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PubMed1994

Expression of the crystal protein gene under the control of the alpha-amylase promoter in Bacillus thuringiensis strains.

The expression of an insecticidal crystal protein gene of Bacillus thuringiensis under the control of the alpha-amylase gene promoter was investigated. The cryIC gene, which encodes a protein known to have a unique activity against Spodoptera (armyworm) species, was used in this investigation. The cryIC gene was placed, along with the alpha-amylase promoter from B. subtilis, in a B. thuringiensis-derived cloning vector, generating a pair of recombinant plasmids, pSB744 and pSB745. The cloning vector that contains the minimal replicon of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD73 is stably maintained in a variety of B. thuringiensis strains, as previously reported by Gamel and Piot (Gene 120:17-26, 1992). The present study confirmed that the recombinant plasmids are also stably maintained in B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Cry-B and HD73 growing in media without selection pressure for at least 48 h. The cryIC gene on the recombinant plasmids were notably expressed at high levels in both recombinant strains. Expression of the introduced cryIC gene on the recombinant plasmid in B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD73 did not impair expression of the resident cryIA(c) gene. The CryIA(c) protein is known to have a high level of activity against loopers such as Trichoplusia ni (the cabbage looper). As a result of coexpression of the introduced cryIC gene and the resident cryIA(c) gene, recombinant strain HD73 acquired an additional insecticidal activity against Spodoptera exigua (the beet armyworm) whereas the original activity level against T. ni was maintained.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Development and field performance of a broad-spectrum nonviable asporogenic recombinant strain of Bacillus thuringiensis with greater potency and UV resistance.

The main problems with Bacillus thuringiensis products for pest control are their often narrow activity spectrum, high sensitivity to UV degradation, and low cost effectiveness (high potency required). We constructed a sporulation-deficient SigK(-) B. thuringiensis strain that expressed a chimeric cry1C/Ab gene, the product of which had high activity against various lepidopteran pests, including Spodoptera littoralis (Egyptian cotton leaf worm) and Spodoptera exigua (lesser [beet] armyworm), which are not readily controlled by other Cry delta-endotoxins. The SigK(-) host strain carried the cry1Ac gene, the product of which is highly active against the larvae of the major pests Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer) and Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm). This new strain had greater potency and a broader activity spectrum than the parent strain. The crystals produced by the asporogenic strain remained encapsulated within the cells, which protected them from UV degradation. The cry1C/Ab gene was introduced into the B. thuringiensis host via a site-specific recombination vector so that unwanted DNA was eliminated. Therefore, the final construct contained no sequences of non-B. thuringiensis origin. As the recombinant strain is a mutant blocked at late sporulation, it does not produce viable spores and therefore cannot compete with wild-type B. thuringiensis strains in the environment. It is thus a very safe biopesticide. In field trials, this new recombinant strain protected cabbage and broccoli against a pest complex under natural infestation conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The immediate-early protein IE0 of the Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus is not essential for viral replication.

The role of the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) immediate-early protein IE0 in the baculoviral infection is not clear. In this study, we constructed the recombinant virus vAcDeltaie0 null for ie0 expression by targeted mutagenesis replacing exon0 with the cat gene. We found that vAcDeltaie0 replicated efficiently in Spodoptera littoralis SL2 cells, which are poorly permissive for AcMNPV. In contrast, in Spodoptera frugiperda SF9 cells, which are fully permissive for AcMNPV, vAcDeltaie0 DNA replication and budded virus production were delayed. These results and recently published data (X. Dai et al., J. Virol. 78:9633-9644, 2004) indicate that ie0 is not essential for AcMNPV replication but enhances it in permissive SF9 cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Microbial ecology of Bacillus thuringiensis: fecal populations recovered from wildlife in Korea.

A total of 34 fecal samples, collected from 14 species of wild mammals in Korea, were examined for the occurrence of Bacillus thuringiensis. The organism was detected in 18 (53%) samples. Among the three food-habit groups, herbivorous animals yielded the highest frequency (69%) of samples positive for B. thuringiensis, followed by omnivorous animals (50%). Of the six fecal samples from carnivorous animals, only one sample contained B. thurin giensis. Among 527 isolates belonging to the Bacillus cereus - B. thuringiensis group, 43 (8%) were assigned to B. thurin giensis on the basis of the formation of parasporal inclusions. Of the 43 isolates, 13 were serologically allocated to the nine H-antigenic serotypes: H3ad (serovar sumiyoshiensis), H15 (dakota), H17/27 (tohokuensis/ mexicanensis), H19 (tochigiensis), H21 (colmeri), H29 (amagiensis), H31/49 (toguchini/muju), H42 (jinghongiensis), and H44 (higo). Other isolates were untestable or untypable by the 55 reference H antisera available. Insecticidal activity was associated with 23% of the fecal populations: three isolates killed larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera), and seven exhibited larvicidal activity against the mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Diptera). There was no larvicidal activity against the three lepidopterous insects: Plutella xylostella, Spodoptera exigua, and Spodoptera litura. The overall results suggest that wild animals in Korea are in contact with naturally occurring B. thuringiensis at high frequencies through the daily food intake of plants.

