甘蓝夜蛾几丁质酶基因cDNA序列的克隆与序列分析

昆虫几丁质酶在害虫生物防治中具有很大的发展潜力。以甘蓝夜蛾Mamestra brassicae L.预蛹期幼虫整个虫体为材料提取总RNA,利用RT-PCR和cDNA末端快速扩增技术(RACE),扩增得到其几丁质酶的cDNA序列。该序列含有2826个碱基,包括1个1689个碱基的开放阅读框,预测编码1个含562个氨基酸的多肽,分子量约为62.6kDa,等电点为5.30。推导得到的氨基酸序列含有2个N-位糖基化位点,22个O-位糖基化位点,氨基酸序列与其他昆虫,尤其是鳞翅目昆虫的几丁质酶高度同源。获得的甘蓝夜蛾几丁质酶基因cDNA序列已经登录GenBank并获得登录号FJ436415。     

Microheterogeneity of the oligosaccharides carried by the recombinant bovine lactoferrin expressed in Mamestra brassicae cells

The development of therapeutic glycoprotein production usingthe baculovirus expression system depends on the ability ofinsect cell lines to reproduce site specific mammalian-likeN-glycans. A combination of ¹H-NMR and mass spectrometry techniques(MALD-MS, ES-MS, and CID-MS-MS) allowed us to elucidate theN-linked oligosaccharides microheterogeneity on three differentN-glycosylation sites, Asn₂₃₃, Asn₄₇₆, and Asn₅₄₅, of a baculovirus-expressedrecombinant bovine lactoferrin produced in Mamestra brassicae.Two families of N-glycan structures have been found: first,oligomannosidic glycans (Man₉₅GlcNAC₂) and secondly, short truncatedpartially fucosylated glycans (Man_3–2[Fuc_0–1]GlcNAc₂).These results indicate that Mamestra brassicae cell line isnot able to synthesize complex N-glycans, even if an     

Identity and expression pattern of chemosensory proteins in Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Analyzing the chemosensory organs of the moth Heliothis virescens, three proteins belonging to the family of insect chemosensory proteins (CSPs) have been cloned; they are called HvirCSP1, HvirCSP2 and HvirCSP3. The HvirCSPs show about 50% identity between each other and 30–76% identity to CSPs from other species. Overall, they are rather hydrophilic proteins but include a conserved hydrophobic motif. Tissue distribution and temporal expression pattern during the last pupal stages were assessed by Northern blots. HvirCSP mRNAs were detected in various parts of the adult body with a particular high expression level in legs. The expression of HvirCSP1 in legs started early during adult development, in parallel with the appearance of the cuticle. HvirCSP1 mRNA was detectable five days before eclosion (day E-5), increased dramatically on day E-3 and remained at high level into adult life. The tissue distribution and the time course of appearance of HvirCSPs are in agreement with a possible role in contact chemosensation.     

Revisiting the specificity of Mamestra brassicae and Antheraea polyphemus pheromone-binding proteins with a fluorescence binding assay

Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs), located in the sensillum lymph of pheromone-responsive antennal hairs, are thought to transport the hydrophobic pheromones to the chemosensory membranes of olfactory neurons. It is currently unclear what role PBPs may play in the recognition and discrimination of species-specific pheromones. We have investigated the binding properties and specificity of PBPs from Mamestra brassicae (MbraPBP1), Antheraea polyphemus (ApolPBP1), Bombyx mori (BmorPBP), and a hexa-mutant of MbraPBP1 (Mbra1-M6), mutated at residues of the internal cavity to mimic that of BmorPBP, using the fluorescence probe 1-aminoanthracene (AMA). AMA binds to MbraPBP1 and ApolPBP1, however, no binding was observed with either BmorPBP or Mbra1-M6. The latter result indicates that relatively limited modifications to the PBP cavity actually interfere with AMA binding, suggesting that AMA binds in the internal cavity. Several pheromones are able to displace AMA from the MbraPBP1- and ApolPBP1-binding sites, without, however, any evidence of specificity for their physiologically relevant pheromones. Moreover, some fatty acids are also able to compete with AMA binding. These findings bring into doubt the currently held belief that all PBPs are specifically tuned to distinct pheromonal compounds.     

