0000000000597931
AUTHOR
Walter Stoecker
Structure of mammalian plasma fetuin-B and its mechanism of selective metallopeptidase inhibition
The co-crystal structure of the metallopeptidase astacin with its specific protein inhibitor fetuin-B reveals a novel mechanism of inhibition.
A Wnt-specific astacin proteinase controls head formation inHydra
AbstractTheHydrahead organizer acts as a signaling center that initiates and maintains the primary body axis in steady state polyps and during budding or regeneration. Wnt/beta-Catenin signaling functions as a primary cue controlling this process, but how Wnt ligand activity is locally restricted at the protein level is poorly understood.Here we report the identification of an astacin family proteinase as a Wnt processing factor.Hydraastacin-7 (HAS-7) is expressed from gland cells as an apical-distal gradient in the body column, peaking close beneath the tentacle zone.HAS-7siRNA knockdown abrogates HyWnt3 proteolysis in the head tissue and induces a robust double axis phenotype, which is re…