Search results for "Thysanura"

Molecular characterization of hemocyanin and hexamerin from the firebrat Thermobia domestica (Zygentoma).

2008

Hexapods possess a tracheal system that enables the transport of oxygen to the inner organs. Although respiratory proteins have been considered unnecessary in most Hexapoda for this reason, we recently showed the presence of a functional hemocyanin in the stonefly Perla marginata. Here we report the identification and molecular characterization of a hemocyanin from Zygentoma (Thysanura). We obtained the full length cDNA of two distinct subunit types from the firebrat Thermobia domestica, and partial sequences of the orthologs from the silverfish Lepisma saccharina. The native T. domestica hemocyanin subunits both consist of 658 amino acids, but a signal peptide for transmembrane transport i…