Structural diversity of trypsin from different mosquito species feeding on vertebrate blood

Summary Mosquito trypsin was purified using a combination of ion exchange and affinity chromatography with the ligand soybean trypsin inhibitor. ThreeAedes and threeAnopheles species were tested, all of which are specialized in the digestion of vertebrate blood. Amino-terminal sequences of HPLC-purified trypsins fromAedes aegypti andAnopheles quadrimaculatus revealed homologies of 30–40% with vertebrate and other invertebrate proteases previously identified as serine-proteases. The purified mosquito trypsins have molecular masses between 25 kDa and 36 kDa, as determined by denaturing polyacrylamide electrophoresis, and are heterogeneous in size and number in the various species. The number of SDS-bands varies between 3 and 6 inAedes and between 1 and 3 inAnopheles. The specific activities, determined with the substrate TAME, range from 240 U/mg inAedes aegypti to 1065 U/mg inAnopheles quadrimaculatus. All mosquito trypsins tested have acidic isoelectric points between pH 3.5 and pH 5.4. No alkaline proteases were detected. Polyclonal antisera againstAedes aegypti andAnopheles albimanus trypsin do not cross-react with bovine trypsin. Cross-reactivity of the two sera with trypsin from six mosquito species suggests the presence of at least 2 enzyme families.