title: Bee venom hyaluronidase is homologous to a membrane protein of mammalian sperm.
abstract: The venom of honeybees, Apis mellifera, contains several biologically active peptides and two enzymes, one of which is a hyaluronidase. By using degenerate oligonucleotides derived from the amino-terminal sequence of this hyaluronidase reported by others, clones encoding the precursor for this enzyme could be isolated from a cDNA library prepared from venom glands of worker bees. The deduced amino acid sequence showed that bee venom hyaluronidase is a polypeptide composed of 349 amino acids containing four cysteines and three potential sites for N-glycosylation. The sequence of the precursor also indicated that the conversion of the pro-enzyme to the end product must involve cleavage of a Thr-Pro bond, a most unusual processing reaction. The mRNA encoding hyaluronidase could also be detected in testes from drones. Expression of the cloned cDNA in Escherichia coli yielded a 41-kDa polypeptide that had hyaluronidase activity. Interestingly, the hyaluronidase from bee venom glands exhibited significant homology to PH-20, a membrane protein of guinea pig sperm involved in sperm-egg adhesion. These structural data support the long-held view that hyaluronidases play a role in fertilization.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Salzburg.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gmachl
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kreil
mesh_terms: D000177:Acrosome / Q000502:physiology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001514:Bee Venoms; D001516:Bees; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015723:Gene Library; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase