Sequence variability in the fibroin-H intron of domesticated and wild silk moths.

Full Abstract

The single intron of the heavy-chain fibroin gene in domesticated (Bombyx mori) and wild (B. mandarina) silk moths has a length of approximately 1000 nucleotides. It is located only 57 bp from the gene's core promoter and harbors multiple AT-rich regulatory elements that have been found to enhance the basal level of transcription in vitro. In this work, the intronic nucleotide variability among members of both Bombyx species is analyzed. The intron sequences of B. mori strains k120 and Nistari, as well as B. mandarina specimens from Japan and Korea, were obtained. This information was compared with the previously reported sequences of B. mori strains p50 and C-108, as well as an additional B. mandarina specimen collected in Japan. We found a total of 26 variant positions, including variants shared by members of both species and species-specific changes. The potential functional role of these variants was investigated by using the program MatInspector to search for putative binding sites of transcription factors within the intron. We detected a multitude of putative binding elements distributed along the entire intronic sequence. Among them, 22 correspond to protein binding domains that are known to regulate fibroin transcription. The mapping of multiple variant positions within these putative binding sequences as well as in known regulatory elements of the intron argue for functional significance on the regulation of transcription.

Author information

Author/s: Martinez, Laisel (L); Almagro, Juan C (JC); Coll, Jose L (JL); Herrera, Rene J (RJ);

Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, University Park, OE 304, Miami, FL 33199, USA.

Grants: GM 08205 (Agency:NIGMS NIH HHS) ; GM 08771 (Agency:NIGMS NIH HHS) ; GM 61347 (Agency:NIGMS NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Insect biochemistry and molecular biology (Insect Biochem Mol Biol), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2004-Apr; vol 34 (issue 4) : pp 343-52

Dates: Created 2004/03/25; Completed 2004/06/15; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 15041018, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

ErratumIn: Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2004 Jun;34(6):595.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MeSH Headings (categories) shown below.

Animals
Animals, Domestic
Animals, Wild
Base Sequence
Binding Sites
Bombyx - chemistry; genetics
Fibroins - genetics; metabolism
Forkhead Transcription Factors
Genetic Variation
Insect Proteins - genetics; metabolism

Insect Proteins - genetics; metabolism
Introns - genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Nuclear Proteins - metabolism
Phylogeny
Protein Binding
Recombinant Proteins - genetics; metabolism
Sequence Alignment
Species Specificity
Transcription Factors - metabolism

Note: Bold headings indicate primary MeSH headings or qualifiers.

Associated Chemicals: Forkhead Transcription Factors (0) ; Insect Proteins (0) ; Nuclear Proteins (0) ; Recombinant Proteins (0) ; Transcription Factors (0) ; Fibroins (9007-76-5)

These are the most related articles currently in our database: