title: The prophenoloxidase system is activated during the tunic inflammatory reaction of Ciona intestinalis.
abstract: Phenoloxidase (PO) activity was examined in the tunic tissue of Ciona intestinalis following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) intratunic injection. Tunic homogenate supernatant (THS), assayed with the Dopa-MBTH reaction, displayed Ca(2+)-independent PO activity that was raised by LPS and further enhanced by proteases. Specific inhibitors (tropolone, phenylthiourea, diethylthiocarbamate) supported the specificity of the reaction. Assay with soybean trypsin inhibitor showed that, in the tunic, PO activation with trypsin was not significantly inhibited suggesting that proteases diverse from serine proteases were involved. In vivo experiments were carried out by injecting isosmotic medium or LPS, and THS was assayed for its PO activity. Analysis of variance of the time-course profiles showed that LPS was more effective in activating proPO. To disclose the PO response at the injured site, an assay with Dopa-MBTH was performed in vitro. Quinones were mainly contained in the tunic matrix enriched with inflammatory cells around the injection site. Microscopic observations and immunohistochemistry with anti-CinPO-2 antibodies showed granulocytes and unilocular refractile granulocytes containing PO, whereas few morula cells were stained. In THS zymograms (SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), PO activity linked to 90-kDa and 120-kDa bands was observed as an effect of LPS injection, whereas the density of 170-kDa PO was weak. A third presumptive PO enzyme (CinPO-3) containing the CinPO-2 peptide was identified in the recent Ciona genome version. Presumably, LPS stimulated the production and dimerization (120 kDa) of CinPO-3 (66 kDa). Thus, the activated proPO system includes several POs that are distinguishable by size and that are contained and presumably released by tunic inflammatory cells and hemocytes of the pharynx bars.
authors.affiliation: Marine Immunobiology Laboratory, Department of Animal Biology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cammarata
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arizza
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cianciolo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parrinello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vazzana
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vizzini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salerno
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parrinello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004156:Catechol Oxidase / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002938:Ciona intestinalis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C038451:pro-phenoloxidase; D004156:Catechol Oxidase