A novel serine protease secreted by medicinal maggots enhances plasminogen activator-induced fibrinolysis

PLoS One. 2014 Mar 19;9(3):e92096. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092096. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Maggots of the blowfly Lucilia sericata are used for the treatment of chronic wounds. As haemostatic processes play an important role in wound healing, this study focused on the effects of maggot secretions on coagulation and fibrinolysis. The results showed that maggot secretions enhance plasminogen activator-induced formation of plasmin and fibrinolysis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. By contrast, coagulation was not affected by secretions. Biochemical studies indicated that a novel serine protease within secretions, designated Sericase, cleaved plasminogen to several fragments. Recombinant Sericase degraded plasminogen leading amongst others to the formation of the mini-plasminogen like fragment Val454-plasminogen. In addition, the presence of a non-proteolytic cofactor in secretions was discovered, which plays a role in the enhancement of plasminogen activator-induced fibrinolysis by Sericase. We conclude from our in vitro studies that the novel serine protease Sericase, with the aid of a non-proteolytic cofactor, enhances plasminogen activator-induced fibrinolysis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Blood Coagulation / drug effects
  • Diptera / drug effects
  • Diptera / enzymology*
  • Fibrinolysin / metabolism
  • Fibrinolysis / drug effects*
  • Humans
  • Larva
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plasminogen / metabolism
  • Plasminogen Activators / pharmacology*
  • Serine Proteases / chemistry
  • Serine Proteases / metabolism*
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Plasminogen
  • Serine Proteases
  • Plasminogen Activators
  • Fibrinolysin

Grants and funding

Anders Schou Andersen was supported by a clinical PhD scholarship from the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Sciences. The TAST project was financed by a material grant from The Danish Research Council for Technology and Production 274-05-0435 to Professor Karen A. Krogfelt, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.