title: CREB-binding protein contributes to the regulation of endocrine and developmental pathways in insect hemimetabolan pre-metamorphosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  CREB-binding protein (CBP) is a promiscuous transcriptional co-regulator. In insects, CBP has been studied in the fly Drosophila melanogaster, where it is known as Nejire. Studies in D. melanogaster have revealed that Nejire is involved in the regulation of many pathways during embryo development, especially in anterior/posterior polarity, through Hedgehog and Wingless signaling, and in dorsal/ventral patterning, through TGF-ß signaling. Regarding post-embryonic development, Nejire influences histone acetyl transferase activity on the ecdysone signaling pathway.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Functional genomics studies using RNAi have shown that CBP contributes to the regulation of feeding and ecdysis during the pre-metamorphic nymphal instar of the cockroach Blattella germanica and is involved in TGF-ß, ecdysone, and MEKRE93 pathways, contributing to the activation of Kr-h1 and E93 expression. In D. melanogaster, Nejire's involvement in the ecdysone pathway in pre-metamorphic stages is conserved, whereas the TGF-ß pathway has only been described in the embryo. CBP role in ecdysis pathway and in the activation of Kr-h1 and E93 expression is described here for the first time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Studies in D. melanogaster may have been suggestive that CBP functions in insects are concentrated in the embryo. Results obtained in B. germanica indicate, however, that CBP have diverse and important functions in post-embryonic development and metamorphosis, especially regarding endocrine signaling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further research into a higher diversity of models will probably reveal that the multiple post-embryonic roles of CBP observed in B. germanica are general in insects.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Nicolas
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-UPF), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: xavier.belles@ibe.upf-csic.es.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Belles
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000196:embryology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D008297:Male; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological; D018978:Molting; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein
keywords: CBP; E93; Ecdysone; Juvenile hormone; Kr-h1; MEKRE93; Metamorphosis; TGF-beta pathway