detailed characterization of amplified cocoonase enzyme, secondary and tertiary structure prediction, sequence and structural alignment, phylogenetic analysis, and computational validation. Several computational tools such as ProtParam, Iterative Threading Assembly Refinement (I-TASSER), PROCHECK, SAVES v6.0, TM-align, Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) X, and Figtree were employed for characterization of cocoonase protein. RESULTS The present study elucidates about the isolation of RNA, cDNA preparation, PCR amplification, and in silico characterization of cocoonase from Antheraea mylitta. Here, total RNA was isolated from head region of A. mylitta, and gene-specific primers were designed using Primer3 followed by PCR-based amplification and sequencing. The newly constructed 377-bp length sequence of cocoonase was subjected to in silico characterization. In silico study of A. mylitta cocoonase showed 26% similarity to A. pernyi strain Qing-6 cocoonase using Blastp and belongs to member of chymotrypsin-like serine protease superfamily. From phylogenetic study, it was found that A. mylitta cocoonase sequence is closely related to A. pernyi cocoonase sequence. CONCLUSIONS The present study revealed about the detailed in silico characterization of cocoonase gene and encoded protein obtained from A. mylitta head region. The results obtained infer the presence of cocoonase enzyme in the wild silkworm A. mylitta and can be used for cocoon degumming which will be a valuable and cost-effective strategy in silk industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha Sneha
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, Jharkhand, India
| | - Dev Mani Pandey
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, Jharkhand, India.
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The propeptide sequence assists the correct folding required for the enzymatic activity of cocoonase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 624:35-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.07.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Milligram scale expression, refolding, and purification of Bombyx mori cocoonase using a recombinant E. coli system. Protein Expr Purif 2021; 186:105919. [PMID: 34044132 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2021.105919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Silk is one of the most versatile biomaterials with signature properties of outstanding mechanical strength and flexibility. A potential avenue for developing more environmentally friendly silk production is to make use of the silk moth (Bombyx mori) cocoonase, this will at the same time increase the possibility for using the byproduct, sericin, as a raw material for other applications. Cocoonase is a serine protease utilized by the silk moth to soften the cocoon to enable its escape after completed metamorphosis. Cocoonase selectively degrades the glue protein of the cocoon, sericin, without affecting the silk-fiber made of the protein fibroin. Cocoonase can be recombinantly produced in E. coli, however, it is exclusively found as insoluble inclusion bodies. To solve this problem and to be able to utilize the benefits associated with an E. coli based expression system, we have developed a protocol that enables the production of soluble and functional protease in the milligram/liter scale. The core of the protocol is refolding of the protein in a buffer with a redox potential that is optimized for formation of native and intramolecular di-sulfide bridges. The redox potential was balanced with defined concentrations of reduced and oxidized glutathione. This E.coli based production protocol will, in addition to structure determination, also enable modification of cocoonase both in terms of catalytic function and stability. These factors will be valuable components in the development of alternate silk production methodology.
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Gai T, Tong X, Han M, Li C, Fang C, Zou Y, Hu H, Xiang H, Xiang Z, Lu C, Dai F. Cocoonase is indispensable for Lepidoptera insects breaking the sealed cocoon. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1009004. [PMID: 32986696 PMCID: PMC7544147 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many insects spin cocoons to protect the pupae from unfavorable environments and predators. After emerging from the pupa, the moths must escape from the sealed cocoons. Previous works identified cocoonase as the active enzyme loosening the cocoon to form an escape-hatch. Here, using bioinformatics tools, we show that cocoonase is specific to Lepidoptera and that it probably existed before the occurrence of lepidopteran insects spinning cocoons. Despite differences in cocooning behavior, we further show that cocoonase evolved by purification selection in Lepidoptera and that the selection is more intense in lepidopteran insects spinning sealed cocoons. Experimentally, we applied gene editing techniques to the silkworm Bombyx mori, which spins a dense and sealed cocoon, as a model of lepidopteran insects spinning sealed cocoons. We knocked out cocoonase using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The adults of homozygous knock-out mutants were completely formed and viable but stayed trapped and died naturally in the cocoon. This is the first experimental and phenotypic evidence that cocoonase is the determining factor for breaking the cocoon. This work led to a novel silkworm strain yielding permanently intact cocoons and provides a new strategy for controlling the pests that form cocoons. Spinning and cocooning are the instincts of many insects, providing a shelter to the residing pupae to resist adverse factors. After the metamorphosis of pupa into adult, the adult must break open the cocoon to emerge, which is called decocooning. We have bioinformatically identified that cocoonase is specific to Lepidoptera, and demonstrated that it is the determining factor for breaking the sealed cocoon experimentally for the first time. This work led to a novel silkworm strain yielding permanently intact cocoons and provides a new strategy for controlling the pests that form cocoons and for breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Gai
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaoling Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- * E-mail: (XT); (FD)
| | - Minjin Han
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Chunlin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Chunyan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yunlong Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hai Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hui Xiang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhonghuai Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Cheng Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Fangyin Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- * E-mail: (XT); (FD)
