Purification and molecular cloning of chemosensory proteins from Bombyx mori

Soluble low molecular weight acidic proteins are suspected to transport stimulus molecules to the sensory neurons within insect sensilla. From the antennae of Bombyx mori, we have purified and sequenced a protein (BmorCSP1) bearing sequence similarity to a class of soluble chemosensory proteins recently discovered in several orders of insects. Based on its N-terminal sequence, the cDNA encoding this protein has been amplified and cloned. Differential screening of a B. mori antennal cDNA library led to the identification of a second gene encoding a related protein (BmorCSP2), sharing 35-40% identity to BmorCSP1 and chemosensory proteins from other species. The predicted secondary structures of moth's, chemosensory proteins comprise alpha-helical foldings at conserved positions and a reduced hydrophobicity with respect to this novel family of chemosensory proteins.     

NMR structure of the unliganded Bombyx mori pheromone-binding protein at physiological pH

The nuclear magnetic resonance structure of the unliganded pheromone-binding protein (PBP) from Bombyx mori at pH above 6.5, BmPBP(B), consists of seven helices with residues 3-8, 16-22, 29-32, 46-59, 70-79, 84-100, and 107-124, and contains the three disulfide bridges 19-54, 50-108, and 97-117. This polypeptide fold encloses a large hydrophobic cavity, with a sufficient volume to accommodate the natural ligand bombykol. The polypeptide folds in free BmPBP(B) and in crystals of a BmPBP-bombykol complex are nearly identical, indicating that the B-form of BmPBP in solution represents the active conformation for ligand binding.     

N-Linked glycosylation of a baculovirus-expressed recombinant glycoprotein in insect larvae and tissue culture cells

The potential of insect cell cultures and larvae infected with recombinant baculoviruses to produce authentic recombinant glycoproteins cloned from mammalian sources was investigated. A comparison was made of the N-linked glycans attached to secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) produced in four species of insect larvae and their derived cell lines plus one additional insect cell line and larvae of one additional species. These data survey N-linked oligosaccharides produced in four families and six genera of the order Lepidoptera. Recombinant SEAP expressed by recombinant isolates of Autographa californica and Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedroviruses was purified from cell culture medium, larval hemolymph or larval homogenates by phosphate affinity chromatography. The N-linked oligosaccharides were released with PNGase-F, labeled with 8- aminonaphthalene-1-3-6-trisulfonic acid, fractionated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and analyzed by fluorescence imaging. The oligosaccharide structures were confirmed with exoglycosidase digestions. Recombinant SEAP produced in cell lines of Lymantria dispar (IPLB-LdEIta), Heliothis virescens (IPLB-HvT1), and Bombyx mori (BmN) and larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda, Trichoplusia ni , H.virescens , B.mori , and Danaus plexippus contained oligosaccharides that were structurally identical to the 10 oligosaccharides attached to SEAP produced in T.ni cell lines. The oligosaccharide structures were all mannose-terminated. Structures containing two or three mannose residues, with and without core fucosylation, constituted more than 75% of the oligosaccharides from the cell culture and larval samples.      

家蚕吡哆醛激酶基因定点突变及突变体功能

【目的】吡哆醛激酶（pyridoxal kinase,PLK）是维生素B₆关键代谢酶。前期研究克隆出家蚕Bombyx mori吡哆醛激酶cDNA,经序列比对发现几个重要且保守的氨基酸残基在此蛋白中被替换。为明确家蚕吡哆醛激酶分子若干特定位置上氨基酸残基在酶功能上的作用进行本研究。【方法】采用重叠延伸法对家蚕吡哆醛激酶Thr⁴⁷,Asn¹²¹, Ile⁵⁴, Arg⁸⁸和Trp²³⁰氨基酸残基进行定点突变, 构建表达载体pET-22b（+）-PLK并转入大肠杆菌Escherichia coli Rosetta中进行诱导表达,经亲和层析对重组蛋白进行纯化, 通过酶活性检测进行功能鉴定。【结果】家蚕吡哆醛激酶Thr⁴⁷,Ile⁵⁴和Arg⁸⁸氨基酸突变后酶的催化活力分别下降82%, 58%和85%;Asn¹²¹突变对酶的催化活力几乎没有影响;而Trp²³⁰突变导致酶丧失催化活性。【结论】本研究明确了选定氨基酸侧链基团在家蚕吡哆醛激酶催化功能上的意义。     

