title: Identification and cDNA cloning of alveolin, an extracellular metalloproteinase, which induces chorion hardening of medaka (Oryzias latipes) eggs upon fertilization.
abstract: Chorion hardening is triggered by the contents of cortical alveoli that are released upon fertilization of medaka (Oryzias latipes) eggs. We purified the chorion hardening-inducing activity as a single protein from the exudate of cortical alveoli of medaka eggs. This activity was co-purified with proteolytic activity of the chorion protein ZI-1,2. Based on the amino acid sequence of purified protein, we cloned the cDNA of this protein from a medaka ovarian cDNA library. Sequence analyses revealed typical sequence features, a zinc-binding motif and a methionine turn motif, of the astacin metalloproteinase family. We termed this protein "alveolin." Alveolin has a molecular mass of 21.5 kDa deduced by the amino acid sequence and neutral optimal pH range. Alveolin hydrolyzes ZI-1,2. Alveolin activity was strongly inhibited by metal-chelating agents but not by various proteinase inhibitors. To our knowledge, this is the first description of the isolation and identification of the chorion hardening-inducing factor from cortical alveoli exudate of teleost eggs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Department of Developmental Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwamatsu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oba
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagahama
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshikuni
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002823:Chorion / Q000502:physiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009990:Oryzias / Q000235:genetics*; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C406805:alveolin; C071288:astacin