Cg-TIMP, an inducible tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase from the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas with a potential role in wound healing and defense mechanisms

We have cloned and characterized a cDNA encoding Cg-TIMP, the first tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase identified in mollusks, The isolated cDNA encodes a protein of 221 residues that has a domain organization similar to that of vertebrate TIMPs including a signal sequence, and the 12 cysteines characteristic of the TIMP signature, Analysis of Cg-TIMP expression in adult oyster tissues, by Northern blot and in situ hybridization, indicates that Cg-TIMP was only expressed in hemocytes which are the key components of defense mechanisms in mollusks, We also observed that Cg-TIMP mRNA accumulated during shell damage and bacterial challenge. This pattern of expression suggests that Cg-TIMP may be an important factor in wound healing and defense mechanisms. (C) 2001 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.