Identification of soldier caste-specific protein in the frontal gland of nasute termite Nasutitermes takasagoensis (Isoptera: Termitidae)
Identification of soldier caste-specific protein in the frontal gland of nasute termite Nasutitermes takasagoensis (Isoptera: Termitidae)
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.ibmb.2005.01.007
复制
发表时间：
2005-04-01
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Miura, T
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hojo, M;Morioka, M;Miura, T
白蚁士兵的独特之处在于其在蚁群中的防御任务。在白蚁科中，士兵在他们的防御中使用含有各种化学物质的额腺。为了分离与化学防御相关的基因产物，我们比较了士兵头部与工蚁头部的十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳蛋白谱。我们发现了一种26 kda的士兵特异性蛋白（Ntsp1），它在包括额叶腺在内的背头部中含量最多。我们确定了Ntsp1的n端氨基酸序列，并利用cDNA末端聚合酶链反应（RACE-PCR）快速扩增技术克隆了Ntsp1的cDNA。在n端上游检测到一个推测的信号肽，Ntsp1蛋白与已知的昆虫分泌载体蛋白序列同源，这些蛋白与疏水配体（如幼激素）结合，表明Ntsp1属于这类蛋白。Northern blot分析证实，Ntsp1仅在士兵头部高表达。此外，Ntsp1在额腺储存库上皮细胞中的表达受限，表明该蛋白与额腺储存库中保存的某些萜类化合物结合。(c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd版权所有。
The termite soldier is unique because of its defensive task in a colony. In Nasutitermitinae (family Termitidae), soldiers use in their defense frontal glands, which contain various chemical substances. To isolate the gene products related to the chemical defense, we compared the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protein profiles of soldier heads with those of workers of the nasute termite Nasutiterines takasagoensis. We identified a 26-kDa soldier-specific protein (Ntsp1) that exists most abundantly in the dorsal head including the frontal gland. We determined the N-terminal amino acid sequence of Ntsp1, and then cloned the Ntsp1 cDNA by rapid amplification of the cDNA ends-polymerase chain reaction (RACE-PCR). A putative signal peptide was detected upstream of the N-terminus and the Ntsp1 protein showed sequence homologies with known insect secretory carrier proteins, which bind to hydrophobic ligands such as juvenile hormone, suggesting that Ntsp1 belongs to this class of proteins. Northern blot analysis confirmed that the expression level of Ntsp1 was high only in the soldier head. In addition, the localization of Ntsp1 expression was limited in epithelial cells of the frontal gland reservoir, suggesting that this protein binds to some terpenoid(s) preserved in the frontal gland reservoir. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.