RESUMO

The salivary complex of leeches contains many components able to modulate physiological mechanisms, such as coagulation and fibrinolysis, and it is composed by the salivary glands and proboscis, encompassing two different proteomes. The bidimensional electrophoretic pattern of the salivary complex from the Haementeria depressa leech revealed a total of 352 spots, 103 in common with the muscular tissue and 249 exclusive from the salivary complex as detected by silver staining; these spots showed isoelectric points from 3.5 to 9.5 and covered an apparent molecular weight range from 10 to 105 kDa. The following isoforms of proteins were identified by mass spectrometry analysis: antiplatelet protein, myohemerythrin and carbonic anhydrase. Since the leeches were not fed for about 2-3 months to stimulate the secretion of proteins that facilitates the blood metabolism, these most abundant proteins in the salivary complex excised from leeches, are expected to play a role during feeding and might have some anti-hemostatic properties. Furthermore, by zymography, a gelatinolytic and a fibrinolytic protein were identified.

Assuntos

Sanguessugas/química , Proteínas e Peptídeos Salivares/isolamento & purificação , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Anidrases Carbônicas/genética , Anidrases Carbônicas/isolamento & purificação , Eletroforese em Gel Bidimensional , Hemeritrina/genética , Hemeritrina/isolamento & purificação , Sanguessugas/genética , Sanguessugas/fisiologia , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Mapeamento de Peptídeos , Glândulas Salivares/química , Glândulas Salivares/fisiologia , Proteínas e Peptídeos Salivares/química , Proteínas e Peptídeos Salivares/genética , Proteínas e Peptídeos Salivares/fisiologia , Homologia de Sequência de Aminoácidos , Espectrometria de Massas por Ionização por Electrospray , Espectrometria de Massas por Ionização e Dessorção a Laser Assistida por Matriz