家蚕磷酸吡哆醛激酶cDNA的克隆和酶活表征

吡哆醛激酶 (EC 2.7.1.35) 在 ATP 和 Zn2 的存在下,催化吡哆醛的磷酸化反应生成磷酸吡哆醛 (PLP)。在生物体内许多酶促反应中,PLP 是一种重要的辅酶因子。家蚕和哺乳动物一样,需依赖食物中的维生素 B6前体来合成 PLP。文章描述了利用家蚕基因组数据库序列信息及使用 PCR 方法,克隆出编码家蚕吡哆醛激酶的 cDNA (GenBank 登录号:DQ452397)。克隆到的 cDNA 含有一个 894 bp 的完整可读框,编码一条分子量为 33.1 kDa,含 298 个氨基酸残基的蛋白质。序列比对显示此蛋白质序列与人类吡哆醛激酶蛋白序列具有 48.6%的同一性,包含吡哆醛激酶家族共有的特征保守序列,但其氨基酸残基数比哺乳动物和植物克隆到的吡哆醛激酶残基数均少 10 多个残基。多序列比对结果显示,吡哆醛激酶中几个有关键功能且在哺乳动物和植物中均保守的氨基酸残基在此蛋白中被替换为其他种类氨基酸残基。采用 T7 启动子和 T7 聚合酶表达系统对克隆到的 cDNA 进行了原核表达并对表达粗提产物进行了酶活检测。实验结果显示表达得到的可溶性蛋白产物占其总蛋白量为 10%,细胞粗提物具有活力为 30 nmol/min/mg 的吡哆醛激酶活性,结果证实了克隆到的 cDNA 编码家蚕中的吡哆醛激酶。     

Identification of amino acid residues of Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin CryIAa associated with membrane binding and toxicity to Bombyx mori.

Alanine substitution (A3) or deletion (D3) of residues 365 to 371 of Bacillus thuringiensis CryIAa insect toxin removed nearly all toxicity for Bombyx mori (> 1,000-fold less active than the wild type). The loss of larvicidal activity in the mutants was not caused by increased sensitivity to larval gut enzymes but could be attributed to significantly reduced binding to B. mori brush border membrane vesicles. Some or all of the affected amino acid residues may interact directly or indirectly with the B. mori membrane receptor(s). Such receptor binding appears to be directly correlated with insect toxicity.     

桑蚕金属硫蛋白基因在大肠杆菌中的克隆和表达

用\%Bam\%HⅠ和\%Sac\%Ⅰ双酶切质粒pCM1\|1,获得酵母的MTI基因片段,用非放射性地高辛标记作为探针。提取桑蚕肥苏蚕卵的总DNA,分别用\%Eco\%RⅠ、\%Bam\%HⅠ和\%Hin\%dⅢ酶切,与MTI探针进行Southern杂交,出现较强的杂交信号。然后用\%Eco\%RⅠ完全酶切桑吞的总DNA,电洗脱法回收1～6kb的染色体片断,与\%Eco\%RⅠ酶切的M13-载体以3∶1比例连接,转化受体菌DH5α。筛选到4 000多个白色转化子,与探针MTI进行Southern杂交筛选阳性转化子,选择到有强杂交信号的三个转化子［编号为T1(pZHC\|1)\,T5(pZHC\|5)\,T7(pZHC\|7)\]。用12种限制性内切酶对pZHC\|5重组质粒进行酶切分析表明插入片段约12kb,在基因内有一个\%Hin\%dⅢ位点。抗性测定表明受体菌DH5α在含有50mmol/L CuSO\-4的培养基上生长,在含有52mmol/L CuSO\-4的培养基上不生长,而转化子确能在含有52mmol/L CuSO\-4以上的培养基上生长。上述研究结果表明12kb左右的插入片段含有桑吞的金属硫蛋白基因。     

