SpCoel1: a sea urchin profilin gene expressed specifically in coelomocytes in response to injury

LC Smith, RJ Britten and EH Davidson

Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125.

SpCoel1 is a single copy gene that is specifically expressed in most of the coelomocytes of the adult purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. The 4-kb transcript from this gene has a relatively short (426 nucleotide) open reading frame (ORF) with long 3' and 5' untranslated regions. The ORF encodes a protein that has strong amino acid sequence similarity to profilins from yeast to mammals. Transcript titrations of SpCoel1 show significant increases per coelomocyte in animals that have been physiologically challenged. Increases in transcript levels are of similar magnitudes between animals receiving different treatments, such as injuries from needle punctures or from injections of foreign cells. The evidence presented here implies a molecular mechanism by which this lower deuterostome defense system responds to external insult, viz that an external "injury signal" activates a signal transduction system, which in turn mediates the alterations in cytoskeletal state that are required for coelomocyte activation.

Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 403-414, 04/01/1992
Copyright © 1992 by The American Society for Cell Biology

This article has been cited by other articles:

				V. Brockton, J. H. Henson, D. A. Raftos, A. J. Majeske, Y.-O. Kim, and L. C. Smith Localization and diversity of 185/333 proteins from the purple sea urchin - unexpected protein-size range and protein expression in a new coelomocyte type J. Cell Sci., February 1, 2008; 121(3): 339 - 348. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. L. Browne, J. B. Swan, E. E. Rankin, H. Calvert, S. Griffiths, and M. Tytell Extracellular heat shock protein 70 has novel functional effects on sea urchin eggs and coelomocytes J. Exp. Biol., April 1, 2007; 210(7): 1275 - 1287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. V. Nair, H. Del Valle, P. S. Gross, D. P. Terwilliger, and L. C. Smith Macroarray analysis of coelomocyte gene expression in response to LPS in the sea urchin. Identification of unexpected immune diversity in an invertebrate Physiol Genomics, June 16, 2005; 22(1): 33 - 47. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. A. Clow, D. A. Raftos, P. S. Gross, and L. C. Smith The sea urchin complement homologue, SpC3, functions as an opsonin J. Exp. Biol., May 15, 2004; 207(12): 2147 - 2155. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Calestani, J. P. Rast, and E. H. Davidson Isolation of pigment cell specific genes in the sea urchin embryo by differential macroarray screening Development, October 1, 2003; 130(19): 4587 - 4596. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. J. Hillier and V. D. Vacquier Amassin, an olfactomedin protein, mediates the massive intercellular adhesion of sea urchin coelomocytes J. Cell Biol., February 18, 2003; 160(4): 597 - 604. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. Pancer Dynamic expression of multiple scavenger receptor cysteine-rich genes in coelomocytes of the purple sea urchin PNAS, November 2, 2000; (2000) 230096397. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				L. C. Smith, C.-S. Shih, and S. G. Dachenhausen Coelomocytes Express SpBf, a Homologue of Factor B, the Second Component in the Sea Urchin Complement System J. Immunol., December 15, 1998; 161(12): 6784 - 6793. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Z. Al-Sharif, J. O. Sunyer, J. D. Lambris, and L. C. Smith Sea Urchin Coelomocytes Specifically Express a Homologue of the Complement Component C3 J. Immunol., March 15, 1998; 160(6): 2983 - 2997. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Davidson Later embryogenesis: regulatory circuitry in morphogenetic fields Development, January 7, 1993; 118(3): 665 - 690. [Abstract] [PDF]

				Z. Pancer Dynamic expression of multiple scavenger receptor cysteine-rich genes in coelomocytes of the purple sea urchin PNAS, November 21, 2000; 97(24): 13156 - 13161. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]