Functional role of aspartic proteinase cathepsin D in insect metamorphosis.
BMC Dev Biol
; 6: 49, 2006 Oct 25.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-17062167
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Metamorphosis is a complex, highly conserved and strictly regulated development process that involves the programmed cell death of obsolete larval organs. Here we show a novel functional role for the aspartic proteinase cathepsin D during insect metamorphosis.RESULTS:
Cathepsin D of the silkworm Bombyx mori (BmCatD) was ecdysone-induced, differentially and spatially expressed in the larval fat body of the final instar and in the larval gut of pupal stage, and its expression led to programmed cell death. Furthermore, BmCatD was highly induced in the fat body of baculovirus-infected B. mori larvae, suggesting that this gene is involved in the induction of metamorphosis of host insects infected with baculovirus. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated BmCatD knock-down inhibited programmed cell death of the larval fat body, resulting in the arrest of larval-pupal transformation. BmCatD RNAi also inhibited the programmed cell death of larval gut during pupal stage.CONCLUSION:
Based on these results, we concluded that BmCatD is critically involved in the programmed cell death of the larval fat body and larval gut in silkworm metamorphosis.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Bombyx
/
Catepsina D
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Proteínas de Insetos
/
Metamorfose Biológica
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2006
Tipo de documento:
Article