title: Molecular characters and expression analysis of the gene encoding eclosion hormone from the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis.
abstract: Using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), the cDNA encoding eclosion hormone (EH) was cloned from the brain of Ostrinia furnacalis. The full Osf-EH cDNA is 986 bp and contains a 267 bp open reading frame encoding an 88 amino acid preprohormone, which including a hydrophobic 26 amino acid signal peptide and a 62 amino acid mature peptide. The mature Osf-EH shows high identity with Manduca sexta (95.2%), Helicoverpa armigera (91.9%) and Bombyx mori (85.5%), but low identify with Tribolium castaneum (63.6%), Drosophila melanogaster (56.5%) and Apis mellifera (54.8%). Using the HMMSTR Prediction Server, the 3D structure of Osf-EH was modeled. There are four beta-turns and three alpha-helixes predicted in Osf-EH, with the pattern of beta-beta-alpha-alpha-beta-beta-alpha. Northern blot analysis indicated a 1.0 kb transcript present only in the brain. The Osf-EH mRNA can not be detected in other neural tissues, such as the suboesophageal ganglion, thoracic ganglion, abdominal ganglion and other non-neural tissues, such as the midgut, fat body and epidermis. The Osf-EH mRNA content in the brain was measured using the combined method of quantitative RT-PCR and Southern blotting, which reached its highest level the day before the molt.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, People's Republic of China. zjwei@hfut.edu.cn
authors.forename: Zhao-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Gui-Yun
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Hong-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Shao-Tong
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007301:Insect Hormones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009036:Moths / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D007301:Insect Hormones; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C042645:eclosion hormone