甘蓝夜蛾两种不同类型几丁质脱乙酰基酶基因的克隆与组织特异性表达

几丁质脱乙酰基酶(chitin deacetylase,CDA)是昆虫几丁质降解酶中的一种酶,可以将几丁质转化为壳聚糖,在昆虫几丁质代谢中具有重要作用.本研究以甘蓝夜蛾Mamestra brassicae5龄幼虫虫体为材料提取总RNA,利用RT-PCR和RACE技术,分别扩增得到甘蓝夜蛾的2类不同几丁质脱乙酰基酶基因的...     

Molecular cloning and functional expression of chitinase-encoding cDNA from the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae

Chitinase is a rate-limiting and endo-splitting enzyme involved in the bio-degradation of chitin, an important component of the cuticular exoskeleton and peritrophic matrix in insects. We isolated a cDNA-encoding chitinase from the last larval integument of the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae (Lepidoptera; Noctuidae), cloned the ORF cDNA into E. coli to confirm its functionality, and analyzed the deduced amino acid sequence in comparison with previously described lepidopteran chitinases. M. brassicae chitinase expressed in the transformed E. coli cells with the chitinase-encoding cDNA enhanced cell proliferation to about 1.6 times of the untransformed wild type strain in a colloidal chitin-including medium with only a very limited amount of other nutrients. Compared with the wild type strain, the intracellular levels of chitin degradation derivatives, glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine were about 7.2 and 2.3 times higher, respectively, while the extracellular chitinase activity was about 2.2 times higher in the transformed strain. The ORF of M. brassicae chitinaseencoding cDNA consisted of 1686 nucleotides (562 amino acid residues) except for the stop codon, and its deduced amino acid composition revealed a calculated molecular weight of 62.7 and theoretical pI of 5.3. The ORF was composed of N-terminal leading signal peptide (AA 1-20), catalytic domain (AA 21-392), linker region (AA 393-498), and C-terminal chitin-binding domain (AA 499-562) showing its characteristic structure as a molting fluid chitinase. In phylogenetic analysis, the enzymes from 6 noctuid species were grouped together, separately from a group of 3 bombycid and 1 tortricid enzymes, corresponding to their taxonomic relationships at both the family and genus levels.     

Identity and expression pattern of chemosensory proteins in Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

Analyzing the chemosensory organs of the moth Heliothis virescens, three proteins belonging to the family of insect chemosensory proteins (CSPs) have been cloned; they are called HvirCSP1, HvirCSP2 and HvirCSP3. The HvirCSPs show about 50% identity between each other and 30–76% identity to CSPs from other species. Overall, they are rather hydrophilic proteins but include a conserved hydrophobic motif. Tissue distribution and temporal expression pattern during the last pupal stages were assessed by Northern blots. HvirCSP mRNAs were detected in various parts of the adult body with a particular high expression level in legs. The expression of HvirCSP1 in legs started early during adult development, in parallel with the appearance of the cuticle. HvirCSP1 mRNA was detectable five days before eclosion (day E-5), increased dramatically on day E-3 and remained at high level into adult life. The tissue distribution and the time course of appearance of HvirCSPs are in agreement with a possible role in contact chemosensation.     

Recombinant pheromone binding protein 1 from Mamestra brassicae (MbraPBP1). Functional and structural characterization.

Pheromone binding proteins (PBPs) are small proteins (17 kDa on average) present at high concentrations ( approximately 10 mM) in the sensillum lymph of Lepidoptera antennae, where they play a key role in the perception of pheromones. By expression in Escherichia coli, we have obtained large quantities (2-3 mg.L-1) of pure, soluble, Mamestra brassicae PBP1 (MbraPBP1). These quantities are compatible with the requirements of X-ray and NMR studies. The recombinant protein has been characterized by native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Western blotting, N-terminal sequencing, mass spectrometry, gel filtration, circular dichroism, and NMR. Moreover, the recombinant MbraPBP1 has been shown to be able to bind the specific pheromone and a structural analogue, Z11-16:TFMK (cis-11-hexadecenyl trifluoromethyl ketone), in displacement experiments. Our results on MbraPBP1 confirm and extend previous findings on PBPs. MbraPBP1 and two PBPs from different species have been found to exist as dimers under nondenaturing conditions. The CD and structural prediction data confirm a markedly helical structure for insect PBPs rather than the beta-barrel fold found in vertebrates odorant binding proteins. We have tentatively identified the location of the helices and the short beta-strands with respect to the binding site. Currently we have obtained small diffracting crystals of the recombinant MbraPBP1 and determined their space group and molecular content.     

