title: Cloning and expression of a second human natural killer cell granule tryptase, HNK-Tryp-2/granzyme 3.
abstract: Cytotoxic lymphocytes possess a number of serine proteases (granzymes) usually localized in cytoplasmic granules. To date, the DNA sequences of four human granzymes have been reported. A fifth human granzyme (granzyme 3) has been biochemically purified and its N-terminal amino acid sequence has been reported. This enzyme was described as possessing tryptase activity, cleaving synthetic substrates after arginine or lysine. We recently cloned a rat granzyme tryptase (RNK-Tryp-2), and used this cDNA to screen human cDNA libraries. Isolation of cDNA fragments of a human gene could be overlapped to provide a complete cDNA sequence, which we designated HNK-Tryp-2. The N-terminal amino acid sequence deduced from HNK-Tryp-2 was identical to that reported for granzyme 3. This gene appears to be a single copy gene that is expressed in isolated natural killer cells and T cells as well as in tissues containing these cells.
authors.affiliation: Biological Carcinogenesis and Developmental Program, SAIC Frederick, National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research and Developmental Center, Maryland 21702, USA.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Sayers
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: McVicar
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Wiltrout
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Wiltrout
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Smyth
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000302:isolation & purification; D053804:Granzymes; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; C088546:GZMK protein, human; D053804:Granzymes; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases