Evolution and Function of the Uterine Serpins (SERPINA14) Maria B
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REVIEW ARTICLE Evolution and Function of the Uterine Serpins (SERPINA14) Maria B. Padua1, Peter J. Hansen2 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; 2Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA Keywords Uterine serpins (recently designated as SERPINA14) are hormonally Immunoregulation, pregnancy, progesterone, induced proteins secreted in large quantities by the endometrial epithe- uterine milk proteins, uterine serpin lium during pregnancy. The SERPINA14 proteins belong to the serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) superfamily, but their apparent lack of Correspondence Dr Maria B. Padua, PO Box 100294, inhibitory activity toward serine proteinases suggests that these proteins Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, evolved a different function from the anti-proteinase activity typically University of Florida, Gainesville, found in most members of the serpin superfamily. The gene is present FL 32610-0294, USA. in a limited group of mammals in the Laurasiatheria superorder (rumi- E-mail: mpadua@ufl.edu nants, horses, pigs, dolphins and some carnivores) while being absent in primates, rodents, lagomorphs and marsupials. Thus, the gene is likely Submitted June 7, 2010; to have evolved by gene duplication after divergence of Laurasiatheria accepted June 8, 2010. and to play an important role in pregnancy. That role may vary between Citation species. In sheep, SERPINA14 probably serves an immunoregulatory role Padua MB, Hansen PJ. Evolution and function to prevent rejection of the fetal allograft. It is inhibitory to lymphocyte of the uterine serpins (SERPINA14). Am J proliferation and natural killer cell function. In the pig, SERPINA14 is Reprod Immunol 2010; 64: 265–274 involved in iron transport to the fetus by binding to and stabilizing the iron-binding protein uteroferrin. It is possible that SERPINA14 has doi:10.1111/j.1600-0897.2010.00901.x undergone divergence in function since the original emergence of the gene in a common ancestor of species possessing SERPINA14. SERPINA14 may regulate immune function in the Introduction sheep and placental iron transport in the pig. Pregnancy in mammals has evolved as a process that included the use of the existing genes for specific Nomenclature functions as well as the appearance of new genes formed by gene duplication that develop novel func- Uterine serpins were first described as progesterone- tions by sequence divergence from the parental induced proteins in the uterine fluid of the pregnant gene.1 Among the proteins involved in pregnancy of sheep (Ovis aries), pig (Sus scrofa) and cow (Bos tau- a limited group of mammals are the uterine serpins rus).2–4 The protein in sheep, discovered first, was (SERPINA14). During the course of evolution, SERP- called uterine milk protein (UTMP) because it was INA14 has been modified to exhibit high expression the major protein in uterine fluid (called uterine in the uterus under the regulation of progesterone. milk by Aristotle). The two uterine serpins found in In addition, unlike most of the members of the ser- the pig were originally known as uteroferrin-associ- ine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) superfamily, SERP- ated protein or uteroferrin-associated basic proteins INA14 has not retained the anti-proteolytic activity. (UfAP ⁄ UABP) because they form non-covalently Instead, SERPINA14 might have experienced con- heterodimers with uteroferrin.3,5 The homology tinue divergence since its formation so that the func- between the sequence of the sheep UTMP and some tion of the proteins may be species specific. Thus, members of the serpin superfamily was first found American Journal of Reproductive Immunology 64 (2010) 265–274 ª 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S 265 PADUA AND HANSEN by Ing and Roberts.6 Later, Malathy et al.7 and was proposed that old designations be eliminated Mathialagan and Hansen8 found that the pig and proteins termed as uterine serpins (US). and cow proteins were similar to the sheep protein Recently, serpin genes have been categorized and also related to the serpin family. Afterward, it according to their phylogenetic relationship into 16 (a) Fig. 1 Phylogeny of SERPINA14. (a) Identifica- tion of species where SERPINA14 has been found in relationship to the types of placenta- tion. Orders with epitheliochorial placentation are represented by green branches whereas orders with either endotheliochorial or hemo- chorial type of placentation are in orange. Unresolved situations are shown by yellow branches. The superorders of eutherian mam- mals (Laurasiatheria, Euarchontoglires, Xenar- thra and Afrotheria) are shown on the illustration with the Marsupialia order as the outgroup of the tree. The presence of the SERPINA14 gene within Laurasiatheria is indi- cated by the blue check symbols whereas the red X symbols represent orders where the SERPINA14 gene was not identified after BLAST search of complete genomic sequences. The phylogenetic tree is modified from Vogel16, and