Littoporins: Novel actinoporin-like proteins in caenogastropod genus Littorina
In: Fish & Shellfish Immunology. Academic Press: London; New York. ISSN 1050-4648; e-ISSN 1095-9947, more
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| Keywords |
Himasthla elongata (Mehlis, 1831) Dietz, 1909 [WoRMS]; Littorina littorea (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Gorbushin, A.
- Ruparcic, M.
- Anderluh, G.
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| Abstract |
In the course of searching for genes controlling the immune system in caenogastropod mollusks, we characterized and phylogenetically placed five new actinoporin-like cytolysins expressed in periwinkles of the genus Littorina. These newly discovered proteins, named littoporins (LitP), contain a central cytolysin/lectin domain and exhibit a predicted protein fold that is almost identical to the three-dimensional structures of actinoporins. Two of these proteins, LitP-1 and LitP-2, were found to be upregulated in L. littorea kidney tissues and immune cells in response to natural and experimental infection with the trematode Himasthla elongata, suggesting their potential role as perforins in the systemic anti-trematode immune response. The primary sequence divergence of littoporins is hypothesized to be attributed to the taxonomic range of cell membranes they can recognize and permeabilize. |
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