title: The FAR protein family of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Differential lipid binding properties, structural characteristics, and developmental regulation.
abstract: Parasitic nematodes of humans and plants secrete a structurally novel type of fatty acid- and retinol-binding protein, FAR, into the tissues they occupy. These proteins may interfere with intercellular lipid signaling to manipulate the defense reactions of the host or acquire essential lipids for the parasites. The genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans encodes eight FAR-like proteins (Ce-FAR-1 to -8). These fall into three discrete groups as indicated by phylogenetic sequence comparisons and intron positions, the proteins from parasitic nematodes falling into group A. Recombinant Ce-FAR-1 to -7 were produced in Escherichia coli and tested for lipid binding in fluorescence-based assays. Ce-FAR-1 to -6 bound DAUDA (11-((5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)amino)undecanoic acid), cis-parinaric acid, and retinol with dissociation constants in the micromolar range, whereas Ce-FAR-7 bound the latter two lipids relatively poorly. Each protein produced a characteristic shift in peak fluorescence emission of DAUDA, and one (Ce-FAR-5) produced a shift greater than has been observed previously for any lipid-binding protein. Selected Ce-FAR proteins were analyzed by circular dichroism (CD) and differential scanning calorimetry, were found to be helix-rich, and exhibited high thermal stability (transition midpoint, 82.7 degrees C). CD and secondary structure predictions, however, both indicated that Ce-FAR-7 possesses substantially less helix than the other FAR proteins. The genes encoding the Ce-FAR proteins were found to be transcribed differentially through the life cycle of C. elegans, such that Ce-far-4 was transcribed at highest levels in the fourth larval stage, and Ce-far-3 and -7 predominated in males.
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Great Britain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: Marie-Claire
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rowlinson
authors.forename: Ngwa A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Amambua
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Sharon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Nicholas C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Malcolm W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Janette E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D017931:DNA Primers; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008024:Ligands; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C473216:FAR protein, C elegans; D008024:Ligands