The first family members to be identified were isolated from Locusta migratoria migratoria (migratory locust) which were HI, LMCI-1 (PMP-D2) and LMCI-2 (PMP-C).[4][5][6] A further five members, SGPI-1 to 5, were then isolated from Schistocerca gregaria (desert locust),[7][8] and a heterodimericserine protease inhibitor was isolated from the haemolymph of Pacifastacus leniusculus (Signal crayfish), and named pacifastin.[9]
Function
Peptide proteinase inhibitors are in many cases synthesised as part of a larger precursor protein, referred to as a propeptide or zymogen, which remains inactive until the precursor domain is cleaved off in the lysosome, the precursor domain preventing access of the substrate to the active site until necessary. Proteinase inhibitors destined for secretion have an additional N-terminal signal-peptide domain which will be cleaved by a signal-peptidase. Removal of these one or two N-terminal inhibitor domains, either by interaction with a second peptidase or by autocatalyticcleavage, will activate the zymogen.[3]
Very little is known about the endogenous function of pacifastin-like inhibitors except that they may play roles in arthropod immunity and in regulation of the physiological processes involved in insectreproduction.[10]
Structure
The inhibitor unit of pacifastin is a conserved pattern of six cysteine residues (Cys1 – Xaa9–12 – Cys2 – Asn – Xaa – Cys3 – Xaa – Cys4 – Xaa2–3 – Gly – Xaa3–6 – Cys5 – Thr – Xaa3 – Cys6). Detailed analysis of the 3-D structure shows that these six residues form three disulfide bridges (Cys1–4, Cys2–6, Cys3–5), giving members of the pacifastin family a typical fold and remarkable stability.[11]
Pacifastin is a 155kDaprotein composed of two covalently linked subunits, which are separately encoded. The heavy chain of pacifastin (105 kDa) is related to transferrins as it carries three transferrin lobes, two of which seem to be active in ironbinding.[9] A number of the transferrin family members are also serine peptidases, and belong to MEROPS peptidase family S60 (INTERPRO). The light chain of pacifastin (44 kDa) is the proteinase inhibitory subunit, and consists of up to nine cysteine-rich inhibitory domains that are homologous to each other. The locust inhibitors share a conserved array of six residues with the pacifastin light chain. The structure of members of this family reveals that they consist of a triple-stranded antiparallelbeta-sheet connected by three disulphide bridges.[9]
^Breugelmans B, Simonet G, van Hoef V, Van Soest S, Vanden Broeck J (2009). "Pacifastin-related peptides: structural and functional characteristics of a family of serine peptidase inhibitors". Peptides. 30 (3): 622–32. doi:10.1016/j.peptides.2008.07.026. PMID18775459. S2CID8797134.
^ abParkinson NM, Conyers C, Keen J, MacNicoll A, Smith I, Audsley N, et al. (2004). "Towards a comprehensive view of the primary structure of venom proteins from the parasitoid wasp Pimpla hypochondriaca". Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 34 (6): 565–71. doi:10.1016/j.ibmb.2004.03.003. PMID15147757.
^Boigegrain RA, Mattras H, Brehélin M, Paroutaud P, Coletti-Previero MA (December 1992). "Insect immunity: two proteinase inhibitors from hemolymph of Locusta migratoria". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 189 (2): 790–3. doi:10.1016/0006-291x(92)92271-x. PMID1472051.
^Nakakura N, Hietter H, Van Dorsselaer A, Luu B (February 1992). "Isolation and structural determination of three peptides from the insect Locusta migratoria. Identification of a deoxyhexose-linked peptide". Eur. J. Biochem. 204 (1): 147–53. doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1992.tb16617.x. PMID1740125.
^Boigegrain RA, Pugnière M, Paroutaud P, Castro B, Brehélin M (February 2000). "Low molecular weight serine protease inhibitors from insects are proteins with highly conserved sequences". Insect Biochem. Mol. Biol. 30 (2): 145–52. doi:10.1016/s0965-1748(99)00109-5. PMID10696590.
^Hamdaoui A, Wataleb S, Devreese B, Chiou SJ, Vanden Broeck J, Van Beeumen J, De Loof A, Schoofs L (January 1998). "Purification and characterization of a group of five novel peptide serine protease inhibitors from ovaries of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria". FEBS Lett. 422 (1): 74–8. doi:10.1016/s0014-5793(97)01585-8. PMID9475173. S2CID35980008.
^Wang S, Cui Z, Liu Y, Li Q, Song C (2012). "The first homolog of pacifastin-related precursor in the swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus): characterization and potential role in immune response to bacteria and fungi". Fish Shellfish Immunol. 32 (2): 331–8. doi:10.1016/j.fsi.2011.11.025. PMID22154999.
^Breugelmans B, Simonet G, van Hoef V, Van Soest S, Smagghe G, Vanden Broeck J (2009). "A lepidopteran pacifastin member: cloning, gene structure, recombinant production, transcript profiling and in vitro activity". Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 39 (7): 430–9. doi:10.1016/j.ibmb.2009.03.005. PMID19364530.