Biosynthesis of mosquito vitellogenin

Vitellogenin (Vg), the hemolymph precursor to the major yolk protein in mosquitoes, is synthesized in the fat body of blood-fed females. Mosquito Vg consists of two subunits with Mr = 200,000 and 66,000. Here, we demonstrate that both the Vg subunits are first synthesized as a single precursor. The identity of this Vg precursor was confirmed by immunoprecipitation with subunit-specific monoclonal antibodies. In cell-free translation of fat body poly (A)+ RNA, the Vg precursor had Mr = 224,000 which increased to 240,000 in the presence of canine pancreatic microsomal membranes. A precursor with Mr = 250,000 was immunoprecipitated in microsomal fractions isolated from rat bodies. With in vitro pulse labeling, the 250-kDa precursor could be detected in homogenates of fat bodies from blood-fed mosquitoes only during the first few hours accumulation of the Vg precursor was achieved by an in vitro stimulation of Vg synthesis in previtellogenic fat bodies cultured with an insect hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone. The 250-kDa precursor was glycosylated and to a much lesser degree phosphorylated. Treatment of fat bodies with tunicamycin yielded the precursor with Mr = 226,000 which was neither glycosylated nor phosphorylated. The reduction in molecular mass of the 250-kDa Vg precursor and of both mature Vg subunits combined was similar after digestion with endoglycosidase H, indicating that glycosylation is completed prior to cleavage of the Vg precursor. In vitro pulse-chase experiments revealed rapid proteolytic cleavage of the 250-kDa precursor to two polypeptides with Mr = 190,000 and 62,000 which transformed into mature Vg subunits of 200- and 66-kDa as the last step prior to Vg secretion. This last step in Vg processing was inhibited by an ionophore, monensin, and therefore occurred in the Golgi complex. Sulfation as an additional, previously unknown, modification of mosquito Vg was revealed by the incorporation of sodium [35S]sulfate into both Vg subunits. Since sulfation of Vg was predominantly blocked by monensin, the final maturation of Vg subunits in the Golgi complex is, at least in part, due to this modification.     

20-hydroxyecdysone stimulation of juvenile hormone biosynthesis by the mosquito corpora allata

Juvenile hormone III (JH) is synthesized by the corpora allata (CA) and plays a key role in mosquito development and reproduction. JH titer decreases in the last instar larvae allowing pupation and metamorphosis to progress. As the anti-metamorphic role of JH comes to an end, the CA of the late pupa (or pharate adult) becomes again “competent” to synthesize JH, which plays an essential role orchestrating reproductive maturation. 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) prepares the pupae for ecdysis, and would be an ideal candidate to direct a developmental program in the CA of the pharate adult mosquito. In this study, we provide evidence that 20E acts as an age-linked hormonal signal, directing CA activation in the mosquito pupae. Stimulation of the inactive brain-corpora allata-corpora cardiaca complex (Br-CA-CC) of the early pupa (24 h before adult eclosion or −24 h) in vitro with 20E resulted in a remarkable increase in JH biosynthesis, as well as increase in the activity of juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase (JHAMT). Addition of methyl farnesoate but not farnesoic acid also stimulated JH synthesis by the Br-CA-CC of the −24 h pupae, proving that epoxidase activity is present, but not JHAMT activity. Separation of the CA-CC complex from the brain (denervation) in the −24 h pupae also activated JH synthesis. Our results suggest that an increase in 20E titer might override an inhibitory effect of the brain on JH synthesis, phenocopying denervation. All together these findings provide compelling evidence that 20E acts as a developmental signal that ensures proper reactivation of JH synthesis in the mosquito pupae.     

Epidermal collagenase activity and its induction by 20-hydroxyecdysone in the fiddler crab Uca pugilator

The epidermal collagenase activity and its induction by 20-hydroxyecdysone in Uca pugilator were investigated.Zymographic electrophoresis showed four bands of collagenae activity,16,19,22 and 29 kDa in molecular weight,with the former two accounting for 60% and 36%,respectively,of the total coUagenase activity. The collagenase activity varies during the molting cycle. Among the molt stages tested,Premoh Stage Do exhibited the highest epidermal coUagenase activity for both the 16 and 19 kDa isoenzymes and,as the molt stage proceeded,the enzymatic activity of these two isoenzymes decreased,with the lowest activity for both found in Premoh Stage D3-4. Injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone significantly induced the activity of the 16 kDa collagenase in the epidermis of Uca pugilator,suggesting that the activity of this isoenzyme is under molting hormone control.Although 20-hydroxyecdysone injection did not result in a statistically significant increase in the activity of the 19 kDa isocnzyme,a tendency of the induction was nonetheless demonstrated. This is the first report on epidermal collagenase activity and its induction by the molting hormone in a crustacean.     

Identification of 20-hydroxyecdysone late-response genes in the chitin biosynthesis pathway

Background

20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and its receptor complex ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP) play a crucial role in controlling development, metamorphosis, reproduction and diapause. The ligand-receptor complex 20E-EcR/USP directly activates a small set of early-response genes and a much larger set of late-response genes. However, ecdysone-responsive genes have not been previously characterized in the context of insect chitin biosynthesis.

