0000000000756478
AUTHOR
Jan A. Veenstra
Sequence and evolution of a hexamerin from the ant Camponotus festinatus.
In the ant Camponotus festinatus, two different hexamerins accumulate stage-specifically during the late larval period and at various times in adults. These hexamerins serve as storage proteins and play important roles in brood nourishment and colony founding. We report an analysis of the cDNA sequence of C. festinatus hexamerin 2 (CfeHex2). The native protein contains 732 amino acids, which are moderately enriched in aromatic amino acids, aspartate and asparagine. Phylogenetic analyses show a close relationship of CfeHex2 to a putative toxin of the braconid wasp, Bracon hebetor. The divergence of Formicidae and Braconidae hexamerins was calculated to have begun 187 MYA, an estimate consist…
Progress in the characterization of insulin-like peptides in aphids: Immunohistochemical mapping of ILP4.
Aphids were the first animals described as photoperiodic due to their seasonal switch from viviparous parthenogenesis to sexual reproduction (cyclical parthenogenesis) caused by the shortening of the photoperiod in autumn. This switch produces a single sexual generation of oviparous females and males that mate and lay diapausing cold-resistant eggs that can overcome the unfavourable environmental conditions typical of winter in temperate regions. Previous studies have hinted at a possible implication of two insulin-like peptides (ILP1 and ILP4) in the aphid seasonal response, changing their expression levels between different photoperiodic conditions. Moreover, in situ localization of their…