organic components of saliva Flashcards
what is salivary protein content
1 - 6 g/L
varies according to flow rate + contribution from diff salivary glands (ie parotid saliva has higher protein conc than sublingual secretions)
what is protein conc of saliva compared to plasma
much lower (<1/10) than of plasma
how many different proteins have been identified to date
50
what are the broad categories of proteins according to their functions
1) those with lubricating properties
2) antimicrobial
3) mineral binding
4) some = more than one of above
what are salivary mucins
- high molecular weight glycoproteins (glycosylated proteins)
- all contain O- + N-linked sugars
- more than 40% (up to 80%) carb on weight basis
- 25% of ALL salivary proteins
why are salivary mucins important
1) lubricants - protect hard and soft tissue
2) lubricant properties directly related to structure
carbs are added to proteins by covalent attachment to amino acid side chains
what types of attachment are found and what are they
2 types
- O- and N- linkages
are are O-linked
MOST ABUNDANT
added to serine (SER) or threonine (THR) amino acid residues in the mucin polypep chain via their side chains which BOTH terminate w a hydroxyl group (so dehydration + lose H2O)
are are N-linked
attached to the amide nitrogen of the side chain of asparagine (ASN) residues w/in the polypep chain
carbohydrate is only added to ASN side chains where it occurs as part of the sequence (asparagine -> other amino acid -> threonine or serine)
what is the name of a peptide sequence which tells enzymes to add a modification to the amino acid
consensus sequence
what is the addition of carbohydrates to amino acid residues an example of
POST-TRANSLATION MODIFICATION
occurs aft polypeptide chain has been synthesised via enzymes in the ER and golgi
give an example of a molecule which may be O or N linked
acetyl galactose amine
N-linked GlcNAc
O-linked GalNAc
what is the common core structure of N-linked oligosaccharides
- 3 mannose
- 2 N-acetylglucosamine residues
further sugars attach to this common core (to mannose)
give an example of an N-linked oligosaccharide
Sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminate)
- freq part of the oligosaccharide structure in salivary mucins
- presence of substituted carbs confer a -ve charge on salivary mucins resulting in an extended structure for the proteins in solution due to the repulsion of charges
what do mucin monomers comprise
1) carboxyl + amino terminal domains (rich in cysteine (CYS) residues)
2) CYS residues capable of forming covalent cross links (bc sulphurdryl (SH) side chains) so 1+ of these monomeric structures can be linked together in a linear fashion to form mucin oligomers (happens in salivary mucin MG1)
3) large central portion of the molecule = multiple repeats of 10-80 amino acid residue seqs (up to ½ of amino acids are serine OR threonine so area becomes saturated w 100s of O linked oligosaccharides)
4) N-linked oligosaccharides found on mucins BUT less abundantly
what 2 types of mucins does saliva contain
MG1
MG2
MG = mucous glycoprotein
differentially expressed in major and minor salivary glands
describe MG1
- oligomeric structure
- high molecular weight (>1MDa) bc several mucin monomers covalently attached by S-S bonds in a linear array
- mixture of 3 diff gene products
- forms complexes w other salivary components / proteins (amylases, PRPs, statherin, histatins, anti-microbial peptides)
- so binds to human defence peptides produced by oral epithelium to protect against microorganisms
describe MG2
- derived from a single gene (so is a single monomer)
- low molecular weight (250kDa)
- binds oral pathogens and yeast (candida albicans)
- purified MG2 binds to oral streptococci (caries) and actinobacillus actinmycetemcomitans (perio disease)
why is the molecular weight of MG2 still relatively large
compared to avg serum protein ie albumin - 65,000 kDa
list the functions of salivary mucins
1) protect oral surfaces against dessication (form selectively permeable diffusion barrier between underlying surfaces + external environment)
2) lubricate hard and soft tissues (protect from mechanical damage - so facilitates speech + swallowing)
3) provide physical barrier to microbial colonisation
4) regulate other salivary proteins + peptides
5) anti-microbial + anti-fungal
6) direct bacterial colonisation of tooth and soft tissue (as they can bind to these surfaces)
what is the name of statherin derived from
- greek “to stabilise”
what is statherin
- produce by acinar cells
- small protein (<5kDa)
- unique amino acid primary seq (proline (PRO) rich)
- high -ve charge as asymmetrically distributed
- important component of salivary pellicle (thin protein rich deposit covering tooth surface)
what does statherin do
- protect against ectopic calcification in oral cavity bc whole statherin molecule inhibits de novo (spontaneous) precipitation of HAP SO prevents unwanted deposition of HAP mineral (which would cause calculus, tartar etc)
- binds to HAP mineral + inhibits crystal (secondary) growth of HAP
- amino acid residues 1-6 binds Ca preventing spontaneous precipitation of HAP = so binds to HAP by 2 possible sites (whole statherin molecule + amino acid residues 1-6)
explain the primary structure of statherin
- asymmetrical distribution of -ve charge
- amino terminal highly charged w (5 consecutive amino acids w -vely charged side chains at physiological pH) and this part of molecule (amino acid residues 1-6) bind Ca tightly
explain the secondary structure of statherin
- proline (PRO) rich precluding alpha helix structures found in many other proteins
- whole of the statherin molecule binds to existing HAP mineral (+ inhibits further crystal growth)
what are proline rich peptides (PRP)
- secondary structure rich in amino acid proline
- 40% of their amino acid residues are proline
what proportion of total salivary protein do PRPs comprise
10 - 40%
50mg / 100mL saliva
- rich in submandibular gland secretions (and those of trachea and pharynx)
PRPs are
POLYMORPHIC (derived from a group of genes situated on chromosome 12)
how many PRPs have been identified so far
6
share sequence homology (closely related in terms of their primary structure suggesting imp biological function preserved through evolution)
proteolytically processed in the salivary glands generating a large number of related proteins in the PRP family
what properties do the primary structure of PRPs have
- high amount of -ve charge at amino terminal (distributed asymmetrically)
- acidic