Identification of two cDNAs encoding synaptic vesicle protein 2 (SV2)-like proteins from epithelial tissues in the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis

• Published in: Insect molecular biology Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 225 - 230
• Main Authors: Walmsley, S.J, Gaines, P.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.06.2004
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; animal proteins; Animals; Base Sequence; Blotting, Northern; Cluster Analysis; complementary DNA; Ctenocephalides felis; developmental stages; DNA, Complementary - genetics; epithelium; Epithelium - chemistry; Expressed Sequence Tags; flea; flea proteins; gene expression regulation; hindgut; insect proteins; Larva - genetics; Larva - metabolism; Malpighian tubule; Malpighian tubules; Malpighian Tubules - chemistry; Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics; messenger RNA; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; nucleotide sequences; Protein Conformation; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; sequence homology; Siphonaptera - genetics; Siphonaptera - metabolism; SV2; synaptic vesicle like protein-1; synaptic vesicle like protein-2; synaptic vesicle protein; tissue distribution; Up-Regulation
• ISSN: 0962-1075; 1365-2583
• DOI: 10.1111/j.0962-1075.2004.00478.x

Two distinct cDNAs that appear to encode proteins in the synaptic vesicle-2 (SV2) family were identified as expressed sequence tags from a Ctenocephalides felis hindgut and Malpighian tubule (HMT) cDNA library. To date, SV2 proteins have been described only in vertebrates, and have been detected only in synaptic vesicles in neuronal and endocrine tissues, where they are thought to regulate synaptic vesicle exocytosis. The cDNAs for the C. felis SV2-like proteins SVLP-1 and SVLP-2 encode predicted full-length proteins of 530 and 726 amino acids, respectively. Of characterized proteins, the SVLP protein sequences were most similar to rat SV2B. Northern blot analysis revealed that both mRNAs were up-regulated in larval stages that feed and in adults after feeding, and were expressed primarily or exclusively in the HMT tissues in adult fleas.These results suggest that the flea SVLP-1 and SVLP-2 gene products may have roles that are specific for the HMT tissues, and may differ in function from vertebrate SV2 proteins.