a b s t r a c tA full-length cDNA encoding an anticoagulant peptide, named AduNAP4, was cloned and identified from the human hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale. AduNAP4 has 104 amino acids including a predicted 23-residue signal peptide and shows 650% similarity with other known nematode anticoagulant protein/peptide (NAP). AduNAP4 is extremely efficient at prolonging the activated partial thromboplastin time, and is an inhibitor of both fXa (K i = 7.34 ± 1.74 nM) and fXIa (K i = 42.45 ± 3.25 nM). No fXIa inhibitor has previously been described from other blood-feeding animals. Our results suggest that hookworms have evolved a potent mechanism that interferes with coagulation by inhibition of fXIa to facilitate its blood-feeding lifestyle.

The FAOD/FPOD family of proteins has the potential to be useful for the longterm detection of blood glucose levels in diabetes patients. A bottleneck for this application is to find or engineer a FAOD/FPOD family enzyme that is specifically active towards -fructosyl peptides but is inactive towards other types of glycated peptides. Here, the crystal structure of fructosyl peptide oxidase from Eupenicillium terrenum (EtFPOX) is reported at 1.9 Å resolution. In contrast to the previously reported structure of amadoriase II, EtFPOX has an open substrate entrance to accommodate the large peptide substrate. The functions of residues critical for substrate selection are discussed based on structure comparison and sequence alignment. This study reveals the first structural details of group I FPODs that prefer -fructosyl substrates and could provide significant useful information for uncovering the mechanism of substrate specificity of FAOD/FPODs and guidance towards future enzyme engineering for diagnostic purposes.

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The flavoenzyme fructosyl peptide oxidase (FPOX) catalyses the oxidative deglycation of fructosyl amino acids or fructosyl dipeptides to produce amino acids, glucosone and hydrogen peroxide. In this study, FPOX protein from Eupenicillium terrenum sp. (EtFPOX) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni-affinity and gel-filtration chromatography. EtFPOX crystals were obtained using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method with polyethylene glycol 3350 as precipitant. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.90 Å resolution using a synchrotron-radiation source. The crystals belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 65.6, b = 80.0, c = 83.4 Å, and contained one molecule in the asymmetric unit. The calculated Matthews coefficient and solvent content were 2.22 Å(3) Da(-1) and 44.62%, respectively.

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