A new multigene superfamily of Kunitz-type protease inhibitors from sea anemone Heteractis crispa

► The Kunitz-type multigene superfamily composed of distinct gene families (GS-, RG-, GG-, and GN-) has been found. ► The exon-intron structure of GS-genes has been determined. ► Three full-length and 33 mature cDNAs encoding members of GS-polypeptides have been obtained. ► The deduced mature GS-polypeptides are categorized into three groups: group I (with the Lys P1 residue), group II (with the Thr P1 residue), and group III (with the Arg P1 residue). ► The deduced GS-polypeptide demonstrated diverse charge distribution.