A metalloproteinase gene from the pathogenic piscine hemoflagellate, Cryptobia salmositica.

We report the identification of a Cryptobia genomic DNA gene predicted to encode a hydrophobic protein containing a zinc metalloproteinase motif, HEXXH, and hence named it a major surface proteinase 1-like (MSP-1). The MSP-1 gene was identified using universal genome walking. Southern blot analysis revealed it to be a multicopy gene. Fragments of DNA encoding a segment homologous to the HEXXH motif of MSP-1 are widely found in bacteria, yeast, parasitic protozoans, plants, and animals including humans. These results suggest that the MSP-1 may have highly conserved functions, such as in intracellular proteolysis.