title: Functional analysis of leucine aminopeptidase in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: To investigate the function of the enzyme leucine aminopeptidase in nematodes, a Caenorhabditis elegans leucine aminopeptidase gene identified in the genome sequence was functionally analysed by transfection of a leucine aminopeptidase beta-galactosidase reporter construct and characterisation of a null mutant. The leucine aminopeptidase transgene is expressed along the length of the gut, and immunolocalisation shows the enzyme in the buccal cavity, pharynx, anterior gut and rectum. It is constitutively expressed as seen by analysis of cDNAs constructed from mRNAs of nematodes taken at 2 h intervals through the life-cycle; and by western blot analysis of protein from the same set of nematodes. Leucine aminopeptidase null mutants had a slower growth rate and delayed onset of egg-laying. We suggest that in C. elegans, leucine aminopeptidase is a digestive enzyme.
authors: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT, London, UK. g.joshua@lshtm.ac.uk
authors: G W
authors: GW
authors: Joshua
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics; D007931:Leucyl Aminopeptidase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014162:Transfection; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D007931:Leucyl Aminopeptidase