An earthworm protease cleaving serum fibronectin and decreasing HBeAg in HepG2.2.15 cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Virus-binding activity is one of the important functions of fibronectin (FN). It has been reported that a high concentration of FN in blood improves the transmission frequency of hepatitis viruses. Therefore, to investigate a protease that hydrolyzes FN rapidly is useful to decrease the FN concentration in blood and HBV infection. So far, however, no specific protease digesting FN in serum has been reported.

Methods

We employed a purified earthworm protease to digest serum proteins. The rapidly cleaved protein (FN) was identified by MALDI-TOF MS and western blotting. The cleavage sites were determined by N-terminus amino acid residues sequencing. The protease was orally administrated to rats to investigate whether serum FN in vivo became decreased. The serum FN wa

SUBMITTER: Wang XQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2611985 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature