title: Regulation of the ferritin heavy-chain homologue gene in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.
abstract: In the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti, the ferritin heavy-chain homologue (HCH) gene is induced by blood feeding. This suggests that ferritin may serve as a cytotoxic protector against the oxidative challenge of the blood meal and may be essential for the survival of the insect. In this study, various cis-acting elements for the gene were identified and mapped. Transfection assays showed that the strength and activity of a subset of these elements are orientation-dependent. The shift observed for the ferritin HCH cis-acting elements is unique among known ferritin genes. DNase I footprinting data together with Transfac analyses identified a number of putative sites known for their involvement in developmental and cell proliferation processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI 53141, USA. daphne.pham@uwp.edu
authors.forename: D Q-D
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Douglass
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Chavez
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shaffer
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005293:Ferritins / Q000235:genetics*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007501:Iron / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron