Distribution of cuticular protein mRNAs in silk moth integument and imaginal discs.
The distributions of mRNAs for two cuticular proteins of Hyalophora cecropia were examined with RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. For major regions of larval and pupal cuticle, there was a strong correspondence between the type of cuticle and the predominant cuticular protein message found. Epidermal cells underlying soft cuticle had mRNA for HCCP12, with a RR-1 consensus attributed to soft cuticle, while the epidermal cells associated with hard cuticle had predominantly mRNA for HCCP66, a protein with the RR-2 consensus attributed to hard cuticle. Both messages were found in all areas of the pupal fore- and hind-wings, with modest area-specific difference in concentration being much less than differences in the relative abundance of these cuticular proteins.mRNA for HCCP12 was present in imaginal discs of feeding larvae of H cecropia. Data from Bombyx mori available at SilkBase (http://www.ab.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp/silkbase/) revealed that imaginal discs from feeding larvae had abundant mRNA for RR-1 cuticular proteins, representing six distinct gene products. Only discs from spinning larvae had mRNAs that coded for RR-2 proteins arising from 10 distinct genes. Thus, lepidopteran wing imaginal discs can no longer be regarded as inactive in larval cuticle production.
Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Subin
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Judith H
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Willis
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D034582:Integumentary System; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009036:Moths / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
C088240:CP66 protein, Hyalophora cecropia; D017931:DNA Primers; D019476:Insect Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C092898:cuticle protein 12, Hyalophora cecropia