Ref ID : 4932
Claudio Alimenti, Claudio Ortenzi, Vito Carratore, and Pierangelo Luporini; Cold-adapted Euplotes Pheromones. Europ.J.Protistol. 39:399-403, 2003
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Species of Euplotes rely on diffusible signal proteins (pheromones) to promote their mitotic reproduction and mating (sexual) phenomena. Two of these pheromones have recently been structurally characterized from an Antarctic species, E. nobilii, and their amino acid sequences (of 52 and 60 residues, and eight cysteines) were found to be closely related with those of E. raikovi pheromones of temperate waters. However, they diverge in physiochemical properties, such as a reduced hydrophobicity, an increased solvent accessibility and improved backbone flexibility, which together reflect their close adaptation to cold.