Structural basis of ligand binding and release in insect pheromone-binding proteins: NMR structure of Antheraea polyphemus PBP1 at pH 4.5

The NMR structure of the Antheraea polyphemus pheromone-binding protein 1 at pH 4.5, ApolPBP1A, was determined at 20 degrees C. The structure consists of six alpha-helices, which are arranged in a globular fold that encapsulates a central helix alpha7 formed by the C-terminal polypeptide segment 131-142. The 3D arrangement of these helices is anchored by the three disulfide bonds 19-54, 50-108 and 97-117, which were identified by NMR. Superposition of the ApolPBP1A structure with the structure of the homologous pheromone-binding protein of Bombyx mori at pH 4.5, BmorPBPA, yielded an rmsd of 1.7 A calculated for the backbone heavy-atoms N, Calpha and C' of residues 10-142. In contrast, the present ApolPBP1A structure is different from a recently proposed molecular model for a low-pH form of ApolPBP1 that does not contain the central helix alpha7. ApolPBP1 exhibits a pH-dependent transition between two different globular conformations in slow exchange on the NMR chemical shift timescale similar to BmorPBP, suggesting that the two proteins use the same mechanism of ligand binding and ejection. The extensive sequence homology observed for pheromone-binding proteins from moth species further implies that the previously proposed mechanism of ligand ejection involving the insertion of a C-terminal helix into the pheromone-binding site is a general feature of pheromone signaling in moths.     

Identification of Bombyx mori Akt and its phosphorylation by bombyxin stimulation

Akt, a Ser/Thr protein kinase involved in insulin signaling, was identified from the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Bombyx Akt (BomAkt) is composed of 493 amino acid residues including regions conserved in other Akts: the Pleckstrin homology and kinase domains, and a dual phosphorylation site essential for kinase activation. Commercially available antibodies against mammalian Akt and phosphoAkt were able to recognize BomAkt and phosphorylated BomAkt in HEK293 cells expressing BomAkt. Additionally, phosphorylation of BomAkt was detectable in insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I stimulated-HEK293 cells expressing BomAkt. RT-PCR and immunoblotting analyses revealed that BomAkt is expressed ubiquitously in Bombyx larvae. Phosphorylation of BomAkt was observed both in the isolated fat body after exposure to bombyxin, an endogenous insulin-like peptide, and in the larval fat body by refeeding a diet after starvation. These results suggest that dietary intake may activate the insulin signaling pathway, including Akt, through bombyxin action in B. mori.     

Characterization of mitochondrial genome of Chinese wild mulberry silkworm, Bomyx mandarina (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

The complete mitochondrial genome of Chinese Bombyx mandarina(ChBm) was determined.The cir-cular genome is 15682 bp long, and contains a typical gene complement, order, and arrangement iden-tical to that of Bombyx mori(B.mori) and Japanese Bombyx mandarina(JaBm) except for two addi-tional tRNA-like structures:tRNASer(TGA)-like and tRNAIle(TAT)-like.All protein-coding sequences are initi-ated with a typical ATN codon except for the COI gene, which has a 4-bp TTAG putative initiator codon.Eleven of 13 protein-coding genes(PCGs) have a complete termination codon(all TAA), but the re-maining two genes terminate with incomplete codons.All tRNAs have the typical clover-leaf structures of mitochondrial tRNAs, with the exception of tRNASer(TGA)-like, with a four stem-and-loop structure.The length of the A T-rich region of ChBm is 484 bp, shorter than those of JaBm(747 bp) and B.mori(494―499 bp).Phylogenetic analysis among B.mori, ChBm, JaBm, and Antheraea pernyi(Anpe) showed that B.mori is more closely related to ChBm than JaBm.The earliest divergence time estimate for B.mori-ChBm and B.mori-JaBm is about 1.08±0.18―1.41±0.24 and 1.53±0.20―2.01±0.26 Mya, respec-tively.ChBm and JaBm diverged around 1.11±0.16―1.45±0.21 Mya.     

