Journal article
Serpins in plants and green algae
Control of proteolysis is important for plant growth, development, responses to stress, and defence against insects and pathogens. Members of the serpin protein family are likely to play a critical role in this control through irreversible inhibition of endogenous and exogenous target proteinases. Serpins have been found in diverse species of the plant kingdom and represent a distinct clade among serpins in multicellular organisms.
Serpins are also found in green algae, but the evolutionary relationship between these serpins and those of plants remains unknown. Plant serpins are potent inhibitors of mammalian serine proteinases of the chymotrypsin family in vitro but, intriguingly, plants and green algae lack endogenous members of this proteinase family, the most common targets for animal serpins.
An Arabidopsis serpin with a conserved reactive centre is now known to be capable of inhibiting an endogenous cysteine proteinase. Here, knowledge of plant serpins in terms of sequence diversity, inhibitory specificity, gene expression and function is reviewed. This was advanced through a phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences of expressed plant serpins, delineation of plant serpin gene structures and prediction of inhibitory specificities based on identification of reactive centres.
The review is intended to encourage elucidation of plant serpin functions.
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | Springer-Verlag |
Year: | 2008 |
Pages: | 1-27 |
ISSN: | 14387948 and 1438793x |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10142-007-0059-2 |
Arabidopsis thaliana Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Hordeum vulgare Oryza sativa green algae inhibitory specificity phloem proteins plant defence plant kingdom proteinase inhibitor seed proteins serpin evolution serpin function triticum aestivum
Amino Acid Sequence Animal Genetics and Genomics Biochemistry, general Bioinformatics Cell Biology Chlorophyta Green algae Inhibitory specificity Life Sciences Microbial Genetics and Genomics Molecular Sequence Data Phloem proteins Phylogeny Plant Genetics & Genomics Plant defence Plant kingdom Plants Proteinase inhibitor Seed proteins Serine Proteinase Inhibitors Serpin evolution Serpin function Serpins Terminology as Topic Triticum aestivum