Autor(es): Tsao, I-Y.; Lin, U-S.; Christensen, B. M.; Chen, C-C.

Resumo: It has long been suggested that phenoloxidases (POs) play key roles in various physiological functions in insects, e.g., cuticular sclerotization. wound healing, egg tanning and melanotic encapsulation of pathogens. Here we report that a mosquito PO, designated Armigeres subalbatus prophenoloxidase III (As-pro-PO III), is likely involved in the morphogenesis in mosquito. Expression profile analysis found that As-pro-PO III mRNA is persistently expressed in adult mosquitoes and is not significantly affected by blood feeding, microfilariae inoculation, or Escherichia coli inoculation, but expression levels of As-pro-PO III fluctuated in larval and pupal stages. Knockdown of As-pro-PO III expression in pupae using double-stranded RNA resulted in high pupal mortality and deformed adults that subsequently died following emergence. Promoter activity analyses by electrophoretic mobility-shift assays and transfection assays suggest that the As-pro-PO III gene is positively regulated by a putative Zeste motif, a developmental regulatory element. These results suggest that As-pro-PO III is associated with morphogenesis of mosquitoes. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Palavras-Chave: Mosquito; Prophenoloxidase; Double-stranded RNA interference; Promoter activity; Morphogenesis

Imprenta: Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, v. 39, n. 2, p. 96-104, 2009

Identificador do objeto digital: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2008.10.007

Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Immune response ; Aedes aegypti - Molecular structure ; Aedes aegypti - RNA

Data de publicação: 2009

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