title: Identification and expression analysis of diapause hormone and pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (DH-PBAN) in the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius.
abstract: Neuropeptides play essential roles in a variety of physiological responses that contribute to the development and reproduction of insects. Both the diapause hormone (DH) and pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) belong to the PBAN/pyrokinin neuropeptide family, which has a conserved pentapeptide motif FXPRL at the C-terminus. We identified the full-length cDNA encoding DH-PBAN in Maruca vitrata, a major lepidopteran pest of leguminous crops. The open reading frame of Marvi-DH-PBAN is 591 bp in length, encoding 197 amino acids, from which five putative neuropeptides [DH, PBAN, α-subesophageal ganglion neuropeptide (SGNP), β-SGNP and γ-SGNP] are derived. Marvi-DH-PBAN was highly similar (83%) to DH-PBAN of Omphisa fuscidentalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), but possesses a unique C-terminal FNPRL motif, where asparagine has replaced a serine residue present in other lepidopteran PBAN peptides. The genomic DNA sequence of Marvi-DH-PBAN is 6,231 bp in size and is composed of six exons. Phylogenetic analysis has revealed that the Marvi-DH-PBAN protein sequence is closest to its homolog in Crambidae, but distant from Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera DH-PBAN, which agrees with the current taxonomy. DH-PBAN transcripts were present in the head and thoracic complex, but absent in the abdomen of M. vitrata. Real-time quantitative PCR assays have demonstrated a relatively higher expression of Marvi-DH-PBAN mRNA in the latter half of the pupal stages and in adults. These findings represent a significant step forward in our understanding of the DH-PBAN gene architecture and phylogeny, and raise the possibility of using Marvi-DH-PBAN to manage M. vitrata populations through molecular techniques.
authors.affiliation: AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jian-Cheng
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Srinivasan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009036:Moths / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D010675:Pheromones; C075027:diapause hormone