0000000000373535
AUTHOR
Jocelyne Mathelin
Identification, sequence and mRNA expression pattern during metamorphosis of a cDNA encoding a glycine-rich cuticular protein in Tenebrio molitor
The study of insect cuticular proteins and their sequences is of interest because they are involved in protein-protein and protein-chitin interactions which confer the mechanical properties and fine architecture of the cuticle. Moreover, in the coleopteran Tenebrio molitor there is a dramatic change in cuticular architecture between pre- and postecdysial secretion. We report the isolation, by differential screening, and the sequence characterization of a cDNA clone encoding a cuticular protein of T. molitor, ACP17. After insertion in the expression vector pEX1, the recognition of the fusion protein by an anti-cuticular monoclonal antibody confirmed the cuticular nature of ACP17. Northern hy…
A functional analysis of ACP-20, an adult-specific cuticular protein gene from the beetle Tenebrio. Role of an intronic sequence in transcriptional activation during the late metamorphic period
0962-1075 (Print) Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; A gene encoding the adult cuticular protein ACP-20 was isolated in Tenebrio. It consists of three exons interspersed by two introns, intron 1 interrupting the signal peptide. To understand the regulatory mechanisms of ACP-20 expression, ACP-20 promoter-luciferase reporter gene constructs were transfected into cultured pharate adult wing epidermis. Transfection assays needed the presence of 20-hydroxyecdysone, confirming that ACP-20 is up-regulated by ecdysteroids. Analysis of 5' deletion constructs revealed that three regions are necessary for high levels of transcription. Interaction experiments between i…
Characterization of two new cuticular genes specifically expressed during the post-ecdysial molting period in Tenebrio molitor
Abstract In a previous study, we have isolated a cDNA, TM-ACP17 , coding for a post-ecdysial adult protein of Tenebrio molitor . After screening of a genomic library with TM-ACP17 , we report isolation and sequencing of TM-ACP17 gene and a new gene, TM-LPCP29 , coding for a larval–pupal protein. These two genes exhibit a common sequence of 15 nucleotides and a characteristic of most cuticular protein genes so far described: an intron interrupting the signal peptide. The deduced aa sequence of TM-LPCP29 exhibits a high percentage of Ala (26.5%) and Val (17.5%) and is highly hydrophobic. In the N-terminal part, the motif VAAPV is repeated ten times. Numerous histidine residues are present in …