title: Structural properties of the protein SV-IV.
abstract: We have investigated the molecular mechanisms that produce different structural and functional behavior in the monomeric and trimeric forms of seminal vesicle protein no. 4, a protein with immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and procoagulant activity secreted from the rat seminal vesicle epithelium. The monomeric and trimeric forms were characterized in solution by CD. Details of the self-association process and structural changes that accompany aggregation were investigated by different experimental approaches: trypsin proteolysis, sequence analysis, chemical modification, and computer modeling. The self-association process induces conformational change mainly in the 1-70 region, which appears to be without secondary structure in the monomer but contains alpha-helix in the trimer. In vivo, proteolysis of seminal vesicle protein no. 4 generates active peptides and this is affected by the monomer/trimer state, which is regulated by the concentration of the protein. The information obtained shows how conformational changes between the monomeric and trimeric forms represent a crucial aspect of activity modulation.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Agrobiologia ed Agrochimica, Universitá della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caporale
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colonna
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facchiano
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferranti
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mamone
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Picariello
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Colonna
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Metafora
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stiuso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003029:Coagulants / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004848:Epithelium / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D011487:Protein Conformation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D029607:Seminal Vesicle Secretory Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000737:chemistry*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D003029:Coagulants; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D029607:Seminal Vesicle Secretory Proteins; C101178:Svs4 protein, rat; D014357:Trypsin