title: Identification of differentially expressed genes in female Culex pipiens pallens.
abstract: Culex pipiens pallens is the mosquito vector of a number of human pathogens such as Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and epidemic encephalitis B virus. Female C. pipiens pallens play an important role in transmitting pathogens by sucking blood, which is essential for reproduction. In the present study, a subtractive cDNA library for female C. pipiens pallens was constructed by the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique and then 100 clones from the female SSH library were sequenced and analyzed. Female-differentially expressed genes in C. pipiens pallens were screened using semiquantitative RT-PCR. The full-length cDNA of an EST sequence (fs68) that was specifically expressed in female C. pipiens pallens was characterized by 3' and 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The characteristics of the female-specific gene were further analyzed using bioinformatics and Northern blot. It was shown that the female-specific gene was a previously uncharacterized gene and may encode a salivary peptide. This putative salivary peptide could be a very important molecule in the blood feeding of female C. pipiens pallens.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 Tian Bai No. 1 Street, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518020, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hong-Hong
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ren-Li
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yi-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Jin-Quan
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Shun-Xiang
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Da-Na
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Shi-Tong
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D019295:Computational Biology; D003465:Culex / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015723:Gene Library; D006801:Humans; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D010455:Peptides