HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a Letter to Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Joshi, L. Articles by Leger, R. J. St. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Joshi, L. Articles by Leger, R. J. St. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

J Biol Chem, Vol. 274, Issue 14, 9803-9811, April 2, 1999

Cloning, Expression, and Substrate Specificity of MeCPA, a Zinc Carboxypeptidase That Is Secreted into Infected Tissues by the Fungal Entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae

Lokesh Joshi and Raymond J. St. Leger^§

From the  Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 and the ^§ Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742

To date zinc carboxypeptidases have only been found in animals and actinomycete bacteria. A cDNA clone (MeCPA) for a novel fungal (Metarhizium anisopliae) carboxypeptidase (MeCPA) was obtained by using reverse transcription differential display polymerase chain reaction to identify pathogenicity genes. MeCPA resembles pancreatic carboxypeptidases in being synthesized as a precursor species (418 amino acids) containing a large amino-terminal fragment (99 amino acids). The mature (secreted) form of MeCPA shows closest amino acid identity to human carboxypeptidases A1 (35%) and A2 (37%). MeCPA was expressed in an insect cell line yielding an enzyme with dual A1 + A2 specificity for branched aliphatic and aromatic COOH-terminal amino acids. However, in contrast to the very broad spectrum A + B-type bacterial enzymes, MeCPA lacks B-type activity against charged amino acids. This is predictable as key catalytic residues determining the specificity of MeCPA are conserved with those of mammalian A-type carboxypeptidases. Thus, in evolutionary terms the fungal enzyme is an intermediate between the divergence of A and B forms and the differentiation of the A form into A1 and A2 isoforms. Ultrastructural immunocytochemistry of infected host (Manduca sexta) cuticle demonstrated that MeCPA participates with the concurrently produced endoproteases in procuring nutrients; an equivalent function to digestive pancreatic enzymes.

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us

Digg

Reddit

Technorati

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Xu, D. Baldwin, C. Kindrachuk, and D. D. Hegedus Comparative EST analysis of a Zoophthora radicans isolate derived from Pieris brassicae and an isogenic strain adapted to Plutella xylostella Microbiology, January 1, 2009; 155(1): 174 - 185. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Fang, Y. Pei, and M. J. Bidochka A regulator of a G protein signalling (RGS) gene, cag8, from the insect-pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is involved in conidiation, virulence and hydrophobin synthesis Microbiology, April 1, 2007; 153(4): 1017 - 1025. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. M. Freimoser, G. Hu, and R. J. S. Leger Variation in gene expression patterns as the insect pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae adapts to different host cuticles or nutrient deprivation in vitro Microbiology, February 1, 2005; 151(2): 361 - 371. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. M. Freimoser, S. Screen, G. Hu, and R. St. Leger EST analysis of genes expressed by the zygomycete pathogen Conidiobolus coronatus during growth on insect cuticle Microbiology, July 1, 2003; 149(7): 1893 - 1900. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. M. Freimoser, S. Screen, S. Bagga, G. Hu, and R. J. St Leger Expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis of two subspecies of Metarhizium anisopliae reveals a plethora of secreted proteins with potential activity in insect hosts Microbiology, January 1, 2003; 149(1): 239 - 247. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Sturtevant Applications of Differential-Display Reverse Transcription-PCR to Molecular Pathogenesis and Medical Mycology Clin. Microbiol. Rev., July 1, 2000; 13(3): 408 - 427. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. E. Screen and R. J. St. Leger Cloning, Expression, and Substrate Specificity of a Fungal Chymotrypsin. EVIDENCE FOR LATERAL GENE TRANSFER FROM AN ACTINOMYCETE BACTERIUM J. Biol. Chem., February 25, 2000; 275(9): 6689 - 6694. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]