title: A 14-kDa Schistosoma mansoni polypeptide is homologous to a gene family of fatty acid binding proteins.
abstract: The complete nucleotide sequence encoding a Schistosoma mansoni protein termed Sm14 was determined from cDNA clones propagated in bacteriophage lambda gt11 in Escherichia coli. The 14.8-kDa protein bears significant homologies with a family of related polypeptides which bind hydrophobic ligands. Members of this group of cytosolic proteins were originally identified based on their affinity for long chain fatty acids. The purified recombinant protein exhibited an affinity to fatty acids, in contrast to a mutant lacking 16 N-terminal amino acids. Immunofluorescence experiments show that tubercles, which are structures located on the dorsal surface of adult male schistosome and known to contain lipids, are stained using antibodies raised to the beta-galactosidase fusion protein. A regular staining pattern is also evident in the muscle layers as well as in the body of the parasite. As the schistosome cannot synthesize fatty acids de novo and is dependent on the uptake of lipids from serum, the available data support a role for Sm14 in the transport of fatty acids.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tendler
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: M Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Klinkert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D050612:Fatty Acid Transport Proteins; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015801:Helminth Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050612:Fatty Acid Transport Proteins; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D015801:Helminth Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C068709:SM14 protein, Schistosoma mansoni; D004247:DNA