title: Tick vitellin is dephosphorylated by a protein tyrosine phosphatase during egg development: effect of dephosphorylation on VT proteolysis.
abstract: Vitellin (VT) is a phospholipoglycoprotein that is the main component of arthropod egg yolk. Phosphorylation is a recurrent feature of every VT molecule described so far. However, the role played by such post-translational modification during egg development is not yet clear. In the eggs of the hard tick Boophilus microplus, VT is a phosphotyrosine-containing protein. VT-phosphotyrosine residues are gradually removed during tick embryogenesis due to the action of a 45 kDa egg tyrosine phosphatase. This enzyme is strongly inhibited by ammonium molybdate, sodium vanadate and cupric ion. The role of phosphotyrosine residues in VT proteolytic degradation was evaluated. Western blots probed with a monoclonal anti-phosphotyrosine antibody demonstrated that the high molecular mass VT subunits (VT 1 and VT 2) are the main targets of dephosphorylation during egg development. Both dephosphorylation and proteolysis of VT 1 and VT 2 are blocked by ammonium molybdate in total egg homogenates. When purified VT was dephosphorylated in vitro with lambda phosphatase and then incubated in the presence of bovine cathepsin D, VT proteolysis increased dramatically. Altogether, these data are the first to show that phosphotyrosine residues are present in a yolk protein, and that such residues might be involved in the regulation of VT breakdown during egg development.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Programa de Biotecnologia e Biologia Molecular, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, P.O. Box 68041, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro RJ 21941-590, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Janaina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castro-Santos
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Senna
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Logullo
authors.forename: Eliane
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fialho
authors.forename: Mário A C
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Silva-Neto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000494:pharmacology; D009865:Oocytes; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000502:physiology*; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D013987:Ticks / Q000502:physiology*; D047048:Vitellins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015053:Zygote / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D047048:Vitellins; D017027:Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases