SCUBE-1 is a newly identified, secreted cell surface protein that determined during early embryogenesis. This consists of cascading EGF-like repeats following the N-terminal signal peptide sequence, spacer region, cysteine-rich repeat motifs, and CUB domain at C-terminus. These molecules are stored in alpha granules inactivated platelets, translocated to platelet after activation by thrombin, a...

The dosage compensation complex (DCC) binds to single X chromosomes in Drosophila males and increases the transcription level of X-linked genes by approximately twofold. Male-specific lethal 2 (MSL2) together with MSL1 mediates the initial recruitment of the DCC to high-affinity sites in the X chromosome. MSL2 contains a DNA-binding cysteine-rich CXC domain that is important for X targeting. In...

Adherence of Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites to colonic mucin, epithelium, and other target cells is mediated by the amebic Gal/GalNAc lectin. We constructed in vitro expression vectors containing full-length (residues 1 to 1280), cysteine-poor (1 to 353 and 1 to 480), and cysteine-rich (356 to 1143 and 480 to 900) fragments of the gene encoding the heavy subunit of the adherence lectin, hgl...

The suitability of synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission (SRIXE) for the detection and identification of metal ions in preparations of purified, soluble proteins was tested. Glutathione S-transferase fused to the proximal zinc finger motif of human transcription factor IIIA or to the cysteine-rich motif of poliovirus protein 2C was expressed in bacteria and purified by affinity chromatog...

Cysteine-rich intestinal protein (CRIP) is a zinc-binding protein where the binding domain is in the so-called LIM double zinc finger motif. Methods are described for the preparation of CRIP from rat small intestine. Gel-filtration and ion-exchange chromatography and preparative PAGE gave homogeneous CRIP, based upon analytical PAGE, mass spectrometry and microsequencing. Initial localization o...

Protein kinase D (PKD) is a serine/threonine kinase that binds phorbol esters in a phospholipid-dependent manner via a tandemly repeated cysteine-rich, zinc finger-like motif (the cysteine-rich domain, CRD). Here, we examined whether the individual cysteine-rich motifs of the CRD of PKD (referred to as cysl and cys2) are functionally equivalent in mediating phorbol ester binding both in vivo an...

The mechanism of zinc absorption has not been delineated, but kinetic studies show that both passive and carrier-mediated processes are involved. We have identified a low molecular mass zinc-binding protein in the soluble fraction of rat intestinal mucosa that could function as an intracellular zinc carrier. The protein was not detected in liver or pancreas, suggesting a role specific to the in...

A gene coding for a de novo peptide sequence containing a metal binding motif was chemically synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion with the maltose binding protein. Bacterial cells expressing the metal binding peptide fusion demonstrated enhanced binding of Cd2+ and Hg2+ compared to bacterial cells lacking the metal binding peptide. The potential use of genetically engineere...

SCUBE2 [signal peptide, CUB domain, EGF (epidermal growth factor)-like protein 2] belongs to an evolutionarily conserved SCUBE protein family, which possesses domain organization characteristic of an N-terminal signal peptide sequence followed by nine EGF-like repeats, a spacer region, three cysteine-rich repeat motifs, and one CUB domain at the C-terminus. Despite several genetic analyses sugg...