CLONING AND SEQUENCING OF 3 C-TYPE LECTINS FROM BODY-SURFACE MUCUS OFTHE LAND SLUG, INCILARIA-FRUHSTORFERI

Three C-type lectins of 15 kDa were isolated from tl-le water-soluble fraction (WSF) of the body surface mucus of the land slug, Incilaria f ruhstorferi. Based on their partial amino acid sequences, the nucleoti de sequences of cDNAs encoding these lectins, named incilarin A, B and C, were determined, cDNAs of incilarin A, B and C consisted of 673, 6 63 and 715 bp, and deduced amino acids were 150, 149 and 156 residues, respectively. All three lectins had signal peptides of 17 amino acid residues at their N-termini. They showed 44-55% amino acid sequence id entity with each other, and lower but significant homology with the ot her animal C-type lectins and antifreeze protein. Incilarin A and B se em to possess two intramolecular disulfide bonds in the carbohydrate-b inding domain (CRD) conserved among the animal C-type lectins, however , one of these bonds is absent in incilarin C. (C) 1998 Published by E lsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.