title: Detection of seminal fluid proteins in the bed bug, Cimex lectularius, using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.
abstract: The global increase of the human parasite, the common bed bug Cimex lectularius, calls for specific pest control target sites. The bed bug is also a model species for sexual conflict theory which suggests that seminal fluids may be highly diverse. The species has a highly unusual sperm biology and seminal proteins may have unique functions. One-dimensional PAGE gels showed 40-50% band sharing between C. lectularius and another cimicid species, Afrocimex constrictus. However, adult, sexually rested C. lectularius males were found to store 5-7 microg of seminal protein and with only 60 microg of protein we obtained informative 2-D PAGE gels. These showed 79% shared protein spots between 2 laboratory populations, and more than half of the shared protein spots were detected in the mated female. Further analysis using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry revealed that 26.5% of the proteins had matches among arthropods in databases and 14.5% matched Drosophila proteins. These included ubiquitous proteins but also those more closely associated with reproduction such as moj 29, ubiquitin, the stress-related elongation factor EF-1 alpha, a protein disulfide isomerase and an antioxidant, Peroxiredoxin 6.
authors.affiliation: University of Sheffield, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK. k.reinhardt@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reinhardt
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Georgiou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001511:Bedbugs / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D019704:Protein Disulfide-Isomerases / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D040901:Proteomics; D012661:Semen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D029589:Seminal Plasma Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods*; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors; D029589:Seminal Plasma Proteins; D025801:Ubiquitin; D019704:Protein Disulfide-Isomerases