Metalloproteinase activity in the hemolymph of hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus

s / Fish & Shellfish Immunology 34 (2013) 1635–1691 1666 environmentally sensitive. To evaluate this possibility we carried out structure/function studies in neutral and acid environments by means of biophysical approaches. Infrared spectroscopic data indicate that the structure of Myt C is pH dependent: acid media increases the content of alpha helix and beta-sheet and reduces random structure. Furthermore, at low pH, Myt C was able to efficiently aggregate artificial phospholipid membranes suggesting that this activity is attributable to its more structured form in an acidic environment. All together, these results highlight the dynamic and environmentally sensitive behavior of Myt C in solution, and provide important insights into Myt C structure/activity relationships and the requirements to exert its antimicrobial activity. If biological approaches confirmed these biophysical results, the pH-dependent properties of Myt C may allow the design of agents that would function selectively in specific pH environments such as the gastric lumen. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: aestepa@umh.es (A. Estepa) xThese authors have contributed equally to this work.