Tracing the evolutionary origin of the TFF-domain, an ancient motif at mucous surfaces.
Mammalian trefoil factor family (TFF)-domain peptides promote gastrointestinal protection, healing and cell migration and may act as tumour suppressors. TFF-like domains also constitute modules of composite proteins like mucin glycoproteins and zona pellucida proteins. Database searches with a modified, less stringent consensus sequence - C-x(5,6)-[ST]-x(3)-C-x(4,5)-C-C-[FYWH]-x(2, 24)-C-[FY] - revealed that ancestors of the TFF-domain arose before amphibian evolution. Eggshell proteins and a zona pellucida-like protein in teleost species, an epidermis-specific protein in a tunicate as well as an open reading frame in a nematode exhibited TFF-like motifs suggesting that they most likely originated in some multicellular organism.
Sommer
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Division of Molecular Genetics, Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074, Tübingen, Germany. psmsommer@hotmail.com
Blin
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N
Gött
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009077:Mucins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D000071164:Trefoil Factor-2; D000071165:Trefoil Factor-3; D014561:Urochordata / Q000235:genetics
D006133:Growth Substances; D009077:Mucins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D010455:Peptides; C099037:TFF3 protein, rat; D000071164:Trefoil Factor-2; D000071165:Trefoil Factor-3