title: Inducible immune factors of the vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae: biochemical purification of a defensin antibacterial peptide and molecular cloning of preprodefensin cDNA.
abstract: Larvae of the mosquito vector of human malaria, Anopheles gambiae, were inoculated with bacteria and extracts were biochemically fractionated by reverse-phase HPLC. Multiple induced polypeptides and antibacterial activities were observed following bacterial infection, including a member of the insect defensin family of antibacterial proteins. A cDNA encoding An. gambiae preprodefensin was isolated using PCR primers based on phylogenetically conserved sequences. The mature peptide is highly conserved, but the signal and propeptide segments are not, relative to corresponding defensin sequences of other insects. Defensin expression is induced in response to bacterial infection, in both adult and larval stages. In contrast, pupae express defensin mRNA constitutively. Defensin expression may prove a valuable molecular marker to monitor the An. gambiae host response to infection by parasitic protozoa of medical importance.
authors.affiliation: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Richman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bulet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hetru
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barillas-Mury
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Kafalos
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity / Q000235:genetics*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000302:isolation & purification; D023082:Defensins; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D017344:Genes, Insect; D007303:Insect Vectors; D007814:Larva; D016982:Micrococcus luteus / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D023082:Defensins