The vitellogenin of the honey bee,Apis mellifera: structural analysis of the cDNA and expression studies

The cDNA of Apis mellifera vitellogenin was cloned and sequenced. It is 5440 bp long and contains an ORF of 1770 amino acids (including a putative signal peptide of 16 residues). The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarity with other hymenopteran vitellogenins (58% with Pimpla nipponica and 54% with Athalia rosae). The alignment with 19 insect vitellogenins shows a high number of conserved motifs; for example, close to the C-terminus there is a GL/ICG motif followed by nine cysteines, as occurs in all hymenopteran species, and, as in other insect vitellogenins, a DGXR motif is located 18 residues upstream the GL/ICG motif. Phylogenetic analysis of vitellogenin sequences available in insects gave a tree that is congruent with the currently accepted insect phylogenetic schemes. Using two fragments of the vitellogenin cDNA as probes, we analyzed by Northern blot the sex- and caste-specific patterns of vitellogenin expression in pupae and adults of A. mellifera. In queens, vitellogenin mRNA was first detected in mid-late pupal stage, whereas in workers it was first detected in late pupal stage. Vitellogenin mRNA was also observed in drones, although it was first detected not in pupae but in freshly molted adults.     

Cloning and expression of a fat body-specific chitinase cDNA from the spider, Araneus ventricosus

A fat body-specific chitinase cDNA was cloned from the spider, Araneus ventricosus. The cDNA encoding A. ventricosus chitinase (AvChit1) is 1515 bp long with an open reading frame (ORF) of 431 amino acid residues. AvChit1 possesses the chitinase family 18 active site signature and one N-glycosylation site. The deduced amino acid sequence of AvChit1 cDNA showed 43% identity to both Glossina morsitans morsitans chitinase and a human chitotriosidase, and 30-40% to some insect chitinases which lack both the serine/threonine and chitin binding domains. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA suggested the presence of AvChit1 gene as a single copy. Northern and Western blot analysis and enzyme activity assay showed the tissue-specific expression of AvChit1 in the A. ventricosus fat body. The AvChit1 cDNA was expressed as a 61 kDa polypeptide in baculovirus-infected insect Sf9 cells and the recombinant AvChit1 showed activity in the chitinase enzyme assay using 0.1% glycol chitin as a substrate. Treatment of recombinant virus-infected Sf9 cells with tunicamycin, a specific inhibitor of N-glycosylation, revealed that AvChit1 is N-glycosylated, but the carbohydrate moieties are not essential for chitinolytic activity.     

Molecular cloning, expression, and characterization of the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene from the entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris

We describe the molecular characterization of the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene of Cordyceps militaris, which is one of the entomopathogenic fungi called a vegetable wasp and plant worm. The SOD1 gene of C. militaris spans 922 bp and consisted of three introns and four exons coding for 154 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the C. militaris SOD1 cDNA showed 88% identity to Claviceps purpurea SOD1, 82% to Neurospora crassa SOD1, and 75-64% to SOD1 sequences from other fungi. The C. militaris SOD1 possesses the typical metal binding ligands of six histidines and one aspartic acid common to fungal SOD1s. The cDNA encoding C. militaris SOD1 was expressed as a 17-kDa polypeptide in the baculovirus-infected insect Sf9 cells. The enzyme activity of the purified recombinant C. militaris SOD1 was approximately 568 U per mg(-1) . Southern blot analysis of the genomic DNA suggested the C. militaris SOD1 was a single gene. Northern and Western blot analysis and enzyme activity assays indicated SOD1 was expressed constitutively. This is the first report of an SOD1 gene from any entomopathogenic fungus.     

三种鳞翅目夜蛾科昆虫α-微管蛋白基因的克隆与mRNA表达水平

根据昆虫微管蛋白的分子特征筛选对昆虫微管有效的抑制剂来控制昆虫的生长发育或不同器官的有效功能的表达来达到控制害虫的目的,在未来的害虫综合治理中具有广泛的应用前景。以预蛹期甜菜夜蛾Spodoptera exigua、小地老虎Agrotis ypsilon和八字地老虎Agrotis c-nigrum为材料提取总RNA,利用RT-PCR和cDNA末端快速扩增技术(RACE),分别扩增得到以上3种夜蛾科昆虫的α-微管蛋白基因的cDNA序列,3种昆虫的该基因序列均包括1个1353个碱基的开放阅读框。这3个cDNA序列均编码1个含450个氨基酸的蛋白,分子量约为50kDa。氨基酸的142~148位存在1个微管蛋白信号片段GGGTGSG,在氨基酸序列的C-端都有1个酪氨酸残基,N-端存在1个对转录后调控非常重要的保守区MRECI序列,以上特点与其他昆虫α-微管蛋白氨基酸序列保守区序列相同。序列比对表明,克隆得到的α-微管蛋白基因的核苷酸序列是高度保守的,同源性为94.4%~97.0%,而氨基酸的序列同源性达到100%。利用RT-PCR技术在3种昆虫4龄、5龄、6龄幼虫、蛹期4个不同发育阶段和6龄期的肠道、体壁、脂肪体3种不同组织中都检测到了α-微管蛋白基因在mRNA水平的表达。     

Molecular cloning and characterization of cDNA coding for beta1, 2N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GlcNAc-TI) from Nicotiana tabacum.

In plants as well as in animals beta1, 2N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GlcNAc-TI) is a Golgi resident enzyme that catalyzes an essential step in the biosynthetic pathway leading from oligomannosidic N-glycans to complex or hybrid type N-linked oligosaccharides. Employing degenerated primers deduced from known GlcNAc-TI genes from animals, we were able to identify the cDNA coding for GlcNAc-TI from a Nicotiana tabacum cDNA library. The complete nucleotide sequence revealed a 1338 base pair open reading frame that codes for a polypeptide of 446 amino acids. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with that of already known GlcNAc-TI polypeptides revealed no similarity of the tobacco clone within the putative cytoplasmatic, transmembrane, and stem regions. However, 40% sequence similarity was found within the putative C-terminal catalytic domain containing conserved single amino acids and peptide motifs. The predicted domain structure of the tobacco polypeptide is typical for type II transmembrane proteins and comparable to known GlcNAc-TI from animal species. In order to confirm enzyme activity a truncated form of the protein containing the putative catalytic domain was expressed using a baculovirus/insect cell system. Using pyridylaminated Man(5)- or Man(3)GlcNAc(2)as acceptor substrates and HPLC analysis of the products GlcNAc-TI activity was shown. This demonstrates that the C-terminal region of the protein comprises the catalytic domain. Expression of GlcNAc-TI mRNA in tobacco leaves was detected using RT-PCR. Southern blot analysis gave two hybridization signals of the gene in the amphidiploid genomes of the two investigated species N. tabacum and N.benthamiana.