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  • Title: Structural analysis of ASCUT-1, a protein component of the cuticle of the parasitic nematode Ascaris lumbricoides.
    Author: D'Auria S, Rossi M, Tanfani F, Bertoli E, Parise G, Bazzicalupo P.
    Journal: Eur J Biochem; 1998 Aug 01; 255(3):588-94. PubMed ID: 9738897.
    Abstract:
    CUT-1 from the intestinal parasitic nematode Ascaris lumbricoides is a protein component of the insoluble residue of the cuticle, cuticlin. It contains the CUT-1-like domain which is shared by members of a novel family of components of extracellular matrices. The structure and the thermal stability of recombinant CUT-1 from A. lumbricoides (ASCUT-1) were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and CD spectroscopy. The data revealed that the secondary structure of the protein at 20 degrees C, both as insoluble inclusion bodies or in soluble form, contains about 50% beta structure, 14% alpha-helix and 25% turns. A tendency of A. lumbricoides CUT-1 to form aggregates was documented by FT-IR spectroscopy which showed also that the addition of SDS disrupts these interactions. Near-ultraviolet CD spectra confirmed these data and suggested that phenylalanine residues are probably involved in intermolecular hydrophobic interactions responsible for the tendency of the protein to aggregate. Near-ultraviolet spectra showed also that part of the cysteine residues forms disulphide bridges responsible for the tertiary architecture of the protein. Finally, FT-IR and CD data revealed that ASCUT-1 is very stable at high temperatures. This stability and the tendency of ASCUT-1 to form aggregates suggest that these properties may be important for a protein which is a component of a particularly resistant extracellular matrix such as the nematode cuticle.
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