Abstract
The pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens (Walker), is a major pest of rice and is endemic in China and other parts of Asia. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) encompass a diverse, widespread class of stress proteins that have not been characterized in S. inferens. In the present study, we isolated and characterized three S. inferens genes that encode members of the α-crystallin/sHSP family, namely, Sihsp21.4, Sihsp20.6, and Sihsp19.6. The three cDNAs encoded proteins of 187, 183 and 174 amino acids with calculated molecular weights of 21.4, 20.6 and 19.6 kDa, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of the three genes showed strong similarity to sHSPs identified in other lepidopteran insects. Sihsp21.4 contained an intron, but Sihsp20.6 and Sihsp19.6 lacked introns. Real-time quantitative PCR analyses revealed that Sihsp21.4 was most strongly expressed in S. inferens heads; Whereas expression of Sihsp20.6 and Sihsp19.6 was highest in eggs. The three S. inferens sHSP genes were up-regulated during low temperature stress. In summary, our results show that S. inferens sHSP genes have distinct regulatory roles in the physiology of S. inferens.
Highlights
Small heat shock proteins were first identified as a set of low molecular proteins (15–30 kDa) induced after heat shock in Drosophila melanogaster [1]
Compared to other HSPs, Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) exhibit a greater variation in sequence, structure, size, and function [2,3]. They are a superfamily of proteins that contain an α-crystallin domain and variable N- and C-terminal extensions [4]. sHSPs can exist as large oligomers comprised of ~50 subunits and can approach a mass of 1.2 MDa [5,6]
Our results indicate that expression of the three shsps is modulated in response to cold stress
Summary
Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) were first identified as a set of low molecular proteins (15–30 kDa) induced after heat shock in Drosophila melanogaster [1]. In addition to the stress response, sHSPs have been implicated in apoptosis and autophagy, actin and intermediate filament dynamics, organization of the cytoskeleton, and membrane fluidity [10,11,12,13] They function as therapeutic targets and biomarkers for many diseases [14]. To investigate whether shsps expression regulates cold tolerance in S. inferens, we cloned three genes encoding sHSPs from this insect pest. The structure of these genes was examined, and we analyzed their expression in different tissues and stages of insect development. Our results indicate that expression of the three shsps is modulated in response to cold stress
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