Molecular Characterization of a cDNA from the Silk Moth Bombyx mori Encoding Manduca sexta Allatotropin Peptide

• Published in: Zoological Science Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 287 - 292
• Main Authors: Park, Cheolin, Hwang, Jae Sam, Kang, Seok Woo, Lee, Bong Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Zoological Society of Japan 01.03.2002; UniBio Press
• Subjects: Allatotropin cDNA; allatotropin gene expression; allatotropin-immunoreactive cells; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Blotting, Northern; Bombyx - genetics; Bombyx mori; Cloning, Molecular; DNA, Complementary - genetics; Gene Expression Profiling; Insect Hormones - chemistry; Insect Hormones - genetics; Manduca - genetics; midgut; Molecular Sequence Data; Neuropeptides - chemistry; Neuropeptides - genetics; Original s; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sequence Analysis, DNA
• ISSN: 0289-0003
• DOI: 10.2108/zsj.19.287

Allatotropin is a 13-residue amidated neuropeptide isolated from pharate adult heads of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta and strongly stimulates biosynthesis of juvenile hormones in adults, but not larval, lepidopteran corpora allata. From a Bombyx mori midgut cDNA library, a cDNA that encodes a 130-amino-acid polypeptide containing M. sexta allatotropin sequence was isolated. The B. mori allatotropin cDNA consists of 1196 nucleotides. The encoded allatotropin peptide is identical to that isolated from M. sexta and that predicted from Pseudaletia unipuncta, with 84% and 81% identity in the amino acid sequence of the allatotropin peptide precursor, respectively. M. sexta allatotropin is flanked by two different endoproteolytic cleavage sites within the precursor of the B. mori allatotropin peptide. Evidence from northern blotting of B. mori tissues showed that the allatotropin gene is expressed in the cells of midgut, head and integument with different transcription amount, but not in the fat body and silk gland. Midgut has also a number of allatotropin-immunoreactive cells and nerve fibers. These results will provide valuable information in understanding the AT gene of insects.