A chymotrypsin-like serine protease interacts with the chitin synthase from the midgut of the tobacco hornworm

The chitin portion of the peritrophic matrix in the midgut of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, is produced by chitin synthase 2 (CHS2), a transmembrane family II glycosyltransferase, located at the apical tips of brush border microvilli. To look for proteins that potentially interact with CHS2, we performed yeast two-hybrid screening, identifying a novel chymotrypsin-like protease (CTLP1) that binds to the extracellular carboxyterminal domain of CHS2. The occurrence of this interaction in vivo is supported by co-localization and co-immunoprecipitation data. Based on our findings we propose that chitin synthesis is controlled by an intestinal proteolytic signalling cascade linking chitin synthase activity to the nutritional state of the larvae.