title: Expression profile of the iron-binding proteins transferrin and ferritin heavy chain subunit in the bumblebee Bombus ignitus.
abstract: The iron-binding proteins, transferrin and ferritin, are involved in the processes of transport and storage in iron metabolism. Their expression is induced in response to iron overload. Here, we show the expression profile of transferrin (Bi-Tf) and the ferritin heavy chain subunit (Bi-FerHCH) of the bumblebee Bombus ignitus in response to iron overload. Bi-Tf exhibits fat body-specific expression, whereas Bi-FerHCH is ubiquitously expressed and upregulated in various tissues, though in a similar manner, by iron overload. We also demonstrate their expression regulation via reduction of Bi-Tf or Bi-FerHCH levels in the fat body via RNA interference (RNAi). Under uniform conditions in which FeCl(3) was overloaded, the RNAi-induced Bi-Tf knock-down B. ignitus worker bees showed upregulated expression of Bi-FerHCH, and reciprocally, Bi-FerHCH RNAi knockdowns showed upregulated Bi-Tf expression in the fat body. This result indicates that, in case of the loss of Bi-Tf or Bi-FerHCH, the expression of Bi-FerHCH or Bi-Tf, respectively, is upregulated in response to iron overload.
authors.affiliation: College of Natural Resources and Life Science, Dong-A University, Busan 604-714, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Bo Yeon
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwang Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyung Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Iksoo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jianhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hung Dae
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Byung Rae
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001052:Apoferritins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001516:Bees / Q000378:metabolism*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014168:Transferrin; D001052:Apoferritins; D007501:Iron