cDNA and deduced amino acid sequences of apolipophorin-IIIs from Bombyx mori and Bombyx mandarina

The cDNA sequence for apolipophorin-III from two strains of Bombyx mori (N4 and P50) and the Japanese and Chinese strains of Bombyx mandarina were determined. Both the cDNA and deduced amino acid sequences of the four apolipophorin-IIIs were highly similar (95-98%). The four Bombyx sequences also showed significant similarity to the sequence of apolipophorin-III from another lepidopteran, Manduca sexta (83-84%), particularly in the five amphipathic alpha-helices that are proposed to play a critical role in the binding of apolipophorin-III to lipophorin. In the coding region, the nucleotide sequences for the Chinese strain of B. mandarina and the P50 strain of B. mori were identical, supporting the suggestion that P50 is the current strain most closely related to the original domesticated strain. The N4 strain of B. mori is more closely related to these two strains than is the Japanese strain of B. mandarina, suggesting that Japanese strain of B. mandarina separated from the Chinese strain of B. mandarina before domestication of B. mori. Arch.     

A covariant change of the two highly conserved bases in the GTPase-associated center of 28 S rRNA in silkworms and other moths

The GTPase-associated center in 23/28 S rRNA is one of the most conserved functional domains throughout all organisms. We detected a unique sequence of this domain in Bombyx mori species in which the bases at positions 1094 and 1098 (numbering from Escherichia coli 23 S rRNA) are C and G instead of the otherwise universally conserved bases U and A, respectively. These changes were also observed in four other species of moths, but not in organisms other than the moths. Characteristics of the B. mori rRNA domain were investigated by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using RNA fragments containing residues 1030-1128. Although two bands of protein-free RNA appeared on gel, they shifted to a single band when bound to Bombyx ribosomal proteins Bm-L12 and Bm-P complex, equivalent to E. coli L11 and L8, respectively. Bombyx RNA showed lower binding capacity than rat RNA for the ribosomal proteins and anti-28 S autoantibody, specific for a folded structure of the eukaryotic GTPase-associated domain. When the C(1094)/G(1098) bases in Bombyx RNA were replaced by the conserved U/A bases, the protein-free RNA migrated as a single band, and the complex formation with Bm-L12, Bm-P complex, and anti-28 S autoantibody was comparable to that of rat RNA. The results suggest that the GTPase-associated domain of moth-type insects has a labile structural feature that is caused by an unusual covariant change of the U(1094)/A(1098) bases to C/G.     

13C CP/MAS NMR study on structural heterogeneity in Bombyx mori silk fiber and their generation by stretching

It is important to resolve the structure of Bombyx mori silk fibroin before spinning (silk I) and after spinning (silk II), and the mechanism of the structural transition during fiber formation in developing new silk-like fiber. The silk I structure has been recently resolved by (13)C solid-state NMR as a "repeated beta-turn type II structure." Here, we used (13)C solid-state NMR to clarify the heterogeneous structure of the natural fiber from Bombyx mori silk fibroin in the silk II form. Interestingly, the (13)C CP/MAS NMR revealed a broad and asymmetric peak for the Ala Cbeta carbon. The relative proportions of the various heterogeneous components were determined from their relative peak intensities after line shape deconvolution. Namely, for 56% crystalline fraction (mainly repeated Ala-Gly-Ser-Gly-Ala-Gly sequences), 18% distorted beta-turn, 13% beta-sheet (parallel Ala residues), and 25% beta-sheet (alternating Ala residues). The remaining fraction of 44% amorphous Tyr-rich region, 22% in both distorted beta-turn and distorted beta-sheet. Such a heterogeneous structure including distorted beta-turn can be observed for the peptides (AG)(n) (n > 9 ). The structural change from silk I to silk II occurs exclusively for the sequence (Ala-Gly-Ser-Gly-Ala-Gly)(n) in B. mori silk fibroin. The generation of the heterogeneous structure can be studied by change in the Ala Cbeta peak of (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectra of the silk fibroin samples with different stretching ratios.     

