Presence of prophenoloxidase in the humoral fluid of amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense.
The presence of phenoloxidase (PO) activity in the humoral fluid of amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense was electrophoretically and spectrophotometrically studied. The enzyme was present in the humoral fluid predominantly as an inactive proenzyme, prophenoloxidase (proPO). The optimum temperature for activation of the proPO ranged from 30 degrees C to 35 degrees C, and the enzyme exhibited optimum activity at pH between 7.0 and 7.5. ProPO in the humoral fluid was readily activated to active form PO by exogenous elicitors such as trypsin, zymosan and LPS. The activation of the proPO by exogenous elicitors was significantly enhanced in the presence of 10 mM Ca2+, but was susceptible to serine protease inhibitors like soybean trypsin inhibitor and p-nitrophenyl-p'-guanidinobenzoate. PAGE revealed a single band of PO activity in the humoral fluid with an apparent molecular mass of 150 kDa, which was resolved to three bands with molecular masses of 44, 46 and 72 kDa, respectively, after SDS-PAGE. This is the first report on the presence of the enzyme PO in amphioxus humoral fluid.
Department of Marine Biology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.
Qiuxiang
Q
Pang
Shicui
S
Zhang
Changfa
C
Wang
Xiaodong
X
Shi
Yaning
Y
Sun
D000818:Animals; D001565:Benzoates / Q000494:pharmacology; D001831:Body Temperature; D004156:Catechol Oxidase / Q000097:blood*; D002816:Chordata, Nonvertebrate / Q000201:enzymology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015054:Zymosan / Q000494:pharmacology
D001565:Benzoates; D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors; C002238:4-nitrophenyl 4'-guanidinobenzoate; D015054:Zymosan; C038451:pro-phenoloxidase; D004156:Catechol Oxidase; D014357:Trypsin