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Molecular characterization of insulin‐like peptide genes and their expression in the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae
Author(s) -
Krieger M. J. B.,
Jahan N.,
Riehle M. A.,
Cao C.,
Brown M. R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
insect molecular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.955
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2583
pISSN - 0962-1075
DOI - 10.1111/j.0962-1075.2004.00489.x
Subject(s) - anopheles gambiae , biology , gene , expressed sequence tag , genetics , anopheles , immunostaining , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , peptide sequence , peptide , malaria , biochemistry , immunology , immunohistochemistry
Abstract Of the seven genes encoding insulin‐like peptides (ILPs) in the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae , four are arrayed proximally as duplicate pairs on chromosome three. Amino acid substitutions encoded in the duplicate genes occur in the C peptide and not the B and A peptides. Except for one duplicated gene, sequence‐specific transcripts for all other AgamILPs were obtained from female mosquitoes. Transcript expression of each AgamILP was determined by RT‐PCR in the head, thorax, and abdomen of all life stages and both sexes of this mosquito. Two AgamILPs were ubiquitously expressed, suggesting a growth factor function, whereas the other AgamILPs were expressed primarily in heads, as confirmed by the immunostaining of ILPs in the neurosecretory cells of female brains, thus indicating a hormonal function.