HIGH-LEVEL EXPRESSION OF THE Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase GENE IN THE FRONTAL GLAND OF SOLDIERS IN Reticulitermes speratus (ISOPTERA: RHINOTERMITIDAE)
HIGH-LEVEL EXPRESSION OF THE Geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase GENE IN THE FRONTAL GLAND OF SOLDIERS IN Reticulitermes speratus (ISOPTERA: RHINOTERMITIDAE)
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DOI：
10.1002/arch.20415
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发表时间：
2011-05-01
影响因子：
2.2
通讯作者：
Maekawa, Kiyoto
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hojo, Masaru;Toga, Kouhei;Maekawa, Kiyoto
白蚁士兵的防御策略大致分为机械的，使用下颚和/或整个头部，或化学的，使用额腺分泌物。白蚁属Nasutitermes（Termitidae，Nasutitermitinae）的士兵是白蚁中最具进化性的属之一，其防御性分泌物仅使用化学防御，而二萜防御分泌物被认为是通过香叶基香叶基二磷酸（GGPP）合成的。另一方面，散白蚁属（Rhinotermitidae，Heterotermitinae）的士兵主要使用机械防御，但也使用涉及额腺分泌物的辅助化学防御，包括二萜醇。在这项研究中，以确认是否GGPP是用于二萜合成的一个代表性的早期分支白蚁谱系，GGPP合酶基因（RsGGPPS）被确定在鼻白蚁Reticulitermes speratus（Kolbe）。RsGGPPS在军人中的相对表达量是工人的3倍。此外，RsGGPPS基因表达检测到周围的额腺水库上皮1类腺细胞。虽然GGPP用于动物中的各种基本细胞作用，但RsGGPPS被建议不仅用于这些基本作用，而且用于二萜合成以产生防御分泌物。散白蚁属和鼻白蚁属的二萜类化合物的化学结构差异很大，且两属的亲缘关系较远。因此，这两个谱系可能独立地获得了从GGPP合成二萜的能力。(C)2011 Wiley Periodicals，Inc.
Defensive strategies of termite soldiers are roughly classified as either mechanical, using mandibles and/or the whole head, or chemical, using frontal gland secretion. Soldiers of the genus Nasutitermes (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae), which is one of the most derived termite genera, use only chemical defenses, and diterpene defensive secretions were suggested to be synthesized through geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP). On the other hand, soldiers of the genus Reticulitermes (Rhinotermitidae, Heterotermitinae) mainly use mechanical defenses, but also use supplementary chemical defenses involving frontal gland secretions, including diterpene alcohol. In this study, to confirm whether the GGPP is used for diterpene synthesis in a representative of an earlier-branching termite lineage, the GGPP synthase gene (RsGGPPS) was identified in the rhinotermitid Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe). The relative expression level of RsGGPPS in soldiers was three-fold higher than in workers. Furthermore, RsGGPPS gene expression was detected in epithelial class 1 gland cells around the frontal-gland reservoir. Although GGPP is used for various essential cellular roles in animals, RsGGPPS is suggested to be used not only for these essential roles but also for diterpene synthesis in order to produce defensive secretions. Chemical structures of the diterpene identified from Reticulitermes and Nasutitermes are extremely different from each other, and the two genera are phylogenetically distant from each other. Thus, these two lineages may have independently acquired the abilities of diterpene synthesis from GGPP. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.