THE PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF A CHONDRICHTHYAN PROTAMINE - A NEW APPARENT CONTRADICTION IN PROTAMINE EVOLUTION

We have determined the primary structure of protamine R3 from ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei), a species belonging to the order Chimaeriformes (an old phylogenetic line among the chondrichthyes). Protamine R3 cont ains 48 residues organized as follows: ARRRH SMKKK RKSVR RRKTR KNQRK R KNSL GRSFK (Q/A)HGFL KQPPR FRP. Comparison of this sequence with both protamine Z3 from Scyliorhinus canicula (a chondrichthyan) and typical protamines from bony fish generates an apparent contradiction: Two re latively close species (H. colliei and S. canicula, both chondichthyes ) display different protamines, whereas species more distant in evolut ion (S. canicula and bony fish) contain very similar protamine molecul es, We note that this is not an isolated case in the evolution of sper m nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) and discuss the possible significance of this fact.