Domain conservation in several volvocalean cell wall proteins

• Published in: Plant molecular biology Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 947 - 960
• Main Authors: Woessner, J.P, Molendijk, A.J, Egmond, P. van, Klis, F.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 01.11.1994
• Subjects: Algal Proteins; Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Animals; Base Sequence; Cell Wall - genetics; cell wall components; Chlamydomonas; Chlamydomonas - genetics; Chlamydomonas - growth & development; chlamydomonas moewusii; Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; chlamydomonas yapensis; Cloning, Molecular; complementary DNA; Conserved Sequence; Cross Reactions; DNA probes; DNA, Complementary - genetics; evolution; exon shuffling; exons; genbank/l29028; genbank/l29092; Gene Expression; Genome; Glycoproteins - genetics; messenger RNA; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleic acid hybridization; nucleotide sequences; Oligopeptides - immunology; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - immunology; Protein Biosynthesis; proteins; Protozoan Proteins - genetics; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Volvocida - genetics
• ISSN: 0167-4412; 1573-5028
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00028861

Based on our previous work demonstrating that (SerPro)x epitopes are common to extensin-like cell wall proteins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we looked for similar proteins in the distantly related species C. eugametos. Using a polyclonal antiserum against a (SerPro)10 oligopeptide, we found distinct sets of stage-specific polypeptides immunoprecipitated from in vitro translations of C. eugametos RNA. Screening of a C. eugametos cDNA expression library with the antiserum led to the isolation of a cDNA (WP6) encoding a (SerPro)x-rich multidomain wall protein. Analysis of a similarly selected cDNA (VSP-3) from a C. reinhardtii cDNA expression library revealed that it also coded for a (SerPro)x-rich multidomain wall protein. The C-terminal rod domains of VSP-3 and WP6 are highly homologous, while the N-terminal domains are dissimilar; however, the N-terminal domain of VSP-3 is homologous to the globular domain of a cell wall protein from Volvox carteri. Exon shuffling might be responsible for this example of domain conservation over 350 million years of volvocalean cell wall protein evolution.