The disulfide bond pattern of catrocollastatin-C was
determined by N-terminal sequencing and mass spectrometry.
The N-terminal disintegrin-like domain is a compact structure
including eight disulfide bonds, seven of them in the same
pattern as the disintegrin bitistatin. The protein has
two extra cysteine residues (XIII and XVI) that form an
additional disulfide bond that is characteristically found
in the disintegrin-like domains of cellular metalloproteinases
(ADAMs) and PIII snake venom Zn-metalloproteinases (SVMPs).
The C-terminal cysteine-rich domain of catrocollastatin-C
contains five disulfide bonds between nearest-neighbor
cysteines and a long range disulfide bridge between CysV
and CysX. These results provide structural evidence for
a redefinition of the disintegrin-like and cysteine-rich
domain boundaries. An evolutionary pathway for ADAMs, PIII,
and PII SVMPs based on disulfide bond engineering is also
proposed.