Trichoplusia ni attacin A, a differentially displayed insect gene coding for an antibacterial protein.
The mRNA differential display method was used to isolate antibacterial defense genes from Trichoplusia ni. The mRNA population in last-instar T. ni larvae injected with bacteria was compared to that of untreated larvae. Using a PCR amplified probe corresponding to an induced mRNA, we were able to clone an attacin homolog from a lambda cDNA library from vaccinated larvae. The corresponding protein showed 63% identity to Hyalophora cecropia acidic attacin. The induction kinetics of T. ni attacin A gave optimal mRNA levels at 20 h post-infection. Genomic analysis showed this to be a single-copy gene with two introns.
Department of Microbiology, Stockholm University, Sweden.
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D
Kang
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Lundström
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H
Steiner
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015723:Gene Library; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000235:genetics*; D019476:Insect Proteins; D007438:Introns; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009036:Moths / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D007301:Insect Hormones; D019476:Insect Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C039711:attacin antibacterial protein, insect