title: Identification of the novel evolutionary conserved obstructor multigene family in invertebrates.
abstract: Insects have evolved chitin-containing structures such as the cuticle or peritrophic membranes that serve to protect their bodies against the hostile environment. The specific mechanisms by which these structures are produced, are mostly unknown. We have identified a novel multigene family, the obstructor family, which encodes ten putatively secreted chitin-binding proteins that are characterized by a stereotype arrangement of a N-terminal signaling peptide and 3 chitin-binding-domains. Gene expression studies in Drosophila melanogaster embryos demonstrate that obstructor family members are expressed in cuticle forming tissues. Using computational and phylogenetic analysis, we show that obstructor genes represent an evolutionary conserved multigene family in invertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Molekulare Physiologie und Entwicklungsbiologie der Universität Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn, Abt. für Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoch
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D024322:Amino Acids, Aromatic / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017344:Genes, Insect; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000235:genetics*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D024322:Amino Acids, Aromatic; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D002686:Chitin; D003545:Cysteine