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Smith G, Kelly JE, Macias-Muñoz A, Butts CT, Martin RW, Briscoe AD. Evolutionary and structural analyses uncover a role for solvent interactions in the diversification of cocoonases in butterflies. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2037. [PMID: 29298934 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Multi-omic approaches promise to supply the power to detect genes underlying disease and fitness-related phenotypes. Optimal use of the resulting profusion of data requires detailed investigation of individual candidate genes, a challenging proposition. Here, we combine transcriptomic and genomic data with molecular modelling of candidate enzymes to characterize the evolutionary history and function of the serine protease cocoonase. Heliconius butterflies possess the unique ability to feed on pollen; recent work has identified cocoonase as a candidate gene in pollen digestion. Cocoonase was first described in moths, where it aids in eclosure from the cocoon and is present as a single copy gene. In heliconiine butterflies it is duplicated and highly expressed in the mouthparts of adults. At least six copies of cocoonase are present in Heliconius melpomene and copy number varies across H. melpomene sub-populations. Most cocoonase genes are under purifying selection, however branch-site analyses suggest cocoonase 3 genes may have evolved under episodic diversifying selection. Molecular modelling of cocoonase proteins and examination of their predicted structures revealed that the active site region of each type has a similar structure to trypsin, with the same predicted substrate specificity across types. Variation among heliconiine cocoonases instead lies in the outward-facing residues involved in solvent interaction. Thus, the neofunctionalization of cocoonase duplicates appears to have resulted from the need for these serine proteases to operate in diverse biochemical environments. We suggest that cocoonase may have played a buffering role in feeding during the diversification of Heliconius across the neotropics by enabling these butterflies to digest protein from a range of biochemical milieux.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA .,School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Brambell Laboratories, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
| | - J E Kelly
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - A Macias-Muñoz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - C T Butts
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.,Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.,Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - R W Martin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.,Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - A D Briscoe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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13
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Unajak S, Aroonluke S, Promboon A. An active recombinant cocoonase from the silkworm Bombyx mori: bleaching, degumming and sericin degrading activities. JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2015; 95:1179-1189. [PMID: 25042939 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.6806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Revised: 06/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocoonase is a serine protease produced by silk moths and used for softening the cocoons so that they can escape. Degumming is one of the important steps in silk processing. This research aimed to produce an active recombinant Bombyx mori cocoonase (BmCoc) for the silk degumming process. RESULTS A recombinant BmCoc was successfully expressed in a Pichia pastoris system. The purified enzyme showed specific activity of 227 U mg(-1) protein, 2.4-fold purification, 95% yield and a molecular weight of 26 kDa. The enzyme exhibited optimal temperature at 40 °C and optimal pH at 8, and showed thermal stability at 25-45 °C and pH stability at 5-9. The recombinant enzyme exhibited sericin degumming ability and color bleaching characteristics, and did not affect the fibroin fiber. The enzyme also degraded sericin substrate with a product size about 30-70 kDa. CONCLUSION In this study, we successfully produced the active recombinant BmCoc in P. pastoris with promising functions for the Thai silk degumming process, which includes degumming, sericin degrading and color bleaching activities. Our data clearly indicated that the recombinant enzyme had proteolytic activity on sericin but not on fibroin proteins. The recombinant BmCoc has proven to be suitable for numerous applications in the silk industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasimanas Unajak
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand; Interdisciplinary Program in Genetic Engineering, The Graduate School, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Khosa MA, Shah SS, Feng X. Thermodynamic functions of metal–sericin complexation in ultrafiltration study. J Memb Sci 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2014.06.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Fukumori H, Teshiba S, Shigeoka Y, Yamamoto K, Banno Y, Aso Y. Purification and characterization of cocoonase from the silkworm Bombyx mori. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2014; 78:202-11. [DOI: 10.1080/09168451.2014.878215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Cocoonase (CCN) which facilitates the degradation of a cocoon is recognized as a trypsin-like serine protease. In this study, CCN from the silkworm Bombyx mori was purified and comprehensively characterized. Its activity was maximal at about pH 9.8. It was stable above pH 3.4 at 4 °C and below 50 °C at pH 7.5. CuSO4, FeSO4, and ZnSO4 showed inhibitory effects on CCN, but other salts improved activity. Typical trypsin inhibitors inhibited CCN, but the relative inhibitory activities were much lower than those against bovine trypsin. An extract of cocoon shells inhibited trypsin, but it was only slightly inhibitory against CCN. There were significant differences in catalytic efficiencies and substrate specificities as between CCN and bovine trypsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisayoshi Fukumori
- Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Satoshi Teshiba
- Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yuichi Shigeoka
- Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kohji Yamamoto
- Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yutaka Banno
- Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoichi Aso
- Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
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Geng P, Lin L, Li Y, Fan Q, Wang N, Song L, Li W. A novel fibrin(ogen)olytic trypsin-like protease from Chinese oak silkworm (Antheraea pernyi): Purification and characterization. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2014; 445:64-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.01.155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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