Abstract |
One of the most definitive examples of a vertebrate extraorganismal structural protein can be found in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). In the breeding male the kidney hypertrophies and synthesizes an adhesive protein called " spiggin," which is secreted into the urinary bladder from where it is employed as a structural thread for nest building. This paper describes the first molecular characterization of spiggin and demonstrates that this adhesive is a protein complex assembled from a potential of three distinct subunits (alpha, beta, and gamma). These subunits arise by alternative splicing, and 11-ketoandrogens induce their expression in stickleback kidneys. Analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence of each subunit reveals a modular organization whose structural elements display a similarity to the multimerization domains found within von Willebrand Factor-related proteins. These results implicate that spiggin utilizes a conserved multimerization mechanism for the formation of a viscous agglutinate from its constituent subunits in the urinary bladders of male sticklebacks. This novel extraorganismal structural protein is therefore ideally suited to its function as an adhesive thread.
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Authors | I Jones, C Lindberg, S Jakobsson, A Hellqvist, U Hellman, B Borg, P E Olsson |
Journal | The Journal of biological chemistry
(J Biol Chem)
Vol. 276
Issue 21
Pg. 17857-63
(May 25 2001)
ISSN: 0021-9258 [Print] United States |
PMID | 11279178
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Adhesives
- Agglutinins
- Androgens
- Avian Proteins
- Fish Proteins
- RNA, Messenger
- spiggin
- von Willebrand Factor
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Topics |
- Adhesives
- Agglutinins
(genetics, urine)
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Androgens
(metabolism)
- Animals
- Avian Proteins
- Fish Proteins
- Fishes
- Male
- Molecular Sequence Data
- RNA, Messenger
(biosynthesis, genetics)
- Sequence Alignment
- Urinary Bladder
(metabolism)
- von Willebrand Factor
(genetics, metabolism)
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