RESUMO
Using a cDNA library made from Lonomia obliqua caterpillar bristles, we identified a transcript with a 603 bp open reading frame. The deduced protein corresponds to Lopap, a prothrombin activator previously isolated by our group from the bristles of this species. The mature protein is composed by 185 amino acids and shares similarity with members of the lipocalin family. The cDNA encoding the mature form was amplified by PCR, subcloned into pAE vector and used to transform Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells. As for the native Lopap, the recombinant fusion protein shows enzymatic activity, promotes prothrombin hydrolysis, generates fragments similar to prethrombin-2 and fragment 1.2 as intermediates, and generates thrombin as the final product. In addition, structural bioinformatics studies indicated several interesting molecular features, including the residues that could be responsible for Lopap's serine protease-like activity and the role of calcium binding in this context. Such catalytic activity has never been found in other members of the lipocalin family. This is the first report describing the recombinant production and biochemical characterization of a Lonomia obliqua lipocalin, as well as the structural features that could be responsible for its serine protease-like catalytic activity.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Insetos/química , Proteínas de Insetos/metabolismo , Serina Endopeptidases/química , Serina Endopeptidases/metabolismo , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Dicroísmo Circular , DNA Complementar/genética , Eletroforese em Gel de Poliacrilamida , Fator X/metabolismo , Humanos , Hidrólise , Proteínas de Insetos/classificação , Proteínas de Insetos/genética , Lactoglobulinas/química , Lepidópteros , Modelos Moleculares , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Conformação Proteica , Protrombina/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Alinhamento de Sequência , Serina Endopeptidases/classificação , Serina Endopeptidases/genética , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
Previous studies carried out with Sm14 in experimental vaccination against Schistosoma mansoni or Fasciola hepatica infections were performed with recombinant Sm14 (rSm14) produced in Escherichia coli by the pGEMEX system (Promega). The rSm14 was expressed as a 40 kDa fusion protein with the major bacteriophage T7 capsid protein. Vaccination experiments with this rSm14 in animal models resulted in consistent high protective activity against S. mansoni cercariae challenge and enabled rSm14 to be included among the vaccine antigens endorsed by the World Health Organization for phase I/II clinical trials. Since the preparation of pGEMEX based rSm14 is time consuming and results in low yield for large scale production, we have tested other E. coli expression systems which would be more suitable for scale up and downstream processing. We expressed two different 6XHis-tagged Sm14 fusion proteins in a T7 promoter based plasmids. The 6XHis-tag fusions allowed rapid purification of the recombinant proteins through a Ni+2-charged resin. The resulted recombinant 18 and 16 kDa proteins were recognized by anti-Sm14 antibodies and also by antiserum against adult S. mansoni soluble secreted/excreted proteins in Western-Blot. Both proteins were also protective against S. mansoni cercariae infection to the same extent as the rSm14 expressed by the pGEMEX system