title: Molecular characterization of insulin-like peptide genes and their expression in the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae.
abstract: Of the seven genes encoding insulin-like peptides (ILPs) in the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, four are arrayed proximally as duplicate pairs on chromosome three. Amino acid substitutions encoded in the duplicate genes occur in the C peptide and not the B and A peptides. Except for one duplicated gene, sequence-specific transcripts for all other AgamILPs were obtained from female mosquitoes. Transcript expression of each AgamILP was determined by RT-PCR in the head, thorax, and abdomen of all life stages and both sexes of this mosquito. Two AgamILPs were ubiquitously expressed, suggesting a growth factor function, whereas the other AgamILPs were expressed primarily in heads, as confirmed by the immunostaining of ILPs in the neurosecretory cells of female brains, thus indicating a hormonal function.
authors.affiliation: Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M J B
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jahan
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Riehle
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D017931:DNA Primers; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007328:Insulin; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D007328:Insulin; D010455:Peptides