Glycobiology, 2002, Vol. 12, No. 8 463-472
© 2002 Oxford University Press
Identification and characterization of a new family of C-type lectin–like genes from planaria Girardia tigrina
5 Shemiakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117871 Moscow, Russia; 6 Departament de Genetica, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08071 Barcelona, Spain
A novel family of C-type lectin–like genes, denoted multidomain free lectin (MDFL), was identified in the freshwater planaria Girardia (Dugesia) tigrina. We cloned several genes that encode proteins comprising a signal peptide and a number of consecutive C-type lectin–like domains (CTLDs) interconnected by short linker stretches. Analyses of genomic organization, CTLD amino acid sequences, and the overall architecture of these proteins indicate that planarian proteins are a separate family of C-type lectin–like proteins. These genes are expressed in specifically differentiated gland cells of planaria and the corresponding proteins are excreted as components of the planarian body surface mucus.
1 Present address: Whitney Laboratory, University of Florida, FL, USA
2 Present address: Department of Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, UK
3 Present address: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology; National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
4 To whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: luk@ibch.ru