Cloning, characterization, and expression analysis of a novel BmGDAP1 gene from silkworm, Bombyx mori, involved in cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus infection

A novel ganglioside-induced differentiation-associated protein 1 gene (BmGDAP1) was first cloned and sequenced from silkworm, Bombyx mod using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The full-length cDNA of BmGDAP1 was 1514 bp, consisting of a 91 bp 5' untranslated region (UTR), a 424 bp 3'-UTR and a 999 bp open reading frame (ORF). The ORF encoded a polypeptide of 332 amino acids, which possessed a thioredoxin (TRX)-like domain, a glutathione S-transferase-C (GST-C) family domain and a transmembrane segment. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that BmGDAP1 transcripts were mainly presented in the tissues of hemocytes and midgut of silkworm, and its expression level was down-regulated in the hemocytes, while up-regulated in the midgut. Therefore, it could be concluded that BmGDAP1 plays an important role in the recognition and immune response of silkworm to BmCPV infection. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.