title: Structural characterization of recombinant crustacyanin subunits from the lobster Homarus americanus.
abstract: Crustacean crustacyanin proteins are linked to the production and modification of carapace colour, with direct implications for fitness and survival. Here, the structural and functional properties of the two recombinant crustacyanin subunits H(1) and H(2) from the American lobster Homarus americanus are reported. The two subunits are structurally highly similar to the corresponding natural apo crustacyanin CRTC and CRTA subunits from the European lobster H. gammarus. Reconstitution studies of the recombinant crustacyanin proteins H(1) and H(2) with astaxanthin reproduced the bathochromic shift of 85-95 nm typical of the natural crustacyanin subunits from H. gammarus in complex with astaxanthin. Moreover, correlations between the presence of crustacyanin genes in crustacean species and the resulting carapace colours with the spectral properties of the subunits in complex with astaxanthin confirmed this genotype-phenotype linkage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Folli
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pincolini
authors.forename: Timothy S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: McClintock
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rössle
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berni
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cianci
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008121:Nephropidae / Q000737:chemistry*; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C018494:crustacyanins