title: Cloning and structural characterization of juvenile hormone diol kinase in Spodoptera litura.
abstract: Juvenile hormone (JH) is one of the key insect hormones that regulate metamorphosis. Juvenile hormone diol kinase (JHDK) is an enzyme involved in JH metabolism and catalyzes JH diol to form a polar end product, JH diol phosphate that has no JH activity. In this study, a JHDK complementary DNA (cDNA) was cloned from Spodoptera litura and the structure and expression of the gene was characterized. The cDNA was 714 base pairs in length and encoded a protein of 183 amino acids with a molecular mass of 21 kDa and an isoelectric point of 4.55. Based on the structure, three putative calcium binding motifs and guanosine triphosphate-binding motifs were predicted in the protein. Modeling of the 3-D structure showed that the protein consisted of eight α-helixes linked with loops, with no β-sheets. The gene was expressed in the epidermis, fat body and midgut of fifth and sixth instar larvae. The expression level in the epidermis was lower than in the fat body and midgut. The gene was expressed at higher levels at the early stages than in the later stages of fifth and sixth instar midgut and fat body. The results suggest that this gene may be involved in the regulation of the JH titer in larvae of S. litura.
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
authors.forename: Bao-Juan
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
authors.forename: Li-Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
authors.forename: Li-Hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
authors.forename: Qi-Li
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005216:Fat Body / Q000201:enzymology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000201:enzymology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007605:Juvenile Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D007605:Juvenile Hormones; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); C460370:juvenile hormone diol kinase
keywords: Spodoptera litura; juvenile hormone; juvenile hormone diol kinase; metabolism