Functional analysis of expressed peptides that bind yeast STE proteins

Peptides are potentially useful for target validation and other reverse genetic applications. For instance, if a specific protein is susceptible to peptide inhibition, it may have a higher probability of being vulnerable to small molecules. We used the yeast two-hybrid technique to identify and study peptide binders for three yeast proteins involved in pheromone response: Ste11p, Ste18p, and Ste50p. A subset of peptide binders was shown to inhibit pheromone response in cells using two different functional assays. In addition, we utilized a variant of the yeast two-hybrid method to examine relative binding affinities based on competitive interactions in yeast. Our results suggest that binding affinity and inhibitory potency of peptides do not correlate perfectly and that peptide-protein interactions can be complex and unpredictable. Taken together these results suggest that while peptides are useful as in vivo inhibitors of protein function, caution must be exercised when choosing peptides for further studies and when inferring affinities from expression phenotypes.     

甘蓝夜蛾和八字地老虎肌动蛋白基因的克隆与序列分析

肌动蛋白是细胞骨架微丝的主要组成成分,在肌肉收缩、细胞骨架形成、细胞移动等方面起重要作用。以鳞翅目夜蛾科昆虫甘蓝夜蛾Mamestra brassicae L.和八字地老虎Agrotis c-nigrum 3龄幼虫整个虫体为材料提取总RNA,利用RT-PCR和cDNA末端快速扩增技术(RACE),分别扩增得到2种昆虫的肌动蛋白的cDNA序列,甘蓝夜蛾肌动蛋白的cDNA序列含有1441个碱基,而八字地老虎肌动蛋白的cDNA序列含有1411个碱基。2种昆虫的该基因的cDNA序列均包括1个1131个碱基的开放阅读框,编码1个含376个氨基酸的蛋白。甘蓝夜蛾肌动蛋白分子量约为41.8kDa;八字地老虎肌动蛋白分子量约为41.9kDa。Prosite软件分析结果表明,甘蓝夜蛾和八字地老虎肌动蛋白氨基酸序列中存在3个肌动蛋白特征片段。GenBank数据库搜索及序列比对结果表明,甘蓝夜蛾肌动蛋白属于肌肉特异型肌动蛋白,八字地老虎肌动蛋白属于细胞质特异型肌动蛋白。2个基因的cDNA序列已经登录GenBank并获得登录号,甘蓝夜蛾肌动蛋白cDNA序列登录号为EU035314,八字地老虎肌动蛋白cDNA序列登录号为EU035315。利用RT-PCR技术在八字地老虎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肌动蛋白基因在mRNA水平的表达。     

Biochemical characterization of three nucleopolyhedrovirus isolates of Spodoptera exigua and Mamestra brassicae

Three nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs), of different geographical origins, were biochemically characterized and compared. Two that were isolated from Spodoptera exigua (Se-UZB and Se-SP3) in Uzbekistan and Spain were SeMNPV type, and the third which was isolated from Mamestra brassicae (Mb-PL) in Poland was MbMNPV type. The Spanish isolate Se-SP3 showed restriction endonuclease (REN) profiles that were closely related to two previously described Spanish strains Se-SP1 and Se-SP2, but had some unique and characteristic REN fragments. On the other hand, comparison between the Uzbekian (Se-UZB) and the Spanish (Se-SP1, Se-SP2, and Se-SP3) isolates from S. exigua showed unrelated REN profiles. However, the Pst I and Bgl II profiles of Se-UZB and Mb-PL were identical, and very similar to the REN profiles of the MbMNPV strain, which constitutes the active component of Mamestrin^® (NPP, Nagueres, France), a commercial bioinsecticide. It is therefore very likely that the Se-UZB samples were cross-infected by the Polish strain (Mb-PL). This work presents two new strains of SeMNPV and MbMNPV, called Se-SP3 and Mb-PL, respectively, which were surveyed in two distant areas.     

