Harnessing disorder: onychophorans use highly unstructured proteins, not silks, for prey capture.

ABSTRACT: Onychophora are ancient, carnivorous soft-bodied invertebrates which capture their prey in slime that originates from dedicated glands located on either side of the head. While the biochemical composition of the slime is known, its unusual nature and the mechanism of ensnaring thread formation have remained elusive. We have examined gene expression in the slime gland from an Australian onychophoran, Euperipatoides rowelli, and matched expressed sequence tags to separated proteins from the slime. The analysis revealed three categories of protein present: unique high-molecular-weight proline-rich proteins, and smaller concentrations of lectins and small peptides, the latter two likely to act as protease inhibitors and antimicrobial agents. The predominant proline-rich proteins (200 kDa+) are

SUBMITTER: Haritos VS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2981920 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature