Journal
BIOSCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Volume 72, Issue 9, Pages 2353-2361Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1271/bbb.80263
Keywords
insect immunity; antimicrobial peptide; defensin; gene expression; Bombyx mori
Categories
Funding
- PRO-BRAIN, Japan
Ask authors/readers for more resources
cDNA encoding a novel defensin (BmDefensinB) was cloned from the fat body of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and gene expression was analyzed. BmDefensinB showed typical structural characteristics of invertebrate defensins. Phylogenetic and bootstrap analyses indicated that it has no orthologs, whereas previously reported BmDefensinA is the ortholog of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf)Spodoptericin. The BmDefensinB gene was expressed tissue-specifically in the fat body and was strongly activated by bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, and by an entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. In contrast, the BmDefensinA gene was expressed to a much lesser extent. Expression of the BmDefensinB gene was strongly stimulated by B. mori Rel proteins ROB and Relish, supporting the observation that this gene is activated by E. coli, B. subtilis, and B. bassiana. These results suggest that BmDefensinB gene expression is controlled through both the Toll and the Imd pathway, and that this gene plays an important role in B. mori. immune reactions against infection by bacteria and fungi.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available