Urinary proteins and pheromonal communication in mammals

Urinary proteins play a significant role as pheromones and pheromone-binders in mammalian reproduction and social behaviour. The present study was carried out to quantify the urinary proteins in five different mammalian species viz mouse, rat, rabbit, bovine and human. The results revealed that the male rodents excrete large amounts of urinary protein as compared to that of other mammals. In addition, the male mammals excrete a higher quantity of protein than do the females., suggesting the role of androgens in excretion of protein. The presence of higher concentration of urinary proteins in rodents suggests that the rodents depend more on urinary proteins for olfactory/social communication.     

Identification of compounds from the eggs of Ostrinia nubilalis and Mamestra brassicae having kairomone activity on Trichogramma brassicae

In the presence of an extract of Ostrinia nubilalis or Mamestra brassicae eggs, female Trichogramma brassicae exhibited increased rates of upwind locomotion in the tubes of a linear olfactometer. GC and GC-MS analyses of O. nubilalis and M. brassicae egg extracts revealed the presence of fatty acids, their ethyl esters, and various hydrocarbons. Exposing the wasps to a mixture of the five main saturated hydrocarbons (heneicosane, tricosane, pentacosane, heptacosane and nonacosane) increased the upwind progression in the olfactometer. Single hydrocarbons elicited reduced or no activity. Ethyl palmitate and palmitic acid were also effective in increasing upwind locomotion. Z11-14:Ac, the main component of the female sex pheromone of O. nubilalis was inactive, regardless of its concentration. It is concluded that various compounds present on the surface of the O. nubilalis egg masses may play a role in the orientation of T. brassicae to its host.     

Hourglass and oscillator expressions of photoperiodic diapause response in the cabbage moth Mamestra brassicae

Abstract. Both oscillator and hourglass features are found in the photoperiodic response that controls the pupal winter diapause of Mamestra brassicae. The expression of oscillatory response to extended long-night cycles is temperature dependent, i.e. circadian resonance appears at 23 and 25^oC but not at 20 and 28^oC. At 20^oC, scanning of extended scotophases by a short light pulse does not reveal any clear circadian rhythmicity. However, a circadian feature of the photoperiodic response is indicated even at 20^oC by a bistability phenomenon, i.e. either one of the two dark periods in symmetrical skeleton photoperiods determines the diapause response depending on the phase angle with the preceding (entraining) light-dark cycles. At 20 and 25^oC, the incidence of diapause increases as a function of the number of light–dark cycles regardless of the cycle length (T) , if T is 24 h or 2 X 24h (with a 12 h light period). A non-diel cycle (r=36h) is less effective, suggesting that disturbance of the circadian organization partly impairs the diapause-inducing function. The inductive effect of a long night is largely affected by temperature, and becomes saturated with eight cycles at 20^oC and 14 cycles at 25^oC. Presumably, an hourglass mechanism measures the dark time, and a circadian component involved in some later sequence of the photoperiodic response may or may not be expressed depending on the mode of interaction between them.     

Biological and biochemical relationships between the nucleopolyhedroviruses of Mamestra brassicae and Heliothis armigera

The multiply embedded nucleopolyhedroviruses (MNPV) originally isolated from Mamestra brassicae (German and Dutch isolates) and Heliothis armigera have been studied comparatively to establish their relatedness, both in terms of biological activity and genomic homology. All three viral isolates replicated in M. brassicae, H. armigera, Heliothis zea, and Heliothis virescens, resulting in each case in progeny virus that was essentially similar to the inoculum. Dose-mortality studies carried out on M. brassicae and H. armigera indicate that these viruses do not differ significantly with respect to their virulence to these insects. The same studies also clearly indicate that the susceptibility of M. brassicae and H. armigera larvae to viral infection differs significantly with increasing larval age. The increase in LD(50) values from L1 to L4 is, in fact, over 40,000-fold for M. brassicae, while it is only 1300-fold for H. armigera. The results of the present study also confirm that all three isolates are genetically closely related. Due to their high degree of homology and almost identical biological activity, it is suggested that these isolates should be considered variants of a single virus species.