title: Structure and mechanism in salivary proteins from blood-feeding arthropods.
abstract: The saliva of blood-feeding arthropods contains rich mixtures of ligand binding proteins targeted at inhibiting hemostasis and inflammation in the host. Since blood feeding has evolved many times, different taxonomic groups utilize completely different families of proteins to perform similar tasks. Structural studies performed on a number of these proteins have revealed biologically novel and sophisticated mechanisms used to perform their functions. Here, the results of these structural and mechanistic studies are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 2E-32B Twinbrook 3 Bldg, 12735 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. jandersen@niaid.nih.gov
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Andersen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006420:Hemeproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D054834:Lipocalins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D008958:Models, Molecular; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D006420:Hemeproteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D054834:Lipocalins; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides; C090560:nitrophorin; C097048:triabin