NEW PEARL LAYER SUBSTRATE PROTEIN AND ITS GENE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a new protein obtained from pearl layer in shell epidermis of Pinctada fucata but not obtained from its prismatic layer, comprising pearl layer substrate protein having specific molecular weight and a specific amino acid sequence and enabling us to artificially synthesize pearls. ;SOLUTION: The objective protein is a new pearl layer substrate protein having an amino acid sequence of the formula at the N terminal position, capable of being obtained from pearl layer in shell epidermis of Pinctada fucata but incapable of being obtained from its prismatic layer and having 14 kDa or 17 kDa molecular weight determined by SDS-PAGE, and enables us to artificially synthesize pearls. The protein is obtained by extracting mRNA from mantle piece of Pinctada fucata in an usual manner, by preparing a cDNA library using it, by screening the library with an oligonucleotide as a probe corresponding to amino acid sequence of the protein at the N terminal position, by transducing the gene into a vector and by making it be expressed in host cells.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2000,JPO