Principal Findings

Here, we show that injection-based RNA interference (RNAi) directed towards a common region of the two isoforms of SeEcR in a lepidopteron insect Spodoptera exigua was effective, with phenotypes including a high mortality prior to pupation and developmental defects. After gene specific RNAi, chitin contents in the cuticle of an abnormal larva significantly decreased. The expression levels of five genes in the chitin biosynthesis pathway, SeTre-1, SeG6PI, SeUAP, SeCHSA and SeCHSB, were significantly reduced, while there was no difference in the expression of SeTre-2 prior to 72 hr after injection of EcR dsRNA. Meanwhile, injection of 20E in vivo induced the expression of the five genes mentioned above. Moreover, the SeTre-1, SeG6PI, SeUAP and SeCHSB genes showed late responses to the hormone and the induction of SeTre-1, SeG6PI, SeUAP and SeCHSB genes by 20E were able to be inhibited by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide in vitro indicating these genes are 20E late-response genes.

Conclusions

We conclude that SeTre-1, SeG6PI, SeUAP and SeCHSB in the chitin biosynthesis pathway are 20E late-response genes and 20E and its specific receptors plays a key role in the regulation of chitin biosynthesis via inducing their expression.     

An in vitro assay of 20-hydroxyecdysone sulfotrasferase in the mosquito,Aedes togoi

Sulfate conjugation of 20-hydroxyecdysone and related ecdysteroids was studies by a radiometric assay. The formation of 20-hydroxyecdysone ³⁵sulfate from PAP³⁵S (3′phosphoadenosine 5′phosphosulfate) proceeded linearly for 15 min at a pH optimum of 8.4. The apparent K_m values for PAP³⁵S and 20-hydroxyecdysone were 1.29 and 24.6 μM, respectively. The overall sulfate conjugation of 20-hydroxyecdysone was also demonstrated with ATP, Mg²⁺ and sodium ³⁵sulfate. The sulfotransferase activity showed a peak at puparium formation and a progressive increase after adult eclosion. The specific activity of the newly emerged female pupae was higher than that of the males. The reverse pattern was however observed in the adult mosquitoes where the activity of the male adult was about 2 times higher. The likely sites on the ecdysteroid molecule for sulfate conjugation are discussed.     

Isolation and identification of 20-hydroxyecdysone from a lepidopteran continuous cell line

Extracts of three continuous cell lines from the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, were assayed for the presence of ecdysteroids. While no evidence of ecdysteroids was present in the extracts of the ovarian (TN-368) or embryonic (IPLB-TN-R²) cell lines, radioimmunoassays on extracts of media and extracts of cell pellets from imaginal disc cell cultures (IAL-TND1) were positive. The immunoreactive material from both cells and media co-migrated with a 20-hydroxyecdysone standard on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The immunoreactive fractions from the cell extract were chromatographed on silica HPLC and subjected to mass spectral analysis. Both of these analyses indicated that the unknown compound was 20-hydroxyecdysone. Radioimmunoassay indicated up to 28 ng of ecdysone equivalents in cells (3.75 x 10⁷ cells) from 50 ml of IAL-TND1 cultures, which is equivalent to 120 ng of 20-hydroxyecdysone based on relative reactivity of the antiserum used in this study. This report presents the first evidence of 20-hydroxyecdysone production by a continuous insect cell line and also the first to show that cells from imaginal discs are capable of ecdysteroid synthesis.     

Duplication,concerted evolution and purifying selection drive the evolution of mosquito vitellogenin genes

Background  

Mosquito vitellogenin (Vtg) genes belong to a small multiple gene family that encodes the major yolk protein precursors required for egg production. Multiple Vtg genes have been cloned and characterized from several mosquito species, but their origin and molecular evolution are poorly understood.     

飞蝗Knickkopf家族基因表达对蜕皮激素的响应

【目的】研究飞蝗LocustamigratoriaKnickkopf(Knk)家族基因mRNA表达对蜕皮激素（20-hydroxyecdysone,20E）的响应情况,丰富飞蝗Knk家族基因功能研究,为飞蝗表皮发育相关基因的转录调控研究奠定基础。【方法】采用RT-qPCR方法,对LmKnk家族4个基因在飞蝗不同发育天数（5龄若虫第1天到成虫第3天）的表皮中的表达特性进行分析;向飞蝗体腔注射20E,分析LmKnk家族4个基因表达的变化情况;采用RNAi技术干扰20E受体基因LmEcR,分析LmKnk家族基因的表达变化情况。【结果】通过RT-qPCR检测,发现LmKnk在飞蝗5龄第1天至成虫第3天不同发育天数的表皮中均衡表达,而LmKnk2,LmKnk3-FL及LmKnk3-5'基因均在蜕皮前表达量逐渐升高,蜕皮后迅速降低。向飞蝗体腔注射20E后,发现飞蝗Knickkopf家族4个基因对20E均有应答,但响应时间点有差异,LmKnk和LmKnk2的表达量分别在注射20E 3 h和6 h后开始升高,而LmKnk3-FL和LmKnk3-5'的表达量在注射20E12h后开始上升。飞蝗5龄第1天若虫注射ds LmEcR后,发现Knickkopf家族4个基因表达均下调。【结论】飞蝗Knickkopf家族基因的表达受20E调控,是20E的下游应答基因。     