Aedes↗
PubMed2005

Cloning and characterization of a novel gene cry9Ec1 encoding lepidopteran-specific parasporal inclusion protein from a Bacillus thuringiensis serovar galleriae strain.

A novel delta-endotoxin gene from a lepidopteran-specific Bacillus thuringiensis serovar galleriae strain was cloned, and the full sequence of the cry gene was determined. The cloned 6.5-kb DNA fragment included the full sequence of the cry gene and three open reading frames located upstream of the cry gene. The gene, designated cry9Ec1, encodes a polypeptide of 1154 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 130 237. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Cry9Ec1 protein had the highest homology (77.7%) with the Cry9Ea1 protein when compared with existing Cry proteins. The expression, in an acrystalliferous B. thuringiensis strain, of the cry9Ec1 gene was high when controlled by the cyt1A2 promoter, leading to the formation of large spherical inclusions. The purified crystals from the recombinant strain were toxic when tested against two lepidopteran species, Bombyx mori and Plutella xylostella. However, the Cry9Ec1 protein gave no toxicity against Spodoptera litura, Spodoptera exigua, Plodia interpunctella, Helicoverpa zea, and Culex pipiens molestus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Expression of the green fluorescent protein carried by Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus in insect cell lines.

A recombinant AcMNPV containing the green fluorescent protein (gfp) gene under the polyhedrin promoter (polh) was used to investigate the expression of the gfp gene as well as the production of recombinant extracellular virus in 14 continuous insect cell lines, including Heliothis virescens (BCIRL-HV-AM1), Helicoverpa zea (BCIRL-HZ-AM1), Anticarsia gemmatalis (BCIRL-AG-AM1), Trichoplusia ni (TN-CL1), Spodoptera frugiperda (IPLB-SF21), Spodoptera exigua (BCIRL/AMCY-Se-E1 and BCIRL/AMCY-Se-E5), Bombyx mori (BMN), Sf9 (a clone of IPLB-SF21), and five cell line clones of BCIRL-HV-AM1. The susceptibility of the cell lines to the recombinant virus (AcMNPV.GFP) was ascertained by calculating the mean percentage number of green light-emitting cells as well as by TCID50 titration of extracellular virus with fluorescence as a sign of infection. Of the 14 cell lines tested, all were permissive with varying degrees to AcMNPV.GFP, except BCIRL-HV-AMCL2 and BCIRL-HZ-AM1, both grown in serum-containing medium, and BMN, grown in serum-free medium, which were nonpermissive to the virus. Except for BCIRL/AMCY-Se-E1, IPLB-SF21, and four of the five BCIRL-HV-AM1 clones, all the other cell lines (BCIRL-HV-AM1, BCIRL-AG-AM1, TN-CL1, Se-E5, and Sf9) expressed detectable levels of GFP by 48 h postinoculation. The BCIRL/AMCY-Se-E1 and IPLB-SF21 cells, grown in serum-free medium (Ex-Cell 401), expressed detectable levels of GFP at 72 h postinoculation. By contrast, in BCIRL/AMCY-Se-E1 in serum-containing medium (Ex-Cell 401 + 10% FBS [fetal bovine serum]), GFP was detected at 48 h postinoculation. Furthermore, TN-CL1 cells produced the largest mean percentage number of fluorescent (76.6%) cells in both serum-containing and serum-free medium (64.8%) at 120 h postinoculation. All the BCIRL-HV-AM1 clones showed no GFP expression until 96 h postinoculation, and only then about 1% of the cell population fluoresced. The mean extracellular virus (ECV) production at 120 h postinoculation was highest in BCIRL/AMCY-Se-E5 cells grown in Ex-Cell 401 + 10% FBS (37.8 x 10% TCID50/ml) followed by BCIRL-HV-AM1 in TC199-MK (33.4 x 10(6) TCID50/ml). Only the BCIRL-HV-AMCL3 clone produced any substantial level of ECV at 120 h postinoculation (16.9 x 10(6) TCID50/ml). However, there was no significant correlation between ECV production and the mean percentage number of fluorescent cells. This study provides further information on the susceptibility of 14 insect cell lines to a recombinant AcMNPV containing the green fluorescent protein gene. This information might avail researchers with information to facilitate decisions as to what other cell lines are available for in vitro studies of the gfp gene.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The identification and characterization of a GDP-dissociation inhibitor (GDI) for the CDC42Hs protein.

The ras-related protein, CDC42Hs, is a 22-kDa GTP-binding protein which is the human homolog of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast-cell-division cycle protein. In attempting to isolate and biochemically characterize mammalian proteins capable of regulating various activities of CDC42Hs, we have identified an activity in bovine brain cytosol which effectively inhibits the dissociation of [3H]GDP from the platelet- or the Spodoptera frugiperda-expressed CDC42Hs protein. The purification of this activity was achieved by a series of steps which included ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sephacel, Mono-Q, and Mono-S chromatographies. The purified CDC42Hs regulatory protein has an apparent molecular weight of 28,000, and cyanogen bromide-generated peptide sequences of this protein were identical to sequences from the carboxyl-terminal portion of rho-GDP-dissociation inhibitor (rho-GDI) (Fukumoto, Y., Kaibuchi, K., Hori, Y., Fujioka, H., Araki, S., Ueda, T., Kikuchi, A., and Takai, Y. (1990) Oncogene 5, 1321-1328). In addition, an Escherichia coli-expressed, glutathione S-transferase-rho-GDI fusion protein fully substitutes for the GDI which we have purified from bovine brain in its ability to inhibit GDP dissociation from CDC42Hs. These findings suggest either that a common regulatory protein (GDI) is capable of inhibiting GDP dissociation from the rho and CDC42Hs proteins or that these two GTP-binding proteins interact with GDI proteins of very similar structure. The purified brain GDI protein shows little ability to inhibit GDP dissociation from the E. coli-expressed CDC42Hs and is capable of only a very weak inhibition of the dissociation of [35S]guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate (GTP gamma S) from the Spodoptera frugiperda-expressed CDC42. However, brain GDI very effectively inhibits the ability of the human dbl oncogene product to catalyze GDP dissociation from CDC42Hs. In addition to influencing guanine nucleotide association with CDC42Hs, the purified brain GDI protein also appears to catalyze the dissociation of CDC42Hs from the plasma membranes of human placenta and human epidermoid carcinoma (A431) cells. This effect by the GDI protein is observed whether the membrane-associated CDC42Hs is preincubated with GDP, GTP gamma S, or no guanine nucleotides, and occurs over a similar concentration range as that necessary for the inhibition of the intrinsic GDP dissociation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Comparative studies on the production of invasive larvae of Steinernema feltiae Filipjev nematodes within insect host.

A comparative study has been made on the production of invasive larvae of Steinernema feltiae Filipjev within the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval and house fly Musca domestica Linnaeus. The results indicated that there is a positive correlation between the reproductive rate of invasive larvae and the initial dosages, host species and host stages. The reproductive rate of invasive larvae of Steinernema feltiae in Spodoptera littoralis imagos and caterpillars was higher than in M. domestica. At the pupal stages of M. domestica, no reproduction was obtained. Pupae were refractory to parasitism presumably owing to the effective protection afforded by the puparium. S. feltiae would be better adopted to live in S. littoralis than in M. domestica.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Expression of rat tyrosine hydroxylase in insect tissue culture cells and purification and characterization of the cloned enzyme.

Rat tyrosine hydroxylase has been expressed at high levels in Spodoptera frugiperda cells using a baculovirus expression system. A cDNA containing the coding region for PC12 tyrosine hydroxylase was inserted into the unique EcoRI site of the transfer vector pLJC8 to yield the recombinant vector pLJC9. Spodoptera frugiperda cells were then co-infected with pLJC9 and wild type Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus. Recombinant virus particles containing the cDNA for tyrosine hydroxylase were selected by hybridization with authentic tyrosine hydroxylase cDNA. Three recombinant viruses were plaque-purified. All expressed a protein of Mr = 55,000 which reacted with antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase. Forty-eight h after infection of cells with recombinant virus, the specific activity of tyrosine hydroxylase in the cell lysate was 30-100 nmol of dihydroxyphenylalanine produced/min/mg, consistent with 5-10% of the cell protein being tyrosine hydroxylase. Purification from 2.1 g of cells gave 5.8 mg of enzyme with a specific activity of 1.7 mumol of dihydroxyphenylalanine/min/mg. The purified enzyme is a tetramer of identical subunits, containing one covalently bound phosphoryl residue and 0.1 iron atom/subunit. No carbohydrate was detectable. Steady state kinetic results with tetrahydrobiopterin as substrate are consistent with a sequential mechanism for binding of tyrosine and tetrahydrobiopterin. Substrate inhibition occurs at tyrosine concentrations above 50 microM. Steady state kinetic parameters at pH 6.5 are Vmax = 74 min-1, KBH4 = 21 microM, KTyr = 9.4 microM, and Ko2 less than or equal to 6 microM. The Vmax value shows a broad pH optimum around pH 7. The KBH4 value is pH-dependent, increasing from about 20 microM below pH 7 to about 100 microM above pH 8. The KTyr value is independent of pH between pH 6 and pH 8.5.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Characterization of [125I](R)-trans-7-hydroxy-2-[N-propyl-N-(3'-iodo-2'-propenyl)amino] tetralin binding to dopamine D3 receptors in rat olfactory tubercle.

[125I](R,S)-trans-7-Hydroxy-2-[N-propyl-N-(3'-iodo-2'-propenyl)- amino]tetralin ([125](R,S)-trans-7-OH-PIPAT) has been shown to bind with high affinity to dopamine D3 receptors expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda cells. No specific binding was seen in Spodoptera frugiperda cells expressing a high density of D2 receptors. It was therefore, suggested that [125I] (R,S)-trans-7-OH-PIPAT selectively labels D3 receptors. In the present study, saturation binding of [125I](R)-trans-7-OH-PIPAT to membranes from rat olfactory tubercle resulted in markedly curvilinear Scatchard plots, suggesting that the radioligand was binding to more than one receptor class or affinity state. [125I] (R)-trans-7-OH-PIPAT bound with high affinity to membranes from human embryonic kidney-293 cells expressing transfected D2 or D3 receptors and to membranes from Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing serotonin1A receptors. Binding of [125I](R)-trans-7-OH-PIPAT to serotonin1A and D2 receptors was decreased or eliminated in the presence of NaCl and/or guanylyl-imidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p]. In the presence of Gpp(NH)p and NaCl, a linear Scatchard plot with a Kd value of 0.4 nM and a density of 100 fmol/mg of protein was obtained in membranes from rat olfactory tubercle. Agonists and antagonists inhibited binding of [125I](R)-trans-7-OH-PIPAT with a rank order of potency consistent with an interaction at D3 receptors. These results suggest that, in the presence of Gpp(NH)p and NaCl, [125I](R)-trans-7-OH-PIPAT specifically labels D3 receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Optimising fed-batch production of recombinant proteins using the baculovirus expression vector system.

Fed-batch culture can offer significant improvement in recombinant protein production compared to batch culture in the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), as shown by Nguyen et al. (1993) and Bedard et al. (1994) among others. However, a thorough analysis of fed-batch culture to determine its limits in improving recombinant protein production over batch culture has yet to be performed. In this work, this issue is addressed by the optimisation of single-addition fed-batch culture. This type of fed-batch culture involves the manual addition of a multi-component nutrient feed to batch culture before infection with the baculovirus. The nutrient feed consists of yeastolate ultrafiltrate, lipids, amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, and glucose, which were added to batch cultures of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells before infection with a recombinant Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) expressing beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal). The fed-batch production of beta-Gal was optimised using response surface methods (RSM). The optimisation was performed in two stages, starting with a screening procedure to determine the most important variables and ending with a central-composite experiment to obtain a response surface model of volumetric beta-Gal production. The predicted optimum volumetric yield of beta-Gal in fed-batch culture was 2.4-fold that of the best yields in batch culture. This result was confirmed by a statistical analysis of the best fed-batch and batch data (with average beta-Gal yields of 1.2 and 0.5 g/L, respectively) obtained from this laboratory. The response surface model generated can be used to design a more economical fed-batch operation, in which nutrient feed volumes are minimised while maintaining acceptable improvements in beta-Gal yield.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Synthesis of rotavirus-like particles in insect cells: comparative and quantitative analysis.

When the three major structural proteins, VP2, VP6, and VP7, of rotavirus are co-expressed in insect cells infected with recombinant baculoviruses, they self-assemble into triple-layered virus-like particles (VLPs) that are similar in morphology to native rotavirus. In order to establish the most favorable conditions for the synthesis of rotavirus VLPs, we have compared the kinetics of 2/6/7-VLP synthesis in two different insect cell lines: High Five cells propagated in Excell 405 medium and Spodoptera frugiperda 9 cells in Excell 400 medium. The majority of VLPs produced in both cell lines were released into the culture medium, and these released VLPs were predominantly triple-layered and were found to be stable for the period of six or seven days examined. The optimal synthesis of VLPs depended upon the cell line and the culture medium used as well as the time of harvesting infected cell cultures. The highest yield of VLPs was obtained from High Five cultures in the late phase of infection when the yield was at least 5-fold higher than that from S. frugiperda 9 cultures on a per cell basis. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of High Five cells for the production of VLPs as potential rotavirus subunit vaccines.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Chimeric infectious bursal disease virus-like particles expressed in insect cells and purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography.

Chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs) of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) were produced by coinfecting Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf-9) insect cells with two recombinant baculoviruses, vIBD-7 and vEDLH-22. vIBD-7 encodes VP2, VP3, and VP4 of the IBDV structural proteins. vEDLH-22 encodes VP2 with five histidine residues at the carboxy-terminus (VP2H). Coinfection produced hybrid VLPs composed of VP2, VP2H, and VP3. The additional histidine residues on VP2H enabled the efficient purification of VLPs based on immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). These results demonstrated that the VLPs formed are comprised of chimeric subunits with attached affinity ligands, and further, that sufficient His5 ligand was available for binding to the IMAC metal-chelating resin. Additionally, these novel particles were fully characterized for antigenicity by a series of monoclonal antibodies, and appeared identical to the two wild-type IBDV strains contributing subunits to the chimeric VLP. IMAC purification provides a promising low-cost and simple scheme to purify VLPs as vaccines.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Detection of baculovirus-infected insect cells by flow cytometric side-scatter analyses.

BACKGROUND: The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), utilizing the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV), has turned out to be an attractive alternative for high-level expression (<600 mg/l) of recombinant proteins. However, there is a shortage of reliable methods for monitoring the infection process in situations where marker proteins cannot be used. METHODS: Three recombinant baculoviruses, FastBac1-wtGFP, VTBac-GFP, and VL1392-hIL-2Ralpha, all having the genes inserted under the transcriptional control of the polyhedrin gene promoter of the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV), were used to infect Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) and Mamestra brassicae (IZD-MB-0503) insect cells. The infection process of the recombinant baculoviruses was monitored by flow cytometric side-scatter and fluorescence intensity analyses over a period of 6-96 h. RESULTS: A clear correlation between the side-scatter (SSC) signal and the relative fluorescence was observed for both of the infected cell lines, compared to noninfected cells. Comparison of SSC histograms from noninfected insect cells with cells infected with the nonfluorescent recombinant baculovirus VL1392-hIL-2Ralpha showed a clear increase of SSC for the infected cells. CONCLUSIONS: The SSC parameter can therefore be utilized for flow cytometric monitoring of a baculovirus infection process in situations where suitable markers are not available.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Comparative analysis of glucose and glutamine metabolism in transformed mammalian cell lines, insect and primary liver cells.

Glucose and glutamine metabolism in several cultured mammalian cell lines (BHK, CHO, and hybridoma cell lines) were investigated by correlating specific utilization and formation rates with specific maximum activities of regulatory enzymes involved in glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Results were compared with data from two insect cell lines and primary liver cells. Flux distribution was measured in a representative mammalian (BHK) and an insect (Spodoptera frugiperda) cell line using radioactive substrates. A high degree of similarity in many aspects of glucose and glutamine metabolism was observed among the cultured mammalian cell lines examined. Specific glucose utilization rates were always close to specific hexokinase activities, indicating that formation of glucose-6-phosphate from glucose (catalyzed by hexokinase) is the rate limiting step of glycolysis. No activity of the key enzymes connecting glycolysis with the tricarboxylic acid cycle, such as pyruvate dehydrogenase, pyruvate carboxylase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, could be detected. Flux distribution in BHK cells showed glycolytic rates very similar to lactate formation rates. No glucose- or pyruvate-derived carbon entered the tricarboxylic acid cycle, indicating that glucose is mainly metabolized via glycolysis and lactate formation. About 8% of utilized glucose was metabolized via the pentose phosphate shunt, while 20 to 30% of utilized glucose followed pathways other than glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, or the pentose phosphate shunt. About 18% of utilized glutamine was oxidized, consistent with the notion that glutamine is the major energy source for mammalian cell lines. Mammalian cells cultured in serum-free low-protein medium showed higher utilization rates, flux rates, and enzyme activities than the same cells cultured in serum-supplemented medium. Insect cells oxidized glucose and pyruvate in addition to glutamine. Furthermore, insect cells produced little or no lactate and were able to channel glycolytic intermediates into the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Metabolic profiles of the type presented here for a variety of cell lines may eventually enable one to interfere with the metabolic patterns of cells relevant to biotechnology, with the hope of improving growth rate and/or productivity.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Sex-specific and hormone-controlled expression of a vitellogenin-encoding gene in the gypsy moth.

