A genomic clone for a chitinase gene from the silkworm, Bombyx mori: structural organization identifies functional motifs.
A genomic clone containing the chitinase gene was isolated and characterized from the silkworm, Bombyx mori, using the polymerase chain reaction technique directed by primers designed from the chitinase cDNA of the insect previously cloned [Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol. 28 (1998) 163]. Results from nucleotide sequence analysis of the gene and its PCR amplification suggest that the B. mori genome probably has only one copy of chitinase gene. The gene is organized into 10 coding regions, exons, interrupted by noncoding regions, introns. The motifs encoded and exon organization of the gene are almost identical to the related gene from Manduca sexta. The results suggest that the domain organization of chitinase genes may be conserved among insect cuticular chitinase genes and that they are more complex than their counterparts in plants. The possibilities of intron splicing from the primary transcripts are also discussed.
Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, 753-8515, Yamaguchi, Japan.
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Abdel-Banat
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Koga
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D012831:Bombyx / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D002688:Chitinases / Q000235:genetics*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005091:Exons; D018628:Gene Dosage; D017344:Genes, Insect; D015698:Genomic Library; D007438:Introns; D018402:Manduca / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010944:Plants / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D002688:Chitinases