title: Molecular characterization of Lma-p54, a new epicuticular surface protein in the cockroach Leucophaea maderae (Dictyoptera, oxyhaloinae).
abstract: The epicuticular surface protein Lma-p54 is imbedded in the "cuticular waxes" which cover the abdominal surface of the adult Leucophaea maderae. Natural Lma-p54 was purified and the complete cDNA sequence was determined by RT-PCR using primers based on Edman degradation fragments. Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses showed that Lma-p54 was expressed in the adult abdominal epidermis and in the chemical sense organs of both sexes. Sequence alignment indicates that Lma-p54 is closely related to aspartic proteases (EC 3.4.23). However, there are critical amino acid substitutions at the level of the active site and, since no proteolytic activity was detected in the abdominal secretion, the protein is likely inactive. As an inactive aspartic protease, Lma-p54 is related to pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) which still present a peptide-binding ability. According to recent experiments using whole tergal protein secretions, a role in intraspecific contact recognition was proposed for this surface protein.
authors.affiliation: Université de Bourgogne, CNRS UMR 5548, 6 Bd Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cornette
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Farine
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Quennedey
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riviere
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brossut
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006023:Glycoproteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases