title: The apoptosis inhibitor survivin prevents insect midgut from cell death during postembryonic development.
abstract: The programmed cell death (PCD) is important in maintaining the cell number homoeostasis of tissues and organs in metazoan. This process is regulated by the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). The function and mechanism of IAPs have been well studied in animal embryonic development and human cancers. However, the roles and hormonal regulation of IAPs in the postembryonic development are not well understood. We report that an IAP survivin (Ha-survivin) played roles in the postembryonic development of the midgut in a lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera. Ha-survivin was transcribed not only in the embryo, but also in the haemocytes, fat body and midgut during larval molting or pupal adulting. The transcription of Ha-survivin was upregulated by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Ha-survivin was located in the embryonic cells around the periplasm of the eggs during embryonic development. It was also located in the epithelium cells of the midgut in the fifth molting larvae and later pupae. Knockdown of Ha-survivin by RNAi in the epidermal cell line caused cell apoptosis. These results indicated that Ha-survivin played roles not only in the embryonic development, but also in the postembryonic tissue development by preventing cell death.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Plant Cell Engineering and Germplasm Innovation, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Juan
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Jin-Xing
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Fan
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019295:Computational Biology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004441:Ecdysterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000166:cytology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009036:Moths / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D004441:Ecdysterone