title: Skin antifreeze protein genes of the winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus, encode distinct and active polypeptides without the secretory signal and prosequences.
abstract: Distinct antifreeze polypeptides (AFP) were isolated from the skin of the winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus, by gel filtration and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. In parallel, several cDNA clones were isolated from a skin cDNA library using a liver AFP cDNA probe. Both protein and DNA sequence analyses indicate that flounder skin contains several distinct but homologous alanine-rich AFPs. Although the skin type AFPs contain 11 similar amino acid repeats found in the secretory liver type AFPs, the skin type AFPs are mature polypeptides lacking both the signal and prosequences, indicating that they may function intracellularly. The skin type AFP is significantly less active in thermal hysteretic activity than the liver type AFP. Genomic Southern analysis indicates that like the liver type AFP genes, there are multiple copies (30-40 copies) of skin type AFP. Although the liver type AFP genes are specifically expressed in the liver and to a lesser extent in intestine, the skin type AFP genes are expressed in all tissues examined including the liver and abundantly in exterior tissues, i.e. skin, scales, fin, and gills, suggesting an important protecting role in these exterior tissues.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L5, Canada.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Ewart
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hew
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D021301:Antifreeze Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005432:Flounder; D005615:Freezing; D015870:Gene Expression; D015723:Gene Library; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D021301:Antifreeze Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006023:Glycoproteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004247:DNA; D000409:Alanine