title: Purification and molecular cloning of cDNA for an inducible antibacterial protein from larvae of the coleopteran, Tenebrio molitor.
abstract: Antibacterial activity was induced in the hemolymph of larvae of the coleopteran Tenebrio molitor by injection of Escherichia coli. An antibacterial protein, named tenecin 1, was purified to homogeneity from the larval hemolymph and characterized. A cDNA clone for tenecin 1 was isolated and its complete sequence was determined. This protein was found to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria and to consist of 43-amino acid residues including six cysteine residues. The disulfide structure of tenecin 1 was determined by sequencing cysteine containing peptides obtained by digesting tenecin 1 with endopeptidase Lys-C, trypsin, and thermolysin. The amino acid sequence and its disulfide bonds were similar to those of sapecin and sapecin C, antibacterial proteins of Sarcophaga peregrina.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Korea.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natori
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization; D019476:Insect Proteins; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013712:Tenebrio / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019476:Insect Proteins; D011506:Proteins; C091169:tenecin 1 protein, Tenebrio molitor