the figure was reproduced from Padua et al.11 with permission from the FASEB Journal. (b) Phylogenetic tree of the SERPINA14 proteins inferred by the Neighbor- Joining method17 of the MEGA4 software.18 (b) The evolutionary distances were computed using the JTT matrix-based method19 where the rate of variation among sites was mod- eled with a gamma distribution (shape param- eter = 1.99) estimated from the data using the TREE_PUZZLE software.20,21 All positions con- taining gaps and missing data were eliminated from the dataset (Complete deletion option). The bootstrap test (1000 replicates) assessed the reliability of the branches in the phyloge- netic tree.22 The tree is drawn to scale, with branch lengths in the same units as those of the evolutionary distances used to infer the phylogenetic tree. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology 64 (2010) 265–274 266 ª 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S EVOLUTION AND FUNCTION OF SERPINA14 clades or classes (A–P). The largest clades in the clas- cluster and ovine and caprine forming another. Also, sification are Clade A and B which consists of extra- as expected, given the common ancestor between cellular or antitrypsin-like serpins and intracellular cetaceans and ruminants,24 the dolphin-like protein or ov-like serpins, respectively.9 All US that have was in a separate branch, but closer to the rumi- been described so far possess a 25-amino acid signal nants than to other species. The porcine SERPINA14 peptide sequence and are secreted into the uterine is more closely related to ruminants than to other lumen.8,10,11 Depending upon the analysis, phyloge- serpins and the equine, canine and panda bear-like netic studies have classified US as a highly divergent SERPINA14 proteins cluster together, with the two group of Clade A or as a separate clade.9,12,13 Upon carnivore species forming a sister clade. Note that discussion with James Whisstock and Gary Silver- while it was originally reported that there were two man, we asked the Human Genome Organization to SERPINA14 genes in the pig,8 only one gene was reserve the subclade 14 designation for US and this identified in the porcine genome.11 was agreed to. Since that time, US have been referred to as SERPINA14 in print.11,14,15 Structural and Enzyme-inhibitory Properties of SERPINA14 Evolution and Phylogeny of SERPINA14 The key region for serpins that inhibit proteinases is The SERPINA14 gene was first found in species with the reactive center loop (RCL), which is a flexible epitheliochorial placenta of the Ruminantia and Sui- structure localized on the top of the serpin and con- dae orders of the Laurasiatheria superorder of euthe- tains a complementary sequence to the active site of rian mammals.2–4 It is now known that, while still the target proteinase. The RCL is usually formed by somewhat limited in distribution among mammals, 20–25 amino acids and includes the hinge region at the SERPINA14 gene is present in a variety of other P15–P9 (with P1–P1¢ representing the scissile mammalian species (Fig. 1a) including those with bond).9,25,26 The hinge region provides mobility to epitheliochorial placenta [goat (Capra hircus) and the RCL, and there is a consensus pattern present in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and dolphin (Tursiops the sequence for inhibitory serpins. Glycine is usu- truncatus – based on genomic information) in Cetar- ally present in the P15 position, threonine or serine tiodactyla and horse (Equus caballus) in Perissodac- is present at P14 position and acid residues with tyla] as well as one species of Carnivora with short side chains such as alanine, glycine or serine endotheliochorial placentation, the dog (Canis lupus are abundant in positions P12–P9.9 Analysis of the familiaris).11 Based on sequence identity in genomic hinge regions of all SERPINA14 proteins indicates DNA, original data presented in this paper are indic- that these serpins are not conserved with inhibitory ative that another carnivore, the panda bear (Ailuro- serpins and are probably not functional proteinase poda melanoleuca), also contains a SERPINA14 gene inhibitors.11 (Fig. 2). In addition to the lack of conservation of key There is also a non-functional SERPINA14 in a amino acid residues necessary for proteinase inhibi- third carnivore, the cat (Felis catus).11 Thus, it may tory activity, there is little biochemical evidence to be that not every carnivore expresses a functional indicate that the SERPINA14 proteins are non- SERPINA14 gene. In addition, the SERPINA14 gene is functional proteinase inhibitors. Ovine SERPINA14 not present in the Rodentia, Lagomorpha and An- had non-inhibitory activity against trypsin, chymo- thropoidea orders of the Euarchontoglires superorder trypsin, plasmin, thrombin, elastase, plasminogen nor in Marsupialia.11 These results suggest that the activator, cathepsins B, D or E, or dipeptidyl protein- SERPINA14 gene evolved only within the Laurasia- ase IV.6,8,27 Similarly, porcine SERPINA14 did not theria superorder of mammals, probably by gene inhibit trypsin or chymotrypsin.7 duplication from another serpin gene.