Ixodes scapularis tick serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) gene family; annotation and transcriptional analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Serine proteinase inhibitors (Serpins) are a large superfamily of structurally related, but functionally diverse proteins that control essential proteolytic pathways in most branches of life. Given their importance in the biology of many organisms, the concept that ticks might utilize serpins to evade host defenses and immunizing against or disrupting their functions as targets for tick control is an appealing option.

Results

A sequence homology search strategy has allowed us to identify at least 45 tick serpin genes in the Ixodes scapularis genome that are structurally segregated into 32 intronless and 13 intron-containing genes. Nine of the intron-containing serpins occur in a cluster of 11 genes that span 170 kb of DNA sequence. Based on consensus amino acid re

SUBMITTER: Mulenga A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2689274 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature