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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Other astacin homologs

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Publisher Summary This chapter describes the activity, specificity and structural chemistry of astacin homologs. The astacins are members of the metzincin superfamily such as the serralysins, the reprolysins/adamalysins, the matrixins, the leishmanolysins, the pregnancy-associated plasma proteins, the snapalysins and the fragilysins. Proteins of the hatching subfamily have been shown to be important for the cleavage of membranes coating developing embryos of invertebrates and vertebrates. Other members of this subfamily have varying or even several functions. UVS.2 from Xenopus, originally shown to play a role in dorso-anterior development, has been identified as the frog hatching enzyme. The related proteinase alveolin from medaka fish does not cleave egg envelopes, but rather is involved in their hardening upon fertilization. The proposed developmental functions of many astacin-like proteins correlate well with their expression patterns in embryos. Expression of their mRNA is temporally and spatially controlled, consistent with specific roles in embryonic development. The expression of homologous proteins in the same species is coordinately and differentially controlled, indicating complementary and independent functions of these counterparts.