title: Molecular cloning and characterization of a matrix metalloproteinase, from Caenorhabditis elegans: employed to identify homologous protein from Angiostrongylus cantonensis.
abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a class of zinc-binding endopeptidases mainly responsible for degrading extracellular matrix constituent components, which also serve as effectors of leukocyte recruitment, cytotoxicity, cytokine and chemokine processing, and defensin activation involved in multiple mechanisms of immunomodulation. MMPs are a conserved proteolytic enzyme family participating in normal physiological function. In the present study, we have cloned a gene named CEMMP62 from Caenorhabditis elegans, the putative 62-kDa protein that contained 579 residues with MMP-conserved catalytic domain known as ZnMc_MMP and showed high identities with MMPs from other nematodes, and demonstrated that the recombinant CEMMP62 (rCEMMP62) expressed and purified from Escherichia coli could have weak proteolytic activity on swine gelatin; Western blot analysis revealed that sera from BALB/c mice immunized by recombinant protein could recognize excretory-secretary antigens from Angiostrongylus cantonensis third-stage larvae (L3). Also, the antiserum can recognize larval soluble antigens of L4 coming from mice (nonpermissive host) infected with A. cantonensis while it cannot recognize larval soluble antigens of L4 coming from rats (permissive host) infected with A. cantonensis. The results implied that probably CEMMP62 has homologous proteins which exist in A. cantonensis, and the potential MMP may play an important role in A. cantonensis infection and pathogenic process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 74 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Zheng-yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Han-jiang
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qi-xian
authors.initials: QX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xi-mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Zhong-dao
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017185:Angiostrongylus cantonensis / Q000201:enzymology*; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005780:Gelatin / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D059748:Proteolysis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005780:Gelatin; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases