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Quantitative RT‐PCR analysis of pacifastin‐related precursor transcripts during the reproductive cycle of solitarious and gregarious desert locusts
Author(s) -
Breugelmans B.,
Simonet G.,
Van Hoef V.,
Claeys I.,
Van Soest S.,
Vanden Broeck J.
Publication year - 2008
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.1365-2583.2008.00793.x
Subject(s) - schistocerca , desert locust , biology , proteases , transcriptome , microbiology and biotechnology , evolutionary biology , genetics , ecology , gene , gene expression , biochemistry , enzyme , locust
In locusts, little is known about the physiological and biochemical mechanisms regulating complex processes, such as reproduction and phase transition. The pacifastin family constitutes a family of peptidic inhibitors of serine proteases that are considered to be important regulators of several physiological processes in arthropods. We have performed a detailed transcript profiling analysis of two pacifastin‐related peptide precursors, SGPP‐2 and SGPP‐4, during the reproductive cycle of adult desert locusts ( Schistocerca gregaria ). This quantitative real‐time (RT)‐PCR analysis revealed a temporal regulation of both transcripts, which is paralleled by several events that occur during the reproductive cycle of adult locusts. The observed temporal transcript profiles display a strong tissue‐, gender‐ and phase‐dependence. In addition, a partial regregarization experiment suggests that both transcript levels are regulated during phase transition and can be employed as molecular markers of the gregarization process.