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Expressions of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase gene Cyp4g1 and its homolog in the prothoracic glands of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and the silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

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Abstract

Here we describe the expression profiles of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase gene Cyp4g1 in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, and its homolog in the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. We identified Cyp4g1 by a microarray analysis to examine the expression levels of 86 predicted D. melanogaster P450 genes in the ring gland that contains the prothoracic gland (PG), an endocrine organ responsible for synthesizing ecdysteroids. B. mori Cyp4g25 is a closely related homolog of D. melanogaster Cyp4g1 and is also expressed in the PG. A developmental expression pattern of Cyp4g25 in the PG is positively correlated with a fluctuation in hemolymph ecdysteroid titer in the late stage of the final instar. Moreover, the expression of Cyp4g25 in cultured PGs is significantly induced by the addition of prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), a neuropeptide hormone that stimulates the synthesis and release of ecdysone. We propose that Cyp4g1 and Cyp4g25 are the candidates that play a role in regulating PG function and control ecdysteroid production and/or metabolism during insect development.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Kaoru Saigo, Kuniaki Takahashi and Ryu Ueda for their support in the initial stages of this work. We also thank Kazuei Mita for providing us with the B. mori EST clone; Ken Watanabe and Mariko Fujishita for technical assistance; and Takuji Yoshiyama-Yanagawa and Yuko Shimada-Niwa for comments on the manuscript. We are also grateful to Katsuo Furukubo-Tokunaga for allowing R.N. to use his space and equipment. This work was supported in part by Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of the Japanese Government and by grants to H.K. from Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (19380034) from JSPS and the Program for Promotion of Basic Research Activities for Innovative Biosciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Initiative for the Promotion of Young Scientists’ Independent Research, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Seinou-tou B411, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Ryusuke Niwa

  2. Division of Radiological Protection and Biology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan

    Takashi Sakudoh

  3. Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan

    Takeshi Matsuya, Toshiki Namiki & Hiroshi Kataoka

  4. Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8640, Japan

    Shinji Kasai & Takashi Tomita

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  1. Ryusuke Niwa
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  2. Takashi Sakudoh
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  3. Takeshi Matsuya
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  4. Toshiki Namiki
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  7. Hiroshi Kataoka
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Correspondence to Ryusuke Niwa.

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Niwa, R., Sakudoh, T., Matsuya, T. et al. Expressions of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase gene Cyp4g1 and its homolog in the prothoracic glands of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and the silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Appl Entomol Zool 46, 533–543 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-011-0074-6

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