Molecular cloning of cDNA for sapecin and unique expression of the sapecin gene during the development of Sarcophaga peregrina

A cDNA clone for sapecin, an antibacterial protein produced by an embryonic cell line of Sarcophaga peregrina, was isolated and characterized. This clone was found to encode a precursor of sapecin consisting of 94 residues, with sapecin (40 residues) constituting its carboxyl-terminal half. RNA blot hybridization revealed that the gene for the sapecin precursor is activated in the hemocytes of the third instar larvae of Sarcophaga in response to body injury. Thus, sapecin is probably a defense protein synthesized by Sarcophaga to prevent bacterial infection through the damaged body wall. This gene was also found to be activated in the embryonic and early pupal stages, suggesting that sapecin also plays a role in the ontogenetic processes of Sarcophaga.