title: Cloning and characterization of a serine protease from the human malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae.
abstract: The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence of a serine protease (AgSp24D) from the human malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae, is presented. The gene product is a 271 amino acid protein that contains the conserved serine, histidine and aspartic acid residues found in serine proteases, and has the highest identity to a serine protease of unknown function from Drosophila melanogaster. In situ hybridization to the polytene chromosomes detects a single band at 24D. Northern analysis reveals only low levels of transcripts in larvae and pupae, but more abundant transcription products occur in adults. Interestingly, this analysis also shows that adult males express much higher levels of AgSp24D mRNA than females. In addition, Plasmodium-refractory mosquitoes express higher levels of AgSp24D mRNA than susceptible mosquitoes although the biological significance of this remains to be examined. The thorax is the primary site for expression in the adults. The lack of a dramatic increase in AgSp24D mRNA levels following blood feeding suggests that this protease is not involved in digestive processes. Transcriptional induction does not follow cold shock, septic wounding, bacterial injection, laminarin injection or CM-Sephadex bead injection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Salazar
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Reese-Stardy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cornel
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paskewitz
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D018628:Gene Dosage; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D008288:Malaria / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010961:Plasmodium; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases