Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
21
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-5-23
pubmed:databankReference
pubmed:abstractText
One of the most definitive examples of a vertebrate extraorganismal structural protein can be found in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). In the breeding male the kidney hypertrophies and synthesizes an adhesive protein called "spiggin," which is secreted into the urinary bladder from where it is employed as a structural thread for nest building. This paper describes the first molecular characterization of spiggin and demonstrates that this adhesive is a protein complex assembled from a potential of three distinct subunits (alpha, beta, and gamma). These subunits arise by alternative splicing, and 11-ketoandrogens induce their expression in stickleback kidneys. Analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence of each subunit reveals a modular organization whose structural elements display a similarity to the multimerization domains found within von Willebrand Factor-related proteins. These results implicate that spiggin utilizes a conserved multimerization mechanism for the formation of a viscous agglutinate from its constituent subunits in the urinary bladders of male sticklebacks. This novel extraorganismal structural protein is therefore ideally suited to its function as an adhesive thread.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
0021-9258
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
25
pubmed:volume
276
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
17857-63
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Molecular cloning and characterization of spiggin. An androgen-regulated extraorganismal adhesive with structural similarities to von Willebrand Factor-related proteins.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Unit of Physiology, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't