High sequence variability among hemocyte-specific Kazal-type proteinase inhibitors in decapod crustaceans.
Crustacean hemocytes were found to produce a large number of transcripts coding for Kazal-type proteinase inhibitors (KPIs). A detailed study performed with the crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus and the shrimp Penaeus monodon revealed the presence of at least 26 and 20 different Kazal domains from the hemocyte KPIs, respectively. Comparisons with KPIs from other taxa indicate that the sequences of these domains evolve rapidly. A few conserved positions, e.g. six invariant cysteines were present in all domain sequences whereas the position of P1 amino acid, a determinant for substrate specificity, varied highly. A study with a single crayfish animal suggested that even at the individual level considerable sequence variability among hemocyte KPIs produced exist. Expression analysis of four crayfish KPI transcripts in hematopoietic tissue cells and different hemocyte types suggest that some of these KPIs are likely to be involved in hematopoiesis or hemocyte release as they were produced in particular hemocyte types or maturation stages only.
Cerenius
Lage
L
Department of Comparative Physiology, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 A, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden. Lage.Cerenius@ebc.uu.se
Liu
Haipeng
H
Zhang
Yanjiao
Y
Rimphanitchayakit
Vichien
V
Tassanakajon
Anchalee
A
Gunnar Andersson
M
M
Söderhäll
Kenneth
K
Söderhäll
Irene
I
D000818:Animals; D003400:Astacoidea / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000276:immunology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors