Trypsin- and Chymotrypsin-Like Serine Proteases in Schistosoma mansoni - 'The Undiscovered Country'

0429904 - ÚOCHB 2015 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Horn, Martin - Fajtová, Pavla - Arreola, L. R. - Ulrychová, Lenka - Bartošová-Sojková, Pavla - Franta, Zdeněk - Protasio, A. V. - Opavský, David - Vondrášek, Jiří - McKerrow, J. H. - Mareš, Michael - Caffrey, C. R. - Dvořák, Jan
Trypsin- and Chymotrypsin-Like Serine Proteases in Schistosoma mansoni - 'The Undiscovered Country'.
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Roč. 8, č. 3 (2014), e2766/1-e2766/13. ISSN 1935-2735. E-ISSN 1935-2735
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP302/11/1481; GA MŠMT(CZ) ME10011
EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 248642 - SCHISTOSOMA PROTEASE
Institutional support: RVO:61388963 ; RVO:68378050 ; RVO:60077344
Keywords : schistosomiasis * blood fluke * serine protease
Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry; EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology (UMG-J); FN - Epidemiology, Contagious Diseases ; Clinical Immunology (BC-A)
Impact factor: 4.446, year: 2014
http://www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0002766

Schistosomes are blood flukes that live in the blood system and cause chronic and debilitating infection in hundreds of millions of people. Proteolytic enzymes (proteases) produced by the parasite allow it to survive and reproduce. We focused on understanding the repertoire of trypsin- and chymotrypsin-like Schistosoma mansoni serine proteases (SmSPs) using a variety of genomic, bioinformatics, RNA- and protein-based techniques. We identified five SmSPs that are produced at different stages of the parasite's development. Based on bioinformatics and cleavage preferences for small peptide substrates, SmSP1 to SmSP4 are trypsin-like, whereas SmSP5 is chymotrypsin-like. Interestingly, SmSP5 forms part of a ‘missing link’ group of enzymes between the specialized chymotrypsin-like ‘cercarial elastases’ that help the parasite invade human skin and the more typical chymotrypsins and trypsins found in the nature. Our findings form a basis for further exploration of the functions of the individual enzymes, including their possible contributions to influencing host physiology.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0234956