Production of recombinant human osteoprotegrin from Trichoplusia ni cells and Bombyx mori larvae

Human osteoprotegrin (OPG) and its truncated mutant OPG-280 and lengthened mutant OPG-Fc were constructed and successfully expressed in Trichoplusia ni cells and Bombyx mori larvae. Native SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis revealed that OPG-Fc is present as a homodimer in Tn cells or B. mori larvae compared with OPG and OPG-280. Furthermore, the hypocalcemic effect assay showed that truncation of the C-terminal 100 residues OPG does not abolish the biological activity and Fc can be helpful in forming the OPG homodimer with improved biological activity.     

Juvenile hormone activity of ethyl 4-(2-aryloxyhexyloxy)benzoates with precocious metamorphosis-inducing activity

Ethyl 4-[2-(6-methyl-3-pyridyloxy)hexyloxy]benzoate (1) and ethyl 4-(2-phenoxyhexyloxy)benzoate (2), which induce precocious metamorphosis in larvae of Bombyx mori, a clear sign of juvenile hormone (JH) deficiency, showed JH activity when topically applied to allatectomized 4th instar larvae of B. mori. Compounds 1 and 2 induced precocious metamorphosis with doses at which they were effective as JH agonists.     

Mitochondrial genome nucleotide substitution pattern between domesticated silkmoth, Bombyx mori, and its wild ancestors, Chinese Bombyx mandarina and Japanese Bombyx mandarina

Bombyx mori and Bombyx mandarina are morphologically and physiologically similar. In this study, we compared the nucleotide variations in the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes between the domesticated silkmoth, B. mori, and its wild ancestors, Chinese B. mandarina (ChBm) and Japanese B. mandarina (JaBm). The sequence divergence and transition mutation ratio between B. mori and ChBm are significantly smaller than those observed between B. mori and JaBm. The preference of transition by DNA strands between B. mori and ChBm is consistent with that between B. mori and JaBm, however, the regional variation in nucleotide substitution rate shows a different feature. These results suggest that the ChBm mt genome is not undergoing the same evolutionary process as JaBm, providing evidence for selection on mtDNA. Moreover, investigation of the nucleotide sequence divergence in the A+T-rich region of Bombyx mt genomes also provides evidence for the assumption that the A+T-rich region might not be the fastest evolving region of the mtDNA of insects.     

Cloning and partial characterization of a gene in Bombyx mori homologous to a human adiponectin receptor

In this study, we report the cloning and characteristics of an adiponectin-like receptor gene from Bombyx mori (BmAdipoR) with highly conserved deduced amino-acid sequences and similar structure to the human adiponectin receptor (AdipoR). Structural analysis of the translated cDNA suggested it encoded a membrane protein with seven transmembrane domains. BmAdipoR was found to be expressed in multiple tissues and highly expressed in Malpighian tubules, fat body and testis. BmNPV (Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus) bacmid system combined with confocal microscopy revealed that BmAdipoR was targeted to the cell membrane. We also found that infection with BmNPV did not have an effect on BmAdipoR mRNA quantity in the midgut of susceptible Bombyx mori strain (306) at 48 h, but BmAdipoR mRNA quantity increased significantly at 72 h. We concluded that BmAdipoR gene was a membrane protein ubiquitously expressed in Bombyx mori tissues and that its expression was altered by treating with BmNPV.