title: A Baculovirus immediate-early gene, ie1, promoter drives efficient expression of a transgene in both Drosophila melanogaster and Bombyx mori.
abstract: Many promoters have been used to drive expression of heterologous transgenes in insects. One major obstacle in the study of non-model insects is the dearth of useful promoters for analysis of gene function. Here, we investigated whether the promoter of the immediate-early gene, ie1, from the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) could be used to drive efficient transgene expression in a wide variety of insects. We used a piggyBac-based vector with a 3xP3-DsRed transformation marker to generate a reporter construct; this construct was used to determine the expression patterns driven by the BmNPV ie1 promoter; we performed a detailed investigation of the promoter in transgene expression pattern in Drosophila melanogaster and in B. mori. Drosophila and Bombyx belong to different insect orders (Diptera and Lepidoptera, respectively); however, and to our surprise, ie1 promoter-driven expression was evident in several tissues (e.g., prothoracic gland, midgut, and tracheole) in both insects. Furthermore, in both species, the ie1 promoter drove expression of the reporter gene from a relatively early embryonic stage, and strong ubiquitous ie1 promoter-driven expression continued throughout the larval, pupal, and adult stages by surface observation. Therefore, we suggest that the ie1 promoter can be used as an efficient expression driver in a diverse range of insect species.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya, Japan .
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masumoto
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohde
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiomi
authors.forename: Toshinobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yaginuma
authors.forename: Teruyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niimi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D012831:Bombyx / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D017781:Genes, Immediate-Early / Q000235:genetics*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049750:Genome, Insect / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D004247:DNA