Vallesi A, Giuli G, Ghiara P, Scapigliati G, Luporini P
Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Cellulare e Animale, University of Camerino, Italy.
Exp Cell Res. 1998 May 25;241(1):253-9. doi: 10.1006/excr.1998.4056.
Diffusible protein signals of the ciliate Euplotes raikovi, denoted as pheromones, have functionally been linked with prototypic growth factors of animal cells by the demonstration that they not only induce a temporary cell union in mating pairs, by acting in a paracrine-like fashion, but can also bind to cells in autocrine fashion and promote their vegetative (mitotic) proliferation. It is now shown that pheromone Er-1 is capable of binding to the alpha and beta chains of the multimeric IL-2 receptor on mammalian cells and that IL-2 can, in turn, bind to the putative cell receptor of this pheromone. Similarities in the IL-2 and Er-1 structures support these findings and raise controversial implications with regard to their evolutionary significance.
纤毛虫雷氏游仆虫（Euplotes raikovi）的可扩散蛋白质信号，被称为信息素，通过以下证明在功能上与动物细胞的原型生长因子相关联：它们不仅以旁分泌样方式作用，诱导交配对中的细胞暂时结合，还能以自分泌方式与细胞结合并促进其营养（有丝分裂）增殖。现已表明，信息素Er - 1能够与哺乳动物细胞上多聚体白细胞介素 - 2受体的α链和β链结合，而白细胞介素 - 2反过来又能与这种信息素的假定细胞受体结合。白细胞介素 - 2和Er - 1结构上的相似性支持了这些发现，并引发了关于它们进化意义的争议性问题。
