ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF 4 DEVELOPMENTALLY-REGULATED CATHEPSIN B-LIKE CYSTEINE PROTEASE GENES FROM THE NEMATODE CAENORHABDITIS-ELEGANS

Cathepsin B cysteine protease enzymes have been shown to be involved i n a variety of different biological processes in eukaryotes, We have i solated and characterized four distinct cathepsin B-like genes from th e genetically tractable nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, This is the first reported finding of a cathepsin B-like multigene family within a nonparasitic metazoan, The four genes possess distinct genomic archit ectures, with variations in the position, number, and size of introns. The predicted amino acid sequences of the four genes are highly diver ged, Phylogenetic analysis indicates the divergence of this multigene family within C. elegans is as great as the interspecies divergence be tween the vertebrates and nematode cathepsin B-like genes. In addition , each of the four genes described here shows a distinct temporal patt ern of expression during C, elegans development.