Actinoporins are potent eukaryotic pore-forming toxins specific for sphingomyelin-containing membranes. They are structurally similar to members of the fungal fruit-body lectin family that bind cell-surface exposed Thomsen–Friedenreich antigen. In the present study we found a number of sequences in public databases with similarity to actinoporins. They originate from three animal and two plant phyla and can be classified in three families according to phylogenetic analysis. The sequence similarity is confined to a region from the C-terminal half of the actinoporin molecule and comprises the membrane binding site with a highly conserved P-[WYF]-D pattern. A member of this novel actinoporin-like protein family from zebrafish was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. It displays membrane-binding behaviour but does not have permeabilizing activity or sphingomyelin specificity, two properties typical of actinoporins. We propose that the three families of actinoporin-like proteins and the fungal fruit-body lectin family comprise a novel superfamily of membrane binding proteins, tentatively called AF domains (abbreviated from actinoporin-like proteins and fungal fruit-body lectins).
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September 2006
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Research Article|
August 29 2006
Membrane binding of zebrafish actinoporin-like protein: AF domains, a novel superfamily of cell membrane binding domains Available to Purchase
Ion Gutiérrez-Aguirre;
Ion Gutiérrez-Aguirre
*Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Peter Trontelj;
Peter Trontelj
*Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Peter Maček;
Peter Maček
*Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Jeremy H. Lakey;
Jeremy H. Lakey
†Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, U.K.
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Gregor Anderluh
Gregor Anderluh
1
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email [email protected]).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
February 03 2006
Revision Received:
May 22 2006
Accepted:
June 01 2006
Accepted Manuscript online:
June 01 2006
Online ISSN: 1470-8728
Print ISSN: 0264-6021
The Biochemical Society, London
2006
Biochem J (2006) 398 (3): 381–392.
Article history
Received:
February 03 2006
Revision Received:
May 22 2006
Accepted:
June 01 2006
Accepted Manuscript online:
June 01 2006
Citation
Ion Gutiérrez-Aguirre, Peter Trontelj, Peter Maček, Jeremy H. Lakey, Gregor Anderluh; Membrane binding of zebrafish actinoporin-like protein: AF domains, a novel superfamily of cell membrane binding domains. Biochem J 15 September 2006; 398 (3): 381–392. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20060206
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