title: A retinoic acid-inducible modular protease in budding ascidians.
abstract: Retinoic acid-treated mesenchyme cells of the budding ascidian Polyandrocarpa misakiensis acquire an organizer activity to induce a secondary body axis when implanted into developing buds. We identified several different mRNAs that were upregulated in the mesenchyme cells after retinoic acid treatment. We isolated a cDNA clone corresponding to one of these mRNAs. The C-terminal region of the predicted protein product is homologous to the catalytic domain of serine proteases that belong to the trypsin family. The N-terminal region contains several types of protein-protein interaction domains. We therefore named this protein tunicate retinoic acid-inducible modular protease (TRAMP). Expression of the TRAMP mRNA in mesenchyme cells during budding and its upregulation by retinoic acid were demonstrated by reverse transcription-PCR and in situ hybridization. A glutathione S-transferase-TRAMP fusion protein showed a protease activity with trypsin-like substrate specificity and stimulated proliferation of the cell line established in this species.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Kochi University, Kochi, 780-8520, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yubisui
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014561:Urochordata / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014212:Tretinoin; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C122042:tunicate retinoic acid-inducible modular protease