title: The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum.
abstract: The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins play essential roles in a wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms. bHLH family members have been identified in over 20 organisms, including fruit fly, zebrafish, and human. This study identified 54 bHLH family members in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that they belong to 37 bHLH families with 21, 13, 9, 1, 9, and 1 members in group A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. Through in-group phylogenetic analyses, all of the identified A. pisum bHLH members were assigned into their correspondent bHLH families with confidence, among which 51 were defined according to phylogenetic analyses with orthologs from Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae), and 3 of them were defined according to phylogenetic analyses with orthologs from Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Analyses on genomic coding regions revealed that the number and average length of introns in A. pisum bHLH motifs are higher than those in other insects. The present study provides useful background information for future studies on structure and function of bHLH proteins in the regulation of A. pisum development.
authors.affiliation: 1 Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China. chunwang521123@163.com
authors.forename: Chun-Wang
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ke-Ping
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: De-Bao
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001042:Aphids / Q000235:genetics*; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics; D049750:Genome, Insect; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins