title: Identification of the receptor-recognition surface of bombyxin-II, an insulin-like peptide of the silkmoth Bombyx mori: critical importance of the B-chain central part.
abstract: Bombyxin-II, a brain-secretory peptide of the silkmoth Bombyx mori, shares 40% sequence identify and the characteristics core structure with human insulin. In spite of the structural similarity, no cross-activity is observed between them. To localize the active region of bombyxin-II, we have synthesized chimeric molecules of bombyxin-II and human insulin, and examined their bombyxin activity. Two chimeric molecules, which were sequentially identical except for the B-chain central part, showed significantly different potencies in bombyxin activity. Solution structure determination of these chimeric molecules revealed that their B-chain central parts took similar main-chain conformation, but formed dissimilar patches on their molecular surfaces. Therefore, the surface patch formed by the central part of the bombyxin-II B-chain is of critical importance for recognition of the bombyxin receptor. The above results, together with other data on the structure-activity relationships of bombyxin, indicate that the receptor-recognition surface of bombyxin-II includes the A-chain N and C, termini in addition to the B-chain central part. Though bombyxin-II, human insulin and human relaxin 2 use the common surface as their receptor-recognition sites, each of the surface patches is characterized by the variety of involved side-chains. Insulin and relaxin involve additional parts for receptor recognition, particularly the B-chain C-terminal part and the extended A-chain N-terminal helix, respectively. In conclusion, these ligands have evolved their own specific mechanisms for receptor recognition while retaining the major recognition surface.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D012831:Bombyx / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012065:Relaxin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D009479:Neuropeptides; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C096422:bombyxin receptor; C077536:bombyxin II; D012065:Relaxin