Characterization of the solubilized mosquito vitellogenin receptor

In this study we solubilized and characterized the receptor for the major egg yolk protein precursor, vitellogenin (Vg), from the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The receptor was solubilized from vitellogenic ovary membranes using octyl-β- -glucoside (OG). Under equilibrium binding conditions, [³⁵S]Vg bound with high affinity (K_d = 2.8 × 10⁻⁸ M) to a single class of binding sites in solubilized ovary extracts. The solubilized receptor was present in ovarian extracts and bound selectively A. aegypti Vg and its storage form, vitellin (Vn). The receptor preparation was heat and trypsin sensitive. Binding of Vg to its receptor could be inhibited as well dissociated with suramin. The receptor was visualized by ligand-blotting as a 205 kDa protein under non-reducing conditions. It did not share immunological cross-reactivity with antibodies to chicken and locust Vg receptors. Vitellogenin, Vn and its purified subunits competed for binding to the receptor in the order, Vg ≈ Vn > Vn large subunit > Vn small subunit. Binding of dephosphorylated Vg was significantly reduced. Deglycosylated Vg, on the other hand, formed high molecular weight aggregates resulting in artifactually high binding which indicates importance of glycosylation for the stability of Vg molecule. During egg maturation, the number of receptor binding sites in ovaries correlated with the rate of Vg uptake and peaked between 24–30 h after which it reduced to no binding by 48 h post blood meal.     

Effect of methoprene and 20-hydroxyecdysone on vitellogenin production in cultured fat bodies and backless explants from unfed female Dermacentor variabilis

The effect of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20HE) and the juvenile hormone analogue methoprene (JHA) on vitellogenin (Vg) production in fat body organ cultures and backless explants of unfed female Dermacentor variabilis was measured. An indirect double antibody enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using a monoclonal antibody that recognized a 98 kDa subunit of Vg and a Vg specific polyclonal antibody made against vitellin (Vn). Peak Vg titers in culture medium from fat body cultures treated with 0.1 &mgr;M 20HE or 1 &mgr;M 20HE were 24 ng/ml and 20 ng/ml respectively. In culture medium from backless explants treated with 0.1 &mgr;M 20HE or 1 &mgr;M 20HE, peak Vg titers were 36 ng/ml and 26 ng/ml, respectively. JHA produced only a slight increase in Vg titers that was statistically different from Vg titers produced by 20HE but was not statistically different from hormone-free controls. These results support the conclusion that Vg production in fat body trophocytes of D. variabilis is regulated by 20HE.     

Tissue-specific regulation of juvenile hormone esterase gene expression by 20-hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone in Bombyx mori

Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) is the primary juvenile hormone (JH) metabolic enzyme in insects and plays important roles in the regulation of molt and metamorphosis. We investigated its mRNA expression profiles and hormonal control in Bombyx mori larvae. JHE mRNA was expressed at the end of the 4th and 5th (last) larval instars in the midgut and in all the three (anterior, middle, posterior) parts of the silk gland. In the fat body, JHE expression peaked twice in the 5th instar, at wandering and before pupation, while it gradually decreased through the 4th instar. When 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) was injected into mid-5th instar larvae, JHE mRNA expression was induced in the anterior silk gland but suppressed in the fat body. Topical application of a juvenile hormone analog fenoxycarb to early-5th instar larvae induced JHE expression in both tissues. In the anterior silk gland, JHE expression was accelerated and strengthened by 20E plus fenoxycarb treatments compared with 20E or fenoxycarb single treatment, indicating positive interaction of 20E and JH. JHE mRNA is thus expressed in tissue-specific manners under the control of ecdysteroids and JH.     

Activation of vitellogenin synthesis in the mosquito Aedes aegypti by ecdysone

Injected β-ecdysone was found to induce the synthesis of yolk protein (vitellogenin) in adult female Aedes aegypti without a blood meal. After injection of 5 μg ecdysone per mosquito, vitellogenin constituted 80 per cent of the total protein secreted by explanted fat body, a proportion comparable to that produced by fat body from blood-fed females. Moreover, the time course of induction of vitellogenin synthesis in ecdysone-injected mosquitoes was similar to that triggered by a blood meal. Response to ecdysone is dosedependent: 0·5 μg per female was required to stimulate synthesis to 50 per cent of the level found 18 hr after a blood meal. Ecdysone was effective in decapitated or ovariectomized mosquitoes, and also when applied directly to fat body preparations in vitro. Thus it appears that ecdysone acts directly on the fat body to induce specific protein synthesis, as does the vitellogenin stimulating hormone (VSH) from the ovary of blood-fed mosquitoes. These results suggest that ecdysone can replace VSH in inducing vitellogenin synthesis in the unfed mosquito.