Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C1389183 (autodigestion)
 317 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A new chemotactic factor for neutrophils is generated from calcium dependent cysteine proteinase (calpain) I by autodigestion. An active peptide was isolated from the autodigest and its structure was determined to be an acetylated nonapeptide with the sequence: N-acetyl Ser-Glu-Glu-Ile-Ile-Thr-Pro-Val-Tyr. Compared with the entire sequence of human calpain I, the peptide was identical with the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the large subunit deduced from the cDNA sequence, except that the peptide was devoid of a methionine residue and acetylated at the N-terminus. The acetyl nonapeptide was synthesized and its chemotactic activity was reconfirmed. The biological significance and possible role of this calpain derived chemotactic factor in inflammation are discussed.
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PMID:Calcium dependent cysteine proteinase is a precursor of a chemotactic factor for neutrophils. 255 4

Mucins protect gastric epithelium by maintaining a favourable pH gradient and preventing autodigestion. The purpose of this study was to clone a mouse gastric mucin which would provide a foundation for analysis of mucin gene regulation. Mucin was purified from the glandular portion of gastric specimens and deglycosylated by HF solvolysis. Antibodies against native and deglycosylated mouse gastric mucin (MGM) were raised in chickens. Screening of a mouse stomach cDNA library with the anti-(deglycosylated MGM) antibody yielded partial clones containing a 48 bp tandem repeat and 768 bp of non-repetitive sequence. The 16-amino-acid tandem repeat has a consensus sequence of QTSSPNTGKTSTISTT with 25% serine and 38% threonine. The MGM tandem repeat sequence bears no similarity to previously identified mucins. The MGM non-repetitive region shares sequence similarity with human MUC5AC and, to a lesser extent, human MUC2 and rat intestinal mucin. Northern blot analysis reveals a polydisperse message beginning at 13.5 kb in mouse stomach with no expression in oesophagus, trachea, small intestine, large intestine, caecum, lung or kidney. Immunoreactivity of antibodies against deglycosylated MGM and against a synthetic MGM tandem repeat peptide was restricted to superficial mucous cells, antral glands and Brunner's glands in the pyloric-duodenal region. DNA analysis shows that MGM recognizes mouse and rat DNA but not hamster, rabbit or human DNA. The MGM gene maps to a site on mouse chromosome 7 homologous to the location of a human secretory mucin gene cluster on human chromosome 11p15. Due to sequence similarity and predominant expression in the stomach, the MGM gene may be considered a MUC5AC homologue and named Muc5ac.
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PMID:Mouse gastric mucin: cloning and chromosomal localization. 748 32

During the past decade, strains of Bacteroides fragilis that produce an enterotoxin have been implicated in diarrheal disease in animals and humans. The extracellular enterotoxin has been purified and characterized as a single polypeptide (M(r), approximately 20,000). Single specific primer-PCR was used to clone a portion of the B. fragilis enterotoxin gene. The recombinant protein expressed by the cloned gene fragment reacted with monospecific antibodies to B. fragilis enterotoxin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot analysis. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed a signature zinc-binding consensus motif (HEXXHXXGXXH/Met-turn) characteristic of metalloproteases termed metzincins. Sequence comparisons showed close identity to matrix metalloproteases (e.g., human fibroblast collagenase) within the zinc-binding and Met-turn region. Purified enterotoxin contained 1 g-atom of Zn2+ per molecule and hydrolyzed gelatin, azocoll, actin, tropomyosin, and fibrinogen. The enterotoxin also underwent autodigestion. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of two autodigestion products were identical to the deduced amino acid sequence of the recombinant enterotoxin and revealed cleavage at Cys-Leu and Ser-Leu peptide bonds. Gelatinase (type IV collagenase) activity comigrated with the toxin when analyzed by gel fractionation and zymography, indicating that protease activity is due to the enterotoxin and not to a contaminating protease(s). Optimal proteolytic activity occurred at 37 degrees C and pH 6.5. Primary proteolytic cleavage sites in actin were identified, revealing cleavage at Gly-Met and Thr-Leu peptide bonds. Enzymatic activity was inhibited by metal chelators but not by inhibitors of other classes of proteases. Additionally, cytotoxic activity of the enterotoxin on human carcinoma HT-29 cells was inhibited by acetoxymethyl ester EDTA. The metalloprotease activity of the enterotoxin suggests a possible mechanism for enterotoxicity and may have additional implications in the study of disease caused by B. fragilis.
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PMID:The enterotoxin of Bacteroides fragilis is a metalloprotease. 780 55