Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development
Published on: June 15, 2017
A retinoic acid-inducible modular protease in budding ascidians
M Ohashi1, K Kawamura, N Fujii
1Faculty of Science, Kochi University, Kochi, 780-8520, Japan.
Abstract:
Retinoic acid-treated mesenchyme cells of the budding ascidian Polyandrocarpa misakiensis acquire an organizer activity to induce a secondary body axis when implanted into developing buds. We identified several different mRNAs that were upregulated in the mesenchyme cells after retinoic acid treatment. We isolated a cDNA clone corresponding to one of these mRNAs. The C-terminal region of the predicted protein product is homologous to the catalytic domain of serine proteases that belong to the trypsin family. The N-terminal region contains several types of protein-protein interaction domains. We therefore named this protein tunicate retinoic acid-inducible modular protease (TRAMP). Expression of the TRAMP mRNA in mesenchyme cells during budding and its upregulation by retinoic acid were demonstrated by reverse transcription-PCR and in situ hybridization. A glutathione S-transferase-TRAMP fusion protein showed a protease activity with trypsin-like substrate specificity and stimulated proliferation of the cell line established in this species.
Related Concept Videos
Regulated Protein Degradation
Protein degradation plays two important roles in the cells. It helps to protect cells from misfolded or damaged proteins before they lead to a...
Rab Proteins
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
Directing Proteins to the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
Caspases
Regulated Protein Degradation
Protein degradation plays two important roles in the cells. It helps to protect cells from misfolded or damaged proteins before they lead to a...
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways

