Farnesoic acid O-methyl transferase (FAMeT) isoforms: conserved traits and gene expression patterns related to caste differentiation in the stingless bee, Melipona scutellaris.
Farnesoic acid O-methyl transferase (FAMeT) is the enzyme that catalyzes the formation of methyl farnesoate (MF) from farnesoic acid (FA) in the biosynthetic pathway of juvenile hormone (JH). This work reports the cloning, sequencing, and expression of FAMeT gene from the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris (MsFAMeT). The MsFAMeT in silico analysis showed that greatest sequence similarity is found in Apis mellifera and other insects, while relatively less similarity is shown in crustaceans. Evidence of alternative splicing of a 27 nucleotide (nt) microexon explains the presence of the detected isoforms, 1 and 2. The expression analysis of the two isoforms showed a marked difference when castes were compared, suggesting that they could be involved differently in the JH metabolism in M. scutellaris, providing new insights for the comprehension of female plasticity.
Vieira
Carlos U
CU
Instituto de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brasil. ueirabio@gmail.com
Bonetti
Ana M
AM
Simões
Zilá L P
ZL
Maranhão
Andréa Q
AQ
Costa
Christiane S
CS
Costa
Maria Cristina R
MC
Siquieroli
Ana Carolina S
AC
Nunes
Francis M F
FM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001516:Bees / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011679:Pupa / Q000502:physiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000378:metabolism
D007527:Isoenzymes; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C036585:juvenile hormone III; D008780:Methyltransferases; C032433:farnesoic acid O-methyltransferase