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Molecular characterization and developmental expression of the gene encoding the prothoracicotropic hormone in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua

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Abstract

Prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), a neuropeptide hormone stimulating the prothoracic glands to synthesize ecdysone, plays an important role in regulating postembryonic development in insects. The cDNA encoding PTTH was isolated and sequenced from the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Spe). The deduced amino acid sequence is composed of a signal peptide, a peptide (65 amino acids) of unknown function, and a mature PTTH molecule (111 amino acids). The Spe-PTTH shows similarities (45.5%–70.3%) to other known PTTHs reported in Lepidoptera species, but 7 cysteine residues and the hydrophobic regions were conserved. Whole-mount immunocytochemistry by using an antiserum against recombinant Helicoverpa armigera PTTH showed that Spe-PTTH was synthesized in two pairs of neurosecretory cells in the S. exigua brain. Northern blot analysis demonstrates the presence of a 1.2-kb transcript in the brain. The Spe-PTTH mRNA is detectable at high levels at the wandering larval stage, early pupal stage, and pharate adult stage, suggesting that the Spe-PTTH gene might be correlated with molting, metamorphosis, and reproduction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China

    Xu Jun & Xu WeiHua

  2. State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Institute of Entomology, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Xu WeiHua

  3. Department of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Su JianYa & Shen JinLiang

Authors
  1. Xu Jun
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  2. Su JianYa
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  3. Shen JinLiang
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  4. Xu WeiHua
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xu WeiHua.

Additional information

Supported by the National Basic Research Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, People’s Republic of China (Grant No. 2006CB102001)

The nucleotide sequence data reported in this article have been submitted to Gen-Bank and have been assigned the accession number AY628763

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Xu, J., Su, J., Shen, J. et al. Molecular characterization and developmental expression of the gene encoding the prothoracicotropic hormone in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua . SCI CHINA SER C 50, 466–472 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-007-0060-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-007-0060-y

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