| Title: |
Go West: Hirudins and Decorsin/Ornatin-like Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors in Two Representatives of American Hematophagous Leeches. |
| Authors: |
Pfordt, Victoria1, Kalatehjari, Pegah1,2, Tolksdorf, Céline3,4, Rauch, Bernhard H.4, Müller, Christian1 christian.mueller@uni-greifswald.de |
| Source: |
Parasitologia. Dec2022, Vol. 2 Issue 4, p313-325. 13p. |
| Subject Terms: |
*PLATELET aggregation inhibitors, *HIRUDIN, *LEECHES, *ANTITHROMBINS, *ANTICOAGULANTS |
| Abstract: |
Hematophagous leeches express a broad variety of secretory factors in their salivary glands; among them are hirudins, inhibitors of blood coagulation, and decorsins/ornatins, inhibitors of platelet aggregation. Here, we describe the identification and molecular and functional characterization of putative hirudins and decorsins/ornatins in two leech species of American origin, Limnobdella mexicana and Haementeria vizottoi. The leech species represent two orders of leeches, the proboscisbearing Rhynchobdellida and the non-proboscis-bearing Arhynchobdellida. Members of the hirudin superfamily, such as hirudins or decorsins/ornatins, are described for the first time in the genus Haementeria. Both species expressed very potent inhibitors of platelet aggregation, but only the putative hirudins of L. mexicana displayed high thrombin-inhibitory potency, whereas the putative hirudin of H. vizottoi turned out to be a hirudin-like factor. The results of our study provide new insights into the evolutionary background of the blood-sucking lifestyle in leeches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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