Microvitellogenin and vitellogenin cDNA from Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm) were tested for use as molecular probes to investigate the expression of genes coding for vitellogenins in Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) and Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth). Cross-hybridization was not observed between the M. sexta cDNAs and S. frugiperda DNA and mRNA. Vitellogenin cDNA from M. sexta did not hybridize to L. dispar DNA or mRNA. However, the 834 bp microvitellogenin cDNA from M. sexta hybridized to an approximately 850 bp transcript in L. dispar mRNA. A 2.5 kb cDNA clone, pz64, was isolated from late last instar larvae of female L. dispar by differential screening. This clone has 38% amino acid sequence (deduced) and 55% nucleic acid sequence similarities with the 3'-end of high molecular weight vitellogenin in Bombyx mori (silkworm). When used as a probe in northern analysis of L. dispar mRNA, this cDNA hybridized to a 5.3 kb transcript in female last instar larvae, pupae, and adults, but not to male last instar larvae and adults. This cDNA did not hybridize to mRNA from M. sexta or S. frugiperda. Expression of the 5.3 kb vitellogenin transcript hybridizing to the 2.5 kb cDNA clone was suppressed in 5-day-old last instar larvae of female L. dispar treated on day 2 with doses of the juvenile hormone analog, methoprene, greater than 10 nmol. Apparently, the high in vivo titer of juvenile hormone during the first 2 days of the last instar represses the transcription of vitellogenin mRNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Stable GABA(A) receptor intermediates in SF-9 cells expressing alpha1, beta2 and gamma2 subunits.

Spodoptera frugiperda insect cells (Sf-9 cells) were used to study GABA(A) receptor assembly. Time courses of the expression level of alpha1beta2 and alpha1beta2gamma2 receptor protein showed [(3)H]muscimol binding to appear 2 hr before [(3)H]flunitrazepam and [(35)S]TBPS binding. This indicates that muscimol may bind to pentamers with an immature conformation or to molecules smaller than the pentamer. Binding studies performed on fractions from sucrose gradients loaded with solubilized alpha1beta2 or alpha1beta2gamma2 containing membranes revealed no binding other than to the pentameric fractions. Western blotting on fractionated sucrose gradients, however, clearly revealed the existence of GABA(A) receptor intermediates. The alpha1 subunit was seen in fractions corresponding to molecules smaller than the pentamer only when co-expressed with gamma2, indicating that the gamma2 subunit is needed for the alpha1 to form relatively long lasting intermediates. Moreover, Western blots revealed multiple isoforms for each subunit. In general, it was primarily the lower molecular weight forms that were detected in the pentameric fractions. The exception being for the alpha1 and gamma2 forms in subunit combinations that did not contain both of these subunits (i.e., alpha1, gamma2, alpha1beta2, beta2gamma2), where higher molecular weight forms were strongly represented. These findings show that alpha1 and gamma2 prefer specific protein forms when expressed together.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A cDNA encoding a chitinase from the epithelial cell line of chironomus tentans (Insecta, diptera) and its functional expression.

A cDNA coding for chitinase was isolated from Chironomus cells, which possesses conserved regions I and II characteristic for family 18 chitinases, a C-terminus enriched in Glu and Pro without the typical "PEST-region," putative glycosylation sites, a reduced number of C-terminal cysteines, and no typical chitin binding domain. Northern blots revealed one specific signal with an apparent size of 2.3 kb. The cDNA was expressed in the baculovirus/Spodoptera system as a His-tag fusion protein, which was secreted as a functionally active enzyme into the medium and could be separated from endogenous viral and Spodoptera-specific chitinases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